His CAPTORS. 195 



Rival Whalemen of four Nations in chase of the same Whale. 



A chase similar to that described above, but 

 for a living whale, once came off in the South 

 Pacific between four ships of different nations, 

 becalmed together within the neighborhood of 

 a mile, English, French, Portuguese, and Amer- 

 ican. The officers of the American ship were 

 making preparation to visit their English neigh- 

 bors. The men were amusing themselves be- 

 low, or loitering about the decks, when the look- 

 out on the mast head gav^ntelligence of a whale 

 by the exciting and familiar cry of " There she 

 blows !" " There she blows !" " Oh, she's a 

 beauty !" " There she blows again !" 



"Where away?" hailed the officer of the 

 deck. 



" West of south, heading east." 



" How far, and what is she ?" 



" Three miles a real sperm," was the reply. 



The men of the American had not been idle 

 during this dialogue. As soon as the first 

 " There she blows" was heard, each man had 

 sprung to his station in the boat. Stopping 

 for a moment to have a keg of water placed in 

 the stern sheets, the boat-steerer, who gives the 

 account, sprung into the boat, and, casting all 

 clear, they were soon under weigh. " Our 



