THE PACIFIC OCEAlf. 241 



and went along quite as fast as the boats, but foi 

 only two or three minutes, when he appeared to get 

 perfectly quiet again, while the boats gained rapidly 

 upon him, and were soon close in his wake. ' Stand 

 up 1' cried young Clark to the harpooner, who is 

 also the bow-oarsman ; while the same order was 

 instantly given by his opponent, whose boat was 

 abreast of our mate's, with the rest close to their 

 sterns. The orders were instantly obeyed, for in a 

 second of time both boat-steerers stood in the bows 

 of their respective boats, with their harpoons held 

 above their heads ready for the dart ; but they both 

 panted to be a few yards nearer to the Wliale, to do 

 so with success. The monster plunged through the 

 main quickly, but the boats gained upon him every 

 moment, when the agitation of all parties became 

 intense, and a general cry of ' Dart ! dart ! ' broke 

 from the hindermost boats, who each urged theii 

 friends, fearful of delay. The uproar became exces- 

 sive, and while the tumult of voices and the working 

 and splashing of the oars rolled along the surface 

 of the deep, both the harpooners darted their weapons 

 together, which, if they had both struck the Whale, 

 would have originated a contention between them 

 regarding their claims. But, as it happened, neithei 

 of them had that good fortune ; for, at the momeni 

 of their darting the Whale descended like a shot, and 

 avoided their infliction, leaving nothing but a white 

 and green- looking vortex in the disturbed blue Ocean, 

 to mark the spot where his monstrous form so lately 

 floated. A general huzza burst from the sternmost 

 boats, when they saw the issue of tliis chase, thinking, 



