A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 129: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

126 A QUEER RACE. bay, about three miles from the furthest headland, the lug-sail was lowered, and one of the dark objects (which turned out to be goats) fastened to a line and thrown into the sea. Then the oars were unshipped, and Amyas Fane, standing up, saluted the queen, and said, half laughingly: “« Moriturt te salutant.” After this a few minutes’ silence, during which the other boats came up and formed a wide circle round the hunters’ boat. ‘<Do you see that?” said Mab, in an intense whisper. ‘That ” was the dorsal fin of a shark, and the next moment the huge fish rolled over, and opening his great jaws, bit the goat intwo. Then another floated up from unseen depths and tried to tear the precious morsel from his companion’s mouth, while a third, darting suddenly forward, snapped up .the remaining portion. ‘“ Now!” shouted the captain; and six of the hunters, drawing their long, sharp swords, slipped quietly over- board. The sharks, having by this time finished with the goat, gave their attentionto the new-comers. But while they were chasing one, the hunters dived under their bellies and stabbed them repeatedly with their swords, drawing blood at every stroke. ‘Then, when the wounded monsters turned round to meet their enemy, the pursued would become pursuer, and help the comrade who had just helped him, ‘The sharks, bewildered and infuriated, dashed hither and thither in wild confusion, lashing the water with their tails and dyeing it with their blood. this went on for a quarter of an hour. I[t was horri- ble, yet fascinating. The very intensity of the excite- ment kept the spectators silent. Nobody spoke except the captain, who gave his orders from the boat like a commander during an action. Over and over again [ thought one or other of the hunters would surely be killed or mutilated; but at the very moment when de- struction seemed imminent, the almost victim would either evade the snap by an agile turn or dive out of - sight, or a comrade distract the shark’s attention by a sudden stab. One hunter thrust his sword into a shark’s jaws, and leaving it there, swam to the boat for anothex, Lhe fight went on fast and furious, until one of the comicbooks:.cor