fiiow ^S è iW feS c ie n d y s -though, his whole body dpesmatyap-.
in alllikelihöod no human eyetever geheld, (excepting,
the young-of this fpëfcies, whicfi fh ilf afterwards be fpoken
of;)-its back dr uf>per-parti, which «feeing* to be in , appea^nce
about. amEnglilh mile, and an half in circnmferen.ee,,-. (fome fay?
mor.ej^but I chufe thé leaft for greater céftaïnty)r looks a tjir f t
liker a number,of finall-, iflands, furrounded with fomething that
floats ;and fluctuates like;Yea-weeds. $ Here and there a larger
rifingsisl obferved like'Tand-hanks, „on which various kinds; of,
fmall Fifties are fedn continually leaping about till -they role, off
into the water from the fides of i t ; ?at laft feyeral bright points
or, horns appear, which grow-thicker and thicker the higher, they
rife above the furface-of wthe water, and fornetimes they ftand up
a s iig h d n d as large'as tne 'maftTof miQfl-lé-flz’d weifels. -
Itfeems thefe are the creature’s, arms, and; dt‘‘is faid,. }f they,
were to lay hold of the largeft man o£ war, th ey ‘would pull* it
down to the bottom. After thijjmonfte.r has been on the furface
of the water a fhort tirfte, it begifas flowly to fink again, and
then the danger is as great as before 5 bec^afefthe motion of his
finking caufes fuch a fwell in the fea, and fuch an eddy or whirl-.
pool, that it.draws-every thing down with it; > like1 „the current of
th e river Male, which has been defcribed in its proper place.-,-'
As this enormous Sea-animal in all probability may tfe reckon’d^
of the Polype, or of the St'ar-filh kind, as fhall-hereafter be more
fully proved, it feems that the parts which are feens, riftilg a tit's
pleafure, and are called arms, are properly the^tentaGpIa,*pr-feel-
ing inftrnments; called horns as well as,arms?.'* With:thefe1 they,
move themfelves, and likewife gather iji their food.
. Befides thefe, for this laft purpofe the great Creator has alfo
given this creature a ftrong and peculiar fcent, which ,it can emit
atcertain times, and -by meaqs’ of which it beguiles and draws
other Eilh to come in heaps about it. This animal has another
Arrange property, known by the experience of-a great many old,
fifliermen. They obferve, that for feme months the-Kraken or
Krabben is continually eating, and in other months he always
voids his excrements; During this evacuation the furface of the
water is coloured with the excrement, and* appears quite thick
and turbid. * This muddinels is laid to be lo very agreeable to the
finell or tafte of other Fifties, or to both, that they gather toge-
thér from all parts to it* and keep for that purpole directly over
the Kraken: he then opens; his arms, or horns; feizes and fwal-
loWshis welcome guefts, and converts them, after the due time,
by digeftion; into a bait for other Filh of the lame kind. I relate
what
„what is. affirmed by rpany - but Rcaaft^biglve lb certainaffurances
of this particular,jas I canSof the exigence of this fiijGprizing
creature,; though Id o not find; any thing, in i^ fblolutely contrary
to^nature. As we) can, hardly texpe<ft an{,opportunity to examine1
this- enormous fea-animal! aliv©,J am: the |nbre,cq^erafd. that nobody
embraced that opportunity which,
lowing account,; once did, and, per haps never, jnfyjJ’
feeing; it entire when? dead» The reverend
alfeftbr,, nfiniffer ©f Bodoen'f^j^ofdland,;, and vie^| ofjfche college
for promoting, ehriftian knowledge, gave,, me ats the latter end - of
laft year,,. when he-was at Bergen,,,tbis^ relation ; ypjaigh I deliver
again onr his'eredirfc,.,,
In the year r&8©\a Krake (perh&psj atyou^g and parejels one)
came into the watet that runs between-the rocks and cliffs in the
parifli of, AHiahoug,. though the general cuflom.of thalfprej^ure
is to keep a Iw a^ rfe vM ar^ ^ ^ ”^Scerv land,- .and .th^^lpr^' af
coarfe thfey imdff: d?ie;there. ; It happened th<#f ity extended long
armsj. or antennas,. Which' this creature feems to Mke th&|naiL
in turning ;abpujfc, caught holds of feme?
water; vrfiich mighty ©afij[$ have ,.beei|£ ,
but bielide this,; <aS it was fodnd affetwafds,; he,.entangled himfejf
in-feme opemngs'or.clefts in the-rock, and.tl^rem.^uc^lb^l,
and hung lb unfortunately, that he could, not work himfelT qu^,
but perilhed and putrified dn.the fpot. ,-j '
a long- while decayiflg^and filfed: great paft.ofjthat ^r;o|y cl^pe|,
made it alrhaft. impaffable by its intolerable. ftench; %?,
The Krakenbas never been known to dp axiy great harm,.e|$C9p£
they have taken away the lives of thole who cgnf&cjjagptly could
not bring the tidings. I hare ndver heard but -one: inftanc© meu-
tioned, which happened a few years ago near Frid^iclfftyd, in the
diocefe of AggerhtSis. They fay that two fifhcrmen accidentally,
and to their great furprize, felL into fuch a fpotyop the wtyejr
as has been before defcribed, full of ?a thick flime, almoft like a
morals They immediately, ftxoive to get out of this placn.. but
they had not time to turn- qaicken^gh^tO- fevetiiemfelv|s
from one of the Kraken’s horns, whidh erufhed the heads of the
boat fe, that it ‘was with great difficulty theyifey^d | ^ r live§;cyi
the wreck, tho’ the weath&. was as calm tl»fe
monfters, like the Sea-lnake, never appear at other' times.
Part IL I i i S E C T .