Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1857-04-02

er and anon on the darkening ocean,
Walking up to the lee-quarter, he fixed
his gaze intently on some object to lee
ward, and then cast his eyes aloft to learn
| if possible, the reason of silence at the
maintop.
Al say!" he shouted, in an angry tone,
g. you leaden.eyed lubber, | say! Both
ports shut! Look there!" and he pointed
backwards, where long white spout rose
like bush, against the ruby-colored ho-
rizon Nice lazy son of soger you are
for look outl Come down STRIP
We all started to sensiblity, as il
broadside had been fired into US.
Back the maintop-sail, my sons!" shou-
ted second time the captain.
There she blows. sirl-sperm whale
regularly soy, sir" shouted the mast
head man, in conciliatory voice, as he
descended slowly from his nest in the air.
Confouud you! come down STRIP reit-
Grated the captain furiously; a ropes
end would do you deal more good than
your switchelF
Right ahead sir" persisted the man,
as he gradually approached the deck
4" Spout as long and as thick as the main
yardP'
Stand by to lower!' exclaimed the
captain, all hands: cook, boy, steward,
cooper-every one of you stand by to low
erl'
Almost before the last words had left
the shippers lips, every man was at his
proper post. Linetubs, wafe-poles, wa
ter-kegs, were slowed away in the boats
and the irons were placed on the racks at
the same time that the evolutions of the
Fship were attended to with a precision
and alertness that would have COMPOUNDED
a landsmen. The vessel insensihly moved
towards the object we had contl lded was
a whale. When within pistol shot.
Lower away!' was the command. In
ia moment the keels splashed in the water
Jump IN, my boys-ship the crotch
line your oars-now pull ! were the rap
id orders of the captain, as the men slid
ed down the vessels side, and taking
their places, began to give away. Away
the boats shot. The blades of the oars
bent like willow wands to each stroke
and as tempered steel quivering in the
sunlight, they rose to sight from the ten
sion of the retreating waves. As if una.
ware of our approach the old ''bulP'
heaved his huge bulk in unwieldIy gam
bols not mile from us; and the man
who pulled the bow-oar of the waist.
boat, which was first, called out at the
top of his lungs
+" There he blows!- AN old BULL"
" Hurra! my lads!" shouted the mate;
eighty barrels waiting to be towed
alongside. Long and quick-now she
feels it!-shoot ahead! Waist boat never
could beat US. That's it-bend your
backs to it my lads! Now she feels it
lay down to it, stroke-thats the touchl
now she walks through i'll Again.
win you switched, my sons-nowl"
Such were the broken commands and
exhortations Of the mate, with which he
urged his crew to exertation, not for
getting to ply with consummate tack and
vigor his long steering-oar. How, back,
ward and forward, flashed like spars of
light the shivering blades! How, in our
arrowy course, the water boiled and
dashed under and over our prov, while
the trenched waves, kissing and whirling,
closed in our wake as we swept onward,
like a loosened shaft Near and nearer
in our electric flight we approached the
fish, the mighty roar of whose spouting
rose above the rush Of the sea.
Stand ready harpoonerl' exclaimed
the mate: "but don't dart till l give the
word" a
"Ay, ay, SIR" replied the man; and
turning with elated look to his compan-
ions, he continued, Garry me on, and he
spouts bloodW
Lashing the sea with his enormous
aukes until he threw a cloud of surf
about him, the whale came EDWARDS at
full speed, Jaws on, with the apparent
determination of giving battle in earnest;
and drawing near, his long, curved back
loomed occasionally above the surface of
the pillows.
Pull easy" said the mate in more
suppressed tone; "just give her way
enough to steer"
The huge creature approached, but,
at the distance of cables length, some
wha. tagging in his frenzied speed, he
changed his course to sharp angle with
our own.
e Stand up, harpooner = again said the
mate.
Don't be hasty-dont be aurried.-
Hold your iron higher-frmer. Nowl-
give it him solidT'
The harpoon darted like lightning by
| by the immense mass now wallowing
heavily past within boats length of our
brow, yet onward plunged the leviathan
unframed. The young harpooner had
stood erect-he had planted his foot-he
had grasped the coil--he had poised his
weapon, but his knee shook, and his sim
envy arm wavered. The shaft was hurl-
ed, but with unsteady aim, and, grazing
the back of the monster, glanced off his
thrashing flukes, and darted into the sea
beyond. Sweeping on for few rods,
the giant animal tapped astorm of spray
in our faces with his broad tail, as il
lcontempt Of our childish efforts to iniure