The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-09-24
SELECT STORY.
A STORY FROM A WHALER.

six feet high, and strong as an OAK
tree.
Heiwas the favorlte of the ship-and
no wonder. He was tender and gentle
perhaps because he was strong; he was
peaceful, because he was powerful. And
the soft word that turneth away wrath
with the gentle hand 10 soothe sufferer
is often needed in the whale-6isheries
Most of the foremast hands of the Gaz
ellie, were rough Portuguese lads, from
the Western Islands, on there first voy-
age. They were treated with coarse con-
tempt by few American seaman and
by the officers. The only "white-man'
-as the Yankee sailor loves to call
himself-who was kind and patient with
the rude boys was Chips; and he was
never tired Of showing or teaching them
something of what he knew.
He was one of those unselfish fellows
who do not believe in keeping knowl-
edge to themselves. He had never been
to sea before; but during the first two
years of his voyage, he had attended to
q. SO many things besides his own easy
work that he was looked on as one OF
the best and coolest whale-men aboard.
Although exempted from watch he had
insisted on doing so from the first day
out. At night if the weather was good
he would sit on the main hatch, in the
center of a ring OF Portuguese lads,
and 4 with wonderful patience teach
them to make splices and knots, and to
speakNEnglish. He never tired of do
ing this or any other kindly thing for
them. In the av-time, if there was
work for him at his trade he still had
them around him explaining every thing
as sawed or planed, just as if he wished
to make them as good carpenters as he
was himself.
On Sunday, when every one brought
his letters and pictures on deck, Chips
showed the only signs of isolation he
ever gave. He was the only one on
board-except myself-who had neither
pictures nor letters--neither face nor
word to remind him Of home. When
the ship touched at some port with a
post-ofice, and every one else ran for
his letters, Chips remained on board
he knew there was none for him. In
one of the boys albums he found the
picture of an old white-haired woman
the lads mother-and always after he
asked for that album, and always gave it
back when he turned to that picture.
The Gazelle had been cruising for
three months few hundred miles off
the coast of Western Australia-the
great penal colony of England-and
during that time had not fallen in with
a single sperm whale. One raw after
noon, with harsh breeze and arising
sea, at last we heard the long sing song
cry, from the masthead, "He blowsl
ther-ee-blo-o-ws" Four times at re-
gular intervals Of about forty seconds,
the cry was repeated; and then we knew
that it was sperm-whale.
1t was five in the evening when the
first cry was heard, and the sun went
down at half past six with scarcely five
minutes oftwilight. Asa rule on board
American whalers, when whales are seen
late in the evening, the boats are not
sent down, unless the coarse of the
whales and the speed of their travel are
carefully noted. When con a course"
a school of sperm will move at the rate
of about six miles an hour; when feed
ing on the same ground" not moving
more than few miles day. When
seen late in the evening, the ship il
steered during the night according to
the observations, and often finds the
school IN sight IN the morning, when the
boats are at once set down.
This course was not followed on the
evening in question. 1t was not a school
we saw, but "lone whale" and one of
extraordinary size. The night promised
to be rough one, and the whales mo-
tions were strangely irregular, as if he
had lost himself in an unknown sea.
There is something solemn and mys-
terious in the sight of "lone whales" !"
and marvellous superstitions are current
among whalemen respecting them.
Though spending year after year on the
great deep, whalers- become more i'm
pressionable to supernatural things than
other seamen; and long observation of
shoals or schools of the vast creatures
they pursue, tends to fill them with
amazement and awe when they meet
with solitary leviathan, who has
abandoned all fellowship with his kind,
who lives by his own law-lonely,
mighty and terrible
Soon after the cry from aloft, we saw
the whale from the deck, only short
distance from the ship, and we might
have seen him long before had not his
white bush-like spout been lost in the
angry whiteness that was fast spreading
over the sea.
For moment all eyes were fastened
on the long body, like great black
tube, over which the waves washed.
Every face was wonder-stricken at the
immense size of the whale. Capt. Gif-
ford had been examining him through a
glass, which he handed 10 each Of his
officers. "What do you say Mr.. Hussey?
he inquired of the first mate, who glanc-
ed at ,he setting sun and answered, $50
down, sir; we can do it."
"Mr. Joseph p said the captain turn
ing to the second mate, an old Portu
guese of extraordinary size, and perhaps
the most famous whaleman alive.
"Go down, sir, if we want to get that
fellow; we'll never see him again"
The two other officers were younger
men, and of the same mind. There
was no time lost in further consulta-
tion.
"Swing the boats y' shouted the old
man.
The lines and irons had already been
thrown in by the crews. A "heave, oh r
and straining sound, and In one minute
the four boats struck the water, and tbs