Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-01-06
WHALE KILLING.
FROM " MoBY DICK"

Mr.. Herman Melville in his new sea.story
describes marvellous chase by whaling mon
omaniac after the Moby Dick" the fabulous
levathan of the sailors, during which he prob.
ably let us into the realities Of actual whaling
as minutely and faithfully as any sea-author has
ever done We shall give couple Of passages
hoping they will put the reader on the lookout
for the book itself]
Ii to Starbuck the apparition Of the Squid
was thing of portents, to Queequeg it was
quite different object.
When you see him, quid," said the savage,
honing his harpoon in the bow of his hoisted
boat, I" then you quick, see him, parm whale"
The next day was exceedingly still and sultry,
and with nothing special to engage them, the
Pequod's crew could hardly resist the spell of
sleep induced by such vacant sea. For this
part of the Indian Ocean through which we were
then voyagng is not what whalcmen call live
ly ground that is, it affords fewer glimpses of
porpoises, dolphins, flying fish, and other viva
clous denizens Of more stirring waters, than
those off the Rio de la Plate, or the inshore
ground off Peru.
1t was my turn to stand at the foremast head !;
and with my shoulders leaning against the slack.
ened royal shrouds to and fro, idly swayed in
what seemed an enchanted air. No resolution
could withstand it; in that dreamy mood losing
all consciousness, at last my soul went out Of
my body; though my body continued to sway
as pendulum will, long after the power that
moved it is withdrawn.
Ere torgeifulness altogether came over me,
had noticed that the seamen on the main and
mizen mast heads were already drowsy. So
that at last all three of us lifelessy swung from
the spars, and for every swing that we made
there was nod from below from the slumber-
ing helmsman. The waves, too, nodded their
indoent crests; and across the wide trance of
the sea, east nodded to west, and the sun over
all.
Suddenly bubbles seemed bursting beneath
my closed eyes; like vises my hands grasped
the shrouds some invisible, gracious agency
preserved me with shock came back to life.
And 10! close under our lee, not forty fathoms
off, gigantic Sperm Whale lay rolling in the
water like the capsized hull of frigate, his
broad, glossy back, of an Ethiopian hue, glis-
tened in the suns rays like mirror. But la
zily uHdulating in the trough of the sea, and
ever and anon TRANQUILITY spouting his vapory
jet, the whale looked like party burgher smo-
king his pipe of warm afternoon. But that
pipe, poor whale was thy last. AS if moved by
some enchanter's wand, the sleepy ship and ev-
cry sleeper in it al at once started into wake
fulness and more than a score of voices from
all parts OF the vessel, simultaneously with the
three notes from aloft, shouted forth the accus-
toned cry, as the great fish slowly and regular
Iy spouted the sparkling brine into the air.
"Clear away the boats! LufTm cried Ahab
And obeying his own order he dashed the
helm down before the helmsman could handle
the spokes.
The sudden exclamatons of the crew must
have alarmed the whale; and ere the boats
were down, majestcally turning, he swan away
to the leeward, but with such steady tranquil
ty, and making so few rippes as he swan, that
thinking after all he might not as yet be alarm
ed, Ahab gave orders that not an oar should
be used, and no man must speak but in whis-
pers. So, seated like Ontario Indians on the
yunwales of the boats, we swiftly but silently
padded along; the calm not admitting of the
1oiseless sails being set. Presently, as we
hus glided in chase, the monster perpendicular
y fitted his tail forty feet into the air, and then
sunk out of sight like tower swallowed up
"There goes fukes" was the cry, an an
Immediately followed by Stubb's
producing his match and igniting his pipe, for
low respite was granted. After the full in
erval of his sounding had elapsed, the whale