The times., 1897-08-08

into the stern OF his vessel with such tre-
mendous force that 1t went half way INTO
her huI OF course the water came in, too,
and the crew expected to see The snip slnk
in Just fift yfive seconds. But they
reckoned without their guest. For AS
fast as the water came in the whale
drank it in and spouted it out OF the two
blow holes in the top OF ofhisheadand through
an open hatchway into the sea again,
while with his tail as propeller he pushed
them into port.
Capt. Sanderson. said he never knew of
anything queerer than what happened TO
a big steam ship that he chanced to be on,
which ran into an island in a fog. Every
body on board thoughtthe shipwas wrecked,
but it had twin screws and was going at
such tremendous speed that il turned the
island entirely upside down and sailed
over it and he had heard tell that now
people sailing over the spot could look
down into the water and see the roots Of
the trees and the cellars OF the houses.
Capt. Buress told how he was once on
a ship carrying an obelisk, when they
found themselves approaching bank
Without tie obelsk they uld have sailed
over. But the captain mad his plaas quick
ly and acted. Under full head he plunged
against the bank with such force tnat, the
obeIsk shot out OF the bow end and the
lightened ship sail ed freely over the bank.
One man was Jared overheard, but he
! was saved, because when the obelisk
plunged into the sea, the butt end beng
heaviest, w ent down first, and as IL stood
there and was big ohelisk, it stood five
| feet out OF water. The hieroglyph.cs, be-
IN
them and waited at the apex till small
boat was sent for him.
Capt. Jenklnson told how lie had once
| found shark winking al him in the mid
die Of an iceberg. He liberated him with
| a sailug needle, and the famine of
thousand years was broken, the shark,
being cGlt-hlooded eelng still alive.
The widow listened patiently aud WAS
either ncted or encouraged to tell her
| yam. her only remark on the stories be-
ing that you sailor men certainty see
strange things aud the strangest thing
about them is that they are true She
told how sne started across the bay to
take a can OF oil to her sisteF-in-law.
storm broke out before she was quarter
oc mile flom shore and the most ex-
| t1dvagant weather prevailed She porreu
l
and instantly there was Il placid mill pond
| around her, while the storm ragged beyond
its narrow limits. But she figured out she
would have no oil for her sister-in law if
she used enough to create calm MN ponds
| all the way across.
| Just then the can toppled over and she
lost all her Oil Despairing, she glanced
| down and saw through hole in he bot
tom of the boat the placid water below
| and the hard sand bottom Then she
| conceived the idea Of blowing the can full
of air, jumping through the bottom OF he
boat and walking on the bays bed to shore,
| sucking wind from the can each time her
own gave out This fertile scheme sue
| cumbed at the sight of turtle. But, re-
| membering the science of childhood, she
| stood on the seat, which was dry, and
rubbed the bottom OF her shoes backward
and forward with such violence that she
pretty soon got fun of electricity, as
| when you glide over the carpet and light
the gas. Then she sprang into the water
and SWAN ashore. She couldn't sink, she
was fun OF electricity. Thecaptains listened
in silent patience: then, also silently, paid
for their suppers and went away
You can see the extra VACANT fun of these
yarns even divested OF the charm Of Mr.
stockton's stylic elaboration The pub
fishers have embalmed the book In beau
tiful paper and type face, and inclosed
1t in stunning cover (New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons. Washington.
Woodward & Lothrop)