THE ROMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



and the immersion of the crew in the freezing sea; 

 the dragging of a man into the depths, by a turn 

 of the tangled line round his leg or arm ; are but 

 too common incidents in this warfare with the 

 leviathan. One instance of this last-named acci- 

 dent is on record, in which the sufferer escaped 

 with life, to tell the harrowing tale of his own 

 sensations. 



An American whaling captain in the Pacific was 

 fast to a sperm whale, which "sounded,'' or de- 

 scended nearly perpendicularly. The line in swiftly 

 running out became suddenly entangled ; the cap- 

 tain was seen to stoop in order to clear it, and in 

 a moment disappeared over the bow. The boat- 

 steerer seized an axe, and instantly cut the line, 

 in hope that, by the slackening, the unfortunate 

 man might become freed. 



Several minutes had elapsed, and hope had well- 

 nigh become extinguished, when an object was 

 seen to rise to the surface a little way off. It was 

 the body of the captain, which in a few seconds 

 was lifted into the boat. Though senseless and 

 motionless, life seemed to be not extinct, and the 

 usual remedies being applied, he revived, and be- 

 came, to use his own phrase, "as good as new," 

 when he gave an account of his singular escape. 



It appears that in attempting to throw the line 

 clear from the chock, a turn caught his left wrist, 

 and he was dragged overboard by the descending 

 whale. He was perfectly conscious as he was 

 rushing down with immense rapidity, and it 

 seemed to him as if his arm would be torn from 

 its socket, from the resistance of his body to the 

 water. Well aware of his peril, he knew that his 

 only chance was to cut the line, but with his ut- 

 most efforts he could not raise his right hand 

 from his side, to which it was pressed by the 

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