Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-27
The Last Fight of a
North Atlantic Whale
BY FRANK T. BULLEN.

TN. roughly. 10 degrees north p degrees
west the old whaling bark Desdemona
= lay lazily rolling to the Atlantic swell
Ii was nearly calm and had been so for
several days although the month was Sep
TENDER She was a forlorn-looking old ship
and her position was lonely one, out OF
the tracks of the busy hustling steamships
which use the western ocean as a man uses
the road between his business and his home.
She was Just a survival of a once great
and romantic sea-calling, and weather
stained as she was. her skipper and chief
mate leaning over the weather quarter in
silent meditation wen matched her Their
faces looked if they were Enthusiastically
carved out of a piece of g:larled oak, and
their quaint garments hung upon sturdy
frames that looked as tough and durable as
the timbers Of the ship herself.
They had thus Iounged on the weather
rail and silently smoked for upward of an
hour, hardly changing their position and
neither uttering word, when the skipper
with deep expiration. moved and knocked
the ashes out of his pipe upon the pin rail,
Saying as he did so. Wall. / amt greedy,
but dog my cats if | like e see all this
fine weather at this tine o year runnin
10 waste in a manner of speakin'. SEEM
to me oughter hev seen a whale abol }
lore IQlS. wal q We Jllltlh, UGy 1ueTC
was dead silence for the spac~ of a min
ute. then the mate replied AM his voice
was like the creaking of a. gate, I'VE
haiu't ben no great ways frum whale
any time this last few days I know. and l
guess were closer to en- tonight than
we've ben vet 'thOut seem EN-. But thar
We amt lone so bad, ai1't no cause to
grumbe so far There's no two ways
about the number OF whales bein' increased
of late years, is there cap?'
~
But this question remained unanswered.
for just at that moment, to the utter
amazement of the two men, gigantic back
nrose from the depths right alongside of the
ship. a sound Ike a thousand signs in one
was heard and a bushy cloud of vapor
arose from The pTotruded snout of an i'm
1ueuse sperm whale. AS the TWO men gaZed
etupeied. the whole of the great creature
came clearly into view. as if he knew that
the sight of him would arouse envy, ad-
miration and desire; and he was counting
the c0usequ ences. a so it seemed as If he
knew that the time was unpTopitous for
attacking him. being just sunset. But for
getting the time, the mate suddenly reCoy-
cred from his stupOr OF surprise and roared
at the pitch Of his powerful lungs, AN
8ands clear away boats. Wat yer ben don'
RlOft there at We didn see that whale?
Beu sleepin. I s'pose, ye duff-headed da-
goes"
There was an autmate rush to the vart-
Gus boats by a score or 50 of unkept, Vag
aboud men and In less than three minutes
all was ready for lowering. But the skip
per who had mounted the rigging with his
glasses. shouted Hold on ALL and there
was silence for the space of five minutes
until again the shippers voice was heard
from alOft, Get into the figSin everybody
and look sharp out for that whale. Can't
see him nowhar." His order was instantly
obeyed. everybody except the man at the
wneel climbing to some point whence they
could see all around the horizon and gaze
snxiOus,y about for sight o. the valuable
monster. And thus they stood while the
sun went down and the cool veil of dark
ness crept over the scene. until the skip
per called out again: Make all fast and
go below the watch all hope of chase
being over for the night.
Long. earnest and complicated were the
discussions held all over the ship through
out the night. but especially 50 between
the skipper and the mate Both admitted
that in the whole Of forty years expert
ence they had never known a sperm whale
To behave like that before. But, as they
said that was not strange, for no whaling
experience is so long that Ii cannot CON
tjnuaIly meet with some previously I'M
thought of behavior on the part of a whale
showing how little we really do know Of
the habits of these wonderful denizens of
the deep sea At last the skipper turned
to go below saying as he did so. Guess
we'll hev that Teller round ut the first streak