A TALL STORY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3002, 9 November 1882, Page 3

A TALL STORY.

» The “ New York Maratime Register” thinks the following account given by Captain J. Anderson of the Emanuel Swedeuberg, barque, of the Jersey mosquito, does credit to the captain s descriptive—they hardly like to 'say imaginative —powers. “Off Cape Horn swears the captain, my vessel sailed into a vast army of mosquitos, ravenous from their long flight, which took complete possession of the barque and all on board. In five minutes they had drawn as much blood as ever an oldtime doctor drew from a fever patient, and in half an hour they had succeeded in boring through my winter overcoat. I was driven almost desperate, and climbed up to the maintop, thinking tjo escape the ferocious animals ; you may guess how glad I was when I found they had not got up so far. The first male bailed me to know how it was up there ; I told him to come, and bring as many men aloft as can be spared. This ho did, and there we stayed all night. When supper time came our Chinese cook went below and filled a basket with cold victuals, which we hoisted up to our perches in (he shrouds. The men look hour turns in going down on deck and managing the vessel. We slept aloft, as we feared to venture on deck. About four o’clock a stiff breeze sprang up, and the mosquitoes began leaving us. Many of them stayed on the boat, however, until wo reached Delaware. At the breakwater I attempted to. send a despatch to the consignees in Philadelphia, but my hands were bitten so badly that I was unable to write, and had to get the telegraph operator to pen the message.”