Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-08-24


Peninsula, says a writer
in Nature, and had succeeded in kill
ing full-sized sperm whale. He had
! been tough customer, needing all
our energies to cope with him but a
well-directed bomb closed the nego-
tiaticns just before sunset.
The whale was secured alongside,
and all hands sent below for a good
rest prior to commencing to "cut it,
at daybreak. had the watch from
eight bells to midnight, and at about
II p. N. was leaning over the lee rail,
idly gazing seaward, where the rising
moon was making broad lane of sill
very light npon the smooth, dark
waters. Presently there was com
motion in the sea, right in the way of
the moon, and L Immediately went for
the night glasses to ascertain, is posi-
BILE, the nature OF it. In that neigh
borhood there are several active vol
canoes, and at first judged the pres
ent disturbance to be one OF these,
sending up debris from the sea bed.
A very short examination satisfied me
that the trouble, whatever it might
be. was not of volcanic or seismic ori-
gin. I call the captain, as in duty
bound, but he was indisposed to turn
out for anything short of actual dan
ger; so the watch and had the sight to
ourselves. We edged away little
under the light draught of wind, so as
to draw nearer to the scene, and pres
entity were able to realize its full
significance. A very large sperm
whale was engaged in deadly conflict
with a monstrous squid, whose far
reaching tentacles enyeloped the
whales whole body.
The livid whiteness of those writh.
ing arms, which enlaced the cachclot
like nest of mighty serpents, stood
out in bold relief against the black
bowlderlike head of the aggressor.
Presently the whale raised itself half
out of the water, and we plainly saw
the awful-looking head of the gigantic
mollusk. At our distance, something
under a mile, it appeared about the
size of one of our largest oil casks,
which held 336 gallons. Like the rest
Of the calmar visible, it was OF II pecu.
liar dead white, and IN it cleaned
two eyes of inky blackness, about u
foot in diameter.
To describe the wonderful contor-
tions of those two monsters, locked in
Il deadly embrace, is far beyond nv
powers, but 1t was o never-to- -be-for-
gotten sight. The utter absence of all
sound, for we were not near enough
to hear the turmoil of the troubled
sea, was not TIE least remarkable fea-
ture of this Titanic encounter. All
around the combatants, too, were
either smaller whales or immense
sharks, who were evidently assisting
in the destruction of the great suuid
and getting q full share of the feast.
AS we looked spellbound we saw the
writings gradually cease and the en-
circling tentacle gradually slip off the
whales body, which seemed to float
unusually high. AT last all was over
and the whole commotion completely
subsided, leaving no trace behind but
an intensely strong odor as of a rocky
coast at low tide in the full blaze of
the sun. Since that night have never
had doubt either as to the origin of
all sea serpent stories or the authen-
ITCHY of the old Morse legends of the
kraken for who could blame seaman
Witnessing such sight, and all uuac-
customed to the close observation of
whales, for reporting some fearsome
monster with horrent name and float
ing ''many rood ?"- Nature.