202 FOLLOW THE WHALE 



peared, they were plunging into the trough caused by its great going 

 down. Then began one of the most titanic struggles that can ever 

 have taken place at sea. 



Eleven exhausted men, lost on the open ocean in a tiny, open boat, 

 armed only with puny hand lances, pitted their skill against almost 

 a hundred tons of compact muscle, bone, and sinew stronger than 

 steel and imbued with a natural ferocity second only to that of an 

 enraged tiger, for Captain Hussey, although he still did not know it, 

 was fast to a very large, bull sperm whale. Perhaps it was just as 

 well that the men did not know what they were tackling in the dim 

 half-light of dawn, for they might never have rowed in so boldly 

 and actually stabbed directly downward upon the whale's arching 

 back with their lances. As a result, it died before it could even gather 

 breath for a second perpendicular dive. 



It was all over so quickly that none of the company really realized 

 what they had done, and certainly nobody had had time to consider 

 what they might still have to do. What is more, nobody had thought 

 to so much as glance at the horizon. It was Isaiah Garvey who first 

 bethought himself of their predicament, and while the rest of the 

 company were affixing lines to the tail of the whale, and hacking off 

 its immense ten-foot flukes, he chmbed the mast and scanned the 

 horizon. Immediately, he let out a howl. 



"Captain Hussey! Captain Hussey! It be Sankaty Head abeam." 

 And he pointed off to starboard. Every face below was turned up- 

 ward instantly and all activity ceased. 



Captain Hussey himself seized the main rig and hauled himself 

 aloft, then he too stared long at the thin, dark line on the far horizon. 

 Finally he remarked almost casually, "Egad, Mr. Garvey, by the 

 race that Hes between and the set of the tide I would warrant you 

 that be Sankaty." And dropping back to the deck, he started giving 

 forth with a battery of commands. 



Soon half a dozen stout lines were attached to the tail of the great 

 whale and, passing over the stern of the sloop, were made fast to 

 cleats and thwarts throughout the length of the vessel. This to dis- 

 tribute the strain. Then the sails were set, the vessel turned before 

 the wind, and all hands manned the oars. 



"Forsooth, Mr. Pritchard, we will pull this fish to the harbor by 

 nightfall if the wind holds from this quarter and we bide fairly by 



