376 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. 



folds to the under side of the arms, that I doubt if even 

 one of the smaller whales, such as the " White Whale," or 

 the " Pilot Whale," could extricate itself from their com- 

 bined hold, if those eight supple, clammy, adhesive arms, 

 each 9 feet long, and 5 inches in diameter at the base 

 on the flat under surface, and armed with a battery of 

 2400 suckers, were once fairly lapped around it 



Ought it to surprise us, then, that an uneducated sea- 

 faring ' population, such as the fishermen of Fridrichstad, 

 mentioned by Pontoppidan, absolutely ignorant of the 

 habits and affinities, and even unacquainted with the real 

 external form of such a creature, should exaggerate its 

 dimensions and invest it with mystery? All that they 

 knew of it was that whilst their friends and neighbours, 

 whom we will call Eric Paulsen, Hans Ohlsen, and Olaf 

 Bruhn were out fishing one calm day, a shapeless " some- 

 thing " rose just above the surface of the tranquil sea not 

 far from their boat. They could see that there was much 

 more of its bulk under water, but how far it extended they 

 could not ascertain. Mistrusting its appearance, and with 

 foreboding of danger, they were about to get up their 

 anchor, when, suddenly, from thirty feet away, a rope was 

 shot on board which fastened itself on Hans ; he was 

 dragged from amongst them towards the strange floating 

 mass ; there was a commotion ; from the foaming sea 

 upreared themselves, as it seemed to Eric and Olaf, several 

 writhing serpents, which twined themselves around Hans ; 

 and as they gazed, helpless, in horror and bewilderment, 

 the monsters sank, and with a mighty swirl the waters 

 closed for ever over their unfortunate companion. The 

 men would naturally hasten home, and describe the dread- 

 ful incident their imagination excited by its mysterious 

 nature ; the talc would spread through the district, .losing 



