116 Mr Lament’s Account of a Colossal Ray or Skate. 
harbour, and having been pierced with so many wounds, he was 
still able to defy every effort to bring him in. It had now got 
late, and was dark, and an attempt was made to force him up- 
near enough to get another large harpoon into him : this was 
no sooner done, than he darted off ; and, by an almost unac- 
countable and seemingly convulsive effort, in a moment broke 
loose from all his fetters, carrying away with him 8 or 10 har- 
poons and pikes, and leaving every one staring at his neighbour 
in speechless astonishment, confounded at the power of an ani- 
mal which could thus snatch himself from them at a time when 
they conceived him almost completely in their power. 
<e Since then, some of these animals have occasionally been 
heard of at a distance from the harbour ; and, a few' days ago, 
in coming over from Fort Augusta, with another gentleman, we 
fell in with one of them, which allowed us to get so near him 
that it was determined to set out the next morning; to look for 
him. We did so; and took with us several large harpoons, 
muskets, pikes, &c. determined, if it were possible, to bring 
him in. He was descried, about 8 o’clock, near Greenwich, to- 
wards the top of the harbour, as usual floating near the surface, 
and moving slowly about. Having allowed the boat to get very 
close to him, he was struck with a harpoon, which was thrown 
at him in a most dexterous manner by Lieutenant St John, of 
the Royal Artillery. He immediately set out towards the mouth 
of the harbour, towing the boat after him with such velocity 
that it could not he overtaken by any of the others : after 
going in this way for near an hour, he turned hack, which en- 
abled the other boats to lay hold ; and four of them were tied, 
one after the other, to the one in which lie was harpooned, with 
four or five people in each of them. By this means we hoped 
to tire him out the sooner. In about an hour and a half after 
he was first struck, a favourable opportunity offering, a large 
five-pointed harpoon, made fast to a very heavy staff, was thrown 
at him with such an elevation that it should fall upon him with 
the whole weight of the weapon. This having been as well di- 
rected as the first, was lodged nearly in the middle of his hack. 
The struggle he made at this time to get away was truly tre- 
mendous, — plunging in the midst of the boats, — darting from 
the bottom to the surface alternately,— dashing the water and 
