160 WHALING 



follow the boats down to the water, when word came from the 

 captain to lower away. 



'' 'There she blows!' sung out the man at the fore; 'not half a 

 mile off/ 



"'Down helm!' shouted the captain. 'Mr. A., brace up the 

 mizzen topsail. Hoist and swing the boats! Lower away I' 

 Down went the boats, and down followed the crews. As the 

 boats struck the water, every man was on his thwart, with his 

 hand on the loom of his oar, and all at once the three boats were 

 cutting their way through the water in the direction of the 

 whale. 



"It was my duty to steer the mate's boat, and she happened 

 to be the fastest puller, so that, although we all left the ship 

 together, and for a few rods kept nearly head and head with 

 each other, still we knew well enough that, as soon as the word 

 came from the mate to 'give way,' we should drop the others in 

 a moment. So we did not fret ourselves, but kept cool for a 

 light pull when the whale should show himself on the surface 

 of the water again, which he did the moment after. 



"'Here she is!' cried the mate; 'and not over ten rods from 

 the boat. Now, my dear fellows[!], lay back hard! Spring 

 hard, I tell you! There she blows! Only give way, my boys, 

 and she is ours!' The boat bounded forward like a thing of 

 life. 'Spring like tigers!' said the mate, his voice sinking almost 

 to a whisper. I looked over my shoulder to see what kind of a 

 chance I was about to have, at the same time pulling at my own 

 oar with all my might. We were going on her starboard quar- 

 ter; just the chance I like to fasten to a whale. 



"'Stand up!' shouted the mate; and in a moment I was on 

 my feet, and in the next moment I had two harpoons to the 

 hitches into her. 'Stern all! Stern all!' sung out the mate, as 

 he saw the irons in the whale. 'Come here, my boy!' said he to 

 me. We shifted ends; he to the head, and I to the stem of the 

 boat. The whale started off like lightning. 



"'Hold on line!' said the mate; and away we shot after her 

 like an arrow from the bow. The mate by this time had his 

 lance ready. 'Haul me on to that whale,' he shouted; and all 



