CHARGED BY A WILD SEI WHALE 



squarely he would have torn such a hole in the steam- 

 er's side that her sinking would have been a matter 

 of seconds. The only thing that saved her was the 

 quickness of the man at the wheel, who had thrown 

 the vessel's nose about, thus letting the blow glance 



"Then turning about with his entire head projecting from the 

 water like the bow of a submarine, he swam parallel with the 

 ship." 



from her side. It was a miracle that the propeller 

 blades had not been broken or bent so badly as to 

 disable us; why they were not even injured no one 

 can tell it was simply the luck that has always fol- 

 lowed this vessel since Captain Andersen came aboard. 

 It should not be inferred that the whale deliber- 

 ately attacked the ship with the intention of disabling 

 her. There is little doubt in my mind but that the 

 animal was blindly rushing forward in his death 



