39 8 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. 



persons was taken, namely, Nils Roe, a workman at Mr. 

 William Knudtzon's, who saw it twice there, John Johnson, 

 merchant, and Lars Johnoen, fisherman at Smolen. The 

 latter said he had frequently seen it, and that one afternoon 

 in the dog-days, as he was sitting in his boat, he saw it 

 twice in the course of two hours, and quite close to him. 

 It came, indeed, to within six feet of him, and, becoming 

 alarmed, he commended his soul to God, and lay down in 

 the boat, only holding his head high enough to enable him 

 to observe the monster. It passed him, disappeared, and 

 returned ; but, a breeze springing up, it sank, and he saw 

 it no more. He described it as being about six fathoms 

 long, the body (which was as round as a serpent's) two feet 

 across, the head as long as a ten-gallon cask, the eyes 

 large, round, red, sparkling, and about five inches in 

 diameter: close behind the head a mane like a fin com- 

 menced along the neck, and spread itself out on both sides, 

 right and left, when swimming. The mane, as well as the 

 head, was of the colour of mahogany. The body was 

 quite smooth, its movements occasionally fast and slow. 

 It was serpent-like, and moved up and down. The few 

 undulations which those parts of the body and tail that 

 were out of water made, were scarcely a fathom in length. 

 These undulations were not so high that he could see 

 between them and the water. 



In confirmation of this account Mr. Soren Knudtzon, 

 Dr. Hoffmann, surgeon in Molde, Rector Hammer, Mr. 

 Kraft, curate, and several other persons, testified that they 

 had seen in the neighbourhood of Christiansand a sea 

 serpent of considerable size. 



Mr. William Knudtzon, and Mr. Bochlum, a candidate 

 for holy orders, also gave their account of it, much to the 

 same purport ; but some of these remarks are worthy of 



