lyS FOLLOW THE WHALE 



the five most stalwart of the Indians raised their harpoons and struck 

 directly down into the shining black back. So terrific was their rush 

 forward that two of the canoes rode right up on to the back of the 

 whale and tipped sideways, throwing their occupants into the sea, 

 while a third actually scudded clean over the whale's back and went 

 bouncing away over the waves beyond. 



With a fountain of gray-green water something lashed up out of 

 the sea, and a wave burst upon the surface like a blowing geyser. 

 Canoes lurched outward, and amid shrieks and cries more men were 

 suddenly bounced into the sea. The Indians on shore yelled; the 

 colonists in the gig shouted; and the sea went mad all around in a 

 pother of blinding foam. Then the great, black tail came down upon 

 the water not four feet from the canoe of old Makatoqua, who, 

 accompanied by his small grandson, was seen to bound half a dozen 

 feet from the surface of the water with his canoe and all the para- 

 phernalia that it contained. 



But even in the resulting confusion there remained a thread of 

 purpose, for other canoes appeared immediately upon the scene, 

 while those who floundered in the water started rocking their 

 swamped craft back and forth to empty them, and presently leaped 

 back into the canoes' bellies to finish bailing them out. The old 

 chief's head also appeared above the spray, as he shouted exhorta- 

 tions in his own tongue to the others. The sea was by now covered 

 with bobbing deerskin bladders, and through this tangled mass the 

 gig plowed. Joshua Pomferoy was yelling at the top of his voice. 



The next thing he witnessed, however, was one of his goodmen 

 disappearing overboard. The whale had turned and, dragging half a 

 dozen floats attached to resilient ropes along with it, had swept by 

 the gig and fouled one of the oars. Then another line fouled the 

 tiller, and before the colonists knew what was about, the whole gig 

 veered around and they were off towards the open sea at a good six 

 knots. But the white men had now caught the spirit of the hunt and 

 they were quick to action. Seizing their crude implements, they 

 crowded forward, and as the immense, shiny back of the leviathan 

 once more showed above the surface, they jabbed at it with all their 

 might and with every pointed device that they had to hand. Even 

 old Etienne Quimpery took a swipe with an axe, which, in his en- 

 thusiasm, he nearly followed into the water. 



