The Irish standard., 1889-02-09
A. LIVELY COMBAT.

A. LIVELY COMBAT.
Attacked by More Than q Score
Of Sword-Fish.
fhey Nearly Sink Our Little Graft by
Their Fierce Thrusts - tremendous
Power o. which They Arc Ca
rebls--Two Ca ptured.
We were Jolly party on board the little
cutter yacht Kermadec one breezy AFTERNOON
Ia February, beating up from Wellington
10 round Cape Egmont, in the expectation OF
making New Plymouth harbor by the next
uaorning. February is summer month
with US in New Zealand, and our snug little
craft OF about thirty tons burden, the prop
srty of citizen Of Auckland, by whose
courtesy the present writer was passen"
ger, was now out eleven days from Auck-
and on a cruise around New Ulster. There
were half dozen OF us young men, besides
The Scotch skipper, Sandy McGrath, and
two sailors also from the 'sold country
Gulls, plaintively noisy that day, were
wheeling in CIR wake; a faint tinge OF ha2y
weather showed on the land board and after
4 time old Sandy, who sat on the t'1ler
quietly studying the weather signs, re-
narked thai there were whales in slght
away to windward. Three or four marine
Masses were immediately leveled IN the dl-
1ecticn indicated, Tor on the New Zealand
Soast whales are not 80 plenty AZ not to be
Sheets OF interest.
IA matter Of six miles Ut, sandy!" OBJ
served Hugh peyster, tbs crack shot OF cur
Auckland rifle team, who loves nothing bet.
asr than sniff OF sea air for few days.
Gave, shoot that" said the skipper.
'eThey ere lively party, and no mistake
ghsut it," remarked Harry Lenfest, our
champion chess-player. "D'ye xaint: what
breaches they're MAILING Just then, dye
rec Hssts Clean out Of seal and there again
What sporting, tool Whales are not al
Na5s quite 50 demenstrative IS that en-,
slippers"
frelic 81 R feight, nabbe Right whales
too
The sportive .cwjathans weSe On Our course
40 the coast, and after few minutes we
perceived that they were making down the
wind TO meet us. From their frequent
preaching and spouting, it was at first
thought that there was school ut them,
but after ten Or fifteen minutes observa-
t;on, Sandy said: 81 Tbeer's but twa OF 'em
its foightin', or soo1nthin' CALM thaln.'
just then, 700, one OF the sailors Whc was
standing forward called out: "Sail-hshr u
kWheer away?" cried the skipper, turning
ebous suddenly, as il some new idea had as
suddenly dawned on his mind.
sport quarter ait; big one, sir.'
Je,.a
mE rapidly up from astern to pass us OH the
ice board, singular object was scudding
s!ong, not altogether unlike the dirty, gray
sail OF some little native canoe-only in this
case theirs was no canoe, merely tho ssi'--
kwo or three fest out of water, Swimming
Along at great pace, and passing us even
while we sat staring at it.
"Wen, well, there's the sail, but where's
the boatf' laughed our jcvial DR.. Wall, on
shis OCCASION q member Of the party.
"Making good time right into the winds
sye, too, eh," said Lenfest. SIS that q
shark, skipper! and where think he's
hound for, in such a hurry2"
t'Noo, moo. It's nae shark; nae shark ever
histed siccan back-fn as that. IT'S q
swoord~fish, my laddie, and he's maxim tor
tho whales. Theirs an auld grudge atween
'exn. Queer thing, bow these salt creeters
will smuu one nuther cot, mules on miles
sway"
"Anothcr ssil-fsh, sir,'' called out the
man forward, and within the next half
hour, no less than six of these marine Curl
osities had ccnne up and passed US, all In ap'
pareptly the same tremendous haste and
bound on the same course. Meantime we
were nearing tho ocean leviathans. There
were but two OF them, rs old Sandy had
suought, two large right whales evidently
h trouble, Tor they were constantly breach
ING and diving. and appeared to be cutting
yiciously right and left with their dukes.
1.-THE swoorders are teekhn' their ribs
for EN-" chuckled the skipper "But I'm
thinkin' we wad do as weel to sheer All.
"Tis no quarrel Of oors, and they be heevy
lnddies to run 2thwart sma' craft"
He set the helm sport, accordingly, while
rs vet we wero three or four cables lengths
sway, with the intention Of passing on thu
land side of the combatants. But th>
marine giants were by no means 1t rest, OF
confined to one place in their wild founder.
inRs, and before we had time to pass, ono o.
tho fierce r11shes Of the struggle carried thl
battle directly across our bows.
McGrath put the helm hard up, An1
shouted to tbs sailors to stand by TO 60 OF
TIE other tack. All the rest Of US sprana
forward, to get better view Of the fight
lmmediately one Of tho whales rose oaosl
under our bovsprit, and, with deep souga
OF its titanic lungs, "blew" great white
iet Of water high into tho air-so near tina:
the spray Of it fell in our very faces.
The monster struck its tail to right and
left as il rolled and plunged downwart
again, and hurled deiuge Of water ABOARD
,drenchtng us to the skin in an instant, an
fairly bowling the doctor over upon tn!
raised roof Of the little cabin.
stJupiter!" Lenfest exclaimed. laying
''hold Of the doctor to set him on his feet
while we all snapped for breath, and dasnee
the brine from our eyes. SLOWS that Tor
passing salute! Bloody water, tool Only
look here!' =,
], The deck under foot was strea'1ed viii