i? $ . N A T U R A L HI ST O R Y of N 0 R W A Y .
tack the veffel about, in order tengetmearer tb it’.- .As t’henSnakb
f\Kam fiRej/than we.could row,' tçook iàiy gun, that was' ïèa'dy
charged, and fired at it : on .this he immediately plunged! sonder
the waterr.: .Wejrowed to ithe.plâee wherë>dr&ûk do\Vft.(dliich
in the calm might be eafily obferved) and, lay upon our oars,
thinking ityw.oiald cpme up again to the fu rifey however,‘it did
not; When'the Snalm plunged, down, the Water appeared thick
- and ted ^perhaps- forife of the {hot might wounddt,,Qherdiftance
being very little,? The. h e a d o f this Snakeji which slit held-more
than two' feet above the furface off the water,. IrefedbleH that of
arhorfe. It was of a greyifh: colour, and the mout&i’was quite
black, and;very large; It had black eye^ and.a long'white mane,
that hung down from the neck to the furface of thé'water. -Be-
fides the héad'and. neeky we law feven orveight felds ®hci#s fpf
AisÆnaké, which were very thick, anidjlias '"fa’r akV^K-tadld gûèfs,
there was about i fathom diftancehetween -eâch foidc I related
this affair in a certain company, -...where there Was a pterfon ‘of
diftinâion prefent, who defired that I would, .communicate, to’
him an authentic detail of all; that happened ; ^and 'fphtfeis ■ reafon
two o f m yT y Jp ^w h o were prefent a^Ëhe' fame tinu-èanfifflftl
when Ifaw this monfter, namely; Nicholas Pederf^uMopper, and*
Nicholas N ich o lfo rfi^ ew ig en , ihall
on oath the truth of every particular herein fet' forth:- and I
defire the favour of an atteft'ed copy; of the faidffaéàiiptréfisr %
I remain, Sir, your obliged,fervant^,
Bergen, 21 February, 1yjjr..
L , ^ m R Y.
After th^s the before-named, witnelfes gave th ^ r corporal qjiths,
witfi their finger held up according to’ law, witneffed'J and
confirmed the aforefaid letter or declaration, and every particular
fet forth therein, to be ftriaiy true. A copy of'theTaid'aWefta-,
tioii was made dût for thé faid Procurator Rlutk, ‘and'>grantedl by
the recorder. - ^ 1 * '■ y ■'•’V;'y - -
That this was tranfaded in our court of, juft fee, we confirm
with pur hands and feàls.” Adum Bérgis, Die & L o a y -ut fupra.'
A. 0 . DAS S . H. C; G A R T N E R , Sec,
’ (L* s0 (L. S.)
S & C T . VII.
Governor Benflrup affirms, that he faw the fame créature a
few-years-ago, and that he drew a sketch of the Sea-fnake, which
I wifh
Form.
• N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y of N O R W A Y . ipç.
T ^ ip j|L h a i|lto c p ^ u n ic a tp fto tBepubfe. t 1 have, however in-.
ferteft-aHraught that ! was favoured with by the before-mentioned
.clergyhian, Mr. Haris5 Stroitftwhifilh ihe icaufeH to be carefully
made, mnder M own'mfpedfém * This agrees into very particular
with the d efe c tio n fof! this monfter, given -by two of 'his neighs
-hours»at Heimoepfemely, Mdf&aReutz an*TuehfmC'hanH of
whiclrthey h ad'bden.eye^itneft^ - I might^mentton' tothe-fame
purpofe many mote *perfons^;equa>b’credifr. and 'reputation. Ano-
-^hicb; Appears ,M e difknd with regard to
die form 'o f th%|bèatüre,.idea's taken.‘pfroril the'reverend'Mr,
Egede^tjpiirbal of the-'Greèhland.. miffionj; ’ where the account?
ftands thus'-in! pv <5. ^,0mthe?6th( o£ Jm ly p i^ j^ /th e re , appeared
a’veryrfarge ,and ^frightful 'Sea-monftèrf,’ which raifeef itfelf up To
higbfjtputf’of <the vtater, that its head reached ihoVe our ’main-top.
It had a long ftiarp fnout, and fpouted -water like la Whale, and
v é ry b fö a d - p w s t- H T h e ’ b ö d y “f ë ^ Wlth fcaJes^
and thei.skin,was, uneven and wr-inMedy* and* the lower’p’a k ’was
fornSedi/lli^f ^-Snabe;-
After dome dime the creature plunged,back wardsin to thè waterend'
then'turiiedbits tail up above the furface a’ whole fhip-length
froim<tbe,-headr'*.. The following^ëvenïugAWe.had'Wery bad* yVe&-
then 5 far Mr. >Egede? The drawing * annexed^gi-vesanè the
greateft .reajbm .to conclude; i(what by other! accou-ata l have
thought probable)ithat there are Sea-foakesy like other! Fiffi, 'o f
diferen# &rtsi§ éThat. which Mr. E ^ d e ifaw ,.m d® ro b a b ly i^ l
thofewho failed with' him; had5 under its body two-flaps,-! or per-
haps two broad fins;, th&head waslonger,rand.the body th ick e r^
but mu&hjfhorter than thofesSuarfnakesy - of which T have- had the
mgft confiftent. accounts. ^Though one cannot have an opportA
W talcing vth§>dimenf ions ' o f .this; creatiire^ Ï y e t |all ithat
have feen iti are<:uqanimo'us; in affirming, ms far as they cab judge
J6 -u diftante,; i t !.appears ? to be mf the length, :o ï a cable;: i. el
ïBOrfathoms, .pribPaiEngHffi feetf^lj-that nthlies'Qn the fufface
Jf j v - y o f
0 * I remember tö W e feen öiis acob
Seyenn s, who Aen had the care of the expeditions to Greenland, under his maielty’s
comnuffion, tód h tóB ji a .the purport o f ^ i iM f!,.. É É ,rX
1 can remember that he looked with difdain upon that infernal Dragon, that feems
GreenWheathe t ! 6 Wlth the .de%n of enlightening and converting the
_ t-In-the’New Survey of Old. Greenland, p. 48,‘the before-mentioned Mr. Eo-ede
• ipealts of the fame monfter, with .this addition, that the body was full as thick * 'd
as b l g a ^ P ^ f e g f e S . as the-lh;E that he-,failed in. Mr,, jkig^, on^öf the ffiÉiona-
nes, that took a drawing of ity.Mormed his brotjierTin^law’,' Mr. Sylow, mirilW Qf
Hu°.uBs ia this diocefe, that this creature’s , eyes feemed red, and like burning fir&V $
whlB%;makes lr.appear maJ»» •.
§. Ic was probably, 'froni'the appearance óf.&W é f ü tbè Valisudclfci^
'dm -