The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-12-18

AuuSA MOie sc Cidu USELESS. lle noeQle
swung round aud round without any
obvious cause, with a rrpidity which
no one could contemplate without
becoming dizzy and bewildered.
Capt. Crum at last wedged theneedle
so that it could not move in the box,
but as soon as the compass stood
still the Toad itself began to spin
round so viciously that they fastened
to release the needle. On the fourth
or fifth day out the wind freshened,
and the sloop went bounding over
the pillows. The Deacon and To.
bias Jackson were seriously affected
by the motion, aud retired to the
cuddy. Even the Captain hlmeslf,
an old sailor who had weathered many
storms, was obliged to succumb to
the nausea; but though deathly sick he
held his post at the helm, and kept
the bowsprit pointed straight for
Havre. The breeze increased to a
gale, the waves seemed animated
with a merciless desire to overwhelm
and swallow up the frail Toad, appall-
ling thunderstilled the sky, lightnings
darted from every square inch of the
heavens, and the sloop labored fear
fully. The Captain, after some trou-
Bile, succeeded in arousing his sick and
discouraged companions, and all
hands went to work on the second
key with an energy born Of despera-
ton. Thus the Toad outrode the
storm.
According to the best recollection
of the navigators, who about this
this time lost all reckoning of days
and hours and began to measure
events by another chronology, it was
either in the last quarter of the Sec
ond key or the first quarter of the
third key that the sea suddenly be-
came populous with reptiles of vast
dimensiees- end manifes' IL hostile
dispositions. Capt. Crim, 1es'c0n
Silsbee, and Tobias Jackson are
agreed in affirming most positively
that it was neither whales nor por-
poises that they saw. The monsters
which crowded the water around the
Toad, and fairly tumbled over each
other in their malignant eagerness to
get at and annihilate that little craft,
were far larger than any whale, far
livelier than any porpolse. They
| were gigantic, antediluvian creatures
Of hideous shape, with eyes that
shone with malevolent purpose, and
voices that beloved loud enough to
strike you dumb with fear. They
swamed around and around the Toad
glazing with hungry eyes upon hel
unfortunate crew, and lashing the sec
with their huge tails until it wa;
white foam as far as sight could reach
In the largest of all these alarming
monsters Deacon Silsbee was conf
dent that he identified the terrible
beast with seven heads and ten horns
mentioned in Revelations.
at is Beelzebub," whispered thu
Deacon to the Captain, as soon a
horror allowed him the use of hi
tongue. at is the old horned beas
HIMSELF! y"
| AS if to confirm the Deacon's re
cognition, the air rang with diabol
ical laugh, and the principal beas
reared it's seven heads high out of tn,
water, and bore down directly upol
the Toad, while all the other beast
gave way. .n fa
"The critter come right on" sale
the Deacon afterward in describing
the crisis, g and (. the lCap'n and Tobias
Jackson Topped down among thu
kags, limp ez dead founders. I knew
the righteous need not fear, SO
| stood Arm and looked the sarn;n