The Cairo bulletin., 1904-03-30

e.
passed to the Bertha Alilncr, the junk
put out its sweep, and to a wailing
eldritch chanting the schooner was
lowed out Of the bay.
II wonder what Charlie and our
China boys will think Of thisE" said
Wilbur. looking shorcward, whore the
descrters could be seen gathered to-
gether in silent, observing group.
We're well shut Of them" groWlcd
Moran, her thumbs in her belt, "Only
now wen never know what was the
matter with the schooner these last
few nights. "IIoh" she exclaimed I'M
der her breath, her scuw thickenng.
Sometimes / don't wonder the beasts
cut"
The dead whale was lying four miles
out Of the entrance Of Magdllena bay,
and as the junk and the schooner drew
near seemed like a hugo black boat
floating bottom up. over it and upon
it swarmed and clamorcd thousands Of
sea birds, Willie Mi around ana below
the water was thick with gorging
sharks. 4 dreadful, strangling decay
fouled al the air.
The whale was sperm whale and
fully twice the length Of the Bertha
Millner The work Of tricIng him up
occupied the beachcombers throughout
the entire day 1t was out Of the quoS.
ton TO keep them off the schooner, ana
Wilbur and Moran were too wise to
try. They swarmed the forward deck
and rigging like a plague Of mclean
monkeys, climbing with an agility and
nimbleueSs that made Wilbur sick att
his stomach. They were unlike any
Cinnamon be had ever seen hideous
to a degree that he had imagined i'm
possible in human being On two 0c-
customs q fight developed. and in an
instant the little hatchets were FASH
inc like the flash Of a snakes fangs
Toward the end Of the day one Of
them returned to She junk screaming
like stuck pig, bit Of his chin Bit
ten off.
Moran aud Wilbur kent to The quar-
ter deck. always within reach Of the
huge cutting-in spades but the Chi
nese beachcombcrs we're too clatcd
over their prize to pay them much at
tenti0n
And indeed the dead monster proved
a veritab'c treasure troye By the end
Of the day he had been triccd up to the
foremost aud all hands. straining at
The windlass, had raised the mighty
head out Of the water. The Cinnamon
descended upon the smooth, black
body, their bare feet sliding and slip
ping at every step. They held on ny
iabbiug their knives into The hide rs
glacier climbers DO their ice picks. The
head yielded barrel after barrel Of oil
ana n fair quantity Of bone The
blnhber was taken aboard the junk,
minced up with hatchcts and run into
casks
Last Of all. g Chinaman cut q hole
through the ease" and actually de-
scending into the inside Of the head,
stripped away the spcrmaccti. clear as
crystal. and packed il into buckets,
which were hauled up on the iunk's
deck. Tie work occupied some two or
three days During this time the Ber-
Tim Millnc7 was kceled over 10 nearly
twenty degrees by the weight Of the
dead monster However neither VIII
bur nor Moran made protest The
Chinamcu would DO as they pleased.
That was said and signed. And they
lid not release the schooner until the
whale had been cmptied Of oil ana
blubbcr. 9pcrmlceti and bone
At length, on the afternoon Of the
third day, the captain OF the junk,
whosc name was lIoang. presented
himself upon the quarter dccil He
was naked to the waist, ana his bare
brown torso was cleaning with oil
and sweat. His cue was coilcd like
snake around his neck, his hatchet
thrust into bis belt.