Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-02-05
ATTACKED BY A SEA DEVIL.

Il wss lieutenant in the Unite
/ States revenue marine service who felt
! hjmsel; impelled to tell this fish story
ai;er the other fellows had trotted out
their best yarns:
We had hired small sharpe, Goo
dare, Lenning, and myself" he said,
aud had spent the day with the king
Of fish, the tarpon, with magnificent
success. We We're lying on the top of
Che cabin ompanionway and also lying
&DouJ the tremendous fellows which
had escaped Us as victory was in our
grasp. We were either silent from
l&ck of Imagination or wondering how
/ any man could disgrace himself by ly.
ing SO barefacedly as the other fellows
had done. Our reveris was interrupt
ed by great commotion in the water.
I'VE sat up and saw school of sea
devils, the first that l had ever seen,
darting hither and thither after small
mullet They looked and swan like
immense black water butterh es, pro.
pelling themselves by Topping their
huge wings, which were st least twen-
ty feet from tip to tip.
"Well, Lennig-he was always
chump-was seized with the idea that
be must shoot one, and, laughing at
our WARNINGS, went below and was
soon shooting away at every fish that
came near the surface. The fish did
not seem TO mind this at all and calmly
kept on with their dinner, as if being
shot WAS simply the spice that added
z.st TO their sppelites.
The mullets, in their frantic en-
deavors to escape, gradually drew the
sea devils out of range. All we could
say did not have any effect on Lennig,
for he Jumped into the small boat and
started in pursuit. We lazily, but with
increasing interest, watched him as be
stood up in the boat and fred at fish
without any apparent result.
"We suw him bring his rifle to his
shoulder ard fire, then fire four
times in ~ cession and then fall
down aud almost capsize the boat.
Wondering what was happening, we
stood up and saw him scramble to his
feet and fall again. As he fell we saw
one of the wings ofs sea devil come out
OF water, and apparently the fish was
endeavoring to seize the gunwale and
cap3ize the boat and in that way secure
the occupant. Lennig scrambled to his
feet once more, seized his rifle, and fired
shot after shot into the animals head
without any apparent effect, except
that The fish would back off, and, swim
ming at his full speed, would ram the
boat with his head, upsetting Lenng
every time and almost capsizing the
boat.
Finally we saw him apparently fire
his rifle, and as there was no report, his
magazine must have been exhausted.
While he was occupied in this maDacr
The fish rammed the boat again, and
.Lennig, being uuprepared, was knocked
overheard. We jumped to our feet and
scrambled into one of the small boa 8
to 60 to his assistance, but as we were
showing of we saw him scramble back
into the boat, displaying agility that
would have done credit to any profess
sional acrobat.
HE had hardly regained the boat be-
fore black whip, which proved to be
the fsh's tail, struck him with re-
sounding whack across the back. As
soon as he was fairly in the boat
he sprang to his oars and was
pulling as for dear life in the
direction of the sharpie, pursued by
the fish, who rammed the boat repeat
cdiy. He passed us without a. glance,
deadly pale, looking neither to the
right uor to the left, and almost break
lag the oars at every stroke. He reach