The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-20
EXHAUSTED BUT TRIUMPHANT.

manded the harpooners TO stand ready for
the throw. 1t was thrilling race, and
every man was alive with excitement
The first mate, Ben Toole, a why 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
lance from the Nomad to the dead fish
He was cool AS an icicle, to all outward
seeming, but there was 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 still under good Roadway.
And now the eyes of every man were on
the 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 Roadway 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.
\ 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.
was knocked from my feet, and | sprang
up just in time to see 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, 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 n short time he reached the
whale and grasped 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 a
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
slippery 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
IN his boat and, rs he came close to Toole,
he observed;
well, my lad, you have good courage
and you've got fine fish. But the water
must be very cold?"
at is pretty cold for me-, chartered the
first mate, ''as 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 ing"
In fact, Toole felt that he could not hold
out much longer, and so he allowed them
to pull him into the boat. This released
the whale, which was again out of posses
sion, and the tricky English skipper at
once struck his harpoon into it, hoisted
flag and claimed the prize.
madden man than Ben Toole never
sailed the north seas in search for whales,
but, despite his denuncation of the scaly
trick, the Englishman stubbornly chung
TO the fish.
When Captain Brown understood what
had happened, he raved like pirate. He
called the English skipper some very i'm
polite names, and, for time, it seemed
that pitched battle would surely result.
The skipper tried to put portion of the
blame on Toole, but he knew he had him.
self TO blame for not lowering boat with
out delay. There was nothing more than
a battle OF words, and the Englishman
held the whale.
Captain Brown has now retired from
whaling, but it is certain he never again
lost prize through negligence or trickery
on the part of Others who We're at hand to
get the best of him.