AN EXTRAORDINARY SEA-SERPENT STORY.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 278, 23 April 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN EXTRAORDINARY SEA-SER-PENT STORY.

A petrifying sailor's yarn was related in Aberdeen on 2nd February by a seaman named Gavin, on the sloop Dart, of Dundee. Gavin stated that the Dart left Buckie on the previous Saturday, calling in at Pertehead over Sunday, from whence they sailed at midnight on their passage to Montrose, but owing to their strange and startling experiences they called at Aberdeen, and the skipper (i amed Dawson) had requested Gavin to relate the adventure. The story goes on to the following effect: —"Four hours out from Peterhead, it was then still dark and wo were somewhere off Collieston or Newburg, when the attention of George Duncan was drawn to some dark object ahead of us and right in our course. He directed the attention of other three members of the crew to it, and they seemed to think the strange object must be a whale, such as they had often seen beforo. Its movements were, however, so strange that they, on a more careful survoy, and being almost within a hundred yards of it, clearly saw it was not what they thought, which had this time corae quite close upon us. The shouting of the men awoke the skipper, who came on deck at once, and just in time to see the huge monster rear above us some 50 feet of its body between us and the sky line. We were all greatly terror-striken, and tho skipper rushed to the helm, and put the sloop off several points from her coursp. The monster was then on our weather quarter, and seemed bent on pursuit. Wc were all so much awe struck as to be unable to act, but the skipper went bolow for a dour-lo barrel gun, which he at once fired at the monster, first one barrel then the other. Iu an instant the monster, whatever it was, raised its huare body out of the sea to an extraordinary height, and with a hissing sound it bore down upon us, leaving in its wake a wreath of foam which wo could now plainly see in the grey light of the morning. Onward it came till tho shadow of its immense body darkened our deck. The men all dashed forward with tho exception of one Barclay and tho skipper and m> self, who was at the helm. 1 laid tho boat rounrl as close to tho wind as she would go, and thus put the monster directly in our wake. It continued to keep at about the same distance, and wo could pluinly see its eyes, which were terrifying, and with a swayiug motiou it kept steadily on. Wo were going about 9 knots, w ith a fresh breeze, and wo could put no mere sail on the sloop, so we could not help ourselves in that way. Tho huge body of the monster was towering as high as our mast head, and the hissing sound it made struck terror to our hearts, as we thought every moment it might make a dash forward and carry the sloop over. The skipper ordered a piece of white canvas to bo hoisted to the gaff peak. This was done, and it had tho desired effect, for the monster then showed its (speed, and taking one last vengeful look, it dived beneath the water and dissappeared, leaving the sea a seething mass of foam. It had followed us nearly eight miles. Wo felt so relieved that words cannot express our feelings. Wo made all sail, ind arriving at Aberdeen wo decided to make known the particulars of our singular and fearsome adventure Gavin added ihttt everyone of the crew would be prepared to corroboiate his statements."— Pho Scotchman,