dvice and turned in, where they
quickly forgot what had happened and where they were. They awoke up for
a short time to take supper, and very soon went off to sleep again.
Indeed, even Tom felt that he required sound rest for two or three
nights, to set him up after the hardships he had gone through.

The voyage of the _Columbia_ had hitherto been fortunate; she had,
however, lost two of her boats stove in, and three hands drowned. She
was already half full, and Captain Sibley hoped in the course of a few
more months to be able to return home. The midshipmen were politely and
kindly treated, and agreed that they ought to be thankful at finding
themselves so well off. They were anxious, before leaving the ship, to
see a whale captured, and to witness the operation of cutting out and
trying in, which the doctor described to them.

Hitherto it had been almost calm since they came on board. The ship had
but slightly changed her position; still a look-out was kept for whales,
as at any moment one might appear. The midshipmen were asleep, when one
morning, just at daybreak, they were aroused by the sound of feet
hurrying overhead, and springing on deck, they saw the crew busily
engaged in lowering two of the boats.

"There! and there again!" shouted the look-out, meaning that a whale,
which he had some time before seen, had come to the surface was
spouting. Tom immediately sprang into the rigging, and on looking out,
he saw a whale spouting about a mile to windward. In less than a minute
after the people had come on deck half dressed, the boats started away
with six men in each, including the headsman and boat's steerer. The
captain went as headsman in one, and the first mate in the other. The
water bubbled and hissed under the bows of the boats, as the eager crews
urged them forward.

"I wish I had gone in one," cried Tom.

"So do I," said Desmond; "but I doubt whether we should have found
ourselves of much use, and as the captain would have considered us in
the way, we should have had very little chance. However, we can see the
fun, and if we get a breeze we may beat the ship up to the whale."

The boats made good way, but before they got near enough to fire their
harpoons into the monster, it sank beneath the surface.

"The whale has disappeared! How provoking!" cried Desmond.

"Don't suppose that. Depend upon it, the captain has not given up the
chase yet. The whale must soon come to the surface agai