The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-11
hands felt sad at the loss of the officer.

hands felt sad at the loss Of the officer.
couldn't help telling our skipper how cool
Blue Fin was through the whole thing,
and when he showed the officers ahead
he rated bis own boat steerer third mate
and ordered Blue Fin to take charge of
the irons ia his craft.
81 tell you the boy was proud enough,
but he had nerve and good luck, both of
which are everything to whaler. This
was destined to be an unfortunate voy-
age for the After Guards. The whales
were plenty in the Ochotsk sea, and
there was hardly day but what we
were outing in or trying out blubber.
Zone afternoon the cap'n lowered
away for right whale. Our boat was
close alongside, but the skipper sung
out:
"'Don't you NEEDLE with him, he's
my fish, So of course we hung back,
only standing by to lend hand in case
we were needed.
"Blue Fin made a pretty dart. He
hurled his first iron about six feet aft
the bow hole, and the other he planted
in the belly as the fellow rolled. 1t was
death blow, but before the whale be-
gan to spout blood he brought his fiukes
around, caught the boat before the boys
could back out of the way and stove
her to pieces. We pulled in and picked
up the crew. l grabbed the old man
just as he was going down, and when
hauled him up saw that he was hurt
badly and was unconscious He was
smashed up in a frightful manner and
never recovered.
'Next morning at eight bells we
launched the dead body of the captain
from the starb'd gangway, while the
fish that had killed him was moored
with chains to the port side Of the ship.
Poor Blue Fin felt awful bad, and he
kept mourning as the mate read the
burial service, saying:
"'Oh, if l hadn't struck the whale
that last blow. Twas the second iron
that touched his "life," and our cap
tain's too
"'But, shipmate,' went on the boat
steerer, it was to be, and it's the way
Of the world, I suppose. One man
mounts to position through the death
of another, just as new ship is built to
take the place of craft that has found
a bed on the rocks
"sYes, there's great deal Of truth in
what you say, Bill. But how was it
that your cap'n's loss rated Blue Fin
skipper?
seize wasn't skipper in every sense of
the word, but twas this way: The Off
GERS that were left were the same as you
and I-good sailors and good whalers-
but they knew nothing of navigation.
Blue Fin, of all our company, was the
only one who could handle quadrant
or "work up sight" AS l said, the
whales were plenty, and we didn't want
to leave the grounds till the ice drove US
out, for we were making money, so we
finished Our cruise, and when we reached
Honolulu were full to the matches with
oil and bone.
"There was some talk Of shipping
another man to take the vessel home,
but the agent and the American consul
said, If that young man knew enough
to bring the craft safely out of the
Ochotsk sea, he knows enough to find
his way to New Bedford They just
engaged another mate by the rum who
was navigator, and gave the boy
charge of the ship.
1--WE made quick passage around
the Horn, and the owners were so much
pleased with Blue Fin that they gave
him command Of the Race Horse on the
nayt vovao a and while AWAY on that
cruise they built him this one here, the
Grampus, and that's how the lad be-.
came skipper SO young. 1t goes to prove
the truth of what said few moments
ago, that Its not always gray hairs
which cover the wisest head A boy is
sometimes more fit to command than a
man who has seen twice or thrice his
number Of years. True Flag.