The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-12-07
DESTROYED 4 FLEET.
A WHALES REVENGE FOR TIE HAIR
POONlNG OF HER CALF.

has its headquarters in the northern
Pacific, mostly along the American
coast. especially affecting the gulf Of
California. This huge creature is a
mammal, one of the great whale fam
jly. really a rorqual Of medium size and
moderate yield of oil. Only the elite of
the Yankee whalemen, dexterous and
daring as are all the tribe. can hope to
get Ito windward' of the ~diabolicallv
cunning giants whom they abuse with
such fluent and frequent flow Of pictur-
esque profanity.
1t is a peculiar characteristic of this
animal that it seems ever on the alert.
scarcely exposing for one moment its
broad back above the sea surface when
rising to spout and generally travelling.
unlike all its congeners, not upon, but
a few feet below, the water. For this
reason, and in this fishery alone, the
whalers arm themselves with iron
shafted harpoons, in order to strike with
greater force and certainty of direction
a whale some distance beneath the sur
face. A standing order, too, among
them is never by any chance to injure q
calf while the mother lives, since such
an act exposes all and sundry neal the
spot to imminent and violent death.
Neglect Of this most necessary precau-
hon, or more probably accident, once
brought about . calamity that befell a
feet Of ID American wEaleships which
had been engaged in the 'bowhead"
fishery among the ice foes of the Arctic
Pacific. In order to waste no time they
came south when winter set in, and BY
common consent rendezvoused in Mar
garita bay, Lower California. for a
month or two's devil fishing"
The whales were exceedingly abun-
dant that season, and all the ships were
soon busy with as much blubber as they
could manage. The ease with which the
whales were being obtained, however,
led to considerable carelessness and for
~getfulness of the fact that the whale
never changes its habits. One bright
morning, about three weeks after the
opening of the season. the whole fotilla
Of so boats. four from each ship, had
been lowered and were making their
way as rapidly as possible to the outly-
ing parts of the great bay. keeping a
bright lookout for fish"
Spreading out fanwise, they were get
ting more and more scattered. when
about near the enter of the fleet some
one suddenly struck and got fast to q
fish. but hardly had the intimation been
given when something very like panic
seized upon the crowd. In a moment or
two the reason was apparent. From
some cause, never definitely known, a
h%arpooner had in striking a large COW
whale transfixed her calf at her side
with his harpoon, killing it immediate.
ly.
The mother. having quietly satisfied
herself that her offspring was really
dead, turned upon Der aggressors like a
veritable demon Of destruction, and
while carefully avoiding exposure Of her
body to attack simply spread devasta-
ton among the f~1otilla. Whenever she
rose to the surface, it was but for a sec.
ond, to emit an expiration like the hiss
Of a lifting safety valve and almost al
ways to destroy a boat or complete the
destruction Of one already hopelessly
damaged.
Every blow was dealt with an &C.
curacy and appearance of generalization
that filled the superstitious Portuguese,
who formed a good half of the crews,
with dismay-the more SO that many of
them could only guess at the original
cause Of what was really going on. The
speed Of the monster wal SO great that
her almost Simultaneous appearances at
points widely separated made her seem
ubiquitous, and as she gave no chance
whatever for q blow it certainly looked
as il all the boats would be destroyed
seriatam. Not content with dealing one
tremendous blow at a boat and reducing
it at once to a bundle Of loose boards,
she renewed her attentions again and
again to the wreckage, as if determined
that the destruction should be complete.
Utter decentralization had seized even
the veterans, and escape was the only
thought governing all action. But the
distance to shore was great, and the
persistence and vigor Of the furious le-
viathan, go far from diminishing, seem.
ed to increase as the terrible work went
on. At last two boats did succeed in
reaching the beach at a point where it
sloped very gradually. The crews had
hardly leaped overheard to run their
craft mp high and dry when close behind
them in the shadows foamed and rolled
their relentless enemy, just too late to
reach them.
Out Of the large number Of we'll
equipped boats that left the ships that
morning only these two escaped undam.
aged, and the loss Of the seasons work
was irremediable. Over 80 men were
badly injured, and six, one Of whom
was the unhappy origin Of the whole
trouble, were killed outright. The tri.
umphant avenger Of her slain offspring
disappeared as silently as she had car
ried OF her deadly warfare, 90 far as
could be known unhurt. and with an
accumulated hoard of experience that
would IL possible render her more Of q
devil" to any unsuspecting whalemen
who should hereafter have the misfor- |
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