122 THE WHALE AND 



A Combat Witnessed between the Sea Serpent and Whale. 



From a statement made by a Kennebec ship- 

 master in 1818, and sworn to before a justice 

 of the peace in Kennebec county, Maine, it 

 would seem that the notable sea serpent and 

 whale are sometimes/ound in conflict. At six 

 o'clock in the afternoon of June 21st, in the 

 packet Delia, plying between Boston and Hal- 

 lowell, when Cape Ann bore west southwest 

 about two miles, steering north northeast, Cap- 

 tain Shubael West, and fifteen others on board 

 with him, saw an object directly ahead which he 

 had no doubt was the sea serpent, or the crea- 

 ture so often described under that name, en- 

 gaged in fight with a large hump-back whale 

 that was endeavoring to elude the attack. 



The serpent threw up his tail from twenty- 

 five to thirty feet in a perpendicular direction, 

 striking the whale by it with tremendous blows 

 rapidly repeated, which were distinctly heard 

 and very loud for two or three minutes. They 

 then both disappeared, moving in a west south- 

 west direction, but after a few minutes reap- 

 peared in shore of the packet, and about under 

 the sun, the reflection of which was so strong 

 as to prevent their seeing so distinctly as at 

 first, when the serpent's fearful blows with his 



