72 TEE CRUISE OF THE "CACHALOT." 



great black head, like the broad bow of a dumb barge, 

 driving the waves before it, loomed high and menacing 

 to me, for I was not forbidden to look ahead now. But 

 coolly, as if coming alongside the ship, the mate bent to 

 the big steer-oar, and swung the boat off at right angles 

 to her course, bringing her back again with another broad 

 sheer as the whale passed foaming. This manoeuvre 

 brought us side by side with him before he had time to 

 realize that we were there. Up till that instant he had 

 evidently not seen us, and his surprise was correspond- 

 ingly great. To see Louis raise his harpoon high above 

 his head, and with a hoarse grunt of satisfaction plunge 

 it into the black, shining mass beside him up to the 

 hitches, was indeed a sight to be remembered. Quick 

 as thought he snatched up a second harpoon, and as the 

 whale rolled from us it flew from his hands, burying 

 itself like the former one, but lower down the body. The 

 great impetus we had when we reached the whale carried 

 us a long way past him, out of all danger from his 

 struggles. No hindrance was experienced from the line 

 by which we were connected with the whale, for it was 

 loosely coiled in a space for the purpose in the boat's 

 bow to the extent of two hundred feet, and this was cast 

 overboard by the harpooner as soon as the fish was fast. 

 He made a fearful to-do over it, rolling completely over 

 several times backward and forward, at the same time 

 smiting the sea with his mighty tail, making an almost 

 deafening noise and pother. But we were comfortable 

 enough, while we unshipped the mast and made ready 

 for action, being sufficiently far away from him to 

 escape the full effect of his gambols. It was impossible 

 to avoid reflecting, however, upon what would happen if, 

 in our unprepared and so far helpless state, he were. 



