164 WHALING AND FISHING. 



but in the excitement of the moment, everything 

 was forgotten in watching the motions of the fish. 

 On he came, blindly and unsuspectingly rushing 

 X) his death. Wswere already within two boats' 

 lengths of him. But now he stops suddenly. 

 He listens u moment, but again proceeds. We 

 think ourselves already fast, when the boatsteer- 

 er whispers, 



" Let them pull a good stroke I fancy the 

 whale knows we're here." The mate shook his 

 head ; we were almost within dart, and. he would 

 not risk it Now he heaves his head out of the 

 water again. 



"Heave your iron into him!" shrieks the 

 mate. 



The boatsteerer darts his best but too late. 



Even as we looked, and without any motion 

 other than that slight toss of the head, the whale 

 disappeared from our sight. 



" That's magic," said one of the boat's crew. 



To me, so sudden was the act, it seemed just as 

 though the vast mass had been suspended in 

 space, and the suspensor had been suddenly cut 

 asunder. 



Now came the labor of the day. The whale 

 was gallied that is to say, frightened. He was 

 Aware of our presence, but with a perversity com- 

 mon */o sperm whales under such circumstances, 

 would not at once abdicate the ground. From 

 the time of his lightning-like disappearance 

 about noon till sunset, our four boats chased him; 



