The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-01-11
A REAL DEVIL-FISI1."
victor Huso's story Matched

Readers of Mr.. Victor Hugo's "Toil-
ers of the Sea-" will Temember the ter
rible narrative Of the fisherman Gill
ats encounter with the Octopus or sea-
devil, who winds his horrible suckers
round his victim, and gradually draws
away his life's blood. The poet-novel-
ist has been accused of exaggeration in
this incident, but according to Mr. Lord,
an English traveller, who has just pub
lished in London book about British
Columbia and the Pacific coast, the sea-
devils of the North Pacific even outdo
the terrors of the Channel Island spe-
cies. Mr.. Lord says:
"The octopus as seen on our coasts,
although even here called a 'mansuck-
err by the fishermen, is mere Tom
Thumb, tiny dwarf as compared to
the Brobdignagian proportions he at
tains in the snug bays and inland can
ais along the east side of Vancouver
Island, as we'll as on the mainland.
These places afford lurking-dens, sti ong
holds, and natural sea-nurseries, where
the octopus grows to an enormous size,
fattens, and wages war with Unsuitable
voracity on all and everything it can
catch. Safe from heavy breakers, it
lives as in an aquarium of smooth.
lake-like water that, save in the ebbing
and flowing of the tide, knows no
change or disturbance.
'"The ordinary resting place of this
hideOus 'sea-beast' is under a large
stone or in the wide cliff of a rock,
where an octopus can creep and squeeze
itself with the fiatness of a sand dab or
the slipperiness Of an eel. Its modes OF
lOcOmotion are curious and varied; u.s.
ing the eight arms as paddles, and
working them alternately, the central
disk representing boat, octopi row
themselves along with an ease and ce-
lerity compa rable to the many armed
caique that glides over the tranquil
waters of the Bosphorus; they can
ramble at will over the sand roadways
intersecting their submarine parks,
and, converting arms into legs, march
on like huge spider. Gymnasts Of
the highest order, they climb the slip
perry ledges, as flies walk up window
pane, attaching the countless suckers
that arm the terrible limbs to the face
of the rocks, or to the wrack and sea
weed. they go about, back downward,
like marine sloths, or, clinging with one
arm to the waving algae, perform SER
les of trapeze movements that Leotard
might view with envy.
81 have often, when on the rocks, in
EsqMmault harbor, watched my friends
proceedings; the water being cleaf and
still, it is just like peering into an
aquarium Of huge proportions, crowd
ed with endless svarieties of curious sea-
monsters; although grotesquea ugly
to look at, yet all alike displaying the
wondrous works of Creative wisdom.
In all the cosy little hooks and corners
of the harbor, the great seawrack
(Macrocystics) grows wildly, having
straight round stem that comes up
from the bottom, often with stalk
three hundred feet long reaching the
surface, it spreads out two long tapering
leaves that float upon the water, this sea
forest is the favorite hunting ground OF
octopi.
81 do not think in its native element
an octopus often catches prey on the
ground or on the rocks, but waits for
them just as a spider does, only the oc-
topus converts itself into a web, and a
fearful web too. Fastening one arm to
stout stalk, stiflening out the other
seven, one would hardly know it from
the wrack amongst which it is conceal
ed. Patiently he bides his time, until
presently shoal of fish come gaily on,
threading their way through the sea-
trees, joyously happy, and little dream
ing that this lurking monster, so art
fully concealed, is close at hand. Two
or three of them rub against the arms !;
fatal touch! AS though a powerful
electric shock had passed through the
fish and suddenly knocked it senseless,
so does the arm of the octopus paralyze
its victim then winding a great suck
er clad cable round the palsied fish-as
an elephant winds his trunkround any
thing to be conveyed to the mouth
draws the dainty morsel to the centre
Of the disk, where the beaked mouth
seizes, and soon sucks it in"
BY sort of poetical justice, these
tyrants of the sea caverns are them
selves hunted by an enemy of untiring
pertinacity. The Indian regards the
octopus as great delicacy, especially
when the huge glutinous body is care
fully roasted. Were the octopus once
to get its long throng-like feelers over
the side of the canoe, and at the same
time retain hold upon the seawrack,
it could as easily haul it over as child
could basket. This the crafty Indian,