The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-04-17
Adventure With a Kraken,
A SAILORS YARN.

A SAILOR YARN.
We we're seated upon some rocks on
. promontory off Rye Beach, drying
ourselves in a warm July sun in the
most approved primitive style, after a
glorious dance in the Sound. We-that
is, Tom Phenix, Charley Matsell and
myself-were lovers of the salt water /:
for each of us, in various ways, had tried
it again and again. Charley was our en-
cyclopedia and authority on the subject,
however, for, as supercargo of sundry
vessels, he had navigated pretty nearly
the globe.
We had been broaching the subject
of sharks, as one had been caught not
far from the New Rochelle steamboat
dock few days before. From sharks
we had diverged to sea-serpents, SUBJ
iect upon which Tom Ph0nix and my
self were skeptical. Not so Charley
he not only believed in the great mons
Ter, but he had seen one, off the coast
# Chill.
This had been his last observation as
we hauled up on the rocks, as I said be-
fore.
"Now that's very unpatriotic refer
moe, )" cried Tom /; you ought to know
that the sea- serpent belongs exclusively
to America. 1t is native fish. Sea.
serpents and Chill can't go together,
anyhow |"
Charley lay swapping the salt grass
and padding the water with his foot
in semi-offended dignity a very
Neptune in form and mien he Was, too.
"My opinion exactly I added tho
sea-serpent belongs to Cape God as
much as oysters to Princes Bay or Sad
die Rock"
"Oh, laugh on-laugh on, hearties
7 can bear it; aud what's more, I've
seen kraken |"
ga What ?" we both shouted.
He looked up in triumph as he repeat
ed-"a kraken: the great monster term
ed 'leviathan in the scriptures, and
referred to by Milton:
Which God Of all his works
Created hugest that swim the ocean stream;
Him haply Numbering on the Norway foam,
The pilot Of some small night-founderod skin,
Deemipg an island off, as seamen tell,
With fixed anchor in his scaly rind
Moors by his side under the lee.'"
"Bravo bravo /" says Tom. "Ohar,
ley has been cramming the encyclopedia
over night. Overhaul for 'kraken
and when found, make note ont. Go
on. my Captain Cuttle."
"Cuttle-the very reference; for it is
q cuttle-fsh of wondrous size. AS for
the examining, did that long ago, and
there's not bit of prose or poetry on
the subject I can't recite to you. To be
sure there's not much. The kraken-fsh
has never been described by biologists,
but it is well settled that he is half q
mile in length and proportionally bulky.
did the cramming about him after l saw
him."
"sSaw him +" said I" good |
Pray did you saw him in two-this half
mile monster ?"
"Now, if you'll promise not to inter-
rupt, I'll tell you the yarn; and it's true,
too--every bit.
"Agreed, responded Tom; "and let
us crawl down into the water and soak
while this sea-story is being born"
We suited the action to the word, and
Charley suited his speech to his promise.
"It was on my voyage to Canton. We
had stopped at the Sandwich Islands,
and were three days sail of, when we
became becalmed. You may think it
hot here; but just try summing yourself
in that latitude | 1t was just such be-
calming as befell the Ancient Mariner,
according to Coleridge. The calm con-
inued all night. At daybreak, we were
all up, praying for bit Of air, fer it had
been too hot to sleep all night, and it
was proposed that we should bathe. All
hands who could be spared availed them
selves Of the privilege, and in q few
minutes the ships drifting wake and for
a hundred yards around was lashed into
foam by the exertions Of swimmers; and,
although 80 hot above, the water was
quite cripsy cold, 50 to speak. The
first mate was swimming about, when
| he cried ont: Hello there's floating
island 7 We raised up our necks as the
hand Of the mate pointed to the east
! ward; but could see nothing.