102 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



with a large hump-back wha]e that was endea- 

 vouring to elude the attack. 



The serpent threw up his tail from twenty- 

 five to thirty feet in a perpendicular direction, 

 striking the whale by it with tremendous blows 

 rapidly repeated, which were distinctly heard and 

 very loud for two or three minutes. They then 

 both disappeared, moving in a west southwest 

 direction, but after a few minutes reappeared in- 

 shore of the packet, and about under the sun, 

 the reflection of which was so strong as to pre- 

 vent their seeing so distinctly as at first, when 

 the serpent's fearful blows with his tail were re- 

 peated, and clearly heard as before. 



They again went down for a short time, and 

 then came up to the surface under the packet's 

 larboard quarter, the whale appearing first and 

 the serpent in pursuit, who was again seen to 

 shoot up his tail as before, which he held out of 

 water some time, waving it in the air before 

 striking, and at the same time, while his tail 

 remained in this position, he raised his head 

 fifteen or twenty feet, as if taking a view of the 

 surface of the sea. After being seen in this 



