164 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



sheets, watched it carefully as it flew through his grasp ; while the mate 

 cleared his lauce, and got ready to reuew the attack. Every moment; 

 liis anxiety increased as he kept turning his head, and looking at the 

 tub of line, rapidly settling, as the whale ran it out, "I declare, I be- 

 lieve he'll take all my line. Blacksmith ! pass along the drug!* Check 

 him hard, Bunker !" then, seeing the other boats near at haud, he opened 

 his throat, and, for the first time, we learned the power of Father Graf- 

 ton's lungs. 



" Spring hard, Mr. Dunham! I want your line! Cast off your craft, 

 and stand by to throw your line to me ! Spring hard ! Do!" 



The ash sticks iu the waist-boat were doing their best, as the loud 

 "Ay, ay !" was borne back o'er the water from Dunham, while the old 

 man could be seen in the rear of the picture wildly straining every nerve 

 to be " in at the death," and heaving desperately at the after oar, with 

 his hat off, his hair flying loosely in the breeze, and his whole frame 

 writhing with eager excitement. Our line was going, going; already 

 there was but one flake iu the tub, when the waist-boat ranged up on 

 our quarter, and Fisher, with the coil gathered in his hand, whirled it 

 over his head, making ready for a cast.t At this instant his straiu was 

 suddenly relieved, and the line slacked up. 



" Never mind !" roared Mr. Grafton. " Hold en, Fisher. All right, 

 he's coming. Never mind your line, Mr. Dunham, he's coming up ! Pull 

 ahead and get fast ! Get a lauce at him if you can ! Haul line, us ! 

 Face round here all of ye, and haul line! Careful, Bunker, about coil- 

 ing down.J He'll be up now, in a minute ; haul lively !" 



The waist-boat had shot ahead under a fresh impulse of her own, and 

 the captain came drawing up abreast of the fast boat. 



"Are you well fast, Mr. Grafton f "Ay, ay, sir ; both irons chock to 

 the socket." "That's the talk. Got 'most all your line, hasn't he!" 

 " Yes, sir." " Well, gather in as fast as you can. Spring hard, us ! 

 Spring! I want to grease a lauce in that fish. There he is; up," he 

 shouted, as the tortured monster broke water, showing his whole head 

 out in his agony, and started to wiudward. 



Fisher had bent on his craft again, and was about two ship's lengths 

 from the whale when he rose. 



"Haul quick, my lads," said the mate, "and get this stray line in. 

 There's Mr. Dunham going on, and the old man will be with him in a 

 minute. There he briugs to!" as the whale suddenly stopped short in 

 his mad career, and lay swashing up and down, as if rallying his 

 strength for a fresh effort. 



*Drag. 



t In taking the second boat's line the upper end is made fast to the lower end of the 

 line of the " fast " boat, which then becomes the " loose " one, and the second boat 

 takes the place of the first. 



tin hauling in the line from a fast whale it is not recoiled in the tub, but in the 

 boat. The utmost care is, however, necessary in this coiliug, for if occasion demands it 

 must run out as freely the second time as from the tub. 



