The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-01-04
TAKING a WHALE.
BY ROGER sTARBUCK.

cruising off thecoast of Peru for sperm
whales | was doing on the maintop-
gallant cross-trees. Suddenly some
thing seemed to go right through my
brain. / woke to discover that it was
the voice of Zadik, the Captains har-
pooner, tall, swarthy, straight-haired
youth, half Kanaka, half English. He
was very tender-hearted, but an excel
lent whaleman, whose power of vision
was truly remarkable. He stood on
the other side of me, shrieking with all
| the force Of his lungs:
"There blows there blow-ow-s! :
there e-there-blows! J"
"Where awayw thundered old Capt.
Boom, glancing aloft.
''On the weather-bow, four miles off,
heading to leeward!"
This answer sent an electric thrill
through every vein: theold ship lurch-
ed as if she felt it too.
Up came old Boom, with spy-glass
slung over his shoulder, mounting two
ratlines at time. When on the cross
trees he just gave one squint with his
telescope; then his voice rung through
the ship like great saw going through
a board.
"Back the main-yard-clear away
the boats ~ 1t would have done you
good to see the men jump to falls and
braces. The ship came up slowly, and
Boom went down like lightning by
means of back-stay.
Zadik, following him, sprung like a
deer into the star-board boat.
"Lower awayw growled the Cap
tain. Buz-z-z! buz! buz-z-z! sounded
the falls, and swash went the four
boats, almost simultaneously, into the
water.
The merry dogs bundled into them,
and away they flew, the Captains ta-
king the lead.
"Snap your oars. we grifins! Make
the fire fly, my bulldogs! LGag and
strong's the word! Break your backs
every mothers son of YEP gritted the
old fellow through his teeth.
In a similar manner the other officers
encouraged their crews, until they had
proceeded about four miles, when Or
ders were given to stop pulling.
"None of your daredevil pranks,
Tom, if you get alongside a whale"
said the skipper to his soma lad Of
fifteen, who belonged to heafter-thwart
in the first mates boat.
Tom-theship's favorite-smiled and
| shook his curly head. At the same
moment the water broke into a whirl-
pool few fathOms astern.
There was a hurried whispering !;
| then the boats were forced round as a
very small Whale-a caif-rOse 20 the
surface. We perceived at once that the
creature had been struck by some other
crew, for the shank of an iron protru-
ded from its body. 1t seemed very
weak and in much pain, moving slow
ly and now and then reeling sideways
with sudden plunge. 1t swan in a
circle as if bewildered, and the noise
of its spouting somehow reminded me
of the wailing of child.
''Paddle ahead ~ was the order, for
every man believed that the mother of
the calf-the cow whale-was not far
off.
The first mate was soon within dart
ing distance.
s'Give it to him ~ he shrieked, and
whiz! whiz! went the harpooner's
irons, one after the other, into the an
MAILS body. For few moments the
little whale, as if half stupefied, re-
mained nearly motionless; then, breach
ing, it came down, writhing and whirl-
ing its fiukes in great agony, after which
it sounded. 1t was too weak to drag
the boat very fast or very far it soon
rose about fifty yards ahead.
"Haul line!" ordered the mate, now
in the boats bow, lance in hand.
AS he spoke the water on one side Of
the calf suddenly parted with roar
like cataract, and an enormous levi
athan-the cow whale-boomed up
from the surface, beating the sea with
her flukes and spouting thunder.
Round and round her offspring she
swan, but soon paused, as if half par
alyzed with astonishment and grief at
the situation of the sufferer. A mo-
ment she remained thus, then moved
ahead slowly and gently, occasionally
turning, as if to entice the little crea-
ture to follow. In fact the calf eneav-
ored to do so, but was too badly Grip
pled to swim; it made few feeble
plunges toward itsparent, and then be-
Gan to writhe and wheel in great ago
nv. Perceiving that it was now in
its furry, the mate stopped hauling
line, and remained watching the ami
NAL until its bloodred spout no longer
rose, AID it rolled over quite dead.
Now the behavior of it's mother was
pitiful to witness. She seemed unWll-
ling to believe that her young one was
really dead. Round it, she slowly
swan, spouting with noise something
between a shrek and a gasp. Then
she moved ahead as before, and like
one half crazy, seemed not yet to have
abandoned the hope of being followed
by her offspring.