Leviathan. 
245 
out at the masthead reported that a large whale 
was coming rapidly down upon the ship, and 
the mate hastened his task in the hope that he 
might be in time to attack it. 
“ The whale, which was a bull of enormous 
size, and probably the guardian of the school, 
in the meantime approached the ship so closely 
that, although the helm was put up to avoid the 
contact, he struck her a severe blow, which 
broke off a portion of her keel. The enraged 
animal was then observed to retire to some dis¬ 
tance, and again rush upon the ship with 
extreme velocity. His enormous head struck 
the starboard bow, beating in a corresponding 
portion of her planks, and the people on board 
had barely time to take to their boat before the 
ship filled and fell over on her side. She did 
not sink, however, for some hours, and the 
crew in the boats continued near the wreck 
until they had obtained a small supply of pro¬ 
visions, when they shaped a course for land ; 
but here, it is to be regretted, they made a fatal 
error. At the time of the accident they were 
cruising on the equator, in the longitude of 
about 118° west, with the Marquesas and 
Society Islands on their lee, and might have 
