The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-10

our spare men and arrange for an
other attack. As we reached her the
whale slowed around to face the west,
and Capt. MCGOWAN got a good look
at the fellow through his glasses He
reported the fact of two harpoons in
his hump, and judged him to be an old
pioneer and fighter. The third
mates boat dropped into the water,
and after caution from the captain we
separated so as to approach the whale
from different points. The oars
hadn't dropped a dozen times before
the monster sank quietly out OF slSht
going down like leaden weight In
silence and with bated breath we
watched for his temperance Sud
denly there was a great shout behind
us, and we turned to see the ship rock
ing like cradle and two minutes later
the whale preached half a mile to the
west of her and began to lash the sea
with great fury He had scraped her
keel as he passed under, and he had
received a rake along the head for a
distance of fifteen feet It was a mark
so plain and permanent that he was
ever afterward Identified by it. The
sea kicked up by his furious lashings
was as heavy as that raised by a
breeze blowing fifty miles an hour,
and he continued it for fully twenty
minutes, when he finally grew quiet
and we pulled down TO give him the
irons. He was lying flukeS to US,
making no movement except to roll
from side to side a hog wallows in
the mud. l pulled on TO him from one
direction and the third mate from the
other. AS he had the shorter line, he
got there first. He planted his iron
and gave the word to steer off" but
before an oar had touched the water
the big fellow slowed around as rapid
ly as you could turn horse, and
lunged forward like a beast of prey,
and with one sweep of his mighty
lower jaw he reduced the boat to
kindliHg- wood We were then almost
against his starboard eye, and 1 de-
clare to you that L took notice of
lump of barnacleS which had formed
almost in the corner of it, and that
optic looked as malignant as a bulldog
when aroused to anger. We sat like
statues, not daring to drop an oar or
even speak aloud, and once or twice
the swell caused the poat to almost
bump against him.
l believe We were in this position
three minutes before a movement of
the whale let US out. He forged slow
ly ahead, and when his fukes were
well beyond us we picked up three
men who were treading water near
by. The rest of the boats crew had
been killed by the sweep of that jaw,
and the boat itself was in splinters.
The whale ran off to the northeast
about a mile, showing every sign of
defiance, and a breeze sprang up by
the time we boarded the ship. We
Salled away ana Ie1t MIN master OF
the sea-
In the five years that this whale was
known to blubber hunters he killed at
least thirty men, destroyed as many
as ten boats, stove and sunk a Rus
sion brig, carried off ten or fifteen
harpoons and three or four miles of
lines, and was finally killed by a Nan
tucket craft. The crew of our ship
saw him as many as five times in two
years, but we never lowered for him
except the once.
We heard of Madagascar Jim
through New Bedford whaler while
at Port Natal. The Yankee came in
there for repairs after a fight with
this monster about a hundred and
fifty miles away. This was the first
time that the whale was raised by any
whaling craft He spouted dead ahead
of the Yankee at noon, one day, and
two boats were lowered for him. Be
fore they got near enough to throw a
harpOon he rushed down upon them,