The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1888-06-16
MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
Some Mighty Queer Fishes at the Island
of Mauritius.


of Mauritius.
81 never saw n sea-serpent SAID
Colonel Nicholas Pike, formerly Con-
sui at Mauritius, ''but a fish was seen
while l was stationed at Port Louis
which answered very nearly to what
is generally known as sea-serpent
The keeper of the lighthouse several
miles below the port and on ledge
some distance out at sea sent me word
that a huge fish. some ninety feet long,
had appeared there, and wanted me
to come down Immediately. l took
the first boat, but. unfortunately,
when we reached the desired spot we
were unable to land on account of the
roughness of the sea, and were obliged
to stand on and off until it Gained.
When we finally landed the huge fish
had disappeared. talked with at least
fly persons who were entirely trust
worthy who had seen it. They all
agreed as to its enormous size and I'M
usual appearance. My opinion is that
it was a sea-serpent and that it came
in shore TO spawn.
THE island of Mauritius is thirty
miles long and twenty wide and con-
sists of one huge volcanic deposit. 1t
contains many caverns which open
into the sea. In these l have found
fish and animals which were marvels
for form and color. some being beau
tiful and others hideous- A strange
serpent was said TO inhabit one of
the caverns, for which l made Il dill
gent search. Old fishermen would not
go near its supposed haunts. A gen.
tleman owning sugar estate near by
declared that he had seen it and an
other that he had fed it with cutie
fish and that it was the most hideous
brute lie had ever seen. l searched
for him in whaleboat with bomb
lance and other tackle, but never
came across him. Alter l left the
island my friend. Hon. William Ward,
who was great shark hunter, took my
rig and went in search of the monster
He states that he saw his head and it
was rs big as wine pipe and was
covered with barnacles; that he put
harpoon into it. which was twisted off
as if it had been a pipestem. He in
tended TO blow it up. but could not get
the charge in the right spot and fin
ally abandoned the search.
There were so many beautiful and
interesting things in nature at my
station, however. said the Colonel,
THAT it was not worth while to waste
any time searching after monstrosities.
There was Il fish seventy feet long,
which seemed TO be composed entirely
of cartilage. When it was landed it
would all go to pieces, having no
bones at all. Then there was what
was called the angel-fish, which, when
hung W, seemed to have broad. white
wings like an angel. Then there was
the wonderful eels which measured
nine feet. Once 1 caught a specimen
of this fish, and getting him on the
bank, he fought so desperately that l
didn't know what to do with him.
The native who was in attendance
CsllIoO Out' 40ttSost, lin Hllll, anu
leaning down grasped the. squirming
fish with both hands. bit through his
vertebre. and the fish succumbed i'm
mediately. This specimen is also in
the museum at Cambridge. The devil
fish, also found in the Indian ocean,
is not very pleasant to meet some
times. / saw a man who had his arm
so badly lacerated by one that it had
to be amputated. 1t has body as
large as an ordinary dining-room
table. with tentacles extending over a
space equal to an ordinary room and
and so strong that they can seize
man and drag him out of a boat.
Victor Hugo speaks of this fish in his
.Toilers of the Sea- Barnum also had
one on exhibition here at one time.
Then, again, there is the tazzard,
which has been called the tiger of the
ocean. He is not longer than walk
ing-stick, but terribly fierce. In
walking over the reefs l have fire.
quently encountered him. If ne sees
you approach he will wait and then
dart at you like flash. If there is
any portion of your body exposed he
will tear a piece out of it as if it had
been cut with razor. Fishing one
day off the mouth of the harbor, l
hooked two of these fish at the same
time with two different lines, and in
trying to get them into my boat they
fought me with such desperation that
i was obliged to call two fishermen to
help me, and they declared that they
were two of the worst fish they ever
killed, being worse than bull
dogs. A fish called the laff exudes
a deadly poison. A row of spines are
concealed in his back which, when
excited, he erects. These spines are
filled with a milky-looking substance
rhich, when injected into the human
flesh. causes the most intense agony.
and if remedies are not applied
promptly results fatally. This fish
generally conceals itself in the sea-
weed where it is apt to be stepped on
by the bather. saw soldier once
who had been unfortunate enough to
step on one of these fish, and his cries
could be heard for half a mile. his
foot swelled greatly, but the surgeon
was successful in counteracting the
effects of the poison and the man re-
covered On shore at Mauritius there
were no dangers, but the moment YOU
put your foot into the water Won were
by dangerous fishes and
reDfiIoe - R1,ooEI9y1l EnoLo