Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-10-16
MADAGASCAR JACK.
BY CEPHAs n. WATKINS.

'Look out for big sperm whale with
the stump of harpoon in his hump, and
about fifty fathom of line towing
astarn"
"Ay! Look out for Madagascar Jack.
He's rogue. Ye may know him by the
hoss shoe mark on his head. Give him
wide berth; he's man-killer."
We had hove to, to deliver letters and
have chat with the crew Of the old
whaler, Cicero, of New Bedford, then
commanded by Captain Taber.
The Cicero had been three years on
the Indian Ocean grounds, and was
homeward bound when we fell in with
her. She had eighteen hundred barrels
OF oil under matches, and more than
fourteen thousand pounds Of bone, so the
crew told US. Ours was then "clean
ship" She was named the Draper, and
was outbound for the same waters.
was then a young nan of twenty
years and was a boat-steereI on board
the Draper, Captain Lawton, Of New
Bedford.
Captain Lawtoa had sent boat aboard
the Cicero with the letters, and ve laid
BIZ her for an hour or two, giving the
Captain and crew home news and getting
information from the whaling grounds.
Ii was pleasant weather, and the vessels
were brought within easy hail of each
other.
remember they told US Of a new isl
and" or at lesst Of one not down on the
chart, in east longitude about fifty. eight
degrees, twenty minutes; south latitude,
twenty-five degrees, fifteen minutes; and
as our boat was pulling back to the ship
and we were about to part company, the
second mate of the Cicero stood aft and
told us about the whale. Then one Of the
men, forward, added the remark given
above.
Whaemeu in those days often warned
each other of "fGhting" or "rogue"
whales. In the earlier days of the whale
fishery comparatively little difficulty was
experienced in taking the leviathans Of
the deep. In their dying throes :hey
sometimes stove in or capsized the boats,
but rarely made a direct, persistent at
tack upon them.
At last, however, the cons'"ut perse
cutions Of man seem to have developed
aggressive traits in the harassed ceta.
ceans. Boats, and even the whale-ships,
were savagely attacked and sometimes
sunk by whales.
While the more prudent and, gen.
orally, the older shippers were inclined
TO avoid dangerous whaves, there were
always bold spirits among the younger
men, particularly the young mates, who
desired to distinguish themselves and
their ships by capturing "rogue;" for
to clear the seas of one Of these d.
stroyers was justly ranked as a great ex-
plot.
It was from the Cicero that we first
heard of Madagascar jack" and after
ward the Dryade, which we fell in with
near Mauritius, gave us further tidings
of certain cross whale with an iron in
his back and white scar on his head.
But the Draper did not meet him, nor
with much else in the way Of whales, in
deed, during the first year out, and
sailed for home two years afterward
with light fare.
Ny next cruise was in the Acasta, of
Sag Harbor, Captain Harlow, which re-
turned on account of the illness Of the
Captain and was withdrawn; and it was
not till three years after, when was on
the Dread, Captain Wyford, that I first
saw Madagascar Jack"
We went through Sunda Straits and
cruised on the Indian Ocean grounds fer
eight months. There we took twenty
one hundred barrels of whale oil, but
thus far not cask of sperm. Wyford
was an elderly man who did not now
enter a whale boat himself. Some, in
deed, hold that the master ought never
enter one. But we had a second mate
who made up in pluck and daring for
anything the Captain lacked.
have cruised in good many ships,
but never saw Cliff Andrews's match as a
whalesman.
One morning during the tenth month
OF our cruise whale was sighted in
mist soon after daylight. Ia fact,
we heard him sponting before we saw
him. But the Captain would not order
the boats down till the men had their
breakfast, and the delay chafed Au-
drews.