The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1910-06-03
MADE SOME SPEED
EXPERIENCE OF SAILORS IN FAST
TRAVELLING.
With Harpooned Whale as the Motive
Power, Small Boat Literally Tore
Up the Water In Its
Passage.

Whalemen sometimes make such
time in their boats as would put them
a long way ahead of any of the profess
sional oarsmen. How they do 1t vas
told by an old whaler recently.
1T is about t~hirty-five years ago
since l went out from New London as
a boat-steerer," he said. THAT is a
pretty lively berth, as any whaleman
can tell you especially when a whale is
tackled.
Sometimes o can put an iron into
a whale and he won't splash on the
or perhaps will go right down, and
you have to cut loose and lose
your line and irons. We were lying
becalmed n day off the Cape of Good
Hope. 1t was as smooth as a mill
pond for miles; you couldn't see a rip
pie on the water, for not a breath of
wind stirred. BY and by we saw two
or three whales coming up to blow
about five miles away.
The captain called the watch up,
civ - SOoDAS vi 20 oOoi " IN
whales, which were lying still, as if
summing themselves. In my boat was
a big negro, black as the ace of spades.
We raced with the other boat and got
ahead, FOR my men were 1.-the and
tough, and by and by We got along
side of n of the big fellows. The
steering oar was pulled in; the oars
were packed-that is, pulled in so that
they couldn't strike the water; then
an iron was thrown into the floating
island.
THE whale lay still for a minute, as
if struck with amazement that any one
should dare to touch him. Suddenly
he made up his mind what to do. He
started off like a locomotive, the rope
whizzing around in a way to astonish
a l~andlubber. When the rope was out
we were rushing by the captains boat
like mad. The captain took off his hat
and waved it at me, shouting:
GO it. young man. You're going
out of town faster than you'll ever go
again."
All we could do in that double-end-
ed boat was to sit still and see her go
through the water. | candidly believe
hat We went at the rate of a mile a
minute, and the water was a very Won
derful sight. 1t reminds me, now that
l think OF it. of POe's description of the
interior of the maelstrom, where the
water went round so fast and was so
black that it must have seemed like a
wall of polished ebony.
THE pressure downward piled the
water up or both sides of us SO that
1t seemed to be at least three feet
higher than the edge of the boat, but it
couldn't III in, for we were going SO
fast it hadn't time.
Every ones eyes were blurred with
the wind, which seemed to be blowing
a hurricane against us. This thing
couldn't go on forever. The negro had
got a little scared for it looked as If
the whale would never get tired out
and we were going to sea at an ANA
Zing rate. The ship went away as if by
magic, and we had lost sight of the
other boat. The negro stopped grin
ming, and the other men expected at
least to have to row all night in the
dark unless the ship should follow us.
Finally the line all at once slackened.
THE whale hadn't stopped and, for
all | know, is going ahead at the rate
of a mile a minute still, but the iron
had come out.
1--WE rowed back to the ship, and as
we came along the captain called over
the rail:
where's the whale?'
"'Oh,' said 1. the iron melted out, he
went SO fast
Just what | thought said the cap
tain; and that night we all had plum
duff and grog."