The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-01-22

Suddenly we were reused by O call
from the lookout: Something's COM
ing up, sir! Two points off the lee
bow, and at the break of the horizon!
''In a moment we were all on our
feet and leaning over the port taffrail.
Far down near the horizon could be
seen furry of foam and tumble of
dark objects. These would appear
and disappear, with eachappearance the
white spray we.had first noticed show.
Ing against the blue Of the equatorial
sky.
"'Number Of native canoes out for q
whale, I make it, said Captain
Turner, as he handed the glass over
to me.
IT got steady sight on the objects,
which were rapidly approaching u.s..
With the second furry Of foam as the
black spots approached on the surface
I could make them out. 1t was big
sperm whale being chased by a school
Of thrashers. ..
"'But the whale doesn't sound long
enough to have thrashers after him.
said the Captain. 1T must DO natives
in canoes and the swell hides them
from the deck.' s.
"To make certain I went aloft in
the fore rigging, and from the top
could make out the fight distinctly.
But, just as the Captain had said, I
was puzzled OF the short lapses Of
time transporting between the whales
auking and his again appearing on the
surface. ~
"The whale was headed straight for
US, and working along o. a rate that
within half an hour would bring him,
with the thrashers, abreast Of the
brig, providing he did not change his
course. This, fortunately for our ex-
cited curiosity, the whale did not do,
and at q distance Of less than 300
tathoms the people Of the Fireay were
treated to such sight as seldom
comes, even in the varied incidents
which go to make up a life at sea.
"We had all been Offering coniec-
lures as to why the whale did not
sound to depth the thrashers could
not follow. When the big fellow had
ranged just off our quarter the ques-
ton was answered.
"Fluking high and bringing his tail
down with swash that would have
crushed the life out of any thrasher
caught beneath the blow, the whale
attempted to sound. He could not
have reached five fathoms deep when,
with below Of pain, he shot to the
surface, 'dinging his huge bulk high in
the air. simultaneously cry went
up from all Of US. Dangling from the
whales under side was o swordfsh,
it's sword imbedded deep in the blub.
Der. Twisting and throwing itself,
the swordfsh seemed endeavoring to
work loose from the whale before the
latter could again land its great body
in the sea. This it succeeded in do
ing, fraction Of second only separat-
ing the fall of the sword6sh and that
Of the whale into the ocean. This was
sufficient, however, for the swordfsh
TO gather depth and with another prod
keep the whale on the surface. Then
with a rush the school of thrashers
were upon the whale. Setting their
teeth into its sides half of the school
would tear great chunks of blubber
from the believing leviathan, while
the balance Of the school, with fearful
blows, would thrash OF the whale with
their flukes, the swordfsh in the mean
time keeping up a steady stabbing
from beneath, until at last, in sheer
agony of pain, tho whale would sound,
dragging the sword6sh, with its sharp,
sawtooth blade Of bone sunk deep in
the blubber, with it. -. -.
1T seemed impossible, however, for
the whale to reach any depth, imped.
ed as it was by the twelve-foot sword
fish hanging to it, and with a below it
would again come to the surface.
Three times while life remained in the
whale did we see the huge bulk shoot
out of the water, the white body of the
swordfish hanging from its side.
stranger still, trough, were the
tactics used by the swordfish to so.
wound the whales blowhole as to in
capacitate it entirely from sounding.
Twice, when the whale had been stab
bed at the surface and the thrashers
had taken good hold, the swordfsh,
ranging close to the whales head,
threw itself out Of tho water and with
its sharp-toothed sword endeavored to
cut open the whales blowhole. That
the swordfsh had succeeded in one of
these attempts, prior to our getting
close view of the fight, was evidenced
by the scattering spray in which the
whale sent forth its blow on rising.
"The whale had hardly gone three