THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 355 



US ; but with a ' Steady, boys ! keep cool, and wateh your 

 chance, Brooks,' I laid the boat round on his course, to- save 

 the surge when the box-line was out. His old, scarred head 

 shot out just under the blade of the bow-oar, and he spouted 

 and pitched like a flash. Brooks had only time to get in 

 one iron, that just behind the eye ; but the next spout was 

 thin blood. ' Well done, Brooks ! That iron was a settler.' 

 The whale shot two or three lengths ahead, and stopped 

 short. Brooks came aft and took the steering-oar; I took 

 the bow, loosened my lance, and ordered the men to pull 

 ahead, that I might put in the second iron. 



"But the whale had his eye on us; for as soon as we 

 dropped the oars, he milled short round, and came down on 

 us. I had the iron in ray hand, and when his snout came 

 in fair dart, I let drive. You might as well have darted., 

 against a cotton-bale. The iron was thrown right back ; he 

 brought his jaw up with a sharp snap, and just nicked the 

 bow, putting a hole through the garboard-stre^k. ' Why, 

 Brooks,' I said, 'it looks as though the whale meant' that 

 for us !' ' It did look like it, sir,'^ said he. Then the brute 

 straightened out, sagging on the surface, spouting thin blood, 

 and snapping his spout-hole. 



" ' Do you hear that, men ?' I exclain\ed. ' You keep cool, 

 and move together. Now pull me on.' 



" He met me again square, head on, and pushed the boat 

 astern. We knew he would use his jaw if he ranged his 

 nose beside the boat; but when he offered his life I put my 

 lance in, and he answered by spouting thick blood. From 

 this out he was ugly enough. He did not count much on 

 his flukes, but meant mischief with his jaw. So we sparred 

 for a time, when he rose under the stern, belly up, with his 

 lower jaw standing at right angles with his body. He 

 brought it down like the quick snap of a hound, cutting the 

 boat in two, except on one gunwale. I just caught a glimpse 



