The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-10-06

1
into yours and make you feel as If you
were squeezing a fish; some peoples
hands are so thick, and fat, and cold,
that you might as well grasp the fingers
of leather dummy. Most people, and
nice people shake hands rs a preliminary
to conversation; but now and then ones
hand strikes into sympathetic palm,
the fingers take full hold, the thumbs
interlock and close-and when that
friendly grasp is over there is not.a word
to be said-it spoke all friendly greeting
in its own good language. just such a
kindly and grim grip did Chips give me
the first time we met.
When l boarded the whaler / was in
rad way for clothes; all that belonged
to me in the world were the few branded
rags that l had worn in the boat.
Sailors are used to such things; and
they know the remedy. Every one
came forward with his little offering.
One brought hat, another a Jacket, an
other pair of sea boots, jackknife, a
cake of tobacco and so on, until l had
bunk full of marine necessities.
Chips had least to give of all, for he
bad 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
to his own cubby hole, and hauled round
his own chest. Out on his bed came
the contents; and in minute there was
fair division of all it containe1-han-
nels, shirts, stockings and everything to
handkerchief.
''These are yours and these are mine,"
said Chips; and I'll make you chest
tomorrow"
That's the sort of 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 the kind-hearted, manly Chips.
He was as brave as ne was kind.
| When whales were chased Chips went
down in boat, and there was no cooler
head among them when the fragile shell
was to be laid broadside to monster
nearly as long as the ship. Once when
the boat was stove in by sweep of the
awful hukes in the death furry, one Of
the boys was crushed by the blow and
driven senseless underthe water. When
Chips came to the surface, he counted
the heads and missed one, and down in
the bloody brine he went, among the
| sharks, and fished up the sinking body.
He was a mighty swimmer, and with
only an oar to cling to, he held the
senseless man out of water until res
cued.
But, to the story. The Gazelle had
been cruising for three months a few
hundred miles off the coast of Western
Australia-the great penal colony OF
England-and during that time had not
fallen in with single sperm whale.
One raw afternoon, with harsh
breeze and rising sea, at last we heard
the long, sing.song cry from the mast
head: "He blowsl ther.re-bl-o-owsW ~
Four times at regular intervals of about
forty seconds the Cry was repeated, and
then we knew it was a sperm whale.
It;was about five O'Clock in the even
ing when the first Cry was heard, and
the sun went down at 8 80, with scarcely
! five minutes of twilight. AS rule, on
board of American whalers, when
whales are seen late in the evening, the
boats are not sent down unless circum ,
stanc ceSs such as weather, moonlight,
and SO on, are very favorable. In most
cases the course OF the whales and the
speed of their travel are carefully noted.
! When ION a course" a school OF sperm
whales will move at the rate of about
six miles an hour; when " feeding ="
they keep on the same ground" not
moving more than a few miles day.
When seen late in the evening, the ship
is steered during the night according to
the observation, and often finds the
school in sight in the morning, when
the boats are sent down.
This course was not followed on the
evening in question. 1t was not a
school we saw, but clone whale" and
one of extraordinary size. The night
promised to be a rough one, and the
whales motions were strangely irreg-
ular, as if he had lost himself in an un-
! known sea.
There is something solemn and myste-
rious in the sight Of ''lone whales" and
marvellous superstitions are current
among whalemen respecting them.
Though spending year after year on the
great waters, whalers become more inn
questionable to supernatural things than
other seamen, and long observations OF
the shoals or schools of the vast crea-
lures they pursue tends to fill them with
amazement and awe when they meet
with solitary leviathan who has aban-
doned all fellowship with bis 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 a short
distance from the ship, and we might
have seen him long before had not hi:
white, bushhke spout been lost in the
angry whiteness that was fast spreading
ONCI
For moment all eyes were fastened
on the long body, like a great black
tube, over which the waves washed
Every face was wonder stricken at the
immense size of the whale.
Captain Clifford had been examining
him through glass, which he handed
in turn to each of his officers.
What do you say, Mr.. HusseyP" h,
inquired of the first mate, who glanced
at the sun and answered;
, g. Go down, sir; we can do itP"
"Mr. Josephp" and the captain turned
to the second mate, an old Portuguese
of extraordinary size, and perhaps tn
most famous whaleman alive.
| Go down, sir, if we want to get th,
/ fellow; we'll never see him again"
, The two other officers were younger
men, and of the same mind. There wa
} no time lost in further consultation.
"Swing the boats!" shouted the oil
, | man