The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-07-16

that is, it is buried in his flesh up to the socket
which admits the handle or pole of the har-
pooh. A cheer from those in the boats, and
from the seamen on board, reverberates along
the Still deep at the same moment. The sea.
! which moment before was unruffled now be-
comes lashed into foam by the immense strength
OF the wounded whale, who with his vast tail
strikes IN all directions at his enemies Now his
enormous head rises high into the air. then his
dukes are seen lashng every where, his huge
body wrihes in violent contortions from the ag-
ony The iron has inflicted. The water all
| around him Is q mass of foam, some of il darts
TO considerable height-the sounds of the
blows from his tail on the surface of the sea
can be heard for miles
| Stern all = cries the heatlstnan but the
whale suddenly disappears he has sounded )
the line is running through the groove at the
head of the boat with lightning like velocity it
smokes-it ignites, from the heat produced by
| the friction--the headsman cool and collected
.pouis water upon il as it passes. But an is
now held up in the boat it signifies that their
line is rapidly running out two hundred faith
oms are nearly exhausted up flies one of the
| other botas, and bends on another line, just in
time TO save that which wos nearly lost. But
still the monster descends; he is seeking 10 rid
himselfof his enemies by descending into the
dark and unknown depths Of the vast ocean.-
They next bend on the ',lrougues' TO retard his
| career, but he does not turn ;another and anoth-
err have but slight influence in checking the
force of his descent +; two more lines are ex-
hans, ed-he is 600 fathoms deep Stand ready
to bend on cries the mate to the fourth boat
Ior sometime, though not often, they take tho
whole four lines away with them-S0O fathoms
but ii is not required, he is rising. "Haul in the
slack observes the headsman, while the boat
steerer coils it again carefully into the tubs as il
is drown up. The whale is now seen approach
ing the surface :: the gurgng and bubbling wa
ter which rises before also proclaims that he is
near his nose starts from the sea the rushing
IS taH oh nd S,,bd
agitation. The slack of the line is now coiled
IN the tbbs, and those in the 'fast' boat haul
themselves gently towards the whale !; the boat
steerer places the headsman close to the fin of
the trembling animal, who Immediately buiies his
long lance in the vitals of the eyiathan while, at
the same moment, those in one of the other
poats dart another harpoon into his opposite side
when stern all is again vociferated, and the
boats shoot rapidly away from the danger.
Mad with the agony which he endures from
these fresh attacks, the Infatuated sea beast rolls
over and over, and coils an amazing length of
line around him ; he rears his enormous head,
and with wide expanded jaws, snaps at every
thing around, he rushes at the boats with his
head-they are propelled before him with vast
swlttness land sometimes utterly destroyed.
tie Is lanced again when his pain appears
i IRE Hvl6enty tered by which one Of The
lines is snapped asunder at the same time the
other boat is upset. and the crew swimming for
their line. The whale is now free He passes
aoug the surface with remarkable swiftness,
going head out, but the two boats that have
not yot 'fasened,' and are fresh aud free, now
give chase ; the whale now becomes exhausted,
from the blood which flows from his deep and
dangerous wounds, and the 200 fathoms of line
belonging to the overturned boat, which he is
dragging after him through the water, checks
him in his coarse his pursuers again overtake
him, and another harpoon is darted and buried
deeply in the flesh.
The men who were upset now right their own
boat, without assistance from the others, by
merely clinging on one side of her, by which
she is turned over, while one of them gets in
side and bales out the water rapidly with his hat
by which their boats freed, and she is soon a.
gain seen in the chase.
The fatal lance is at length given--the blood
gushes from the nostril of the unfortunate ami
NAL in thick black stream, which stains the
clear blue water of the ocean to q considerable
distance around the scene OF the affray. In its
struggles the blood from the nostril is frequently
thrown upon tho men in the boats, who glory In
its show!
The immense creature may now again enlea-
vor to sound to escape from his unreentng
pursuers ; but it is powerless--it soon rises to
the surface, and passes slowly along until the
death pang seizes it; when its appearance is aw-
full in The extreme.
Suffering from suffocation, or some other
stoppage of some important organ, the whole
strength OF its enormous frame is set in motion
for a few seconds, when his commissions throw
him into hundred different conorliens of the
most violent description, by which the sea is
beaten into foam, and the boats are sometimes
crushed 10 atoms, with their crews.
But this violent action being soon over,
| the now Unconscious animal passes rapidly a
long, describing in his rapid course segment
of circle. This is the furry which ends in
his sudden dissolution. And the mighty recon
tire is finished by the gigantic animal rolling
over on its side, and floating an inanimate mass
on the surface Of the crystal deep, victim to
the tyranny and selfishness as well a won
derful proof of the power of the mind of man.
4 gentleman, who at breakfast the other
morning, broke an egg, and disturbed the re-
pose of a sentimental looking biddy, cahed the
waiter and insnuated that he did not ike 10 nave
q BILL presented till he had done eatihs'
i CONFINEMENT. moderate fortune, with
ouie, retirement in the country, is preferable to
a..nhd od with the cares and DernleXi.