The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-11-23

THE FALL OF A SEA- MONARCH.

By FRANK T. BUILEN.

Glorious in all his splendid majesty,
the great sun issued forth of his
chamber, and all the wild sea basked
in his beams with a million, million
smiles. Save the sea and the sun and
the sky, there was nought apparently
existing-it might well 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 unending ferocity
was being waged, truceless, merciless;
for unto the victors belonged the
spoils, and without them they must
perish-there was none other food to
be gotten.
But besides all this ruthless war
rare, 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, all
compelling pressure of hunger The
glowing surface CT 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
stincts assured them that from this
silent sea their only enemy was alb
sent, they lay in unstudied grace
about the sparkling waters, the cows
and youngsters frivoling happily to-
gether in perfect freedom from care.
Hither they had come from one of
their richest feeding grounds, where
all had laid in q stock of energy suf
fcient to carry them half around the
globe without WEAKNESS. So they
were fat with a great richness, strong
with incalculabIe strength, and be-
cause of these things they were now
about to settle N 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 a
baseless triangle, whereof the apex
was magnificent bull over 70 feet
in length, with back like some keel
less ship, bottom up, and a head huge
and square as q railway car He it
was who first broke the stiffness that
.reigned.
4 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 over-lordship, and l am ready.
Well ] 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 aesirous of ruling
all your fellows, 1t is but under The
compelling pressure of our hereditary
instincts. Yet remember, l pray you
before ye 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 moro than a hundred sea-
sons. And IL ye must bring your
powers to test now, remember, too,
that | am nc weakling, no dotard
weary of rule, but mightiest among
all our people, conqucrer in more than
thousand battles, wise with the &C
cumulated knowledge of a hundred
generations of monarchy. Certainly
the day of my displacement must
come; who should know that better
than L? But methinks it has not yet
dawned, and | would not have We
lightly pit your immature strength
against mine, counting inevitable de-
struction. Ponder well my words, fer
/ have spoken"
A solemn hush ensued, just empha-
sized by the slumbrous sound Of he
sparkling wavelets tapping those
mighty forms as they lay all motion
less and apparently inert. Yet it had
been easy to see that along each bas-
tion-like flank the rolling tendons,
each one cable in itself, were tense
and ready for instantaneous action,
that the great muscle mounds were
hardened around the gigantic masses
Of bone, and that the f1ukes, each some
hundred feet in area, did not yield to
the heaving bosom of the swell, but
showed an almost imperceptibIe vi
bration as of fucus frond in tide
rip. After perfect silence of some
Is minutes an answer came-from the
youngest of the grofp, who lay re-
mote from the chief:
I'VE have heard, o king, the words
OF wisdom and our hearts rejoice.
Truly we have been of the fortunate
IN this goodly realm, and ingrates in
deed should we be had our training
under so terrible a champion been
wasted upon us. But therefore it IS
that we would forestall the shame
that should overtake us did we wait
until thy force had waned and that
all-conquering might had dwindIad
into dotage ere we essayed to mt tbv
teaching into practice. Since thy dan |
osition from this proud place must he
to whose forces couldst thou more
honorably yield than to ours. the |
young warriors who have learned of
thee all we know. and who will carry
on the magnificent traditions thou hast |
handed down to us in a manner worthy
of our splendid sire. And il we he
slain, as well may be, remembering
with whom we do battle. the greater
our glory, the greater thine also"
A deep murmur like the bursting of
a tidal wave against the sea-worn