sail locker in such weather as this. And I guess
_I_ don't want to go before a grand jury if he or any of 'em dies."

"I tell you, Brant, that rather than ease up on those fellows, I'd lose
the ship. I'm going to keep them there till we strike another fish, and
then I'll haze what life is left in them clean out of them."

Rough and harsh as he was with the crew of the _Shawnee_, Brant was no
vindictive tyrant, and was about to again remonstrate with the savage
Lucy, when, suddenly, the thrilling cry of "There she blows!" came from
the look-out in the crow's nest; and in a few minutes the barque's decks
were bustling with excitement. A small "pod" or school of sperm whales
were in sight. Four boats were at once lowered and started in pursuit.

When first sighted from the ship the whales were not more than two miles
distant, and moving towards her. The mate's boat was first away, and in
a very short time fastened to the leader of the "pod"--a huge bull over
sixty feet in length. In less than five seconds after the keen-edged
harpoon had plunged deep into his body, the mighty fish "sounded"
(dived) at a terrific speed; the other whales at once disappeared and
Brant's boat shot away from the other three. The remaining boats were
those of the captain and the second and third mates. For some ten or
fifteen minutes their crews lay upon their oars watching the swift
progress of the mate's boat, and scanning the sea from every point
around them, to discern where the vanished and unstricken whales would
rise to breathe again. At last they saw the great bull, to which the
mate's boat was fast, burst out upon the surface of the water, two miles
away. For a minute the mighty creature lay exposed to view, beating the
sea into a white seeth of foam as he struck the water tremendous blows
with his tail, and sought to free himself from the cruel steel in his
body. As he thrashed from side to side, two of his convoy rose suddenly
near him as if in sympathy with their wounded leader. Then, in an
instant, they all disappeared together, the stricken whale still
dragging the mate's boat after him at an incredible speed.

Knowing that in all probability the two whales which had just appeared
would accompany the great bull to the last--when he would receive
the stroke of the death-dealing lance from Brant--the captain of the
_Shawnee_ at once started off in pursuit, accompanied by the second and
third mates' boats. The crews bent to their t