The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-05-25


Of rope and the ships harpoon in the boat,
in case of accidents; and IL you will row
away after him, I'll bend on the rope in q
minute
This wild proposal was received with q
general shout Of applause, and while the
sailor prepared the harpoon, We dashed after
the whale with speed in which cagernessss
supplied the place Of skill. BY the time oil
was ready, we were close upon him -
posing the harpoon high above his head, the
whaler-for the frst time In his life, as no
afterwards confessed-struck 1t vigorously
into the side of the floating monster, who re,
ceived the blow with plunge that half filled
the boat with water.
The next moment he was diving down into
the depths of the bay, where II appeared
likely wo should soon follow him, for our
unskilled harpooner seemed scarce able to
pay out the rope with the rapidity cquailing
the descent Of our unruly captive.
But few minutes more sawhim on the sur
face again, and in q paroxysm OF rage, DASH
ing on at furious rate, and dragging us
ong in his rear with velocity that almost
buried cur slight boat in the water, and sent
the parted waves leaping from her bows In
Kissing surges high above our heads; while,
through the opening in the watery curtain,
our rapid progress gave us heeting glimpses
of land, and sea, and boats, oil blent in be-
wildering confusion.
As our little bark was thus hurried along,
wild exultation took possession OF US,
which, in the men rose to the pitch OF cheers,
loud and hearty enough to have frightened
any stced less headstrOng than our padded
one.
II was impossible to doubt We were in mo.
mentary peril, for none OF our crew possessed
the requisite skill with the oar-rudder to fol-
low the rapid eyolutions, the divings and un-
expected returning TO the surface, OF the
monster; and far less did they understand
that most essential point in whaling-the
proper management Of the harpoon rope:
For more than an hour We continued to
sweep along with undiminishcd speed, for
the strength of the whale seemed to be mex
haustible, however 1t might be with his pa
tiencc, for of late he had INDUCED in several
plunges, which had shaken our craft to its
centre, and more than once he uttered bel
lowing roars, which echoed far and wide.
After one Of these deep-mouthed cries, hc
suddenly paused, then turning round, came
rushing back upon us with distendcd jaws,
as if his fury had resolved to crush our fra
gile boat at once. The sight Of the approach
ing monster, and his black, caycrnous mouth,
was anything but pleasant, even to our en-.
thusiasm. The men cried aloud, and waved
their arms, to deter him, but he did not ap-
pear to hear them; then they seized the oars,
resolved to give him battle, but hc passed
beyond their reach, his great size contrasting
awfully with our small proportions then,
Just us he had gone by, he raised his
enormous tail nearly twenty feet into the
air, and with one powerful blow struck our
boat, dssl,ing 10 IN pieces, and leaving us
struggling in the water, all save the poor
whaler. who, having become entanglcd in
the harpoon rope was horne of by the VIC
torious animal. A few minutes after anoth-
er boat having struck and killed the fish, the
poor fellow was rescued, but 80 nearly drown
cd that .he was with difficulty restored to
life. Meanwhile, other boats clustered round,
picked us up and took us back to our ship.
Occupied by our whale-chase, and after
wards in the resuscitation of our uniortu-
nate comradc, we had not noticed that the
calm of the morning had given place to q
strong southeast breeze, which was raising
the broad eIpanse Of the bay into large
crested waves, that. rolling onward to the
beach, broke on II in laundering surges -
and as at that time the bay boastcd no jetty,
stopping all communication with the shore.
Never, during all our voyage, did our vessel
pitch as she did that day, for the bay, fifteen
miles from point to point, lay open to tho
winds, and to the full sweep of the South
Atlantic ocean, whose pillows, rising with
the increasing wind each hour into loftier
swells, broke angrily against the bows Of the
laboring vessel, and then, with q sullen surge,
swept on. Fortunately for themselves, tho
fishers had anchored their whale, and, after
leaving us at our ship. hastened TO the land,
which was gained with difficulty.
The cloudless blue of the tropical sky was
overhead, and the brilliant southern sun
shono down gloriously upon the scene, light
ing up the clear blue waves, and adding to
the dazzling whileness Of their surging sum
mits, and to the radiance Of the gem.like
spray, which bounded high into the air above
them. But It shed no brightness on the SOL
itary little bark, which, with doubled an
chors and lowered masts, struggled 30 hardly
for life amid that waste of raging water -
for, with the passing day, yet wilder and
fiercer waxed the storm, and louder roared
the foaming waves among which We tossed
no fearfully, sometimes cast aloft on the ridges
of lofty billows, until we thought our cables
must part with the sudden strain; at Others,
almost buried in tho depths Of sccthing abyss
es, whence II seemed unlikely we should ever
rise again while every now and then some
enormous wave would strike full against us
with frightful violence, and, breaking over
our bows, roll along the deck with force that
threatened to bear all before 1t, the which
we only escaped by clinging to the ropes and
rigging.
The sun at length set, and darkness began
to close over us, doubling the horrors of the
.till increasing tempest. Suddenly wild
cry from the bow rose above the bowling Of
the storm, and looking ahead, we perceived
q huge mountain Of water rolling rapidly
along the bay, its LOFTY crest and sccthing
sides cleaning with phosphoric light, Us ris.
ing each instant higher, II lowered above our
n,asts, ready TO overwhelm and sink our frail
shin at her anchors. We were in imminent
peril, and one that no human effort could
eysde or lessen the only thing LEFT us was
submission, and, bowling to our late. We quiz
etly awaited IL. The fatal moment had ap-
pafcntly come, for the huge wave was hover
inc over our devoted vessel, when she unex-
pcctedly rose Tn the crest Of q smaller one,
presenting her bows to the enormous billow,
which struck against her with such q vio-
lenco that threatened TO shattsr her. TIE
water and spray fell over her in a binding
deluee. tine uniortunate vessel moaned and
trcmbled as II her hour were come, and there
was terrible, though momcntary struggle.
i The next, the wavo passed on leaving us
aaoat; but both our cables had parted with
the shock, and we found We were being swept
from tho anchorage towards tho long line Of
surf.bound coast under our lee. Ere wc had
reached more than halfway to the shore, n
IL r Grra hIavo1 a.,IIo, lv