The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-05-17
ster. and il had wriggled with disas.

trous result when IL felt the stab.
Mighty foine island that" sasped
Gunner O'Flannagan as he rose.
spluttering. TO the surface. This is
100 much like whale huntin' TO please
me"
Right the boat and Chamber in.
spluttered the corporal. sharply.
Fortunately the sea was calm and
the men good swimmers. so that the
order was soon executed.
Once in the boat the men sat silent
and motionless, recovering their
breath and equanimity.
Presently the corporal spoke: II
fancy We were atop OF whale that
time"
We shall be inside him next" said
O Flanagan, suddenly. Look. Here
the spalpeen comes again,"
Sure enough the target was mov-
ing towards them, and ahead OF 1t
some vast brown mass could be seen
slowly approaching. Without oars
they had I'll been lost when the up
set occurred d-the boats crew sat
helpless. with bulging eyes, awaiting
whatever was in store for them. AS
sistance, however, was at hand. for
the whole exciting scene had been
witnessed with amazement from the
fort. and a boats crew. armed with
loaded carbines. were at once dis
patched to the rescue. The first thing
the men did was 10 recover their
comrades oars. This accomplished,
both parties-now mastering ten
men--went warily to work TO attack
the monster which had stolen their
target.
The unknown is frequently terri
BILE, and il was so in this case. All
that was certain was that the soldiers
were face 10 face with some gigantic
creature capable of Ipsetting a boat
laden with five big men, and achiev-
ing the feat without perceptible
effort.
Having recovered from their duck
! ing, the men of the boat first on the
/ scene pulled cautiously towards the
, target
AS soon as the blades Of the oars
/
rowlocks the target began to move
| the monster was scared, and was tow
/ ing il away. BY this time the men
suspected that they had to deal with
whale, but the long tow-rope. or
tail, or whatever il was, puzzled
! them. whoever saw a whale with
tail like ships hawser, twenty
/ yards long?" asked the corporal, in
! amazement.
Presently boat number two headed
( the fish, which turned tail at once,
= dragging the target with it at in
/ creased speed.
Fire, number two" shouted the
s"rgeant-maior and in a ragged vol
/ ley the carbines exploded. Then up
. in the air went something that looked
/ ior all the world like a colossal foun-
der. With a report like a big gun it
came down flop on the water, sending
/ the spray flying yards high. A huge
/ commotion followed, the creature
! churning up the water and whirling
! the target about this way and that, TO
! the no little peril of men and boats.
/ Another volley, however, gave the
! monster its quietus, and it lay still so
! that the men in the boats and the ma
/ tives who had now assembled in their
! Catamarans We're able TO make a
/ closer inspection. On examination
/ the enemy turned ont to be gigantic
4 sunfish. or species of great sting
/ ray. It's tail had got entangled in the
/ target tackles, and it had towed the
whole structure away with it. Hence
/ the silencing of the battery gun and
/ the chagrin Of Putting Billy"
The gunners, however, took It all
as huge joke. The fish was certain
/ ly a monster. Twenty-one men, my
self among the number, stood-as
easily as the Shiny nature of the
creature would allow-on its back,
and when the carcass was ultimately
sold TO the natives two boats crews
were the richer by several rupees
apiece The Wide World Magazine.