The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-25
A PESKY WHALE.


pesky critters an some amt so pesky."
Smoke went up in clouds and there
was silence.
"Reckon you've got something Oh
your mind, cap" said the doctor.
ooh, nothin very Particular" said
tho captain, "but when whales was in
troduccd it reminded me. had old Liz
up Boring sea way two years ago-old
Liz was my ship, her full name bein
Elizabeth j. Barker-an we'd had II
pretty good season. September we put
around the Horn, an as things happen.
ed didn't SEQ another whale till we
struck into the forties. Then, sir, long
IL O'Clock one fine mornin, we dom
about six knots, we raised a whale that
was a whale.
big, I bet" said the doctor.
mo, not so terrible big" said the
captain, but pesky. ! was standin
about 'midships when one of the men
sings out, Hi, cap, look at i'm blow.
Sure 'nougb, half ~ milo off an dead
abeam to starboard he was BLOWN. He
sent up good spout an then seemed
to kinder settle himself, like he was
nappin. shown good bit of his length.
hove old Liz to, an we put over n
couple of boats. Rowin in the small
boat was q Dutchman named Frank.
mention him, cause he comes into the
yarn pretty prominent. Frank was a
good sailor, but one of them fellers that
has dreadful little to say. He tended
right to business an kept his hatch
battened close. Well, as it turned out,
the little boat licked the big one an
got the first whack at the whale. They
put harpoon into him just over his
port fin, an down he went.
stood a-watching things through Il
glass. l waited an waited for the boat
to start off i'll tow, but she didn't do
nothin but set still, which was puzzlin.
IN about five minutes somethin big an
black broke water tween us an the
boat, all there was old blower not
more'n 200 yards from the place he
went down. He warn't up long, but
enough to get his bearin's, guess, for
down he went again, an could see the
bow man gettin ready to give him all
the rope he'd take. Then the boat start
ed, slowed bit an come dead for the
ship at 40 milo clip. 1 never sec IA
boat travel So We watched 'enl, an
when she got within quarter of mile
l thinks to myself: This is Sittin
blamed interestin. l wonder is that
whale goin to sheer off, or is he goin
to give us u ramp That boat, sir, tray
eled for us us true as hair, an could
see the men i'll her gettin excited On
SHE came, THROWN spray like a liner,
and I calkilated if she held her course
she'd hit us so near 'midship it wouldn't
be worth measurin the difference. Then
l see the man i'll the bow make Il pass
for the rope with the hatchet. but he
was nervous like an missed it, for tho
hatchet went overheard, an he, losin his
balance, along with it. The rest of the
men warn't long decidin what they'd
do. 1t was go overheard or git smashed
to flinders, an when they got within 90
yards of us they all went over but
Frank.
Jump, you idiot' yells I. DO you
want to git stove?' Mebbe he didn't
hear, but l reckon it wouldn t made no
difference, for as I'm livin, doc, that
Dutchman lay himself out Oh his stom-
ach i'll the bottom of the boat, grabbed
a foot cleat with both hands an hung
OH for dear life. Well, old whale kept
steam on. | could see the boat go down
a little by the head as she got close to
us, an knew the rope was scrapin the
ships keel. We was all holding breath
an waitin to see Frank splatter his
brains against the ships side, when the
boat went nose down, starn up an un-
der water with Il kerchug. She missed
reachin us by about five yard.
"All hands aboard ship leant over
to SEQ Frank an the splinters como up,
for the boat would sure fetch again the
keel an 20 to kindlin wood. We wait
ed an waited an waited, but, by gum,
there warn't no splinters an there
warn't no Frank. All of siddcn one
of the men sings out, BY the holy po-
ker, look! Whipped round, an there,
20 fathom OFF our port, was the little
whale boat, full of water to the gun
mel, an Frank standin up in her, waist
deep, holding onto rowlock for dear
life. So help me, doc, that boat was
towed clean under old Liz, the Dutch
man i'll her, an come up sound Oh the
other side.
eyes, sir, under the ship slick as q
whistle, an the Dutchman in her. That
whale was a scientist, sir. He calki-
lated right to lose the boat, but, bless
you, it's bigger job than any one
wanted to tackle to stave that craft, an
as for floatin, she was boxed at each
end an couldn't sink. But that ain'tthc
end of the story. We remembered the
fellers that jumped, an we seen the big
boat would pick 'em up before we could