News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-29

1
( to box the yards about case of any cats
paws coming, and when in the midst o1
this business, getting the swinging
booms alongside and theslike, some fel
low who was aloft suddenly bawls out
| through his nose, IN Imitation of the
| Yankee accent, and in the long draw
whalemen when they raised grease, as
they called it, There she blows, three
points off starboard bowl blows! two
miles off and sparm whaler l thought
at first he was skylarking, and went to
the side where l could see him, clear OF
the canvas, and whereI could give him
bit of my mind; but, on looking, sure
enough l saw whole school of whales
down in the direction he indicated You
could see their spouts gllmmering up
regularly with the raising of their heads
five or six feet, as they sent their foun-
tains aloft, all excepting one that.a.was
'breaching, as. the term is, showing
nothing but his tail above water as if
he was in the, act of sounding, and
sweeping his flukes about from right to
left till the sea was like boiling caldron
all around him; indeed, you'd have
though there was an earthquake going
on down there, and that that black tail
wagging amidst the white commotion was
dry land in the act of being hove up
and created. In few seconds he went
down, but the others remained on the
surface, spouting and going along very
very quietly, heading about sou'west.
The whaler, as you may suppose, wasn't
long in catching sight of them. In a
few moments down went four of his
boats, each with a crew of six hands =
steerer, harpooner, and four Oarsmen.
They were beautiful boats, and you saw
what practice had done for them Yam
KEGS, as their oars flashed and they went
for the whales, everything being done
quick, quietly, with no more furry than
lighting a cigar or putting your hat on.
1t was just the weather and the day to
witness. one of these here ocean bull
fights, as like to call them, and, i'm
patient as l was for wind and to get
done with our voyage, yet l couldn't
help feeling secret satisfaction at be-
ing obliged to stop and look on at what
was going to happen; for it was leaving
nothing for my conscience to worry
over, whereas had there been wind, and
I'd hove to just to witness the sport, |
might have reprosched myself after
wards.
"Tbe whales made a beautiful sight,
for the sun sparkled in their spouts, and
as the fountains fell it was like the
showering of all sorts of precious stones
into the sea; besides, there was their
black bodies shining like satin, and no.
thing but golden ripples breaking away
from their heads as they swan, so quiet
ly did they shove through it. And then
there were the boats, dead in their wake,
and first approaching, scattering wide
as they went, as indeed did the whales,
each boat with a long furrow astern as
if the chap that was steering had got
great length of silver ribbon attached to
his oar | say it was beautiful sight,
for though there may be bigger fish in
the sea, there is nothing that we're ac-
quainted with as yet that beats the
whale; and when you contrasted the
llttleness of the boats and the figures in
them with them there lcviathans, only a
small portion of which was visible
though for all that what you could see
was like islands scattered about upon
the still water-you felt that there was
a deal of nobleness in the courage of
sailors after all, and that a real whaler
must have such stuff and spirit in him
as fully entities him to the tarm of man,
spite of the sneers merchantmen in my
day used to direct at him as a seaman.
"Well, by and by one of the boats
fastens to the biggest of the fish. /
happened to have my glass bearing on
this particular boat when the harpooner
struck. Twice he launched the iron,
and then in flash the whale bOlted un-
der water, taking out considerable line.
He rose some distance away, and started
at pace that gave the crew no chance
to haul in'-iu other words, to bring
their boat alongside Ye should have
seen the splutter. Twas all foam and
uproar in jiffy, as though a tempest
had come down out of the clear sky
upon the calm ocean, and was driving
the water where the whale and boat lay
raving mad. Ye might expect such a
sight from whale wounded and newly
started. Old spouters declare that a
Sparm fish with the iron in him will be
off at twenty miles an hour, and keep
at that pace for some time, when he'll
slacken down to twelve mile, or bring to
y,
chance to kill him, whilst in sounding
they've run out over three hundred
fathom of line in four minutes. My eye
may have deceived me, but I'd have
been willing to bet that when that there
whale made sail with the boat in tow
the speed couldn't have been less than a
good twenty knots. Twas made to
look more furious by the anger and suf-
fcrlng of the brute. You'd see his tlukes
whipping from side to side as though
seeking TO cut down the cause of the
hurt in him, whilst the foam stood up
at his broad head and went streaming
aft in a way to remind me of ship
pelting before a hurricane, with the
smother pouring on to the forecastle deck
over the spritsail yard.
"Well, all hands aboard us were look
ing their hardest, when suddenly my
captain, the whales 'bouted ship, and is
heading direct for usr and sure enough
so he had. / didn't take the meaning
of it in for a second or two, just stand
ing and looking on with the eager in
terest in the spectacle had before felt;
but then l gave jump as if bullet had
passed through my heart. Good Godr
cried I, hes dead on end for the Julia,
and if he strikes US at that pace
''There wasn't breath of air. The |
Oarque lay as quiet as if she was moored.
The only chance saw was that she Of
'ered her starboard-quarser to the com
ng brute: with her broadside on, the !
whole length of her would have been
given. But of all the maddening mo-
nents I've ever read about, l believe
hem would have been ranked amongst
he worst. Twas awful to feel like a
arget, to be shot at by monster,
weighing old Davy alone knows how
many tons, goaded to madness, selecting
Is as an object to wreak his fury upon,
md hurting at us with a velocity that
vas bound to give the mass of blubber,
blood, and bone the striking and blast
ng powers of a thunderbolt. The men
urned pale. They took in the situation,
md understood that l was powerless.
aw one or two of them kick their shoes
IF, whilst the hands of some others
vent in a mechanical sort of way to
heir jackets as if they meant to strip.
''There was no time to talk of boats.
When the whale had once turned and
made fair for the Julia, the rest hap
,ened as if in breath. Why, In mere
ancy you could feel yourself chucked
If your legs by the terrific blow, feel
he vessel heeling over and over to the
'ressing and showing of the monstrous
weight, and the roaring sound of waters
ushing INTO the hold through as many
tarted butts and STAYED plank1ng as
he head of the giant was capable OF
overing. | see him now as ! saw him