ON PASSAGE 53 



moment and the cunning method of the Esquimos at once 

 became obvious to Jonathan. Those bladders must 

 retard his downward motion through the water and the 

 greater number that were attached the smaller was the 

 whale's chance of escape ; which was of course the reason 

 why the hunters had attacked so furiously and in such 

 large numbers. Furthermore, although Jonathan was 

 unaware of the fact, these hunters employed a cunning 

 toggle device which turned the barb of the spearhead and 

 caused it to stick fast and prick the flesh of the whale when 

 the line became taut. 



When the whale surfaced again the Esquimo oomiaks 

 crowded in on him once more approaching from ahead to 

 avoid the great tail flukes that thrashed through a wide 

 arc which reached even to the creature's side fins. One 

 of the craft within that arc was swept away as easily as a 

 fly is swept away by a horse's tail. Then the monster 

 tried to dive but came up quickly carrying one of the 

 oomiaks to the summit of its body and in the brief second 

 that the frail craft poised balanced there the Esquimo in 

 the bows reached out an arm and thrust a spear deep into 

 the whale's side. The next instant the craft slid down 

 the whale's side throwing the crew into the welter of white 

 water that surrounded the whale. 



The spear of that brave hunter must have found its 

 mark for Jonathan saw that the next spout was blood red. 



The oomiaks withdrew after rescuing the Esquimos 

 and waited ; the Pilgrim, still under reduced sail, slid past 

 the scene; the native hunters and the New England 

 whalemen watched the drama of the whale in all the fury 

 of its last flurry as it thrashed, rolled and spouted red. 

 Then it turned upon one side and the ten foot side fin 

 pointed to the sky. 



The ship passed on. 



As Jonathan walked along the deck to resume his duties 

 he heard the guttural voice of Nathaniel Sykes saying, 



