The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-01
\ CALIFORNIA CANINE.

I From the Chicago Times.
/ Pedro was one of the most important
! personages on the island Of Santa Gaia
lima. He was owned by fisherman
and always went out in the boat. occu-
/ pying position in the bow and aiding
in the work by barking vociferously,
taking ropes in his mouth and pulling
and hauling at every opportunity.
! When a vessel came in Pedro was al
ways on hand to receive it, and was
sometimes the first to catch the line
! thrown by the crew To the dock. When
the men heaved away he seized the
/ hawser in his mouth and braced back
and pulled with the rest, all the time
/ uttering low growls to accompany the
! heave-os of the men.
In brief, Pedro was a perfect sailor;
he knew the ropes thoroughly. and
there was little, apparently, that he
did not understand about fishing and
( boating. He passed much of the time
in the water in warm weather, and,
when his master went along shore for
q walk. Pedro would go into the water
and swim the distance, preferring this
method of procedure.
One day his master was crawling
over the rocks in search of lumber that
had washed ashore, and Pedro was
swimming along quietly about fifty
feet from the rocks. when something
very singular happened. Directly in
front of Pedro and not ten feet from
his nose. up came n big black head.
with round, shining black eyes and
long whiskerS. Pedro stopped short
with Amusement, uttered a loud whim-
per, and. as the head popped down
ont of sight, he turned TO the rocks
and swan in as fast as ne could, climb
ing out and running To the highest
rock in the vicinity % catch glimpse
of the strange object, all the time bark
ing loudly.
Thinking possibly that he had been
deceived, he then entered the water
again and swan along. but in few
minutes the shiny, black head came up.
this time uttcring loud cultural bark.
Pedro answered, but in very subdued
tone. and swan quickly to the shore,
while the head watched his retreat.
uttering occasional barlIs, as If rejoic-
ing in the dogs defeat.
II was some time before Pedro would
enter the water again, and the sea-lion,
for such it was had clean sweep of
the beach, up and down which it swan
every night
Pedro had another adventure. which
undoubtedly made an impression upon
his mind. He was standing as usual
one day in the bow of his masters
boat, his fore paws on the cutwater,
looking very much like a figure-head,
when one hundred or 80 feet away a
school Of flying fishes left the water,
alarmed by some large fish. and came
rushing on with their wings fixed.
Two OF them were headed for the
boat and one for Pedro. lie saw it
coming and began 10 bark. but the fish
was aimed directly at him and in a sec
ond more had skinned just over his
head and dropped into the water fifty
feet below.
\ few nights later Pedro had an
other experience. II was perfectly
quiet on the little bay. The wind had
gone down, when all at once a roar OF
sounds was heard; a. first pattering.
then a spIashing, and then a sound a.
IL heavy bodies We're leaping from
the water and returning with loud
spiashes. Pedro was in n high state
OF excitement and his barking attract
ed the attention OF people on the
beach, who found that the was
being fairly bombarded Wit fivirg
fishes Alarmed By the onsls gh. e
large fishes the flying fshes had rushed
inshore. and in their fear were leaving
the water in dozens. some landing In
the small toats anchored al about.
while Others struck the beach and
thrasheG around on the pebbles
Il was the latter that Pedro was at
tending 20 Standing n the water. a.
most crazed with excitement he seized
the fvinv Ssh as soon as they struck
the beach and carried them up 20 .
place q safety. then running hack for
Others Those OF n- readers rh1 ere
familiar with the Atlantic flying fsa
would BE- surprised at the one found
OF the California coast The latter Is
three times as large a. the lttle aye-
common on the Atlantic seabosri and
f1-midH Die object when dashiny
through the air. one "a ule on board =
steamer that plies between San Ps1-o
and Catalina island. RAISING directly
through the glsss virdosv ia.o = room.
and many fishermen nave been struck
IT, them ~ "a zht and .e-iou- lv IL jared