CHASED BY SHARKS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 105, 1 May 1909, Page 6

CHASED BY SHARKS.

COLONEL HAMILTON BROWNE'S

MOST TERRIBLE SWIM

Colonel Hamilton Browne, V.C., recounts in the Scout how on one occasion in New Zealand he was chased by sharks. The colonel was recruiting his health at the time on Arapawa Island on the side facing Quee/. Charlotte Sound, on one of two sheep stations located there. He should have rejoined his troop a fortnight before, but had remained to help his friends through their yearly mustering and shearing. When this wat ove" the hands were paid off and the usual 'night' was made of it afterwards. The colonel did not touch gvog at the time and next morning he started for Picton in a boat accompanied by one of the partners and four of the extra hands, all of whom were suffering a recovery. It was a lovely morning when the start was made; but the crew, very ill and sulky, lay down in the botto-n of the- boat, a roomy craft of about 23ft., and tried to sleep. They ha<l made the offing when the wind dropped, and as the men refused ta pull, the boat lay motionless. Suddenly the mountains of Arapawa were covered with dense black clouds, and the air grew colder.' Colonel Browne called to the men to get up and hei£ him to shorten sail, but they would not move. A minute or two later a terrific squall struck them and turned the boat broadside on. The colonel stuck to tho tiller until the boat turned turtle ; when he rose to> the surface ar>d swam to the boat he found his companions clinging to the keel. Just as the squall was thinning, +i,.e boat; rolled over and righted herself, and in the lull th© colonel shouted 1o the men to let go their hold .-». i th.? gunwale and join him so that they might try and swing the stern 10 the wind, when perhaps one man could get in and bail her out. But tiysj would not listen to him, and all triod to scramble in at once. ' Over biie went again. The colonel saw that the only chance to save his own and their lives was. to try to swim ashore and gt>t help and another boat from the station. There was at least two miles to swim in the teeth of a 'buster/ aj d he decided to tackle it. He knew thebay swarmed with sharks, because only the evening before he had =at on the' rock point shooting at the bruto* as they were tearing to pieces t-U* bodies of a lot of old and worthless sheep that had been killed and throw i into the water.

Just as Colonel Browne started, down came ...the true gale. But his long experience as a despatch rider had taught him to think quickly and act decisively, so he tried all t'">e dodge.-; he knew to avoid the vorsfc squalls. The tide befriended him, and in due time he found himself drawing mo:t under the lee of the land, but stul quite a mile from the shore. Bar accidents he was all right, and settled down to a steady side stroke. ihen he glanced to his right, and there, not 30ft. from him, was a long triangular fin sticking out of the water. He knew it belonged to a shark of the largest size. 'Instinctively I turned to the left, (he says in telling the story). There was another one, and as I raised myself ivi the water and looked astern of me there was a third. To say I was in a funk is not to tell the truth; fuuk does not fully describe my 1 eelings. I knew what funk; was; T had been in a funk before plenty of times. 'I had been in many a tight and hot corner; before! I had often looked at what might be certain death, but then I had weapons in my hand and the prospect of a good fight before I went under, but now I was helpless.

'There was to be no fight,, there could be no fight. I had not even a knife, and even had I possessed one I wa.s outnumbered and outclassed.

'As I trod water for a few moments I knew what real fear was. I had never felt it before, and _ thank Heaven, I have never felt it since. I can't describe my feelings, and I would not if I could. Certainly it was not the fear of death that caused these sensations, but it seemed so hard that I, who had almost overcome

my danger, should be turned into long pig for a beastly shark. ' 'But my cowardice did noo last long. I was still at least threequarters of a mile from shore; the good tide was still sweeping m, and my wild Irish blood all at once boiled up in me. My duty to myself and mates required me to get on shore, and on shore I would. If a sharic took to me, well and good, Kismet. Stick to my work I would, shark or no shark; 'so I fell into my stroke and swam for all I was worth with an escort of honour I never want again. 'Yes, I got ashore, those sharks keeping company all the way; and when my foot hit bottom I stumbled through the shallow water and fell on the dry sand, there they still were cruising about not a stone's throw away as if they were the most harmless beasts in the ocean. 'Why they did not go for me, I don't 'know, certainly my time had not yet come, Kismet; so as soon as I had taken a few breaths I looked for the boat,'but could not see her for the dense 'spray-which the gale, now at its worst, was kicking up, and I started to run the four miles round the bay to the station. 'The rough beach and rocks soon cut my soaked shoes to pieces, and as tho soles became detached, I had to run with bare feet, and suffered awfully. Fain would I have halted and rested, but my mates' danger spurred me on, and I ran as if a Maori with his tomahawk was after me.

'I came to the head of the bay, and suddenly remembered that between me and the house there was another very deep indent of the sea. At the mouth it was not more than 250 yards across, but it ran very far inland, and with my feet in the state they were it would take me hours to get round.

'No, I must swim it, and I^was just plunging in, notwithstanding the squalls, which were tearing the surface of the water into dust, when T was struck with the horrid thought of sharks, and for a moment I paused like a coward on the brink.

'It was only for a moment. Bother the sharks; my mates were on the boat; and in I went- and crossed after a hard swim. To get to the house, rouse up the other partner and the one remaining man, and to get out a small whaleboat, did not take many minutes.

'We manned the boat-, peaked the oars, and ran before the gale. We came up to the derelict in mid-sound, rolling over and over, but not a sign of a man on her, nor was a single body ever iaund.. We ran across the sound, beached the boat, and, when the gale subsided, pulled back. 'This is, I think, the nearest call I have ever had, and if there is any moral in my yarn, it is to leave drink alone, keep in training, do your duty by yourself and mates, and trust your luck while doing so.'