A GREAT FISH STORY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 580, 30 May 1873, Page 3

A GREAT FISH STORY.

It is no 1 : known who avrote the following wonderful narrative, hut the author is ear tainly a man of rare f iculties. It is said to have been taken from the logbook of a vessel which arrived in New York:—“ln the course of the Voyage, that dreadful disease, ship fever, broke oat among the crew. One of the sailors, among the first victims, was accompanied by bis son, a lad of fourteen years, who was strongly attached to his fatheand remained with him day an I night, and never could ho persuaded to leave his sick father for a moment. A large sh.dVk was every day following the vessel, evidently for the purpose of devouring anyone who should die and be committed to the deep. After lingering a few days the svilor died. As was the custom at sea, he was sewed up in a blanket, and for the purpose of sinking him an old grindstone and a carpenter’s axe were put in with him. The very (impressive service of the Episcopal Church was tk m rea I, an I the ho ly committed to the deep. The poor hoy, who ha 1 watched the proceedings closely,plunged a after his father, when the enormous, shark swallowed them both. Tlio second day after this droa Iful scene, as the shark continued to follow the vessel—for there were others sick in the ship—one of the sailors proposed, as they had a shark hook on board, to make an effort to take him. They fastened the hook to a long rope, and baited with a piece of pork, throw it into the sea, and the shark instantly swallowed it. Having thus hooked him, by moans of a windlass they hoisted him on hoard After he was dead they prepared to open him, when one of the sailors scooping down for that purpose, suddenly paused, and after listening a few moments, declared almost solemnly he heard a low guttural sound, which appeared to procee d from the shark. The sailors, after enjoying a hearty laugh at his expense, proceeded to listen fur themselves, when they were compelled to admit they heard a similar sound. They then sot about opening tho shark, when the mystery was at once explaine 1. It appears that tho sailor was not dead but in a trance; and his son, upon making this discovery when inside the shark, had ripped open the blanket. Having thus liberated his father, they both went to work and righted up the old grindstone—the boy was turning, the father was holding on to tho old ship carpenter’s axe, sharpening it for the purpose of cutting their way out of their unnatural prison, which occasioned tho noise heard by the sailor. As it was the hottest season of the year, and very little air stirring where they were at work, both were perspiring tremendously. ’’