Daily globe., 1879-05-04
"A NIGHT ON A WHALE"

"A NIGHT ON A WHALE"
The Perils OF the Sea.
Four boats left the ship, and extraordinary
efforts were made by each to gain the honor
of throwing the first successful harpoon. It
was the first day that any whales had been
encountered, and in the excitement of the oc-
casion one of the boats, of which an 1rishman
called "Pat' was the harpooner or boats
header, had disappeared, leaving the others
entirely at a loss whittier to proceed in quest
of their missing companions. Lights were
hoisted at the mastheads of the whaler, and
the horizon was scanned with good glasses.
Night passed, and no trace was discovered.
In the morning dark spot, at too great dis
encourage hope that either the boat or
dead whale would reward the trouble of
search, and poss sibly recover the trail of the
lost On nearing the object, it was discover
ed to be Pat, the harrpooner, kneeling on
dead sperm whale, his left hand twisted
kept him to his slippery post. His eye was
wildly fixed on his messmates, and, rising
mechanically, he tainted as about to step into
the boat. He had lived through a fearful
night-the chase, the encounter, the destruc-
ton Of the boat, the death Of the whale, and
the sharks, are vividly depicted Il
He was no longer strong enough even to
keep on his feet, and sought to find some lit
tie relief in kneeling down for minute, or
so long as the approaching sharks permitted,
upon his extraordinary float, and attempting
to stretch himself at full length, even though
it might be in the water. Fruitless hope! His
tormentors left him no rest, and the danger
Of being surprised, seized, and pulled down to
a certain DEATH was too iminent to allow
| him to await the attack. The most greedy of
the brutes, young fish scarcely more than
eight feet in length, once went so far as to
| seize the harpoOn, and heidi it sufficiently long
to be left half dry upon the sperm by the re-
firing wave; but the oak stick struck it such
a fearful blow across its treachereous, crafty
looking eyes, that the shark glided off the
slippery whale, turned up it white stomach,
and sank. But others took The brute's place
and only the glistening streak in the dark
water revealed their approach and warned
the unhappy man to prepare himself for the
renewed attack.
Hour after hour thus passed in this fearful
contest for life, but fresh hope was aroused in
the signal-guns clearly and distinctly reached
his ear. At last he was able to secognize the
forms on deck, as they moved backwards and
forwards in the Pickering light. "Ahoy-ho
-ahoy!' his wild, despairing cry was waited
| across the waters, as his comaades drifted
slowly past without noticing him-"ahoyw
Again he was compelled to defend his life,
for the sharks, attracted by the sound of a
human voice, came up from all sides, and
! their dark dorsal fins cleft the surface of the
water in every direction. His blows fell re-
peatedly, and the end of the tough shaft was
already plintered-blows which would have
! felled an OK, but produced no further effect
upon the shark than to make it retire for
little while And the ship? There it drifted
almost with hail. Again signal gun reached
his ear, and he again employed the ensuing
pause to send his cry for assistance across the
waves to the spot where salvation lay-sc
near, and yet so unattainable. But the wind
came from that quarter; though he could SC
distinctly hear the sound of the gun, and even
distinguish the different voices on deck, he
was unable to make them hear him. He only
made his enemies around more and more &C.
tive and rapacious, and their attacks became
| almost incessant.
till now been kept up by the hope of salvation
sank when he saw the ship drift past-sanl
when no means were left him to announce
his proximity. The love of life alone KEEP
him upright, and urged him to defend il
again the savage brutes until his last breath
Thus night passed away. The southern
cross turned slowly-very slowly-to thu
west, and day at length broke in the far-dis
tant east. He saw It all; he saw the sur
rising from Its ocean bed, recognized the con
tour OF his vessel, the graceful mast and tn,
bellylng sails; attempted to make last at
tempt to announce his existance, and ties tt
, pull off his shirt and wave it in the air,
signal certain to he seen by the lookout a
the masthead: but he was not able to do it
His limbs were stiff and rigid, even his voic,
refused its service, and he could only pro
duce hoarse, gurgling sound; His eye
burned, and his head went round and round
and new: wild idea, like will-o' -the-wisl
| u cy,ro oa1i ~. 1>:.
and seemed to expel all else-every though
|. OF help or salvation, every hope. He begal
to look out among the sharks that incessant
~ swan round him for one on which b,
should hurl himself, by means of the shar,
knife he wore. Again and again had this on
attacked him, ana he allowed him mel neitbe he
repose nor rest, for even an hour at time
again and again, although received by ferc
, blows and driven back, it returned, the mos
rapacious of the rapacious band, and reyeng
! he determined to have on that enemy.
) Buth strength deserted him; the painfu
excitement OF his mind and body threatene
to oVerpower him ;asnd although the sharks ha
though they still kept round the dead whal
) -ior they felt that he must soon become thei
t prey without further trouble-he had fallen o
ms knees, and half unconscious, only followe
with his glance the dark, threatening fin
r He had utterly forgotten the ship.
3 The loud halloa of the sailors that came t
save him first aroused him from his letharg;
r lie saw the boat, but he could scarcely CON
prehend, it seems, what it all meant, or wher
he actually was; but he raised himself ono
q again, felt himse supported by friendly arm
[, greet greeted by cheering, encouraging words, az an
sank back in fainting condition. tt
t harpooner had received orders that, o
u arriving at the dark spot which had bee
o seen from the deck, if he found it was dea
4 Whale, ne was to give signal by waving
e white flag he had with him, aud remain thel
TIL the other boats could be sent to his ASST
n tance to take the dead fish in tow. But the
l. had not expected to see single half dea
messmate upon it. He therefore gave Il
signal and stuck the flag into the body of Il
= dead whale, in order that the other boa
might find the spot, and then rowed With IL
it saved man, as fast as he could, to the vesse
v ihree OF the sharks, which were not incline
% TO Yet their prey be so easily torn from the1
+ iolioKed the boat, and we're severally lame
/. and killed by the harpooner, who could east
U Imagine how they must have terrified and to
: mented bic messmate.- Golden Era