THE CHASE OF THE BLUE WHALE 189 



hour by my watch, and then burst up about a quarter of a 

 mile ahead, throwing a cloud of spray thirty feet into the air. 



" Full speed ahead and then ' safte ' " (slowly), and we ran 

 up to within fifty yards of the rolling slate monsters, which 

 were now travelling fast, although not wild. When a shot 

 seemed imminent they both disappeared from view, after about 

 twelve surface dives, and we lost them again for another ten 

 minutes. When next viewed the larger whale was half a 

 mile astern, so we turned and went for him again, only 

 reaching the animal in time to see him disappear for the 

 third time. The actual big dives of this whale lasted lo, 15, 

 14, 12^, and 20 minutes, and we then left him, as the captain 

 considered the other one might be tamer. This, however, 

 did not prove to be the case. Whilst racing to cut off the 

 whale during its surface appearance we spied a third Blue 

 Whale spouting about half a mile to the east, so the order 

 to turn was given, and we approached and hunted it (another 

 bull) for some time. Luck seemed quite against us, when the 

 Blue Whale was suddenly joined by two very large Finbacks 

 which we had not previously seen. The advent of these new- 

 comers seemed to quiet the larger animal. They made several 

 dives, and then disappeared almost under our bows, and yet 

 passing onward, so that a shot seemed certain if they rose 

 again. 



It was a moment of intense excitement when the two Fin- 

 backs rose right in front of the bows and within easy shot, 

 but the captain and I were gazing fixedly into the green and 

 clear depths, looking for the Blue Whale, when far away down 

 beneath the water I saw a great copper-grey form rising 

 rapidly right underneath the ship. The captain signalled with 

 his hand to the man at the wheel on the bridge, turning the 

 vessel off a point just as the ghostly form of the whale, 



