The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-03-25
sea Wolves at War.

did you ever see O school OF thrash
ers after whale, with a swordfish as
sistng the sea wolves?"
Some of the party had witnessed the
sight, others had not; all. however,
were cognizant Of the close association
existing between the thrasher and
swordfish, but the story was asked for.
1T was from the deck of the old
brig Firefy, plying in the fruit trade
between San Francisco and Tahiti,
during the seventies that saw this sea
battle" said the shipping man. I'VE
were off the Marquesas and lolling
along with the equatorial drift, not
enough wind blowing to.keep the sails
from Stating against the masts. The
heat was something deadly in it's inten-
sity, and there wasn't enough energy
among either crew or passengers to
even read.
suddenly we were reused by a call
from the lookout: Something coming
up, sir! Two points off the lee bow,
and at the break of the horizon!'
I'm a moment we were all on our
feet, and leaning over the port taffrail.
Far down near the horizon could be
seen a furry of foam and a tumble of
dark objects These would appear and
disappear, with each appearance the
white spray we had first noticed show
ing clear against the blue of the equa-
torial sky.
Number of native canoes out after
whale, l make it, said Captain Tur-
ner, as he handed the glass over to me
II got steady sight on the object
which were rapidly approaching us
With the second furry of foam, as the
black spot appeared on the surface
could make them out. 1t was a 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. Tt must be natives
in canoes and the swell hides them
from the deck
ITO 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 l was
puzzled at the short lapses of time
transpiring between the whales fuking
and his again appearing on the surface.
The whale was headed straight for
us, and working along at 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 excited Curl
osity, the whale did not do, and at a
distance of less than 300 fathoms, the
people of the Firefy were treated to
such sight as seldom comes, even in
the varied incidents which go to make
up life at sea.
I'VE had all been Offering conjectures
as to why the whale did not sound to
a depth the thrashers could not fol-
low When the big fellow had ranged
just off our quarter the question was
answered.
"Fluking high and bringing his tail
down with a 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 a below of pain, he shot to the
surface finging his huge bulk high in
the air. simultaneously a cry went
up from all of us. Dangling from the
whales belly was a swordiish, its sword
embedded deep in the blubber. Twist
ing and throwing itself, the swordfish
seemed endeavoring to work loose
from the whale before the latter could
again land its great body in the sea.
This it succeeded in doing fraction of
a second only separating the fall of the
swordfish and that of the whale into
the ocean. This was sufficient, how
ever, for the swordfish to gather depth
and with another prod, keep the whale
on the surface. Then with 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 bel
lowing leviathan, while the balance of
the school, with fearful blows, would
thrash at the whale with their hukes
the swordfish in the meantime keeping
up steady stabbing from beneath.
until at last. in sheer agony of pain,
the whale would sound, dragging the
swordfish, with its sharp saw tooth
blade of bone sunk deep in the blub
Der with it.
1T seemed impossible, however, for
the whale to reach any depth, impeded
as it was by the twelve-foot swordfish
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 sword
fish hanging from its side
Stranger still, though, was the tao
tics used by the swordfsh, to so wound
the whales blowhole as to incapacitate
1t entirely from sounding. Twice, when
the whale had been stabbed at the sur
face and the thrashers had taken good
hold, the swordfsh, ranging close to
the whales head, threw itself out of
the water and with it's 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
it's blow' on rising.
"The whale had hardly gone three
miles astern of us, before it's body.
floating, still on the ocean, showed
that swordfish and thrashers had con-
nuarad - '.