Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-11-04

satisfaction of the group at this expo
sition of their views, and as if actu-
ated by one set of nerves the colos-
sal four swung round shoulder to
shoulder, and faced the ocean mon
arch. Moving not by barnacle's
breadth, he answered, "It is well
spoken, oh, my children; ye are wiser
than |. And be the issue what it WILL
all shall know that the royal race
still holds. AS in the days when our
fathers met and slew the Shiny dragons
of the pit, and unscarred by fathom-
| long claws or ten-ply coats of mail
dashed them in pieces and chased
them from the blue deep they be-
| foulde, so today when the world has
grown old. and our ancient heritage
has sorely shrunken, our warfare shall
be the mightiest among created
| things"
Hardly had the leviathan uttered
| the last word when, with a roar like
| Niagara bursting its bonds in spring,
he hurled his vast bulk headlong upon
| the close-gathered band of his huge
| offspring. His body was like a bent
bow, and it's recoil tore the amazed
| sea into deep whirls and eddies as if
an island had foundered. Full upon
the foremost one he fell, and deep an
| swered unto deep with tho impact
| That awful blow dashed it's recipient
| far into the soundless depths, where
| the champion sped swiftly forward on
| his course, unable to turn until his
| impetus was somewhat spent. Before
| he could again face his foes, the three
were upon him, shifting him with Ii
tanic fuke strokes, circling beneath
| him with intent to catch the down
hanging shaft of his lower jaw, rising
| swiftly, end on, beneath the broad
spread of his belly, leaping high into
the bright air, and falling heavily up
on his wide back.
The tormented sea foamed and
Kissed in angry protest, screaming sea-
birds circled around the conflict, raw
ening sharks gathered from unknown
| distances, Scenting blood, and all the
countless tribes of ocean waited
| aghast. But after the first red fury
had passed came the wariness, came
the fruitage of all those years of train
ing, all the accumulated instincts of
ages to supplement blind brutal force
with deep-laid schemes of attack and
defence. AS yet the three survivors
were but slightly injured, for they
had so divided their attack, even in
that first great onset, that the old
warrior could not safely single out
one for destruction. Now the young
est, the spokesman, glided to the
front of his brethren and faced his
waiting sire:
What! so soon weary? Thou art
older than we thought. Truly, this
battle hath been delayed too long. We
looked for fight that should be re-
membered for many generations, and
beholu-" Out of the corner of his
eye he saw the foam circles rise as the
vast tail of the chief curved inward
for the spring, and he, the scorner,
| launched himself backwards a nun
| dred fathoms at a bound. After him,
| leaping like any salmon in a spate,
came the terrible old warrier, the smit-
| ten waves boiling around him as he
| dashed them aside in his tremendous
| pursuit But herein the pursued had
the advantage, for it is a popularity
| of the sperm whale that, while he
| cannot see before him. his best arc of
! vision is right astern. So that the
| pursuer must needs be guided by
| sound and the feel of the water, and
Inc very vigor of his chase was telling
far more upon his vast bulk than up
on the lither form of his flying enc
| my.
In this matter the monarch's wis
| dom was of no avail, for experience
could not tell him how advancing age
| handicaps the strongest, and he Won
dered to find numbness creeping
along his spine-to feel that he was
| growing weary. And suddenly, with
an eel-llke movement, the pursued
one described a circle beneath the
water, rising swiftly, as a dolphin
| springs towards his pursuer, and DASH
ing at the dangling, cleaning jaw.
These two great jaws met in clashing
contest, breaking off dozen or so Of
|
ten feet of the gristly muscle from
the throat of the aggressor. But hard
ly had they swung clear of each other
than the other two We're fresh upon
the scene, and while the youngest one
rested, they effectually combined to
| prevent their st-weakening foe from
| rising to breathe. No need now for
them to do more, for the late enor-
nous expenditure of force had so
drained his vast body of its prime ne
cessity that the issue of the fight was
but question of minutes.
Yet he still fought gallantly, though
with lungs utterly empty-all the
rushing torrent of his blood growing
fetid for lack of vitalizing air. At
last, with roar as of a cyclone
through his head, he turned on his
side and yielded to his triumphant
conquerors, who drew off and allowed