Barney Blake, the Boy Privateer; or, The Cruise of the Queer Fish

by Herrick Johnstone

  CHAPTER V.

  ANOTHER PRIZE--FISHING FOR SHARKS.

  It was on the third morning following the event narrated in our lastchapter that we fell in with another--our second prize. She was a nobleEast Indiaman, a ship that could almost have picked up our saucy littleprivateer, and carried her at her stern like a yawl, had it not been forthe difference of the cannon we carried. But, of course, that made allthe difference in the world.

  She was loaded with silks, spices and preserved fruits, and wasimmensely valuable. We had a brisk chase after her, but brought her toin an hour by a shot from our irresistible amidships gun. A large numberof passengers were on board, which made a disposal of her somewhatuncomfortable. We had to deplete our ship's company again by putting aprize-crew on board. But we, here again, had some consolation in this,inasmuch as we received several recruits from the crew of the prize.

  We had struck a bee-line southward some days before, and were nowapproaching the equator--the days not growing much cooler inconsequence. One day, when we had got becalmed, the whole ship's company(almost) went in bathing, and a thrilling incident was the result.

  The captain, always glad to make the men happy, had caused the mainsailto be slung over the side, with either end upheld by the overhangingyards, the belly of the canvas making a long dip in the brine, thusmaking a delightful shallow for the more timid swimmers to exercisetheir talents in, while bolder spirits might strike out to any distancethey pleased. A great peril was involved in this operation of mid-seatropical bathing, on account of the sharks, which are always more orless numerous in the wake of a ship.

  Well, we all had an excellent time in the water, and were not in a hurryto come out. The captain had got tired of laughing at us, and had gonebelow for a siesta.

  Old Snollygoster, after having got through with his ablutions, waslazily watching us from the rail of the ship. He was probably as able aswimmer as ever lived. He now amused us with sundry suggestions andcautions with regard to sharks, warning us not to go too far from theship, and solemnly averring that _his_ assistance need not be countedon, in event we were attacked. Several of us had swum to a considerabledistance from the vessel, when suddenly some one sung out:

  "Sharks! sharks!"

  I thought it was a joke at first, but upon turning and casting a lookseaward, I, sure enough, discovered several of the ominous black finscutting water toward us.

  I gave the alarm and struck out for the ship, with the strength offorlorn hope, followed by all the rest. To experience the horriblesensations of such a situation is an event which no after events,however stirring, can ever obliterate. It is horrible! horrible! That isall I can say. Every instant you expect to hear the snap of the ravenousjaws in your rear, and the next to feel them on your limbs. I think Inever in my life swam so swiftly as upon that occasion. The ship was notdistant--only a few rods, but it seemed a league to our excitedimaginations. At length, however, with a wild cry of relief, I felt thecanvas of the outstretched sail under me, and, clambering quickly up theside, was safe on the bulwarks. My comrades followed right at my heels,and the next moment I had the satisfaction of seeing them safe at myside. _All_ of them? No, not all. A feeble cry behind apprised us thatone was less fortunate than the rest. It was Dicky Drake. He hadsucceeded in almost reaching the sail, and was now all but surrounded bythe infernal, swiftly-moving black fins of the monsters, who wereactually pushing him about with their muzzles. They evidently thoughtthat they had a sure thing, and might as well have a little sport withtheir morsel before devouring it. The poor fellow floated on the waves,paralyzed with horror and fright, unable to move hand or foot for hisown salvation. It is very probable that this circumstance helped to savehis life.

  We were all so horrified at the spectacle that we were powerless torender any assistance, even if it were possible.

  "Avast there, you lubbers!" said a clear, rough voice behind us.

  Upon looking back we saw that it was the giant negro, Snollygoster, whospoke. Unbeknown to us, he had stripped himself, and now stood naked,with a long clasp-knife, open, and between his teeth. With one bound hewas in the shallow of the sail below, and, with another, he grasped poorDicky Drake by the hair of the head and drew him in, and we let down arope and had the satisfaction of drawing the poor devil, more dead thanalive, to the deck.

  But the matter did not end here. Right in the midst of the sharks sprungthe heroic Snollygoster. He dove out of sight. In an instant the waterbecame suffused with blood.

  "By Jove! they've nabbed him!" exclaimed old Bluefish, excitedly.

  But they hadn't done anything of the kind. The next instant the woollyhead of the negro made its appearance above the surface. It was shark'sblood that was dyeing the water. Again the darky disappeared, and thewater grew redder and redder, as another of the monsters floated, bellyup, with a terrific gash in his paunch. The negro seemed to be as muchat home in the sea as the fish themselves. It was a terrific combat, butone of intense interest. In vain would the monsters roll over on theirbacks and snap at their inexorable foe, or attempt to cut him in twowith a sweep of their tremendous flukes. He was away again as quick ashe came, attacking them from under the surface. In this he now had anadvantage, as the water was so bloody that the fish could not see theblows by which they were being momentarily stricken to death, by theterrible right arm of heroic negro. At length, five of them werefloating, dead or dying, on the surface, and the rest of them, with oneexception, beat a retreat and did not venture within several rods. Butthe grand combat was yet to come. The one shark that lingered was by farthe biggest of the group. I think he was, without doubt, the largest ofthe species I have ever seen, and I have seen plenty to choose from. Hewas thirty-five feet in length, if an inch, and when he opened his jawsthe cavity Within was a terrible affair, with its double rows of tusks.

  He seemed determined to take upon himself the championship of the wholefamily and advanced warily upon the negro, who did not flinch for asingle instant. At length and as quick as lightning the monster leapedentirely clear of the sea and brought around his tail like the sweep ofa scythe. The darky was out of reach just in time. As it was, the raggededge of the animal's fluke just grazed his temple, drawing the blood.But before the unwieldy monster could recover himself for a renewal ofthe attack the knife of the negro was buried in his side. The wound wasnot mortal, but it must have been a painful one, to judge by the way thebrute lashed the sea in his fury. It, however, served to render him morewary than before. He now began to swim round and round his foe in thehope of wearying him. But the negro stood bolt upright in the water,treading it with perfect ease, and ever keeping his face to the shark.

  At length the latter, losing patience, charged, hoping to tear downSnolly with his snout. But quick as a wink, just as the animal was uponhim, the negro disappeared, and the great effusion of blood thatinstantly followed made us aware that he had received his death-blowfrom beneath.

  I shall never forget the shout with which we greeted the invincibleSnollygoster as his woolly head appeared above the blood-dyed waters,while the conquered monster drifted off from the side of the ship,lashing the sea feebly with his tail, but fast expiring. Snolly slowlycame out of the water and up the ship's side.

  The captain, who had witnessed the last combat, shook him warmly by thehand when he reached the deck, while we all gathered around him withrousing cheers. Little Dicky Drake caught him by the hand and fairlysobbed. I must say that I had a strong impulse to catch the great negroin my arms and hug him for very joy. But Snolly rapidly replaced hisclothes, with the simple remark:

  "Dis nigga nebber see'd de fish he was afeard of."

  You may think that this is quite sufficient for one fish story, but itisn't. We weren't done with the sharks yet. As the blood faded out ofthe water the school of sharks again clustered about the ship, and thecaptain determined to afford the men greater sport by catching one, ifpossible.

  "'Ow will you do it?" exclaimed our prisoner. "'Ow will you 'ook onewhen you 'aven't a
ny _worms_ to bait with?"

  "Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the captain. "It's true we haven't any fishingworms, nor grasshoppers, for that matter. But you have been complainingof the mosquitoes all day, my dear sir, and why not use them? However,we might as well try 'em first with a little bacon. So Pickle, justorder some one to fetch up the carcass of that pig that died lastnight."

  The bait was duly brought up on deck, much to the astonishment of theBritisher.

  In the mean time Tony Trybrace proceeded to rig up the necessary tackle.Upon the end of a rope about an inch and a half in thickness hefastened a large boat-hook. We then slung the rope through a block andmade the latter fast to the jibboom. We thus had a first-rate purchasewherewith to fetch up anything short of a few tons' weight. Having madeall ready, we hooked on the bait, and with a dozen stout seamen holdingon to the other end, to be ready for any emergency, we lowered herslowly down. The stench of the putrid meat had already set the sharkswild for first bite, but as we wanted to take our choice and capture oneof fair size, whenever a little fellow would jump at the bait we wouldquickly haul up and let his jaws gnash together with nothing betweenthem.

  At last, however, one rousing big fellow, who had evidently scented thebattle from afar, came rushing up at railroad speed, pushing hisvoracious way through his smaller fellows. The bait was suspended fullysix feet from the surface of the sea, but with a flying leap he took thewhole hog at a swallow, and was hooked, of course. His weight drew theline down into the sea with a tremendous splash, almost jerking one ortwo of us overboard. But the next instant we were ready for him, andbegan to haul in with a will and a "yo-heave-ho!"

  The old fellow didn't like it, but come he must, and, in spite ofhimself, he began to rise clear of the water. He then endeavored to biteoff the rope, but Tony had been too sharp for him there, by twining theline, for three or four feet above the hook, with stout wire, so thatthe teeth of the monster gritted but harmlessly against the tough ropeby which he was held.

  Slowly but surely we drew him up until we got him taut up against thetackle-block, when another squad of sailors threw out some grapnels tohaul him on deck, tail-foremost. The other men stood by, armed withcutlasses, hatchets and boarding-pikes.

  "Now, be ready to pull him in when I give the word," sung out thecaptain, who was dancing about, the merriest man on the ship. "And besure you keep out of reach of his flukes, or your mothers will forgetyou before they see you."

  "'Eave 'im hin! 'eave 'im hin!" cried Adolphus de Courcy, who wasimpatient to try the efficacy of a sword-cane, which he held in hishand.

  "Now, lads, haul away!" ordered the captain.

  Slowly we brought him in, lowering him by the head as the other squaddragged in the tail. At last the monster was fairly on deck, when, at asignal from the captain, the men at the tail released the grip of theirgrapnels, while we simultaneously cut the line at his head. You hadbetter believe we sprung out of reach lively, as soon as we had donethis. And with reason; for the shark began to flounder at a mostterrific rate, and if any one had happened within the reach of hisflukes, he would have been a goner.

  One laughable incident occurred.

  The cockney was either not spry enough in getting out of the way, or hewas too intent to get in a shy with his sword-cane; at any rate hecaught a side wipe from the flat of one of the flukes, which sent himhead over heels into the bow-scuppers.

  "W'y, 'ow did that 'appen?" exclaimed the poor fellow, picking himselfup, amid a storm of applause. "You see, I just vanted to get von vipe atthe willain vith my walliant blade, when down I goes vithout knowingv'ere I vas hit."

  It is astonishing how high a shark can leap from the water, but to seeone of them bounce up when he has got solid oak beneath him as apurchase, is worth a long voyage. This shark would leap upperpendicularly fully thirty feet in the air, and come down with a crashthat would make the vessel tremble to her keel. The blood poured fromhis mouth from the severe contusions he had received, but he seemed tolose nothing of vitality; until, at length, when we had enjoyed hisgymnastics sufficiently, the captain made a sign to commence theassault.

  The sailor regards the shark as his natural enemy, and never misses achance to slay or maim him. So, as soon as the signal was received, weall began to dance about our victim, to get in a blow, which wasanything but an easy matter, and, at the same time, avoid the sweep ofhis flukes, or the snap of his awful jaws.

  "First blood!" yelled the cockney, with enthusiasm, as he succeeded ininflicting a slight scratch from which a few drops of blood oozed out.

  "Do yer call _that_ blood?" exclaimed old Bluefish contemptuously, as hedanced in and fetched the shark a deep gash with his tomahawk, and thistime the fountain of life began to flow in earnest.

  Then the captain got in a blow, with his cutlass, between the eyes, andalmost at the same time I ran my sharp pike clear through the black finon the shark's back.

  The struggles grew sensibly more feeble as the wounds told upon him,until at length the shark lay almost motionless. You may be sure thatall hands, even down to Dicky Drake, were as brave as lions wheninjuries could be inflicted without danger to themselves.

  Everybody now rushed, and a general thrusting, slashing and hacking tookplace until there was nothing left of the shark but a bloody andshapeless mass.

  Every one then fell off exhausted, except Adolphus de Courcy, whoenjoyed the fun so much that he couldn't be prevailed upon to stop.

  "Just let me 'ave von more vipe at the willain!" he exclaimed, stabbingthe lifeless mass again and again, until forced at last to desist by thelaughter which his ferocity called forth.

  Well, the fun was all over, and the next thing to do was to heave thecarcass overboard, and to wash the decks, the last of which wasperformed in a vein somewhat less merry than before. But the captainmade quite a holiday of it, gave us plenty of grog, and there was aslittle grumbling on board the Queer Fish that day as you would be likelyto fall in with in a year's voyage.