Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-03-08
A NOVEL SEA FIGHT.
Where swan the huge leviathan,
The monarch of the sea-

A gentleman of Arkansas lately placed
IN our hands the substance Of the follow
ing graphic sketch from the pen Of
young sea voyager of his acquaintance,
which we gladly lay before our readers
We trust the worthy voyager will give
the whole of his journal to the public
Dow's Index.
October, 1S4I.--On the fifth dav out,
from Halifax, at II o'clock, our attention
was called by the captain to what appeared
10 be a whlrlwlnd, apparently about one
mile to leeward, but which the captain as
Sured us was over three miles distant. AS
the ship neared the spot, we discovered the
agitation of the water was produced, not
by winds or currents, but by contest be-
tween a thrasher and a sword-fsh on one
hand, and a tremendous whale on the 9TH
CT. OF all the battles ever witnessed by
me--and have seen some fighting IN my
day, having been engaged, during the lac
war with England, at Bladensburg, and at
the White House below Alexandria--this
was the most terrific. The surface of the
ocean, for mile at least around, was
crimson. In the centre Of this lake Of
blood lay the whale. The lhrasher now
threw his body out of a straight line curv-
ing the head and tail inwards, thereby
bringing his most powerful muscle in the
best position for effective use he then
leaped into the air from forty 10 fifty feet,
and dropped upon the whales back with
tremendous force, giving his saline ma
jesty such shock as to confuse and per-
pick him. While the whale was in this
quandary, the sword-fsh made at him with
much violence, and gave him dreadful
stab in the side. The whale, now in great
agony, bleeding copiousy, leaped, with
mighty effort, from fifty 10 sixty feet into
the air, and descended with a crash re-
sembling the loudest thunder, shaking old
Ocean to her centre. The thrasher then
gave the mighty victim another thump, ia
king care to select the most vulnerable
place for the point Of descent, and then
the sword-fish sheathed his weapon in the
victims side again Another bound
streaming with blood--and the whale lay
motionless upon the water. At length the
sword-Gsh touched vital pa TT, and, for
several minutes the whale continued to
leap from the Ocean into the air, snoring
and spouting water to an immense height,
while streams OF blood poured from his
black body like lava from a volcano,
wrapped IN night. At length, overpower-
ed by wounds, and exhausted by loss Of
blood, he gave one mighty roar. the most
| awful the human mind can conceive of,
and floated llfeless upon the sea.
"Atter the show Of resistance on the
part of the whale had ceased, to my aston
shmcnt the two victorious combatants
took themselves off 10 respectful distance,
and they seemed to be as intensely anxious
about their prize as any human being
would be about valuable treasure not
perfectly secure, watching the slightest
movement or indication Of remaining life
on the part of the victim. At last, the
sword-fsh, whose additional duty 1t seem
ed to be to see that the monster was fairly
done for, made a circuit of the dy, and
stopping at the tail, penetrated it first at Its
junction with the lukcs--a part consider
ed vital by naturalistS and phrcnologists,
on account of its being the termination Of
the brain of the animal--thereby placing
the power Of further resistance entirely
out OF the question, and rendering his own
safety certain.
The whale being now dead, curiosity
prompted me to see what disposition the
victors would make Of him; 50 | remain
ed watching their movements. AT length
| discovered the sword-fsh pass from his
position at the tail, and move in the dircc-
lion of the head. When about ten feet
from the place where the head joins the
| ind \ bo
his sword into the side of the whale, and
ripped him longtudinaly length Of from
fifteen to twenty feet; then Withdrawing
his sword, he inserted it about one yard
higher up, and retraced his course Iongi:u
dinaly, TO the water line, or the level Of
the first CASH He then cut cross-wise at
each end, through into the body, and dis |
lodged the piece by pushing it inwards.---
The thrasher, (who all this time seemed |
an uninterestcd spectator of what was 60
ing on, and of wGom began to form ra-
Their a bad opinion discovering what had
been done, rushed up, and began to help
himself to The spongy flesh. The sword
fish selected his lavorite morsel, the heart,
and cutting it in halves with his sword,
devoured it in a twinking. Having both
satisfied their hunger, as | supposed. the
sword-fsh plunged his snout back of the
fore fin of the monster, while the thrasher
took up his position at the dividing line Of
the flakes, and seized the Joint between
his ponderous jaws SO they took up their
line of march with him, and we left them
and went on our lonely way, while thun-
der-storm to the westward fired minute
guns over the dead monarch of the sea-"
The thrasher and the sword-iSh never
attack the whale unless in company; but
when they sail together, wo be unto the
Sea King that lifts his mountain form
20, 49, .c:,..L.