Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-11-28

were killed by this blow
 Two weeks lator, just IS wa had scrubbed our decks, and while we were under easy sail to the, south of St. Hell ona, we lowered for q school of whales and got two. There were 12 in the school, and 10 went off to the south west. We were making cur captures fast to the ship when the Rainbow came down on us from the south She was now 54 days cut, and i'll luck still pur- sued her After parting from us she lowered for Il whale and lost two har- poons and lines and had half day s work for nothing. Two men had fall en from al9ft, had broken arms or legs, and her captain had to como aboard of us to buy oil 10 keep his lamps aiight.
 As l was third mate of tho Nancy Lee, had an opportunity to hear of tho
 feeling which prevailed aboard the bark Her crew were on the verge of mutiny, and Captain Trnyers had be- come alarmed for his own safety The men had come to regard him as Il Jonah,
 and on tho day he ran down te Us had como to the decision that if the run of i'll luck was not broken they would compel him to return to Bristol with an empty ship. Captain Travers was still aboard of us when monster whale broke water within half mile of the two craft We got him aboard of his
 ship as soon as possible, but long enough before he reached her his mates had lowered and were away. The hour
 was o'clock in the afternoon and we
 knocked off work to see the fun.
 There were those aboard of the Rain bow who said it was the same whale which had killed two men and smashed n boat to the north of St. Helena Be that as it may, he had harpoon stick ing in him and was badly tangled up in a whale line. He was rolling on the surface when both boats came up and made fast at the same moment. For 15 seconds tho monster did not move fin. Then he started off with rush and made q complete circle about both ships, leaving such q wake behind him that there were times when we lost sight of the boats in the foam. Having com pleted the circle the monster slowed about until he was head on to the first mates boat He lay for moment swinging his lower jaw to right and left and then made O rush. The boat at- tempted to shoot ahead and avoid him, but he caught her with q swing of that terrible jaw and loft only fragments be- hind as be came down between the two ships and went off to the south. The second mates boat was obliged to cut loose to pick up tho other crew. but three men. one of whom was the first mate, had lost their lives. When tho extent of the calamity became known, open mutiny resulted
 The men demanded that the Rainbow be headed for Bristol and two hours later she laid her course for that port and left us Never did a more dis gruntled crew reach port. The owners at once removed Captain Trayers from command The men scattered, and it was three months before the bark start. cd out for another cruise. She had lost prestige, but she was still looked upon as lucky craft and there was no lack of applicants when she was ready for sea. On this which proved$ $Q be her last cruise. she was commanded by Cap tain Thorndyke, who was whaler of 15 years experience and had command. ed some of the best vessels in the feet On leaving Bristol he told the owners he would come back with hold full of oil or not at all
 We in the Nancy Lee had meanwhile transshipped l,400 barrels of oil and worked our way down to Cape Horn and 200 miles south of it. We were cruising east and west, taking a whale occasionally, when tho Rainbow came down on us for the third time. This was some nine or ten months after her last adventure, and she had made the trip from Bristol without sighting a spout, She came down to us at 10 o'clock one morning, remained hove to until in tho afternoon and then head. ed away to the east
 We oame about, and two days later sighted the Rainbow again. Neither craft had sighted spout, but at o'clock in tho afternoon, as they lay WANAAAA Ol n AuAA6 LII StAGl ObAlGAl a whale broke water within Q eable's length of the bark He was so close to her that we had no show and did not lower. It was lone whale and big one, and we no sooner had him under our glasses than we saw that he was a fighter, There were half a dozen scars on his head, and the way he rolled about showed his temper. As he was head on to us he must have seen both ships and the two boats lowered for him, but he made no move until the mate's boat was close upon him and ready for a dart, She had made Q half circle to get out of his line of vision and approach him broadside on. but he heard the ap- proaoh and indulged in a strange ma. neuver.
 Few men ever saw whale back wa ter, and there are plenty of whalers that contend that he cannot. This whale, however, backed distance of 100 feet, and with amazing swiftness, too. and striking the boat with his flukes he lxtfIad fo.,x .,,a,, ox,1 bo,.