VIOLENCE OF THE 8A W-FItiH. 293 



above the surface of the sea. It was a fortunate circum- 

 stance that the fish came up Avith the belly towards the 

 boat, or it would have cut the boat in two. 



" I had abandoned all idea of taking the fish, until, by- 

 great good luck, it made towards the land, when 1 made 

 another attempt, and having about three hundred feet of 

 rope in the boat, we succeeded in making a running bowline- 

 knot round the saw of the fish, and this we fortunately made 

 fast on shore. When the fish found itself secured, it plunged 

 so violently that I could not prevail on anyone to go near it ; 

 the appearance it presented was truly awful. I immediately 

 went alongside the Lima packet. Captain Singleton, and got 

 the assistance of all his ship's crew. By the time they 

 arrived, the fish was less violent. We hauled upon the net 

 again, in which it was still entangled, and got another three 

 hundred feet of line made fast to the saw, and attempted to 

 haul it toward the shore; but although mustering thirty 

 hands, we could not move it an inch. By this time the ne- 

 groes belonging to Mr. Danglad's estate came flocking to our 

 assistance, making together about one hundred in number, 

 with the Spaniards. We then hauled on both ropes for 

 nearly the day, before the fish became exhausted. On 

 endeavoring to raise the fish it became most desperate, 

 sweeping with its sword from side to side, so that we were 

 compelled to get strong ropes to prevent it from cutting us 

 to pieces. After that, one of the Spaniards got on its back, 

 and at great risk cut through the joint of the tail, when ani- 

 mation was completely suspended. It was then measured, 

 and found to be twenty-two feet long and eight feet broad, 

 and weighed nearly five tons." 



An East Indiaman was attacked by a sword-fish with such 

 prodigious force as to drive its ** snout" completely through 

 the bottom of the ship, and must have been destroyed by the 

 leak had not the animal been killed by the violence of its 

 own exertions, and the sword remaining imbedded in the 



