A FIGHT BETWEEN SEA MONSTERS.

New Zealand Mail, 3 December 1896, Page 69

A FIGHT BETWEEN SEA MONSTERS.

We were cruising in the Strait of Malacca, between the Nicobars and the Malay Peninsula, and had succeeded in killing a fullsized sperm whale. He had been a tough customer, needing all our energies to cope with him ; but a well-directed bomb closed the negotiations just before sunset. As usual, he had ejected the contents of his stomach before dying, and we specially noticed tbe immense size of some of the masses floating about. By common consent they were about as large as our hatch house, which measured G x G x 8 feet. I mu3t very distinctly state that these masses were not square, but irregularly shaped masses, bitten or torn off in blocks from the body of some gigantic squid. The whale was secured alongside, and all hands sent below for a good rest prior to commencing to “cut it” at daybreak. I had the watch from eight bells to midnight, and at about 11 p.m, was leaning over the lea rail, idly gazing seaward, where the rising moon was making a broad lane of silvery light upon the smooth, dark waters. Presently there was a commotion in the sea, right in the way of the moon, and I immediately went for the night glasses to ascertain, if possible, the nature of it. In that neighbourhood there are several active volcanoes, and at first I judged the present disturbance to be one of these sending up debris from the sea bed. A very short examination satisfied me that the trouble, whatever it might be, was not of volcanic or seismic origin. I called tbe captain, as in duty bound, but he was indisposed to turn out for anything short of actual danger; so the watch and I had the sight to ourselves. We edged away a little under the light draught of wind, so as to draw nearer to the scene, and presently were able to realise its full significance. A very large sperm whale was engaged in deadly conflict with a monstrous squid, whose farreaching tentacles enveloped the whale’s whole body. The livid whiteness of those writhing arms, which enlaced the caehelot like a nest of mighty serpents, stood out in bold relief against the black boulderlike head of the aggressor. Presently the whale raised itself half out of the water, and we plainly saw the awful-looking head of the gigantic

mollusc. At our distance—something under d mile—it appeared about the size of one of oiir largest oil casks, which held 336 gallons. Like the rest of the caimar visible, it was of a peculiar; dead white, and in it gleamed two eyes of inky blackness, about a foot ih diameter.

To describe the wonderful contortions of those two monsters, locked in a deadly embrace, is far beyond my powers, but it was a never-to-be-forgotten sight. The utter absence of all sound, for we were not near enough to hear the turmoil of the troubled sea, was net the least remarkable feature of this time Titanic encounter. All around the combatants, too, were either smaller whales or immense sharks, who were evidently assisting in the destruction of the great squid, and getting a full share of the feast. As we looked spellbound we saw the writhings gradually cease and the encircling tentacles gradually slip ofE the whale’s body, which seemed to float unusually high. At last all was over, and the whole commotion had completely subsided, leaving no trace behind but an intensely strong odour as of a rocky coast at low tide in the full blaze of the sun. Since that night I have never had a doubt either as to the origin of all sea serpent stories or the authenticity of the old Norse legends of the kraken ; for who could blame a seaman witnessing such a sight, and all unaccustomed to the close observation of whales, for reporting some fearsome monster with horrent mane and floating “ many a rood ?”