Mystery and Added Prowess 27 



felt a great pride at being one of this mighty concourse^ 

 this assemblage of the mightiest creatures living, and 

 I had some dim idea that maybe I might distinguish 

 myself in some manner among them ; for I was now 

 getting well grown, though far behind our noble chief 

 in his gigantic majesty. 



It was a premonition full of truth, for on the third 

 day after our arrival while in company with some 

 hundreds of my fellows I lay basking in the clear sun- 

 shine, the warning signal passed through me, telling 

 of terrible danger very near. How it is communicated 

 I cannot tell you ; neither by speech nor sound of any 

 kind are we apprised of the presence of an enemy, 

 but in every fibre of our bodies we suddenly feel that 

 danger is near. Only we do not know from whence 

 it is coming. We are intensely on the alert, but that 

 is all. I lay like most of my fellows upon the shining 

 sea surface, my columnar head half out of the water, 

 my body slightly arched and my tail quiveringly 

 playing from side to side as if seeking to test the vibra- 

 tions of the water. Suddenly an unfamiliar tremor 

 ran through me (I heard nothing because with us 

 hearing is almost a lost sense) and immediately I 

 felt a sharp stinging pain shoot through my right 

 side. Filled with rage as well as alarm, I sprang 

 forward, feeling as I did a drag at the wound in my 

 side. Instinctively I dived, turning a somersault 

 beneath the water, and coming up with a furious rush 

 about twenty yards astern of my former position. As 

 I did so, I caught a glimpse of a strange white monster, 

 long and narrow, with two slender legs on each side, 

 and throwing my tail high, delivered a blow at it with 

 all my force. I felt my stroke take effect, saw as I 

 came to the surface again a quantity of strange frag- 

 ments floating, but beyond all I felt the smarting, 



