AFRICA. 49 
a very narrow efcape from deftrudion. A 
whale rofe all of a fudden near our boat, and 
filled us with great terror. It was fo near 
us, that fearing left, when it dived again, it 
might overfet the boat, and fink it by its enor- 
Inous weight, the failors threw themfelves into 
the fea ; but the man at the helm turned the 
boat with fo much expedition, that we efcaped 
the monfter. This animal, which darted at 
leaft twelve feet out of the v/ater, befprinkled 
us all when it dived; and our boat received 
fuch a violent fliock, that it was almoft over- 
whelmed* Had it not been for the good con- 
diid of our pilot, not one of us would have 
efcaped death. 
This whale is generally from fixty to eighty 
feet long, and fometimes more. It ofttimes 
emerges from the fca with half its body ; and 
when this heavy mafs falls back again, it 
makes a noife as loud as the report of a 
cannon. 
One evening, while at fupper, our vefTel 
received a fliock which made her reel in fo 
extraordinary a manner, that, not knowing 
what might be the caufe of it, we quitted the 
table with great precipitation, and ran upon 
E deck. 
