oremost, without peaking his
tail in the air?"

"One lives and larns as long as one lives," observed my father. "Heave
ahead again, old boy."

"Well, as you can't know what you haven't heard anything about, I must
now tell you that these animals be as regular as the bells in a
man-of-war; and whenever they goes down to feed, they always stays
exactly about the time allowed for dinner in a comfortable ship; that
is, seventy minutes exactly. An hour, you see, is the regular time
allowed, and the other ten minutes are by favour of the officer of the
watch, or first lieutenant. We knew that we must wait that time for
him, so we tossed up our oars, and laid by."

"I suppose them sparmacitty chaps have a watch in their pockets," said
my father, smiling.

"It's a true bill, nevertheless, messmate, and they never alter: how and
why they keep to their time, the Lord who gave them the sense to do so
only knows. It is one of the wonders of the deep, which they only who
go on the great waters can bear witness to."

"It beats my comprehension quite entirely," replied my father; "and yet
I have seen animals with a great deal of sense. In one ship, we had a
sheep who would chew tobacco and drink grog. Now go ahead again."

"Well, we had waited about half an hour, when we saw a whiff at the
masthead of the ship; we knew that it was to direct our attention to
some other point, so we looked round the horizon, and perceived that
there was a `school' of young bulls, about three miles from us. We were
four boats in all; and the first mate desired my boat and another to go
in chase of them, while he remained with the other two, for this old
whale to come up again. Well, off we went, and soon came up with the
school: they are the most awkward part of whale fishing; for they are
savage, and, moreover, easily `gallied,' that is, frightened. I picked
out one, and tried to come up with him, but he was very shy, and at last
he raised his head clean out of the water, and set off at the rate of
ten miles an hour; this showed that he was aware of danger. I had just
thought of giving him up, and trying for another, when he suddenly
turned round, and came right towards the boats. That we knew meant
mischief; but, in coming towards us, he passed close to the other boat,
and the steersman gave him the harpoon right well into him. This made
him more savage, and he stood right for my boat, ploughing up the sea as
he rushed on. I was all