Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-12-28

I Let ner nave IL !! ne grOWleu. u;
/ dix raised his harpoon at the sam
moment the COW gently rubbed i
great head against the little whale, q
( if to ascertain Why it would not folio
I her.
Zadik lowered the point of his wea
pOH his wild eyes sOftered.
That whales Just ike a huma
mother, Captain" said he, and
I haven't the heart to strike IL ~
Dog !" hissed old Boom, what all
/ ye Dart ! dart I tell ye
As he sDOk a sudden change cam
over the whale, which now, half turn
ing saw the boat Wrathful and vii,
for revenge, she breeched the Who'll,
length Of her enormous body. out o
water then falling back with the dir
Of hundred thunder bolts. she mad,
straight for the boat, her bristling iav
wide open, her broad fiukes beatinj
the sea
'.Starn starn ~ gritted old Boom
aud every man of his crew except Ia
dix turned pale.
The harpooner had changed with
the leviathan. The flush of fight wa,
on his cheek, and there was fire II
his eye. His dark brow was wTinkied
the ends of his straight black hail
bristled like spear points. He motion.
ed TO the captain to keep of a little
an D. being Obeyed, sent both irons
whIzzlng into the monsters hump
maddened with pain, fiercer than
ever, the whale made a swift dash
toward the boat which she must have
grappled had not the Captain By dex
frOus movement, Whirled the light YES
sci to one side. Thus bafled, the COW
dove, shaking a savage warning with
her izes- a-she dlsaDpeared. AWAY
went the boat, swift as q WnirlsgIuJ.
the line humming around the logger.
head, and the crew cheering like wild
demons in answer to the cheers OF
those who were pulling after them.
Aadlk and the CAPTAIN changed
places and the old lion, as we called
Boom, soon had his lance ready. The
whale came up a quarter of an hour
later, and Haul line r was the order.
w hen within dartiug distance the
skipper sent his long weapon quiver-
ing into the monsters body. Enrag-
ed beyond all bounds, she came boom
ing towards US in a cloud of whirling
spray tossed by her busy 5ukes.
Starn ! staTn \ from the ''old lion
and every time he spoke he was either
darting his lance into the whale or
pulling 1t back. Thicker and faster
few the spray, almost hiding the ami
NAL from US, until suddenly, its great
head, bursting from the white foam
cloud, we saw the bristling Jaw within
six inches of the skipper
Had the nerves of Zadik failed b m.
the old man must have perished the
next minute But the voice of the
half breed rang ike the clang Of a
hammer, as with ready steering oar
he whired the boats brOadside towards
the monster and then gave the order
to stern y
Snapl went the monsters closing
jaw, just missing the boats bow: and
Whiz-Z-Z went the old lions lance
again into her body alongside the
hump
Now, as she dashed furiously to-
wards US, our shlpmates arrived to
take part In the combat.
The long limbed first mate who -had
left the calf to be towed by an extra
boats crew from the ship, attacked the
monster on one flank, while the Cap
tain and his second and third mates
battled desperately upon the other.
The cheers Of the men, the crashing of
the whales hukes, mingling with such
wild cries as Lay me on - Keep off
a little Now then-steady as you
are Starn starn starn T. 'sPull
ahead r Hoo, hoo ! take that old
queen ! Mind yourself at that car z
Now then, Mr.. Spooner-there's a
good sight Whang Whang
whaDgi three lanees into her that
time HOOray hooray!" ETC., etc,
we're heard on all sides, while so thick
was the spray that no man could see
his neighbor distinctly.
Vigorously pressed-with lance after
lance piercing her bOdy-her Jaws and
fUkes avoided by the vigilant har-
pooners-the whale soon acknowledged
the power of her assailants BY sending
up into the spray cloud a light red
fOun tain of blood With exultant
the lancers, still attacking
buried their weapons in her writhinR
body, from which the spout rose dark
er and lower every moment
Suddenly, with one tremendous
whirl of her hukes, she struck the
first mates boat, shivering it to atoms!
Then slowly round and round she
swan, the dark blood spout now as
cending s earcely six inches
The Captain and his third and sec
ond officers churned her with their
lances, when, turning over, fin out. and
half lifting her hukes and head in one
last spasm of agony, she expired
The first mates crew being good
swimmers, had not yet been picked
up; in fact, the captain had been toe
busy to notice 1Jh5ch vessel was stoven.
Now, as the nnor fellouue- were helped
into his boat, he looked in vain fol
his son
The sad story was soon told; poo1
little Tom was far down under the sea
whittier his frame crushed by the
whales Aukes. had been dragged by
sharks.
The Captain groaued and bowed hi.
head. He did not lift it until we were
alongside the ship. While we were
cutting in the whale we looked in
vain for him.
He is down in the cabin, said the
mate, weeping and sobbing like a
child. He will never be a happy mar
again r
''Ay, ay, said Zadik gloomily. "a
felt as If no good would come of oul
striking that whale We killed he
offspring, and she killed the Captain
son !'-Harperss Weekly.