The sea serpent. Attack and capture one of the species, thus putting
the question of its existence forever at rest.
It was in my tenth year of captivity that the following adventure
occurred to me, which is of such importance to the scientific world,
and settles forever such a disputed question, that I cannot forbear
to relate it here in the interest of science, and to set at rest all
doubts upon this subject forever.
I had started upon one of my trips to the pearl oyster reef in the
submarine boat, to obtain some of those bivalves, to convey to the
shore for examination. The day was beautiful, and the sky clear and
almost without a cloud, with a light air moving from the northwest. I
was standing out toward the reef from Perseverance Bay with the manhole
open, and all goat power on, when all at once, as I was gazing about
the horizon, I saw to leeward of me and off the eastern end of the
island, a strange commotion in the regular waves of the ocean. Some
animal or fish was evidently splashing the water about into the air
in huge quantities. At one time it looked as if the disturbance was
caused by porpoises disporting themselves in their native element,
and following their leader, in a long string; but I soon saw this
was not the case. At another moment it seemed as if a whole fleet of
empty barrels had been suddenly left bobbing about in mid-ocean, and
then again as if detached quantities of dry seaweed had been floated
seaward by the tide, and showed itself as it rose and fell upon the
summits of different waves. Whilst the object was taking all these
different shapes to my gazing eyes, I was steadily approaching it,
having changed the course of the boat, and as I advanced I found that
it also was coming towards me, and when within perhaps one half mile,
the creature (for it proved to be an animal), suddenly raised its head
at least twenty feet above the waves of the ocean, and looked about
him in every direction. At once the truth flashed upon me. Here was in
verity the sea serpent of which so much has been written and so much
doubted. There was no deception; all was too plain before me to deceive
a child: but, to prove the matter beyond doubt, I stopped the boat and
waited for his near approach. He happened to be heading so that he
would naturally pass very near to me, and I got ready to clap down the
manhole and descend into the ocean if he made any attack upon me. Just
as he was coming along finely towards me, he suddenly plunged beneath
the surface and was lost to view. Here was a pretty ending to all my
desires to observe him. He had not as yet come near enough for me to
describe him, so as to be believed. What should I do? I hated to lose
him in this manner, and I felt confident that he had sounded, not on
account of perceiving my boat, which he could have scarcely noticed,
but, because he was at that moment in the humor or was feeding. Whilst
I was uttering useless regrets at having lost him, and making up my
mind whether or not to descend myself and try to find him, I was
disturbed by a loud splash astern of where I was looking, and, facing
about, I looked into the eyes of the horrible creature, not forty yards
distant from me.
He did not, however, seem to notice me in the least, but to clap down
the manhole cover and descend was with me the work of a moment, for
I knew too little of his habits to trust him. I have perhaps before
in this narrative stated that, when beneath the surface of the water,
all fishes and animals seemed not to take the slightest notice of me;
either taking my boat for a submarine rock, or else for a creature
like themselves; why it was so, I, of course, cannot say, but that
such was the fact I can aver. I had often put my hand down into the
water upon the back of quite large fish, when beneath the surface,
and it was not till they were touched that they seemed to know that
anything out of the ordinary was happening. I had been fully as near
the sea serpent as I desired, and descended for safety; his horrible
eyes and face haunting me as I fell slowly towards the bottom. Having
arrived to within ten or twelve feet, I checked the boat, intending to
wait a reasonable time for his lordship to depart, and then to rise to
the surface and go on my way rejoicing that he had not injured me;
but I had not remained more than five minutes in my position before I
saw a sight that frightened me more than meeting this creature on the
surface; for, glancing about towards the bottom, my eyes fell upon
the serpent making his descent from above, and moving along slowly on
the bottom, evidently seeking for his prey. His horrible head passed
within at least ten feet of the boat, of which he seemed to take not
the slightest notice. As it passed from my view it was followed by
the body, at least one hundred feet in length, and as large around
as a common-sized flour barrel. I was too startled to move, but kept
the boat quietly in position till the whole body passed slowly out of
sight. As the tail went by me, my first impulse was to get out of the
way, and ascend to the surface, and start for home; my next was to
remain where I was and see what would happen. Sitting down, I thought
the whole matter over. My solitary existence had given me an inordinate
appetite for excitement. I wanted something to stir my stagnant blood,
something to call into action all my physical and mental powers. You
who have never been cut off from the rest of mankind cannot credit
this thirst for something new, something moving, something strange.
The daily conversation, the crowded streets, the incidents of life,
feed this desire and keep it satisfied; but when there is nothing of
this kind, the mind and body both ache to fill the void produced. Add
to this such a temperament as mine, and it can be understood that,
just saved from an attack from this unknown monster, I determined to
attack him, and, if possible, capture him. I don't know why I should
have brought myself to this conclusion, or why I should risk my life,
but such is man. From a state of fear I entered into one of fierce
excitement, and made every preparation to attack the danger I had just
escaped.
I had always with me in the boat, two strong, sharp harpoons with long,
seasoned, wooden staffs, in complete order, and also a lance and knife.
To the harpoons was attached a raw-hide rope, some fifty fathoms in
length, and with this I made up my mind to strike the serpent if I
could get the chance. To the end of the raw-hide rope, I attached a
wooden buoy, and, thus armed, I started the goats, and headed the boat
in the direction the monster had taken but a few moments before, and
in such a leisurely manner. I had not gone far before I saw the end of
his tail coming in view, as he lay stretched upon the sandy bottom.
I lowered the boat till I floated about eight feet above the hidden
form, and, plucking up my courage, steered forward over him, with his
huge body for a guide. As I arrived near his head I stopped the goats,
and let the boat drift, the tide luckily being in the direction that I
desired to go, that is, what there was of it, which was very little.
As the head came slowly into view, I saw that the monster was engaged
in quietly crunching in his horrible jaws a fish of some size, that he
had evidently just caught, and, upon which his attention seemed to
be fixed. The moment was propitious, and, as the boat slowly drifted,
not eight feet over the head of the terrible creature, I stood with
the harpoon in my hand, and deliberately drove it downward with all my
might through his head, just abaft the eyes.
I did not stop to see the effect of my blow, but immediately tumbled
into the water, as fast as possible, several of the large stones that
I used on the shelves for ballast, so as to ascend at once towards the
surface, casting overboard at the same time the line attached to the
harpoon, with the buoy at the end. Relieved of the ballast, the boat
commenced to ascend instantly and rapidly, but none too soon, for, as
it was rushing towards the surface, just below me came the sweep of the
creature's terrible tail in its death agony. If I had been struck with
it, it would inevitably have capsized my boat, and perhaps have killed
me, or, at least, left me to swim ashore to the island, distant some
miles, or else be drowned; but, luckily, the blow missed me; the ascent
of the boat was so rapid, the very moment I kicked and threw over some
of the ballast. Having risen as near the surface as possible, I rigged
my pump and ascended still further, and then, setting up my tripod and
shipping my air-boat, I soon had air enough to rise completely above
the surface, and to open the manhole and look about me. Of course, my
first glance was to discover my buoy. Yes; there it lay, not fifty
yards from me, without any motion, except what it received from the
waves upon which it floated. I could hardly credit that at the other
end lay the sea monster, transfixed through the brain with my trusty
harpoon; but such, I felt sure, was the case. The mark had been too
near and quiet for me to fail, and I had with my own eyes seen the iron
driven in up to the staff through the centre of its head. I longed
to find out the state of affairs, but did not dare to descend for
fear of being caught in the folds of the dying monster. I steered for
the floating buoy, and, getting hold of it, by means of a boat-hook
thrust out of the manhole, I pulled it towards me, and gathered in
all the slack line, till I could feel that I was pulling direct upon
the harpoon. No vibration came to me through it, and I could slightly
raise the weight evidently attached to the other end, but I was afraid
of possibly drawing out the harpoon, so I did not attempt much in this
direction; but, being assured that the creature was dead, I finally
mustered up courage to descend and look at him. As I came near the
bottom, I stopped the boat and advanced in the direction that the line
from the buoy trended in. Yes, there he was, dead as a door-nail; but
his whole body, that had so lately been stretched along the bottom, was
coiled up and around the staff of the harpoon, which had pinned the
head to the ocean's bed. I came near enough to see that the creature
was really dead, and then, rising to the surface, I made all haste for
Stillwater Cove. Arriving, I got up steam on the yacht, and made all
haste back to the buoy, towing the submarine boat behind me. When I
got upon the ground, I descended in the submarine boat, and, by means
of ropes, and pulling and hauling in each direction, I got the body
of the serpent somewhat straightened out and the head clear. Around
the neck I fastened a good, strong, rawhide rope and attached the buoy
rope to it. I then, at a distance of some thirty or forty feet from
the head, lashed to the back of the creature my air-boat, to sustain
that part somewhat, so that it would not drag upon the bottom. I then
arose to the surface and went on board of the yacht, and took the buoy
rope to the balance-wheel in the engine-room, and hove the head of
the monster nearly to the surface; the water sustaining it, so that
it was not very heavy. I trusted to my air-boat to help sustain the
remainder of the body, and, thus accoutred, with the submarine boat
towing far astern out of the way, I headed slowly for Stillwater Cove,
towing my prey behind me. When I arrived at the opening of the cove
I drew the carcase as far as possible, by means of the steam yacht,
on to the sandy seashore, where the tide would leave it out of water
when it receded. I then liberated my goats, and moored the boat in
the harbor near by, and, taking my pets on board, after anchoring the
serpent safely, steamed towards the Hermitage, where I landed them, and
took on board some empty barrels and knives, hatchets, and saws, to
dissect my sea monster. When I arrived back the sea had already fallen
so as to leave the head and at least twenty feet of the body high and
dry. After the tide had wholly gone down, I measured the monster, and
these were the dimensions. Taking my measure of a fathom as a standard,
the creature was twenty-two and one-half fathoms long, and, at its
largest girth--about two fathoms below the neck--over one fathom and a
quarter in circumference. It is difficult to describe the monster, but
I will try. The head was at least eight feet long, and the extent to
which the mouth could be opened over six feet; the gullet was small;
the teeth numerous, but small; the nostrils large and prominent; the
eyes fully six inches in diameter, and with an expression that, even
now that the creature was dead, I could not stand when I looked into
them. In the stomach I found only small pieces of different kind of
fishes, and, by the smallness of the teeth and gullet, I am inclined
to believe that the creature is naturally quite harmless, like most of
the mighty animals of the earth,--as the sperm whale, elephant, etc.,
which never attack anyone unless disturbed. Beyond the head, and, for
a distance of some ten feet, grew a sort of mane, formed of pendant
tissues of flesh some five or six feet in length, exactly like those
to be found on the sides of the mouth of the Mississippi cat-fish or
smaller horn-pout. Towards the tail, and some distance from it, was
an adipose fin, that was at least a foot high and fifteen feet long.
The skin of the creature was of a mottled greenish hue, rough, and
discolored, something the color of the shell of a very young crab, and
at least a good quarter of an inch in thickness. Having taken all the
dimensions of the monster, I went to work and cut off his head, and
left it purposely where the fishes, lobsters, etc., would feed upon
it at high water, so as to in time preserve its skeleton when all the
bones were completely articulated. The remainder of the body I skinned
in sections, at different times, and was glad to roll the rest of the
body into the current of Stillwater Cove, to be carried out to sea.
[Illustration: THE SEA SERPENT.--PAGE 347.]
I have enough on hand, at the time of writing this, to prove to any
one that I have both seen and captured the veritable sea serpent; for,
as I sit in the Hermitage, the whole skull, with jaws, teeth, and part
of the vertebræ attached, is hung up near me, and below it a circular
piece, nearly four feet long, of the hide of the animal at its greatest
girth. The frontal bone of the skull, which is not very thick, is
broken where the harpoon iron entered and caused immediate death. With
this exception the whole specimen is in complete order; and I have also
a sketch of the animal drawn upon parchment, from actual life, taken by
myself before he was at all mutilated or cut up.
I hope that this truthful, consistent, and convincing recital will
close forever this mooted question; for there is a sea serpent, and I
have been able to capture and preserve one of his species.