363 
THE WHITE WHALE 
leisurely search of variety. You meet them on the Line in time for 
the full flower of the Equatorial feeding season, having just returned, 
perhaps from spending the summer in the Northern seas, and so cheat- 
ing summer of all unpleasant weariness and warmth. By the time 
they have lounged up and down the promenade of the Equator awhile, 
they start for the Oriental waters in anticipation of the cool season 
there, and so evade the other excessive temperature of the year. 
When serenely advancing on one of these journeys, if any strange 
suspicious sights are seen, my lord whale keeps a wary eye on his in- 
teresting family. Should any unwarrantably pert young Leviathan 
coming that way, presume to draw confidentially close to one of the 
ladies, with what prodigious fury the Bashaw assails him, and chases 
him away ! High times, indeed, if unprincipled young rakes like him 
are to be permitted to invade the sanctity of domestic bliss; though 
do what the Bashaw will, he cannot keep the most notorious Lothario 
out of his bed; for, alas, all fish bed in common. As ashore, the 
ladies often cause the most terrible duels among their rival admirers; 
just so with the whales, who sometimes come to deadly battle, and all 
for love. They fence with their long lower jaws, sometimes locking 
them together, and so striving for the supremacy like elks that war- 
ringly interweave their antlers. Not a few are captured having the 
deep scars of these encounters, — furrowed heads, broken teeth, scol- 
loped fins; and in some instances, wrenched and dislocated mouths. 
But supposing the invader of domestic bliss to betake himself away 
at the first rush of the harem’s lord, then is it very diverting to watch 
that lord. Gently he insinuates his vast bulk among them again 
and revels there awhile, still in tantalising vicinity to young Lothario, 
like pious Solomon devoutly worshipping among his thousand con- 
cubines. Granting other whales to be in sight, the fisherman will 
seldom give chase to one of these Grand Turks ; for these Grand Turks 
are too lavish of their strength, and hence their unctuousness is small. 
As for the sons and the daughters they beget, why, those sons and 
daughters must take care of themselves ; at least, with only the maternal 
help. For like certain other omnivorous roving lovers that might be 
named, my Lord Whale has no taste for the nursery, however much for 
the bower; and so being a great traveller, he leaves his anonymous 
