File:Thrilling adventures by land and sea. Being remarkable historical facts, gathered from authentic sources (1852) (14757205506).jpg

Identifier: thrillingadventu00bray (find matches)
Title: Thrilling adventures by land and sea. Being remarkable historical facts, gathered from authentic sources
Year: 1852 (1850s)
Authors: Brayman, James O., 1815-1887, ed
Subjects: Adventure and adventurers
Publisher: Buffalo, G. H. Derby and co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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exclamation of Sambo, in the bestEnglish he had been able to pick up, in a few yearsservice, in unlading the American vessels, that cameto the Havana. It was intended to apprise the boldbut inexperienced stranger, that the waters werefilled with sharks, and that it was dangerous toswim in them. The words were scarcely uttered,and, even if they were heard, had not time toproduce their effect, when Cuffee responded to theexclamation of his sable colleague, with— Oh, Madre de Dios! see, see, de tiburon! deshark!—ah, San Salvador! ah, pobre joven! matar,todo comer, he eat him all down, berry soon ! This second cry had been drawn from the kind-hearted negro, by seeing, at a distance in the water,a smooth-shooting streak, which an inexperiencedeye would not have noticed, but which Sambo andCuffee knew full well. It was the wake of a shark.At a distance of a mile or two, the shark had per-ceived his prey; and, with the rapidity of sound,he had shot across the intervening space, scarcely
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—-—— BY LAND AND SEA. 93 disturbing the surface with a ripple. Cuffees prac-ticed eye alone had seen a flash of his tail, at thedistance of a mile and a half; and, raising his voiceto the utmost of his strength, he had endeavoredto apprise the incautious swimmer of his danger.Brook heard the shout, and turned his eye in thedirection in which the negro pointed; and, wellskilled in all the appearances of the water, underwhich he could see almost as well as in the openair, he perceived the sharp forehead of the fearfulanimal rushing toward him, head on, with a rapiditywhich bade defiance to flight. In a moment, the dreadful monster had shotacross the entire space that separated him fromBrook; and had stopped, as if its vitality had beeninstantly arrested, at the distance of about twelvefeet from our swimmer. Brook had drawn himselfup in the most pugnacious attitude possible, andwas treading water with great activity. The shark,probably unused to any signs of making battle, re-maine

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