ker called out from the
masthead--

"A whale alee!"

All looks turned to the direction indicated. A small spout was
perceived coming up out of the sea about a mile from the brig.

"There she spouts!" cried Simpson, who knew what that meant.

"She has disappeared!" answered the doctor.

"Oh, we could find her again easily enough if necessary!" said Simpson,
with an accent of regret. To his great astonishment, and although
no one dared ask for it, Hatteras gave orders to man the whaler.
Johnson went aft to the stern, while Simpson, harpoon in hand, stood
in the bow. They could not prevent the doctor joining the expedition.
The sea was pretty calm. The whaler soon got off, and in ten minutes
was a mile from the brig. The whale had taken in another provision
of air, and had plunged again; but she soon returned to the surface
and spouted out that mixture of gas and mucus that escapes from her
air-holes.

"There! There!" said Simpson, pointing to a spot about eight hundred
yards from the boat. It was soon alongside the animal, and as they
had seen her from the brig too, she came nearer, keeping little steam
on. The enormous cetacean disappeared and reappeared as the waves
rose and fell, showing its black back like a rock in open sea. Whales
do not swim quickly unless they are pursued, and this one only rocked
itself in the waves. The boat silently approached along the green
water; its opacity prevented the animal seeing the enemy. It is always
an agitating spectacle when a fragile boat attacks one of these
monsters; this one was about 130 feet long, and it is not rare, between
the 72nd and the 80th degree, to meet with whales more than 180 feet
long. Ancient writers have described animals more than 700 feet long,
but they drew upon their imagination for their facts. The boat soon
neared the whale; on a sign from Simpson the men rested on their oars,
and brandishing his harpoon, the experienced sailor threw it with
all his strength; it went deep into the thick covering of fat. The
wounded whale struck the sea with its tail and plunged. The four oars
were immediately raised perpendicularly; the cord fastened to the
harpoon, and attached to the bow, rolled rapidly out and dragged the
boat along, steered cleverly by Johnson.

The whale got away from the brig and made for the moving icebergs;
she kept on for more than half-an-hour; they were obliged to wet the
cord fastened to the harpoon to prevent it catching fire by ru