224 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



rose up directly over us, shutting out the sky. 

 It curled over away from us and smote the sea 

 with deafening thunder. As quick as lightning 

 it rose into the air again, curled high above us 

 with tragic menace, and came crashing down, 

 this time toward us. But we had backed just out 

 of harm's way. Death and that terrible tail 

 missed us by about three feet. 



The mate's boat came rushing up. It was too 

 late. The whale — our whale — ^had sounded. 



" Your boat can beat us, eh? " Gabriel called 

 tauntingly to Mr. Winchester. Not much. I 

 know we break blackskin first. I know we win 

 dat race." 



Our line began to dance and sing, leaping up 

 from its neatly laid coils in the tub in dizzy 

 spirals and humming out over the bow. 



" Ha, boys," sang out Kaiuli, our Kanaka 

 bow oarsman. " Now for fine ride behind Arc- 

 tic race horse — eh? " 



,With a whale harnessed to our boat and a sea 

 as smooth as any turnpike for our highway, we 

 settled ourselves for the ride. The friction of 

 the line set the boat going. It gathered momen- 



