The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-01-26
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MADAGASCAR JACK.

wide berth he's man killer.
We had hove to. to deliver letters and
have chat with the crew of the old
whaler Cicero of New Bedford, then
commanded by Captain Taher.
The Cicero had been three years on the
Indian Ocean grounds. and was homeward
bound when we feel in with her. She had
eighteen hundred barrels of oil under
matches. and more than fourteen thousand
pounds of bone, so the crew told us. Ours
was then clean ship. She was named the
Draper, and was out bound for the same
waters.
was then young man of twenty years
and was boat steerer on board the Draper,
Captain Lawton of New Bedford.
Captain Iawton had sent a boat aboard
the Cicero with the letters and we laid by
her for an hour or two, giving the Captain
and crew home news and getting infor-
nation from the whaling grounds. 1t was
pleasant weather, and the vessels were
brought within easy hail of each other.
remember they told us of a new island
or at least of one not down on the chart in
east longitude about fifty eight degrees,
twenty minutes south latitude, twenty
two degrees fifteen minutes; and as our
boat was pulling back to the ship and we
were about to part company, the second
mate of the Cicero stood aft and told us
about the whale. Then one of the men,
forward. added the remark given above.
Whalemen in those days often warned
each other of "fghting' or 'rogue'
whales. In the earlier days of the whale
fishery comparatively little difficulty was
experienced in taking the leviathans of the
deep. In their dying throes they some
times stove in or capsized the boats, hut
rarely made direct, persistent attack
upon them.
At last, however, the constant perse-
cutions of men seem to have developed
aggressive traits in the harassed cetaceans.
Boats. and even the whale ships were
savagelv attacked and sometimes sunk by
whales.
While the more prudent and. generally,
the older shippers were inclined to avoid
dangerous whales, there were always bold
spirits among the younger men, particul-
arly the young mates, who desired to dis
tinguished themselves and their ships by
capturing "rogue, - for to clear the seas
of one of these destroyers was justly
ranked as great exploit.
1t was from the Cicero that we first heard
of madagascar jack and afterward the
Drvade. which we fell in with neal
Mauritius, gave as further tidings of a
certain cross whale with an iron in his
back and a white scar on his head
Eut the Draper did not meet him, nor
much else in the way of whales indeed,
during the first year out, and sailed for
home two years afterwards with a light
fare,
NV next cruise was in the Acasta, of
Sag Harbor, which returned on account
of the illness of the Captain and was with
drawn: and it was not till three years
after, when I was on the Dread, Captain
Wyford, that | first saw Madagascar
jack"
We went through Sunda Straits and
crused on the Indian Ocean grounds for
eight months. There we took twenty
one hundred barrels of whale oil, but thus
far not cask of sperm. Wyford was an
whaleboat himself Some, indeed, hold
that the master ought never enter one.
But we had a second mate who made up in
pluck and daring for anything the Captain
lacked
have cruised in good many ships, but
never saw Cliff Andrews match as a whales
man.
One morning during the tenth month
of our cruise whale was sighted in mist
soon after daylight. In fact, we heard him
spouting before we saw him. But the
Captain would not order the boats down
till the men had their breakfast, and the
delay chafed Andrews.
We ate our breakfast in few minutes,
and two boats were lowered Meantime
the whale, after blowing a few times, had
gone down to feed.
The captain said that we should not see
him again for an hour: but we pulled off
to the spot where he had last been heard
blowing, and then lay by on our oars
Mr.. Cummings the first mate, was in
one boat and Andrews in the other We
listened and watched for long while, and
meantime the mist lifted little, although
the surface of the sea was still dim.
Andrews declared that we had lost the
whale, 'like pack of duff eaters who
must needs stuff ourselves with breakfast
whatever betided;" but while he was fret
ting, the whale suddenly preached, scar
ccly cables length from where we lay.
He had been down long time. His big
square head broke water like a small
mountain, and he blew heavily as he
turned We saw his head distinctly
There was semicircular whitish mark on
it, six or eight feet across, and as he rolled
we saw the stump of an old iron in his back
apl anothar in hic side