The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-10-04
Flenr w1TH 4 cuTrLE FISH.
An Old Grand Bnpits Fisherman,s Yer,
TouRh Yarn. s,


TouRh Yarn.
"Yo see, I shipped for q cruise ON, the
colder Laughin' Dolly, for no paw and 3
share Of the proceeds. Wesailed from
Gloucester and had tolable luck; then
gettin' aout o bait, we put intew Hare
Bay-thats on the coast of Newfound.
land--and I rec On we, Jest got In in
time, for it let on tew blow from the
eastard and banged and q hammered
for like o. three days. AZ the end O.
that time, we got the water butt intew
the dory, and me and my mate, Long
Tom Sigstree, pulled in for q little cove
to lu'ard, where it was smooth water and
good landin'. In we won't O hoopin%
when jest as we was goin' through the
gpt o the cove, it kind O. shoaled like,
and We come to with rush, and we was
broadside onter the worst lookin' creetur
yer ever see or heard on. -
"FIrst 1 thought it wns spider: its
arms was a-hyin' in the air over us, and
some a-hangin' on tew the bont, and the
oreetur seemed ectual a-tryin' to come
aboard. Ye see, it had grounded on the
shoal and we'd pumped right inflow it,
and I'm O master hand at sight seein''
but was took all abaclz, and the first 1
Knew one OF its arms was around the oar.
Whlsh came another, takin' Long Tom
around the boot, and yankin' him clean
oil his feet. He whipped aout his knife,
ana cut 1t of, and it fell in tho boat,
a-tw>stn Jest like snake. Another
come a-hyn' along, and took me in the
neck, cuttin' jest like knife, and all
= this time we wur a-whnokin' and jam
min ut the creetur to keep him aout o.
tho boat. But its legs was kivercd witty
suckers, and it kind O. camo on. Right
between the legs we see pair O. bills
workin up and daown just like these are,
while the creetur was a-pumpin' ink and
water from sort o spout jest like steam
engine. sot we was black from hoad to
foot and the water NIL araound. Igot my
oar up like harpoon, and was jest goin'
to jam it in tho head, when wave took
the dory, gave her lift, and over she
went, chuckin' me right on tew the cree
tur, and I'll swan tew life l was ncgers so
near meetin' Davy Jones afore nor
sonce. I tried to Jump clear, but the
boat knocked me daown, and the first I
knew I felt grip on my boot, and I sec
tho animal had me by the leg; bit clean
through tho leather, leg and all, and for
minute L was all wound up, and /
reckon if it warn't for Tom I'd been
cleaned aout sure. The water wasn't
over two feet, and he jumped clear O. the
creetur. and then shown the boat clear
he jnmmed the squid i'll the head with
ON oar four or five times, and hauled me
aout, and yaou can bet yer port money
L WIS physical wrack us far as looks
goes-all scratched up.
"Wall, we righted the boat, and ther
l was bound tow SEQ the crectur; 30 we
dragged it in shore and spread her aout,
and how long d'ye reckon it was ?
Forty-eight feet tew nm inch, and the
worst lookin' thing ever clappcd my
eyes on. Tho body was jest like big
bag, abaout twelve foot long, and soft
like jolly. Tho tail looked like the
fluke of an anchor, but the head was
what took me. Tho eyes on it were
black and as big rs saucers. and from
around 'em branched off ten legs xiv.
cred on one side with suckers, with
edges of 'em jist like razors and saws,
and every timo one struck yo kind O
nir-pump piston arrangement sucked
the air aout and pressed the sucker right
inflow ye. Two of tho arms was the
lonPest--I reckoned abaout thirty foot
ana il was them the creetur was hangin'
by when we ran a-foul O him-kind O.
swingin' by 'em like hawsers. Wall,
tew make long story short, I was laid
up for couple O. weeks with the bite or
my leg, and I reckon I can show somc
of the scratchin' yet. We cut the nni-
nal up for bait, and it filed about ter
good cod tubs, and must have weighed
1900 pounds"