Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-11-26

close to them, lifting its scaly head high
above the waves; and while rushing
j through the water had the appearance Of
an immense chain Of casks, drawn along
with great velocity by some submerged
steam tug. 1t was bigger than the main.
mast, they said, and twice the length OF
the ship.
j It is embarrassing to deny, to person 3
face. the existence of thing which be as
sures us he has seen, but sailors are not
over nice in this particular. Ihave heard
one tell shipmate that he would Try to
believe enough of his story to oblige him;
but this, with an old tar, Is an unusual
condescension with regard to yarn in
vOlving doubt in his own mind. Thus It
may well be imagined that no attempt was
made to disguise the incredulity with
which the account Of the North America q
crew was received in our foiecastle.
Our chaps evidently thought that there
might be some foundation Of fact for the
story, but they were not prepared to &C.
eept all its embellishments. They ad-
mitted that the snake might have been IS
large as the mizzen topmast; but further
| than this their marine courtesy would not
| go.
| 1t was desirable to know what the North
Americas captain would have to say on
the subject. y
"Yes," said our visitors, task. the old
man. You can't take the turns ont OF
what he says!'
We soon found that Captain Grinnell
corroborated the story of his men, ami had
related the extraordinary yarn to Captain
Brice: while his mate was not less positive
in the same direction. Our hands, there
fore, concluded that the North Americas
crew had seen something very remarkable.
although to what degree fear and wonder
might have. clothed it with terrors beyond
the reality, was still uncertain.
At all events, we we're placed sharply on
the lookout for an object so astonishing,
hoping, yet half dreading, to see it,
For some days the great sea-serpent
formed the chief theme Of conversation on
board of the Luminary. and all that any of
the crew had ever heard or read concern
ing the species of ocean monster to which
the individual in question must belong,
was brought up afresh and related with
new interest.
It would have amused my readers to
have heard the pros and cons Of the rough
old salts, for there we're some who pro-
fessed to treat the matter lightly aud en-
deavored to dispose Of the phenomenal
occurrence in all manner Of absurd ways
as if a whole ships company could. under
such circumstances, have been Knocked by
their own eyes.
People who object to marvels in reality
incontestible, will often try to account for
them by explanations SO prepostsrous as
to become arguments in the affirmative.
The most obstinate doubter in this case
was old Bill Stevens, who headed tho
third mates boat.
cit was only two or three whales close
together, turning flukes," he said; Tor .
string of porpoises, tumbling along on the
ridge of sea. This amt huekleberry
lot; there's no snakes here!''
"But wouldn' t you know snakes head
from whales fukes, Bill?" said Jack
Moore; ''or string of tumbling porpoises
from wriggling varment twice as long as
a ship and as big as the mainmast, es-
peciaIly if he was close aboard of YEP"
eyes; I allow shall know when Il see
one' said Bill. ''But hain't got no
goney feathers comm out on me vet. I
! dom t swaller everything that is thrown to
me!''
And 80 it went on for two days, the
! ship. meanwhile, standing along to the
westward on the parallel Of sixty-three,
our captain not caring to run further
| south, on account of the moving ice,
which threatened to completely hem us
| in.
Some of the drifting masses were not
more than six feet out of the water, while
others rose in pinnacles hundred feet
high, glittering beautifully whenever the
sun shone upon them.
We we're still in company with the North
America, although she was often so far of
that NOTHING below her topsails appeared
above the horizon, and sometimes be-
tween ourselves and her there would in
tervene a huge ice6eld. beyond which we
could see only her royals.
The morning of the third day after our
falling IN with our fellow whalemen Was
one Of the finest that ever witnessed in
so cold region. But as the sun rose, af-
ter the short night OF only four hours, it
showed the Luminary's crew that it was
not beauty alone, but peril also, which
surrounded them.
To the northward of US, stretching along
our course as far as we could see, rose q
great, turreted wall, that CLEANED with
numerable hues; while to the south the
sea had the appearance Of bearing an i'm
mense and shining fotilla, compared with
which the vast Spanish armada would
sink into contempt.
Astern, or nearly so, as if soon to close
up the gap through which he had passed,
was tall berg. that looked as if broken
from the main body. and swinging around,
like a ship from pierhead.
Right ahead, however, between the two
main lines, which were some six miles
apart, the sea was open: and Captain Brice
ordered sail to be made on the Luminary
in order to get through this ice-formed
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