The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-12-02
a Story from a Whalor.
EY JOHN BOYLE o'EhiILY

peaceful, because he was powerful. Ant
the soft word that turneth away wrath
with the gentle hand to Sootl u sufferer
is often needed in the whale fisheries
Most of the foremost hands of the t,azellt
We're rough Portuguese lads, from The
Western Islands, on their first voyage
They We're treated with coarse contemp
by the lew American sramen, and by the
officers. The only "Whitc mam'-as The
Yankee sailor loves to call himscli-Wit
was kind and patient with the rude boys
was Chips; and he was never tired O
showing or teaching them something OF
what he knew He was one Of those un
selfish fellows. who do not believe il
Keeping knowledge to themselves. He
had never been to sea before; but daring
the first two years of this voyage, he ha,
attended to SO many things besides hi:
own easy work, that he was looked on Us
one OF the best and coolest whalemet
abroad. Although exempted from stand
Ing watch he had insisted on doing st
from the first day out. -At night, if the
weather was good, he would Sit on the
main hatch. in the centre of a ring OF
Portuguese lads. and with wonderful pa
titnce, teach then to make spices and
knots, and to speak English. He never
tired Of dong this or any other kindly
thing for them. In the daytime. il there
were work tor him at his trade. he still
hat! them round him, explaining every
thing us lie sawed or planned, Just ls il
he wished to make them as good carpen-
tcrS rs he was himself
On Sunday, when every one brought
his letters and pictures on deck, Chips
showed the only signs Of isolation he ever
except myscll-who had neither pictures
nor letters--neithcr face nor word to re-
mind him OF home When the ship
touched nj some port with Il post office,
and every one else ran Tor his letters,
Chips remained aboaru-he knew there
was none for him. In one of the boy
albums he found a picture OF an old white
haired woman - the lads mother-and
every Sunday alter, he asked for that al
bum and always gave it back when he
had turned to that picture.
The ship had been two years out when
first saw Chips Through strange and
unhappy circumstances, | was alloat on
the Indian Ocean in small boat, when
thi-; New Bedford whalcr hove IN sight
and ran down toward me. II was :; day
of exquisite pain and JOY when the white
sailed ship came slowly. in the light
breeze to save an outcast from death and
worse than death. ii was late in the
evening when the blessed coolness OF the
shadow Of the sails fell on my boat. An
other minute and the irail shell struck the
side of the wIlaIer; and the first man to
spring out in the miZzen chains, to help
me aboard, was strong-handed Chips,
with tears of sympathy in his eyes. On
deck the captain met me with an open
hand ;;nd heart; and for eight months |
sailed with the WhaIcmcn, and took part
in the good and i'll that belcll them.
Chips and | were friends from the IN
slant our hands struck. Shaking hands
is one OF my natural tests Of character
Some people shake your hand so politely
that you feel they would care mighty lit
tie about shaking your acquaintance
some men slip their hands into yours,
and make you iecl as if you We're sQueez-
inc u fish; some peoples hands are 50
thick, and fat, and cold, that you might
rs well grasp the fingers OF leather
dummy; most people, and nice people,
shake hands as 4 preliminary to conver-
sation, but now and then ones hand
strikes into Il sympathetic palm the fin
GERS take tull hold, the thumbs interlocl;
and close-and when that friendly gras,
is over there is not II word TO be sad-it
spoke all friendly greeting in its own
good language, just such Il kindly and
Grim grip did Chips give me the first
time We met
When picked up. | was in = bad way
for clothes; all that belonged to me in
The world were the few branded rags that
had worn in the boat Sailors are used
to such things; and they know the rem
edy. Every one came forward with hi>
little Offering. One brought a hat. an
other Il Jacket, another Il pair ol sea-boots,
a .jackknile, n cake Of tobacco, and so on.
until | had bunk full of marine nccessi
Ties. Chips had least to give Of all, for
he had shipped without a regular outfit
But when he saw all that had been given
smiling at the rough boys as each one
handed his offering he drew me off tt
his own cubby-hole, and hauled round his
chest Out on his bed came the contents
and in n minute there was Il fair division
of all it contained -tlannels, shirts, stock.
ings, and everything, to a handkerchief
These are yours, and these are mine,
said Chips; land I'll make You chest
tomorrow"
That's the sort of n man he was in
everything No wonder the boys loved
him, and that the one word spoken in the
best tones of the ship was the name Of
kind-hearted, manly Chips.
He was brave as he was kind. Wher
whales were chased, Chips went down in
q boat; and there was no coo.er head
among them when the fragile thing was
to be laid broadsidc to u monster nearly
as long as the ship. Once when the boat
was stove by a sweep of the awful flukes
in the death-flurry, one Of the boys was
crushed by the blow and driven senseless
under water. When Chips came to the
surface he counted heads and missed one,
and down in the bloody brine he went
among the sharks and lished up the sink
inc body lie was Il mighty swimmer
and with only an oar to cling to, he held
the sensclcss man out of water from noon
till sunset.
The events am going to relate occur
red on that voyagc-a little more than
five years ago.
The Gazelle had been cruising for three
months a few hundred miles off the coast
of western Australia-the great penal col.
ony of England-and during that time had
not fallen in with single sperm whale
One raw afternoon, with 4 harsh breeze
and a rising sea, at last we heard the
long, sing-song cry, from the mast head
.IIe blows! ther-ee-blo-o-owsn " Foul
times. at regular intervals of about forty
seconds, the cry was repeated; and then
we knew it was sperm whale.
1t was five in the evening when the first
CRY was heard, and the sun went down al
half past six with scarcely five minutes O
twilight. AS 4 rule, on board American
whalers. when whales are seen late in the