The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-04-24
| CURIOUS SEA STORY.

Once while cruising on an E lglish
government brig making a survey of
HE mouths of the Niger, which, you
k low, fall into the Gulf of Guinea ON
the west coast of Africa, curious ad-
venture befell Us.
We hid been in and out of the south
rrIy mouth, and were standing IF shore
10 avoid a shoal, when, 10 mi es off the
and with the tide running out, the
wind died away and we came to anchor
on good holding ground 81 feet below.
At that date the natives along the
Gilnea coast, and especially about the
mouths of the N ger, we're exceedingly
II, s,ie toward all white men, and our
brig was well manned and armed on
that acc )unt. We had o. two or three
occasions b. en- obliged to fire into native
boats to keep them off. After bit we
ull all make out craft which wa
slowly approaching, but no man, even
with the best glass aboard. could satisfy
himself that he had ever before seen one
like it. Il came thin mile of lis and
through The glass the captain drcid d
that it was no craft ut all, Tut grea!
log or raft L, is matter having been
settled and the thing coming NEARER,
We gave il no further attention.
When night came the brig was left
in charge of the anchor watch, and
nothing occurred until about an hour
before daylight. Then voice su ldenly
cried out in alarm, and this WAS fol-
lowed by snar and growls AMI urri ii
fopsl,.'s. The CABIN doors an,l *, light
were opened to admit the air, US Wa,
also the sli lie to the fu'raslle entrance
some one rushed down the comp ~ ,on-
way ami shut the doors and Il minute
Ia er, rs we turned ont Of cur brrtl', we
learned What WIS going on. The tIic.r
Of the y atrh sal we were boarde b.
l.o s. wno had driftnd down upon or
lows on what he BELIEVED by tn. smel,
to he Il dead whale TIC two sailors hal
made for The fu'ca5tle and down th,
slide, While Ii had made for tle cabin
to cl 50 the doors.
The thing s-@.,",l 50 Improbable that
we were ready 10 'pr him, .ven though
some of II, had heard GROWS, hut be-
fore ANY one could doubt that the Of
ficer was telling the sober truth, we
heard tie beasts raving Il ons the deck
and stopping to rails, a great row at the
water cask. A heavy sea could not
have torn it from its fa5tenin"s hit tn"
lions arcomp i,lcl tlat feat in short
,r,e". Tn" geutla Il ava or the Eriy on
the quiet neu then rolled the barrel
al out, and aS the water ran into the
scuppers rh' beast, lapp d it up with
low grows # "a i5iaction. We saw
nothing, but our ears toll us all th
Our noses we're soon called INFO Use
After few sn frs the captain sill:
IF tlAt isu't dead haze aloHgsidp
then l am mistaken ia !he smell I
ever heard that lions car for whale
fl 'ah, but the fellows on deck musb have
long exp sure t. tie b,azng sun ha,
Ina lie t!,pm terribly savage.
We felt that we coud do nothing
until daylight came. We lighted the
cabin lamps, so that t lions might not
leap do II through the hkyi.ht. which
we could not close from within, and
then waited. They managed to Jap
water enough to Stake their thirs', and
then they went roaming up and do II
in searc! Of food. They couhl find not
ing, and as day light appeared their ill
humor increased They trotted up and
down, growing in a way to give one
the shivers. and it was iuc'Iy that all If
us We're under shelter, Wien day had
fairly come we stood under the sky
light with our guns, and presently one
of the lions came tr"ttinS aft
and showed his head over the frame.
Three of us fired nc the same instant.
and with such effect that he IL back
dead. The death of one took the courare
out Of the other, and he ran away to III.
port bow and leaped upon the carcass of
the whale, which still held to us. We
heard him run along tie decks, and for
that ratter his tread was heavier tina
that of any mans, AMI after bit the
captain stole up the companion way aud
discovered and reported the true stat
vi dlldlIS. IItu tIlFee Oh us mae SnlIt
to get into the shrouls of the mainmast,
and from our safe perches we also
made an end Of the second beast, whicl
wa the female lion
AIthou III the p,lts we're sent to Eng
land, and the manner in which they ha
come into our p 'sses'io was vouchad
for by government officers of the civi
branch, the Liverpool Mercury was
pleased to come out with the staLemen
that CULVER was truthful man il
comparison with any man aboard our