The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-02-27
along nn,ier the snrfnce. for thn hnat

now was almost continually buried.
In fact. when we were near enough to
enable the captain-who, according to
custom, had changed places with Hin.
dok taking his station Ia the boNv-tu
hurl his lance, the boat was full oil
water.
Williams, however, standing un.
moved, threw the lance The whale
felt it, and, writhing. turned. making
straight for the boar.
'Sterni stern!n screamed the cap.
tain, rs he spoke again planting the
lance in the monsters body.
We endeavored to obey. but a great
mass of binding water. with SPRAY
and foam. struck us. and over went the
boat.
The last object | saw at that time
was Capt. Williams, seated astride the
capsized boat, churning away vigor-
ously ut the whale. Then l lost con.
sciousness.
When | came to / became sensible OF
sort of flying motion. as if were be-
ing borne through the air.
opened my eyes to see myself in
the arms of Hindok. who sat astraddle
the capsized boat. which was dasb;no
along through the water, drawn by
the whale. The storm was still raging,
and the effect of the black and scud
with the white, boiling sea. lighted by
the ghastly glare of the sun struggling
through the vapor was so weird and
singular that for 4 moment / half be-
heved myself in some unearthly region.
Hindok, with his black hair stream
ing on the blast, and his wild ewes
flashing a lambent glare. added to the
strange effect of the scene.
Where am I?n / inquired
All rightin answered Hindok.
Boat capsize; capting hurt whale so
he no can go down. All right. We
get whale
Where is the captainPn
Don't know. Guess other boats
pick up."
How came you to pick me upP"
Boat strike you on head. You go
faint. Me by you. Me pick you up
and get on boat with you.n
As had now fully recovered my
senses Hindok. cautioning me to hold
on hard to the boats keel, let go of me.
l scrambled along behind him and
there we two We're clinging to a cap
sized boat in storm, with a whale so
injured that it could not sound, drag
ging US onward.
On, on, on.
The seas flew up around us. aud the
spray nearly blinded us, yet we cIune
firmly to our hold.
| glanced behind me several times to
see the other boats. almost out of sight
astern, tossing IN the cauldron of
waters, their crews evidently Watching
us. Still further astern. with the black
rack almost hiding her like curtain,
lay the good ship under close reefed
main-topsail aud fore-topmsst stay
sail
Meanwhile there was the whale, our
''ocean horse" drawing us on. his
spout ascending now and then with the
noise of thunder. The sharp keel
made our position very uncomfortable,
and yet we were obliged TO maintain
1t. as any motion sideways would iu-
sure the rolling over of the boat. which
we could not then hope TO regain.
1t seemed TO me as if the speed of
that whale would never relax. Away
he went to leeward, now and then ris-
ing out of the water, revealing his
great body with the two irons sticking
in it. | had never before obtained such
a good view of the whale in motion.
The vast back of the monster was
fully shown every time he arose from
the creamy waters. There was his
hump, so thickIy covered with bar
nacles, as to resemble a hilloek of
oyster shells, with here and there a
broad cut which had healed up, but
betokened that this was not the first
time he had felt the barbed iron. 1t
was, however. the singular appearance
Of the huge head which most impressed
me- Long and ill-shaped, with its
diminutive eyes. there was something
so unearthly in its appearance everv
time it was lifted up that | involun-
tarily thought OF the fables of sea-
monsters which had read when child
and which had first inspired me with
the desire for sea life
Drenched and shiveIfng. the situa-
ton of Hindok and | was, meanwhile,
anything but comfortable. with rush
ing pain in my head about the region
Of the temple which told me that l had
been struck when first tumbled into
the sea.
On-on-still on.
Now l glanced behind me. no more
to see ship or boats. All were hidden
by distance and the black rack of the
storm.
The speed of the whale. however
had now begun to abate. His motions
were palpably more feeble and his
spouting became weak and less fire.
1uent, and sounded mournfully.
Soon die now-hoorayw cried wild
Hindok. as the whale at last spouted
blood.
The blood came every moment thick
nd -l1 -,
was nearly stopped.
Finally over went the monster on his
side, the blood now rising scarcely six
inches above his spout-hole. He swan
feeble, describing a half-circle, and
-hen--he died.
''Got whaler' cried Hindok. moving
his bands joyfully.
'Ay," answered, ''but where is the
shiRp"
Never mind ship" answered the
wild islander. his mouth fairly water
ng as he looked toward the vast up
leaving body of the monster. I'VE !
got whale
We now contrived to right the
boat and bail it out when Hindok |
ashed it to the whale.
And thus we lay, outriding the
storm. Tar away In midocean. not |
1nowing when or how we would be
picked up.
By night the storm had abated, but
here was as yet no sign of the ship.
We were both hungry and thirsty;
1ut every drop of fresh water. and all |
he salt meat and biscuit, usually car
led in whale boats. had been spilled |
'ut by the capsizing of the light craft.
We did not sleep a wink that night.
In the morning still no sign of sail.
Another day passed, and now our
'arched tongues Glove to the roof of