184 WHALING AND FISHING. 



die so easily. The sea-breeze set in just as the 

 whale began spouting what we thought to be 

 thick blood. With the first puff of wind ha 

 seemed to revive, and gathering new energy, 

 darted off seaward, at the rate of six or seven 

 miles per hour, dragging with him of course our 

 four boats. 



We now experienced another peculiar trick of 

 the humpback. A sperm whale will sometimes 

 run under water, but has at any rate the merit of 

 keeping straight on his course. Our prize, as he 

 proved after a long-continued effort at escape, 

 would spout once, then turn flukes and run along 

 the bottom, till it became necessary again to 

 breathe. Then another spout, another toss of his 

 flukes high in the air, as though the water had 

 been a mile deep and he were bound to touch bot 

 torn, and another race along that bottom. 



This course was continued till repeated lane- 

 ings and great loss of blood had exhausted him. 

 Of course, his short stay at the surface made it 

 extremely difficult to lance him properly. We 

 were compelled to haul so close to him that when 

 he turned flukes, the broad tail often grazed the 

 boat's bows. Had -it been a sperm whale, this 

 would have been exceedingly dangerous play, but 

 our humpback plainly thought of nothing but 

 running. For an hour he kept up his first speed. 

 By that time, however, he was tiring, and his pace 

 moderated. 



Now two boats would work upon him at once, 



