ON TEE SOL AND EB O BOUNDS. 345 



certainly surprise, as we passed about a mile to the 

 southward of the lonely, towering crags of the great 

 rock, there came from aloft the welcome cry of " Sperm 

 whale ! " 



There was only one, and he was uncomfortably near 

 the rock; but such a splendid chance was not to be 

 missed, if our previous training was of any avail. There 

 was some speculation as to what he could be doing so 

 close inshore, contrary to the habit of this animal, who 

 seems to be only comfortable when in deep waters ; but 

 except a suggestion that perhaps he had come in to 

 scrape off an extra accumulation of barnacles, nobody 

 could arrive at any definite conclusion. When we 

 reached him, we found a frightful blind swell rolling, 

 and it needed all our seamanship to handle the boats 

 so that they should not be capsized. Fortunately, the 

 huge rollers did not break, or we should hardly have 

 got back safely, whale or no whale. 



Two irons were planted in him, of which he took 

 not the slightest notice. We had taken in sail before 

 closing in to him on account of the swell, so that we 

 had only to go in and finish him at once, if he would 

 let us. Accordingly, we went in with a will, but for all 

 sign of life he showed he might as well have been 

 stuffed. There he lay, lazily spouting, the blood 

 pouring, or rather spirting, from his numerous wounds, 

 allowing us to add to their number at our pleasure, and 

 never moving his vast body, which was gently swayed 

 by the rolling sea. Seeing him thus quiescent, the 

 mate sent the other two boats back to the ship with 

 the good news, which the captain received with a grave 

 smile of content, proceeding at once to bring the ship as 

 near as might be consistent with her safety. We were 

 now thoroughly sheltered from sight of the other ships 



