might've been a lot of worse at that but the spirit of adventure is unquenched the crew of her fishing smack brings news of giant octopus nearby can't afford to miss a chance to photograph one of this elephant spiders of the ocean floor the diver is going to try and locate the octopus and pose him for the camera the ocean floor is a dream world silent dark mystic unreal lonely beyond words a beauty that haunts one a majesty all its own inhabited by strange weird creatures like this great sea anemone so named because it looks like the windflower you've seen little ones on the rocks at low tide long tentacles like the petals of a lovely flower but when touched they close up into a compact ball like the giant ray it lives by scooping in its prey and sucking it to pieces now watch how quickly the fish that our boys throw down is enclosed in that living sepulcher but the study period is rudely interrupted the cameraman ever on the watch sees a great hammerhead shark circling above too close behind the diver for safety must get him up and destroy the menace so everybody takes a hand well this shark business is getting on their nerves they spoil all the fun the shark family takes many queer forms the hammerhead is about the strangest and one of the most dangerous the barb and heavy line don't do the trick fast enough so the captain puts a few slugs of lead into him but even that doesn't stop a shark unless by chance it happens to sever the spinal column well alright diver we've got him out of the way let's go you know this diver's rig isn't the easiest thing in the world to handle moving isn't hard but progress is retarded like a slowmotion picture because of the water resistance in this submerged world queer unreal lights play across the ocean floor strange fish peer out of unexpected corners forests of gently undulating seaweed gaudy shells which at the touch of the diver's foot become animate and scuttle away the camera can look so much farther afield merciful powers what's this eerie shape there it is look out octopus the crawling irresistible slimy deathdealing monster of the sea floor and he's behind the diver there's no phone in his helmet his power under warning what a chance he takes good man make him see oh strange indeed are the wonders of the eight great immensely powerful arms each with its two rows of deadly suckers ooh look out that slithering death is right on you he'll crush your bones into jelly look out boy look out quick now quick the helmet and boots are too heavy get out of them get out of there oh thank goodness oh well let's call this fella names too he deserves to be sworn at you old cephalopod that's you octopus punctivus accent on the punk say that was a close call three days out from acapulco dragged offshore by a good tug refitted restocked everybody happy and raring to go the only thing that couldn't be replaced was a diver's rake that's probably decorating the parlor of some mermaid by now hello there's something that looks interesting huh interesting i should say it is big news what the newspaper man would call a whale of a story this is a real whale one hundred and twenty feet long whales are strange creatures mammals originally land animals there she blows they're warmblooded breathing air by lungs having babies not eggs and nursing them with milk their greatest enemy is the swordfish a monster mackerel and there goes one now straight for the whale's vulnerable belly he goes through ages of poking into other peoples business this fella's nose has lengthened out until in big fish it attains a length of five or six feet sharp enough to drive straight through the bight of a small what a schnoz what a schnoz the swordfish is without doubt the gamest fish that swims the ocean he goes after whales like a terrier after a ball it's instinct of course often a swordfish will charge a ship and drive his snout into the flanking until it breaks shorn off imagine what it must do to a fish even one with so tough a hide as the whale what a fight what a fight the swordfish has all the advantage of quicker turning sharper weapons the whale's only defense is his mighty tail one clean blow with that twoton sledge and even this terrific stabber would be put out of commission but the swordfish rolled with the punch now they spar for a moment at long range and back goes the old stabber caesar's ghost what a battle threw him clean out of the ocean friends no one has ever been lucky enough to photograph any such quite as this before but the race is not always to the swift nor is the battle always to the strong remember david and goliath oh this is terrible leviathan in range dangerously wounded well there can be only one end to this fight our boys decide to put the gallant old monster out of his misery for this attack might go on for days remember this whale weighs not less than one hundred and twenty tons there's a lot of him to die this is risky work takes nerve to go in under those terrifically slapping tails and put a harpoon into the poor old beaten monster but they're going to do it now zam this new irritation sends the giant off on a new tack up he comes and out he goes look out for sharks boy poor old whale what a tragedy of the sea how many time this happens no one will ever know there isn't always a camera so handy to record the battle and even when our boys have captured the whale the villain still pursued her they signal a commercial whaler way off to leeward as there's no hope of salvaging the valuable oils and fats of the huge windfall they tell her to come arunning before the prize collapses and sinks once the breathing ceases the huge body can no longer stay afloat the whaler's fish captain gets ready his harpoon gun a svend foyn gun invented by a scandinavian of that name come on men come on get it over with the poor devil's dying the same old story we must be cruel only to be kind now and all the while they're towing in the gigantic captive the harpy is still battening on his entrails this christmas present is worth at least three thousand to the whaler now get the air line out boys pump in the air don't let him sink now ooh look at those great gaping wounds made by that demon of a swordfish fish from hell that's what you are you certainly had a lot of nerve tackling the big strong feller six hundred pounds against two hundred and forty thousand now they're pumping him full of air ooh what a mess you made of it you but the boys say we'll give you a break mr schnozzle we're going out and get you get you with a rod and reel that oughtta be some sport yes sir when you talk about thrills this game of fighting the monster swordfish with a rod and line certainly takes the pennant i say watch we're going to show you a most unusual camera shot it's like a fish eye view of things now look underneath the boat and see the propeller in action now anybody who hasn't a firm grip on his emotions had better not look anymore for something's going to happen around here and i don't mean maybe there he goes you old boys who can remember the thrill that came when first you felt a tug at the cork on your line in the old mill pond when a sixounce perch grabbed your worm maybe you can picture this thrill six hundred pounds or so of the fightingest maddest fish that ever snapped a hook is out there on the end of that slapping line but the reel's singing its protest bring him up bring him up bring him up reel him reel him if he doubles on that line you'll lose him wrists of iron are certainly needed for this work great catfish what a leap whoa another mad leap take up the slack take it up take it up quick now up he goes again don't let him trick you mister don't let him trick you now what a mighty surge that was to carry a quarter of a ton of fish clear out of the water when i say the swordfish was game now it's settled down into a battle of wits how would you like to run a handbook on this event the fish knows that his only chance is to leap and turn in the air and crank afoul of the line so that he can double back on it and snap it off how does he know it well how does he know how to swim in the first place instinct the primal instinct of all created things selfpreservation there he goes again impossible you say well there it is the camera can't lie but he's a desperate thing a blackhearted scoundrel of course but you've got to hand it to him for the fighting spirit yes sir this is a real battle oh that leap surpasses them all and to think that this little trifling line is expected to control such a stupendous battering ram as the swordfish has proved himself to be it's just one desperate leap after another and each time the human adversary must be on his hold ready to reel in to slack off to play this brute as you would a mountain trout but he's got to end sometime he's bound to tire himself out at that rate it looks to me as if he's just about shot his bolt now steadily slowly patiently but relentlessly the captor is bringing the floundering demon closer and closer to the boat ah this is going to be something else again boys it's all well enough to hook him and play him in close but what kind of man is this who thinks he can gaff this demon don't lose him feller don't lose him dig in your toes boy get your heels under a seat stick to him boy stick to him slip stick it over now heave away oh oh oh afraid you're going clean out of your class old chap now you've got him again put a twitch on his nose ride him cowboy run him up by his heels schnoz or no schnoz no durn fish that ever swum can get the best of me whoopee and that is that