156 DARK UNFATHOMED CAVES OF OCEAN 



the Bay came very near to ending in a tragedy, in 

 this wise. As we lay-to to sound before trawling, 

 three large sharks came up and lazily inspected the 

 ship. Our ideas on seeing them being reciprocal of 

 theirs on seeing us, we called for hooks and salt 

 pork, and soon had our shark-lines shot overboard. 

 In due time, when the trawl was safely dragging on 

 the bottom, we went to breakfast, leaving the officer 

 of the watch, Lieutenant W. B. Huddleston, on the 

 forecastle in charge of the dredging operations, while 

 Gunner Peterson kept an eye on the shark-lines from 

 the same place. We had not finished breakfast when 

 the noise of a tumult, such as sounded very strangely 

 on one of Her Majesty's ships, reached the ward-room 

 and sent us hurrying forward, where we found the 

 gunner being wrung dry by lascars and the dripping 

 figure of Mr Huddleston clambering over the ship's 

 side ; and I on looking over, saw Mr Huddleston's 

 cap floating on the water, with a large shark rising 

 at it — a sight that I shall never forget. 



We then learned that, after we had gone to break- 

 fast, one of the sharks had taken our bait, and that 

 as it resisted all efforts to haul it in, the gunner had 

 sent for a rifle to shoot it withal. But in his anxiety 

 to get as close a shot as possible, he fell overboard, 

 and of course, like the majority of European fishermen 

 and sailors who have not had a naval training, he 

 could not swim. Without a thought about the other 



