happen? Do you think God would give them a knowledge of the future which
He conceals from men? No, it is a very foolish idea which only an
ignorant, superstitious person could for a moment entertain. Sharks
follow the ships simply because of what is occasionally thrown into the
water. They are voracious creatures, and sometimes swallow articles
which even their stomachs cannot digest. A lady's work-box was found in
one, and the papers of a slave-ship in another."

"Why, how could he get them?" asked Walter.

"They had been thrown overboard," said the captain.

"Do those big sharks bite people?" pursued the child.

"Yes, indeed; they will not only bite off an arm or leg when an
opportunity offers, but have been known to swallow a man whole."

"A worse fate than that of the prophet Jonah," remarked Betty. "Do the
sailors ever attempt to catch them, captain?"

"Sometimes; using a piece of meat as bait, putting it on a very large
hook attached to a chain; for a shark's teeth find no difficulty in
going through a rope. But when they have hooked him and hauled him on
board they have need to be very careful to keep out of reach of both his
teeth and his tail; they usually rid themselves of danger from the
latter by a sailor springing forward and cutting it above the fin with a
hatchet.

"In the South Sea Islands they have a curious way of catching sharks by
setting a log of wood afloat with a rope attached, a noose at the end of