Evening star., 1899-04-01
March 80, 1899.
LIVELY SPORT,
sharp Encounter With an Uncanny
Creature in Alaskan Waters.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.

From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
IF any one desires a dash of excitement
1 can recommend the fishing of Alaska"
said a returned KlOndiker Il had been fish
ing above Sitka, when one day / found my
self near a camp of Indians. As | had
some game 1 divided with them. and forth
with was invited to a feast of their own
providing. We sat around a big wooden
dish, in which was something that looked
like frogs legs, but frogs so gigantic that
/ knew il was something else. 1t required
SC me courage to eat this dish. but hunger
gives man stamina of a certain kind so |
shut my eyes and began the feast. The ar
ticle was not so bad it appeared. 1t
tasted like crab, and some of IL had the
consstence of the rubber rings which ba-
bies chew on Altogether it was not to be
despised. combining food with exercise.
1t was sea spider, so the natives Sold me,
d member of the cuttlefish family As they
were going out on the following morning to
1ish for more persuaded them to take me
with them. We dropped anchor in the lee
OF little point of rocks, wnere We began
hsh1ng. 1t is a famous country for fish.
and it was nothing but pull in for the ma
tives. while did not have a bite
My time was coming, however. l had on
a heavy slnker, so that every time the boat
lifted L felt a sharp jerk which deceived
me. But once, when the boat rose on a
big wave, my line did rot give and ]
shouted to the Indian next to me that |
was foul. He took the line, gave a tre-
mendous jerk, and received one in return:
then, bracing himself back he began TO
pun and scream: then all hands screamed
ana L understood that sea spider had the
me ana also the bottom. ] expected every
minute TO see the canoe so over as the
men went from side to side now forcing
the ran down so that the water poured in
now lIllhg with a mighty yell. then slack
ing on so suddenly that they fell in a beaD
one man armed himself with a knife
WINE companion held a short-handIed
caseknlie between his teeth-moveroente
SuSSeIIs SSusses1rns OF the coming of an enemy.
Suudehly one of the crew seized A shan
hoathook. which, after another looi5 ~ y
Japbed INTO the unknown and inyisihIe Tn
response long. slender tentacIe shot int
II uaS al, ana formed a weird Interrogation
Poit' then IL grasped the pike: then three
more appeared creeping insidiously oyer
lne euse OF the canoe at which the natives
struck S. wildly. some shouting to slack he
hiis olnefS 10 haul in
In the midst of the corfpsio, ,ho 600
spiaer concluded to come aboard Torn
rom from the bottom, it had come up easily.
;I men seeing the canoe. and possibly think
ing IL d vantage ground, it grasDei If and
SLID over the side a mass of Eving sli,,,I.
r@do1sh-broWn snakes When they wera
raisea could see rows of suckers each of
r Mnieh was Veritable air pump, and as
there were seemingly thousands of them
the sucking power of this spider of the
sea was apparent Blows were aimed AT If
whenever opportunity offered bat the
N'Nt eNiiitiieh Aaifiy SiiQ over the rail. wind
ing one of It's arms around an oar Its head
or BODY hung on the rail-a brown mass
tte size OF mans head-from which
sieameo Two gresnish-yellow eyes. The
strange animal changed color like a chame-
leon; hushes of red, brown and gray fol-
lowed one another over it, while from its
lower portion oozed a stream of ink which
spiashed in our faces as the tentacies few
ABOUT IT was fifteen minutes before they
mad the life hammered out of the frightful
had won
The canoe was now half full of water,
as hois had been knocked in the side
winch was finally stopped with a piece of
SKIN. 1t was five miles to camp, but pre-
ferred walking, and had the men put me
ashore. / got to the camp in time to meet
them and see the sea spider taken out.
1t had spread of nearly twenty-five feet
measuring from the tip of the outspread
tentacles."