The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-02-23
SEA SERPENTS.
a Sea-Faring Man Tells Of Those
OF the Coast Of Brazil.

OF the Coast Of Brazil.
1.-THE ocean off the northeast coast of
Brazil" said the bronzed seafaring
man, lis regular marine jungle.
Whntth dense forests and inaccessible
Businesses of its vast area are to the
land OF that interesting country the
submerged tangles of coral growth are
TO the water off the northeast coast
of Brazil. II one might sec them and
thread their unknown labyrinths such
wonders would confront him at every
turn as never existed in any wood or
swamp or jungle on which the sun has
ever shone. Those submarine coral for
ests are the homes of sea monsters be-
yond belief. There the sea serpent
lives. There it brings forth and rears
its young. There, and there only.
When hear landsmen laugh and de-
ride the idea of there being such n
thing as a sea serpent pity them and
say:
"'Alas, what pent-up lives you live!
How narrow is the limit of the things
you know! II you might only go to the
Brazilian coast, of Cape San Rogue, in
latitude, say, five degrees, thirteen
minutes north, and longitude thirty
five degrees west! Delay me! But
what sights you'd see"
mo sea serpent? thought so once
myself. ! don't know that i should
pity those pent-up landsmen after all,
on the bark Pauline of London, Capt.
Drewar, on that July Of 1875, it is like
ly that Would be just as pent-up and
ignorant now as they are.
"Know you, there are no ports on
that part of the Brazilian coast off
Caps San Rogue; no place for ship to
go in, even if there was anything there
that ship should have business in
going in to do. But the bark Pauline
went in there. Singular about that,
sir. We were looking for whales Incl
dcntally. II, in those days, after doing
our legitimate business, we might man.
age to overcome whale, then we were
just so much in, from the captain
down. So on this trip, having dis
charged what we had on board, and
taken on what we were to take on,
Capt Drewar said to the first mate, and
i heard him:
Mate said he, we have three days
to spare. What do You think of sailin'
up and loolsin' over the mysteries"
Now, mind you, the mysteries is the
northeast coast Of Brazil. where there
nrc no ports, and where every sailor
knows the sea serpent has its only
home.
"'Cap'n,' says the mate, touching his
hat, why not?'
"'Then it's COP says the cap'n.
d" The goen'est kind, sir!' says the
mate.
And we sailed up along the coast.
Being man who was not a sailor
through necessity, l may have been
more alert as to the things that might
occur on this recreation voyage than
was the ordinary seaman doing his
routine duty a-shipboard for his living.
Anyhow, one day, as we were off Cape
San Rogue, in an unknown sea so far
rs commercial interests are concerned,
the lookout shouted:
'Waterspout!
"Now, s'pose 1t had been water
spout? What's waterspout? There's
nothing in a waterspout to scare any
body. AS far as was concerned per-
sonally didn't care whether it was n
waterspout or an earthquake. AS n
matter of fact, think ! would have
been glad II it had been an all-envel-
oping earthquake, so far as was per-
sonaily concerned, for was way down
in the dumps. 1t was because of that
went to sea. loved the girl so much
and she threw me overheard, and l.
but let that pass
'Waterspoutr shouted the lookout.
Where awayp' sung out the cap
tain.
" Three points to the sta'boardr
shouted the lookout.
"Sure enough, sir; there IL was At
least there was what the lookout said
was n watcrspout. 1t wasn't spout
though. 1t seemed to be great foun-
tain squirting out of the sea. II shot
up as high as a ships mast, undulated
there moment like huge watery
column swnyed by wind, then dropped
back to the ocean level; instantly rose
ngain to its tremendous height, glis-
tened in the sun like lofty white PIN
nacled rock; swayed and fell; rose,
glistcned, swnyed, fell, all in quick
succession, each fall to the water being
followed by the upward splashing OF
great spumes of foaming sea. Around
this eccentric fountain several big black
objects moved here and there, quickly,
and without apparent aim.
'Waterspout be blowedr the cap
tain said.
Then he seized his glass and gazed
through IL at the strange affair. His
eyes had scarcely taken in the scene.
enlarged and made distinct by his
glass. when saw him turn pale. But
be couldn't cease looking.