The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-06
DOINGS OF WHALES.
SEA YARNS SPUN BY AN OLD Ex-
WHALER OF SOUTH STREET.

When Sleep Mad or Barpoon Mad.
That's the best reading I've had for
many long day." exclaimed the bronzed
old ex-seaman in his dingy little sail
ing office" in South street, and his bright
eyes twinkled The reading that pleased
him so was the Victoria dispatch giving
an account Of the attack of an enormous
whale on the schooner Mermaid off the
Japan coast.
"You don't know what sleep mad is,
do your It's Just the kind Of mad that
big whale had on him. and the same kind
of mad that any big whale is sure to get
on him when he has just had his dinner
and is taking his after dinner nap. The
whales of the waters where this schooner
Mermaid was cruising are great sleepers.
They turn over on their sides on top of
the water and let the waves rock them
to sleep, especially if they have been din
ing pretty heavy They sleep sound, and
| have more than once MIXED a she
whale when she was sleeping like that
without waking her up, just as you
might milk COW. A good, healthy she
whale, with sucking cubs, would give
down "a barrel of milk, and then we'd
have feast after hard days work.
But suppose that besides being sleep
mad this big whale that pitched into the
schooner Mermaid had also been harpoon
mad If he lad been, The Sun wouldn't
have had that story to print. for the
schooner or her crew would never have
been heard from again,
Ibid | ever have any close call from
an Infatuated whale? Did |? Well, re-
Numbering few of 'em, ! think l did!
For instance, what would you call this
oneP Forty years ago was one of the
crew of the whaler Mary Pilgrim of
Nantucket. We started in April after
sperm whales in the waters around the
Cape de Verde islands.
I'VE picked up whale now and then.
but they were not plentiful, but one day
we discovered tremendous bow head
or bone whale asleep close off our port
bow. Three boats were lowered. was
the harpooner of the captains boat, and
the mate and second mate were in
charge of the other two. We got to the
whale without disturbing him, and
gave him the harpoon That woke him,
| can tell you! He was the maddest
whale ever saw, being both sleep mad
and harpoon mad He turned on our
boat and came at us with rush. In
stead of striking us head on he passed
our bow, and as he was passing struck
the boat with his fukes. He cut us
square in two and turned the boat bot
tom side up quicker than ever any boat
had been capsized before. My leg be-
IL -. H., ,,,I -,
a second l found myself being towed
through the water at about 20 knots an
hour and several feet below the sur
face The line was wound about my
leg Just below the knee and had cut
deep into the flesh.
II knew my end was not more than a
minute ahead of me unless l got loose
from that rushing whale. My knife was
in my belt. | got it out, and somehow
but never knew just howl managed
to reach down and sever the line. The
next second appeared on the surface
popping up in so sudden and startling 9
manner that | almost scared the mate
and his boats crew into fits, for | came
up right alongside of their boat. II
seems that just as the whale struck ouI
boat and wrecked il the mate fastened 9
harpoon in the enraged monster and was
being lowed by it to the windward, and
had come to the surface just as they
were passing that spot. They took me
in on the fly as it were, but was very
little better than dead. The second matt
had picked up the captain and the RES
of the crew.
LAS the whale was tearing along with
the mates boat in tow he discovered
our vessel lying to, and making up hi
mind that there lay the source of all hi
troubles he turned and charged like I
tornado upon it. He hurled himsel
against the vessel three different times
knocking off the cutwater clear to tn
wood ends and starting bad leak. Will
he was thus engaged the mates boat go
near, and the furious whale turned on II
The mate thrust his lance against tn
whales head and threw all his weigh
upon it as the whale rushed forward
while the crew backed the boat for thei
lives. At that critical moment the car
tain, with the second mates boat, cam
up. He had bomb lance and fred
at the whale. The bomb struck tn
great nedu Oh bIt vi tuO JUL
above the left eye and exploded on tn
outside, doing no damage except to me
mentarily stun the whale. He soon re
covered and charged on the captain
boat. That boat being free avoided tn
rush, and then the whale made again fo
the mates boat.
Three different times the captain
boat drew the whale away and saved tn
mate and his crew. At the fourth tim
the whale didn't turn aside from hi
furious rush on the mate, and though
our fate was sealed. With less eA
perienced and true handed sailor tina
uur captain it would have been sealed
too, in a very few seconds more Tn
whale charged right upon us, and hi
giant fiukes were in the air, to swoo
Town and crush us beneath thei
mighty and irresistible sweep, but ths
gave the plucky captain the chance b
wanted. He drove the hand lance int
the whale clear TO its seizing, and tn
monster fell back in the water betwee
the two boats, neither one escaping b
more than yard.
"The captains plunge with the han
lance had been true to its mark. Bot
boats backed away from the strugglin
whale. He dashed the sea into foam an
whirled about in an aimless and bewi
dered manner. Presently he sent up
spout of water that was red with blood
and lusty shout went up from scor
N