THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 39 



there was the whale's head on a clean breach, not two 

 iron's length from the head of the boat. We couldn't stir 

 ■hand nor foot for the life of us. Up, up, not fast, the whale 

 kept going. It seemed there was no end to him. The old 

 man was gallied a little I think, but he let Lish have his own 

 way. I don't think one of us breathed, or even winked, as 

 we watched that awful black mass shootin' into the sky. I 

 tell you, boys, you'll never really know how big a critter a 

 whale is until you see him eclipsing the sun, as I did that 

 blessed day. 



" And there stood that Chipman, his back to us, and at 

 that minute, I guess, to all the world, with his iron and hand 

 away back over his shoulder, a-waitin' and waitin' till the 

 hump showed itself, and full fifty feet of black skin was in 

 the air ! It looked as if it hung right over our heads, when, 

 holy Moses ! Lisha clapped the iron in right up to the sock- 

 et, and yelled out so they heard him aboard the ship, ' Starn 

 for your lives ! Starn all, I tell you !' At the same time 

 he planted his second iron in the falling whale. Didn't we 

 obey orders that time, I wonder ! The boat had jumped its 

 length, when the whale fell crashing right across our bows, 

 nearly swampin' the boat in the swell he raised, and more 'n 

 half filling us with white water. 



" I never was at the Falls of Niagara, and, at my time of 

 life, don't believe I'll ever go there for the express purpose 

 of listenin' to splashin' water, as I have heard one uproar 

 that showed what might be done. 



" The whale thought that blow between wind and water 

 was foul, for he cut such infernal canticoes that we could 

 not get on to him. He sounded out half the line, and then 

 ran under water, and provoked us in that way till the old 

 man got real mad, dashed down his hat, and let out one of 



his rip-stavin' swears. Old B , you know, wouldn't swear 



to save his soul, let alone a whale ! But our old man, Jeru- 



