who were necessarily left in the ship could scarce be prevented from
swimming after the boats as they shot away, and nothing but the
certainty of being drowned restrained them from making the mad attempt.
As it was, they clambered upon the figure-head and up the rigging,
where, with gaping mouths and staring eyes, they watched the movements
of their more fortunate companions.

Meanwhile the whale had made what appeared to be a grand and final
neck-or-nothing rush in the direction of the shore. Of course he was
high, although not dry, in a few seconds. That is to say, he got into
water so shallow that he stuck fast, with his great head and shoulders
raised considerably out of the sea, in which position he began to roll,
heave, spout, and lash his mighty tail with a degree of violence that
almost approached sublimity.

He was in these circumstances when the Norsemen came up; for though too
shallow for the whale, the water was quite deep enough for the boats.

Being light, the small boat reached the scene of action first. Krake
stood up in the bow to be ready. He held in his hand a curious wooden
spear with a loose barb tipped with the tusk of a walrus. It had been
procured from one of the Greenland Skraelingers. A rope was attached to
it.

As they drew near, the whale stopped for an instant, probably to recover
breath. Krake raised his spear--the fish raised his tail. Whizz! went
the spear. Down came the tail with a thunderclap, and next moment mud,
sand, water, stones, foam, and blood, were flying in cataracts
everywhere as the monster renewed its struggles.

"Back! back oars!" shouted Biarne, as they were almost swamped by the
flood.

The men obeyed with such good-will that Krake was thrown head-foremost
over the bow.

"Hold fast!" yelled Krake on coming to the surface.

"If ye had held fast ye wouldn't have been there," said Biarne; "where
are ye?"

He rose again out of the foam, yelled, and tossed up his arms.

"Can the man not swim?" cried Biarne, in alarm; "pull, boys, pull!"

The men were already pulling with such force that they almost went over
the man. As they rubbed past him Hake dropped his oar and caught him by
the hair, Biarne leaned over the side and got him by the breeches, and
with a vigorous heave they had him inboard.

"Why, Krake, I thought you could swim!" said Biarne.

"Ay, so I can, but who could swim with a coil of rope round his neck and
legs?"

The poor man had indeed