SUCCESSFUL STRATAGEM. 173 



Under these circumstances, I considered 

 that manoeuvring was no longer necessary, and 

 gave the orders to tack ship, which enabled us 

 to steer almost directly for the whale ! This 

 opened the eyes of the Orion ; for our yards 

 were hardly trimmed before that ship squared 

 her yards, and came running down directly 

 across our track, and in a few minutes the 

 Lupin hauled her wind, and came creeping up 

 to windward. 



But it was of no use. The Orion was just 

 in time to see Mr. Hopkins strike his harpoon 

 into the whale, and take possession of the prize 

 in the name of the good ship Cremona, of New 

 Bedford ! And it was not long before we had 

 the whale alongside, and forthwith commenced 

 " cutting-in " upon this noble specimen of the 

 class Mammalia, which proved to be an eighty - 

 barrel whale, and was worth to us twenty-four 

 hundred dollars, about 500 sterling. 



By the time we had made fast to our prize, 

 the Orion was within speaking distance. Evi- 

 dently chagrined at the success of our ma- 

 noeuvre, she lavished no compliments upon our 



