Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/209

AN ADVENTURE WITH A SHARK Some years ago a ship was lost off the coast of Jamaica in the West Indies. At the time she had a large sum of money on board which was on its way to Europe. The ship had foundered in a hurricane, but, as luck would have it, not in very deep water.

The bankers, to whom the money belonged, were anxious to recover it, and for this purpose employed a skilled diver. He went down to Jamaica and after making an examination of the spot put on his diving clothes and descended. He found that the safe which contained the money had broken away from its fastenings and was therefore easy to raise. Ropes were fastened around it and it was safely hauled into the boat. The diver then went down a second time to see if there was anything else of value lying about that could be recovered.

While he was moving along the bottom he saw a great shadow flit past. On looking in the direction he beheld two large sharks watching him. One of them, the larger, seemed more anxious to get at him than the other. He tried the old trick of divers of letting some air escape, causing a great rush of bubbles. This is usually enough to cause any shark to scuttle off in no time. The shark in this case did swim away but it returned in an instant. Luckily the diver was armed with a heavy marlinspike. He gripped it tightly and stood his ground waiting for the attack. He knew that it was no use to signal to be hauled up, for the instant he would move he knew that the shark would rush at him.

Still the shark seemed to be in no hurry. It swam round and round in big circles, but the diver noticed that the brute was getting closer and closer all the time. Meanwhile those in the boat above were becoming alarmed at the time the diver was staying below water, but the rule was never to haul their man up until he gave the signal, that is when the air bubbles continue to come naturally to the surface.

The shark made a feint but turned tail at the critical moment, but the next time it was bolder. Turning on its side it swept upon the diver. The man feared not so much for his head which was covered with a copper case, as he did for his air pipes. If once the shark became entangled in those, it would be all up with him. Gripping his marlinspike firmly, he plunged it in the shark's stomach. The fish gave a great lurch to one side. At the same instant the diver pulled the signal cord and a minute later was safe in the boat above water. This diver was a man who had had many experiences under the sea in all parts of the world, but he admitted that never before had he had such a lively ten minutes.