164 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



her ground when she is down or under water. 

 The whale was gone an hour, when we caught 

 sight of the signal at the main, which said 

 plainly that the whale was up. All eyes gaze 

 eagerly around in all directions for the whale. 



" There she is," cries one of the men, " not 

 twenty rods from the chief mate's boat! There, 

 he sees her!" 



"Down to your oars, lads!" said the captain, 

 in whose boat I was. " Give way hard ! " Now, 

 then, the little boat jumps again, sending the 

 spray in rainbows from the bows. " Spring hard, 

 my dear fellows ; if she blows a dozen times 

 more, the mate will fasten. There she blows ! 

 Oh, she *s a beauty ! A regular old sog ! A 

 hundred-barreler ! There she lays like a log ! 

 Oh, what a hump ! There she blows ! Stand 

 up, David ! (the name of the mate's boat- 

 steerer.) There goes one iron into her, and 

 there he gives her the second one ; he is fast 

 solid. Now, then, my boys, let us be up among 

 the suds. Stand up ! " shouted the captain to 

 me, as he laid his boat square on to her. In 

 goes two more harpoons, and our boat is fast. 



