A LAZY WHALE. 182 



in iuLexpe3ted places, and lying quite still till we 

 were almost upon him, when suddenly he would 

 disappear, only to show himself perhaps in the 

 very spot from which he had before started. The 

 mate at last, wearied with chasing him, concluded 

 to remain quite still and notice his maneuvers 

 For several risings we watched him very closely, 

 and at last, with his suspicions apparently lulled, 

 he came to the surface not half a dozen boat's 

 lengths off. 



To lay the boat around and pull for him, might 

 and main, was the work of but a few minutes. We 

 were upon him before he was aware of our pres- 

 ence, and with a loud hurrah, the boatsteerer 

 planted an iron in his 'back. 



No sooner were we fast, than three other boats, 

 which had been cruising in the vicinity, came to 

 our aid. The whale, after sounding an operation 

 which did not amount to much in ten fathoms 

 water, ran a little ways, and then stopped, evidently 

 at fault, and snuffling for the breeze. Now he 

 would dart in this direction, now in that, now 

 north, now south, now east v then west. But it 

 was just then a complete calm, and he -made no 

 headway. 



Of course we took advantage of his motions to 

 ply our lances, and in a very short time had the 

 satisfaction to see him spout blood. 



Now when a sperm whale spouts blood, it "B 

 an evidence that death is at his door But we 

 were to learn that day that a humpback does not 



