The Placer herald., 1856-01-05
For the Placer Herald
SALT WATER BUBBLE.--.N 4.
By DICK BELAY-TuAT.

By DICK BELAY-THAr.
Come, Bill, give us spouting yarn as it looks
as if we shall not have to handle the muslin to
night. so coil away and get your jaw tackles
aboard"
'Well, boys, let me go below and get pipe
full of tobacco Well, ! was once in the ship
Blackburn, in the South Pacific. on a cruise. We
had only taken in about 80 bbls.. and had not
seen any whales for week. The old man had a
bounty up of 1000 Connecticut cigars and case
Of American. alias, Holland Gin. The next
morning it was the larboard watch and was in it.
Just at the peep of day the boat stecrer sang out
to loose topsails and courses. laid on the main
yard. cast off the yardarm gasketts and just as l
let the bunt gasketts go, up he came-an eighty
eight barrel sperm.
There she blows"
"Wherc Away?"
"On our lee beam, Sir
Come down, get your breakfast and lower
away
Our breakfast was ready in about two minutes.
II ever you saw niger in hurry that cook
was. lie not like our 'cullud pusson' here
"Avast there, Bill, belay and go on with the
yarn"
Well, We got our grub and lowered away the
boats. The whale was about mile our lee
BEAM We pulled for him. he was feeding at the
time we got half way to him when he went down.
we peaked our cars and all hands were on the
look out.
"Hc is taking his time at it," says the mate as
half Eour passed off and we were all straining
our eyes to catch sight of the whale. Three
oc ba,,, -1, IL
right ahead of the ship.
The niger at the mast thead had waited him
ahead, and it was something of race among our
three boats to see who should reach him first
We got within 500 yards when there she fukcs,"
sang out the mate. We again peaked our oars,
and there a consultation between the officers
to what best to be done and in the midst
of it "thcre she blows.n
The nigger waited him astern Of us and again
we were after him, when we got within 200 yards
There she fukes. D--m him." says the
mate, ''1ll have lance into you yet old boy"
That whale bothered us five hours just in that
way At last the boats separated. and when he
came up he broke water under the third mates
boat.
Stand and give it to him. was the cry. The
boat steerer darted both irons into him. AS soon
the whale struck away he went with the
boat though the devil was after him. He went
about eight miles and then stopped to "lsten.''-
The other boats pulled up to him, when the mate
darted his lance through his heart breaking it Off
at the socket. was in the larboard boat and
Jou had better believe that for few minutes
wished myself somewhere else, for as soon rs the
bn cll loI Iio boc al
made for us.
'What did his Jaws look like Bill"
"Why, like an old German harrow, such as they
have in the old country to scratch up big stones
His jaw was about twelve feet high and he had
thirty teeth Wouldn't he have combed us?1
"Oh Delay and go with your yarn
"Well Dick, he made for us. Stern all was
the cry. We sterncd about ten minutes when he
struck us, his head touching our boat cracking
five strcaks in her right where my thwart was and
died.
why, Bill, where was you?'
II was on the opposite side of that boat, for
thinks old fellow if you want my seat you can
have it, but, I'm not in the trade
81 say, Bill, your yarn puts me in mind of a
ship-mate had once, who was at one time a boat
hteerer IN Nantucket Wnaler.''
Let us have it Dick
"Wel it was nothing, only he had curious
reason for knocking Off spoutng and that was
because he missed whale in the Captains boat
while on three years cruise. He. the boat
steerer. was courting the Captains daughter. and
when the Captain came home he told her of her
lovers miss, and what do you think she said?''
"Better luck next time, | suppose"
mo, no, not So He called to her and held
ont his hand to give her a sailors shake and
squeeze, when she drew herself up, with her hands
behind her, and said when you missed that
whale for Pa, You missed me-"
So, he ID spouting and took a birth in mcr
chantman"
We'll, Dick, did she ever find the man who
struck one for her Pa"
The Lord only knows but she might have
found man that struck man that did strike one
for her Pa"
taD~ In Theatres blackguards howl and throw
nnanutS-in Christians churchn thpv cho,v tohoo