Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-03-15

side. Ny toat steerer, Jim. trippeC
when he attempted to step nay mast
which came down and was caught ia
my hands. 1t was pushed up to hin
again. and this time he stepped il
with his usual dexterity. in spite o.
the heavy sea We were in. The sail
was ser. and We ran. with peaked oars,
before the wind in the direction Of the
whale.
Jim's failure to step my mast at the
! first attempt, on account of acciden-
tally tripping. had delayed me few
moments. and a similar casualty had
caused the third mate to lose a little
tins. Consequently the waist boat,
in charge of Bill Scanlan, its former
boat steerer with George, the ex-bow
oarsman, as its barpooaeer, had got a
slight start; and the captain, who
was the last to lower and had had
some difficulty in doing so from his
davits on the weather quarter, was
several lengths behind. Hence in
running down to the whale, the waist
boat had the lead; the larboard and
bow boats followed, abreast and half a
cables length apart, and the starboard
boat was full cables length astern
of the others. The sea ran so high as
te hide the whale from us and we only
occasionally caught a glimpse Of it
when on the crest of wave. When
in the trough between the billows, our
sails were becalmed and the next mo-
ment, rising on top of the swell they
would fill and our boats would sweep
rapidly over the rounded surface
down into the hollow beyond, appar-
emily to be engulfed. Here, out of
sight of the ship. the tapping sails
made them culver, but only for an in
slant, for the next swell raised them
high above the mean level of the
ocean, and again they swept onward
and shortened the distance between
US and our expected prize.
This chase in rough weather after
lone whale would have been an inter-
estibg spectacle to one SO placed as to
be enabled to keep the boats and the
object of their pursuit in sight. The
latter, unaware of its danger, sending
now and then as it spouted a small
cloud of spray into the air, and when
on the summit of a sea displaying
nearly the whole of its huge body,
moved leisurely along while the
boats, tossed by the sea and seeming
ly at its mercy, hied like pigmies in
pursuit of a giant after their prey.
In much less time than l had anti
cipated only one sea interviewed be-
tervene1 between US and the whale.
We all watched the waist boat which
was handled by Bill Scanlan, as it
never had been before. We rose with
it, whizzed over the swell, and, when
in the trough, it was bows on and
wooden black skin against the whale,
which rounded up and lifted the head
of the boat out of the water.
Give it to him, George Give it
him r yelled Bill Scanlan.
Georges irons went into the bitches.
Stern! Stern ally'
The Tapping sail prevented the
crew from using their oars effectively,
and the boat was in danger of getting
swamped. As the irons went in, the
whale continued to round, its hukes
flew up into the air, and as it went down
slashed by the head Of the boat within
foot Of its stem. George rolled up
his sail and unstepped his mast which
he let down to Bill Scanlan. 1t was
surprising to see how coolly both Of
them acted after fastening for the first
time in their present capacities. They
exchanged places, the latter going to
the head of the boat and the former
stationing himself in the stern sheets
to steer her on" The other boats
mad their sails in also.
kept at hand on the port beam Of
the fastened boat, the third mate on
the starboard beam and the captain
stood by" with his boat close up as
tern of the waist boat. TAis Va nore
necessary than ever in this cas-; for
the fastened boat was not only 10 be
steered by green harpooner, but also
headed by green officer; and al.
though thus far everything had pro.
z eSsed smoothly and the new ofiicer
aud boat steerer had displayed nc
v,riancy, but on the contrary had
-iIrov.n themselves the night men il
she right place, neither the captain
ter | were yet disposed to let then
} work round that large bull, and rur
the 'isk Of losing it, unmatched. Th,
whale sounded rapidly. the line. which
was kept wet by the tub oarsman