Note 459 — 1844.

A few minutes elapsed before Jones quitted the hobby-horse he was exultingly riding. Meanwhile curious to explore the gun, he thrust his hand up the bore, where a member of the crustacean family, already in quiet possession of the apartment, and not over-pleased with the unceremonious intrusion, fiercely disputed the passage. Jones, unwilling to yield, did his best to capture the exasperated crab, but its inveterate shears had so nipped and lacerated his hand, he was forced, at last, to beat a retreat. Ever after, the cruel wounds inflicted upon him by this peevish red-coat, had the effect of fixing in Jones’s memory, the date of his discovery of the ‘Edgar.’

It may strike the reader as remarkable that for the six summers of the operations at Spithead the divers were seldom attacked by any of the finny tribe; nor was it their privilege ever to meet in their subaqueous labours with any fishes larger than those ordinarily supplied for traffic in the markets. A lobster, a crab, or a conger-eel would now and then exhibit a wish to break lances with the intruders, but beyond these few instances of piscatorial interference, the under-water men had little reason to complain of the ungenerous treatment of the inhabitants of the deep.

More than once Jones was threatened or assaulted by crustacea. As on one occasion he was traversing for guns, a lobster, measuring not less than sixteen inches in length, approached him with so quick a motion, it seemed as if a bird were hovering round him. Thus attracted, he stood still to learn a fact or two in the history of its habits. The lobster stared inquisitively at Jones, as if to discover what the strange phenomenon could be. Apparently dissatisfied with the extent of the information it had acquired, it darted off like an arrow, using its fanlike tail as a rudder to shape its course. Its movements were sharp and rapid—its track in circles, each less than the other, till poising for a while within a few feet of the diver, it settled warily on the ground to resume observations. Startled by an action of the phenomenon, the lobster sailed off again in concentric circles, swishing the fan furiously to augment its speed; then, reaching the ground it spread out its feelers and claws and was soon engrossed in a brown study. Accepting the series of evolutions as a challenge, Jones prepared for the combat. Gently lifting his pricker, so as not to excite the instinctive suspicions of the lobster, he suddenly plunged it forward and pinned his antagonist to the earth. Instantly grasping it with his powerful hand behind the claws, Jones hurried on deck, and its body, weighing as much as a young goose, furnished a luxurious banquet for the captor and his friends.

Another lobster, less inquisitive but more combatative, advanced upon Jones with true military boldness. Having performed the magic circles, it was evident that the fish in armour had taken the measure of its opponent. Pushing out its claws in front like a couple of blunt spears, the lobster furiously battered against Jones’s legs, which, being cased in flannel, Mackintosh cloth, and impenetrable canvas, were proof against scars and punctures. Thick and fast came the blows, as from a ram or catapult; and it occurring to Jones that there was a chance of damage to his shins if the contest were prolonged, he turned upon his intrepid enemy, and with one kick from his leaden toe, broke up its morion and cuirass and gained the victory.

At another time, when Jones was busy making fast to a gun, a conger eel curled up in its muzzle forced out its slimy head to reconnoitre. Not relishing its savage attitude, Jones considered it best to make short work of the interview, and striking it on the cranium, the eel recoiled within its lurking place. A tompion being handy, Jones took it up and plugged up the bore. The gun in due time was hauled on deck, and on removing the tompion, the eel floundered out, and though small for a conger—about four feet long—it fought desperately, and was with great difficulty captured and decapitated.