150 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
No fish can switn so fast as the shark, he outstrips the 
swiftest ships. Such amazing powers, with such great appe- 
tites for destruction, would quickly unpeople even the ocean, 
but providentially the shark’s upper jaw projects so far above 
the lower, that he is obliged to turn on one side (not on his 
back, as is generally supposed) to seize his prey. As this 
takes some small time to perform, the animal pursued seizes 
that opportunity to make his escape. 
Still, however, the depredations he commits are frequent 
and formidable. The shark is the dread of sailors in all 
hot climates; where, like a greedy robber, he attends the 
ships, in expectation of what may drop overboard. A man 
who unfortunately falls into the sea at such a time, is sure 
to perish A sailor that was bathing in the Mediterranean, 
near Antibes, in the year 1 7 14, while he was swimming 
about fifty yards from the ship, perceived a monstrous fish 
makimr towards him and surveying him on every side, as 
fish are often seen to look round a bait. The poor man, 
struck with terror at its approach, cried out to his compa- 
nions in the vessel to take him on board. They accordingly 
threw him a rope with the utmost expedition, and were 
drawing him up by the ship’s mle, when the shark darted 
after him from the deep, and snapped oil' his leg. 
Mr. Pennant tells us, that the master of a Guinea-ship, 
finding a rage for suicide prevail among his slaves, from a 
notion the unhappy creatures had, that alter death they should 
be restored again to their families, friends and country ; to 
convince them at least that some disgrace must attend them 
here, he ordered one of their dead bodies to be tied by the 
heels to a rope, and so let down into the sea: and though it 
was drawn up again with great swiftness, yet, in that short 
space, the shark had bitten off all but the feet. A Guinea 
captain, was by stress of weather, driven into the harbour of 
Belfast, with a lading of very sickly slaves, who in the man- 
ner above-mentioned, took every opportunity to throw them- 
selves over board when brought upon deck, us is usual, for 
the benefit of the fresh air. The captain perceiving, among 
others, a woman slave attempting to drown herself, pitched 
upon her as a proper example to the rest : as he supposed that 
they did not know the terrors attending death, he ordered the 
woman to be tied with a rope under die arm-pits, and to let 
her down into the water. When the poor creature was thus 
plunged in, and about half way down, she was heard to give 
a terrible shriek, which at first was ascribed to her fears of 
drowning ; but soon after the water appearing red all round 
her, she was drawn up, and it was found that a shark, which 
had followed the ship, had bit her off from the middle. 
The usual method of our sailors to take the shark, is dv 
