The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-05
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It, lie bad penetrated The sham and
would have no more Of iL-Our Ami,
NAL Friends


one morning With the determination
of being photographed, really can
not say; but the picture was certain
ly taken.
Living In the neighborhood the
whale was probably familiar with the
steamer TINT plowed daily through its
dining-room; and if it was at oil an
observing whale, it must have noticed
on the morning in question an nm
usual commotion on the deck of tst
steamer, and this is what it saw. The
passengers were crowding about the
rail, and on the upper deck stood a
man and a little girl, the former hold.
ing a square, black box into which he
looked earnestly. And if the whale
had come a little nearer this is what
he might have heard;
''Will he look pleasant ?" asked the
little girl of her companion.
i hope so, he replied, glancing
rapidly from the camera to the whale
that was then swimming a few hundred
feet away.
The passengers had first observed it
a mile or more distant, when the little
girl said twas dancing on its tail.
It bad really leaped out of the water,
aud for few seconds exposed almost
its entire baek-most astonishing
spectacle-and then had fallen back
into the sea with a laundering crash.
Soon it came to the surface again, and
shooting a cloud of vapos into the mir
that slowly hoated away, at intervals
disappeared and reappeared until it
finally came alongside the steamer,
swimming along within a short dis
lance. 1t was then that the fortunate
possessor of the camera secured a good
position near tue rail, and waited, as
bis little companion had said, for the
whale to "look pleasant" Looking
pleasant in this instance, meant for
the whale 10 show large portion of
its body above the water. 1t was now
swimming just below the surface, its
huge black form, sixty or seventy
feet in length, distinctly visible, pro-
PEELED by the undulating movement of
the tail. Suddenly it rose, showing
just tue portion around the blow
holes, and with loud puff the hot
breath burst into the air, was con-
densed and in a little cloud drifted
away.
Didn't he look PLEASANT" asked
the little girl, earnestly.
"Not quite pleasant enough" said
the photographer, as he peered into
the tiny window of the camera that
rejected the sea in brilliant tints. 81
could catch the spout, but want tc
wait until he throws his entire head
out Of water and looks really pleasant
before touch the button"
It was an exciting moment, al
never, so far as known, had a living
whale, in the open ocean, posed before
camera, or photographer seen SC
huge an animal obligingly swim
along, allowing its picture to BE-
} taken.
r 'It's a tame whale, isn't it?" sale
. the little girl, as the whale gradual,
came nearer.
He certainly does not seem yer,
s timid, replied her companion; and a
Q he spoke, puff came the spouting Xix
= the escape of steam, the vapor actual,
s drifting aboard the steamer into thu
4 faces Of the passengers.
a The whale was now so near tina
the barnacles upon its back could b
) seen, huu Ouo nun wan sure bnht
: saw its eye. Suddenly 1t sank, an
$ all that could be seen in the little win
< dow was the dancing waves aud til
t white sails of myriads of velellas tina
u covered the surface, scuddtng alon
e before the fresh trade wind. Their
e without warning, the creature as sue
e denly rose again, showing large arc
d OF its back, sending at the same tim
: a cloud Of misty yapor into the oil
0 as its top or dorsal fin appeared. Th
s. photographer saw it in the little wiz
a dow, and evidently thinking that th
d whale looked as pleasant as he in a
probability would, touched the bu