480 
THE SALLY AKN IS DISAPPOINTED. 
ing wake. Onward, onward. A breaking reef crossed 
their mad career; but old Grayback bad evidently again 
lost liis reckoning, for be rushed steadily upon it. An- 
other second or two, and he must either turn at right 
angles or butt out his brains, lie chose the former, as 
any sensible whale must have done, and seemed to fly 
with renewed velocity. Skirting the reef with a con- 
siderable portion of his huge head exposed, he passed so 
close to one of the ambushed boats as to furnish the long- 
lookcd-for chance of fastenina: a second iron. But the 
harpoon, though well directed, and urged by the power 
of a strong arm nerved by the moment’s excitement, 
glanced harmlessly from his polished side, and was 
slowly hauled in by the disappointed whaler. Tlie xin- 
expected attack, however, seemed to lash him to perfect 
madness. Bounding oft' violently from the reef, he tore 
the fi^rst harpoon from its deep-seated hold, renewing 
his furious flight, which bade defiance to further pursuit, 
and leaving behind him a turbid wake of bloody foam. 
Old Gravback had saved his blubber, and the Sallv 
^ •'V 
Ann, of Kew Bedford, was minus her two hundred 
barrels. 
^“Come on! come on!’ said the governor’s aide, who 
was by me on the topsail-yard. ‘ The whale has got 
away; he has doubtless gone for his lunch after so much 
exercise : let us follow his example.’ 
“So we went down to the deck, and another half-hour 
saw us entering the spacious mansion of the governor, 
and four hours after that we were again seated in the 
‘ second floor-parlour,’ and two or three hours later we 
were shaking hands for the last time.” 
