The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-05
ODD EXPERIENCES A1oNe SHORE.
Leap Frog with a Whale-Seized by an Oc-
t~opus-Theft of a whale.

t~opus-Theft of n Whale.
PASADENA. Cal. Jan. 25.-"Do you see that
small man sitting over there ?" said a lounger
on the Monterey beach. Yes. the dark man.
with the black. curly hair. Well. he would be a
bonanza for a novelist II he would only talk
but he has had so many adventures and been
frightened almost to death so many times that
he does not like to go over them. The men
who know him call him a hoodoo, and l reckon
he is. He's a fisherman, and II anything goes
wrong he is sure to be In that boat. 1t was so
noticeable that 1t was the talk OF the Portu-
Guese. and finally no one would have him. or
course it's hard luck. but the mans experiences
would Ill a book.
The first time he was brought to the at
tention Of the public he got a job with some
men who were fishing with a big set net. Whom
they went to haul 1t they found a gigantic fish,
that must have weighed 900 pounds, in It, and
In trying to get in or out. this man, whom they
call Pedro. was jerked overheard and wound
up in the net so that they had to tear and cut it
in pieces. at great expense. to get him out.
Not a week after this Pedro was fishing for
halibut with q crew when he suddenly re-
ceived a terrific bite; then the line be-
came foul at the bottom and 1t was i'm
possible for a long time to move it. Final
ly the line broke loose and Pedro began
hauling a heavy load. They thought at first IL
was a stone. but when 1t reached the surface
three or four snakelike tentacles shot out of
the water. and one armed with suckers threw
itself about Pedro's leg. The tentacles were
but the forerunner Of the animal itself. which,
like a huge spider. dragged its Shiny body over
the rail. The men at first struck at it with the
oars and anything they could get hold OF.
but the animal soon had two OF its snakeliFe
arms about Pedro. who now drew his
little diniegity. After a strus SGTes during MlsR which,
he was badly cut. he succeeded in killing the
ture that It chung to the rail Of the boat after it
was Literally torn In pieces. and was taken from
arms were ten feet long. so that the radial
spread was about twenty-one, feet.
Pedro and he refused to go out for some time.
The saints had conspired, against him. he said.
so he shipped on a local whaier that made short
runs out to sea to take the whales as they
E yen nSrth and south along the coast; The
and to this Is due their gradual increase. They
are generally aYolded by fishermen, but it so
pooh. not knowing what it was. The animal
sounded: struck the bottom 2 terrific blow. |
then same up from the bottom like an arrow |
from q bow. striking the boat, shiverine It and
satisfied with this; the whale remained on the the
surface. lashing the water with its tail. and 1
was PE the greatest miracle that the men es-
mspeaking about whales" continued tho
talksr, there Is a man in the whale fisheries
s %Rsifns BARK MGr' @ll hlhiX1nfHi as Ike Ea 81 NATE Yar@ H5 shs
N! MSss. and on this I cruise had brought a large
Known Know y as killers Tiers " TRsy iook "y li fSe0 Sia 81 k hih
armed with t~eeth-whales that prey upon
whales. the cannibals OF the race. They paid
and literally tore II away from the boat. some
o, the men We're standing on the back Of the
whale at the tine end they went sliding
the big whale beneath the water. fighting
IKE wolves and tearing at its tongue. Ups and
bers OF sharks which surrounded tho spot,
carnage dlnieplt to describe. Every effort to
but. despite their efforts. the killers carried Il
Of. proving themselves more ferocious than
Talk about an adventurous life. - said q lit
tie lrishman, who had been q listener. "it you
elephant hunter, That's. what I was for two
Land, where II showed or rained every
day in the year: where, there was nothing but
bush. i We 9,V stayed there i"v a year at 1g q tim nIo' forty 9rS
or fifty, Of US. aud hunted the sea elephants for
their oil, We knocked the poor creatures over
boiled them down. At night we gathered In stone
huts, pillng in togetherto keep warm, We had
time; nothing Tut oil Tor fuel. Some
times the fights with the sea elephants resulted
N Ro me aYsHs ,s OF 7 ,I man md some tEsS 3 OF them m, were
The men or beat them down. At the end OF a
year the schooner came for the OIL, and those OF
food Hope. where we were paid of; When in
d week or ten days the money was all spent, the
men : en- vent It 5 t%c = To- the Island for another twelve
rom the glaciers on every side.