Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-23
;sour 49, @ERPENrs.
..;, scales Picked Up, All Along
the Norway Coast.
F,om tie Boston Globe.

-Noess. on the coast OF Norway, and
..ro is hardly sailor man who has seen
,tbiny of that coast who has not ham
=, such scales. No old Norwegian
,bte the existence Of these creatures.
,,, If a man has not seen aserpent Win
,,-r owes he knows scores of friends
"a have been almost near enough to
go snakes to stroke their heads. In
.wor therefore, man might say that
nod watched one of these serpents for
,1r an hour without being called drunk
I'd or liar. But Boston is not Bergen.
nL in spite OF the recent testimony of
au"' worfhy witnesses, send the account
Of what have just seen With some nesl7
tatjou.
% Tho surface of the sea off Cape Ann,
Xiett W at once and went to Ply
month in this State, thinking it probable
,hottbe snake would soon appear in the
waters near that town. For this belief L
Had the warrant OF several previous re-
4 norded visits OF these creatures in the
Eiorrnals of the Linn@an Society OF New
FEnglaud. Furthermore, mackerel OF un-
usual size have been caught during the
+ mast two weeks at the entrance of the har-
nor of The Gurnet, and these tlsh are
sajd in Norway, to be the favorite food OF
4 the great water snake and the prey which
d. will most persistently follow.
took quarters with friend in cot
+age a little south of the Clifford House,
and have kept a sharp lookout over the
harbor, and especially along the stretch
nf coast from Warren's cove to White
Horse beach. In Warren's cove sea
sernent had been clearly seen by Elkanah
Finnev, '.marlner," in 1915, and the depth
of water there, as well as other reasons,
made me look for the rising of serpent
IN that part of the harbor il anywhere.
Sea serpents are at home in the depth OF
the ocean. and their rare visits to the
shore are usually made in the months OF
July and August in pursuit OF the nsh
upon which they live, or for the sake OF
finding a strip OF sand in which to bury
their eggs. They are easily startled and
make off, when alarmed, into deep water
with such exceeding swiftDess that was
in constant fear lest the wandering snake
of Cape Ann might show his head near
one of the mackeral boats and be driven
BY veil from the crew to some unfath-
omed cave of the sea.
Ihad better luck, however, than dared
to hope for. Every morning / got out or
bed shortly before sunrise and took stroll
along the rough rock beach which fr1nges
the curving cliffs of Warren's cove. The
people in the cottage slept the sleep OF
good poker players, and as L went out
quietly no one was disturbed. Even my
friend did not remark upon my habit OF
early rising, thinking that wished for
bath without the orthodox accompani-
ment of soggv f1annels ana halt-soused
shore IN q ids. OF course had told no one
what went out 10 see, as was not anx-'
iOus TO be stared at as snake-struck lu-
matte Thus / was left to take my morn
inc walk alone and uDquestioned.
At daybreak the surface OF the land
locked bay from the tower light OF Ply
mouth TO the green promontOry of Mano-
met was unusually smooth, rising and fall
ing with scarce perceptlble swell. Some
times the white sail of fishing boat,
scarce holding way against the tide.
flecked the face of the water, but oftener
the harbor was untenanted. A few rods
from shore, dull, gray haze. the fiimsiest
of fogs, rested on the bay. Soon the rays
of the sun would split the haze into ten
thousand shreds OF gauze. Then the life
less green water, fit home for snakes,
would seemingly tingle under the lash of
the sun strokes, and sky and sea would
glow together In the morning light.
All this was very pretty but as day after
day passed without glimpse of snakes
head above the waters of the bay, began
TO fear that l was on a FOOLS errand. For
though l could run my eve over the water
from headland to headland, by the aid of
my glass, could see nothing but the lit
tie mats OF seaweed dotting the surface.
But on the morning OF Friday, Aug. 81, a
few minutes before 6, as / was trampIng
over the stony beach at the footof Elisha's
point. | saw what seemed to be a floating
cask canted over at an angle OF fOrty-hve
degrees. AS l watched this bobbing idly
in the water / was startled to see it APP
proach the beach quite swiftly, though
swerving from side to side like a skater
trying the grape vine curve. | ran back
few steps and crouched down behind
the cover of a rock. The moving body
was still long way off, but if it should
prove TO be a serpenps head, as l hardly
dared to hope, l knew that the creature
would not come very near the shore while
l stood in full view. When | raised my
head above the top Of the rock / saw the
moving object still coming straight tc-
ward me, and soon, one after another,
four punches rose out OF the water in it's
wake Tor all the world like string of swirl
ing buoys. As the snake, for such 1t now
evidently was, drew nearer, its speed
slackened somewhat, and other punches
rose and disappeared at intervals behind
the four, which were constantly in sight In
the wake of the head. l could see plainly
that its motion through the water was a
series OF vertical fluctuations, though the
body swayed with the 1.-the grace of Hin
doc nautch girl.
When the serpent reached point not
more than l20 yards from the edge Of the
beach 1T stopped short and raised it's head
and curving neck clear above the water.
The neck at the point of junction was
slightly smaller than the head, and ex-
tended straight and somewhat stif1y for
fully three feet before it began to curve
toward the water. AT the point OF curva-
ture the neck began to swell quite percep-
tlbly, so that, at the surface of the water.
its diameter was certainly eight inches
more than at the most slender point, a
foot behind the head. The serpent moved
Its head slowly from side to side with the
curious shifting air of young seal and
then swept round it's tail until the body
lay in the form OF staple on the water
with fourteen lunches appearing above
the surface. These punches were no
longer single humps. as when the snake
was advancing, but were joined in pairs
with an interval OF five feet, as near as l
could judge, between each pair. The first
Jump was apparently eight feet from the
curve Of the neck. The end OF the tail was
below the surface, but probably only
lew feet below, as the extremity OF the
staple, opposite the head, was very iexi-
bic and was swlshed more than once to-
ward the head, SO as almost to form an
oval by junction with il. Besides, the
last lump OF the line that rose above
water was certainly fifteen feet from the
taperinv portion OF the body which APP
peared now and then above water close to