The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-02-23
THE CAPTAINS WIFE.


now discovered, spouting three points
off the lee bow, mile OF, were of the
species known as right whales. The
sight was, indeed, welcome one to
US, for we had been out from home
two years without having obtained
more than ten barrels of oil.
Our bad luck had made the captain,
NATURE lily good-tempered man, very
irritable and gloomy, In spite of the
consolation offered by his wife, a tall,
splendid-looking woman of thirty
five. The daughter of a wealthy ship
owner, she had refused the offers OF
scores of rich suitors to share the for
tunes of Captain Blank, the bluff skip
per of the whaleship Junior.
CLEAR away the boats-lower awayl"
soon was the order.
A moment later four boats were
shooting after the whales.
In the course of a quarter of an hour
the captains was alongside ahuge bar
nacled monster, which had iuat come
up spouting like steam-engine.
Give 1t to hlm!" howled the captain,
and whiz went the boatswain's iron,
unfortunately missing.
Now the whale sounded (went DOWN
and was not again seen until quarter
OF an hour late, when up he came, far
to leeward, pulling like watersprout.
But this time the crew of another
ship--a vessel which we had sighted
early in the morning a league to wind
ward-were come u b. Seeing the whale
before we did, they took to their oars
and shot past us. ..s........ .-.......-
'Pull! pull ahead" gritted Blank
through his closed teeth, his eyes
shining like flre-balls.
Whiz! Whit and with rushing keel
we were passing the head boat from
the stranger, when the man in the
stern sheets, the first mate as we sub
sequently learned, spitefully directed
his bows against our gunwale, there
by STAYING hole in it as large as an
egg, besides making a wide crack in
the plankS.
In fact, he had heard her say as
much, in q low voice, to Miss Lavinia
q few days previously. Night came,
with signs Of II gale.
oh you" howled Blank, saw
agely, fairly trembling with rage.
whale"
You'll never get him." retorted the
other, as he now triumphantly passed
us. our men being Obliged to stop
pulling to repair damages.
FULLY twenty minutes elapsed before
we succeeded In doing so, by which
time the other boat was less than
forty fathoms from the whale, with
her harpooner standing up, iron in
hand.
Blank closed his lips tightly; his
eyes flashed like steel points. Then,
like thunderbolt, his voice came rat
ting In our ears, making every man
jump. -.-.... W..
pull! pull, and get nc that whale,
or every mothers son of ye are dead
MANI
OF course this was mere exaggera-
ton, but somehow 1t nerved every
man, so that the oars of the men were
bent nearly double. s.. ."...
"See" gasped the after oarsman
pointing of our lee bow, toward the
ship, now less than mile distant.
See there"
We all looked and beheld the cap
tain's wife heading II boats crew, who
We're pulling like mad from the vessel
in the direction of the whale.
"Noble, noble wifeIn cried the skin
per. "She saw that we could not. ow-
ing to our trouble. reach the whale
before the Others, and SO she has low
cred, determined to fasten to it the
first"
The queenly woman in the stern
sheets, handling the steering oar, as
she had been playfully taught to do by
her husband on more than one occa-
sion, was now sure TO eXllort her crew,
in the most eager manner to pull ahead.
Pulling with reviewed yigor, they
finally crossed the bows of the stlang-
ers boat diagonally, SO that il was
now evident that they would be the
first alongside their intended prey.
A nh "a 4 u
our lips, but the captain, fearful of
thus frightening the whale. checked us
with motion OF his arm. Meanwhile,
the crews 0f the hoats ahead, with caps
pushed back from their dark, sunburnt
foreheads, made their oars bend and
snap with every stroke. The wife was
soon within darting distance; the other
boat was soon upon her, scarcely three
futhoms ustern.
stand up, Hair shouted our beauti-
ful Anaaon, in voice that made every
man thrill, and then we saw Hal spring
up, weapon IN hand,
Give ii to hiIn!n was the next order,
and Hal was about obeyng, when
somehow his line became entangled
with lance-warp, so that he was
obliged to stop to clear it.
Our captain threw his hat down with
cry OF despair, and stamped upon it.
Every man of us echoed that groan,
for we now saw the harpooner in the
boat astern of the captains wife jump
up and draw lack to dart his iron over
the heads of those in the boat ahead of
him, so us to strike the whale first.
We were all expecting TO see our
selves thus cheated out of our Drev.
when we beheld sight that thrilled us
and made every man for we had now
received orders to stop pulling lear
to his feet like rocket.
Ay, what Should she now do but
spring upon ler boats luggerhead,
and there, balancing herself with one
foot, thus interposU her beautiful body
between the whale and the hurbed iron
OF the other haUpoOner.
Appalled,, awestrnck, tho latter could
not lower The point of the iron. for. to
dart over the elevated head OF The cap.
taln's wife now was impossible.
She stood upright and fearless, hcr
arms folded over her healing bosom
and her eyes ilushing.
In Il moment Hal had dlsengagcd his
iron from the entangling warp, and he
now drove ii to The socket in the
whales hump, quickly following IL up
with his second.
A cloud OF spray envelopcd the boat
for an instant: the next ii was sprad-
ing along like shut Of lightning
toward our boat, he whale having
millcd (turnedy under water.
In thrc.qiHrters al an honr. both
boats, pWilmK alongside HE monster.
when lac again came up the captain
was lucky enough to feei lie life
spot OF the leytathan with his lance.
H. Il.