jvLY 8, 1899.1 
■nd dirks were evidently gathered according to the 
■nicy of each. 
Before, the raouth oi the Mississippi had been reached 
the accidental discharge o£ a revolver had wounded a 
recruit in the shoulder, when the Colonel promptly dis- 
armed the whole battfilUpn^ — a wise precaution, as the 
event proved. 
Near the middle of the Gulf a cairn ensued, and for 
nearly thirty-six hours the ocean was like glass. The 
heat grew intolerable. Pitch oozed from the deck 
seams, and when the sun on the second calm day "neared 
the meridian the women were sent below, that the men 
might go over the side for a swim in the blue water 
that looked so invitingly cool. 
Although a very good swimmer, my father would not 
go in; jior would he. for a time, heed the pleadings of 
my brotlier and mj^self for permission to swim. FinalIJ^ 
■when nearly all the crowd of bathers had returned to 
the deck after an enjoyable swim, and no sign of sharks 
had appeared, he consented to let us go in over the bow 
while he kept watch for our safety. 
After a fine swim near the bow — which was disturbed 
only by the sudden recollection of the boyish experiment 
of shoving one foot down in an endeavor to touch bot- 
tom, which sent a shiver through me, as I thought of the 
countless fathoms beneath — -we returned to the deck, and 
were nearl}' dressed when, there being but five men in 
the water, three under the how and two swimming side 
by side around the stern, a filibuster captain, sitting on 
the quarter-deck and looking over the side at the swim- 
mers beneath, noticed just behind their feet something 
round in shape and rapidly growing larger, and not until 
the swimmers had advanced quite a distance and the 
strange object in their wake turned more obliquely 
toward them did he realize that a large shark coming 
from deep water, and in his first appearance showing 
nothing of his length, was almost at the feet of the un- 
suspecting swimmers. 
He jumped to his feet, crjang, "Shark! shai'k!" and 
a man sprang to the cook's galley, and seizing some 
billets of wood, threw them into the water above the 
monster. Another seized the big bass drum of the fili- 
busters, which fortunatel}' lay close at hand, and holding 
it over the schooner's side beat it furiously. An officer 
ran up with a revolver and rapidly fired its contents into 
the Avater behind the frightened swimmers, who, know- 
ing that a single rope hung from the foremast over the 
vessel's side, and that he who reached it first had the 
best chance of safety, swam for their lives. 
The frightened shark swam oflf about looft. from the 
schooner's side, where he lay motionless alongside, a foot 
of two beneath the surface, and with a '"stony British 
stare" of his cruel eyes gazed at the noisy crowd who 
had driven him from his prey. 
As the afternoon advanced a faint zephyr crept over 
the sea, and y&ry slowly and gradually swelling into 
a breeze the lazy schooner crawled along; and as the 
shark now took up his position in her wake the captain 
of the vessel came on deck with a fish-hook big enough 
to hold a horse, and a big line, some hundreds of feet 
in length, and baiting the hook with a junk of pork 
big enough for a dinner for his ship's crew, hove the 
bait over the stern and trailed in the schooner's wake 
lOoft. astern. 
Gradually the breeze grew stronger, the ship's wake 
grew more tumultuous, and the cowardly brute, creep- 
ing up close to the enticing lure, crossed back and forth 
amid the tumbling waves, nearer and nearer to the bait, 
but still afraid to strike, and wearing our patience thread- 
bare. Finallj^ the practiced eye of the captain caught 
indications of a strike, and slacking up on the line, he 
allowed the hungry shark to swallow the bait, -when, 
taking a turn with the line to enable him to play the 
monster, he gave a jerk that sent the hook Well home, 
and then followed a fight grandly worth the seeing. 
The great brute, over 12ft. in length, sent that all too 
slender looking cord through the waves from side to 
side of the vessel's wake with a noise like that of tearing 
muslin, while the throng on the schooner's deck stood 
with bated breath, watching the furious struggles of the 
tethered tiger of the sea, dreading the momentarily 
parting af the line, while the skillful old sailor in charge 
of the free circus plaj-^ed his giant catch with a deft cool- 
ness that woke our enthusiasm, and the long struggle 
went on as though the hungry shark were really a 
bundle of springs of a huge eight-day clock, wound up to 
the striking notch. 
Finally his struggles grew weaker, and as the captain 
slowly worked him nearer the vessel's stern an officer 
fired three revolver shots at his head, now drawn near 
the surface; and this not appearing sufficient to quiet 
.him a musket was heavil};- loaded and twice fired at 
the same target, when he grew more tractable, and 
the captain then tied a ship's rope in a big running noose 
around the fish line, and dropping it over the side al- 
lowed it to drift back over the head and shoulders of the 
shark, when the rope was tightened and half a hundred 
men seized hold and brought him up over the side on 
to the deck. 
But, bottled smoke! he woke suddenly to life, and his 
sweeping tail, which for a time threatened to smash in 
the schooner's deck, soon cleared a wide space among 
the watchers at his funeral, when a thoughtful fellow 
seized the axe from the cook's galley, and watching for 
an opportunity succeeded in chopping off about 3ft. o^ 
his tail. Still he floundered dangerously, when finally his 
head was severed from his body. This finished him, but 
at the same time rendered it impossible to measure his 
length accurately, though from the number of planks 
of the deck which the pieces crossed it was plain that he 
was over 12ft. long. 
About half an hour afterward it occurred to a curious 
youth to examine the shark's teeth. Just as I was 
about to push my hand into his mouth to feel of its 
triple row of dagger points, one of the filibusters, who, 
in spite of the Colonel's orders for disarmament, -was 
still in possession of a bowie-knife, suddenly pushed me 
aside and thrust the knife into the . shark's mouth. In- 
stantly the great jaws closed upon the polished blade, 
and for ten minutes no man in the crowd could move 
it from that viselike grip.- My curiosity was gratified 
with an outside view, and so I have two whole hands 
yet attached to my arms. 
The tail of the shark was cooked by the sailors. The 
FORES'i' AND STREAM. 
other bloody fragnients were hove overboard, and all 
rejoiced that the skill of the captain had turned the tables 
on the savage creature, and that the biter had bf.en 
badly bitten. It was, however, by a rising vote miani- 
mously decided that fresh water beat the hr'my deep out 
of sigiit for bathing purposes. 
A few mornings after we saw our first clipper Ship, 
one of those oldtime ocean greyhounds, and the pretti- 
est craft that ever rode the waves. Up from the horizon 
on our port bow rose a cloud of snow, which the sailors 
promptly announced as a Baltimore clippei-. 
Eager as I was for a near view of the beautiful craft, I 
observed with regret that our own course across her bow 
would make this impossible by carrying us far beyond 
her before she could reach our line of travel. But a 
marvelous lesson awaited me. She rose above the hori- 
zon with wonderful rapidity, and swept across the sea as 
though on the wings of the wind and with the waves as 
the dust of her feet! Away across our bow sped the 
great snow cloud of beauty, so far in advance of our 
own crawling tub that only a distant view of the majestic 
creature rewarded my hungry gaze until she sank hull 
down in the northern sea. 
If tlie new HerreshofT cup defender will only sail as 
well! 
The loveliness of the tropical sea under the Hght of an 
unclouded moon captivated me. Drifting along one 
evening, an hour after a glorious sunset, a vessel still 
smaller than our own hove in sight, and drifted past 
us so closely that the trumpets of the two skippers were 
all unnecessary in their friendly hail. All was quiet on 
our decks, while the two captains conversed, when a 
mischievous sailor on the little craft hailed us: 
"What ship is that?" 
"The Minnie Schiffer," cried a filibuster, in reply. 
"Where are you from?" 
"New Orleans." 
"Where are you bound?" 
"Nicaragua." 
"Wiat are you loaded with?" 
"Wharf rats!" 
"What are you going to do with them?" 
"Feed the Costa Ricans on 'em!" bawled the fili- 
buster, and the faint echo of boisterous laughter floated 
back to us over the moonlit waves, as the little stranger 
drifted onward toward the land of the free, while our 
own happy-go-lucky crowd of filibusters floated on 
toward the strange south land where they were ex- 
pected to fight the soldiers of Costa Rica, which had 
joined forces with the sister republic in defense against 
their common foe. 
And now occurred an event which at first brought 
rejoicing to all on board, but finally came ftear to being 
the harbinger of a fearful tragedy. 
Among the emigrants were a Mr. and Mrs. Webster " 
Forbes, from Council Bluffs, la., and to them was born 
on the bosom of the Caribbean Sea a lovely little baby 
girl. All on board were jubilant over the prospect of 
the little schooner's landing a greater number of pas- 
sengers than she had begun her voyage with. 
The next day begun very pleasant, the filibuster force 
was drawn up in order on the schooner's deck, each man 
holding a mug, cup, can, glass or other dish contain- 
ing a generous ration of whisky; and after the tiny little 
stranger had been carried slowly along the line in the 
arms of a motherly old lady, a Mrs. Tarbox, and each 
man had been allowed a glimpse of a wee nose peeping 
out from the bundle of flannels. Col. Jacques proposed 
the health of the tiny creature (who, in accordance with 
the petition of all on board, had already received the 
name of Minnie Schiffer Forbes, in honor of the little 
schooner which carried her), and the toast was drunk 
amid wild enthusiasm. 
This was perhaps pardonable; but now began a carouse 
among some of the line officers of the battalion, a few 
of whom proved insubordinate and utterly unfit for com- 
mand. 
As night drew on one of the drunken lieutenants as- 
saulted one of the emigrants, and was soundl}' drubbed 
for his pains, and another, a captain, picked a quarrel 
with the father of the baby girl, and presuming upon 
his rank began a course of conduct to which no Ameri- 
can could be expected to submit. 
The Colonel's attention being called to it, and the 
captain proving refractory and insubordinate, he was 
promptly placed under arrest, when some of the men of 
his company, growing belligerent, defying the authority 
of the Colonel and threatening the little band of emi- 
grants with dire vengeance in the growing tumult, the 
emigrants prepared to assist the Colonel if necessary for 
their own safety. 
For a time it looked squally and threatening for the 
safety of the little Colonel, whose French nativit}' now 
appeared as a target for the prejudices of the turbulent 
crowd, and as he suddenly sprang below I feared for the 
moment that liis nerve had deserted him and that the 
more reckless of the mob, led by the drunken officers, 
might inaugurate pandemonium. But a moment later 
the brave fellow appeared with a revolver strapped to 
each side, and in a tone whose quiet firmness was backed 
by an unmistakable boding glance of his big black 
eyes, ordered the crowd forward from the quarter-deck; 
and the excited fellows moved slowlj;^ forward, and be- 
yond a few muttered threats of breaking open the hatches, 
securing the muskets and bayonets, and carrying the 
schooner by storm, the tempest subsided, and silence 
and darkness closed down upon the little group of 
anxious emigrants on the deck of the swarming ship. " 
So began the life voyage of the child born upon the 
sea, and if any reader of Forest and Stream can in- 
form me concerning the later history of the little one, 
whose whereabouts were unknown to me after the event- 
ful Nicaragua expedition, I shall esteem' it a kindness 
indeed if he will do so. 
The amusements in vogue on the crowded schooner 
were many, and as the voyage lengthened and time 
hung heavily on the hands of the restless crowd, various 
expedients were adopted to shorten the long days, and 
among the various ones tried none afforded more merri- 
ment than the attempts at improvisation in delineating 
the history of the schooner and her living cargo, to the 
accompaniment of a rollicking chorus. 
One performer, a sailor named Clark, showed consider- 
able ingenuity in this line, and assisted by a band of 
2S 
half a dozen shipmates to bellow a chorus vigorous and 
energetic enough to cover up and atone for any hitch 
in the versification, many merry moments were passed, 
which were as thoroughly enjoyed by the thronging on- 
lookers as by the excited and eager performers. 
A jolly Spanish officer of the battallion- attempted it, 
and although quite proficient in speaking English caused 
much uproarious merriment by the oddity of some of 
his blunders, in the occasionally hurried effort to avoid 
being tripped up by the nimble chorus galloping close 
to the heels of his runaway rhyme. 
In the days of the earlier Mississippi River steamers 
some of the negro boatmen exhibited considerable talent 
in this direction. In an attempt to delineate the hard- 
ships of the first spring voyage among a mass of doggerel 
a negro fireman improvised the following verse: 
"Dc ice am driftin' down de riber; 
Ho, yah! Ho yah, yah. 
Make de nigger shake an' shiber, 
Ho, yah! Ho yah, yah. 
Steamboats sinkin' ebery day, 
Ho, yah! Ho yah, yah. 
■Stiags an' sandbars in de way. 
Ho, yahL Ho yah, yah." 
Finally the shore of the land of our search appeared, 
and as we drifted slowly along down the coast, just 
north of Greytown, the View was beautiful enough to 
atone for much of the discomfort of the long voyage. 
The fleet of fishing canoes sailing out of the distant 
harbor mouth and spreading out over the sea like an 
opening fan — the dark blue of the ocean, bordered by 
a sharply defined line of green, the shoal water near the 
beach — the chalkline of white breakers at the edge of the 
narrow belt of yellow sand, beyond which rose the hea-vy 
dense forest, the green of whose strange vegetation was 
occasionally relieved by gorgeous flowers — the low leyel 
belt of forest extending inland to the base of the line 
of mountains blue with distance, and with one volcano 
smoking plainly in view not many miles inland — all con- 
tributed to the loveliness of a scene unexcelled and un- 
forgotten. 
Entering the harbor, the schooner was anchored near 
the southern shore, near Point Arenas. 
Stirring news awaited us. The campaign of the fili- 
buster army, which when we left New Orleans was re- 
ported crowned with an almost complete success, was 
now raging fiercely in the interior, and had grown to 
proportions which forbid positively the taking of women 
and children beyond the coast; and the only course now 
open to the disappointed colonists appeared to be to 
land at Greytown and await the course of events. 
"The alliance of Costa Rica, whose troops had come to 
the aid of those of Nicaragua, had rendered the task of 
subjugating the little state an almost impossible one; 
and the fever which marched with the invading army 
proved more formidable still. 
The British Government having established a protec- 
torate over the territory' of the Mosquito Indians, a nar- 
row strip of country along the Atlantic Coast from Grey- 
town northward to and beyond Bluefields, sixty miles 
distant, and watching with jealous and unfriendly eyes 
all movements of the filibusters from the United States, 
the little band of armed invaders on the deck of the 
Minnie Schiffer were kept closely in hand by the vig- 
ilant French colonel, and hurriedly transferred to a small 
light-draft river steamer, which lay awaiting their com- 
ing, and started on the journey up the San Juan River 
to the interior to the assistance of their companions in 
arms under Walker. 
We had learned to like many of the motley crowd, 
who. under a rough exterior, carried the metal of sterling- 
manhood, and the French soldier of fortune who com- 
manded them — and who shortly afterward was killed in 
action — had merited the respect of all on board. _ • 
We bade them good-by with regret, and landing in the, 
quaint old town of Greytown awaited the coursre of 
events. 
My father rented a house on the shore of the lagoon 
in rear of the town, and as no favorable news came from 
the interior, and as the little band of discouraged emi- 
grants gradually broke up, some dying of the diseases 
oi the unhealthy coast, some pushing on to California 
via the Isthmus of Panama, he planned to engage in 
some remunerative enterprise while awaiting the turn of 
the tide of war. 
And now came my first adventure with the alligators. 
The lagoon swarmed with them, some of which were ot 
monstrous size. 
I had brought the little muzzle-loading rifle with which 
I had killed deer on the prairies of western Iowa, and as 
we came through St. Louis, Mo., my father had bought 
me a Mississippi yager rifle, which threw a J/soz. round 
ball, and proved quite an effective weapon. 
Several shots at the heads of swimming alligators with 
the little rifle had proved that it was too light a weapon, 
and when one morning my father called to me that an al- 
ligator of most unusual size was coming along near the 
shore, I took the yager and ran down to the shore under 
cover of a clump of bushes, and, dropping on one knee, I 
cocked the rifle and awaited the coming of the giant 
saurian. 
All unsuspicious of danger; and swimming with head 
half exposed above the water, he passed slowly along un- 
til opposite me, at about 403'^ds. distance. 
Aiming carefully at a point near the lower line of the ex- 
posed portion of his skull, I fired, and the roar of the 
rifle was followed by a geyser-like eruption of the quiet 
water of the lagoon, followed bj'- a shout of exultation, 
from my father, who stood watching the result of the shot. 
I never saw an alligator make such a commotion; but 
the shot didn't do him a bit of good, and apparently no 
fatal harm, for, disappearing for a few moments, the 
great head rose again to view further out from shore, and 
the brute swam away as though unharmed. How he could 
sustain such a shock was a puzzler. To be sure, they 
grow to enormous size, in tropical waters, and we were 
credibly informed that the bed of one where he had been 
jumped from his lair in the mud of the lagoon showed 
2ift. from nose to tail. I grew d'iscouraged for a time, as 
their armor seemed too heavy for my guns. 
In the harbor of Greytown lay the British frigate Eury- 
dice, of twenty-six guns, which had been stationed there 
