Show adventurers club k A man ilan eating barracuda by FLOYD GIBBONS famous headline hunter E time youre out to jones beach state park and see a big N NEXT husky blond adonis in a life guards suit give him the high sign he is capt william johns of jones beach state park lon long Z island and lie he has had more adventures than you can shake a stick at cap makes the club with a story of a fight he had with a giant barracuda the barracuda which is known as the tiger of the seas is just about the toughest and most dangerous t fish in american waters those babies make a full grown shark look like a gold fish when it comes to downright ferocity mouths on them like got did you ever see a barracuda teeth that can cut a mans alligators with a double row of needle sharp dont come as big as sharks but leg like a hot knife cuts butter they are much more feared by fishermen who know why by golly when you hook a small barracuda youve got to kill him its too bad they can put up an awful before you pull him in the boat or just fight even out of water and better be sure hes dead before you try removing the hook or youre apt to lose a finger e or a hand depending on the size of the fish cap was no munchausen about his adventures cap has been a seal hunter in the baltic a lumberjack in canada a sol adler of fortune in mexico Al exico a sailor under many flags a boxer and wrestler a swimming instructor life guard a bl big game hunter bunter and shark fisherman and a lot 0 of other adventurous things but he says he never had a closer call than he be had with that barracuda cap by the way is the fellow who caught a seagull on the wing down in 16 florida a few years ago that trick was an accident but its worth telling cap was fishing for sailfish and using live bait he threw his line baited with a small fish into the air and the seagull swooped down and snatched the hook and bait before it touched the water I 1 call catching a bird good fishing dont you cap let the sea seagull till go of course and ill bet that gull flew fiew away a wiser but sadder bird sea tiger picks on life guard acad acting as a lifeguard life the barracuda was something else again cap was 0 at the roman pools a swimming club in i n miami albami when he decided to spear himself some breakfast he waded into the water up to his neck and looked E cap drove the second spear with all his might around for some nice luscious mullet he see any mullet that morning but he did see a big sand shark and drove his spear into its tough hide now a sand shark dangerous like ills his man eating cousin but all the e blood from the wounded sand shark attracted a passing sea bandit who was plenty dan dangerous erous that sea bandit was a hungry barracuda and he came straight for cap cap knew what he was up against at a glance he was glad he had his feet on the bottom expert swimmer as he is cap knew he have a chance in deep water against the tiger of the seas he knew too that he run away without taking a chance on losing a limb or two perhaps his life the fish was nearly six feet long the lar largest est cap had ever seen and six foot of hungry barracuda is just about one hundred pounds of dynamite cap had two small spears with him and as he saw the flash of those terrible teet teeth 11 he drove one home cap just missed being a fish dinner the spear broke off in the tough hide of the fish but seem to lu phaze him he leaped several feet out of the water and turning in the air opened that big alligator mouth of his and cap says he thought it was the end zowie that foot long mouth lined with dagger like teeth snapped shut in caps face with a sound like a steel trap cap says held hed sooner hear mauser shells singing around his head any day he knew that on whatever part of his anatomy those teeth closed that part would come away the streak of silver shot at him apin again and cap grabbed his second spear and stepping aside drove it with all his force into ills his body A thrust like that would kill a man eating shark or cause him to give up the battle but not a barracuda those babies just dont know the meaning of the word quit they quit when they are dead and no sooner A harpoon finished old man barracuda well sir the second spear broke off the way the f first one had and cap found himself with only the wooden handle for a weapon he started yelling for assistance hoping that someone would have the nerve to bring brang him out a harpoon but lie he says he blame anyone for hesitating the barracuda enjoys such a bad reputation along the florida coast that most of the natives stay far away from his dental array and I 1 dont blame them but cap johns got a break one of his life saving crew saved their captain he saw cap fighting for his life and grabbing a harpoon ran out in the water the battle had been going on for over ten minutes when he got there and he arrived just in time cap was just about exhausted and those snapping teeth were coming closer and closer cap figured he hold out until the life lifeguard guard got to him a and a d he yelled for the other man to throw him the harpoon the lifeguard threw the sharp weapon the harpoon flashed in the sun and ca cap p grabbed it like a juggler and in one quick movement drove knife point into the jaws that were wide open to grab him I 1 and that was the end of caps barracuda as well as the end of caps caos adventure and if you dont think it was a close call just take a peep at a barracudas upper and lower plates the next time you get a chance but dont get too close to him service |