Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-03-30
THE LINGUIN.

1t may probably interest some
readers who have never yet heard of
the brute to learn that there is still
existing in the island of Java an ami
major, rather, reptile-which
seems to be the missing link between
the ichthyosauri of prehistoric days
and the well-known saurians of pres
ent times. The animal is, it appears
known to the natives by the name of
"linguin;" and at the suggestion of my
friend, Baron Alfons Pereira, consul
general of Austria Hungary, in Tunis,
| propose to narrate how he was some
years ago fortunate enough to shoot
one of these strange monsters.
The baron is particularly anxious
that / should put the circumstances on
record, as he has always found when
he has recounted the existence of and
destruction by him of one of the
brutes that it has been treated as a
mere travellers tale. Moreover, dur
ing the years which have elapsed since
he shot the linguin, Baron Pereira has
never seen any picture or account of
the huge reptile in any natural history
book except a representation of an
ichthyosaurus; nor has he seen any
thing approaching it in appearance in
any geological collection that he has
ever visited. Fortunately, however,
the baron has recently received in a
letter, written to Count Mailath, one
of his friends who made inquiries on
the subject in Java, a direct confirma-
ton of his own experiences, am here
can therefore be no doubt of the ex-
istence of this strange beast in the
island.
| shall now try to give the baron's
experiences in his own words, but be-
fore doing so must remark that he has
painted for me an excellent picture of
the linguin being attacked by the ia
vanese native, after he had himself
wounded it with his rifle.
But now to the story.
II was" says Baron Pereira, "one
morning in February, 1869, travelling
in large Javanese canoe with the AS
sistant Resident Metman, himself a
well-known sportsman. Dawn had
only just broken when we found our
selves close to the mouth of the Ba-
tavia river. At this point the water
swell caused by the waves of the sea
running up against the tide. AS we
advanced the rowers had considerable
difficulty in making Roadway against
the morning breeze. Suddenly there
was enormous excitement among the
crew of Malays who manned the boat.
'Linguin! Linguin!' l heard repeated
on all sides. 'Linguin! Linguin!' re-
peated the steersman sitting next to
me, selling me by the arm as he
shouted and pointing excitedly toward
the muddy shore, along which we were
coasting at a distance of about $50
metres.
1T was, as l have said, barely light,
and all that l could make out was the
long and dark form of some large
creature lying on the mud. / seized
my rifle, not knowing in the least what
a linguin might be, but at first mag
lining it to be merely a crocodile. But
even with my rifle in hand l nesitated
to shoot. for the movement of the
boat, which was rolling, made any at
tempt at steady aim impossible
However, the natives with me grew
impatient. 'Linguin!' they cried again
Shoot! shoot
Standing up. took hasty aim
and fired. Instantly there was a most
tremendous commotion in the mud.
| saw a huge creature whirling round
and round in the liquid ooze, first on
its head and then on it's tail-mueh
| like the firework called a Catherine
wheel-while liquid mud was being
scattered about in all directions. A
shout of triumph rose from my crew
| and the steersman, Selling murder
our looking Malay scimitar. instantly
| plunged overheard to wage mortal
combat with the disabled monster. He
swan to shore and, boldly enterin
the mud, which was more than up to
his knees, attacked the enormous
brute.
"As we advanced quite close to the
mud | was now able to see that the
animal appeared TO be half crocodile
and half snake. 1t had the body OF
the former and the neck and head OF
the latter. Upon the approach of the
Malay il ceased its wheel-like whirl-
ings round and round on its tail and
repeatedly struck out at its new enemy
with its head, trying>to seize him with
its fangs. But every time the linguin
darted forward its powerful head and
neck the native struck out with his
Il