Year: 1871

Many stories have been told of the
Cutie fish, or the Krakeu as the Danes
call it, but the following evidence Of
sailor is somewhat strong. Captain John
Magnus Dens, Danish sailor OF high
character and es abIished uprightDess,
dcposed that, after having made several
voyages to China in the service of the
Gottcuburg Company, he had once found
himself becaImed in the fifteenth degree
OF south latitude, at some distance from
the coast Of Africa, abreast of st. Helena
and Cape Nigra. Taking advantage Of
his forced inactivity, he had determined
to have his ship cleaned aud scrubbed
thoroughly, and for that purpose few
plauks were suspended on the side of
the vessel, on which the sailors could
stand while scraping and calking the
ship. They were busy with their work,
when suddenly an anchortroll--so the
Danes call the animal-rose from the
sea, threw Que Of its arms round two Of
the men, tore them with a jerk from the
scaffOding, and sank out Of sight in
moment. Another ieeler appeared, how.
ever, and tried to grasp sailor who
was in the act of ascending the mast;
fortunately the man could hold GU to
the rigging, aud as the long ieeler be-
came entangled in the ropes, he was
enabled to escape, though not without
uttering most fearful cries. These
brought the whole crew to his assist
ance; they quickly snatched up har-
poons, cutlasses, aud whatever they
could lay hands GU, and threw them at
the body Of the animal, while others
set to work cutting the gigantic feeler
to pieces and carrying the poor mnu to
his berth, who had swooned from fright


The monster, with FIVE harpoons thrust
deep into its quivering flesh. aud hold
ing the two men still in its huge arms,
endeavored to sink; but the crew, en-
couraged by their captain, did their
utmost 10 hold on TO the lines TO which
the harpoons were fastened. Their
strength was, however, not sufficient TO
struggle with the marine giant, and all
they could do was to make fast the lines
to the ship, aud to wait till the forces Of
the enemy should be exhausted. -Four
of the ropes snapped one after the other,
like mere threads, and the harpoon Of
The fifth tore out of the body of the
monster with such violence that the
ship was shaken from end to end; thus
the animal escaped, with its two vic
tins. The whole crew remained over
come with amazemeDt; they had heard
of these monsters, but never believed
in their existence; and here, before
their eyes, two of their comrades had
been torn from their side, and the third,
overcome with fright, died the same
same night in delirium. The feeler
which had been separated from the body
remained on board as au evidence that
the whole had not been frightful
dream; 1t measured at the base as many
inches us their mizzen mast, was still
twenty-five feet long and at the pointed
end provided with humber Of suckers,
each us large as spoon. Its full size
must have been far greater, however, as
only part of it had been cut of, the
animal never even raising its head above
the surface. The captain. who had
Witnessed the whole scene, and himself
thrown one Of the harpoons, ever after
ward considered this encounter the most
remarkable event Of his cbeckercd life,
aud calnay asserted the existence Of
the kraken. - hF