ds me, which piece of news gave me a great
deal of comfort.

When my poor, weary shipmates came below from their heavy toil of
cutting in, they were almost inclined to be envious of my comfort--small
blame to them--though I would gladly have taken my place among them
again, could I have got rid of my hurts. But I was condemned to lie
there for nearly three weeks before I was able to get about once more.
In my sleep I would undergo the horrible anticipation of sliding down
that awful, cavernous mouth over again, often waking with a shriek and
drenched with sweat.

While I lay there, three whales were caught, all small cows, and I was
informed that the skipper was getting quite disgusted with the luck. At
last I managed to get on deck, quite a different-looking man to when I
went below, and feeling about ten years older. I found the same sullen
quiet reigning that I had noticed several times before when we were
unfortunate. I fancied that the skipper looked more morose and savage
than ever, though of me, to my great relief, he took not the slightest
notice.

The third day after my return to duty we sighted whales again. We
lowered three boats as promptly as usual; but when within about half a
mile of the "pod" some slight noise in one of the boats gallied them,
and away they went in the wind's eye, it blowing a stiffish breeze at
the time, It was from the first evidently a hopeless task to chase them,
but we persevered until recalled to the ship, dead beat with fatigue.
I was not sorry, for my recent adventure seemed to have made quite a
coward of me, so much so that an unpleasant gnawing at the pit of my
stomach as we neared them almost made me sick. I earnestly hoped that
so inconvenient a feeling would speedily leave me, or I should be but a
poor creature in a boat.

In passing, I would like to refer to the wonderful way in which these
whales realize at a great distance, if the slightest sound be made, the
presence of danger. I do not use the word "hear" because so abnormally
small are their organs of hearing, the external opening being quite
difficult to find, that I do not believe they can hear at all well. But
I firmly believe they possess another sense by means of which they are
able to detect any unusual vibration of the waves of either air or sea
at a far greater distance than it would be possible for them to hear,
Whatever this power may be which they possess, all whalemen are well
acquainted with their exe