Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1898 — HAWAIIAN SHARK KILLERS. [ARTICLE]

HAWAIIAN SHARK KILLERS.

The Native Swimmers Have No Fear of the Tigers oi the Sea. The natives have small fear of these wolves and tigers of the sea, being more than a match for them if on thek guard. When bitten it was attributed to having given offense to the shark god. The oath most feared was that sworn by the Mana, or shark, who never forgave the violator, but slew him the next time he entered the sea. Not long before the discovery of the islands a gay young prince of Maui had his hand bitten oif while surfriding aud died of the wound. He was said to have broken His oath. The common sharks are of moderate size, and easily killed by an active diver who gets under them. There are, however, occasionally met a larger class of sharks, called nuhi, which were objects of superstitious fear, and became also objects of the hunting prowess of famous chiefs, who bated for them with

human flesh. I lately talked with an educated native, a prominent official, who narrated at length his experience* when a jboy in trapping sharks outside of the reef at Lahaina. His father was the chief operator. He would go out in his canoe with his boy and another man. When over the regular sleeping place of the sharks, he would put his ear to the water and listen for their snoring. It seems that when asleep their gills emit the water with a strong vibration. Having located the shark, the fisherman dove with a strong cord. Very carefully excavating the sand without disturbing the fish, he quietly passed the cord under the tail and noosed it. Then, rising to the surface, all hands pulled the unhappy shark to the canoe, stern first, ' and dispatched him. Some of our white i friends were at first a little increduI lous, but several intelligent natives present emphatically corroborated the i truth pf the practice described.—Wash- : ington Star.