Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-09-18
SEA sERPENTs.
They Exist, but Not the Monsters OF
the Forecastlc Yarn.
written for Tnx AxnRIcAs by Capt. r. g. r
CnndAge.l

I have frequently been asked IL ever
saw seq serpent, and have replied: ayes.
hundredsi" have seen many on the
coast OF India, in the Bay OF Bengal, and
in the China and Java seas, Of one to
three or four feet in length, but not
the gigantic sea serpents Of the story
books. That kind, in my cruising about
the world, never saw, and doubt II any
one else ever did.
Many years ago imagined that saw one
in the Straits OF Florida, fifty or sixty feet
in length, with head and name reared above
the water. propelled by wriggiing along
apparently at the rate OF i've or six miles
an hour. He was . distance away from
our ship. My Imagination pictured the
real live sea serpent had longed to see, 80
the better to observe him, went up the
mizxen rigging. where, to my disgust, l
found it was . floating tree. Its roots
gave the appearance OF = serpent's head
and name, and the seas ripling along the
tapering trunk that Of the wriggiing mo-
ton. was greatly disappointed, and
since then, by long experience at go, have
been on-belicvcr in the great sea ser
pent.
or the smaller kind have seen hum
dreds, perhaps Thousands, in the localities
already named, some OF them . hundred
leagues or more from land. Horsburg, in
his EAST India Directory, describes
them upon the approach 70 Bombay, ~
follows:
II . lookout be kept they viii be seen n
the edge Of soundings, small at nrst, but
growing larger and larger ~ the coast Is ap-
proachcd.
That found to be true on two voyages
made to Bombay, in the southwest mon
soon, when observations Of the sun could
not BE- had, AND they showed quite clearly
my ships position.
Many years ago was first oflicer OF the
clipper ship Wizard, bound from Canton
to New York, and had reached the Jaws
sea where sea snakes were plentiful about
our ship. The captain and were walk
ing the poop in the dog watch when our
attention was directed to . fiishhawk
which swooped down alongside, caught .
snake in its talons and scared aloft di-
rcctiy over the ship. The snake squirmed
and twisted, got turn round the hawks
neck, choked It and caused 1t to drop
his prey, which fell directly into the me-
gro cooks dish-tub as he sat washing his
supper dishes At the galley door. The old
cook rose in fright, seized billet Of wood
and killed the snake.
The captain and l, having witnessed the
performance, walked along to the
galley to examine the snake,
which was SONS three feet in
length, OF brownish color and dirty
yellow ON the belly, As they all are. Their
bite is said to be very poisonous, and ma
tives bitten by them when in bathing arc
said usually to die from the effect OF the
poison.
said to the cook: doctor, that snake
falling into your dish-tub gave you
fright, didn't he?''
''Oh, no sar," said he, sit takes MORN
one snake to scare dis Niger. When
was in de Honqua in des parts, dered be a
dozen snakes like dat on deck cherry morn
in, dat crawled frew de hosspipes in de
night"
The old cook had been nearly frightened
out OF his boots, as we had seen, but was
brave as lion when the snake was dead
For ''snake liar" we thought him enti-
tied to the prize.