346 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OB, 



diate danger, though shortly after I had to dive deeply, to al- 

 low the whale to glide over me. It may be a low habit, but 

 certainly it is very human to moralize in intervals of over- 

 whelming dangers. Thus, on rising from the sea, the resolve 

 was graven on my mind to be worthy of the great deliver- 

 ance, as in the past I had surely been unworthy of it. 



The old fellow showed a great disposition to fling his 

 ugly jaw at every floating object, and it became prudent in 

 our boat-steerer to remove his curly locks from his range of 

 vision. After butting the boat from side to side, to the 

 manifest disgust of those who were riding her bottom, the 

 whale decorously retired a short distance, and went into his 

 flurry. The mate's boat picked us up, and the whale, which 

 will make about fifty barrels, was saved. The only injury 

 we suffered was a man's hand jammed by the whale's tooth. 



Sept. 13. The mate went on to a sperm, and had his boat 

 cut entirely in two by the whale. Hinton got an ugly tap 

 on the head. We supposed it would have killed a white 

 man, but it only straightened Harry out for half an hour, 

 when he woke up, not much the worse of the wear. We 

 were very anxious, for we could ill spare his musical voice. 



" Did you get the whale ?" was his first inquiry. 



«Tes.'.' 



"All right." And the subject was dismissed. But I 

 thought Harry was a shade whiter after the accident — as he 

 had a right to be, owing to the white blood in him. 



We must not leave these waters without allusion to the 

 beautiful mollusk, the sea-nettle, or Portuguese man-of-war, 

 which is sometimes seen in great numbers. The colors dis- 

 played by it when floating on a calm sea are attractive to 

 the rudest observer. Varying shades of blue, pink, and yel- 

 low mark the body, which has a fringe of strongly contrast- 

 ed colors, the outer filaments being crimson, and the inner a 

 dark purple. The naked swimmer, on coming in contact 



