Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-01-03
A Real sDevlI-Fish''--victor
uugO's Narrative Matched.


Sea" will remember the terrible narrative
Of the fisherman Gilliatt's encounter with
the octopus or sea devil, who winds his hor.
ribls suckers round his victim, and gradual.
ly draws away bis life's blood. The poet
novelist has been accused of exaggeration in
this incident, but according to Mr. Lord, an
English traveller, who has just published in
Loudona book about British Columbia and
The Pacific coast. the sea devils Of the North
Pacific even outdo the terrors of the Chan
mel Island species. Mr.. Lord says:
1.-THE octopus as seen on our coasts, al
though even here called 'mansucker,' by
the fshermen, isa Tom Thumb. q tiny
dwarf as compared to the Brobdignagian
proportions he attains in the snug bays and
long inland canals along the East side of
Vancouver Island, as well as on the m ain
land. These places afford lurking -dens,
strongholds and natural sea nurseries, where
the octopus grows to an enormous size, fat
tens and wages war with Unsuitable voracity
on all and everything it can catch. Safe
from heavy breakers, it lives ayin an aqua
rum of smooth. lake,like water, that save
in the ebbine and flowing Of the tide, knows
no chinge of disturbance.
"The ordinary resting place Of this hide
Gus 'sea-beast' is under large stone. or in
the wide cleft Of a rock, where an octopus
can creep and squeeze Itself with the fat
ness Of an eel It's modes of locomotion are
curious and varied using the eight arms as
paddles, and working them alternately, the
central disk representing boat octopi row
themselves along with an ease and celebrity
comparable to the many cared caique that
glides over the tranquil waters Of the Bos-
phorus; they can ramble at will over the
sandy roadways intersectiDg their submarine
parks, and, converting arms into legs,
march on like huge spider. Gymnasts of
the highest order, they climb the slippery
ledRes, as flies walk up window pane; at.
taching the countless suckers that arm the
terrible limbs to the face of the rocks, or to
tho wrack and seaweed, they go about, back
downward, like marine sloths, or, cliHging
with one arm to the waving alR9, perform
the series eftrapeze movements that Leotard
might envy.
II have often, when on the rocks, in Es-
quimault harbor, watched my friends pro-
ceedines; the water being clear and still, it
is just like peering into an aquarium of huge
proportions, crowded with endless varieties
Of curious sea monsters; although grotesque
and ugly to look at. yet all alike displaying
the wondrous works of Creative wisdom. -
In all'the' cosy little nooks and corners Of
the harbor the great sea.wrack (Macrocystis)
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 taper.
ing leaves that float upon the water; this
. 1o e., hr, NJ
octopi l.
IL 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
spider does, only the octopus converts itself
into web, and fearful web, too. Fasten-
ing one arm to a stout stalk, stiffening out
the other seven. one would hardly know it
from the wrack amengst which it Is conceal
ed Patiently be bdes his time, until pres
emily shoal Of fish come gs lily on, thread
ing their way through the sea trees, joyous
ly happy and little dreaming that this
lurking monster. so artfully concealed, is
close at hand. Two or three of them rub
against the arms; fatal touchi As though
apowerfui electric shock had passed through
the fish and suddenly knocked it senseless,
so does the arm Of the octopus paralyze it's
victim then winding great sucker clad
cable round the palsied fish-as an elephant
winds its trunk round anything to be con-
voyed to the mouth-d draws the dainty NOR
sci to the centre of the disk, where the
bsaken mouth .eizes, and soon sucks it in. "
By a sort Of peetical justice, these ty-
raits Of the sea caverns are themselves
hunted by an enemy ofuntirnV pertinacity.
The Indian regards the octopus as great
deicacy, especially when its huge glutinous
body is carefully roasted Were the ecto:
pus once to get its long thong like. feeers
over the side Of the canoe, aud at the same
time retain hold upon the seawrack, it
cbuld as easily haul it over asa child could
basket. This the crafty.Indian well knows.
How he captures him Mr. Lord thus de-
scrihes. a' '. f' '"t
"Paddling the canoe close to the rocks.
and quietly pushing aside the wrack, the
savage peers through the crystal water, un
til his D 'actised eye detects an octopus, with
its great ropelike arms stiffened out, waiting
patiently for foud His spear is twelve feet
long, armed at the end with four pieces Of
hard wood, made harder by being baked
and charred in the fire; these project about
fourteen inches beyond the spear haft, each
piece having barb on one side, and are ar
ranged in circle round the spear-end, and
ashed firmly on with cedar bark. Having
spied out the octopus. the hunter passes the
spear carefully through the water until with
in an inch or so Of the centre disk. and then
sends it in as deep as he can plunge it,
Writhing with pain and passion. the octo-
pus coils its terrible arms round the haft !;
redskin making the eide Of the canoe ful;
crum for his spear, keeps the struggling
monster we'll off. and raises it to the surface
of the water. He Is dangerous now; 1t be
could get a holdfast on either savage or
oanoe, nothing short of chopping off the
arms piecemeal would be Of any avail.
but the willy redskin knows all this, and
has taken care to have ready another spear
uubafbed long. straight. smooth and very
sharp. and with this he stabs the octopus
where the arms join the central disk. L
suppose the spear must break down the ner-
vous ganglious supplying motive power, as
the stabbed arms lose at once strength and
tenacity the suckers that moment before
held on with aforce ten men could not have
overcome relax, and the entire ray hangs
like dead snake, limp, lifeless mass. :
And thus the Indian stabs and stabs, until
the 1octophss deprived of all power to do
harm is drsgged into the canoe, a great,
inert, quivering lump Of brownlooking
jelly.i1 si bau nau,lrae GlJH 2
lao Coop MANY DEnooRATIo VoTEs