THE GREAT UNKNOWN. 



having made my report, T found Mrs. Perkins and 

 my daughters disposed to make a visit to Glou- 

 cester with me when the return of the animal 

 should be again announced. A few days after my 

 return I went again to Cape Ann with the ladies ; 

 we had a pleasant ride, but returned ungratified 

 in the object which carried us there. 



"Whilst at Cape Ann I talked with many per- 

 sons who had seen the serpent, and among others 

 with a person of the name of Mansfield, one of the 

 most respectable inhabitants of the town. His 

 account to me was, that a few days before, as he 

 was taking a ride with his wife in a chair, the 

 road taking them close to a bank which overlooks 

 the harbour, (and is nearly a perpendicular preci- 

 pice), he saw an uncommon appearance, which 

 induced him to descend from the carriage, when 

 he saw the sea-serpent, in which until then he had 

 been an unbeliever. The animal was stretched 

 out, partly over the white sandy beach, which 

 had four or five feet of water upon it, and lay 

 partly over the channel. He desired his wife to 

 get out of the chair, which she did. He said he 

 had made up his mind as to the length of the 

 snake, but wished the opinion of his wife on the 

 same subject. He asked her what she should con- 

 sider his length ; she answered that she could not 

 undertake to say how many feet in length he was, 

 but that she thought him as long as the wharf 

 behind their house, an object with which she had 

 always been familiar. Mr. Mansfield said he was 

 of the same opinion. The wharf is one hundred 

 feet in length. It is to be observed that the per- 

 son above spoken of had been such an unbeliever 

 in the existence of this monster, that he had not 

 given himself the trouble to go from his house to 

 the harbour when the report was first made of 

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