The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-24


rived on the scene, seeing which we
furled sail, unshipped the mast, and
went in on him, with the oars only. Al
first the proceedings were quite of the
usual Character. our chief welding his
lance in most brilliant fashion, while
not being fast to the animal allowed us
much greater freedom IN our evo4u-
tons; but that fatal habit OF the mate
Of allowing his boat to take care Oh
herself so long as he was getting IN
some good home thrusts once more as
serted itself Although the whale was
exceedingly vigorous, churmng the sea
into yeasty foam over an enormous
area, there we wallowed close to him.
right in the middle of the turmoil, act
ually counting disaster. He nad JUST
settled down for a moment, wnen'
glancing over the gunwale, saw MS
tail, like a vast shadow, sweeping away
from US toward the second mate, VINO
was lying off the other side of him. Be-
fore / had time to think the mighty
mass of gristle leaped into the sunshine,
curved back from us like huge DOW
Then with a roar it came at US, re-
leased from it's tension OF heaven KNOWS
how many tons. Full on the broadsiae
it struck us, sending every soul but me
flying out of the wreckage as II 1reu
from catapaults. I did not go because
my foot was damned somehow in the
well of the boat, but the wrench nearly
pulled my thighbone out of its socket
| 1 had hardly released my foot when,
towering above me, came the colossal
head of the great creature, as ne
\ r., him Ia
that had just been a boat. There was
an appalling roar of water in my ears,
and darkness that might be felt all
around. Yet, in the midst OF 1t all, one
thought predominated as clearly as IL
had been turning it over in my nina
in the quiet of my bunk ABOARD
What if he should swallow me?" Nor
to this day can 1 understand how /
escaped the portals of his gullet, which,
of course, gaped wide as a church door,
But the agony of holding my breath
soon overpowered every other feeling
and thought, till just as something was
going to snap inside my head rose 10
the surface. I was surrounded by
weller of bloody froth, which made 1t
impossible for me to see; but oh, the
air was sweet!
I struck out blind1y, instinctively. al
though I could feel so strong an eddy
that voluntary progress was out OF the
question. Ny hand touched and chung
to rope, which Immediately lowed me
in some direction neither knew nor
cared whittier Soon the motion, ceased
and, with a seaman's instinct, I began
to haul myself along by the rope l
grasped, although no definite idea was
I'M my mind as to where it was attach
ed. Presently I came butt up against
something solid, the feel of which
gathered all my scattered wits into a
compact knob of dread. 1t was the
whale! ANY port in Storm muir
INJURED, beginning to haul away again
on my friendly line. BY dint OF hard
work I pulled myself right up to the
sloping, slippery bank of blubber, until
I reached the iron, which, as luck would
have it, was planted in that side of the
carcass now uppermost. Carcass said
well, certainly 1 had no idea of there
being any life remaining within the
vast mass beneath me; yet had hardly
time to take couple of, turns around
myself with the rope (or whale line, as
1 had proved 1T to be), when / felt the
great animal CULVER all over, and begin
to forge ahead. L was now composed
enough to remember that help could not
be far away, and that my rescue, pro-
viding I could keep above the water,
was but a question of a few minutes
But I was hardly prepared for the
whales next move. Being very near
his end, the boat, or boats, had drawn
off a bit, I suppose, for I could see
nothing of them. Then I remembered
the furry Almost at the same mo-
ment it began: and there was I, who
with fearful admiration had so often
watched the titantic commissions of
dying cachalot, actually involved in
but 1 was able to twist a couple OF
turns around my arms, which, in case
of his sound, could readily let go.
Then all was lost in roar and rush, as
of the heart of some mighty cataract,
during which / was sometimes above
sometimes beneath the water, but al
ways clinging, with every ounce OF en-
ergy still left, to the line. Now, one
thought was uppermost-"What II he
should breach?" I had seen them do
so when in furry, leaping full twenty
feet in the air Then prayed. Quickly
as all the preceding changes had pass
ed came perfect peace. There lay,
still alive, but so weak that, although
I could feel the turns slipping off my
arms. and knew that I should slide off
the slope of the whales side into the.
sea if they did, 1 could make no effort
to secure myself, just as If had gone
to sleep.-The Cruise of the Cachalot
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