The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-22
BATTLE IN
THE SURF
Fight to the Death by
Sea Oenizens.
MINISTER I'll TUE UlrTnD
MONSTER EEL THE VICTOR
Fishermen Report Fearful Exper-
fence OF Diamond Head
Yesterday.

a report comes from waikiki TO the
Following effect. Early yesterday morn
ing TWO fishermen In native canoe
were pursuing their calling In the
shoal water Of the coral reef near Dia-
mond Head. They had fished long and
caught nothing and were on the point
OF winding up their tackle and return
Ing homeward when strange thing
happened.
The water near where they were
moored suddenly became agitated; SO
much so, In fact. "a TO cause the fisher
mans craft to roll unpleasantly.
Peering into the water to ascertain
the cause OF the disturbance. the two
natives saw a singular sight. A huge
eel "a the conger variety and a ham
merhead shark. which had apparently
by some strange mischance. drift ed into
The domains of the sinuous monster.
we're engaged In mortal combat.
Which was the attacker and which
the attacked II is impossible to say, but
when observed the eel had coiICd him
self round the selachian's anatomy In
an evident effort to squeeze the life ou.
II him, while the hammer-headed one
/ by frenzied PUSHES back and forth
among the coral was endeavoling to re-
Ieve himself from the incubus who was
so pressing In his unwelcome atten-
lions.
AT last the shark, MORALLY hurt. gave
up the tight and the eel slowly unwouao
himself from the body of his fast-ex-
piring antagonist.
AT this Juncture the two fishermen
tempted by the prospects Of unlimited
fresh meat. decided to make an effori
o capture the big conger.
Moving the canoe as near their In.
.ended quarry as was possible wlthou
frightening II, one OF the men delivered
A wen-directed spear thrust whicl
anded half "A pound of iron and severa
inches Of seasoned wooden shaft righ
In the vitals of the mass Of squirmins
grey flesh.
The eject was magical and almos
tragical. To the great Consideration o
The fishermen. the eel on feeling tn,
prick OF the spear-point made a light
aing-iks rush to the surface. jumped
Gun ten feet into the air and fell bIci
into the canoe. the occupants OF wnlci
were by this time thoroughly terrined
once In the boat, which had by tnls
time drifted Into deep water. the infuri
ated monster kept the fishermen b1sj
avoiding his vicious attacks; time an,
Iime a~ain did his bristling jaws clos
with fearsOme snap In unpleasant pro 4.
unity To their arms and legs. Witl
eyes flashing angriy and name erect
emitting the while n hoarse kind %
bark. the denizen of the depths locke,
the incarnation OF all that is evil AM
unloveiy.
Just as things were looking at thei
worst for the two natives, hep arrive
In the shape of canoe, containing an
other fisherman, who. seeming the bat
tie from afar. had t.-.sen the precaujJ
OF arming himself with a meat-axe.
; Arrived on the scene he made shor
work OF the lighting conger, and. put
. ting half the Jody in each canoe. tn
party made for shore.
The two pieces OF the carcass, on be
Ing placed together measured twenty
seven feet and the circumference wa
In places as great as that Of a grow
mans thigh.
Inside the belly OF the fish were dis
4 covered small tin of opium. som
shelifish. and the partly digested re
mains OF a large cat.
This In the largest specimen Of the e.
genus known 10 have been met with
the history of the Islands.
Hawaiian myths tell OF sea-snakes {
incredulous dimensions and accordin
20 nj least one legend n gigantic sci
pent has his home under the Tslan
! Of Maui; these are, however. but o.
, wives stories and their flavor, i
Shakespeare would have put II, Is 'ar
:. Client and flshlike."