ARRANGING A BATTLE FIELD. 141 



ever, when the fish suddenly put a stop to our 

 racing by turning flukes. This gave us time to 

 pull leisurely down toward the spot where they 

 had disappeared beneath the waves, and here each 

 boat -header now brought his boat to in such a 

 position as he judged most favorable for the pros- 

 pective " rising." 



The chase was so exciting that our old captain, 

 leaving his fourth mate on board to work ship, 

 had come in the boat, sfnd was now urging us on 

 to do our best, and " show these fellows that they 

 had their match." 



All was now arranged. The eight boats lay in 

 variods positions ; all in the circumference of two 

 miles. Our mate, and the mate of the Betsy Ann, 

 had chosen the same spot, and although, as cour- 

 tesy demanded, each had removed his boat some 

 distance l v om the place we had both at first in- 

 tended to )ccupy, yet the two boats were in most 

 unpleasar t proximity to each other, and we plainly 

 saw that, did the whales rise in the vicinity, a des 

 perate race would be the consequence. 



" Pull your best, boys but (to the mate) be 

 careful of your boat I would rather lose a whale, 

 than have a boat stove, and perhaps two or three 

 u<,n hurt, Mr. Osborne," were the captain's final 

 instructions, as he pulled off to take up a position 

 in another part of the field. 



All was now silence. No one ventured to ; s peak 

 above a whisper, fearing that the sound of his 

 f oico roight thrown the distant spouting of a whale 



