and fierce. The scene was very striking. Overhead, a bright blue
sky just fringed with fleecy little clouds; beneath, a deep blue sea
with innumerable tiny wavelets dancing and glittering in the blaze of
the sun; but all swayed in one direction by a great, solemn swell that
slowly rolled from east to west, like the measured breathing of some
world-supporting monster. Four little craft in a group, with twenty-four
men in them, silently waiting for battle with one of the mightiest of
God's creatures--one that was indeed a terrible foe to encounter were he
but wise enough to make the best use of his opportunities. Against
him we came with our puny weapons, of which I could not help reminding
myself that "he laugheth at the shaking of a spear." But when the man's
brain was thrown into the scale against the instinct of the brute, the
contest looked less unequal than at first sight, for THERE is the secret
of success. My musings were very suddenly interrupted. Whether we had
overrun our distance, or the whale, who was not "making a passage," but
feeding, had changed his course, I do not know; but, anyhow, he broke
water close ahead, coming straight for our boat. His great black head,
like the broad bow of a dumb barge, driving the waves before it, loomed
high and menacing to me, for I was not forbidden to look ahead now.
But coolly, as if coming alongside the ship, the mate bent to the
big steer-oar, and swung the boat off at right angles to her course,
bringing her back again with another broad sheer as the whale passed
foaming. This manoeuvre brought us side by side with him before he
had time to realize that we were there. Up till that instant he had
evidently not seen us, and his surprise was correspondingly great. To
see Louis raise his harpoon high above his head, and with a hoarse grunt
of satisfaction plunge it into the black, shining mass beside him up to
the hitches, was indeed a sight to be remembered. Quick as thought he
snatched up a second harpoon, and as the whale rolled from us it flew
from his hands, burying itself like the former one, but lower down the
body. The great impetus we had when we reached the whale carried us a
long way past him, out of all danger from his struggles. No hindrance
was experienced from the line by which we were connected with the whale,
for it was loosely coiled in a space for the purpose in the boat's bow
to the extent of two hundred feet, and this was cast overboard by the
harpoone