Show Strange as It ft Seems By John Hix Nix Q i MX us OF SOUTH C t WATERS ED SHARK SWIM THROUGH t o SHARK y R tE E re m Cal if Cd e Ile of j r gY o IVE L I q 9 ti t MAD a BoYER S w Rea r Pa CAN BE p Cot AOH S FES MP r I a O PH PRESSURE tp OF POUNDS PER AS CAU HUMAN SHARK BAIT Living men for bait coconut shells for lures and lassos for hooks is the strange equipment Tongan natives of the south Pacific use for forshark forshark shark fishing The technique technique known known to natives as embodies embodies a mystifying mystify mystify- ing but apparently successful appeal to Hina shark goddess of Tongan superstition which attracts fish to the surface While one member of the expedition chants the song sing appeal and offers a tempting tidbit of decayed meat others rattle coconut shells strung on looped sticks beneath the waves Then one native quietly slips overboard overboard and and swims directly to the sharks Strange as it seems instead of attacking the swimmer the sharks docilely follow him as he swims slowly back to the boat There the sharks are attracted by the decayed meat and rise from the water to reach it When one comes close to the boat a native quietly slips a rope noose over its head and quickly cinches it tight against the boats boat's gunwale where it is clubbed Copyright 1938 for The Telegram |