The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-11-08

thhuDeft anu all the wiz sea hdhked
In his beams with a million, million
smiles Save the sea and the sun and
the sky, there was nought apparently
existing-it might we'll have been the
birthday of Light. The one prevail
ing characteristic of the scene to a
human eye, had one been there to see,
was peace-perfect, stainless peace
Yet beneath that sea Of smiling, placid
beauty a war of intending ferocity
was being waged, truceless, merciless;
for unto the vlctors belonged the
spoils, and without them they must |
perish-there was none other food to
be gotten
But besides all this ruthless war |
fare, carried on inevitably, because |
without It all must die of hunger |
there were other causes of conflict, |
matters Of high policy and more In
tricate motive than just the blind, ALE
compelling pressure of hunger. The
glowing surface of that morning sea !
was suddenly disturbed simultaneous !
ly at many points, and like ascending
incense the bushy breathings of some
scores of whales became visible. Per-
fectly at their ease, since their in
8tincts assured them that from this
silent sea their only enemy was alb
sent, they lay in unstudled grace
about the sparkling waters, the cows
and youngsters frivoling happily to-
gether in perfect freedom from care
Hitler they had come from one Of
their richest feeding grounds, where
all had laid in a stock of energy suf-
fcient to carry them half around the
globe without WEAKNESS. So they
we're fat with a great richness, strong
with incalculable strength, and be-
cause of these things they were now
about to settle most momentous
question.
Apart from the main gathering Of
females and calves by the space Of
about mile lay five individuals, who
from their enormous superiority in
size, no less than the staid gravity
of their demeanor, were evidently the
adult males of the school, They lay
almost motionless in the figure of q
baseless triangle, whereof the apex
was magnificent bull over 70 feet
in length, with back like some keel
less ship, bottom up, and head huge
and square as a railway car He it
was who first broke the stiffness that
regned
Slowly raising his awful front with
its down-hanging 20-foot lower jaw
exposing two cleaning rows Of curved
teeth he said:
Children, ye have chosen the time
and the place for your impeachment
of my oyer-lordship, and I am ready.
Well I wot that We do but as our
Changeless laws decree; that the choice
of your actions rest not with your
selves; that although We feel lords
Of yourselves and Qesirous of ruling
all your fellows, it is but under the
compelling pressure Of our hereditary
instincts. Yet remember, l pray you,
before We combine to drive me from
among We, for how many generations
have led the school, how wisely I
have chosen our paths, so that we are
still an unbroken family, as we have
been for more than a hundred sea-
sons. And if we must bring your
powers to test now, remember, too
that l am no weakling, no dotard
weary Of rule, but mightiest among
all our people, conquerer in more than
thousand battles, wise with the ac-
cumulated knowledge Of a hundred
generations of monarchy. Certainly
the day of my displacement must
come; who should know that better
than /? But methinks it has not vel
dawned, and l would not have w
lightly pit your immature strength
against mine, counting inevitable de
struction. Ponder well my words, fol
] have spoken"
A solemn hush ensued, just empha
sized by the slumbrous sound of III
sparkling wavelets tapping thos
mighty forms as they lay all motion
less and apparently inert. Yet it hat
been easy to see that along each has
tion-like flank the rolling tendons
each one cable in itself, were tens
md ready for instantaneous action
that the great muscle mounds wer
hardened around the gigantic masse
Of bone, and that the flukes, each som
hundred feet in area, did not yield t
the heaving bosom of the swell, Lu
showed an almost imperceptible vi
bration as of a fucus frond in a It'd