Outof//te 



o or west all together, as if a single impulse 

 were leading them. Knowing little about 

 the uncouth creatures, I contented myself 

 with classifying them all, as sailors do, into 

 big ones and little ones, and would watch 

 for hours in the hope of getting near enough 

 to one to observe him closely. Meanwhile 

 my friend and the sailors were rapidly and 

 harmlessly going through the supply of 

 cartridges. 



One day, when from an enormous depth a 

 big whale shot his length up out of the sea 

 and fell back with a resounding splash and 

 shot the air out of his lungs with a ivJioosh to 

 waken the seven sleepers, I grabbed the rifle 

 thoughtlessly — having jibed at the others for 

 their poor shooting — and took a quick crack 

 at the monster before he had fairly settled 

 down to travel. The steel-jacketed bullet 

 caught him fair on the hump, glanced 

 through, and went skipping out exultingly 

 over the sea. Then, so quick that it made 

 one rub his eyes, the huge form had dis- 

 appeared and the sea thereabouts looked like 

 a basin of soap-suds. " B 'ys, b'ys, but that 



