The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-03-19
THE FLORIDA RAY.
An Ugly Fight With . Fish Twenty Fee
Long and Eighteen Wide.

:
An Ugly Fight with . Fish Twenty Feet
Long and Eighteen Wide.
After escaping from the cold. North.
to spend the winter among the warm
tropical bays Of Florida, is like going
from pugatory to paradise. There is
shooting and fishing enough to satisfy
the most ardent sportsman. Deer and
turkeys live in the surrounding forests.
The streams and lake-like bays abound
in fish of many kinds. At times one
may have little sport at the expense
of the sawfish, kind of shark-like fell
low. whose teeth. by some strange mis-
take, appear to have located themselves
upon each side of his long nose rather
than in the jaws.
Cruising along without any unusual
incidents other than the ordinary shoot
ing and fishing, we one night came to
anchor in Wyville Bay. This is a small,
nearly circular sheet of water, very
shallow, and with o narrow entrance at
the southeastern end of Sanibel Key
Unless you knew the bay was there. you
might sail within half mile of it with
out discovering the entrance, SO well is
it shut in by the land. During the night
cleaning phosporescent light flickered
about in various parts of the bay, show
ing that some shark-like creature was
roaming around searching for its mid
night meal. This was not an unusual
sight, SO We thought nothing of it except,
perhaps, to reflect how admirably nature
has QUILTED some animals furnishing
them with a lamp which they can al
ways have ready for use. The Great
ures do not have the bother of filling
the lamps. nor the worry of gas bills.
They carry about with them some sort
of electric light generator.
Next morning, while lounging upon
deck, a large dorsal fin was seen at
times lifting itself above the surface.
The creature seemed so large there was
promise of sport. so, taking our places
in the boat we pulled toward the place
where the monster had last been seen.
We piled the oars with will. while the
doctor, who had often boosted of his
fcats with the harpOon, stood in the
bow ready to sink the iron into its
flesh. The doctor stood at the bows,
watching intently for the strange mon
ster. In few moments he saw ahead
of us, down below the surface, dark,
moving mass. We steadily neared
the fish until his form showed
plainly in the clear blue waters,
which were scarcely disturbed by a
ripple. The creature rose toward the
surface, and the doctor. lifting his har-
poon into the air, held it poised for mo-
ment. while calculating the distance,
the effect of refraction and the force re-
quired. Then whiz went the spear
down into the water. A single second
sufficed to show the effect of the cast.
First the creature lifted his great flip
pers from the water with motion that
sent bucketfuls of brine into the boat,
giving us all a morning bath. Then
the line began to run out over the gun
vale of the boat. As it skipped through
the water, swaying to and fro. the spray
flew like rain. After about fifty feet Of
line had gone out we managed to get
hold of the rope, and matched our
strength against that of the sea devil.
If three individuals were ever jerked
around in more vivacious manner they
have my utmost sympathies. Now the
creature would land us all together in
heap, then slacken up and take us una
wares, throwing us to the deck with a
force that fully came up to my precOn-
ceived ideas Of sport.
This sort of fun lasted about five
minutes. during which q council of war
was held. The question at issue was
''Shall we cut the rope, or hold on and
let him tear the boat to pieccs?''
We decided to hold on or die. Our
hands were badly blistered, and on one
accord We let 60 and the line rushed on
until the end was reached. The ropet
was fastened in the bow; l held my
breath, expecting to see the line snap
but it held fast. Backward and for
ward went the monster. Sometimes
faster, sometimes slower, turning
abruptly upon his course, then speeding
on again, in vain endeavor to get rid
of his pursuers; but wherever he went
we followed. One moment he was 90
ing directly for our schooner, and had
he kept in his course we would have
been obliged to cut the rope, but he
turned aside.
He now went straight onward, turn
ing neither to right nor left. and it soon
became evident what new idea had en-
tered his head. He was going out
through the entrance into the deeper
waters with the idea of GLIDING us there.
Swiftly We rushed along and began to
despair of capturing the monster, when
of sudden he appeared at the surface.
Bang went my rifle and piece of lead
was added to his weight. The shallow
water forced him to the surface and in
five minutes not less than half pound
of lead entered his carcass. He began
to grow weaker and we drew him along
towards us. Just as we were going in
to the deep water he turned savagely as
if to crush the boat. As he approached
the doctor dealt death-blOw with
lance, and the great fish plunged with
terrific force into the water. Then it
became mOtionless. How long this was
kept upI do not know, but it must have
been nearly two hours.
We now began to understand, for the
first time, what huge fish we had been
following. Finding that we could not
move the carcass from the bottom we
brought the schooner alongside, and
rigging tackles to both masts, We man.
aged to hoist it to the surface, but could
not get more than third of the body
out of the water at a time. 1t belonged
to the group of rays or skate. The COM
mon name is sea vampire or sea bat.
He has no fins but uses the extended
flaps of the body as means of propul-
sion, and as he moves through tho
water looks very much like huge bat;
hence, l suppose, the name vampire.
The tail has shriveled up until there is