destroyed by the knowledge that sharks are looking out for
you in the sea, and crocodiles in the rivers and tanks; thus a man is
nothing more than an exciting live-bait when he once quits terra firma.
Accidents necessarily must happen, but they are not so frequent as
persons would suppose from the great number of carnivorous monsters
that exist. Still, I am convinced that a white man would run greater
risk than a black; he is a more enticing bait, being bright and easily
distinguished in the water. Thus in places where the natives are in
the habit of bathing with impunity it would be most dangerous for a
white man to enter.

There was a lamentable instance of this some few years ago at
Trincomalee. In a sheltered nook among the rocks below the fort, where
the natives were always in the habit of bathing, a party of soldiers of
the regiment then in garrison went down one sultry afternoon for a
swim. It was a lovely spot for bathing; the water was blue, clear and
calm, as the reef that stretched far out to sea served as a breakwater
to the heavy surf, and preserved the inner water as smooth as a lake.
Here were a fine lot of English soldiers stripped to bathe; and
although the ruddy hue of British health had long since departed in the
languid climate of the East, nevertheless their spirits were as high as
those of Englishmen usually are, no matter where or under what
circumstances. However, one after the other took a run, and then a
"header" off the rocks into the deep blue water beneath. In the long
line of bathers was a fine lad of fifteen, the son of one of the
sergeants of the regiment; and with the emulation of his age he ranked
himself among the men, and on arriving at the edge he plunged
head-foremost into the water and disappeared. A crowd of men were on
the margin watching the bathing; the boy rose to the surface within a
few feet of them, but as he shook the water from his hair, a cloudy
shadow seemed to rise from the deep beneath him, and in another moment
the distinct outline of a large shark was visible as his white belly
flashed below. At the same instant there was a scream of despair; the
water was crimsoned, and a bloody foam rose to the surface--the boy was
gone! Before the first shock of horror was well felt by those around, a
gallant fellow of the same regiment shot head first into the bloody
spot, and presently reappeared from his devoted plunge, bearing in his
arms one-half of the poor boy. Th