172 SPORT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



The saw-fish* sometimes attains a length of about 

 twenty feet over all, and is the most dangerous 

 enemy the whale has. It pursues the monstrous 

 cetacea Avherever it can find him, and attacks him 

 furiously with his long serrated sword, — a weapon 

 set firmly in front of his head. The saw-fish 

 sometimes approaches ships, as in our case, and in 

 the following, which the captain narrated. 



During one of his whale-fishing expeditions, the 

 whale boat had come upon a saw-fish lying motion- 

 less, and probably asleep, on the surface of the 

 water, and the harpooner transfixed it firmly in 

 the middle of the back. Fortunately the boat made 

 ofi" at once, for the creature fought with a violence 

 and fury that might have endangered the boat and 

 its crew. After a few struggles, it dragged the boat 

 along with extraordinary swiftness, and the captain 

 of the boat was at a loss to know what to do under 

 the circumstances, for it was the first, and very pro- 

 bably the last time, that he had ever encountered a 

 saw-fish. He determined, however, to haul upon 

 the line, and so get closer to the formidable 

 brute ; but as soon as he got within a few yards of 

 the creature, it began fighting and diving down. 

 Eventually, however, they got it to the surface quite 

 dead, and towed it to the ship. "That saw-fish," 

 said the captain of the San Christoval, "was only 

 eight feet long. Its skin was very fine, and of a 



* Pristis antiquoi-um. 



