THE AMMBJCAN WHALEMAN. 191 



Soon after the ship rolled over, and went down, leaving the 

 crew adrift in mid-ocean in the fragile whale-boats, the 

 nearest laud being the Azores, distant about seven hundred 

 miles. This was a trying situation for our young captain ; 

 but he was equal to it. Considering the danger of separa- 

 tion increased by his having the crew divided in three 

 boats, he concluded to take all hands and the supplies into 

 two, and abandon the third. Thus crowded, after eight 

 days of perilous navigation and much suffering, he reached 

 the Azores, without the loss of a man. His prudence and 

 good conduct under such trying circumstances secured to 

 him another ship as soon as he reached home. After this 

 he sailed master for twenty years, and in all that long ex- 

 perience never had a man killed iil his boat." 



" Do you mean to tell us that he never met with any acci- 

 dents after this first taste of the quality of old square-nose ?" 

 we demanded. 



" No, he couldn't say that ; for he is now a crippled man, 

 eighty-eight years of age, but so hale and hearty that he will 

 read manuscript without glasses. Once a sperm-whale threw 

 its terrible jaw into his boat, and struck him on the head 

 and shoulders, making a deep scalp-wound, breaking his jaw- 

 bone, tearing out five teeth, breaking his shoulder-blade and 

 arm, and crushing his left hand between the tooth and gun- 

 wale of the boat. When this broken man was carried on 

 board, his young mates, hopeless of his recovery, were at 

 loss what to do for him. He had to give directions for the 

 preparation of the necessary splints and bandages, and in- 

 struct the men in the manner of reducing the fractures and 

 bandaging them. After this, he ordered them into a port 

 to which they were strangers, and, lying on deck at the 

 point of death, he scanned the headlands, and piloted his 

 ship into port. A Spanish surgeon visited him, and, after 

 examination, advised him to send for a priest, for he was be- 



