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

glance that = whale should become so
well known as to be given name by
the blubber hunters of several nations
and TO be recognized by them IN Va
rious localities Tor d number OF years.
but several instances of this were aP-
parent during the palmy days OF Wha1e
oil traffic.
No two whales look alike, any more
than two black bears, or two deers, or
two 1oNes. When you come 20 look at
any two bugs OF the same SPECIES you
Will find some points of difference.
Two whales of the same SIZE, nan
a mile away, will look exactly ankle,
but a closer view may reveal a great
difference l have had close view OF
$50 whales in my time, and have
noticed as much difference in the
shape of their heads as in a human be
ing. 1 have seen whale with 4 mar
lip. 1 have seen cross-eyed W haies.
have seen three or four who ere poIn
hunchbacks. Thus when one makes II
a business TO hunt whales, he VIII tnd
the same difference between them as
the hunter does between deer, ana II
will be almost as easy for him 10 rec
ognize certain ones again.
In my time a whale called Mocha
Dick was always to be found in the
Indian ocean, south OF the Sunda is
lands.
Sometimes he would not be more
than twenty miles off shore and again
he would be two hundred We met
him one season off the Island OF Moul
due west of Cape Landandy, Australla,
and three months later he had worked
1000 miles to the west, opposite Cen
trail Sumatra. There was seconu
whale known as Madagascar jim
who had his stamping ground OH the
south coast of Madagascar he Wou4u
sometimes swim south almost as ldi
IS line drawn opposite cape OF Goou
Hope. and would sometimes go up lhe
Mozambique channel zoo miles A
third one was called "Callao rom I
and was to he met with from Cdpe
Blanco on the coast of Ecuador, south
TO the tropic of Capricorn. y fourth /
fellow had his run on the coast OF Bra
iii. from cape St Augustine Gown 70 /
Cape Trio. and from time to time othI
ers appeared in various waters anu
run brief career.
The scotch whaler Jeanne had the /
honor of making Mocha Dick known I
to the world, and l was second mate OF .
her at the time. We had gone through .
the Strait of Sunda and then shaped a ]
course to the southwest out into the
Indian ocean. when one morning at
o'clock the man at the crows nest dis
covered a spout. We We're a clean
shin and the men We're, of course, very {
anxious to make capture The breeze
was Iight and dying away, and the
game was mile or more to the wind
ward The whale lay quiet on the sur
face after spouting and the crow nest
reported him of medium size. Mr..
jackson. the first mate, got away from
the ship about the same time did,
and we had hot race to see who /
would reach the whale first. He was
living flukes to US, and We swept to the
right and left and planted two irons
in him at the same time He shivered,
moved about a cables length, and at
the thrust of the lance rolled over and
died. He made so little fuss that we
We're all indignant at his coward1ce:
We hung out the signal of fast. an9
the ship began working up to us, and
She had covered about half the dis
lance and we were idly watching her
slow approach when one of the men i;
sang out;
err" {
Each boat was fast to the whale, but
on different sides and the men in one
boat could not see those in the other
unless on their feet. The man who
cried out was in Mr. Jackson'S boat
We heard him and without knowing
the nature of the danger threatened,
but realizing that it must be close at
hand. let go and sent the boat back |
ward with a rush. We We're perhaps a
hundred feet away when Mr. Jack I
sons boat rose twenty feet in the air I
with a great crash, and 1t was followed
by the head of one of the largest
whales ever seen in the Indian ocean.
II rose up and up like great rock be-
ing heaved out by an earthquake, and
when thirty feet of the leviathan was {
clear of the water he fell right across
the dead whale with a crash you could {
have heard three miles away. Every {
man of us knew what had happened
without looking to his neighbor for
explanations. A second whale. and a
humping big one at that, had breach
ed right under the other boat. The
swell kicked up by his tail tossed us
about for two minutes. and as soon as
the waters had quoted down we look
ed. for the crew of the other boat. The
big whale lay north and south, right
across the small of the dead whale. :
Jackson and his men had padded
along the body of the dead whale to
the head, which was cooked high in
the air by the weight at the other end, .
and We're hanging to the lips and jaw ;
We quietly rowed down to them and /
got them aboard, and were glad to !
find all there and unhurt. Their boat
was mass of splinters and all her I
outfit was lost, and it was very lucky Y
that they got off as they did {
The Jennie was about half a mile
to west of us now, entirely becalmed, f
and We pulled down to her to unload |