Combats Of The Ocean

Arnong the extraordinary spectacies sometimea witnessed by those " who go down to the sea in ships," none are inore impressivc than a combat for supremacy between the monsters of the deep. The battles of the sword-fish and the whale are desribed as Homeric in grandeur. The sword-fish go in schools hke whales, and the attaeks aro regular seafio-hts. When the two troops meet, as soon as the sword-fish have betrayedtheir presence by a few bounds in the air, the whales draw togetuer and close up their rankB The sword-fish always endeavora to take the whale in the flank, either bo cause its cruel instinct has revealed to ït the defect in the caroass- for there exista near the brachial fius of tlie whale a spot where wounds are moral - or because the flank presenta a widcr surf ace to its blow. The sword-fish recoils to secure a greater Ímpetus. Ii the movement escape the keen eye of his adversary, the whale is lost, for it receives the blow of the enemy, and dies almost instantly. But rfthe ' whale perceives the sword-fish at the instant of the rush, by a spontaneous bound it springs clear of the water lts entire length, and falls on its flank with a crash thatresouiids for many leagues and whitens the sea with boiling foam. The gieantic animal has only its teil for the fense It tries to strike lts enemy ana finish Hm at a single blow. But ïf tha active sword-fish avoid the fatal teil, the battlo bocomes more terrible, lue aggressor springs f rom the water in hiB turn falls iipon the whale, and attempts, not to pierce, but to saw it with the teeth thiit garnish its weapon. ".The soa is stained wifch blood ; the fury of the whale is boundkss. The sword-fish harasses him, strikes him on every eide, Mis him and rlies to other victories. Often tuo sword-flah has not time to avoid the fall of the whale, and content ïtself with presenting its sharp saw to the flank of the gieantic animal which is about to crushit, Itthen dies like Maccabieua, smothered beneatli the weight of the elephant of the ocean. Finally the whale (rivea a few laat bounds in the air, dragKing its assassm in its flight, andpensheH as it kills the monster of which it was the victimJ