Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-04-21
TOOK A RIDE ON A WHALE.
The stirring and vcracious Yarn Of Man
from North Carolina.

The stirring and vcracious Yarn Of Man
from North Carolina.
Capt. Jim Willis, who halls from
Moreland City, N. c., where he runs
pleasure craft for the accommodated
of Northern consumptives, had an ex.
perience with whale that came near
making a Jonah Of him. In his own
story, as given to a Washington star
reporter, he says: zone sunny after.
noon, not very long ago, was sitting
in the shade OF my own fig tree and
swinging In my own grapevine swing.
A party Of my fisher friends. who
lived farther up the beach, came run.
ming by, aud as they passed me they
sang out There she blOws.' This
cry woke me up I saw let Of
water spurted upward from the sea,
and down TO the pier rushed. There
wasn't u zeal whaleboat In the town,
but four ordinary 6shing boats we're
manned By a. many crews. One car.
rled the harpoon gun and one the
hand hurting apparatus. The other
two we're without any armament ex.
cepting several shotguns and one OF
two rifles We rOwed OF so Is to
come at the game from different
points Of the compass. ] was In the
gunboat As We approached the
whale II was seen that be was Q large
and fat one. He took no notice OF
our coming. When wo got within
about 100 feet of the monster tbs
harp0on gun was fred, and the bar bed
weapon took effect Just behind the
head and pretty we'll up on the back.
This was painful, but not necessarily
. fatal shot The other boats turned
themselves loose and made some In.
sertions In the fish.
''Instead Of going under. 40
wounded whales do, he remained on
top to fight It out He swished his
tall and turned the sea into suds sad
made such swell that the good peo.
pie Of Alexandria would not have
permitted him to pass their port
without slowing down. He plunged
headlong against one Of the boats and
stove It 90 that 1t would hardly float
Its occupants we're knocked over
board. There was q good deal Of
excitement The sea round about 10
was boiling, the whale was red hot
with rage, the men we're shouting
and the guns were popping The 0sh
next hurled himself against the boat
In which I was, and IL yielded to ~
wishes and got smashed. II was
Saised q considerable distance IN the
cir, and when II came down ! Was on
that whales back, back Just abaft
Bis head, and holding on to that har.
poon with both hands. Tue line
which had connected this harpooo
and the boat had parted, and abous
200 feet of manila hawser sQuirmed
and wrigRled snake.likc around 10
the seething sea The whale didn't
seem to observe my attitude, and
continued his attention upon the
bxo remaining boats There wasn't
oly time to, think OF this. The
hand harp00n had been showed into
che right place and the whale wa
Blowing his last. A column OF blood
Nas being squirted skyward and -
scarlet food fell over me, dyeinR me
Q CORY hue. A few feeble swashcs of
the tail and kneelinR motion a.
though no was going to lie on his
side announced that the Hsh was
dead. Our catch was dashed along.
side the reer and the next day We
went 70 work at his carcass Tho
oah was 82 feet 70 inches long, and
the proceeds from the sales Of bis
III, bone, and other valuables were
b3,5OO."