Chapters 11 and 12 Summary and Analysis

Arrival of a Man-Eater

The juvenile shark that killed Bruder had probably been frightened off by the rescue boat. A mature great white would not have been. If he ate Bruder's legs, it would not have kept him satisfied for very long. Either way, he was hungry and still on the hunt. The shark craved large mammals rich with blubber, but the North Atlantic region did not offer him many such choices. Man is not a desirable part of a shark's diet. In most cases, white sharks dislike the taste of humans and spit them out.

On July 7, 1916, a small group of men and their boats were organized to hunt the man-eater down. The men spread trails of blood behind their boats. Chunks of meat were strapped to the boats as gunmen stood waiting for the shark to surface...