60 THE WHALE HUNTERS 



and swung back through the same arc and crashed against 

 the ice. 



Jonathan clung on grimly with beating heart trying to 

 find amid the confusion of rigging the halliard that held 

 the wayward staysail. At last he found it and drawing 

 his knife from its sheath he hacked it clear of the block in 

 which it had jammed. The sail tumbled down to the 

 foredeck and the men with spars were able to push the 

 ship's bows clear of the ice. Jonathan saw the white 

 overhanging cliff recede into the fog and disappear. 



Just then he felt a strange warmth touch his face and 

 above him the grey fog grew lighter and lighter till it 

 dropped like a veil and left him isolated in a new world of 

 clear and sparkling sunlight. The deck below was still 

 invisible and nearby, the iceberg rose like a white rocky 

 island out of the grey sea of fog. Away to the eastward he 

 saw the blue line of the horizon which even as he watched 

 grew broader and broader as the fog drifted westward. 

 On that horizon he saw another iceberg that looked 

 curiously like a crouching white rabbit. Then upon the 

 blue band of the sea he saw something that caused his 

 heart to beat anew. A tall white plume rose up for 

 about three seconds and then disappeared. 



Summoning all the strength of his lungs he called out to 

 those below the words that they had waited so long to hear. 



*Town ho! Town ho! She blo-o-ows!' 



And from below, out of the fog, came the response. 

 *Where away?' in the deep bass tones of the captain's 

 voice. 



*Two points on the larboard bow!' called Jonathan. 



'How far off?' 



'About two miles!' 



Up through the fast disappearing fog came the wide- 

 eyed faces of men eager for the sight of the whale. 



*Come down from the rigging, all of you,' called Macy. 

 'None of you had the spunk to climb it when I ordered. 



