52 THE WHALE AND 



There she Blows. Where Away ? 



CHAPTER III. 



RAISING AND CUTTING-IN WHALES. 



Here leviathan, 



Hugest of living creatures, on the deep 

 Stretch'd like a promontory, sleeps or swims, 

 And seems a moving land ; and at his gills 

 Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea. MILTON. 



the first time in our now ten weeks' 

 passage from the Hawaiian Islands, on this 

 New Zealand Cruising Ground, we heard, day 

 before yesterday, that life-kindling sound to a 

 weary whaleman, THERE SHE BLOWS ! The 

 usual questions and orders from the deck quick- 

 ly followed. "Where away?" "Two points 

 on the weather bow !" " How far off?" " A 

 mile and a half!" "Keep your eye on her!" 

 " Sing out when we head right !" It turned 

 out that three whales were descried from aloft 

 in different parts, and in a short time, when we 

 were deemed near enough, the captain gave or- 

 ders to " Stand by and lower" for one a little 

 more than half a mile to windward. 



