68 THE CRUISE OF TEE '' CACHALOT » 



CHAPTER VIII 



abner's whale. 



In a previous chapter I have referred to the fact of a 

 bounty being offered to whoever should first sight a 

 useful whale, payable only in the event of the prize being 

 secured by the ship. In consequence of our ill-success, 

 and to stimulate the watchfulness of all, that bounty 

 was now increased from ten pounds of tobacco to twenty, 

 or fifteen dollars, whichever the winner chose to have. 

 Most of us whites regarded this as quite out of the 

 question for us, whose untrained vision was as the 

 naked eye to a telescope when pitted against the eagle- 

 like sight of the Portuguese. Nevertheless, we all did 

 our little best, and I know, for one, that when I descended 

 from my lofty perch, after a two hours' vigil, my eyes 

 often ached and burned for an hour afterwards from 

 the intensity of my gaze across the shining waste of 

 waters. 



Judge, then, of the surprise of everybody, when one 

 forenoon watch, three days after we had lost sight of 

 Tiinidada, a most extraordinary sound was heard from 

 the fore crow's-nest. I was, at the time, up at the main, 

 in company with Louis, the mate's harpooner, and we 

 stared across to see whatever was tll§ matter. The 



