Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-10

I!ile before the boat Stacked. Then we
seen her slow down an come to dead
stop. Line busted,' says I. Man
boat an fetch in the Dutchman.' I
hadn't no more'n spoke the words when
big wave seemed to rise up near the
boat an old whale bowed 30 feet high.
Then he got old Liz in range. Up his
tail goes, an he under water again. |
could see Frank wade forrard in the
boat an try to pay out line, but it was
jammed, an before he could make it
loose the boat give jerk round, almost
q throwin him out, an come at us again.
What I'm sayin is truth, doc. That
boat struck another bee line for us. I
suppose, more properly speakin, the
whale did. GOSH How she did come
kitin! Frank quit foolin with the line
an just hung on. I reckoned the boat
was movin faster'n ever, only she didn't
throw so much water, cause she set
down almost to her rowlocks. We stood
speechless while she was drivin for us.
When she got within 100 yards the
mate took big breath an let fly.
"Jump, you - Dutch lubber, or
you're dead man..
"But he didn't jump an I see him
gittin ready for another dive under old
Liz.
II grabbed up bucket, climbed on
the rail an when the boat came near
enough I let drive at Frank, hopin to
knock him overheard if I hit him. He
seen it comm, lodged an just as the
boat went tail up again yelled:
"'I can't swim!'
"Down went the boat like soundin
lead, an this time we all slid over to
starboard to see her come up. Seven or
eight seconds passed, maybe, all then
about Ii fathoms off our beam up come
the boat, bottom up. oh, Lord, ,
groaned the cook, he's gonerv But
he warn't. No, sir. The boat hadn't
travelled 20 yard afore she righted, an
we seen Franks head bob up over the
gunnel. Well, old whale didn't run SO
far this time, for he broke water a fey
hundred fathoms off. In about minute
he sent up stream of blood. l seen
that the harpoon was q good throw an
he wasn't goin to fight long.
I sent the second boat out after him,
but they didn't git far fore down goes
the whale for the third time, an in a
second the little boat slowed again, an
we knew he was comm at US. There
warn't no way to stop the whale, SO we
just waited again, while the little boat
made tracks for us like she was goin to
ram. Just when I reckoned by the line
out that the whale was passin under us
there was tremendous bang, an every
mothers son was throwed fiat. Old Liz
rolled to starboard an then back to port
an lay rockin while we got up. Reckon
you guess what happened, doc That
whale miscalkilated. He laid his course
fine as silk, but his elevation was off a
couple of points. He didn't fetch deep
enough an hit old Liz welt tha'd like
to rip the keel off her. That settled the
business too. We looked over the rail
an seen some bloody water, then flip
per, an soon a big, black body foated up
alongside There was our whale, sir,
dead as a hunk of salt pork. with the
top Of his head half torn off. He was a
blue whale, doc, an he measured close
to 62 feet What become Of the Dutch
man? Why, the boat slowed down when
the whale rammed us an the other boat
took him off. Hurt? No. He went to
work cuttin up that whale along with
the rest of 'em. did hear afterward
that he was grumblin cause twas his
bucket I throwed at him an it warn t
picked up. Right lively whale, warn't
it, doc?"
"Right lively" repeated the doctor
absently. -Minneapolis Times.