AN HEROIC RESCUE 157 



two sharks who were shadowing the ship, without 

 wasting time even to wrench off his coat or kick off 

 his shoes, Lieutenant Huddleston was overboard after 

 him : the lascars were equally ready with lines, and 

 before we who were aft knew anything about the 

 accident, the gunner was rescued and Mr Huddleston 

 was half-way up the ship's side again, but only just 

 in time. 



For this noble and fearless deed Lieutenant 

 Huddleston was awarded a silver medal by the Royal 

 Humane Society, and was subsequently adjudged the 

 Stanhope gold medal for the most gallant act in the 

 annals of the sea for the year 1890. 



I may mention that the shark which had been the 

 cause of all this trouble was shot, and made lawful 

 prize, but that its two companions — one of which 

 had been in such dangerous proximity to Mr Huddle- 

 ston — cleared off. 



After taking in coal at Madras we steamed up 

 coast to Bimlipatam, where surveying was to begin. 

 When off the Kistna Delta, we dredged in 240-276 

 fathoms, and found a bottom of brown mud, the 

 temperature being 52° Fahr., or twenty-eight degrees 

 less than that of the surface water. Here we got a 

 trawl-bag full of fishes and crustaceans of many 

 different species. Among the fishes was a specimen 

 of a little Ophidioid, Saccogaster maculata, the female 

 of which does not lay eggs but brings forth living 



