1958-07-05 — Page 14

IN

THE

CLERK HUNTER- HE MADE

A FORTUNE

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JULY 5; · 1958.

TURNED

utter darkness the clerk's dinghy surged on. At tast they arrived. No land could be seen; no stars, no moon.

The clerk was in Scotland on his summer holiday. But the holiday was not going quite according to plan. Slowly, away from all the shipping routes, the tiny boat was moving out into the ocean towards Greenland.

roen

ROBERT PITMAN'S BOOK PAGE

A firm brain or spine. If you cut a big offered him £25 a ton for the chunk of flesh from a shark and liver oil. Watkins did come prick with a knife, i will

Then he took the shrink away as if it was a plece calculations. plunge. With dignity he told of sing and feeling tissue," his boss that he had found A promising opening in the olls He totted up And fats business in Scotland.

the figures...... The trials and triumphs of that business Walking now telle

enthralling #1!

detall. Ho Finally Watkins brings us to describes the moment when, in the moment after his return 30f1. shark from the war when he totted What could they do? They storm with a

there was

only one hovering over him in a huge up the figures in his cabin and decided

wave, he had to an his harpoon found he had made a trading chance of

They survival,

profit of £1,188 in a single week. gun upwards, must turn the shark round.

Slowly they pulled in the Une. Then ebend a great tu broke surface: Yards behind the pf a massive tall appeared.

Watkins leaned forward with an oor ready to touch the fish on the gills.

It I was not drifting.

There 100 nothing except was being hauled stendily aca anywhere, not

aca-bird. through the darkness by the something which was weight of six saloon cars, by wide - mouthed, slime- covered monster with # brain the size of a golf ball harpooned basking

a

1} -

shark.

What had happened? The story is told in THE SEA MY HUNTING GROUND, by Anthony Watkins

(Heinemann, 188.).

It begins in a City office on Watkins a summer's day. was posting Items into the sales ledger.

Every day of every week that was his sole duty. And, as he sat there with the sun gliating on the office win dows he saw with a fearful clearness that it would NO

like that, year after year, until the sales manager died.

ment.

As he reached out his hand almost trembird. He remember- rd the sight he had seen himself earlier in the holiday--4 shark leaping from the sen 40 yards and standing from his boat polsed on its tail was high as three-storeyed house. He re- inembered the story of mangled bodies after a shark hud hit a

yatı!.

a

Gingerley he prodded the gifts with the blade. The shark did not react. He prodded the gills win. No renetion.

Then Watkins fabbed at the great right eye, The shark the tail swished swerved and Indigneilly,

When the flurry of waves djed away, the two men found the cat had swung through a quar- Graduadiy circle to the left.

to

Then came the turning point. Walkins looked more closely at the ledger entry be was making at that mo- by jah, they brought the fish It was the sale of it was pulling them strongly back to Scotland. Jais i efter eye kept it on course. Near the coast, after they had Exed a marker boy on the har- The men allowed ROON line, Dirmselves to be picked up by the legal eboot.

Such twas

tichut of Anthony

two hundredweight of shark oil from Japan for tomer in Scotland.

The memory of

Frowning,

# -

a headline

Watkins paused.

Into his mind came the memory

hunter.

the Walkins

The Jester with a Talk To Vic

golden touch

Watch out when you thake his hand. Beware

Damone...

THE CYRIL

of the fun in those spakling eyes. Prince of STAPLETON COLUMN

bookmen William Foyle has an unpredictablesonso humour....

FOR

He describes the problem of

What is he ding now? Not killing a shark humanely. He tried a shot-gun with herey long ago Watkins sola his small buckshot which obliterated the fleet and his floating factory, the risk of an cicc- brain. He tried severing the He moved with his wife away tric buzzer disguised

He tried from the excitements of the us a ring sending spine with an axe. smashing the head to a pulp Scotish coast to Buckingham-shock up your arm. 73-year-old with

sledge hammer. The shire,

William Foyle, his shark would still struggle force- ly). He writes:-

"Parts of its body'scem to are a life force of their own on either without depending

"A

There he is rector of a firm which has pioneered an entirely new Industry. Not chark-fishing, of course. The manufacture of plastic poppet beads.

Yet

by Cyril Kersh

SPOKE to Vic Damone the other day and

learned some of the perils of stardom,

disc

"You live in the glare of the rest was silence---unli spotlight and some of the most jockey Wilfrid Thomas un- Insignificant events get magni- packed his tape recorder in the fied out of proportion." He was town of Porto Allegre, Brazil. referring to reports of a ritt There, ip front of him, he

Ingles the dif- Queen's favourite planist," t married proclaimed, And his real name, course, la Bob English-

"SL Robert

a

are conn-

#t

OR Boveral years a man walked into Foyles bookahop every lunchtime carrying a large pucket of Band- Wichen. As he ate them he read a chapter a day from some volume of his choice and became extremely cross when a book was sold before he'd finished reading it,

Since some 30,000 customers (including Russia) for books on between himself and his film- found a concert poster: buy 200,000 bonics at

is Trained stor wife, Pier Angell, Faylos Rubjects 'ns varied every week, the firm tolerates Senis and Whooping Cough.

"We have our little the occasional eccentric-and Apart from buying and selling ferences, Ilko

any why not, when Mr William books, Foyles today have an art, couple. Then suddenly we find of Foyle, the senior director, is gallery, Europe's largest lecture that some isolated domestle it untitled! proud of being on eccentric Bureau, a publishing house, a has made the headlines. himself?

literary agency, and ID Book

"My marriage is very happy. had to happen. We now For apart from being what on Clubs.

In fact, I'm hoping my wife have pop music from outer Gilbert Foyle has reilred from will bo over here shortly, We'll space. American magazine called "The

First on record Anrnum of Books," Mr Foyin is the business and lives at East- spend a holiday together in little ditty called "Purplepople- also an luurable practical Joker, bourne, where he is on the local Italy before she begins filming sater." Apparently the Inter-

of there." Becleigh council and is president

planetary invaders Visit his home at Abbey, Essex, and you are likely the Dickens Fellowship.

Damone has plenty of other balistic. to find the door

to And although reasons feel happy. Hla Fifteen-year-old

bundle Fecond

Jäckle Dennis-the boy generation recording of "On The Street energy opened by William

of Foyles are now Where You Live" has leaped who replaced Tommy Steele in Foyle wearing false red bearch

at Charing Cross to third place in the British Hit thut cancelled concert 10ur When he shakes

Road, William Parade, and stands every chance has come up with a British your hand you ran

Foyle remains tho of going to the top.

version that does not, shed much firm's very activo "We were hoping for it light on the nature of the senior director.

admits Vic. *"To be honest, purple horror. I found most of that's the main reason for this the lyric incomprehensible, Fridays are al-trip. We want to give the ways spent at his record a push."

INCIDENTALLY, Bing never London office, and

Unlike many ballad singera minds the ribbing he gels a during the rest of the week long white hair suggesting

("I'm he does not deplore rock 'n' roll, from his kid brother. as sharp dally sack of mail containing "It's just another form of the Crosby with the fringe on port or a prophet, business acumen as well as a queries about rare and out-of-popular music. I've never been top," warbles Bob.; sense of humour,

print books is sent Beeleigh tempted to do it. I belleve In Bob Hope makes heftfer Abbey. Twinkling

sticking to the things I do best, cracks than I do," says the and eyca

William Foyle bought 12th- As a boy Damone used to younger Crosby, "The more penchant for pranks were not century Beetelgh Abbey in 1943, hang around the sufficient in themselves to deve and lives there

Paramount we

louder do it, the

Bing with his wife, Theatre while Frank Sinates loughs." in his parents Christina, to whom he has been and Perry Como worked there. lop a "stall"

In this week's "Saturday" Internationally married for 51 years. kitchen to an

on ITV. Eventually he took a job as Spectacular" famous store with an annunt

Now wealthy mon, he d-backstage lift-boy to be closer to will parody the nightmare of turnover of £2,000,000,

mits that success has not been them.

having such *C very famous William and Gilbert Foyle, without an element of luck.

Determined And out his brother with "Did You Ever. Fons of a Shoreditch grocer, were Instancing his luck Mr Fayle

own chance of becoming Hear Dream Twiking?" intended for the Civil Service. Lelle of the American who wrote singer he stopped the lift Olle In the song will be interpola- But they falled their entrance asking for copies of

tions from the voice that haunts advertised their

"It' text vivisection pamphlet by Mark day and sung to Perry Como,

drcuma.

13 Como encouraged him with Bob's books for sale and received no Twain called Story of a Dou's Introductions to band lenders Brother, He recorded it special-

nany replies they realised there Tult, which had been published and a new stor was launched ly for me for the laughs." was money to be made in the In England.

info orbit, Now Perry is s "ll give you 400 dollars (at closest pal. "Nobody could acctise

book trade, of race mejudice. I didn't

That was in 1901, when WI- that time £100) for each copy care what a man's colour,

the send me," salch race, or religion was, Butar was 10 and Gilbert 17.

Hand work and enthusiasm American. Then were mch, whereas

William Foyle contacted the finally produced the capital for Martians were things. They the move to Charing Cross Road, pamphlet's publisher, and found nut the business expanded he had 2,000 copier still in stock rapidly to become the world's at a penny each. fargest bookshop.

them all, and one by one posted Along 30 miles

them across the Atlunlle. shelves, tiivided into 32 departments,

unprofitable The not

until Mr stocked continued are 4,000,000 books

2nd sold the about half of them second hand. wearied of it

Subject matter, varles from remaining pamphlets to London Advertising to Zoology, and the dealers at prices varying from Oriental Catalogue lists sach £10 to £20 each,

Luck or not, Foyles today are languages as Acholl, Bint and

not only the world's largest Ewe.

bookshop, but something of London landmark.

虽 London Express Servler).

Quotes of the week

TEXT BOOK definition of the angry JOUNG, MAR

Actionat of toddy, both the hero and his real-life creator, might be: A STATE OF SUR- TALENT LARGELY ROUNDED BY INDECISION."

From THE ANGRY DECADE

by Kenneth Allsep (Owen, 215.). Do you want to glitter at

Do intellectual parties? you

want to show, you know what Colin Wilson really wrote about? Can you

difference tell the between Amts and Osbornie? This book about the young Writers of the Ofties provides an Intelligent and provocative guide.

as shark- DIDN'T Uke Martians, I

He returned to his London As he led in office.

the

re-

of a newspaper headline about ledgers he waited for the an weeldent off Scotland. A

ports on his cumples of shark. yuch!, in broad daylight and in at calm, had suddenty distate- grated in a cloud of spray.

Thu wreckage was found to be covered in black, evil- emelfing slmr. When the battered bodies of the crew were washed up they too were covered In the some black silme.

Experts hail concluded thu the slime came from a huge basking shark which had leapel from the quiet sea and smashed the yacht to pieces.

In the hot London offer Anthony Watkins suddenly s5W a door of escape. Could it be possible that bringing sharic oll from Japun to Scotland was: merely another way of sending coala to Newcastle? Could shark-fishing off Scotland bel made into #business?

He visited museum libraries, He consulted experis. He du- elded that he would catch a shark during his summer holiday. He would send its all, its skin,; its flesh to various Industrial: firms It they were interested he could escape at last.

And

50 a few weeks later Watkins found himself being hauled towards death.

A monster is

harpooned

He had hired a motor-launch, and crew From the launch's dinghy a shark had been har- pooned near the mouth of the Clyde. The monster dived and pulled the dinghy out to sea, The motor-launch followed at i distance,

For hours, trying to tire the shark, Watkins and his crew) took shifts-two in the dinghy, two in the launch,

Evening come,

Watkins and one of his crew were in the dinghy Looking round they noticed that the launch's lights were falling further behind in the dusk. Then they disap peared altogether.

Watkins guessed there had

been engine trouble.

When it

was put right, the launch would;

catch up.

Only one chance

of survival

The hours of darkness stretch-|

ed on. Then there was a streakći

dawn. of yellow

Now -they know where the cast was they realised they were heading OWOY from the Scottish coast towards Greenland, They looked round eugetly as the light grew.

did not fancy having a

thing that looks like a tree

all directions at once without turning their heads-Af they had had heads, which of course they don't, And I couldn't stand their smell!

me

weren't even animals to my tody of thinking, Permitting

them in restaurants and bars used by men struck me as outrageons."

From DOUBLE STAR. by Raber-letnici (Michael Joseph, 13. Gd).

I rute Heinlein above Ray

Bradbury and John Wyndham truild topped of by a gun as a science fiction man. Like helmet claiming the priva- H. G. Wells, he uses science to Irges of a man. I did not like get at the politics of the future. the fact that they could took As this quolę illustrates.

VIGNETTES OF LIFE

"GO ON WITH YOUR STORY, HE ISNT

LISTENING – WHAT DID THE

TALKING HORSE SAY ?

SOME WE HEAR.

TOO PLAINLY..........

AS FOR INSTANCE –

THE SECRET

OF THE

FOGHORN ĮVOICE IS TO

INFLATE THE·

LUNGS, THROW THE DIAPHRAGM IN GEAR, OPEN THE. MOUTH AND LET GO -

YOUR PEOPLE !! YOUR FAMILY !!!

SOME WOMEN SPEAK MORE DISTINCTLY ON

SOME SUBJECTS THAN THEY DO ON OTHERS.

"-WASTE.

EXTRAVAGANCE ! INCOMPETEACE !!

RUIA !!{"

exams,

of

J

In addition to personal call- ers, 35,000 letters are received dafty from all over the

World

you can

Plain Speaking

IT'S HARD TO CONVINCE SOME OF THEM THAT YOU CAN'T HEAR THEM DISTINCTLY WHEN THEY STICK THEIR HEAD IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND

BROADCAST FROM THERE.

-THEN WE

HAVE THE SPEAKER

'WHY DON'T You

ANSWER ME T'

WHO LOWERS A. HIS HEAD AND DELIVERS

HIS SPEECH

INSIDE

VO HIS

SHIRT

FRONT.

FEATULIS

COMF

an anti-

He bought

game Foyle

a

Bob

and

Last

I is a great week for the out of the Brijsh. Seven Damone has enjoyed some success in films, e.g., "Rich, Top Ten are local products. Young, and Pretty" and "Cis- The "Kewpie Doll bout be- met, but he clings tightly to his tween Frankie Vaughan

Perry Como has developed into first love.

"I do my best to Improve as a real slugging match.

actor, but I still regard week Como's record wat aheard front of as a singer, on points-four in. myselt primarily That's where my heart is," Vaughan's in the charts.

*This wook, Frankle has what hap punched up to number 10, while ER wondered

pened to Roberto Ingles? His Como has dropped behind. Latin-American band once de- Lähted patrons of the Savoy SLICE of mysleal nostalgia Oddly enough, though has been borrowed by JTV Bob was a Scot, his records for their "Only Yesterday** were an immense hit in Latin berles. Theme tune you hear is America.

a hit song of the thirties, "Talk Some years ago he went to of The Town," played by Henry work in foreign climes and the Hall's B.B.C. Donec Orchestra

Hotel.

"DID YOU

HEAR WHAT

I SAID ?

.

By Harry Weinert

TWO

YES.

"YES, BUT

SAY IT

AGAIN!”.

THE ONES WHO DON'T BELIEVE

IN BEING SPENDTHRIFTS JUST BECAUSE

THEY HAVE

FREE SPEECH.

"CLAPTRAP AND

DOUBLETALK!”

THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH-STRAIGHT

FROM THE SHOULDER!

YER. THEY RE BOTH TALKING ABOUT: THE SAME POLITICAL SPEECH.