The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-18

manded the harp00ners 10 stand ready Tor
the throw. 1t was thrilling race, and
every man was alive with excitement.
The first mate, Ben Toole, wiry little
man from New Bedford, ran as far for
ward as he could go without making his
way out upon the bowsprit and seemed to
be measuring with his keen eye the dis
tance from the Nomad to the dead fish.
He was cool as an icicle, TO all outward
seeming, but there was "a grim look of res
olution ON his weatherbeaten face.
In among the loose ice plunged the No
mad, with the Russian close to starboard
and the Englishman hard aport. Regard
less of the danger from the ice, all three
vessels drove straight ahead. The friction
OF the ice slackened our speed somewhat,
but we were sti1f under good headway.
And now the eyes of every man were on
tho whale, the harpooners having their
iron lances poised ready for the cast.
And then, just as the throw was made,
there came crashing, grinding shock,
the headway Of the ship being checked al
most Immediately. The Russian harpooner
had his cast at that instant, and not ex-
pecting the shock any more than our own
men he made a miscalculation, for the
Nomad and the Russian had crashed to-
gether.
A second shock followed the first, for
the rebound had flung us around into the
course of the Englishman, and she struck
us glancing blow on the port quarter. I
was Knocked from my feet, and sprang
up Just in time to sec Ben Toole take a
headlong plunge from the rail. Rushing
forward with others, was in time to see
him come up and strike out for the whale.
When Tooles object was understood by
the Yankee sailors, a cheer broke from
their throats. The brave fellow paid no
heed, but swan through the water with
strong stroke, avoiding any floating blocks
of ice. In a short time he reached the
whale and grasped a fin, where he chung,
exhausted but triumphant.
Then, seeming to forget the position Of
Toole, the skipper began to look around
for place to make the ship fast to large
piece of ice.
In the meantime, the Englishman, ap-
parently defeated, lowered and manned
boat. 1t is strange thing that no one on
board the Nomad observed or seemed TO
understand the object of the British skip
per- The boat picked its way through the
ice toward the whale, which was already
in our possession.
Toole was nearly frozen, and his be-
numbed fingers could scarcely cling to the
alippery fin Of the whale, but he grinned
IN triumphant yet sickly way as he saw
the English boat approach.
The skipper of the English schooner was
IA his boat and, as he came close TO Toole,
he observed:
swell, my lad, ron have good courage,
and you've got fine fish. But the water
must be very cold'"
ut is pretty cold for me-" chattered the
frst mate, cas- I happen to be married
man, and my wife keeps me in water OF
another temperature when Pm at home"
"You Yankees can joke under any cir
cumstances," laughed the Englishman.
"But you'll freeze to death before your
captain gets out boat. Shall we take
you ilif"
In fact, Toole felt that he could not hold
out much longer, and so he allowed them
10 pull him into the boat. This released
the whale, which was again out of possess
sion, and the tricky English skipper at
once struck his harpoon into it, hoisted
. flag and claimed the prize.
A madder man than Ben Toole never
sailed the north seas in search for whales,
but, despite his denunciation OF the scaly
trick, the Englishman stubbornly clung
20 the fish
When Captain Brown understood what
had happened, he raved like pirate. He
called the English skipper some very inn
polite names, and, for n time, IL seemed
that pitched battle would surely result.
The skipper tried 10 put portion OF the
blame ON Toole. but he knew he had him
self 10 blame fornot lowering boat with
out delay. There wns nothing more than
. battle Of words. and the Englishman
beld the whale.
Captain Brown has now retired from
whaling, but IL is certain he never again
Iost prize through negligence or trickery
on the part Of others who were at hand to
Gtt the best OF him.