The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-30

lounged painting and half-naked about the
little Spanish steamers decks all day, had
dropped towards evening. and the two
English passengers desired me TO keep
my promise of taking them fishing. This
accounted for our presence on board her
gig, which lay heaving inside reef on
the coast of Teneriffe in the Canaries
There is ten thousand feet of water around
that island. and occasionally portions Oh
curious and gigantic creatures, which nave
probably persisted in mortal COMBAT iar
down in the icy depths, are washed up on
it's coal-black beaches. Also Enthusiastically
colored fishes haunt the shore shadows
and the English medical tourist desired
to capture specimens. / afforded him some
pleasure by obtaining one six-inch creature
with a thorn in its head, prick from which
may result in death, according 10 the span
iard's story. and another vermilhon-tinteo
thing shaped like a sword-blade, but other
wise no great luck had attended our fish,
ing.
The great white peak lowered above
fieecy mist twelve thousand feet overhead,
tremendous crags rose over our starpoard
hand. and close ahead the blue Atlantic
Inside 1t lay clear, smooth water. and we
could see the hideous shape OF an octopus
gorging itself upon fish offall perhaps TWO
fathoms beneath our keel. There are pups
of all sizes in these waters, and spanish
fishers say a large one will on opportunity
drag down any incautious wader venturing
near it's lair. From the uncovered portion
of the reef rose low whistling, which
showed that another of the long-armeu
brutes lay half-dry, basking.
1.-THE very sight of that creature set my
ear drums quivering," said one tourist
"Hallo 1t seems scared now, and here's
a thing like a serpent coming"
After seeing many 1 could never look
upon an octopus without sense OF nausea
myself, and the small bag-like body and
mass of wriggling tentacles was not pretty
as it sidled toward the fairy weed which
draped the steep rock wall. Then streak
of black and yellow Glove the sea, and
said, 'That is a mornea eel, as fierce as
tiger; you will see fight worth watching.
AN AQUATIC BATTLE.
The pulp was not fast enough, for its
beautiful slender enemy, some four feet
long, we guessed, hurled itself upon 1t
like lance, though eight long snaky arms
wound around and enveloped IL. 1 knew
that if their rows of thorn-armed suckers
once closed on human flesh nothing short
of tearing them apart piecemeal would ex-
tricate their victim, but presumably the
cells skin afforded poorer hold, for during
a few seconds one could see the moreno,
tearing at the flacid sack of body. Then
as it backed clear with something in its
laws the water grew foul with stirred up
sand or the tint some pulps eject, l do not
think altogether voluntarily, in the grip
of an enemy. The tide cleared it a little,
and one watcher said, THAT thing is
enough to give one a nightmare, but the
eel is going in again"
We had another brief and nauseating
vision of swaying, twining tentacles and
darting eel, then the brine grew cloudy,
and the end of the struggle was hidden.
Everything in the ocean kills and is killed
i'm turn" said the doctor. Now can't you
catch us some of those edible cuttlefsh,
or anything else out of the common?''
| consulted with the bare-footed quar-
ter master, Miguel, and we moved the boat
TO where a great black gully had been
rent out of the sea bottom by volcanic fire.
Though the brine was clear crystal, the
eve could not gauge its depths, and our
anchor went down and down, taking with it
almost the last fathom Of line. Vitrified
rocks blood red and black as ebony, hem
med the pit in, and because the cuttlefish
bite at night we waited with some antici-
patton for moonlight, to see what a cast
into its depths might bring. Night comes
suddenly whereabouts, but while we waited
/ translated Miguers tables of man-eating
pulps, sharks which bit car blades off, and
the vision San Borondon gives to the mari
ner of a high blue island where the chart
shows only ten thousand feet of water.
The mirage, at least, has been seen by
many, and expeditions sailed from Spain TO
conquer it four centuries ago. Then the
moon rose out of the Atlantic, and it was
time to recommence our fishing.
Stout lines were coupled, and, with a
heavy plummet, freely tallowed and gar
nished with curved spikes at the end of
each, whired down fathom by fathom. We
were also kept busy hauling them up with
small white cuttlefish. which are a marine
delicacy and coughed up brown ink all over
u.s. clinging thereto. The tourists did not
seem greatly pleased when informed that
calamar sepia can hardly be scrubbed out.
appointed" observed the doctor. Zone
really ought to fish up something striking
from such a hole as this. Ask your dusky