] 20 WHALING AND FISHING. 



which the whaleman at all times utters witn joy, 1 

 but with us it was doubly joyful, because of the 

 sudden transition from previous depression and 

 hopelessness . to present certainty of victory. 



" There he rolls it out, ihick as coal tar," said 

 he mate, as he heard a hoarse gurgling sound it 

 was too dark any longer to distinguish between 

 blood and water. 



"Stern now, men, stern all quick! "'as the 

 whale rolled over in his flurry. 



The command was given none too soon. And 

 now he beat the waters with his flukes, and darted 

 hither and thither at immense speed, in his death 

 struggle. From the distance to which we had 

 removed for safety from an accidental stroke, we 

 could not see his actions; and it was fearful to list 

 to the swift blows of his flukes, and know that 

 but a little way from us, in the thick darkness, a 

 leviathan was parting from life. 



His flurry was short. The mate's lance had 

 been too ^ ell pointed. 



Meantime we had set our boat-lantern, and the 

 ship now bore down toward us, with two lights 

 in her rigging, glaring upon us as though she 

 were some great monster come to the assistance 

 of its brothei Two boats had returned on board, 

 and we of the remaining two now prepared to 

 take a line from the vessel, by which to pass a 

 mooring chain about the dead whale's flukes. 

 The sea was quite high, the night pitch dark, and 

 altogether, T soon came to the conclusion thai 



