The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-03-19

leviathan had smashed two boats and
killed five men. Davids in his boat had
got him fast, but the whale sounded
so deep they had to cut the line and
let him go. Three months later 200
miles to the north the wha1er encoun-
tered the same fish and had another
boat destroyed and two men killed.
Again Davids got fast, but after being
towed Is miles to windward had to cut
loose. Six months later, down off
the coast of Brazil, he had his third
fight with the same whale and got in a
third harpoon.
During the next two years Davids
sighted that whale, which had come to
be known as Sam Patch, off the Cape
of Good Hope, off the coast of Peru
and off the coast of Mexico, and on
each and every occasion at least one
boat was smashed and some one killed,
and the mate also made fast and had to
let go again. The whale had scars by
which he could easily be identified. He
had always been known as wild fish,
and that he should rise so near our
Od1 anu ACCP OOLhRdhJ WIN 10 ASA
hours was more than mystery to the
mate.
sT'll tell you what it is" he said after
leaning his elbows on the rail and TAX
ing long look at the vast bulk almost
rubbing our starboard side; that
whale is after me. He knows I'm
aboard here. Six of my harpoons are
rusting in his carcass, and though I'm
not after HRS on this voyage he wants
revenge"
We laughed at the idea. but the mate
chung to it. He was an intelligent,
fairly educated man, and it was evil
dent that he fully believed in his own
words. Perhaps it was his earnestness
| that made us also come to believe that
there might be something in it, al
| though it looked absurd at first sight.
When the whale had been keeping
company with us for three hours, we
| let the bark go four points off her
course, thinking to quietly steal away
from him, but he changed his course
and Kept with her. Thenwe shortened
sail, but he slowed up. For an hour
we worked to part company, but he
was up to all our tricks. For seven
| long hours he hung to us, and then Of
sudden he sank out of sight without SO
much as splash. We argued that he
had gone for good, and it was weight
| off our minds, but sDavids shook his
head in mournful way and replied:
'Sam Patch came here after me,
and he won't leave for good till he gets
me. He's only off to feed"
We reached the island without hav-
| ing seen more of him, however. AS we
came within a mile of the north shore
the bark was thrown into the wind,
the boat lowered, and Davids was to
be rowed in to sound the depth and
find a safe anchorage. Three sailors
| took their places at the oars, and the
boat showed off. 1t was sunny sky
and calm sea, with never a thought
Of danger, but the yawl had not pulled
above cables length from us and ev-
cry man in the bark had his eye on
her when she suddenly rose in the air
with crashing, rending noise. Below
ACI dpPCd4CO tAC SAC6t AASe%0 "a eoe~AA-
Patch, and it was thrust upward I'M
til the stove boat was lifted 80 feet
high and then slid Off When ten feet
more of the body was exposed to view,
the whale fell over with mighty
swash, rolled his great body over and
over three or four times and then dis
appeared beneath the surface.
We had second boat down in no
time to pick up the men, but while four
had gone in the boat there were only
three to rescue. The trio were more or
less knocked about and almost fright
ened to death, but they had come off
better than the mate. Whether the
whale seized him in its mouth or
drowned him as it rolled we could not
say, but our search for the body was
in vain, and Sam Patch disappeared
to trouble US no more.