The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-05-25

of the tioers' claws on the deck in constant
effort to keep their footing. Icould not CON-
prebend this hesitation. Why did they not
devour me at once. l would gladly have ex-
changed places with Sisyphus or lxion.
The sky was now black. Then a binding
flash of lightning blazed along the sky, and
following in close succession almost stimuli
taneously it seemed came peal after peal OF
echong thunder. As its last hoarse reverber
ations died away in the augmented roar OF the
angry waves turned my eyes upon the tigers.
Right before me they crouched whimperlng
and shivering with unreasoning, unrestralna
Bile fear. Their fury had been cooled by the
rising storm and the clashng of the thunder
bolts as they smote the clouds. Their thirst
for life had vanished in fear lest they them
selves be the victims of Death, and |, who had
expected to be torn to pieces by their savage
claws, raised my eyes to heaven-a great nope
had sprung up within my heart
In the unchecked violence of the ocean the
vessel trembled like an OK beneath the prlestly
axe. and the amplitude of the sky was bowed
with the storm and overcast with murky
clouds. Lower and lower erouched the tigers
in abieet terror. The rain rushing from heaven
lashed the sea with whips of fame. The sea
roared its wrath and the white capped billows
hurled themselves against the sides OF the
bireme. Another fash of lightning dazzled
nv eyes while | stood waiting | knew not
what A shock along the mast followed and
the ropes which bound my hands fell from me
like withes of straw. | was free. Not long
did it sake me to unloose the bonds which
fastened me to the mast, and in confidence
waited the end. 1t was not long in coming.
A glare of lght-an electric crash athwart the
reeling deck-an instant dissolution OF the
bireme-a gulf OF waters-a valley surrounded
by lofty mountains, sucking down INTO It's
whrIing vortex ship, tigers and myself
Though slightly stunned by the concussion
| struck out Immediately for the surface, and
on rising above the waves found myself near
a plank from the wreck, which | laid hold of
quickly. The tigers were struggling in the
water near Then a horror-a living horror
rose from the caves of the ocean. Its body
was shaped somewhat like human head, and
radiating from this body were eight long, slen-
der arms which reached hither and thither
with cnrving unduating movement. Aud
the touch of those teniacles was death. One
of these arms, which were dirty brownsh
white, waved near to one of the tigers. Both
snapped at it; though mindful of their disad-
vantage in being out of their element, they
still retained their native courage and dared
struggle for life. The two had an advantage
in their numbers, but the octopus fought in its
own element. Two of the arms flashed out OF
the sea and wrapped around one of the tigers.
In second the other was likewise grasped in
those dangerous folds and the 1.-THE yellow
bodies of the tigers were beheld in the en-
brace of the sea monster.
| have seen in the arena combats between
creatures of every conceivable kind. The
aurochs of the German forest and the lion OF
Nubia: the walrus of the far north and the
crocodile of Egypt, but never before had
seen combat like this either in the prowess
or the fury of the combatants. 1t was not
merely strife of individuals, it was species