150 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OR, 



life ; No. 2 holds on only for a good dinner, so he is bound 

 to come, and come he does. But he never lets go his grip, 

 and turns the stomach of his antagonist inside out. This is 

 to the eventual benefit of the revolutionized animal, who ob- 

 tains a new stomach,-and begins life anew, with a good diges- 

 tion and resolves. Did you ever hear of a better cure for 

 dyspepsia ? Such was Kanaka's natural history of the poly- 

 pi of the Polynesias. 



Our mate, who not unfrequently lent a hand to an even- 

 ing's entertainment in his more learned way, now joined in 

 and told us that the Kanakas of all the islands have a well- 

 founded dread of the shore-squid, for the strongest swim- 

 mer is powerless in its arms, aside from the paralyzing influ- 

 ences of the suckers. 



An occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea was mentioned, as 

 told by Sir Grenville Temple, in his "Excursions" over that 

 sea. " A Sardinian captain bathing at Jerbeh felt one of 

 his feet in the grasp of one of these animals. With his oth- 

 er foot he tried to disengage, himself, but this limb was im- 

 mediately seized by another of the monster's arms ; he then, 

 with his hands, tried to free himself, but these were also 

 firmly grasped by the polypus, and the poor man was short- 

 ly after found drowned, with all his limbs bound together 

 by the arms of the fish. And it is extraordinary that where 

 this happened the water was scarcely four feet in depth." 



Much to the satisfaction of the bow-oar, and to the dis- 

 taste of old Ben, the learned mate continued his readings : 



" The Sepia octopas, or sea-squid, sometimes reaches an 

 enormous size. Mr. Henry Baker, F.R.S., states l that it can, 

 by spreading its arms abroad like a net, so fetter and entan- 

 gle the prey they inclose when they are drawn together, as 

 to render the victim incapable of exerting its strength ; for, 

 however feeble the octopas's branches, or arms, may be sin- 

 gly, their power united becomes surprising ; and we are as- 



