, 1897-11-30
IN from sloft, had broken arms or legs.

VA AAoAA SASAt
and her captain had to come aboard &C
Us to buy oil to keep his lamps aligh:-
AS l was third mate of the Nancy
Lee, l had an opportunity to near OF the
feeling which prevailed aboard the
bark. Her crew We're OIL the verge OF
mutiny, and Captain Trarers Fad be.
come alarmed for his WI s::-ety. The
men had come t o regard him as Il Jonah.
and on the day he ran down to Il: had
come to the decision that if the u OF
ill luck was not broken t'.cy would
compel him to return to Bristol with
an empty ship. Captain Travers was
still aboard of us when n monster whale
broke water within half Il 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
a boat to tine north of St. Helena. Be
that as it may, he had Il harpoon stick
ing in him and was badly tangled up
in a whale line. He was rolling Oh the
surface when both boats came up and
made fast at the same moment. For Ii
seconds the monster did not move a fin.
Then he started off with a rush and
made IL complete circle about both ships,
leaving such a wake behind him that
there were times when we lost sight of
the boats i'll the foam. Having conf
pleted the circle the monster slowed
about until he vas head on to the first
mates boat He lay for a III
swinging his lower jaw to right and
left and then made Il rush The boat at
tempted to shoot ahead and avoid him,
but he caught her with Il swing of that
terrible jaw and left only fragments be.
hind as he camc down between the two
ships and went off to the south The
second mates boat was obliged to cut
loose to pick up the other crew, but
three men, one of whom was the first
mate. had lost their lives. When the
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 Travers from
command The me- scattered. and it
was three months before the bark start
ed out for another cruise. She mad lost
prestige, but she was still looked upOn
as a lucky craft and there was no lack
of applicants when she was ready for
sea. Gu this. which proved TO be her
last cruise. she was commanded by Cap.
tain T~horndyke. who vas u whaler of
10 years experience and had command
ed some of the best vessels in the feet.
On leaving Bristol he told the owners
he would cCme back with a hold tuli of
oil or not at all.
We in the Nancy Lee had meanwhile
transshipped I,4OO barrels OF OIL and
worked our way down to Cape Horn
ard 200 miles south of it We were
cruising east and west, taking a whale
occasionally, when the Rainbow came
down on rs for the third time. This
was some iii or ten months after her
last adventure. and she had made the
trip from Bristol without sighting q
spout She came down t u us ut 10
O'Clock II morning. renamed hove to
until ! III the afternoon and then head
ed away to the east
We came about. and two days later
sighted the Rainbow again Neither
craft had sighted il spout. but at ,
o'clock III the afternoon. rs they lay
within aIuarter of IL m'lc OF each other.
a whale broke water within Il cable
length of the bark. He was so close to
her that we had 10 show and did not
lower IL was a lone whale and Il big
one. and we no sooner had him under
n glasses than we SAW that he was a
fighter There were half "A dozen sears
oil 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, out he
made nc nov until the mates boat
was close upon hun and ready for n
dart. She had made Il half circle to get
out Of hts line ot VISION and approach
him brnadside on. but he heard the ap-
proach aud ndulEcd IN u strange una.
neuver
Few men ever saw a whale back wa
ter. and there are plenty OF whalers that
contend that he cannot This whale.
however, backed IA distance of I0U teet.
and with amazing sw fitness. too. and
striking the boat with his hukcs he
killed four men and reduced her to
matchwood. Then he started straight
for the Rainbow. and his rush was that
of al avalanche Every maj; OF US had
our eyes on HIM when he struck her on
port bow. and we plainly heard the
crash of plank> and timbers After the
Shock he started of and settled down
and was seen no more. but III ten min.
utes the Ruinbnw was III the bottom OF |
the sea MOI II man saved even an extra |
Jacket There v uS scarce INT for them |
to lower their beats when the bark |
pitched forward amt went to her grave.
We OF course. tuCk them aboard. and
after a few weeks they were landed at
Bahia.
Every Seat Was Taken.
Barnes Torner-Every seat was taken |