174 "whales has feelin's." 



Now the whale turned suddenly about. His 

 raire redoubled. He would have blood or die for 

 it. Making for the third officer's boat, he threw 

 his cruel jaw across it, turning it bottom-up and 

 staving it in. Again, as by a miracle, every man 

 escaped unhurt. 



A pretty situation ! There were now two boats' 

 crews floundering and sputtering in the water, 

 while the whale was lashing the waves into froth 

 with his flukes and sending the suds flying in 

 every direction. 



With the one remaining boat, I succeeded in 

 picking up the swimmers, and in ferrying them 

 away to the ship. Fortunately we had not far to 

 travel. 



How beautiful the Clara Bell looked as the 

 boat came round so that I faced her again ! Never 

 had I thought her graceful, half-clipper lines such 

 an exquisitely perfect model. Never had winged- 

 dragon figure-head impressed me as such a con- 

 sumate triumph of the wood-carver's art. Never 

 had the two white streaks along her side from 

 stem to stern seemed such a splendid decoration. 

 Never, in all the days I had sailed in her, had she 

 looked the white-robed angel-guardian she did 

 now. She stood with her main-yard hauled aback. 

 She nodded and dipped, and rose jauntily on the 



