The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-11-24
AFTER SEA SPIDERS
FISHING FOR UNCANNV CREATURES
IN ALASKA WATERS.

Good sport for Those Who Desire .
Dash Of Excite nent.-Great sea
Animals That Spread Nearly Twen-
ty-five Feet From Tip to Tip.
III anyone desires a dash OF excite
ment l can recommend the fishing of
Alaska" said returned Klondiker to
a Chicago Inter Ocean reporter Il
had been fishing above Sitka when one
day found myself near a camp of In
dams. AS l had some game divided
with them, and forthwith was invited
to feast Of their own providing. We
sat around big wooden dish, in which
was something that looked like frogs
legs, but frogs so gigantic that | knew
1t was something else. 1t required
some courage TO eat this dish, but hun
ger gives a man stamina of q certain
kind, so | shut my eyes and began the
feast The article was not so bad as 1t
appeared. 1t tasted like crab, and
some of it had the consjstence of the
rubber rings which babies chew on.
Altogether it was not 20 be despised,
combining food with exercise.
1t was sea spider so the natives told
me. member OF the cuttleiish family.
AS they were going out on the follow
Ing morning to fish for more | persuad-
ed them to take me with them. We
dropped anchor in the lee of little
point of rocks. where We began fish
ing. 1t is famous country for fish.
and it was nothing but pull in for the
natives, While l did not have bite.
My time was coming, however, l
. nm q 81 n
time the boat lifted felt a sharp jerk,
which deceived NE. But once, when
the boat rose on big wave, my line
did not give, and | shouted to the In
dian next to me that | was foul. He took
the line. gave tremendous jerk, and
/ received one in return; then, bracing
himself back, he began to pull and
scream; then all hands screamed, and
l understood that sea spider had the
line and also the bottom. l expected
every minute to see the canoe go over,
as the men went from side to side, now
forcing the rail down so that the water
poured in, now lifting with a mighty
yell, then Stacking off SO suddenly that
they fell in a heap.
One man armed himself with a
knife, while companion held short
handled caseknife between his teeth
movements suggestive of the coming
of an enemy. Suddenly one of the
crew seized sharp boathook, which,
after another LOOK, he jabbed into the
unknown and invisible In response
a long. slender tentacle shot into the
air and formed Il weird Interrogation
point, then it grasped the pike; then
three more appeared, creeping insid-
iOusly over the edge of the canoe, at
which the natives struck wildly, some
shouting to slack the line, others to
haul in.
In the midst Of the confusion the
sea spider concluded to come aboard
Torn from the bottom, it had come up
easily; then. seeing the canoe, and pos
siaiy thinking it a vantage ground, 1t
! gIasped it and slid over the side, a
mass of living, Shiny, reddish brown
snakes. When they were raised |
could see rows of suckers, each of
which was veritable airpump, and as
there were seemingly thousands OF
them, the sucking power Of this spider
of the sea was apparent. Blows were
aimed at il whenever opportunity Of
fellG. but the Wedd animal fairly slid
over the rail, winding one OF It's arms
around an car. It's head or body hung
J on the rail-a brown mass the size of a
mans head-from which cleaned two
grecnish-yellow eyes. The strange
animal changed color like chame-
leon; flushes Of red brown and gray
followed one another over it, While
! from it's lower portion oozed stream
: of ink which splaehed our faces as the
tentacles flew about. 1t was Is min
; utes before they had the life ham
mered out OF the frightful creature, and
! then it was a question who had won.
The canoe was now half full OF
, water. as a hole had been knocked in
the side, which was finally stopped
with a piece Of skin. 1t was five miles
to camp. but l preferred walking, anC
had the men put me ashore. | got tC
the camp in time to meet them and see
the sea spider taken out. 1t had &
I spread of nearly % feet, measuring
, from the tip of the outspread tenta