The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-10-18

from his standing corn. So he tried
the experiment of claiming the hawks
left foot to a platform in the corn
field eight feet above the ground.
The hawk did a great deal OF futter-
ing and twitching at the cham, pu9
it had to stay on the platform, ana
within an hour some crows caughC
sight of it and sailed around to see
what it was up to. When the haWk
spied its black enemies it screamed
and vanked and tapped it's wings
violently. The crows were plainly
pleased over the gray birds predlca,,
ment, for they flew about ana
croaked as though they were chuck
limo over the fix the hawk was in. A
delegation of four crows presently
sailed to the platform and began 10
dart and strike at the hawk. Inc
black rascals made great rackeG
and they raped the cowardly blrd
from all sides. They tormented the
hawk until it became desperate,
when it caught one of the crows and
tore its head off. At sight of their
dead comrade the other crows BE-
came alarmed, and went cawlng
away to the woods. The hawk de-
voured the crow and scattered It's
feathers around the platform. Mr..
Schermerhorn fed and watered the
hawk on the platform fer more thah
a month, and during that time not
crow came within half mile of the
murderous bird. The hawk is at
present in a cage and the farmer has
got an excellent crop OF corn.
THE barkentine c. G. Funk, had
an unusual and exciting experience
in the Gulf of California with
swordtish. The vessel was going
south with cargo of merchandise
from San Francisco, and was speed
ing along at nine-knot rate when 1T
was noticed that the sea was greatly
disturbed. The water seemed to Doll
as though some big animal was racing
through it at tremendous rate OF
speed. The officers were unable to
account for the strange phenomenon,
and watched the unusual scene IN
amazement. Suddenly the barken-
tine received such a severe shock
that every man on board was carried
from his feet. For an instant the
vessel was arrested in her progress,
stopped still, quivered like wounded
animal, and then slowly got under
way. The officers and crew gazed at
one another in blank amazement,
surmising that a submarine vol
cano had burst through the bottom
of the sea and that the vessel had
struck a rock. Captain Glazier was
unable to account for the strange adj
venture until he arrived at Santa
Rosalia where the vessel was dis
charged and her hull examined. In
the hold of the ship, sticking through
the timbers, protruded the extreme
end of a fish's sword. About four
inches was broken off with sledge
hammer, and is now preserved on
board as trophy of the occasion.
The animal had evidently mistaken
the hull of the barkentine for a
whale, and was bent on taking it's
life. The sword struck the barken-
tine on the starboard side at point
below the water line, beneath the
four chainplates, penetrating a five
inch plank and one of the ships tim
bers, where it was broken, the fish
leaving about eighteen inches Of his
weapon sticking in the vessels side.
Some water came through the aper-
ture, and it was Necessary to calk up
the hole. Captain Glazier says it
was the most remarkable adventure
that he ever experienced at sea, and
that the fish must have been of inn
mense size to have so greatly dis.
turbed the sea and to have struck the
vessel with such tremendous force
as to have driven it's sword through
comnaratiyely new vessels side.