The Republican journal., 1883-01-04
A Munchausen Whale Story

| anu DIS lIlc gang pldlh dis HdultU III dIt
the lines cast Oft, the great wheels began
to revolve, and soon she was steaming
down the beautiful and placid PenObscOt
The city Of Bangor gradually passed
from view, ard walking forward | took q
camp stool, and seating myself near the
capstan on the hurricane deck | pre-
pared to enjoy the picturesque scenery
that extends back from the river or
either shore until it is lost in the gloom
of the distant hills. The throb of the
engine, combined with the balmy air.
had a peculiarly quieting effect on the
nerves, and the inclination to doze was
almost irresistible, despite the beautiful
and ever-changing views presented to
the eye.
While enjoying this delicious sensation
and oblivious to all things else, | was
aroused by loud talking and laughing,
hardy looking men who were seated neal
the rail on the starb0ard side of the
steamer. They were apparently sailors,
| and as they spoke in very loud tones
could not fail to hear their conversation.
One oI the group was a powerfully built
colored man, with hands and feet of i'm
mense proportions, and as he was called
''Doctor" by his companions, | inferred
that he was or had been "a ships cook by
profession. He had evidently been tell
ing some improbable sea story The
others were laughing and chatting him
about the marine" story he had told.
Finally one Of them, whom the others
called ''Chips,' said ''if they would choke
their jaw-tackle he'd tell them whale
story as is a whale story-and don't you
forget it either. Doctor
This raised laugh, and after a brief
discussion Of Chips's reputation for YER
acity, he was told to "heave ahead"
'Nearly twenty years ago said he,
81 found myself cut to. sea Oh bluff
| bowed old bark that was bound on a
whaling voyage. The Old hooker looked
like box under sail and when she was
on the wind she'd make as much leeway
rs All old mud scoW. Her spars were rot
ten TO the core, and it was Il mystery
bow they could hold themselves up, The
mIzzen t0pmast was in 4 particularly bad
| condition. The rats had eaten a BIC hole
! into il, near the heel. and when the
yards We're braced up on the port tack
| the wind would blow into it and make a
| gh0st-like noise.
The captain of the old What Cheer
| (that was her nane) was an awful big
man, and his face was shaped like the
stern of Dutch man -of-war But he
was a good man, and treated his crew
well. The only weakness he had was
his love for the old bark. He was very
particular with her decks and he kept rs
washing and holystonng them about
half Of the time until we arrived on the
whaling ground.
81 was coming aft one day to relieve
the wheel, and just as ! was going on the
quarter deck | accidentally dropped a
! quid Of tobacco. don't chew much, and
this quid wasn't any bigger than a pea.
The Captain happened to be standing
On the starb0ard side of the quarter
deck. ior'ard, when | dropped it, and he
| saw it.
What do you mean, sir what do
you mean, sir, by soiling my decks with
such great chaws of tobacco " be said,
very much excited.
" 1T was an accident, sir replied.
1T is only very small piece. I'll pick it
up and throw it over the side. sir
NO. sir, you shall not It's as large
as cocoanut, Go for'ard and get shov-
el and broom
Il went for'ard, and after getting a
shovel and broom, he made me SWeep
this tiny chew Of tobacco into the shovel.
Garry it carefully for'ard, sir, and
when you get on the t'gallant fork's, toss
it as far to luard as you can, sir
ale was so polite about it | thought |
had better accommodate him, and went
on the t'gallant fork'sl, and Just as
tossed the shovel the Old bark gave a
heavy lurch to lu'ard | let go the shov-
ell. and it went spinning overheard.
When let 60 of it threw up my hands
and caught hold of the .jib sheet If |
hadn't done this l should have followed
the shovel. The captain thought threw
the shovel overheard Intentionally, and
he punished me by keeping me On deck
my forenoon watch below for a week.
"Well at last we reached the Arctic
You see, we were after the right whales,
and had to go there to find them. We
cruised for long time before we saw a
blow, and once or twice the old hooker
came near getting ripped in the ice. Ii
this had happened she would have been
squashed as fiat as pancake.
zone day, about this time, the lookout
| in the crO'nest sang out 1and hO.'
'Ihe 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
aloft long when he hailed the deck and
reported the land to be a large floating
island.
"A what, sir? replied the captain
astonished.
a big floating island, sirr replied
the mate.
" You're crazy, sir Who ever heard
of floating island in the Arctic Ocean
Take another look, sir angrily said the
captain.
- It's whale, sir" sang out the mate
in a scared kind of voice.
" That's more like it, sir smell him
now,' said the captain.
"Smelt him ?" inquired the Doctor
eyes, smelled him." replied Chips
''DOn't you know that these old Whalers
can tell when whale is around before
they can see him? Then how do they
do it if they don't smell him The cap
tain called the mate down from alott, anC
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. tell you he was q
big fish His back loomed up like q
mountain, and he appeared to be mile
long,"
go gwacious, exclaimed the Doctor
"Didnt We feel scared when our boat
got near him :" Chips continued "I'd &
given three months pay to be back OIL
the bark. When the boats got neal
enough, the mate he says to the second
mate, Mr.. Toby, pull your boat ahead
and throw the iron. What are you hold
ing back for?' Then the second mate he
says to the mate, 'Mr. Blum, you pul
ahead and throw the iron. What are
you holding back for?' Then the mate
he got red in the face, and he says, give
way, bOys-who's afraid /?
''We were all afraid, and he knew it
but as he didn't dare return to the bark
before trying to harpoon the whale, we
mustered up courage to pull the boat
near enough for him to dart the harpoon
1t struck the whale squarely in the back