THE A, C, OF WHALES 63 



ler, I was in de sperm trade myse? and used to 

 ship out o' New Bedford round Cape o' Good 

 Hope for sperm whale ground in Indian Ocean 

 and Sout' Pacific. Once I go on top a sperm 

 whale in a boat an' he turn flukes and lash out 

 wit' his tail but miss us. Den he bring up his 

 old head and take a squint back at us out o' his 

 foxy little eye and begin to slew his body roun' 

 till he get his tail under de boat. But de boat- 

 header too smart fer him and we stern oars and 

 get out o' reach. But de whale didn't know we 

 done backed out o* reach and w'en he bring up 

 dat tail it shoot out o' de water like it was shot 

 out o' a cannon. Mighty fine fer us he miss us 

 dat time. 



"But dat don't discourage dat whale a-tall. 

 He swim round and slew round and sight at us 

 out o' his eye and at las' he get under de boat. 

 Den he lift it on de tip o' his tail sky-high and 

 pitch us all in de water. Dat was jes' what he 

 been working for. He swim away and turn round 

 and come shootin' back straight fer dat boat and 

 w'en he get to it, he crush it wit' his teeth and 

 chew it up and shake his head like a mad bulldog 



