The boy travellers in the Far East : adventures of two youths ... - Library

STRIKING A WHALE.. 63
in three boat-lengths, I stood up, braced my feet firmly, poised my har-
poon, and made ready to strike. The whale didn't know we were about,
and was taking it very easy. The bow of the boat was about ten feet
from liis black skin when I sent the iron spinning and whizzing away,
and buried it deep in his flesh. Didn't he give a jump !
he did.
" ' Starn all ! starn all ! for your lives !' I yelled.
You
can bet
" There wasn't a moment lost, and the boat went back by the force
of the strong arms of the men."
" The whale lashed about and then ' breached ;' that is, he threw his
great body out of the water, giving me a chance to get in a second har-
poon. Then he sounded—that is, he went down—and the lines ran out
so fast that the side of the boat fairly smoked when they went over. He
ran off two hundred fathoms of line before he stopped, and then we felt
the line slack and knew be would soon be up again.
" Up be came not a hundred yards from where be went down, and as
be came up he caught sight of the boat. He went for it as a cat goes for
a mouse.
" The sperm-whale can't see straight ahead, as his eyes are set far back,
and seem to be almost on his sides. He turns partly round to get a glimpse
of a boat, then ports bis helm, drops his jaw, calculates bis distance, and
WHALE "breaching.''