PLAYFULNESS OF “OLD GRAYDACK.” 479 
seemed determined to limit liis exertions to keeping ont 
of harm’s way, — now and then indulging in unplcasantly- 
sudden dives or dashes along the surface, as if merely to 
let them know that he was still ‘about.’ After riinnin£r 
some miles to seaward, tlie old fellow liad turned and 
retraced his track to within half a mile of the spot where 
he had been struck, and we thus had a fair view of his 
motions most of the time; but the other whale had 
dragged his boat with lightning speed around the north 
point of the harbour and disappeared entirely. 
“Upon old Grayback, therefore, we fixed our admiring 
eyes, and some adventurous spirits even advocated the 
idea of our joining in the fun with our own boats; but, 
as the majority of us still had in distant contemplation a 
mundane meeting with absent friends, the proposition to 
^ take a boat and pull ourselves’ (the crew having been 
worked hard the last few days) met with little encourage- 
ment. ^ Every man to his own trade,’ I thought to mj^- 
sclf, as old Grayback made one of his playful dashes, 
turned suddenly at right angles to his former course, and 
came toward us with frightful velocity. ‘Every man to 
his own trade. What would become of that boat now 
if I had the management of her^ I think I’d much 
rather be seated on this topsail-yard with my spy-glass to 
amuse myself with.’ 
“ It was a fearful jerk — a l>old outlay of his husbanded 
strength — ^which the leviathan made in that sudden dash 
and short turn ; but the quick eye of the boat-steerer liad 
caught the movement, and with one mighty sweep of his 
trailing oar turned the boat as on a pivot, just as she felt 
the tautening of the line. Onward she surged in his boil- 
