Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-09-20
The Whale and His Enemies.
San Francisco CALL

san ranclScO Oall.
We were swinging idly at anchor of
Mahukona, Island Of Hawaii Swing
ing idly at anchor in the South Sea or
a summers day is eminently poetical
but one may get too much of poetry
Suddenly there were wild exclamations
of delight and excitement bv some ma
tive passengers, who pointed a little
way off, where at first we could sec
only occasional foamy spurts of water
The Captain, who had just come on
deck, looked with increasing interest at
the cOmmotion in the water, and finally
said, decidedly: It's thrasher ana
sword-fish attacking whale, and if
they only come this way you'll see
some fun that land lubbers seldom see
meaning no disrespect for the ladies.
1t was seldom that our Captain dis
played as much interest as be did then, a.,
so we all the more eagerly watched
the nearing fight. He gave no further
explanation then.
For some time longer we saw no
bodies, but the disturbance in the
water steadily grew palmer as it came
nearer. The water would be upkeaved
and then lashed into foam; there
would be furry, and then the water
would subside into bubbling wake.
Finally, so near to rs to be almost
startling, the ponderous body of the
whale plunged through the water al
most beneath US, and with swiftness
that in so huge thing was frightful,
rose to the surface, dashng the waves
with its great blunt head afar on either
side. Almost before the sparkling
showers had fallen the steam-like
breath of the monster shot up in a jet,
but only for an instant. A great ugly
fish, fat like founder, but larger than
shark, darted through the water and
almost leaped upon the whale, cover
ing with its great fiat body the whales
blow hole. The jet was as completely
and instantly cut off by this astonish-
ing operation as is faucet stream of
water by a reversed spigot. The
great clumsy monster struggled as if
for life. Its tail dashed the smooth
summer sea into a fury of foam, and
the whole great length of its body
seemed shaken by tempest of rage
and agony The whale sank slowly,
and as the troubled water became clear
we saw it dart off again, but pursued
and attacked by sword-fsh that with
lightning like strokes would plunge it's
weapon into the whales body, draw
back for fresh start, and shoot ahead
again, inficting wound after wound
upon the tortured monster Stabbed
from below, deprived of its breath from
above, the whale wildly plunged ahead
silently, followed closely by the thrash
er, waiting for its turn to attack Soon
they came again; not quite so close to
US as before. Again the vast body up
h9aved the waters; again the thrasher
cut off the prosecuted whales desper-
ate struggle for air again the great
thug lunged and lurched about in
awful, frantic efforts to free itself of the
merciless enemy; again it slowly sank
to be attacked from below. This most
strang battle ragged about US for fully
half an hour, the intervals between the
surface attacks becoming shorter as the
whales increasing exhaustion prompt !
ed it to rise more frequently. The
attacks of both its enemies gave the
impression of utmost ferocity. The
perfect silence ofthe terrific warfare, too,
added to its terrible aspect.
| have spoken of it as a battle; such |
it was, although the small, savage !
attackers were, of course, never Injured |
in the tremendous plunges the mad
dened whale would sometimes direct |
toward them. Gradually the scene of |
action drifted further from US, and sud- |
denly ceased, the whale sinking out of
sight. Then we turned to the Captain |
and asked that worthy individual for
an explanation. Of course he had one
ready, and it was this: There was
another fish highly interested in the
battle, that we had not seen. This |
was the fish that cane in at the death. |
Pm sorry, the Captain said, that the
whale was not finished near enough |
for you to see, for then you would
have been astonished. Now what do
you suppose that thrasher, and like
wise that sword fish, was giving that
kind of battle to that whale for? Now,
none of you know, yet some people
think they do. That sword fish sticks
the whale from below to make it rise,
and the thrasher calks up his spout-hole
to make it open it's mouth. Why don't
he open his mouth the first time the
covers his spout-hole ? Be-
cause it knows by instinct that the mo.
ment its mouth is opened its tongue is
bit out. | spoke of little fish that
you didn't see. Well, he follows close !
along, and whenever the whale becomes
so used up for want of breath that it
must open its mouth then this little
fish darts in, bites off the big fellows
tongue, and is away with it in a jiffy.
The little fish, the sword fish and the
thrasher divide the tongue, and it's that |
morsel the battle is for' Since the !
Captain told us the story | have heard I
the same thing asserted by land author
ity.
The common mistake in sowing
wheat is in putting in the seed too
deeply. If the ground has been titled
so as to make mellow seed bed, there
is danger of burying the seed too deep
ly if drill is used, unless the roller
precedes the drill, and the drill-teeth
are set back so as not to dig too deeply.
Rolling after drilling or sowing is a
mistake. The compactness of the soil
needed for wheat is beneath, and not
on the surface. Wheat is usually
sown more thickly than is advantage
Gus or profitable. Much depends on
the richness of the SOIL the more fertile
requiring not exceeding one bushel to
five pecks per acre. The time of SOW
ing is much less important than the
condition of the soil as 20 compactness
and fertility. 1t may sometimes be
Il. r