Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-11-14
A WHALE STORY.
REMARKABLE PET OF A SOUTH PA
ClFIC PLANTER.

The Big Fish Trapped in n Lagoon Its
Sportive Gambols The Story of the
Proprietor of Live Sperm Whale.
On small island in the South Pacific
there lives planter who has for pet
whale 81 feet long. A correspondent,
who went out in boat with the planter,
gives this account of his interview with
his whaleship:
Shut your eyes," said the planter, if
you wish to enjoy surprise.
| closed my eyes, and the boys soon
ceased their drumming and some one blew
long blasts upon horn. Then that, too.
ceased, and the boat lay motionless, and
nothing disturbed the stiffness. All at
once heard huge sigh, and felt hot
and sickish breath. There was no need
for the planter to bid me open my eyes,
for the lids would not stay shut. Not
more than six feet away l saw huge
monster floating on the surface and look
ing at us with the most expressonless eye
that ever saw in a living beast.
That's my pet" cried the planter. Il
i sed him almost from the time he was
a baby of 20 feet long, and now he meas
ures 81 feet, and lots more growth to
come yet.
The pet was sperm whale. He seemed
enormous when compared with us men.
Behind the great head there stretched
long body, covered in great patches with
barnacles as large as teacup, and the
sleek flukes of the tail, lying flat upon the
water, seemed ever so far away, yet ever
so much too near when recalled whalers'
accounts of the behavior of this animal
when it is angry.
The great head rose from the sea. SO high
above the water that it becalmed the
boat. The eye was about the size of an
OK eve, and had almost the same deep
violet shade. The ear was not far distant
from the eye, a simple opening in the
skin. The color of the skin was dusty
black, which became lighter and more
yellow underneath. Except for the bar
nacles, the skin was quite smooth.
The great animal lay motionless. just
out of arms reach, until the planter
called to him and dabbled his fingers i'll
the water much as one attracts kitten
by scratching on the carpet.
the water, and the whale moved easily
toward us and ranged up alongside, just
touching the boat The planter reached
over the gunwale and gave the whale
slap between the ear and eye, and bade
him turn on the other side.
Immediately the great head sank,
passed under the boat, and came up drip
ping on the other side. Then the sea
monster sculled ahead until it was 600 or
100 feet away from the boat. Then 1T
began series of antics, and displayed an
agility scarcely to be expected from so
large an animal. 1t darted straight ahead,
it suddenly backed water, it swan in
circle, it gamboled like a dolphin, it
threw itself clear from the water, max
ing great splash and dangerous waves
when it fell back; last of all it put its
head down and flukes up, throwing nearly
half its length into the air, and rose
quietly beside the boat. Then the chopped
meat was thrown overheard, and we
rowed back to shore while this odd pet
was feeding.
How did get him?" said the planter.
in answer to my flood of questions. 1T
might be more accurate to say he got me
first. One day, some years ago, was
sailing up the lagoon with a barrel full OF
chopped meat to bait pool in the rect
beyond. All at once felt the boat lifted
up and overturned; and when l had
righted her and clambered aboard there
was the whale feeuing on the meat which
had been scattered all about. He was
only 90 feet long then, but that was quite
long enough to give me good scare, In
addition to my ducking Somehow or
other he never seemed able to find the
pass back into the sea, and now he is so
big that he could not get out if he wished
to. From being afraid of him l grew
reconciled to his presence in the lagoon,
and at last began to feed him.
From that time he attached himself
to me, and found that he relished being
petted. Once, when l was ill, | left him
untended for several weeks. He came
down the lagoon much further than
usual, and at last ran himself aground
Just below my house, and had to wait
several hours for the tide to float him off.
| That shows that he missed me. Here is
another example of his intelligence.
When the boys drum upon the bottom of
the boat, he hears the sound long dis
tance under the water, and at once comes
to the surface. Then, if blow the horn,
he knows that have come out to feed
him, and comes quickly to the boat But
if | do not blow the horn he never comes
| close, but frolics around us at long
range. 1t is not easy to say how much
intelligence whale has, but this ought
to convince any one that my big pet is
! possessed of considerable.