192 The Albacore 



vertebrates and Crustacea. These in their turn had 

 invited the attendance of larger fish hke myself, until 

 the whole area of sea around that nearly submerged 

 hull was literally alive, and aU the population were busy 

 feeding upon one another. It was a delightful time 

 for me, for I was very nearly immune from pursuit 

 by any of the others, being so large. But I narrowly 

 escaped annihilation here one day. Prowling leisurely 

 about, sucking in dainty morsels to titillate an already 

 overcharged stomach, I saw shining before me a white 

 cavern, down which many fish were swimming eagerly 

 as if in chase of some prey. I was minded to follow, 

 and but that I was lazy with repletion would have 

 done so. However, I turned away carelessly, just 

 in time to note that the cave turned almost as if upon 

 an axis, the entrance closed, and a vast black mass, 

 the body of a sperm whale, ascended to the surface. 

 A very narrow escape indeed, but one that did not 

 affect me at the time any more than it would have 

 affected me had I been one of the visitors to that 

 cavern. 



Many a ship did I interview on my long cruise in 

 the North Atlantic, but to none did I adhere closely, 

 for it is not the custom of our people. I loved to follow 

 the ships and swim round them, for I saw how they 

 stirred up the squid and flying-fish upon which I loved 

 to feed, but it was exceedingly seldom that I came 

 near enough to one of these floating masses to discern 

 its outlines, much less to incur any danger from held- 

 out lures. I was not yet old enough to be so venture- 

 some. In due time I went round the Cape of Good 

 Hope, forgathering as I did so with a multitude of 

 queer fish on the great Agulhas Banks. In sooth, 

 that was a goodly time. None of those fat cod and 

 steinbrass had any fear of me, or seemed to regard 



