150 THE WHALE HUNTERS 



bow rise to the surface a hundred yards away and knew 

 that the manilla Hne had at last parted under the strain. 



He bore his half-drowned comrade to the submerged 

 stern and Jamie gave him a hand to keep the negro 

 afloat. 



Then hearing shouts he raised his head and saw a 

 boat hauling up to a whale that had just surfaced nearby. 

 Hodge had at last got near enough to sink a harpoon into 

 his whale and was standing in the bows with his lance 



ready. With only a few yards to go the whale suddenly 

 began rolling and like a huge spindle wound the line 

 around its body and jerked it from the men's grasp. 

 Somewhere in the boat a coil must have fouled; perhaps 

 it caught an oar or a man's limb. Before Hodge could 

 draw his knife and cut it free the boat was being pulled 

 down bows first under the whale's spinning body. Hodge 

 fell clear but so quickly did the whole thing happen 

 that only one of his five men had the presence of mind to 

 jump and save himself from being pulled under with 

 the boat. That man was yelling lustily for help but 



