tortures,—practice at a target with the harpoon was a very frequent occupation of the young men. The target was a dummy shark, being in fact the stuffed skin of a large specimen, which was kept moving by a small screw revolving near the tail and driven by clock-work in the body of the stuffed fish. The harpoon used in this sport had no cord with the circular parachute attached, nor was it barbed like the real harpoon. It had a sharp point, with a shoulder about three inches from the end to prevent it penetrating deeply, in fact, allowing it to drop out immediately. The best spot for fixing the harpoon was indicated by a circle, and this was considered the bulls-eye of the target. The skin being set in motion, the competitors had to approach it from behind and below, and launch their weapon from a given distance. He who made most bulls-eyes out of a given number of shots was the victor, just as in our own rifle-competitions at home.
These and other games and exercises of the youth of Colymbia were generally witnessed by considerable numbers of their friends and acquaintances of both sexes. The old gentlemen were very fond of witnessing the prowess of the rising generation, and boasting of their own skill in days gone by. The young ladies looked on with affected interest; but it struck me that they attended these games more for the purpose of displaying their own charms than from any interest they felt in the competition, and that their talk savoured more of flirting than of an appreciation of the skill of the harpooners. But perhaps I did them injustice, for it is no easy matter to read what is passing in other people's minds and thoughts, more especially when these others are young ladies
