The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-22
THEY SAW THE WHALE.
BY A VIRGINIA LADY.

We had a fine view from the window
of the hotel dining room of the little cove
closed In by the picturesque cliffs, which
give La F'olla, Cal, its name. On sun
day afternoon we observed whale spout
ing as it swan towards the entrance OF
the little bay Several, to whom whales
swimming In deep water were a common
Sight were satisfied with a glance at IT.,
but as had never seen whale, near or
far, watched the monster fish until she
moved off too far for me even to dls-
tinguish the spoutlng. There was talk
among the natives of La Folla of Its be-
ing quite unusual TO see whale IN such
low water, ! had no opinion TO give.
being wholly unacquainted with the habits
of whales. at noon on Sunday we again
noticed our whale,.- only where she had
been moving In wide circles. and APP
parentty swimming rapidly, she was now
very quiet. scarcely moving at all. Some
declared the mystery was accounted for
that It was wounded whale come into
the low water to die, or to recover II
possible. Then the cry arose that there
were two whales, and as ! stood looking
at the large black object looking almost
like bit Of wreckage. SO quiet 1t lay,
saw that as It spouted, a smaller spout
arose from quite near It's side. We fire.
quently during the afternoon, could OBJ
serve the two black backs, and the two
again. but they we're quite too lar or
for us to make any comparisons as 70
sizes, Early Monday morning. that IS,
between six and seven, went 10 our
beach for a dip before breakfast. a
flight OF wooden stairs led from the CHI
10 the beach below, and usually the tide
Is very low at that hour. SO It was TINS
morning, the little waves just gently lap
ping In, and the barrel. which served as
float seemed scarcely twenty feet from
the shore. AS reached the head of the
stairs looked out and beheld the whale,
stretched her full length almost halfway
out tho water, not sixty feet from our
doat She was lying very still and looked
almost like the hull of some large vessel
10 still she was and black and long.
then observed much smaller whale
sporting near her head, swimming round
and round, and spouting frequently. as
II he wished her 10 wake up Either he
succeeded or the noise OF the ba,hers,
who had come in numbers by this time,
awoke her. for she moved off, throwing up
great Jets Of water as she went. She
swan into the little cove and all during
the morning she was an object OF great
interest to quite crowd collected on the
cliffs, where we could almost look down
upon her back Apd what back II was!
Black and shiny, and covered with bar
nacles. and to me II seemed all OF thirty
feet broad II not more. The young one
kept himself more under the water than
his mother. for such we surmised the re-
lation ship TO be, hut when either spouted
II sounded as II gigantic breakers dashed
against the cliffs and caves, Once | sa W
the large whale raise a mn. an enormous
shiny erection, OF vivid white on ons
side, and fairly covered wit" barnacles
on the other, a naturalist, who VIII
camera and field glasses was studying the
monster. judged her to be about sevent,
feet long. There was great excitement
amongst the La Fola fishermen, and
much discussion as to the possibility o.
killing the whale. They would have, Of
course, made tidy sum from the oil. be-
sides a reward Of some two hundred dol
lars offered for every whale heached
was in a state Of great irdlgnario L
think they should even try to slay The
mother or the baby. for no artificial pa
Eeant connected by man ever created hal
TIE interest that did this monster Esf
playing naturally with her young one, II
.t,ur low waters ] wonder why it's "
man 10 wish to XIII everything that Il
unusual or interesting or picturesque, for
ever depriying US OF harmless creatures
who add much TO our landscapes. How
ever. TO my great Joy, this was know
Ing mothsr ] sometimes think she over