162 WHALING 



vigorous story of a successful attack on a sperm whale as given 

 by a genuine whaler, Captain WilHam H. Macy, in ''Thar She 

 Blows! or the Log of the Arethusa": 



"I caught sight of something like a small puff of steam or 

 white smoke rising a little and blowing off on the water. Look- 

 ing intently at the same spot, after a short interval another 

 puff rose like the former, satisfying me, from the descriptions I 

 had heard, that some sort of whale was there, and I instinctively 

 shouted, There she blows!' 



'' 'Where away?' hailed Mr. Johnson, who was just cHmbing 

 the main-topmast rigging; 'Oh, yes, I see him! Sperm whale, 

 I believe — hold on a bit till he blows again — yes — thar sh' 

 blo-o-o-ows! large sperm whale! two points off the larboard! 

 Blo-o-o-o-ows! headed to windward!' 



'"How far off?' shouted Mr. Grafton from the deck. 



"'Three miles! 'ere sh' blows!' 



"By this time the old man was on deck and ready for action. 

 'Call all hands out, Mr. Grafton! Hard a starboard there! 

 Stand by to brace round the yards. Cook! get your breakfast 

 down as fast as you can. Keep the run of him, there, aloft! 

 Maintop bowline, boatsteerers! Sure it's a sperm whale, eh, 

 Mr. Johnson? Steward ! give me up the glass — I must make a 

 cleet in the gangway for that glass soon. Muster 'em all up, 

 Mr. Grafton, and get the lines in as fast as you can (mounting the 

 shearpole). Sing out when we head right, Mr. Johnson! 

 Mr. Grafton, you'll have to brace sharp up, I guess (just going 

 over the maintop). See the Pandora there? Oh, yes, I see her 

 (half-way up the topmast rigging). Confound him! he's 

 heading just right to see the whale, too!' 



"'There goes flukes,' shouted the mulatto. 



" ' Yes! yes! I see him — just in time to see him (swinging his 

 leg over the topmast crosstrees), a noble fan, too! a buster! 

 Haul aboard that maintack! We must have that fellow, 

 Mr. Johnson. Steady — y! Keep her along just full and by. 

 We mustn't let the Pandora get him, either V 



"The Arethusa bent gracefully to the breeze, as, braced sharp 

 on the port tack, she darted through the water as though in- 



