Explore "Jack Shark's Pilot" by Louis Becke on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Early one morning as we in the _Palestine_, South Sea trading schooner, were sailing slowly between Fotuna and Alofa -- two islands lying to the northward of Fiji -- one of the native hands came aft and reported two large sharks alongside. The mate at once dived below for his shark hook, while I tried to find a suitable bit of beef in the harness cask. Just as the mate appeared carrying the heavy hook and chain, our skipper, who was lying on the skylight smoking his pipe, although half asleep, inquired if there were "any pilot fish with the brutes."
"Yes, sir," said a sailor who was standing in the waist, looking over the side, "there's quite a lot of 'em. I've never seen so many at one time before. There's nigh on a dozen."