| Show A SEARK I HARNESS How the Florida Beef Boys Play With the Sea monsters On the shallow lagoons of the outer Florida reef the bottom in 10 feet of water is often pure white so that dark objects resting upon i stand out with startling distinctness One of the frequenters fre-quenters of the reef is a shark known as the nurse a huge fellow 9 or 10 feet in length who seeks the seclusion of the shallows and apparently goes to sleep At least pretends to as he is seen lying perfectly quiet for hours often permitting boat to sail over him Naturally so sluggish a fish was easily easi-ly captured and one day after watching watch-Ing the sharks swimming around the lagoon and refusing to leave the white I j shallow bottom i occurred to a party I I of boys that the nurse shark would make an admirable steed and Immediate im-mediate plans were formulated to capture I cap-ture one I The sharks were most plentiful near a long narrow island and here the boys made their headquarters Their mode i of transportation was extremely prima I tive The boat in which they crossed from the main island where they lived was the wooden casing of an arch some II masons had been making a boat shaped affair unt at both ends This had been caulked and provided with rowlocks and in i the boys made frequent excursions The plan was to sail the boat quietly over the sharks then lower a large slip noose down and take one by the head The rope and t pair of grains were I I thrown into the boat and all being ready the boys started on their expedition expedi-tion They soon sighted a black spot which told of the presence of the school I of sharks and a few moments later were quietly drifting over them Not a1 I word was spoken and the greatest caution I I I cau-tion was observed as one of the boys held the boat in place while another I I lowered the noose Unfortunately an oar dropped overboard and with awhirl a-whirl of their tails the big fishes were off in every direction In the excitement of the moment a third boy seizedthe spear and hurled I at a shark that was passing beneath i > I > the boat The weapon took effect and the next moment the floe which was fastened to the polejStiffened out with a jerk whirliiigsfiietiboat round and round and throwing the boys down violently vio-lently into the bottom When they picked themselves up they found the llatbottomed boat dashing along at a rapid rate They had secured a steed though not in the manner anticipated Up the reef the nurse swam now pulling the boat down dangerously near the water and sending out a big wave on either side then turning with a rush to avoid a coral bank JhAt grew on the edge of the channel and racing back to the starting point f All this was very exciting One boy held the line by bracing back another took an oar and attemptedto steer the craft in its wild race white the other i boy was merely an enthusiastic passenger passen-ger Suddenly the shark turned again and the bow boy rising to see what I new direction it waS taking lost his I balance and was i O > ° d overboard Before his companK I allzed fully I the situation he was or tcv along Ion I-on the surface by the demo alized I shark The reef boys well as much at I home in the water as on land so the I I unforeseen accident simply added to I the sport The remaining boys rowed I the boat across the lagoon cutting off I the shark soon picking up their companion com-panion who had pluckily held the line I during the exciting tow The shark I soon became weary of dragging the captors boat and was then run ashore by his I |
