le,
though, of course, we took the bearings of the ship, as we were rapidly
whirled away till we completely lost sight of her. This was no unusual
occurrence, nor did it in the smallest degree excite our apprehension,
as we had never failed, with more or less trouble, to find our ship in
the course of the day or night. On we went, as I say, making the
smooth, bright sea hiss and bubble as the white foam frothed up over our
bows.

The instant the whale slackened his speed we hauled in the line, so as
to get up to him to thrust a lance or two into his body; but he was
evidently a knowing old fellow, for by the time we had got half of it
in, he was off again like a shot, spouting away every now and then, as
if to show us in what capital breath he was for a long-run. At last he
stopped, and began to turn slowly round. We thought that we had got
him. "Hurrah, lads!" cried Barney Brian, an old boat-steerer. "Haul in
steadily now--his last swim is over." We hauled away an the line with a
will, and the mate stood, lance in hand, ready to plunge it into his
side, when he shouted, "Stern all--veer away the line, lads!" It was
time--up went the flukes of the monster, and in another instant he was
sounding, drawing the line out of the tub at a terrific rate. We
thought we should have lost him altogether, and we looked anxiously at
the line as coil after coil disappeared, and we remembered that we had
none to bend on to the end of it. It would have been better for us if
he had broken away. Just, however, before the last coil flew out, up he
came again, and seemed inclined to go on as before. Then he stopped,
and we hauled in on the line. We had got within twenty fathoms of him
when all of a sudden an idea seemed to strike him. He slewed completely
round so as to face us. "I'll just give you a taste of my quality, and
see if I can't teach you to let me alone," he seemed to say. At all
events he must have thought it, for with open mouth, showing the
tremendous teeth in his lower jaw, and head half lifted out of the
water, he made directly at us. Never was a boat in a more perilous
position--out of sight of land, and the ship nowhere to be seen, and
thus all by ourselves to engage in single combat with a monster so
enormous! To get out of his way by mere speed was impossible, for he
could swim faster than we could pull; but we did our best to dodge him,
our undaunted mate standing ready to plunge a spear into his side