Even at the depth of fifty feet, the shark may be distinguished as he approaches the bait, by a luminous appearance, extending in an oval form, in that direction in which he swims. He generally seizes with avidity, turning on his side at the moment; without which he could not get it into his mouth, owing to the excessive length of his upper jaw. So soon as the bait is in his mouth, the fish, on feeling the resistance of the rope, makes a sudden plunge downward, at the same moment recovering his former position. The hook, being extremely sharp, rarely fails to pierce the jaw, when, in an instant, the whole length of line will be run out. As no human force could properly be relied on to check the fish’s course, the end of the rope is either fastened to some timber-head, or to a tackle fall: the latter is preferable, because it adds to the length of the line, and does not check the fish so suddenly: without the latter precaution, the rope may be snapped, or the hook torn away from the shark’s jaw. The quantity of heavy line, added to the weight of the hooks and chain, soon bring the fish under command, when he is towed up to the gang-way, and there, by means of a slip-knot passed over his fins, hoisted into the waist.
Few persons will taste of a blue shark, it being considered unwholesome; but of the brown shark, which rarely exceeds five feet in length, (while the former has been known to measure near thirty,) most of the seamen will solicit a steak. The average sizes of sharks may be from six to twelve feet in length: it is very common to collect a pailful of young ones, each about a foot long, that take refuge in the parent’s maw. Behind the fins are usually several sucking-fishes, adhering to the shark’s sides: these are supposed to live upon its blood; but some doubts may be entertained, at least whether that is its sole subsistence, when I state, that in Madras Roads I caught, by means of a hook and line put out for ground fishes, a sucking-fish that measured rather more than two feet.
Sharks are in general attended by what are called pilot-fishes: these are beautifully striped blue and white; in form they much resemble the chub, and may measure from ten to fifteen inches in length. When the shark displays himself, the pilot-fishes may be seen playing about his head and sides; but when the ship is going fast, and the shark keeps under the bottom, or stern, at a considerable depth, the pilot-fishes often rise to the surface, assembling in the eddy about the stern-post. I never could entice one of them to touch a bait.
In the higher latitudes, the albacore, boneta, dolphin, &c. may often be seen playing about the ship in great numbers; sometimes as though intent on keeping company for scores of miles. Porpoises are yet more familiar, and delight in preceding the ship, at a few yards distance; affording, to those who are expert, excellent opportunities for striking them with harpoons. The liver of the porpoise is esteemed by many to be as good as that of a pig; to which it bears some resemblance; the body of the fish is by no means palatable. The flesh of the dolphin is extremely dry, as is that of the boneta, which is commonly replete with small white animalculæ, not unlike short fat maggots. The albacore is inconceivably rapacious; often springing several yards out of the water after the flying-fishes, as they skim above the surface; which they sometimes do for full two hundred yards; their great enemy darting along under their course with incredible velocity, and rarely failing to make a prey of one, or more, as they fall into the water in an exhausted state.
While bonetas, and dolphins, may be taken by almost any bait, the albacore rarely can be attracted by any device wherein there is not some resemblance to the flying-fish. I have seen numbers taken, when the ship has been going fast through the water, by securing a three-inch hook to a slip of bacon fat, cut into the form of a fish, and further disguised by a long white feather, taken from a goose’s wing, stuck on each side. The line for such a purpose should be stout laid-cord; for, though bonetas rarely exceed twenty, and dolphins forty pounds, albacores will often be taken weighing from one to two hundred: I have, indeed, heard of their reaching to three hundred weight. Their flesh may be compared with carrion; it being coarse, tough, and very strong tasted; but, though not pleasing to the human palate, it is a very choice bait, attracting all fishes of prey. Albacores sometimes snap at the log; which is a small piece of triangular board, loaded at one corner with lead, and fastened to a long line wound on a reel. The log being lowered into the sea, will remain stationary; drawing the line off the reel in proportion to the velocity with which the ship is then passing through the water: the number of yards run off, while a minute glass is emptying, shews the number of knots, i.e. miles, sailed within the hour.
It is not uncommon, when in the vicinity of islands, to see turtles lying on the surface of the sea, fast asleep; these can sometimes be taken, if two or three careful men proceed in the jolly-boat, paddling her along with an oar out at her stern. The turtle should be secured by one of the crew dropping gently into the water, and swimming very cautiously until he can pass a slip-knot over the hind fin, generally called the fipper; the other end of the line being fast to some part of the boat.
Touching at Ascension on our way from India, for the express purpose of obtaining a supply of turtles, I had an opportunity of witnessing the facility with which they may be taken at certain seasons, when in the act of copulation; as happened while we were there, in January. The turtles floated in pairs, in a state approaching to lethargy; allowing our whale boats to run along-side of them, without, in general, being alarmed. The first object was to pass a boat-hook over each shoulder of the male, to prevent his escape; for, on being touched, these invariably quitted their mates, and endeavored to strike downwards. The instant the boat-hooks, were placed, their inverted points acting as curbs, a third hand dexterously passed the noose over the fipper, and left the turtle in charge of a second or third boat, to which the other end of the noose line was fastened. In that manner we took about a dozen one morning, in less than two hours; but were not equally successful in our operations on shore. There we hid ourselves, about night-fall, behind the masses of rock every where scattered on the beach, and, allowing the females to pass us, with the intention of depositing their eggs in the dry sand, beyond the reach of the surf, endeavored to intercept them in their way back to the water. Not a doubt was entertained that we should turn them over by scores; but, with the exception of one unfortunate female, which by chance ran headlong against a crag, our hopes proved to be visionary. The awkward gait of these unwieldy animals, added to the clouds of light sand they threw up, completely defeated our most zealous exertions. We had recourse to our oars, placing them in the way of the turtle, and using them as levers wherewith to overturn the shuffling animals; but in every attempt the turtle only slipped a little to one side: therefore, after breaking several oars, we found it expedient to desist.
While we were on shore, the gulls hovered about us like so many gnats; absolutely darkening the air, and perching familiarly on our heads and shoulders. These subsist chiefly on the shoals of mackarel cast ashore by every surf. I am confident that many a heave of the sea threw up a cart load of those fishes; some of which were drawn off by the next heave, but thousands lay along the beach time enough to be carried off by the gulls. Sharks were to be seen in every direction, and of all sizes; the large ones generally swimming near the surface, with their back-fins exposed to view, and the lesser ones at about two or three fathoms deep, on every side of the ship. I was desirous to catch one of them for the sake of its skin, but we were so environed by shoals of the chætodon plectorhenchus, or pleat-nose chætodon, which took their station much nearer the surface, and intercepted my baits, though they were tied down to the hooks with worsted yarn, (some indeed being enveloped in cloth, and secured in a similar manner), that not one hook was allowed to descend to the level where the sharks abounded. Many hundreds of the chætodon were taken, and, after being stripped of their skins, which make a beautiful black shagreen, though in the water they appear to be chiefly blue and yellow, were thrown to their greedy brethren, by whom they were speedily devoured.
It should be noticed, for the benefit of those who may touch at Ascension, either on their way to St. Helena outward-bound, or in coming homeward from that rendezvous, that we hooked several very fine fishes, especially the much-admired Bull’s-eye, by trailing a bait, about fifty or sixty yards astern, as we sailed partly round the island. Close in shore, among the crags, just beyond reach of the surf, we caught half a boat load of old-maids in very little time.
The modern course of ships proceeding to India, ordinarily carries them near the Cape de Verde, and Canary islands; where, if wine is to be taken in, a detention of ten or twelve days may happen. This being, in all probability, the first opportunity that may offer of going on shore, after leaving England, it may be proper to caution the young adventurer not to ridicule, nor in any way to shew disrespect towards, the religious ceremonies of the Roman Catholics who possess those islands.