The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-17

died, but couldn't eV'n 60 mad saw
the heaV ov the thing them arms be-
louged ter. n 'tWu8 Wua5 m the hor-
rors, cause ] Wus sane n cool n COLI
iected. The eyes Wis black n a foot
or more across, n when, Il looked INTO
'em sec meself a-comin'.
BE was silent for minute, but shalI
Ing a. II with palsy. laid my hand on
his arm, not knowing what TO say, and
he looked up Wistfully, saying, ''ThenkS,
Bhipmate; thet's good. Then he went
on again.
1.-THE whole thing went baek'ards,
talSin Us along; n remember think In
e. we went Of The other KaHakefB below
that hedn't come back. herd the bulb
bleS 3 each Of u left che sunahina, but
ngYer q cry, never another SCUM. The
las thing remember seein' hove me
Wlz tn end OF the HchooneF'B main
boom, which WuE g1yed out to lar
herd some, n looked like q big arm
struck stu m helpless, though Wlshful
20 save. Down went, that clingtn'
snnlIy coll round me tighter m my skin.
But wTl4 WuS gtrangeSt ter me WuS the
fate that not only dldn't drown, but
I felt no sort Of .di1conTonience from
belh' below the water. M ct last, when
reached the coral, though ] deasay
looked corpse enough, 'tWuE only my
looks, for / felt. lacSin' my not ban'
able ter move, breathe er speak, e1
peart n fresh eE dew naoW. The clutch
tibet had been Squeezln' me 90 all4hred
tight begun 10 slack, m felt more COM
f'ble: m ef t admit been fer the reck-
lection Nv them eyes m tibet berTyin'-
groun' ov month. ! doan'no but Wut
might ha' been Almost happy. But
lay thar, With the rest Nv my late ship
mates. sort er ready for consumption,
like the flies in the corner Of a SPIDERS
web, N thet guy me a pow'ful heap
ov bad time.
After while the quiet Of the place
begun ter breed strange noBhunB in my
he'd-jest like g II / wuE dreamln'.
though wide awake Is ever wuz In all
my life. Jest 'peared to be way back
ct the beginnin' Nv things, befo' they
wuz anythln' else but water, n wut life
there wuz in them early days he'd ter
dew 1thout air er sun er-llght. I'd read
the Bible some-ont ter say frequent,
m. beln' but a poor skollar, Jennerse5
wuz, bout 8 fur g got. But onct
Blue-nose ! uz shipmates with wiz
pow'fui fond NV one er the Bible yarns
he called the Book Nv lobe, m he use
ter read thct OF ter me 'twell ] nearly
got It through my he'd solid. Anyway.
much ov It KEN back ter me neow-blts
'beout the foundsyshons ov the world,
m the boun's oY the sea, n such like.
"'N' all the time overnight me In the
mouth ov great cave, with them res
less thutty-foot feelers ever a-twistln'
m wrlgglln' aroun', wu7 the Thing IT.
self. them awful eyes Jest a-showin'
like moons made ov polished Jet, in the
dlmness Some ev my shlpmates wuz
gone, the skipper among emi but some,
like me, wtHz layin' quiet n straight;
while all about US the fish, ov every
shape m size, wuz a.glidin' slow n
ateRlthy like, as II ever on the watch
'gainst some enemy er anuther.
ut seemed 80 long laid thar tibet
felt able to remember every bush n
Dough oV coral, every boulder, that In
dueerest shapes yew ever see lay scat
tered aroun'. At last, never havin'
quite los sight Of tibet horrible ungodly
Thing In the cave Yander, see 1t KEN
eout. ! never knoWed thar wuZ God
till then. Senee tibet time, whenever 1
hear some mouthy critter provin', ez
he calls It, poor child! thet Their amt,
m cRInt be, any God, ! feel that sorry
fer him cd ieRt san right in n lam
the foggy blether out'n his fool-Skull.
But, ez wuE a-sRyln'. eout KEN the
Thing, till see the hull greet carcass
ov It, bigger n the .blgges sparm
whale ever see, Jest a-haulin, n a.
warpln' along by them wGnderin' arms
over the hills n hollers ov the reef
| to'rds me. 1t floated between me n
wut light Their wuz, which wuz suthin'
ter be thankful fer, fer I'd R-gin my
| life ter be able to shet my eyes from 1t
m wut wuz comm. It hung right over
me, n felt the clingIn suckers clos
! In all aroun' me, when all OF sudden
they left me ag'in. The grit black shad-
der moved ter one side m daown
through that clear water cum sparm
whale, graceful n easy's as an alba
core. I never thought much Of old
squar'head's looks before. but, I'm tell
| in ye. then he looked Ike q shore
'onugh angel 'longside tibet frlghttul
crawlln', clammy bundle Of Bea-sar-
pietns.
but / hedn't much time to reflect.
fer thet whale had come on blzness, m
Their want any percrastination bout
! him. When he got putty cluss up to
| the Thing that Wuz backin' oneasily
away, he 8orter rounded 20 like boat
comm longside, only 'Bted OV comm
round he come over, char he'd over
huked His Jaw WuE hanEin' daown
baoHt twenty foot With all the big teeth
a-shlnin, n next knew he'd got the
gol-durned Thing In his mouth with a
| grip right benin them awful eyes.
ROun' come the tangle OF arms like the
sails Of a windmill lacln', clutehin', tear
In at the whales head. But they might
ns well hev Rugged the Solander Rock.
It made no sorler difference to him, m
his Jaw KEEP on Wordn' fer all II wuz
worth a-sawin' OF the tremenjus he'd
OF tue Thing. Then the light went out,
| Ny gosh, tibet water wIlz Jest turned
| inter ink, m though yeW cd feel the
sway m swirl oY tibet Eret struggle like
| tho screw race Ov some big liner they
want nothln ter be seen. So reckon
/ the Thing I'd been puZslln' ter fine a
name fer Wuz Jest the Gret Mogul ov oil
| the cutie fish, n beIn' kinder hard
prest wuz a-shellin' the null contents ov
his ink-tank.
"Well, l wuz sorter interested in this
mush n very much wanted ter see II
through, but thet satisfaction wuz de-
MED me, All the churnin' an thr1Ehin'
went on Jets above me In pitch dark n
grave quiet. Blmeby the water ceased
to bile aroun' m got clearer, till after
O while cd Gee greet BhaddeTB boVe
moYin' swiftly The sea took on an
other color quite feTmlliar ter me, sorter
yaller a mixin' ov red m blue. Fun
nle8t thing Wuz the earn way WuE
G-takln' oV II all, Jest like . man lookin'
Out'n a bloom at a big hgdat, er q spec
tayter in a g'lahty SHOW hevin' no pus-
nal concern In the matter I al. Pre-
sently sneakin' along COMES q white
streak cluBD ter me. Long bOto' II touch
ed me i knew II fer wut Il wuE, n then
WuE In de'dly fear lees the hope Nv
life after all .lh'd rouse me eout Nv
this yer trance or whatever II wuE
'TWuz a whale line from some whale
ships boat a-flGhin' oVerhe'd. II KEN
right to me. It teehed me n felt 9 II
I must come to n die right there n
thar mt IA avaf't riFht under me m