SHARKS AND COLOURED MEN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1258, 13 June 1914, Page 4

SHARKS AND COLOURED MEN.

A practical demonstration of the oft repeated theory that sharks will not attack coloured men unless they are ravenously hungry, was given by Mr H, L. Murray, tie Lieutenant-Governor’s secretary in F.".pvm recency (says the Sydnc 7 Being a fa-; i.v: tuer, he had chaiiccge i,?. Port ?T. —c.f- T b .•••••” io race him r ;v -h-. Vj ; , - i;.;, Lbi- \iuuiont arm the burns Tuilip wharves at Put Moresby, iu which -‘blue noses” swim literally in shoals. Mi Murray was somewhat difidcut about swimming there for fear that one of the man-eaters might select him for a meal ; but his opponent, a strapping young native, Towsku by name, merely said : “Shark no kai kai. All rime we pfcllers swim here.” (Kai means eat). But, Mr Murray was taking no chances. and insisted that some means to ensure b?j safety be adopted. Tomaku went off to the vilkge. and m a verv little a horde of blackfellows iteso-'o-Jed on the port. They ran to To water and plunged in fearlessly, making two lines of human form f om one whait to the other, the space between the lines being about 40ft. Satisfied that the yelling and splashing of the hundreds of nati es would shatter the nerves of an" decent shark, Mr Murray consented to the race taking place ever the course marked by the lines of black boys. After all the preparations, there was nothing exciting in the contest. Mr Murray won easily, and not a shark showed bis nose.