THAT GREAT LEVIATHAN. 43 



rich, dark blood were hurled into the air from his 

 spout-hole, the boats dashed away from him as 

 they would from an enraged sea-serpent, and 

 behold — a half-dozen men floundering about in 

 the water ! 



" Stoven ! " yelled the cooper, renewing his 

 unconscious assaults upon my collar. " Served 

 him dead right, I swear ! An' bless ye, boy, the 

 old lobster-back can't swim a stroke ! " 



Indeed he could not. There was the captain in 

 the water, as helpless as a lady, and two of his 

 men were trying their best to keep him from 

 sinking, while one of the two uninjured boats was 

 coming up to take him aboard. 



" Same old yarn," said the cooper. " I've sailed 

 with the old man five year if I've sailed a day, an' 

 I tell ye, boy, he's done this lubberly trick forty 

 times over. Gits wearisome, now an' then, dead 

 wearisome for them Jacks to float a poor lubber 

 that won't learn swimmin', and dead wearisome 

 for poor old Chips to have to mend the old man's 

 boat after every blessed chase." 



" Then why doesn't the captain learn to swim?" 



The cooper ventured no answer. He was 

 watching the mate getting a line fast to Old 

 Blubber. Suddenly he bethought himself of 

 grindstone and spades, and as quickly was off to 



