[Illustration: Diver Battling with a Shark.]
The Sharks, like the Raias, have their mouth furnished with jaws, and
for this reason they are classified in the same group of Cartilaginous
Fishes, as distinct from the Lampreys and the Sturgeons. This family
includes not only the Sharks, but the Dog-fishes, Hammerheads and the
Saw-fish. All the species have a lengthened body, merging into a thick
tail and a rough skin.
The Shark becomes the terror of the sea almost as soon as it is born. At
first it eats the Cuttle-fish, Molluscs, etc., then the Flounders and
Cod-fish. But the prey which has the greatest charm for him is Man. He
will even attack a diver in the strong diver’s costume, and in the
waters where these “Hyenas of the Seas,” (as the Sharks are sometimes
called) are to be found, the divers find it necessary to make special
preparations for fighting them.
When the diver is eagerly engaged with his work, he sees suddenly a
great shadow fall on the bottom of the sea and he immediately recognizes
with horror the spindle-shaped body of the Man-eating Shark. The head is
flat; the fore-part of the snout is projected forward; the wide mouth,
pushed far back, is supplied with sharp triangular teeth.
The bold robber has seen the diver and comes at him. If he loses his
coolness, he will be the spoil of the greedy Shark. He draws his dagger,
which he carries with him for such an event. Dexterously he avoids the
animal and stabs him deep with the dagger. A great stream of blood
stains the water. In his death struggles the mighty animal threshes the
water with his great fins and seeks safety in flight. Then another Shark
approaches, and again must the diver fight a life and death battle. He
is successful in making this enemy also incapable of fighting; then
completely exhausted, he gives the signal to be drawn up. But the diver
is not always fortunate enough to overcome the horrible animals. He is
sometimes terribly torn by the daring Man-eaters.
The back and sides of the Shark are of an ashy brown; beneath it is
faded white. The head is flat, and terminates in a nose slightly
rounded. Its terrible mouth is in the form of a semi-circle, and of
enormous size; the contour of the upper jaw of a Shark of ten yards
length being about two yards wide, and its throat being in proportion to
this monstrous opening.
When the throat of the Fish is open we see beyond the lips (which are
straight and of the consistency of leather) certain plates of teeth,
which are triangular and white as ivory. If the Shark is an adult it has
in the upper as in the lower jaw six rows of these murderous arms, an
arsenal ready to tear and rend its victim. These teeth take different
motions according to the will of the animal; and obedient to the muscles
round their base, by means of which it can erect or retract its various
rows of teeth, it can even erect a portion of any row, while the others
remain at rest in their bed. Thus this far-seeing tyrant of the ocean
knows how to measure the number and power of the arms necessary to
destroy its prey. For the destruction of the weak and defenceless, one
row of teeth suffices; for the more formidable adversary it has a whole
arsenal at command.
The eyes of the Shark are small, and nearly round; its scent is very
subtle; its fins are strong and rough. The tail is possessed of immense
power, and is capable of breaking the limb of a robust Man by a single
stroke.
He seeks eagerly for human flesh, and haunts the neighborhood where it
hopes to find the precious morsel. He follows the ship in which his
instinct tells him it is to be found, and makes extraordinary efforts to
reach it. He has been known to leap into a boat in order to seize the
frightened fishermen; he throws himself upon the ship, cleaving the
waves at full speed to snap up some unhappy sailor who has shown himself
beyond the bulwarks.
He follows the course of the slaver, watching for the horrors of the
middle passage, ready to engulf the Negroes’ corpses as they are thrown
into the sea. Commerson relates a significant fact bearing on the
subject. The corpse of a Negro had been suspended from a yard-arm twenty
feet above the level of the sea. A Shark was seen to make many efforts
to reach the body, and it finally succeeded in securing it, member by
member, undisturbed by the cries of the horror-stricken crew. In order
that an animal so large and heavy should be able to throw itself to this
height, the muscles of the tail and posterior parts of the body must
have an astonishing power.
The mouth of the Shark being placed in the lower part of the head, it
becomes necessary to turn itself round in the water before it can seize
the object which is placed above him. He meets with men bold enough to
profit by this conformation, and chase this formidable and ferocious
creature. On the African coast the Negroes attack the Shark in his own
element, swimming towards him, and seizing the moment when he turns
himself to rip him up with a sharp knife. This act of courage and
audacity cannot, however, be said to be Shark-fishing.
The fishing operation is conducted as follows: Choosing a dark night, a
hook is prepared by burying it in a piece of lard and attaching it to a
long and solid wire chain. The Shark looks askance at this prey, feels
it, then leaves it; he is tempted by withdrawing the bait, when he
follows and swallows it gluttonously. He now tries to sink into the
water, but, checked by the chain, he struggles and fights. By-and-by he
gets exhausted, and the chain is drawn up in such a manner as to raise
the head out of the water. Another cord is now thrown out with a running
knot or loop, in which the body of the Shark is caught near the tail.
Thus bound, the captured Shark is soon lifted on deck, where he is put
to death with great precaution as there is still great danger from his
bites and the fierce blows of his tail.