ABNER'S WHALE. 75 



terribly long chase, we found his speed slackening, and 

 we redoubled our efforts. Now we were close upon him ; 

 now, in obedience to the steersman, the boat sheered out 

 a bit, and we were abreast of his labouring flukes ; now 

 the mate hurls his quivering lance with such hearty 

 good-will that every inch of its slender shaft disappears 

 within the huge body. " Lay off ! Off with her, Louey ! " 

 screamed the mate ; and she gave a wide sheer away 

 from the whale, not a second too soon. Up flew that 

 awful tail, descending with a crash upon the water not 

 two feet from us. " Out oars ! Pull, two ! starn, three ! " 

 shouted the mate ; and as we obeyed our foe turned to 

 fight. Then might one see how courage and skill were 

 such mighty factors in the apparently unequal contest. 

 The whale's great length made it no easy job for him to 

 turn, while our boat, with two oars a-side, and the great 

 leverage at the stern supplied by the nineteen-foot steer- 

 oar, circled, backed, and darted ahead like a living thing 

 animated by the mind of our commander. When the 

 leviathan settled, we gave a wide berth to his probable 

 place of ascent ; when he rushed at us, we dodged him ; 

 when he paused, if only momentarily, in we flew, and 

 got home a fearful thrust of the deadly lance. 



All fear was forgotten now — I panted, thirsted for his 

 life. Once, indeed, in a sort of frenzy, when for an 

 instant we lay side by side with him, I drew my sheath- 

 knife, and plunged it repeatedly into the blubber, as if I 

 were assisting in his destruction. Suddenly the mate 

 gave a howl: " Starn all— starn all ! oh, starn ! " and the 

 oars bent like canes as we obeyed. There was an upheaval 

 of the sea just ahead ; then slowly, majestically, the vast 

 body of our foe rose into the air. Up, up it went, while 

 my heart stood still, until the whole of that immense 



