The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-09-03

A Harncssed whale.

wandering around on the wharves
day or two ago, among the remnants OF
what was once the scene of hustle and
activity in the good old days of whaling,
Union reporter encountered an old sea-
captain who had good story TO tell.
II is about thirty-five years ago, said
the captain, since went out from New
London as a boat-steerer. That is n
pretty lively berth, as any whaleman
can tell you, especially when whale is
tackled. The steerer has virtually the
control OF the boat and the safety of the
men in it, and when the whale begins
to lash the water with his tail look out;
there's danger in being near the big
fiuke. Sometimes you can put an iron
into a whale and he won't splash on the
surface, but will start off like rocket,
or perhaps will go right down, and you
have TO cut loose and lose your line and
irons. Still, whaleman gets used to
these things, and when boat is stove
by whale, or when the crew get into
any difficulty, they generally know what
to do, and take matters philosophically
They are tough fellows, and can row for
hours (and without training) and with
heavy oars resting on the "gunncl"
(punwale) of the boat.
We were laying becalmed one day off
the Cape of Good Hope. 1t was as
smooth as n mill-rond for miles, you
couldn't see ripple on the water, for
not a breath of wind stirred. Taere
were several whalers lying off the land,
close in, waiting TOR "A wind or some
thing to give them occupation. By-and-
bye we saw two or three whales COM
ing up to blow, about two miles away.
The captain called the watch up, and
couple of boats started for the whales,
which were lying still as if summing
themselves. In my boat was big
negro. Every time he rowed a stroke
the boat would shoot ahead. and lie
would open his mouth and grin, show
ing wonderful display of ivory. We
raced with the other boat and got ahead,
for my men were 1.-the and tough, and
by-and-bye we got alongside of one of
the big fellows. The steering-oar was
pulled in the oars were paoked-that
is, pulled in so that they couldn't strike
the water; then an iron was thrown
into the floating island.
The whale laid still for minute, as II
struck with amazement that any one
should dare to touch him. The rope,
which was coiled. up in the tub in the
bottom of the boat tdidn't seem to be of
any use for moment. In the mean
time the other boat had come up. Sud-
denly the whale made up his mind what
to do. He started of like locomotive,
the rope whizzing around in a way to
astonish a land lubber. The boat didn't
follow slow. When the rope was out
we were rushing by the CAPTAINS boat
like mad. The captain took off his hat
and way ed it at me. shouting: " Go it,
young man; you're going out of town
faster than you'll ever go again" All
we could do in that double-ended boat
was to sit still and see her go through
the water. / candidly believe that we
went at the rate of mile minute, and
the water was very wonderful sight.
1t reminds me, now that think of it,
] of Poe's description of the interior of the
Maelstrom, where the water went round
SO fast and was so black that it must
have seemed like wall of polished
ebony. The pressure downward piled
the water up on both sides OF us
30 that it seemed to be at least three
feet higher than the edge of the boz t,
but it couldn't run, for we were going
so fast it hadn't time. Every ones eyes
were blurred with the wind, which
seemed to be blowing a hurricane
in the whale was rushing through the
water as rigid as an iron rod, and there
must have been a line of foam a mile
long behind us. This thing couldn't 90
on forever. The negro had got little
scared, for it looked as if the whale
would never get tired out, and we were
going to sea at an amazing rate. The
ship went away as if by magic, and we
had lost sight of the other boat. The
negro stopped grinning, and the other
men expected at least to have n row all
night in the dark unless the ship should
follow us. Finally the line all at once
slackened. The whale hadn't stopped.
and, for all / know, is going ahead at
the rate OF a mile minute still. but the
iron had come out. We rowed back to
the ship, and as we came along the cap
tain called over the rail, where's the
whaleP"
"Oh," said 1. "the iron melted out,
he went so fast"
"Just what / thought" said the cap
tain; and that night we all had plum
duff. ."-NcD Raven Union.