Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-10-16

uteS, ana TWO boats were lowered.
Meantime the whale, after blowing few
times, had gone down to feed.
The Captain said that we should not
see him again for an hour; but we
pulled off 10 the spot where he had last
been heard blowing, and then lay by on
our oars.
Mr.. Cummings, the first mate, was in
one boat and Andrews in the other. We
listened aud watched for a long while,
aud meantime the mist lifted little, al.
though the surface of the sea was still
dim.
Andrews declared thai we had lost the
whale, ''like pack of duff-eaters who
must needs stuff ourselves with breakfast,
whatever betIded;" but while he was
fretting, the whale suddenly preached,
scarcely cables length from where we
lay.
He had been down long time. His
big, square head broke water like small
mountain; and he blew heavily as he
turned. We saw his head distinctly.
There was a semi-circular whitish mark
on it, six or eight feet across, and as he
rolled we saw the stump of an old iron
in his back and another in his side.
madagascar Jackl' 1 exclaimed.
"That's the whale that killed the mate
of the Dryade."
cay, Madagascar JackP echoed sew
eral voices from the other boat. A de-
scription of this whale was current among
whaiemen in these waters.
Tll Madagascar jack him." exclaimed
Andrews. "Give way-sharp."
He stood up, harpoon in hand, and at
the whales second spout we laid the boat
alongside him.
"Another shoot, boys!" whispered the
mate. "Put me just past his hump"
He darted the harpoon and buried it to
the bitches, shouting, "Down to your
oars"
Feeling the iron, the whale sounded
and ran off perhaps seventy-fve fathoms
of our line, not mere, when the strain
suddenly stopped.
"Back waterl" muttered the mate.
"Hes coming up! Hand me that lance,
blacksmith. Haul line for ard"
Suddenly we felt tremendous shock
underfoot, and next moment we were all
turning somersaults in the air. The
whale had preached with a vengeance.
In the swashing and confusion of the
moment, cannot say exactly what hap
pened; it was every man for himself.
I struck out for the boat of the first
mate, Mr.. Cummings. Our own boat,
badly shattered, had fallen back bottom
up.
Three men contrived to dock them
selves astrlde it, and Andrews appeared
to have caught grip on the shank OF
one of the irons in the whale. He held
on there for some minutes.
The whale meanwhile moved slowly
forward, housing for the boat; then,
suddenly, with single clack of its
great jaw, crushed it to fragments.
The three men astride it dived off in
time to avoid the blow and swan for us;
but still Andrews held fast TO the har-
poon, or to the line at the whales side.
One poor fellow had disappeared.
There were now five of US with Mr.
Cummings, and his boat was crowded.
How to rescue Andrews from his perilous
situation was now our only thought.
We dreaded to attract the whales atten
ton, and dared not approach. Andrews
could swim like fish, aswe knew, and
at length Cummings hailed him.
"Better take header under him aud
then swim for us!" he advised.
Put in Put in, man, and fasten to
him!" Andrews shouted back, "You're
not goin' to show the whittier feather,
be ye2'
ats not my duty" replied Cum
mings, with boat loaded down to the
gunwalel If you want to get back to
the ship with US, make haste!" he again
hailed.
Andrews let go the whale, which was
still thrashing the fragments of the boat
in pieces, and swan off to us. But he was
very angry.
Cummings headed for the ship. Most
of the men were badly scared.
Meantime the Captain had ordered out
another boat. We met it coming of.
Andrews, wet as be was, jumped in and
took command.
"I'll kill that whale, or that whale
kills mel" he shouted. "But if there's
any man here who can't swim, or is
afraid, he had better go into Mr.. Cum
ming's boat"
Four of the crew lost no time in tum-
bling out; but two OF us, who had been
with Andrews before, took their places.
Andrews seized an car and we started to
pull back to the whale.
The first mate, by the Captains advice,
put his wet men aboard and then fol-
lowed slowly after us, to pick us up, he
said.
''Boys," cried Andrews, as we neared
the whale again, "I'm goin to put another
iron in him. II he makes for US jump
overheard, swim few strokes and then
tread water" We wore round the whale
and rot within half ships length OF