well
have been excused for my first supposition. A very large sperm whale was
locked in deadly conflict with a cuttle-fish or squid, almost as large
as himself, whose interminable tentacles seemed to enlace the whole
of his great body. The head of the whale especially seemed a perfect
net-work of writhing arms--naturally I suppose, for it appeared as
if the whale had the tail part of the mollusc in his jaws, and, in a
business-like, methodical way, was sawing through it. By the side of the
black columnar head of the whale appeared the head of the great squid,
as awful an object as one could well imagine even in a fevered dream.
Judging as carefully as possible, I estimated it to be at least as large
as one of our pipes, which contained three hundred and fifty gallons;
but it may have been, and probably was, a good deal larger. The eyes
were very remarkable from their size and blackness, which, contrasted
with the livid whiteness of the head, made their appearance all the more
striking. They were, at least, a foot in diameter, and, seen under such
conditions, looked decidedly eerie and hobgoblin-like. All around the
combatants were numerous sharks, like jackals round a lion, ready to
share the feast, and apparently assisting in the destruction of the huge
cephalopod. So the titanic struggle went on, in perfect silence as
far as we were concerned, because, even had there been any noise, our
distance from the scene of conflict would not have permitted us to hear
it.

Thinking that such a sight ought not to be missed by the captain, I
overcame my dread of him sufficiently to call him, and tell him of what
was taking place. He met my remarks with such a furious burst of anger
at my daring to disturb him for such a cause, that I fled precipitately
on deck again, having the remainder of the vision to myself, for none
of the others cared sufficiently for such things to lose five minutes'
sleep in witnessing them. The conflict ceased, the sea resumed its
placid calm, and nothing remained to tell of the fight but a strong
odour of fish, as of a bank of seaweed left by the tide in the blazing
sun. Eight bells struck, and I went below to a troubled sleep, wherein
all the awful monsters that an over-excited brain could conjure up
pursued me through the gloomy caves of ocean, or mocked my pigmy efforts
to escape.

The occasions upon which these gigantic cuttle-fish appear at the sea
surface must, I think, be very rare. From their