The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-07-08

among and between cakes OF fee from
one lead" 10 another, and as we passed
from one bit OF open water to another
we seemed literally 10 draw the hole in
after us, making II difficult for another
vessel to follow. A man on the t'gallant
fo'castle gave the word and II was
passed TO the man who had the trick at
the wheel by another man standing on
the try works. Hour after hour there
we're the cries: Hard overt" Steady
Port" "Starboard." with a tiresome
monotony broken only by an occasional
bump against a cake OF ice which would
shake the old ship in every timber. We
pushed ahead as hard as circumstances
would permit. as the captain wanted to
reach the blight under Cape Navarin on
the Siberian shore ahead OF any other
ship, az whales were often found there
On the morning of the fourth day the
gale which had been blowing for several
days. let 20. -Four sails were In sight
and the lookout in the crows nest saw
one OF them lower boats" which meant
that whale had been raised" Hardly
had this information been shouted down
to us on deck when 1t was followed by
blow blow" repeated several
times.
Where away" shouted the captain.
"On the port bow, Sir. near the edge
OF the pack"
Four OF our boats were lowered into
the water and. fully manned and equip
ped, sailed in the direction Indicated by
the captain. who had Eons aioft. BY
means OF flag signals they were directed
to the spot where the sponting had been
seen. Not an oar was dipped into the wa
ter, nor an unnecessary sound permitted,
for the hearing of the whale Is very keen
and at the least intimation of danger he
IL CALLED and Off at the top of his
speed.
II was q beautiful sight to see the
boats maneuver. They were two miles
away, but the powerful Tong glass;
brought them near to the eye. Suddenly
there was a commotion in one OF the
boats. The boat steerer darted his har-
pooh. the sail was dropped and the Por-
tuguese second mate. man over six
feet tall, stood on the thwarts of the
boat working the hong steering oar for
dear life, believing orders with his fog
horn voice which must have been heard
for miles. We on the ship heard him
"holler by the fathom." as the shipkeeper
expressed II. XIII him dead give him
hell" was roared over and over again,
and tho instructions were evidently car
ried out to the letter by the excitement
there was In the boat. Unfortunately,
the whale was not KILLED dead" quickly
enough. and he escaped into the ice.
where neither the boats nor the ship
could follow. and he was lost.
This Portuguese officer was quite char
acter. about 80 years old. bald as a paving
stone except for a fringe OF few hairs
on the back of his neck. He was broad
shouldered and splendidly proportioned.
Once week he shaved his beard with
the exception of tuft Of bristles on
his chin. and these were dyed black. We
could have regulated the ships calen-
dar by his shaving and dyeing day, but
during a gale as we entered Bering sea
he missed n day. The mate, who kept
tally In the log" as he said. by Jose's
shaving day." looked at him tho next
morning and said MI jose, you must
have lost day; you ought to have
put tar on your whiskers yesterday"
An hour later there was a clean shaven
face and q newly betArred beard Mr.
Jose's pledge to his shipmates was, IT
h'iieve we catch eight whales I raise pair
mustachl" Unfortunately for the pair
mustach'" tho catch was o. 3 seven
whales.
As we went int the cold weather fur
clothing left over from previous seasons
was brought out, and one cold night.
when Mr.. jose had his watch on deck
he appeared In q coat of hair seal. 1t
had evidently been made for a man
several sizes smaller. but by lengthen-
ing the sleeves and putting two V-shaped
pieces In tho back, one at the top. the
other st the bottom. and meeting at the
middle in the small OF the back, the
coat had been sufficiently enlarged. II
was n curiosity in colors, for the PATCH
ing had been done with fur of another
color. contemplated IT for a while.
and as I walked the deck. said;