The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-06-30
SEA SERPENT FLEES
FROM GREEN PARROT
MONSTER WAS ABOUT TO DINE
ON ONE OF BRITISH SHlP
STRATHPEY'S SAILORS.
POLLY YELLED EIGHT BELLS
Captain of Steamer Tells Thrilling
story of Adventure. The Big
Snake Bit OFF the Rudder of the
Rescue Boat and Disappeared.

STORY of Adventure. The hi:
Snake Bit OFF the Rudder of tn
Rescue Boat and Disappeared.
NEW YORK.-The captain OF th'
British freighter Strathspey, in por
from a 100 days voyage from Glas
gov to the far east via the Cape Z"
Good Hope and the SueZ canal II
New York, on which the first sea ser
pent of the season was sighted Oh
the coast of Borneo, told a thrilling
story of adventure to the Times.
A green Brazilian parrot called
Toxic" that can swear f1uently in
Portuguese but can only say Eight
bells" in English, was cited by the
crew as a witness to everything that
happened on the voyage. Out of the
Strathspey's complement of SO Off
GERS and men, Captain James said,
only were whites, the rest being
Chinese, Arabs and Lascars.
Off Port Natal, when Wing Kee, a
Chinese stoker, who was standing on
the combing of a hatch, fell back
wards into the hold and was killed,
the parrot saw him go and sung out
"eight bells" Wing KEGS tragic end
alarmed his shipmates in the stoke
hole so much that they told the cap
tain they could not work below be-
cause Wing KEGS ghost was down
there. This continued for three days
while the steamer practically drifted
around the Indian ocean.
Off Whampoa in the Canton river
one of the Chinese coolies working
the cargo was knocked on the head
by a heavy chain and instantly killed.
AS he fell off the side of the ship
Toxic, the parrot, saw him go and
shrieked "eight BELLS
Off the wild coast of BorneO one
Sunday morning Mohammed Singh,
an Arab sailor, fell overheard from
one of the boats he was cleaning.
The parrot was on deck with his
weather eye cooked, and his continu-
Gus calls of eight BELLS attracted
the attention of the officer on the
bridge, who stopped the ship and had
a boat lowered to rescue the sailor.
Singh, a powerful swimmer, was
nearing the lifeboat when a commo-
ton arose in his wake, and the crew
of the boat saw a great green sea
serpent raise its head several feet
above the waves, as if about to seize
the Arab sailor in its capacious nav.
Singh heard the noise and felt the
hot blast from the monsters lungs on
the back of his bronze neck. He
turned half around and then, with
cry of Allah Kerim," he made ire
mendous effort to reach the boat be-
fore the sea serpent could seize him.
The Arab sailors in the boat bent
their backs double on the oars and
gave a mighty pull, which enabled
Singh to be hauled inboard breath
less just as the serpent opened its
mouth to grab him. Finding he was
out of reach the snake bit the rudder
off the boat in its rage. Toxic, look
ing down from the rail, piped eight
bells" again as Chowder Loll, who
was steering at the time, fell in a
faint from fright. The boat was
steered back alongside the steamer
with one of the oars over the stern.
The sea serpent evidently had been
scared off by the parrot, for he was
seen in the distance steering due east
at the rate of so knots an hour.
After the Strathspey left Port Said
on June 18th for New York it was
noticed that James McMurry, chief
engineer, who was over so years old,
was very melancholy and walked
about the decks a good deal. He was
very fond of the parrot, and after
talking to him one morning, when
the steamer was off Malta, he jumped
overheard.
Toxic shrieked eight bells until
the chief officer heard him and saw
the chief engineers coat and vest
and cap by the rail. Then he real
lied what had happened.
THE COTTON CROP OF 1918
WAS WORTH 81, O43, 76O, 600