THE CATASTROPHE. 109 



filled and turned over, almost before we could leap 

 Into the water.- 



To grasp oars, and whatever else would float, 

 iras the first act of each, on finding himself over- 

 board. The mate in a few minutes succeeded in 

 gaining the bottom of the wrecked boat, and with 

 his assistance the rest gathered there, each keep- 

 ing in his hand an oar to assist him when, as fre- 

 quently occured, a sea larger than usual swept ua 

 from our narrow perch. 



The first glance about us disclosed to us our 

 antagonist, lying at the distance of a short oar's 

 length from the boat, side and side with us. He was 

 spouting thin blood, and the disagreeable thought 

 suggested itself at once to several of us, " Sup- 

 pose he goes into his flurry while we are lying 

 here helpless." 



"We must hope for the best, boys, and mean- 

 time look out for the boats and the sharks," was 

 the mate's answer to this suggestion. " But if he 

 goes off in a flurry, you need none of you expect 

 to see your mamma's again." 



When we had hoisted a shirt upon a lance-pole, 

 as a signal of distress, and lashed three oars across 

 tho boat, to keep her from continually rolling 

 over barrel fashion, we found ourselves at the 

 eud of our resources, and had leisure to look our 

 fale in the face. It is needless to describe how 

 anxiously we watched each motion of the whale 

 how the color of his spouts was critically dis- 

 cussed, and every spasmodic twitch of his flukeg 



