828 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



stiff wi' tli' tiller; y'hear me? W don't ye dare to make tliet sheet 

 fast, 'r ye'll die so sudden y' won't know whar y'r hurted." I said 

 as cheerfully as I could, "All right, sir," trying to look unconcerned, 

 telling myself not to be a coward, and all sorts of things; but the cold 

 truth is that I was scared almost to death, because I didn't know what 

 was coining. However, I did the best thing under the circumstances, 

 obeyed orders and looked steadily astern, or up into the bronzed im- 

 passive face of my chief, who towered above me, scanning with eagle 

 eyes the sea ahead. The other boats were coming flying along be- 

 hind us, spreading wider apart as they came, while in the bows of each 

 stood the harpooner with his right hand on his first iron, which lay 

 ready, pointing over the bow in a raised fork of wood called the 

 " crutch." 



All of a sudden, at a motion of the chief's hand, the peak of our 

 mainsail was dropped, and the boat swung up into the wind, laying 

 " hove to," almost stationary. The centerboard was lowered to stop 

 her drifting to leeward, although I can not say it made much differ- 

 ence that ever I saw. Now, what's the matter? I thought, when to 

 my amazement the chief addressing me said, " Wonder why we've 

 hauled up, don't ye? " " Yes, sir, I do," said I. " Wall," said he, 

 " the fish hev sounded, an' 'ef we run over 'em, we've seen the last ov 

 'em. So we wait awhile till they rise agin, 'n then we'll prob'ly git 

 thar' 'r thareabouts before they sound agin." With this explanation I 

 had to be content, although if it be no clearer to my readers than it 

 then was to me, I shall have to explain myself more fully later on. 

 Silently we lay, rocking lazily upon the gentle swell, no other word 

 being spoken by any one. At last Louis, the harpooner, gently 

 breathed " Blo-o-o-w "; and there, sure enough, not half a mile away 

 on the lee beam, was a little bushy cloud of steam apparently rising 

 from the sea. At almost the same time as we kept away all the other 

 boats did likewise, and just then, catching sight of the ship, the 

 reason for this apparently concerted action was explained. At the 

 mainmast head of the ship was a square blue flag, and the ensign at 

 the peak was being dipped. These were signals well understood and 

 promptly acted upon by those in charge of the boats, who were thus 

 guided from a point of view at least one hundred feet above the sea. 



" Stand up, Louey," the mate murmured softly. I only just 

 stopped myself in time from turning my head to see why the order 

 was given. Suddenly there was a bump, at the same moment the 

 mate yelled, " Give't to him, Louey, give't to him ! " and to me, " Haul 

 that main sheet, naow haul, why don't ye? " I hauled it flat aft, and 

 the boat shot up into the wind, rubbing sides as she did so with what 

 to my troubled sight seemed an enormous mass of black India rubber 

 floating. As we crawled up into the wind, the whale went into con- 



