ever having
travelled much, or been across the oceans, quietly tell the world that
what a hundred sane men's experienced eyes have seen and known as a
sea-serpent is discovered by their scientific reasoning to be a bundle
of seaweed, or a shoal of porpoises, because they saw once at Brighton
one or the other, when even a land-lubber could hardly have been
mistaken. My wise doctor tried to prove that what the skipper had seen
with his own eyes was nothing but the result of a supper he hadn't
eaten, or the fumes of some grog that weren't swallowed; because it
happened not to be accounted for in his fusty old books in any other
way--I would sooner be without science, if this is the result.

"Bless you, sir, I never yet saw one of your great learned sailors worth
much in an extremity. Give me a fellow who acts from his practical
experience. A man much given to be particular about `how the log-book
is kept,' about dotting i's and crossing t's, is generally struck of a
heap, if the ship happens to be taken aback, or a squall carries away
her gear. While he is going over his logarithms to know what should be
done, the commonest seaman on board could set all to rights. Mind I
don't run down any book-learning you may have, but I only say it ain't
equal to experience, and it never will convince me that, if I see a
square-rigged ship a mile off, I am only mistaken, and that a man in
London knows by science that it was a fore-and-aft schooner and close to
me; or if I see a school of whales, he knows they are only flying fish,
because science tells him the whale does not frequent the part where I
saw them; and that my supper caused me to mistake one for the other."
With these sentiments the mate ended his tale, and I now proceed with
the narrative of the voyage.

While near the line, we caught a shark, which was the first animal
bigger than a hare that I had ever assisted in destroying. As the
method employed on this fellow was of a more sporting character than
usually attends the capture of this monster, I will give in detail our
proceedings.

Our voracious friend having been seen some hundred yards astern steadily
following in our wake, we procured two joints of a lightning-conductor
(that had lain in the hold since our leaving England, and which was
intended to protect the ship from the fluid that makes so excellent a
messenger but so direful an enemy), and lashed a large hook on to one
end. The copper wire was stout en