The Devil-fish of Jamaica. 171 



harpooner, and the retinue is towed away to sea for miles by 

 the monster fish. If they bring him in, a team of oxen — if 

 there were ever such a thing as a team of oxen in Port Royal 

 — would not be able to drag him ashore. Just before I visited 

 Port Royal, some seven years ago, the garrison officers had 

 brought in two fishes after one of these exciting chases, but I 

 learnt little more than that they were captured. A graphic narra- 

 tive of the taking of two devil-fishes some five-and-thirty years 

 ago, will be found in the eleventh volume of the Edinburgh Phi- 

 losophical Journal, and this narrative, which was communicated 

 by Lieutenant Lamont of the 91st Regiment, I will condense and 

 give here. 



The lieutenant had been called to the beach by seeing a 

 multitude gathered to look at a sea-devil floating past. His 

 curiosity turned to surprise when he saw flapping on the surface 

 of the water, about twenty yards from the shore, a large, living, 

 dark-coloured mass, whose shape and size he could not imme- 

 diately determine, but which seemed prodigiously big beyond 

 anything he could conceive, since it so much exceeded all that 

 he had seen or heard of fishes. The boats were started off to 

 pursue it passing onward. It was harpooned ; but no sooner 

 was the monster stricken, than it made off with amazing 

 velocity, towing the boat of the harpooner after him. A suc- 

 cession of boats now came up. These strung themselves on to 

 the harpooner one ofter another, sticking each a harpoon as the 

 boats came up. They consecutively formed a long line, but 

 such was the strength of the fish, that the whole retinue were 

 trailed out ten miles to sea. Night was drawiDg on. To bring 

 the chase to a close another harpoon was struck into the monster, 

 when it made one convulsive effort to get away, and broke 

 loose, carrying away eight or ten harpoons and pikes, and 

 leaving every one staring with astonishment at the success with 

 which it snatched itself eventually from its pursuers. 



Lieutenant Lamont gives another account of the taking of 

 a devil-fish within the harbour, when the animal traversed up 

 and down, dragging with such velocity the boat that struck 

 him, that those who followed could not overtake it. The 

 struggle of this monster to get away was tremendous. He 

 plunged in the midst of the boats that now surrounded him ; 

 he darted from the surface to the bottom of the water, and 

 from the bottom to the surface alternately, dashing the water 

 into foam on every side, and rolling round and round to extri- 

 cate himself from the pole and line. Unable by these expe- 

 dients to get away, he set to swimming and towing the boats 

 now strung together. After continuing this run for a time, 

 this sea- devil then suddenly brought the retinue to a stop 

 by laying himself at the bottom of the water. From this po- 



