ACTUAL WARFARE. OUR FIRST WHALE. 41 



awful crash beneath us, and the mate shot up into the 

 air like a bomb from a mortar. He came down in a 

 sitting posture on the mast-thwart ; but as he fell, the 

 whole framework of the boat collapsed like a derelict 

 umbrella. Louis quietly chopped the line and severed 

 our connection with the other whale, while in accor- 

 dance with our instructions we drew each man his oar 

 across the boat and lashed it firmly down with a piece 

 of line spliced to each thwart for the purpose. This 

 simple operation took but a minute, but before it was 

 completed we were all up to our necks in the sea. Still 

 in the boat, it is true, and therefore not in such danger 

 of drowning as if we were quite adrift ; but, considering 

 that the boat was reduced to a mere bundle of loose 

 planks, I, at any rate, was none too comfortable. Now, 

 had he known it, was the whale's golden opportunity ; 

 but he, poor wretch, had had quite enough of our 

 company, and cleared off without any delay, wonderincr, 

 no doubt, what fortunate accident had rid him of our 

 very unpleasant attentions. 



I was assured that we were all as safe as if we were 

 on board the ship, to which I answered nothing ; but, 

 like Jack's parrot, I did some powerful thinking. Every 

 little wave that came along swept clean over our heads, 

 sometimes coming so suddenly as to cut a breath in 

 half. If the wind should increase — but no — I wouldn't 

 face the possibility of such a disagreeable thing. I 

 was cool enough now in a double sense, for although we 

 were in the tropics, we soon got thoroughly chilled. 



By the position of the sun it must have been between 

 ten a.m. and noon, and we, of the crew, had eaten 

 nothing since the previous day at supper, when, as 

 UBual, the meal was very light. Therefore, I suppose 



