34 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 

 CHAPTEK III. 



CAPTURING AND CUTTING-IN OF A WHALE. 



" Here leviathan 



Hugest of living creatures, on the deep 

 Stretch'd like a promontory, sleeps or swims, 

 And seems a moving land ; and at his gills 

 Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea." 



Milton. 



" There she blows !" The Boats start in pursuit Capturing 

 of a Whale The process of Cutting-in A flock of Alba- 

 trosses Other Sea-birds Trying-out The Whaleman's 

 delight Magnitude of the Whale. 



FOE the first time in our ten weeks' passage 

 from the Hawaiian Islands, on this New 

 Zealand Cruising Ground, we now heard that 

 life-kindling sound to a weary whaleman, 

 " THERE SHE BLOWS ! " The usual questions and 

 orders from the deck quickly followed. "Where 

 away ? " " Two points on the weather bow ! " 

 "How far off?" "A mile and a half!" 

 "Keep your eye on her!" "Sing out when 

 we head right ! " It turned out that three 

 whales were descried from aloft in different 



