86 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



empty oil cans and made life buoys of them by 

 fastening a number of them together. 



Just at the time when the forecastle conspi- 

 racies were at their height we killed a thirteen- 

 foot shark off Diamond Head. Our catch was 

 one of a school of thirty or forty monsters that 

 came swarming about the brig, gliding slowly 

 like gray ghosts only a few feet below the sur- 

 face, nosing close to the ship's side for garbage 

 and turning slightly on their sides to look out of 

 their evil eyes at the sailors peering down upon 

 them over the rail. Long John, the boat-steerer, 

 got out a harpoon, and standing on the bulwarks 

 shot the iron up to the wooden haft into the 

 back of one of the sharks, the spear-point of the 

 weapon passing through the creature and stick- 

 ing out on the under side. The stout manila 

 hemp attached to the harpoon had been made 

 fast to the fore bitt. It w^as well that this was 

 so, for the shark plunged and fought with terrific 

 fury, lashing the sea into white froth. But the 

 harpoon had pierced a vital part and in a little 

 while the great fish ceased its struggles and lay 

 still, belly up on the surface. 



