Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-08-23

at all look like tit might possibly be dead
whale, and would not only repay the trouble of
looking after it, but would surely put them on
the trail of the missing men, as the fish, if
struck, would have one of the ships harpoons or
irons in il.
For nearly half an hour they pulled, follow
ing the signals on board, without distinguish
ing any thing in their track, till the harpooner,
who stood in the bows, suddenly fancied he no
ticed dark object right in front, and only just
above the water. Before long he shouted, half
turning to his men, and pointing in 'front.'
"Pull away, my lads, pull away BY heav.
ems, ID is man on raft or a boat, or some
thing Of that sort. Pull away, for fancy we
are only just in time
Then uttering loud " halloa f" he tried to
raise responsive echo, but no sound answered
him, and the boat bounded on its course toward
the extraordinary object.
" "A mana man - the men in the boat
cried, and the boats header, who was also
standing up, shouted, "By heavens, if that is
not Simmons "
" Simmons it is," replied the harpooner,
" but where are the others!"
But every other question died away in re-
newed EXPLANATIONS of surprise, when they came
nearer, and not only recognized the fourth har-
pooner, young Simmons, in the shipwrecked
man, but also found that he was kneelng no
dead sperm whale, which lay with its burden
few inches above the waters edge. His left hand
was twisted tightly in the lines of the harpoon,
which alone kept him on his slippery post, and
with the other he held the shaft, which he had
cut away from the harpoon, 80 tightly grasped
that he would not even let 20 when the boat
shot up to him, and every arm was stretched
out to help him.
The poor fellow looked deadly pale and could
not utter single word-his eye was wildly fixed
on his messmates as if he did not recognize them
he merely rose mechanically 10 step into the
boat, but tainted away as soon as he felt the
firm planks under him. He had lived through
a fearful night; and we must return to the pc
riod when he quilted the others with his boat
and crew in order to chase the whale on his own
account.
Simmons, as he thought, very cleverly steered
away from the track of the other three boats,
and followed single sperm, which was lazily
breasting the waves at some distance from tho
rest of the shoal. They rowed Justify on at
about FIVE hundred yards in the rear of the
sperm, and gained upon it rapidly, for the fish
was, as yet, ignorant of the danger that mo-
menearily threatened it. At the same time, the
sperm swerved more and more from its former
course, and went westward with the wind and
current Simmons now set his sail in order to
get nearer the fish without any unnecessary
noise. The whale, however, appeared to have
scented the approach of danger, for it started
off at the top of its speed, so that the boat even
with favorable breeze could gain but little or
it. Suddenly, just as they had, with great la
Dor, got within casting distance of the whale
the sperm dived, and the boat shot over the spo
where the waves were still bubbling over thu
sinking monster. " Sail the harpooner q
once shouted-but the boat glided on littl
distance from the impetus it had received ant
the boatsteerer with uplfted lance, anxiousl,
awaiting the signal to cast. While the sal
Tapped wildly in the wind, and the harpoone
held the sheets firmly in his hand, that the
might not lose a moment in the pursuit, til
rowers looked down into the clear water beneat
with the hope ofseeing the fish, and so discover
ing the direction it was about to swim in.
There's something swimming" said one
the hands, in a half suppressed and anxious ton
of voice, " and it's coming up straight from b'
low"
Hush" " said the harpooner, "gently-
gently, or you'll startle him-where! ="
"There he comes-there he comes :" three
four shouted simultaneously, and instinctive
grasped at their oars
Back-baek for your lives. =" the harpool
or cried at this moment, who was well aware
the peril to which they were exposed if the CO
lossus, in rising, merely grazed their boat. A
most at the same moment the oars fell into Il
t water, and the boat had scarcely shot its ov
g length back, when the gigantic rounded he'
of powerful sperm fish, with its jaws hal
q opened, rose to the surface, and then bound
9 forward, as if to escape the strange obje
2 whose presence he was now aware Of In t
Is bow Of the boat, and close above the mountai
t of blubber, which actually rose under his We
d feet stood the boat-steerer, with uplifted Ian,
d but his arm trembled, and, still within reach
y the fearful foe, who could crush them at 81
gle blow, he did not dare to hurl tho weap
It into. the flying monster.
1t Give it him" " Simmons however shout,
% perfectly careless of danger, and only think
1t at the moment of the chase. Hang the
Or ow, he'll let the fish slip through his hands
B. and seizing his own lance, he appeared to
,t anxiously waiting the moment when he col
Or hurl the sharp steel into the back of his pr
ne The boat-steerer still hestated, but only 70
ID moment; for if he suffered the opportunity
es slip, it was question whether they would g
q again come up with the startled whale.
lit sail had again caught the wind, and the
"a pooner held the tiler firmly with his knee
bring the boats head round, and rush after
NJ flying foe. AT this moment the harpoon W
in zed through the Dir deep into the monst
ey back, and was imbedded in the tough blub
ng In second the sail was again taken in, and
me boat steerer, springing back to the tiller, N
ely room for the harpooner to throw his lance,
ow give the levia.han Of tho deep his death
all Simmons stood in the bows with his face ra
of for caat, and the crew tugged away at the
1t poon rope, to bring their little bark close tc