AT SEA: ON THE WHALING GROUNDS 165 



whale. Tabor sprang to the bow, and stood by with the harpoon. 



"Softly, softly, my lads," said the headsman. 



"Ay, ay, sir!" 



"Hush-h-h! softly. Now's your time, Tabor!" 



Tabor let fly the harpoon, and buried the iron. 



"Give him another!" 



"Ay, ay! Stern all!" 



"Stern all!" thundered P . 



"Stern all!" 



And, as we rapidly backed from the whale, he flung his tremendous 

 flukes high in the air, covering us with a cloud of spray. He then 

 sounded, making the line whiz as it passed through the chocks. When 

 he rose to the surface again, we hauled up, and the second mate stood 

 ready in the bow to dispatch him with lances. 



"Spouting blood!" said Tabor. "He's a dead whale! He won't 

 need much lancing." It was true enough; for, before the oflficer 

 could get within dart of him, he commenced his dying struggles. 

 The sea was crimsoned with his blood. By the time we had reached 

 him, he was belly up. We lay upon our oars a moment to witness 

 his last throes, and, when he had turned his head toward the sun, a 

 loud, simultaneous cheer burst from every lip.^ 



But even the capture of their victim was, after all, but an 

 incident in the labors of the boat's crew. There was always 

 the possibility of the sinking and consequent loss of the valu- 

 able carcass.-^" In most instances, however, the body of the 

 sperm whale floated without difficulty; and if there chanced 

 to be other cachalots not too far away, the victorious crew im- 

 bedded the pole of a "waif," or flag, in the flesh as a mark of 

 ownership, and then started out in an attempt to overtake and 

 capture another prize. 



This was true under favoring conditions; but at times further 

 pursuit was impossible, despite the tantalizing nearness of the 

 game. Often the vessel was entirely lost to sight during the 

 excitement and dangers of the chase, particularly in stormy 

 weather or upon the approach of darkness. When this oc- 



8 Browne, J. R., "Etchings of a Whaling Cruise," pp. 115-121. 



i*^ The danger of sinking was less for the sperm whale than for the right 

 whale, bow-head, and hump-back, all of which showed a disappointing per- 

 centage of losses. One contemporary writer was so impressed with this phase 

 of the industry that he suggested the use of india-rubber or bladder buoys 

 which might be attached to the harpoons and thus keep the dead bodies afloat. 

 This cumbersome procedure, however, was not adopted. See Cheever, H. T,, 

 "The Whale and His Captors," pp. 75 ff, 



