The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-24

point of the old harpoon between a
small opening in the jaws of the ang-
Ter. Taking hold of the other end he
| tried to pry the mouth open.
For a time the fish held his jaws
tightly clenched. but Willie bore all
his weight on the other end of the har-
pooh and the mouth had to open or
| be badly torn. So the huge Jaws open
ed. AS they parted out sprang Woo
| Wang, while with a saucy wag of his
| tail and his imitation flag poles the
| fish moved away.
Willie was trembling very much and
| Woo wore an anxious look, but it was
only for a short time.
| MY" said Woo, at the same time
| stretching himself and feeling to see
| that he was not half eaten, that was
| a mighty close shave. If you hadn't
| been here the fish would have gotten
| the best of me. Even as it is 1 feel
| pretty sore after being almost crushed
| in that mouth. 2"
| Were you frightened" asked Will
| lie.
81 didn't have time to get frighten
| ed replied the other, Il was busy all
| the time kicking the fish inside his
| mouth. He tried to swallow me sew
| eral times but I caught his red gills
| and hung on so he couldn't make me
| slip, down into his stomach"
| my, but it was a funny experience,
wasn't it?" said Willie.
| II don't call it funny" replied Woo
| Wang. 1T was a very serious matter
! for me. l can tell you. But airs we'll
that ends WE'LL
| And, chatting thus, the youngsters
wandered along, gradually reaching
| deeper water, and all the time meet
ing with prettier and bigger fishes.
| Willie noticed that the deeDer the
water became the less light they had
| and Woo explained that it was because
| light can only penetrate so deep into
| the water, and that away out in mid
ocean, where the water is sometimes
| five miles deep, there are fishes which
| carry electric lights to enable them TO
see while they are prowling around on
the bottom of the ocean.
''You are all right. Woo said VIII
lie, in a kind of a doubling tone. DO
you really expect me to believe thing
like that? The idea of a fish carrying
around an electric light"
But they do said Woo, who then
| explained as best he could how these
| fish are naturally electric the same as
| are fireflies, electric when used in this
sense meaning phosphorescent. The
fish are able at will to make this phos-
| phorescent glow.
1t took Willie some time to convince
his companion that he was telling the
truth, and Woo finally had to promise
to show one of the fishes some time to
| prove his words.
All this time Willie was looking in
every direction, for he did not want to
| miss anything. Gazing upward he
| could see the rays of the sun shining
| down through the water and appearing
like shower of gold. AS he stood
watching the beautiful sight it sud
denly became quite dark, and he i'm
agined he could see something moving
ever his head. Woo also glanced up
ward and then asked:
Say, Willie, how would you like to
take a long rider
His friend from Treetown was puz-
zled.' II wouldn't object he replied,
hut 1 don't see any trolley car or To-
connective, neither do l see a boat"
mo? But you do see something big
over our heads?'
"Of course I do. and I also know 1t
is making this part of the sea rather
dark. What is it?'
ut is a whale; A real sperm whale,
and big one at that. I've a good no.
tion to take you on him for long
ride"
Willie was so pleased that he actually
began to dance around on the sand.
|
quick"
No sooner had he made this remark
than he lost the heaviness which had
all this time kept him down in the
water, and as he grew lighter he be-
gan to rise to the surface of the ocean.
| Reaching there he popped out of the
water and into the air much as does
a loose cork in a soda water bottle.
He came back to the water and found
himself swimming by the side of what
looked like great black wall of leath-
er. Woo Wang was also there, and
they began at once to climb up the
wall, which Willie then knew was the
side of a big whale
Half a dozen times Willie slipped
down into the water, and Woo laugh
ed.
Keep it up said he. "and you Will
get there after a while"
The boy did keep it up. and soon
was standing on the back of the big
gest animal to be found in the whole
world. He sat down and gazed upon
the scene. AS far as. he could see
there was nothing except water. He
could not even see the head nor tail
of the whale, for both were under the
waves. Woo said the big creature was
taking a little nap. and they could
in the meantime imagine they were
| wrecked sailors on a desert island, with
| nothing TO eat and not a. sail in sight.
Willie at once began TO look around
for a sail. and discovered a thin and
hazy line In the distance. Woo told
him this was the land they had left.
II was evidently many miles away.
but as Woo only smiled when Willie
asked how they had Travelled so far
In such a short time, he made no fur
Their inquiries on the subject.
Growing tired Of waiting for the
whale TO awake tho boys danced a lit
tie Jig and stomped their feet on his
back. but this did not interfere with
the creatures nap. So Willie again
pulled out his knife and began cutting
his initials IN the thick skin.
What. IIo. She blowsl" yelled Woo.
what. Ho, what blOws2" asked
the boy. who had never read much
about sailors and their ways and 80
didn't know what Woo meant.
"rhc whale" called Woo excitedly,
"Whew. watch him blow" and ne
pointed 20 Or 20 feet ahead, where two
columns of water were streaming into
the air
Hold hard again called Woo.
Willie aidnt zee q thing on which
-. hepg 81 aqlei epi be ele ne best