to retreat, for now
his head went up, now his tail; now he sprung again right out of the
water, twisting and turning in every direction.

"He has his death-pang on him," cried Old Knowles. "He'll be ours
before long;--but, ah! one of them has caught it!"

One of the boats had indeed caught it. We could not tell which, for the
others were covered with the foam and ensanguined water cast on every
side by the monster in his wild contortions. The fragments lay
floating, scattered far and wide, and several men were seen striking out
towards the other boats, half-turning their heads, as if in expectation
of being pursued. But, as we counted their number, they did not appear
to be all there. There were but five. One, we feared, was missing.
Anxiously we kept our eyes fixed on the spot, hoping to see our
shipmate, whoever he might be, appear.

"Hurrah!--he's there--he's there!" we shouted, as we discovered the
sixth man swimming out from among the mass of bloody foam which
surrounded the whale, who for an instant seemed to be resting from his
exertions. While the boats were taking them on board, again the whale
darted rapidly out, but this time it was to perform the segment of a
circle.

"He's in his flurry, lads--he's in his flurry!" shouted old Knowles.
"He'll be dead in another minute."

"Last scene of all, which ends this strange, eventful history," said
Newman, who through his glass had been eagerly watching the chase. As
the words went out of his mouth the whale rolled over on his side, a
well-won prize, and loud shouts from the crews of the boats and from all
on deck rent the air.

The fragments of the shattered boat being collected, and the three
remaining ones made fast to the whale, they began towing it towards the
ship, while we made sail to meet them.

All hands were employed for an instant in congratulating each other when
we got the whale alongside, and then every means were taken to secure it
for "cutting-in"--so the operation of taking off the blubber is called.
The coopers had meantime been getting ready the large caldrons for
boiling the blubber; which operation is called "trying-out." A rope
passed round the windlass, and rove through a block fast to the head of
the mainmast, was carried over the side, with a large hook at the end of
it. The first thing done was to cut off the head of the whale, which,
with the neck-part up, was strongly secured, and floated astern.

"That head has got bet