Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-30
The Whale and His Enemies.
A Syxor<l-Fish and Thrashsr Giving ehe Monster Battle.
 IErnna thu San Francisno Call.

the Monster Battle.
 From the San Francisco CallJ
 We were swinging idly at anchor off Ma hukona, Island of Hawaii. Swinging idly at anchor in the South Seq on summers day is eminently poetical, but one may get too much of poetry. Suddenly there were wild exclamations of delight and excitement by some native passengers, who pointed a little way off, where at first wo could only casional foamy spurts of water. The cap tain. who had just came on deck, looked with increasing interest at the commotion in the water, and finally said, decidedly: 'Its thrasher and sword fish attacking whale, and if they only come this way you'll see some fun that land lubbers seldom sec meaning no disrespect tor the ladies'" It was seldom that our captain displayed much interest he did then, 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 plainer 1t came nearer. The water would be upheaved and then lashed into foa n there would be furry, and then the water would subside into & bubblipg wake Finally, near to us as to be almost start ling, the ponderous body of whale plunged 1 through the water almost beneath us, and | with swiftness that in so huge thing was 1 frightful, rose to the surface flashing the waves with it's great blunt head afar on either | side Almost before the sparkling showers
 
 ster shot up in jet but only for an instant. | A great ugly fish, flat like a founder, but l larger than a shark, darted through the water | and almost leaped upon the whale, covering with it's great fiat body the whales blow I hole. The jet as instantly and complete | ly shut off by this astonishing operation as is | faucet stream of water by a reversed spig | ot The great clumsy monster struggled as | if for life It's tail dashed the smooth sum | mer sea into a fury of foam, and tho whole l great length of it's body seemed shaken by a | tempest of rage and agony. The whale sa k l slowly and as the troubled water became l clear we saw it dart off again, but pursued I and attacked by a sword fish that with light ming like strokes would plunge its weapon | into the whales body, draw back for a fresh start, and shoot ahead again, infictine l wound after wound upon the tortured mon ster. Stabbed from below, deprived of its breath from above, the whale wildly plunged ahead silently, followed closely by the thrash | or, waiting for it's turn to attack, Soon they came again; not quite so close to us as be fore Again the vast body upheaved tho waters again the thrasher cut off the perse cuted whales desperate struggle for air again the great thing lunged and lurche6 about in awful, frantic efforts to free itself o the merciless enemy again 1t slowly sank tC be again attacked from below. This mos strange battle ragged about us for fully hal an hour, the intervals between the surface attacks becoming shorter as the whales in creasing exhaustion prompted 1t to rise mor' frequently. The attacks of both it's enemies gave the impression of utmost ferocity. The perfect silence of the terrific warfare, too added to it's terrible aspect.
 I have spoken of it as battle. and such i was, although the small, savage attaoker were, of course, never injured in the Ire mendous plunges the maddened whale woult sometimes direct toward them. Gradually the scene of action drifted further from us and suddenly ceased the whale sinking final ly out of sight Then we turned to the cap tain, and asked of that worthy individual al explanation. OJ course, he had one ready and it was this There was another fsl highly interested in the battle that we ha' not seen. This was the fish that came in 8 the death. I'm sorry" the captain said
 ''that the whale not fiuished near enoug for you to see, for then you would have bee astonished Now what do you suppose tha l thrasher and likewise that sword fish wa
 giving that kind of battle to that whale for Now none of you know, yet some peopl ? think they do."
 "some people," the captain continued