to fall overboard, and a shark is
in the neighborhood," said I, "what can he do to save himself? Is
there no hope of escaping from his dreadful jaws?"

"The best means I have seen tried," he replied, "and with good effect
is, if a man is a good swimmer, to throw himself on his back, splash
the water with his feet, and shout with all his strength. The shark is
a great coward and easily frightened--noise will always drive him off.
When I was on a voyage to the West Indies, two or three years ago, I
had a Newfoundland dog with me, who was accustomed to spring into the
water from any height, and after anything. I was greatly attached to
the animal, and you may imagine my alarm as, one day we were lying
becalmed off the West India islands, I saw him jump down and with,
loud barkings, as if delighted with the sport, swim after a large
shark that was playing around the ship. I expected nothing else but to
see him devoured in an instant, but to my astonishment the monster
turned and swam vigorously, evidently frightened by the barking of the
dog who continued to follow him, until a boat was let down and himself
brought back by the sailors.

"A singular method," continued my learned fellow-passenger, "is
practised by the divers who collect pearls on the coast of Ceylon.
They often let themselves down an hundred feet in order to reach the
mud banks where the pearl oysters are to be found, and whilst they are
filling their baskets they must watch carefully on all sides lest a
shark fall upon them. If they see one near, they stir up the mud, and
then while the enemy is blinded by the turbid water they rise as
quickly as possible to the surface. Many escape in this manner, but
many also fall victims. Fair ladies as they adorn their persons with
these costly ornaments think little of the suffering by which they are
obtained,--the arduous adventurous life, or of the unfortunates who
are annually swallowed by those savages of the deep. When one
considers how often those poor Indians must dive to the bottom, to say
nothing of the loss of life, before a string of pearls can be
obtained, we may confidently assert that every necklace has been
purchased by at least the life of one human being."

Scudding now before a fresher wind, we steered towards the south and
soon found ourselves in a colder climate. The flying fish played
lively as ever around the ship, and one night so many fell on deck as
to furnish an excellent mess for breakfast