The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-11-13
BIRD, BEAST OR WHAT is 1T?
SAILOR BILLS REMARKABLE FIND.
He Picked 1t Up in the South Seas and
Expects to Sell IL To a Museum
For Big Price When He
Gtets TO New York.

leave on shore before the vessel sailed,
and they were liberal and frequent in their
potations. The stuffed animals and the
curios in the place at last attracting their
attention, they began telling about the
strange creatures they had met in their
travels.
Finally an old salt related the experience
OF brother tar with a vampire that he
bad bought on South sea voyage, and
told how it was detected one night steal
ing from its cage and feeding on the
bodies of the sleeping sailors in the hunks.
HUH" cried one of the group, de-
risively, at the conclusion of the weird
description of a vampires looks and
habits. "Huh. don't know what kind OF
bird a vampire is, but I'll bet he's no
worse sort of bird than Bills bird"
"What the deuce kind of thing is that
bird anyhow, Bill?" asked a bystander.
ave heard the boys jabber a good deal
about him since you've been in port, but
none Of the yarns seem TO make any
sense"
BILLS solid on the beast, and don't you
forget il, interjected one of the group.
''You bet his heads level He'll make
good round bit on the sale OF him, will
Bill when we get TO New York. Haunt
found out what makes half OF him sleep at
time, have We Bill ?'
Bill shook his head, rs he sat down his
glass NO" he said, 'the thing, whatever
II is beats me as it's beat everybody what
sees it. Bust me but he's a puzzler from
the word 90,
"Where'd you find him anyway, Bill?"
asked an Examiner reporter who happened
TO be present.
"Drapt aboard ship in the curiosest man.
ner you ever heard tell oil" was the reply.
II was with the Santa Maria last year
trading in the South seas when one Of
those rafting old gales came up and drove
us south until We sighted South Victoria
land. Then the storm shifted and we
turned to and scudded before it toward
the Bellamy islands. Wei, after it had
banged and basted us south till believe
another league and we'd been afoul of the
pole, it gave us n chance TO beat up north.
Another gale spTang up and we scuried
north about rs fast as we'd shot south.
Well, il was right on the breast of that gale
that this thing pumped aboard. 1t was
my trick at the wheel, and was watching
the gallant stays crack in the blasts when
first sighted the thing. 1t chased the
vessel for a long way, and it did it in the
! oldest kind OF way you ever saw. 1t was
weak on its wings in that wind. When |
first spied it 10 came shooting up from our
wake till abreast of our starboard quarter,
| and then it stopped and rolled in the air,
sort of desperate-like, as II it was lost.
Then it began to come down, but very
cautious When it found itself near the
water it seemed dazed, and shot up into
the air with little screech of fright.
"Once again it would chase after us and
get above our starboard and fall again, but
never a fall brought it aboard At last il
seemed TO get so skeery that it never tum-
bled more'n a couple of fathoms.
"Well, maybe it kept this kind of ma
neuvering up six, maybe ten, times-I
didn't take no count. But the last time it
did this tumbling racket and overhauled
us il found itself on our port side. Then
for the first time itseemed to get its senses,
and tumbled sensibly, for when we drove
up to il, it just tumbed aboard.
st wasn't till a long while afterward
| that worked out its queer actions in my
mind. You needn't grin, Sam. I'll bet
you can't tell right away why it was rat
| tied when il was a-starboard and was O. X
when it struck the port. I'll tell you, and
| it'll give YOU a chance 10 grin some more.
1t was because it could see on its starboard
side at that time, and not on its port
side"
"And does it see on its port side now
and not on its starboard side ?" asked the
longshoreman, laughing.
''Sometimesw returned Bill stolidly.
Sometimes ?" echoed the other, exhibit
ing his surprise. why, what do you
mean, Bill"
Just what I say. Oh, you needn't
laugh and bluff around as if YOU know d
everything. This bird, or beast, or ami
maj, or whatever il is, can teach you good
deal vet. 1t could see Oh its starboard side
and not on it's port side the time it fell
aboard, because at that hour it's port side
was asleep, and its starboard side was not.
For that's the nature OF the beast"
"What is?"
"Why, half of il is on water Tor twelve
hours while the other halfs below for
twelve hours-watch and watch"
ado you mean 10 tell me half of that
birds asleep twelve hours while the other
half of it is awaken"
"That's what said, replied Bill, logged
l ly. "Ain't that so, lads?' and he turned
for corroboration 10 his shipmates. They
all vigorously nodded their heads and
| mumDleu ave.
"And it's on board ship now Z" the other
asked, half incredulously.
"And it's on board now" echoed Bill.
"You can come and see it for yourself.
What's it like?" he continued, in answer
TO the others query.
"Well, that's hard to say. 1t amt like
any beast, bird or REPTILE what I've seen
in all my travels It's sort of betwixt and
between, and steers clear of everything.
Some say it's one thing and some say
another, but to my mind it amt either.
You've seen a marn1oset, Ell? Well, it's a
little like a marmoset. You've seen par
rot, and its nose is like parrot, only not
so hard and horned. You've seen a YAM
pire, like what jim here was Just telling
about? Well, its wings is something like
a vampires. It amt got no tail, but a fan
shaped steering gear where its tail ought
to grow. It hauls it in when il amt sail
ing. And it's got the softest and warmest
fur you ever felt It's got four little legs,
with little claws that are stout enough to
hold the body up as long as it cares 10
hang on to anything. OF all the head
lights you ever clapped eyes on they beats
'em all big and round and clear. One is
the brightest kind of a blue and YOU
swear it couldn't be beat. Then when
you'd catch glimpse of its bright green
mate you'd be lost completely.
But the funny part of them and the
funny part of the curious beast is that