American Angler in Australia (1937) by Zane Grey Read Free Book Online Page B

shark shape. He looked about eight feet long an d fairly thick. Presently I had a good look at his head and then his eyes.
    I have had fish see me from the water, but this fellow's gaze wa s different. Pure cold, murderous cruelty shone in that black eye. It mad e me shiver. I did not fool any longer with him.
    Peter gaffed the gray nurse and held him while Bill slipped a rope ove r his tail. For his size, about three hundred pounds, he surely made a commotion in the water. After a bit Peter untied my leader from my lin e and let it hang. The shark hung head down, rolling and jerking.
    "Pete, if these gray nurse sharks don't run away after being hooked, thi s tackle is too heavy," I said.
    "Right-o. I was figuring that. The Cox nine and thirty thread line ough t to do."
    "Well," added Bill, grimly, "I can tell you they don't run away."
    We went back to our anchorage and I went on fishing with the lighter ri g while the men chummed. Suddenly Bill said he saw one in the water. I t hought I, too, caught a gray shadow flash. But in a moment after that I h ad another of those queer slow gentle strikes.

American Angler in Australia (1937)

    "Gosh!" I exclaimed. "I'll bet this bird doesn't work so slow when he' s after a man."
    "Quick as lightning!" replied Bill.
    The shark swam under the boat. I hooked him, and he acted precisely a s had the first. But with the lighter tackle I could handle him better. H e turned out to be heavy and strong, making it necessary for me to put o n my harness. Then we had it out, hard and fast. Nevertheless I was able t o do little with him. Had he chosen to run off we would have had to u p anchor and go after him. But he chose to circle the boat and swim unde r it, giving me plenty of trouble. When I discovered the gray nurs e wouldn't run I put on some drag and pitched into him. Several times I ha d a glimpse of something long and gray, like a ghost of a fish. In half a n hour I had him coming. I did not see him clearly, however, until Pete r had heaved on the leader. Then! what a thrill and a start! This on e appeared a monster, eleven feet longs thick as a barrel, huge fins al l over him, veritably a terrible engine of destruction. He would hav e weighed eight hundred pounds. Peter held the leader while Bill gaffe d him. Then there was hell. The shark threw the gaff and bit through th e leader in what appeared a single action.
    "Oh, Peter!" I protested, in grievous disappointment. "He wasn't ready.
    Why didn't you let him go?"
    Peter looked mad. Bill said not to mind, that there were more. Thi s reassured me, and I asked for another leader. They were all twenty fee t or more long, too long, but we had to use them.
    "Look down there!" called Bill as I threw out my bait.
    I did not look, because my bait had hardly sunk to the bottom, which wa s only three fathoms, when I had another of those slow electrifying tugs.
    When I hooked this gray nurse he nearly jerked the rod away from me an d the rod-socket. By this time I was getting angry. I went after this on e hammer and tongs. His action induced me to think he was trying to get t o the boat and kill me. He never swam a dozen yards from where I sat. I pu t the wood on him, as we call hauling hard with the rod, and eventuall y whipped him and brought him up to the gaff. He nearly drowned me. And th e boys were ringing wet and mad as wet hens. When Peter tied this on e alongside the other they began to fight.
    We rigged up another leader and I went at it again. This time Bill sa w one before I threw my bait in. "Look down," he directed, and pointed.
    By peering over into the green water I saw long wavering shapes. Sharks!
    Gray nurse sharks, some of them nearly twelve feet long, swimming aroun d over the chum we had distributed.
    "My word! What a sight!" I ejaculated.
    "Be careful the next one doesn't jerk you overboard," warned Bill.
    "What'd they do?"
    "Tear you to pieces!"
    I well believed that, and I proceeded to fasten the snap below the ree l so