The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-20

with death in various shapes, but fully
determined to die, If he must, man
fashion.
There is no doubt that he would have
died but that his after oarsman IN a
happy moment thought of filling the
only pipe in the boat with the strong,
rank tobacco they carried. Lighting
it with the flint and steel, he passed II
to his officer, who smoked it and felt
it send a blissful feeling of lethargy
all through his frame. SO sweet was
the sensation that when the pipe was
smoked out he asked for another ana
when that had been consumed he felt
entirely happy. Not sleepy; OH no;
but free from pain, and throughout
that long. quiet night he sat commun-
ing with all the great friends of books
he had learned to love,
To my mind that makes a truly mag
nificent picture: this mere boy OF TWEEN
ty-one sitting calmly in his boat S
stern throughout the long night ms
gigantic prey sullenly wallowing at
his side, and before him in various
painful attitudes the five sleeping forms
of the men in his charge covered win
the boat-sail and for the time Obvious
of their peril; with pain of body pc
numbed, but his mind active, he holus
high converse with the spirits OF the
mighty dead whose words he has learH-
| ed and loved, until with eyes that grow
| humid with gratitude he sees the ten
der flush of dawn mantling the east
ern blue; and as the day springs into
being he sees afar off the silhouette
| of the ship, and lifting his voice in the
long mellow cry of "sail no." brings
| all his men out of'their slumbers INTO
rejoicing consciousness. Even then ne
has need of all his firmness OF purpose
to prevent his being compelled by ms
! men to cut adrift from his whale ana
! pull for the ship, they are so AFRAID
, that she will miss them. Two hours
; of sternly holding his own with them
passes slowly away before 1t is seen
! that she knows of their whereabouts,
and all is well.
| 1 have only space for one more short
yarn told me yesterday, which illus
trates the ferocity of the whale and the
/ miraculous escapes which many OF
4 these men have. The mate of New
Bedford ship was attacking sperm
whale with the lance when the mon
ster suddenly dived and as swiftly
rose again beneath the boat, jaws up
permost, shearing it in half as if 1t had
been a carrot. All hands jumped, nut
the mate, who from some cause was
unable to do so, and the captain COM
]
the body of his mate between the jaws
of the whale: just caught glimpse
c. it as the whale disappeared. But
knowing that the whale had not finish
ed his "spoutings out" or number OF
breathing times Ga function which must
he performed). he waited on the spot
and was rewarded in a few seconds by
seeing the whale rise again with the
mates body still hanging on the para
pet edge of his lower jaw. Swift as
thought the captain leapt overheard
snatched the body of his mate from It's
awful position with one hand, holding
the low line with the other. Regain
ing his boat he left the whale to the
second, and third officer and raced for
the ship, finding to his unboundeo
joy that he was able to restore the
mate to life. The sufferer had not been
wounded, the teeth only having gone
through his clothing, so that he hung
sideways. He still lives. hale and Wig
orous at the age of go.
George Vierling, the composer, who
died recently in Berlin, left to a char