know, are formations of skin rather than bone.
Now the narwhal's tusk," he continued, "is again an entirely different
thing."

"That's a tooth, isn't it?"

"Yes," was the reply, "it seems to be the mark of the male narwhal.
Sometimes a narwhal has two tusks, but generally only one--on the left
side. The females have none at all. You know the unicorn is always
represented with a narwhal's tusk? One of the early travelers, Sir John
de Mandeville or Marco Polo, I forget which, brought back a narwhal's
tusk which, he had been told, had been taken from a kind of horse. I
really suppose that the native who sold it believed it was from some
species of antelope. But to this day the arms of Great Britain show a
horse having a fish's tooth sticking out from his forehead like an
impossible horn."

"Way-o!" suddenly came the cry from the masthead.

"Where away?" called the captain, jumping up and looking around.

"Three points on the starboard bow, sir," answered the sailor, pointing
his finger.

"That's right enough. You're in luck, Dr. Jimson," he added, turning to
his passengers, "you won't have had long to wait if we catch this one
for you."

The captain walked aft, saw that everything was clear on deck, then
stepped forward and walked out on the bowsprit to the 'pulpit,' the
characteristic feature of a swordfish schooner. This was a small
circular platform about three feet across, built at the end of the
bowsprit, with a rail waist high around it and a small swinging seat.
Triced up to the jib stay was the long harpoon with its head, known as
the 'lily-iron.'

The schooner, having the wind abeam, danced smartly over the waves
toward the long lithe fin, gliding swiftly through the water. The
captain, standing like a statue, waited until the craft was within ten
feet of the unconscious swordfish, then thrust downward with all his
might. It was a thrust--not a throw--and the muscular strength behind
the blow caused the steel to pierce the thick skin of the swordfish. At
the same instant the keg around which the line had been wound was thrown
overboard, and the water flew up like a fine jet from the rapid
revolutions of the barrel as the swordfish sped away with the line.

"How in the world are you going to haul him in now?" asked Colin, when
he saw the keg thrown overboard.

"Did you think we pulled him in, same as you would a cod?" asked the
captain.

"Why not?"

"Too much chance of sinking the schooner!" was th