The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-28

was light, the men pulled. We had
gone nearly mile,I think when the boy
at the helm gave loud grunt, the only
sound that had been made, and pointed
up the coast. Following tho direction
indicated, saw what appeared to be
the heads of several mon on the clear
surface of tho calm water. The natives,
lcthargetic enough at any time, seemed
to be excited, and Immediately turned
the boat in that direction and began to
pull with all their energy, the boy help
Ing along by bending his body, as man
Df-war's men often do in race
We soon camc up to the place and saw
the curious heads projecting from the
water ahead. One of the men put his
par away and took up harpoon, and
silently the boat moved on. now could
see that the animals were not seals, but
cetaceans Of some kind. Suddenly
there came flash, and as one of the
creatures dashed out of the water 1 saw
that it was veritable unicorn, SO far as
the horn was concerned, as from the
head projected long blade or tusk
The sight appeared to spur the men on
70 greater eXortions, and, in moment,
we were in the midst of boiling mass
Of heads and tails. l knew what the
buck fever was from personal experience
with moose; but certainly never ex-
perienced the feeling that came over
me as the animals darted this way and
that about us.
Suddenly largo horn CLEANED by our
side; the next instant the harpoon was
plunged into it's owner, and we were del
1Irp1 II ir hmm
that rose high in air. 1t must have
sounded, as whales do, going directly to
the bottom with IL rush that made the
gunwalc of the boat smoke. Again it
went down, the coils OF rope fairly
leaping from the box; then came stop,
and then the mon FASTENED to take in
the slack, coiling it back with marvel
GUS rapidity. The animal had to rise
and breathe. and soon an enormous white
ivory tusll shot out of the water not q
foot from tho bow. Then came a curl
GUS performance; for a moment the
narwhal seemed to fairly balance, and
then the boy, seeing the long tusl1 so
near, grasped it and was jcrlcd off his
feet For a second he clung to the
horn as one would to a flagstaff, then
was dashed into tho water and run
over in the mad rush of the animal that
now dashed away in a lateral direction.
The boy was picked up in half
drowned condition, cufYcd and tossed
into the bottom OF the boat; not mo
mont too soon, as tho line, exhausted
again, brought up with jerk, and
away went the boat III wild race over
the sea.
IL was now merely question OF en-
DURANGO, and directing us all to sit in
the stern so that tho bow of the canoe
was we'll out of the water, tho harpoon-
er sat and held the line in place For
a mile, nearly, tho gamy animal tore
through the water without showing
signs of fatigue, then it began slowly
to abatc its pace, SO that the men ven
tured to take hold Of the line and haul
in. Slow work it was. Every pull the
animal seemed to resent with fierce
bursts of speed, darting this way and
that, leaping from tho water, turning
over and over, trying in every way to
escape the terrible weapon that held it.
Escape, however, was impossible, and
slowly the line came in, until finally
the animal was alongside and landed
beautiful creature it was, Il narwhal
OF tho largest size, nearly fifteen feet
long, of a dark, spotted color; making it
a striking object as it rolled about in
the water. The horn of tho narwhal
was q spiral piece of ivory eight feet
in length, and was in reality a tusll or
tooth protruding from the left side of
tho upper jaw.