LANCING A WHALE. 105 



and falling back with a report like distant thunder, 

 and a splash which for the moment threatened to 

 fill the boat. 



" Haul in slack line, boys, let's get up to him. 

 There he lies, quite still ; take your oars and pull 

 up." 



But the weight of the line hanging overboard 

 rendered t impossible to manage her, and we were 

 compelled to get this in first. By this time the 

 whale was slowly forging ahead, evidently scarcely 

 knowing what course of action would be most 

 politic under the circumstances. 



"Now haul up." 



Having gotten a strain on the line, we pulled 

 the boat on. But just as we got within dart, the 

 whale again sounded not deep however, and 

 when he reappeared, the rest of the school were 

 with him, and they were going off at the rate of 

 SBveral miles per hour, of course taking us with 

 /hem. 



Now however, we hauled the boat up, and the 

 mate sent a lance quivering into his flesh but not 

 into a fatal part, as we could not get far enough 

 in advance of our fish to afford a fair chance. 



"With a splash of his flukes, the whale sonnded 

 again, and commenced running under water, a 

 proceeding which was kept up during the whole 

 of a chase which lasted from this time about 

 half past eight till after four Vclock, when 

 occurred the catastrophe which ivound up our 

 day's sport. 



