Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-10-27
BOARDED BY SERPENTS
"a SEA CAPTAINS sToRY.)

"a SEA CAPTAINS sToRY.)
"Why it is that any statement from
sca-faring men in regard to sea serpcnts
is received with such incrcdulity cannot
understand" said Capt. Samuel Gray of
the brig Hester "Thc common sense
of the public at large should teach them
that there can be ovcrgrown serpcnts as
well as ovcrgrown bears, lions, tigers, or
elephants, When an explorer or
traveller in tropical countries tells of
meeting and killing serpent thirty or
forty feet long and rs large as a mans
body, the statement is taken as solemn
truth. When sea captain tells of see
ing serpent of the same size on the
waters off the same coast, people try to
make out that he is either q knavc or
liar, That scrpents of all sizes take to
the water in the warm seas and often
voyages from island to island is fact
no intelligent person ever disputes.
Why, then, should the fact that some
sailor caught sight of one of these ser
pents en- route be disputcd9
"Somc twenty years ago | made q
voyage in an English ship called the
Lord Gray, from Liverpool to the sunda
Islands, which are situated in the Indian
Ocean to the west of Australia. We
called at several of the smaller islands
before reaching Java, and it was while
lying in roadstead between the islands
of Baly and Lombok that saw sight
to open the eyes Of even sailor 1t had
been terribly dry season among the
islands, and some of them had suffered
great damage from forest fires. As VIC
worked up TO the passage from the south
a heavy smoke hung in the heavens, kill
ing off the breeze and turning MONDAY
into twilight. 1t was easy to see from
the set of the smoke cloud that there
was an extensive fire raging on the
island of Baly. Our captain at first
suspected at first that volcano was at
work, but when we came to examine the
ashes which fell on our decks VIC con-
concluded that it was bush fire. We
had TO come to anchor in the passage,
which is not over ten miles wide, and
after the first twenty-four hours the
smoke drove down upon us so heavily
that our throats and eyes were greatly
irritated, while the heat was so great
that the men stripped off most of their
clothing. If there had been breath of
wind we should have got out of the un-
comfortable situation by running back
to the south, but as it was not breath
of air came to give us amomcnt's relief.
At night there was such a glare on the
western sky as made us conclude that
the whole island of Baly was ablaze and
being destroyed,
"After the first day VIC noticed that
the fish began to feel the effects Of tho
smoke. They jumped up all around us
as if sulfocating, and some of them drove
about the surface as if they were wound
ed and in pain. A big bull whale nearly
as long as the ship drove through the
passage one forenoon from the north,
spouting like fire engine and swash-
ing his fukcs about as if to strike pur-
suing enemy; and he ran so near us that
the swell he kicked up made the Lord
Gray dance jig long after he had
passed. The sharks were the only in
habitants of the deep not affected. They
came about US as thick as flies, and could
be seen rushing in every direction after
the frightened fish. About midiorcnoon
Of the third day, while all the crew, cx-
cept what might be called an anchor
watch, were below 10 seek relief from
the smoke, there was sudden row
raised by the men on deck. We heard
them shouting and Gathering across the
deck, and directly one of them came
down into the forccastlc. while the other
made for the cabin. We in the fore
castle had sprung up, believing the ship
to have been attacked by pirates, but
our mate soon gave us to understand that
we had different enemy to deal with.
We had been boarded by scrpcnts. lie
explained that the first he knew of their
presence was great commotion in the
waters around, evidently made by the
sharks attacking the scrpcnts. The lat
ter had been driven off Baly by the fire,
and were crossing to Lombok, which
was still safe. They had boarded
the ship at every point,
and more than dozen were on
deck when the men rushed for shelter,
"The carpenter assembled the ladder
and raised the scuttlc few inches to
take good look, and he yelled right
out in his fright. He said tho decks
seemed alive with serpents, which were
racing up and down and across with
great swiftness, You will admit that it