TALES OF ADVENTURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 47, 24 February 1923, Page 11

TALES OF ADVENTURE.

IN SEARCH OF OCTOPI.

(By OSWALT) SCHULZE.)

Vessels employed in the Island trade have what we call a water-glass. It ie eimply an oblong wooden box, say, twenty inches long, twelve wi*e and six inches high, with a glass bottom. With this box placed on the water it is possible to see the bottom of the sea in water from twelve to fifteen fathoms deep. It is almost an indispensable necessity on an Island trader, because our anchors frequently foul and with this waterglass we can trace the chain from 'her bows to her anchor. At first we heave up to the point where caught, pass an iron hoop round the chain with three or four candles of dynamite fastened to the buoys and so fused that the dynamite explodes simultaneously when reaching the anchor. The weight of the water increases the downward blow of the dynamite and as a rule clears the anchor. We are frequently becalmed in the tropics; it is very hot then and the sea ie like a sheet of glass and we are frequently surrounded by sharks. Sailors hate them and we exterminate them when ever we can. There are various ways of doing so; one which leaves no nasty smell "behind or Woodmarks on the paint is by putting half a stiok x>f dynamate with a long fuse into a piece of beeif convenient for a Shark to swallow. When thrown to him he will greedily swallow it, fuse and all; it is surprising how quick that shark will disappear, tlie- (blue sea will be clouded for a certain space with the fibrous substance of something, tout nobody could tell what it was originally. A simple and effective extermination! In the Islands there is no work done on Sundays —the natives are not permitted even to launch a canoe; if they do they are fined (rapidly becoming a thing of the past). We always try to avoid a Sunday at any of the out-lying islands, mostly open roadsteads, but if we can't, to break the" deadly monotony we do some boat sailing or fishing. On thie occasion we were destined to encounter something more exciting than mere fish. We left the ship early, about 1 p.m. I had the second mate, who was keen on sport, aiboard the boat, and two natives of the crew who were keen on fish, and myself, who was keen on anything. \V*e pulled up the coast a bit ■but saw nothing worth while; there were a few fish, but not sufficient to waste a stick of dynamite over. As we rowed along we came to a deep bay. Tfle invisible shore reef ran off a low sandy Ibeach for about thirty yards. Facing this reef from the boat it had the appearance of Shelving, which the waterglass speedily confirmed. We anchored. On former occasions I had noticed the natives on the various islands fishing for octopi, which is a highly-prized food for them, by laying wrth their canoes as close to the reef as convenient and using a fairly big hook baited with raw fish. The octopus they c-augM were generally email, the tentacles one to three feet long. I asked once of a native whether he had seen big ones. "Yes," he replied, "very big feller ho take him 'boy out of canoe along saltwater and kai-kai him; him very bad feller; mc no like." I bore this in mind when I started on this expedition. I had tojd the second mate of what I -was in quest of and whether he was game to follow. "Game!" this particular tar snorted and his upper lip curled, "-why, captain, that is the particular sport I have been looking for for years. You lead on, I'll follow." I told the two natives when the boat was anchored, and they were" highly pleased with the prospective combat. I hoped to find an octopus, of. what size I do n vt know, but I marshalled my forces to the 'best advantage. It wae arranged that the second mate should use a sharp hatchet and keep a large ~heath knife at his belt. Another hatchet and sheath knife was given one of the natives, who was a quick and alert chap, a many-ibarbed fish harpoon (like a trident) fell to the second native sailor who was intelligent but somewhat ponderous, and I kept my c double barreled breech-loading fowling piece loaded and handy. We had ascertained by means of the waterglass that we were <\longside of a large shelving reef in which would probably exist deeprecessed caves. The current kept the boat alongside the reef, which was no more than twelve feet off the (boat, and was covered with water, as it was half flood. Imitating the natives we baited a fairly strong hook and line and let it down. The second mate had the oCjservation post with the •waterglass; the rest of us eat there, a 'long as it seemed to us, in intense silence. At la*t the second mate whis.pered, "Captain. I see something moving. He has the bait and is coming." "Who?" I asked. "The octopus," said the mate. "Haul in, then," I cried, and expected a gigantic resistance. But nothing of the. sort happened, as the octopus made straight for the boat. In such an emergency it was arranged that everything would be dropped and everybody would stand by for the reception of the creature as it rose to the eurface. I had a good opportunity of taking in its dimensions as I stood on one of the thwarts of the boat, fowlingpiece in hand. This octopus must have had tentacles at least ten feet long and us thick as a boy's body at the base. It liad a body as bisr as a medium wash-t-.ub. itfut there were no distintniishin? features. Tt seemed to be all etomaeli and no mouth. The 'bait and hook seemed certainly to be embedded in this bndv. to wJiHi there anpeared to be no ononrn"-. But most terrifvirg feature of t'" , creature w a" > ta "?<"*■ A'v nnrrrvi'H- 'ar"i> r>o™p<»re'l wiHi the si»e of it« h-vl". i* loMcwl coll fishy. *oul--1?« p ai"' •'"■"-ii'iriirinc. Th» cime st'~\i2-lit f or tT>e V->t i>n.l wh»Ti withir' five or fiv feet of it. with inconceivable snee.l t'irew out. t'.vo of its Hnfbs. \vb>h missed t u e two men sitting Tie**- fclin jnw-110, fell on til" totW and «-V"i H as the tri-iV "f an eleibiTit wovM close a =ti<*l-. Wit , . eon"' T-nrnntit-'d" two rot" on h v, ' - ''"set" 1 "' , aid c'-<T>pp'l off t'-f two limb*. lenvir>"- deen cuts •n t'l" h~i->t. T!v t'vi riir» T ww f'nil- ,7side t'-<> sewi"! ir-ii*-> and i>'m« r t tTicV.! 1 " the ereatvre'= bndv with mv piece, 'et it have the biK-ksltot of two cartridges, and the man with the fishspear had pierced one of the next two ascending tentacles and emiM'not withdraw, as the creature ran'dlv sank. The whole of this s.?ene taok Pace in les* than fi" P minutes, and we were thnt astonished V» sit do«-n and said nothing- fr.- s while. T "-« * h e """t ti breiV the silence. "We , ]. Mr. B-own. you looked for an adventure. W«« it adventurous enousrh for <-oti what took place hist now?" "Lov>'v. ju=t lovely, captain." he replied, "let's look for another before it gets dark., > er 7

I well, let Uβ try, as there are three <hourg daylight yet." The natives simply said lele (very good). You cannot surprise a South Sea Island native. ' We pulled further into the ■bay. The natives were pulling while I steered, and the second mate had Ihis nose glued to the waterglass, look- \ ing for a likely spot. We had nearly j I pulled to the head of the 'bay When the ' second mate held his hand up. "Cap- , tain," he said, "thie seems a likely spot, j I can see a shelf and hollow space un- ! derneath it right along." I took the glass and found it was correct. We were in fairly shallow water then, but !we pulled still a little further in till ,we were in twelve feet of water and j anchored. We had to consider a new I method to deal with oetopi. We had j loet our iine and hook, also our fishj spear, a powerful weapon of defence against anything. We had to devise better means. "I have it," I suddenly cried. "We are in twelve feet of water. ' IWe have a large bait, a good deal of ■ I fuse and two sticks of dynamite. 1 pro-' ! pose to cut a fuse fifteen feet long for the twelve feet of water, and put the I dynamite into the 'bait and await our 1 change. The fuse k long enough to free us from the apprehension of hay- i ing our fingers blown off. We must ' pull at least twenty-five feet from this j spot, otherwise we may experience the ' ! surprise we are preparing for tihe octo- : pue." "An excellent plan, captain," ; ! said the second mate, "let us do it." i i While the 'boys and 1 prepared the bait j I kept the second mate at the watei- . j glass. We were barely ready when he i exclaimed a long-drawn "Oh!" "What is j it, Mr. Brown V 'There is a monster of an ; I octopus; he is half out of tfhe cave. I ; ; see him quite plain!" I looked through j the glass and could also plainly see him. !We rapidly lifted the »n<rhor, the natives took tie oars and put the stem of the (boat, approximately where I thought the monster lay. 'Standing in < the stern of th/ boat I held the ibait > and fuse while the second mate lit it. | Then I let it gently into the water and j pulled to safety and waited. We had ' not long to wart. A dull thud, an uo- j heaval of water and all was still. We I : pulled up to the spot, and sure enough | 1 there was one huge tentacle floating; a.bout amidst minor pieces. The octopus must have got right on top of the dyna- j mite and got blown to pieces. We hur- i ried back on beard, where our adven- j ' ture surprised the mate. After tea T < told the second mate to get the crew j and get the limb of the octopus on i board. "Captain." he said, "you should ; have told mc before they took it ashore : to the village and shared it out; it is j I probably consumed by this." I i ' I