Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-11-09

Lines in the kcatp vocterated the
Captain.
Captain Coffin,' said the mate, did
you ever lower away for a white wha'e7'
What signifies white or black?' said
the intrepid commander. SECT your
boat ready sr?'
Capt Coffin said Hussey calmly. 81
have followed this business great ma
ny years, aud you may depend npon t,
that whale like the one yonder, makes
us but little oil, and is very dangerous
to get along aside Of .--
I'VE do not talk Of danger said the
captaln;' came fo. whales and whales
I'll have, when they are TO he got
You never saw white whale before,
said Hussey; but know what they are. ,
That's true said the captain, thought
fully; i never saw white whale; but
this fellow is as white as chalk-but no
matter, get the boat ready, aud We'll
talk more about it when we come aboard
Some of u.s. replied the mate, may
never como oG board again.
You arc enough to brighten the whole
ships company said the captain, Il hope
you are not atraid of a whale
.Perhaps,' answered the mate with a
CLOWN. cheek, 'but you will soon know
whether am afraid of whale or not
With Incorporate haste the mate Hew
to his boat; he called aloud for his crew,
tore off the tarpaulin. and seizing the
line tub in his powerful grasp, placed 1T
without assistance in the boat. HIS
boats crew were assembled. and tor
once. Mr.. Hussey's boat was manned
and lowered before MIR Swain has got his
tub in the boat.
A new hand presented himself to Mr..
swaln--this was Ben, the ship-keeper.
" While the ship was on her passage to
Wahoo, the ships company had little
more to do than to talk over the recent
events or the off shore ground; and
while every one bnasted of his achieve
ments, and the deeds of noble daring in
the encounter with whales, broad hints
were hove at the ship-keeper that he
would not have shown himself so gallant
and so brave If he had been in the boats.
Ben. who had brea.het in sulphurous at
mospheres when iron hail flew thick a
round him, and had faced the roar OF
British cannon, felt hurt at these allu-
siuns, and had asked the captains per-
mission to go into the boats when they
should be again favored and prove that
he was not afraid of whale
The caprain made answer, that IN case
the boats should be lowered in still
time. and all things agreeing, he would
permit Ben to 90 IN the boats. Such a
time the captain imagined the present to
be, but he erred, wofully urred, as the
reader shall presently perceive. Ben
was ordered to take the place OF Mr..
SWANS tub-oarsman, who was native
and inhabltnnt of Nantucket by name OF
Nicodemus Biddy.
Buddy was to stand ship'keeper for
this time, and such man was Biddy, as
shall straightway be made apparent.
Blddy was long, lean, lank creature,
about six feet two inches from the saw
teeth junction of the frontel and partial
bones, to the tough extremity Of his fee.
The reader has already concluded that
Biddy's person was tall and comman-
ding, but lie was never more mistaken in
his life. Blddy had a stoop 10 his gait,
which prevented the spectator from form
Ing an accurate estimate of his attitude.
His head was small, and round as an ap-
pie doughboy. His forehead and face
was narrow, and the hair inserted at the
top of his nose. His whole carcass was
dry and sallow. Hips he had nome
His thighs were noble pair of bones.
and his calves has gone to grass. His
ANGLES were very portly, and his feet
were prodiglous monopoliZers o: leather.
He had been married twenty-five years
but had no children. His lovely spouse
had for many years held him in check
| with the crack of the door. But per.
ceiye the reader does rot understand me
i will Explain.
The crack of Biddy's back door when
opened. was just fit for the end of his
nose. Now when ever he was refracto.
nv, or disputed the madness ofhis wife,
she pointed to the door. when Bdd y
would run and thrust his nose in the
crack. His wife then would close the
uUOF Wltiitil u few jhCuCo, jh'Suco
the member terribly, and made Biddy
roar aloud and promise obedience for the
fl ture. Thus could Biddy's wife handle
him as she thought proper--and the nose
is therefore, very apty termed the handle
of the face. Biddy was completely hen
pecked, and his wife led him by the nose
as easily as she could wish.
Nicodemus Biddy had been several
voyages around Cape Horn, and had not
yet attained to any higher grade than
that of common sailor. The fact is
this: Biddy was deficient in stamina, and
wanting, in every requisite for seaman.
He had during the early period OF his
welded life. lived altogether upon bis
wife, who growing weary of such bur.
then, disguised at such pusilIaHimitf land
.lisheartened at the barren prospects be-
fore her. grew gradually stern and Sc.
we're; and thinking there ought to be al
II e