Sometimes, things happen that defy  every logic. Such an event had happened on 25th August, 1891.

James Curtly –the daredevil whaler had gone on an expedition. ‘Star of the East ‘– his favorite whaleboat was at sea near the FalklandIslands. The impressive vehicle was cruising slowly over the placid sea. Eyes glued to the binocular, James and company was standing on the deck, enjoying the serene tranquility of the morning ocean.

Suddenly the expert’s eye zeroed on something; the king of sea -- a huge sperm whale .The royal animal   was enjoying a royal swim in total disregard of  all  aquatic presence.

 James was mesmerized. His eyes glowed in greed. Hunting a sperm whale was every whalers dream. Without wasting a single second, he took up his harpoon and threw it straight at the whale. The aim was perfect. It hit him right on the back. 

But the hunters had little time to celebrate their victory. A mighty jerk had thrown them into water. The sturdy vessel they were sailing into  had broken into pieces. The wounded giant had detected the enemy. In mad fury he had attacked the ship. Sharp incisors had cut though the deck and in minutes the   sturdy whaleboat had been reduced to the status of a few pieces of scarp metals. The beast was panting. In excruciating pain, he had created a mighty whirlpool that seemed to suck everything right into his gut.

The battle that ensued was not evenly balanced. Thewhale was in water-- his natural habitat – while his opponents were creatures of land. But they were many in number while he was fighting alone and wounded. Sharp spikes pierced his body and he panted in pain   as his  ruthless opponents hurled spears  from every corner. Finally, defeated to the cumulative strength of enemy —the animal had to accept defeat. Leaving the battlefield he retired; to the invisibility of the vast ocean.

The sailors were more than lucky. Another hunting vessel was cruising nearby, and it  rescued them from water. But the number of survivors  was one less. The daredevil hunter, James was missing. For a long time, the grief-stricken friends searched in vain but there was no trace of any living human. It was apparent that James had suffered the worst fate of a sailor—eaten alive by a bunch of sharks.

After the bloody morning and the scorching noon, came the pleasant afternoon breeze.

. Suddenly a familiar sight caught their attention. The sperm whale had resurfaced. Rays of the parting sun was caressing his body .He was floating towards the vessel borne by the strong  ocean current –  but lifeless .The verdict of the bloody battle is finally awarded in favor of men.

Forgetting James, sailor pounced on their prized catch. With great difficulty, they dragged the carcass  up on  the deck. Then started the process of dissection. With a sharp  spade they cut through the corpse  and separated the prized fat from the meat. The operation continued throughout the night. By  daybreak they reached the interior part of huge body. The stomach was about to be explored.

The wall of stomach was sturdy. But as soon as they made an incision, all eyes popped out. Lying within the organic cylinder was an intact human body! James – the missing sailor! 

The body had a changed complexion. Each and every part, even his jet  black hair had   lost its colour. Overnight he had turned into a  snow –white Santa. .But the body was not still;  faint vibration could be noticed near the belly .James was sick – not dead.

 The sailors were mad in excitement. Treatment started immediately. With a generous dose of hot coffee and heat massage, he revived in no time.

 Many years have gone before a satisfactory answer could be found.

Actually the body had been bleached white by the hydrochloric acid, which is a natural component of mammalian stomach. The sperm whale—like us is a mammal.