St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-06-16

| nersez wuz bout IS fur IS / got. But
| onct a Blue-nose | wuz shipmates with
/ wuz powful fond Nv one er the Bible
| yarns he called the Book Nv Jobe, n he
| use ter read thet off ter me 'twea ]
nearly got it through my he'd solid.
| Anyway, much ov it KEN back ter me
i neow-bits bout the foundayshons ov
! the world, N the boun's ov the sea, n
such like.
N all the time overnight me in the
| mouth oV a greet cave, with them res'-
less thntty-foot feelers ever a-twistin'
n wrigglin' aroun', wuz the Thing it.
self. them awful eyes just a-showin'
like moons made ov polished jet, in the
dimness. Some or my shipmates wuz
gone, the skipper among EN-; but
some, like me, wuz layin' quiet n
straight; while all about US the fish ov
every shape m size wuz a-glidin' slow
n stealthy like.
TT seemed so long laid thar thet
felt able to remember every bush n.
bough ov coral, every bowlder, that in
queerest shapes yew ever see lay scat,
tered aroun'. AT last, never havin'
quite lost sight of thet horrible, ungod-
ly Thing in the cave yander. see It
KEN eout. / never knowed thar wuz
God till then. Sence thet time, when
ever | hear some mouthy critter prov
in, ez he calls it. poor child. thet ther
ain t, N can't be, any God, I feel thet
sorry fer him | cd jest sail right in m
lam the foggy blether out'n his fool
skull. But. ez / wuz a-sayin, eout KEN
the Thing, till see the hull gr'et car
cass ov II, bigger n the biggest sparm
whale ever see, just a-haulin' N
a-warpin' along by them wanderin'
arms over the hills n hallers ov the
reef to'rds me. II foated between me
n wut light ther wuz, which wuz
suthin' ter be thankful fer. fer I'd a-gi'n
my life ter be able to shet my eyes from
it n wut wuz comm. 1t hung over me,
n felt the clingin' suckers closin' all
aroun' me, when all of sudden they
left me ag'in. The gre't black shad-
der moved ter one side n daown
through that clear water cum sparm
whale, graceful n easy S an albacore.
I never thought much of old squar'-
heads looks before, but, I'm telling se,
then he looked like shore 'nough an
gel 'longside thet frightful, crawlin',
clammy sea-sarpient.
But hedn't much time ter reflect,
fer thet whale had come on bizness, m
ther' want any percastination bout
him. When he got putty close up to
the Thing that wuz backin' uneasily
away, he sarter rounded to like boat
comm 'Iongside, only 'sted ov comm
roun' he come over clar he'd over fuEes.
His jaw wuz hangin' daown baout TWEEN
ty foot with all the big teeth a-shinin,
N next l knew he'd got thet gol-
right benin them awyful eyes. Roun'
come the tangle of arms like the sails
of the windmill lacin', clutchin'. tearin'
at the whales head. But they might
so well have hugged the Solander Rock.
1t made no sorter diffrunce ter him, n
his Jaw KEEP on workin' fer all it wuz
worth a-sawin' off the tremenjus he'd
of the Thing. Then the light went eout.
My gosh! thet water wuz jest turned
inter ink, n though yew cd feel the
sway n swirl oY thet gre't struggle
like the screw race ov some big liner
they want nothin' ter be seen. So /
reckon the Thing I'd been puzzlin' ter
fine a name fer wuz jest the Gre't Mo-
gul ov all the cuttlefsh.
wall, T wuz sorter interested in this
mush n very much wanted ter see it
through, but thet satisfacshun wuz de-
MED me. All the ehurnin' N thrashin'
went on jest above me in pitch-dark n
Bimeby the water ceased
to bile aroun' n got clearer. till after
awhile / cd see gre't shadders above
moyin' swiftly. Thesea took on anuther
color quite fermiiar ter me, sorter
yaller, a-rnixin' oy red n blue. Funni-
est thing wuz the carm way wuz
a-takin' ov it all jest like man lookin'
out'n b'loon at big fight, er spec
tayter in a g'lanty show hevin' no
pusnal concern in the matter It all.
Presently sneakin' along comes
white streak cluss ter me. Long befo'
it touched me knew it fer wut it wuz,
n then / wuz in de'dly fear less the
hope Nv life after all sh d rouse me eout
NV this yer trance or whatever it wuz
'Twuz whale-line from some whale
ships boat a-fshin' oyerhe'd. 1t ken
right to me. 1t teched me, m felt S
# / must come to n die right there N |
then. But it swep' right under me, n
then settled daown, coil after coil. till /
wuz fair snarled upi init. By this time
The water'd got so soupy thet could
at see nothin', but 'twa mt long befo
[ felt myself a-risin,-eout Nv the belly /
Nv hell, ez Jonah seq.
up | ken at a good lick till all Nv
a sudden / sees Gods light, smells His
air. n hears voices Nv men. Gosh, but
want they CALLED when they see me.
Blame eff I didn't think they'd lemme go
ag'in. The fust one ter git his brains
ter work wuz the bow oarsman, a mig
yer, who leaned over the gunnel, his !
face greeny gray with fright, y;
grabbed me by the hair. Thet rouset'
he rest, m i wuz hauled in like whiz |
TT didn't seem ter strike any ov
EN- that moutn't be so dead after al.
shough fortnitly fer me they conclood-
d ter take me aboard with 'em. So
aid thar in the bottom nv the boat
while they finished haulin' line. Their
suz clumsy feller among 'em thet
made slip hittin me an ugly welt on
he nose as he wuz fallin'. Nobody took
my notice till presently one NV sem
lollers: Why, dog my eats eff that