San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-01-25

get a shovel and broom.
II went for'ard, and after getting a
shovel and broom, he made me sweep
this tiny chew Of tobacco into the
shovel.
Garry il carefully for'ard, Sir, and
when you get on the t'gallant fork 81,
tess it as far to lu'ard as you can, sir.
He was so polite aboutitI thought
/ had better accommodate him, and |
went on to the t'gallant fork'sl, and
Just as l tossed the shovel the old
bark gave heavy lurch to lu'ard. |
let 90 the shovel, and it went spinning
overheard. When l let go of it |
threw up my hands and caught hold
of the jib sheet. If | hadn't done
this should have followed the shovel.
The captain thought / threw the
shovel overheard intentionally, and
he punished mo by keeping me on
deck my forenoon watch below for a
week.
well, at last we reached the Arctic.
Ysu SEQ, we were after the right
whales, and had to 60 there to find
them. We cruised for long time
before we saw a blow, and once or
twise the cid hooker came near get
tang ripped in the ice. If this had
happened she would have been
ssuashed as flat as pancake.
"One day, about this time, the
lookout in tho cor'nest sang out 1and
hot
THE captain was surprised, for he
didn't expect to see land hereabouts.
He sent the mate aloft to see what he
could make out of it. He hadn't been
alsft long when he hailed the deck
and reported the land to be large
floating island.
"a what, sir?' replied the captain,
astonished.
ga big floating island, sirI replied
the mate.
"'You're crazy, sir! Who ever
heard of floating island in the Arctic
ocean? Take another look, sir, an
grily said the captain.
Its whale, sir!' sang out the
mate in scared kind of a voice.
"'That's more like it, sir. L smell
him now, said the captain.
Yes, smelled him." replied
Chips.
Don't you know that these old
whalers can tell when a whale is
around before they see him? Then
how do they do it if they don't smell?
The captain called the mate down
from aloft, and the bark was steered
for the big whale. When we got
within quarter of a mile of him, the
boats were lowered and we pulled
toward him. l tell you he was big
fish! His back doomed up like q
mountain, and it appeared to be
mile longr'
"Fo' gwacious," exclaimed the
Doctor.
Didn't we feel scared when our
boat got near him!" Chips continued.
I'D given three months pay to be
back on the bark. When the boat
near enough, the mate he says to the
second mate, Mr.. Toby, pull your
boat ahead, and throw the iron.
What are you holding back for?" Then
the second mate he says to the mate,
Mr., Blum, you pull ahead and
throw the iron. What are you hold
ng back for?" Then the mate he
got red in the face, and he says, give
way, boys-who's afraid
I'VE were all afraid, and he knew
t, but as he didn't dare to return to
lie bark before trying to harpoon the
whale, we mustered up courage to pull
lie boat near enough for him to dart
he harpoon. 1t struck the whale
'quarely in the back.
Stern all! cried the mate, and 1
ell you we weren't slow in backing
lie boat out of his way. The whale |!
vas 50 big it was some time before he
new anything had hit him. But !
When he did, wasn't he mad! He /
ust gathered himself up and started; l
nj the way he took that boat through !
he water was awful!
Now, about half mile ahead of :,
he whale, there was a great iceberg !
rifting along. The whale saw it and :
teered for it, head on. You see, he :,
as so mad lie didn't stop to think, /
nj he Just ran his fgurehead right .
ITO it. He struck it so hard that the !
,erg was knocked intolttle pieces, no 7
igscr than good sized pumpkin, :,
nj 10 was nine hundred feet high, !
III :h::...---sil L1ndrcd feet under =;