South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-06-30
THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.


A Bombay newspaper is responsible for
the description OF monstrous sea ser.
pent. which we are told was seen by
missionary. while on board T.. and O.
Steamer. on voyage from Bombay to
Alden. Whether the missionary has
been drawing on his imagination, we
leave our readers to Judge. After n
long preliminary introduction. tho wri.
ter OF the account says:-..I was look.
ing at strange ruddy blot OF red ON
the water. right astern. when saw n
dark moving shadow. IL did not seem
20 move with The other shadows on the
sea, and this fixed my attention TO il.
Soon saw that 1t was steadily approach.
ing the vessel. Within hundred feet
OF the stern of our vessel. not now ap.
preaching us. but simply following stead.
lily In our wake. was this hideous thing.
great mass of what looked like tangled
seaweed, on which futile attempt mt
combing had been made. rose out Of
the water. This mass mus. have been
twenty or thirty feet in length and ten
feet in width, and as it came on 10 caused
wide ripple in the water that showed
there must be still greater part below
the surface. From the centre Of this
mass, raised just clear above 1T and fac.
ing Tie vessel, was a great black head.
The top was quite fiat, in shape not un.
like that of n monstrJus toad. A thick
fringe of coarse reddish hair hung over
the mouth, quite concealing it. hut the
eyes were the most awful part of this
fearful thing. They were placed far
apart, mt either extremity OF the fiat
head, distant from each other ut least
three feet. l must here state that all
the passengers, and all the crew except
tho captain himself, saw the thing after.
wards, but that there we're scarcely two
who could agree as 10 the color and the
nature OF these eyes. / can only. there.
fore. write rs they appeared to me. The
eyeballs were enormous; they must
have been four or five inches in diane
ter! had been so absorbed in the pleas.
ing pain of looking Mt the thing, that /
had quite forgotten the other people on
board, and was first reused by hearing
Captain Davidson step up on the stern
by me, give one look below at the water,
and then hurriedly so back. In few
minutes every passenger was crowding
on To the stern, even the ladies appear.
ing. though in unfinished costume. FIX.
Carnations Of the EXTREMIST astonsh-
mcnt broke from all, and then silence
fell, rs the crowd stared at the hi,leous
creature. Up TO this time the thing had
kept steadily i'll our wake, and after
breakfast we went on deck again-we
were only few minutes ut breakfast
we found the thing still following stead.
lily in our wake. The children had in
great measure got over their fear. and
had made long line by joining hands,
and the whole lot of. them would now
crouch down and then suddenly rise
mp, open their mouths at the thing, and
cry out at it. Suddenly the hideous
creature seemed reused by these cries,
IL raised its head in the mir uttered "A
strange below, and came forward ut n
great pace toward the ship. 1t came
swiftly up to the ship. always uttering
the same peculiar cry or below. When
but few feet from the stern it suddenly
turned and came up close on the port
side. No sooner was the thing level with
us than it raised itself with a sudden
movement high ont of the water, till its
head was thirty or forty feet above us
1t opened a great mouth, cried more
loudly than before, and made three blows
ut the mainmast. The last of these
touched it. and caused the ship to sway
violently SO that we were nearly cast Off
into the water. When we again looked
for the thing il had gone
.