CflAP. XI. A NEW HAND—" MAKING FAST." 327 
of the boat, and poises the harpoon, with line attached, 
over his head. 
A new hand, pulling one of the oars, begins to look 
frightened, and flags at his work, looking occasionally 
over his shoulder ; a volley of oaths from the headsman 
accompanies a threat to " break every bone in his skin 
" if he funks now ;" and, beginning to fear the man 
more than the fish, he hardens his heart and pulls 
steadily on. 
A momentary pause is occasioned by the disappear- 
ance of the whale, which at last rises close to the rival 
boat. Their boat-steerer, a young hand lately pro- 
moted, misses the whale with his harpoon, and is 
instantly knocked down by a water-keg flung full in 
his face by his enraged headsman, who spares no " bad 
" French" in explaining his motives. Our original 
friend then manoeuvres his boat steadily to the place 
where the whale will probably appear next. " Pull 
" two, back three !" shouts he, following a sudden turn 
in the whale's wake ; and, as she rises a few yards in 
front of the boat, he cries in rapid succession, " Look 
" out ! — all clear ? — give it her ! " and the harpoon 
flies true and straight into the black mass. This is 
called " making fast." " Peak your oars," says the 
headsman ; the line whistles over the bow ; a turn is 
taken round the loggerhead to check the rapidity with 
which the line runs out, and the boat flies positively 
through the water, forming ridges of foam high above 
her sides. The men sit still with folded arms by their 
peaked oars, the boat-steerer with a small hatchet in 
his hand to cut the line should any entanglement 
occur ; and the after-oarsman occasionally pours water 
on the loggerhead, which smokes furiously. Now is 
shown the skiM of the headsman in steering the boat 
at this tremendous speed, and in watching every mo- 
