590 APPENDIX. 
something very exceptional occurs. A landsman might do so, but 
a sea-man never, unless under exceptional circumstances, such as 
these. I have been to sea for twenty seven years, and have been 
engaged in nearly every known trade from whaling in Greenland 
to the slave trade, and have been in almost every part of the 
world, but I never saw any object at sea like the one that revetted 
my attention on Saturday morning last. I have always been sceptical 
with regard to the sea-serpent stories, I have heard and read, and 
a smile has always come across my face at them, but I have been 
too long at sea, and have seen too many remarkable things, to 
deny positively that there was such a thing, had a landsman or a 
lady told me about the creature on Saturday, while I should have 
given them credit for being quite sincere, I should have taken no 
notice of it, as they are so apt to make mistakes at sea. I am too 
much accustomed at sea, however, to have made any mistake. 
When we got to Napier, I mentioned the circumstance there, 
when they pointed out that there had been a shock of earthquake 
shortly before the time we saw the creature, which may have been 
the cause of sending it to the surface. As to its length I could 
give no opinion, but as the creature rose some 30ft. out of the 
water I should imagine there were still two-thirds of it in the 
water, but that is only my supposition.” 
“Prrer Nerson, the Quartermaster, referred to gave his story 
as follows: — 
“It was about 6.30 on Saturday morning last, August Ist. It 
was a bright clear morning with the sun shining brightly. The 
weather, however, was rough, with a heavy sea. I had just come 
from the wheel at six oclock, and was standing on the lee-side 
looking out, and all at once I saw this thing appear rising out 
of the water about 30ft. It went down again. It did not go for- 
ward like a fish jumping, but seemed to draw itself right back 
under water as if it contracted itself. It came up and went down 
again in the same way about four times. The first time I saw it 
was about a mile off the ship to leeward; the last time I saw it 
was about 100 yards from the ship. The time occupied in traveling 
the distance seemed to be about two minutes. It looked like a 
huge conger-eel or snake, except that it had two large fins. The 
fins seemed to be about 10ft. long, and were situated about 20ft.. 
from the head. The tips of the fins were about touching the water. 
Where the fins joined the body the latter seemed to bulge out. | 
did not see the fins the first time it rose, but I saw them each 
