Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-07-07
THE YOUNG SKIPPER.

craft, and a right smart one, too, as
you'll find outif you cruise many months
aboard of her."
"That may be, but I'd rather see a
man on the quarter deck than boy"
Whats the difference, if the boy has
q mans head on his shoulders? Il
isn't always those who have lived the
longest in this world that know the
most, as have found out. Now here
are you and 1; we have been following
the sea these twenty years, and I'm not
afraid to say that we could handle
vessel in any weather, but if we were
asked to take ship from New Bedford
to Cape Horn, do you suppose we could
do it? l tell you, Tom, no. That's be-
cause when we were young we wasted
our time in skylarking instead of study.
1t was different with our skipper, as
/ know well, for he and were ship
mates together on the voyage that he
jumped from before the mast to the
quarter deck"
Don't see how he could do il" grum-
bled the one addressed as Tom.
"Well, I'll tell you, mate, when we
get below" replied Bill Beckett, one of
the boat steerers of the whaling ship
Grampus, which had just left her home
port for three years cruise in the Pa
cific.
ut was this way" began Bill that
same evening in the "dog watch" when
he and his companion Tom, who was
also a boat steerer. were leaning idly
over the weather rail, gazing out on the
vast expanse of waters over which their
vessel was bounding before fair wind.
'It's little over four years now since
joined the Race Horse down in one of
the Kanaka islands. l had run away
from another ship and had beach
combed' it (nautical parlance for tramp,
until l got chance in the Race Horse.
We were going north to cruise in the
Ochotsk sea. The skipper was before
the mast then; he was chap that, didn't
have to see thing done more than,twice
before he could do it himself.
~ handled the harpoons in the mates
boat, and little Blue Fin, as we called
our cap'n that is now, pulled the bow
oar in the same craft. One morning,
just little after daylight, the lookout
in the crosstrees raised a school of sperm
whales. We had pretty stiff breeze
the night before and the sea was still
running high. We lowered away, how
ever, our three boats-mates, second
mates and thirds"
"I'I take that fellow up to wind ard :
called our officer, as he pointed to big
whale that was playing around Oh the
outside of the school, as though he was
placed there to protect the COWS and
calves that were huddled together in the
middle from any danger.
"'Look out, BILL says the mate to me
as he stood grasping the steering oar.
Look out, man, and don't miss him.
There's o good hundred barrels there
"'Ay, ay, sir said l. Lay me on
close enough and I'll drive both irons"
into him clear to the beckets.'
"There was no danger but what he'd
do it, for the fellow didn't know what it
was to be afraid of whale. / .warn't
going to take any chances, 80 waited
till the boat almost touched the big
brute, then let fly both harpoons, one
after another, and sung out, Stern all.
When the boys were backing so as to
give the whale room to play, went aft
to change places with the mate, and he
walked forward to his station In the bow
to kill the fish with lance.
"Now this whale was one of those
kind of fellows that takes his medicine
easy at first, but fights like fury before
he h'ists his red flag. He didn't sound,
but lay and wallowed for minute or
two, then began to swing round SO as to
get sight of us.
"'He's going to give us tussel,' call
ed the mate.
"'Ay, ay, he's fighter, says I.
"Then ! caught sight of Blue Fin's
face. All the other chaps were glancing
over their shoulders and beginning to
get a little shaky, bnt he sat on his
thwart with his hand grasping the oar,
just as quiet and unconcerned as if he
were in skiff on mill pond, and not
within half cables length of mad
bull sperm that threatened to send him
and his shipmates to Davy Jones' locker
at any minute.
"'Stand by to jump called the mate
Hes coming for u.s.
'sNow you know there's no boat quick
enough to get out of the way of whale
when he makes rush, SO the only thing
to do is to leave her. The other men
sprang to their feet, but the boy still sat
there and began to think he was para
iyzed with fright.
"tStand up to jump, Blue Fin,'
called. And when you go leap straight
for the beggar, and not from him.
"The lad smiled and nodded his head,
and standing up, unshipped his oar from
the thole pin, held it ready and faced
about.
"Then the whale started.
"'Jumpr yelled the mate.
"The next instant we were all foun-
dering around in the water, while the
bull caught the boat in his mouth,
crushed it to pieces and sounded
1.-THE third mate, who had just killed
one small chap, was not far away, SO he
came and picked us ,up--all but the
mate; we never saw him afterward He
must have been fouled In the lines and
gone down. Ss1
1--WE got two out Of the school. but al
hands felt sad at the loss Of tho officer. !
couldn't help telling our skipper how cool
3 Blue Elm was through the whole thing.