The chase and the battle—The chances and dangers of whaling war—Buzzby dives for his life and saves it—So does the whale and loses it—An anxious night, which terminates happily, though with a heavy loss.
The chase was not a long one, for, while the boats were rowing swiftly towards the whale, the whale was, all unconsciously, swimming towards the boats.
"Give way now, lads, give way," said the captain in a suppressed voice; "bend your backs, boys, and don't let the mate beat us."
The three boats flew over the sea, as the men strained their muscles to the utmost, and for some time they kept almost in line, being pretty equally matched; but gradually the captain shot ahead, and it became evident that his harpooner1, Amos Parr, was to have the honour of harpooning3 the first whale. Amos pulled the bow-oar4, and behind him was the tub with the line coiled away, and the harpoon2 bent5 on to it. Being an experienced whaleman, he evinced no sign of excitement, save in the brilliancy of his dark eye and a very slight flush on his bronzed face. They had now neared the whale and ceased rowing for a moment, lest they should miss it when down.
"There she goes!" cried Fred in a tone of intense excitement, as he caught sight of the whale not more than fifty yards ahead of the boat.
"Now, boys," cried the captain, in a hoarse6 whisper, "spring hard—lay back hard, I say—stand up!"
At the last word Amos-Parr sprang to his feet and seized the harpoon, the boat ran right on to the whale's back, and in an instant Parr sent two irons to the hitches8 into the fish.
"Stern all!" The men backed their oars7 with all their might, in order to avoid the flukes of the wounded monster of the deep, as it plunged11 down headlong into the sea, taking the line out perpendicularly12 like lightning. This was a moment of great danger. The friction13 of the line as it passed the loggerhead was so great that Parr had to keep constantly pouring water on it to prevent its catching14 fire. A hitch9 in the line at that time, as it flew out of the tub, or any accidental entanglement15, would have dragged the boat and crew right down: many such fatal accidents occur to whalers, and many a poor fellow has had a foot or an arm torn off, or been dragged overboard and drowned, in consequence of getting entangled16. One of the men stood ready with a small hatchet17 to cut the line in a moment, if necessary; for whales sometimes run out all that is in a boat at the first plunge10, and should none of the other boats be at hand to lend a second line to attach to the one nearly expended18, there is nothing for it but to cut. On the present occasion, however, none of these accidents befell the men of the captain's boat. The line ran all clear, and long before it was exhausted19 the whale ceased to descend20, and the slack was hauled rapidly in.
Meanwhile the other boats pulled up to the scene of action, and prepared to strike the instant the fish should rise to the surface. It appeared, suddenly, not twenty yards from the mate's boat, where Buzzby, who was harpooner, stood in the bow ready to give it the iron.
"Spring, lads, spring!" shouted the mate, as the whale spouted21 into the air a thick stream of water. The boat dashed up, and Buzzby planted his harpoon vigorously. Instantly the broad flukes of the tail were tossed into the air, and, for a single second, spread like a canopy23 over Buzzby's head. There was no escape. The quick eye of the whaleman saw at a glance that the effort to back out was hopeless. He bent his head, and the next moment was deep down in the waves. Just as he disappeared the flukes descended24 on the spot which he had left, and cut the bow of the boat completely away, sending the stern high into the air with a violence that tossed men, and oars, and shattered planks25, and cordage, flying over the monster's back into the seething26 caldron of foam27 around it. It was apparently28 a scene of the most complete and instantaneous destruction, yet, strange to say, not a man was lost. A few seconds after, the white foam of the sea was dotted with black heads as the men rose one by one to the surface, and struck out for floating oars and pieces of the wrecked29 boat.
"They're lost!" cried Fred Ellice in a voice of horror.
"Not a bit of it, youngster; they're safe enough, I'll warrant," replied the captain, as his own boat flew past the spot, towed by the whale.—"Pay out, Amos Parr; give him line, or he'll tear the bows out of us."
"Ay, ay, sir," sang out Amos, as he sat coolly pouring water on the loggerhead round which a coil of the rope was whizzing like lightning; "all right. The mate's men are all safe, sir; I counted them as we shot past, and I seed Buzzby come up last of all, blowin' like a grampus; and small wonder, considerin' the dive he took."
"Take another turn of the coil, Amos, and hold on," said the captain.
The harpooner obeyed, and away they went after the whale like a rocket, with a tremendous strain on the line and a bank of white foam gurgling up to the edge of the gunwale, that every moment threatened to fill the boat and sink her. Such a catastrophe30 is of not unfrequent occurrence, when whalemen thus towed by a whale are tempted31 to hold on too long; and many instances have happened of boats and their crews being in this way dragged under water and lost. Fortunately the whale dashed horizontally through the water, so that the boat was able to hold on and follow, and in a short time the creature paused and rose for air. Again the men bent to their oars, and the rope was hauled in until they came quite close to the fish. This time a harpoon was thrown and a deep lance-thrust given which penetrated32 to the vital parts of its huge carcass, as was evidenced by the blood which it spouted and the convulsive lashing33 of its tremendous tail.
While the captain's crew were thus engaged, Saunders, the second mate, observing from the ship the accident to the first mate's boat, sent off a party of men to the rescue, thus setting free the third boat, which was steered34 by a strapping35 fellow named Peter Grim, to follow up the chase. Peter Grim was the ship's carpenter, and he took after his name. He was, as the sailors expressed it, a "grim customer," being burnt by the sun to a deep rich brown colour, besides being covered nearly up to the eyes with a thick coal-black beard and moustache, which completely concealed36 every part of his visage except his prominent nose and dark, fiery-looking eyes. He was an immense man, the largest in the ship, probably, if we except the Scotch37 second mate Saunders, to whom he was about equal in all respects—except argument. Like most big men, he was peaceable and good-humoured.
"Look alive now, lads," said Grim, as the men pulled towards the whale; "we'll get a chance yet, we shall, if you give way like tigers. Split your sides, boys—do—that's it. Ah! there she goes right down. Pull away now, and be ready when she rises."
As he spoke38 the whale suddenly sounded—that is, went perpendicularly down, as it had done when first struck—and continued to descend until most of the line in the captain's boat was run out.
"Hoist39 an oar!" cried Amos Parr, as he saw the coil diminishing. Grim observed the signal of distress40, and encouraged his men to use their utmost exertions41. "Another oar!--another!" shouted Parr, as the whale continued its headlong descent.
"Stand by to cut the line," said Captain Guy with compressed lips. "No! hold on, hold on!"
At this moment, having drawn42 down more than a thousand fathoms43 of rope, the whale slackened its speed, and Parr, taking another coil round the loggerhead, held on until the boat was almost dragged under water. Then the line became loose, and the slack was hauled in rapidly. Meanwhile Grim's boat had reached the spot, and the men now lay on their oars at some distance ahead, ready to pull the instant the whale should show itself. Up it came, not twenty yards ahead. One short, energetic pull, and the second boat sent a harpoon deep into it, while Grim sprang to the bow and thrust a lance with deadly force deep into the carcass. The monster sent up a stream of mingled44 blood, oil, and water, and whirled its huge tail so violently that the sound could be heard a mile off. Before it dived again, the captain's boat came up, and succeeded in making fast another harpoon, while several additional lance-thrusts were given with effect, and it seemed as if the battle were about to terminate, when suddenly the whale struck the sea with a clap like thunder, and darted45 away once more like a rocket to windward, tearing the two boats after it as if they had been egg-shells.
Meanwhile a change had come over the scene. The sun had set, red and lowering, behind a bank of dark clouds, and there was every appearance of stormy weather; but as yet it was nearly calm, and the ship was unable to beat up against the light breeze in the wake of the two boats, which were soon far away on the horizon. Then a furious gust46 arose and passed away, a dark cloud covered the sky as night fell, and soon boats and whale were utterly47 lost to view.
"Wae's me!" cried the big Scotch mate, as he ran up and down the quarter-deck wringing48 his hands, "what is to be done noo?"
Saunders spoke a mongrel kind of language—a mixture of Scotch and English—in which, although the Scotch words were sparsely49 scattered50, the Scotch accent was very strong.
"How's her head?"
"Nor'-nor'-west, sir."
"Keep her there, then. Maybe, if the wind holds stiddy, we may overhaul51 them before it's quite dark."
Although Saunders was really in a state of the utmost consternation52 at this unexpected termination to the whale-hunt, and expressed the agitation53 of his feelings pretty freely, he was too thorough a seaman54 to neglect anything that was necessary to be done under the circumstances. He took the exact bearings of the point at which the boats had disappeared, and during the night, which turned out gusty55 and threatening, kept making short tacks56, while lanterns were hung at the mast-heads, and a huge torch, or rather a small bonfire, of tarred materials was slung57 at the end of a spar and thrust out over the stern of the ship. But for many hours there was no sign of the boats, and the crew of the Dolphin began to entertain the most gloomy forebodings regarding them.
At length, towards morning, a small speck58 of light was noticed on the weather-beam. It flickered59 for a moment, and then disappeared.
"Did ye see yon?" said Saunders to Mivins in an agitated60 whisper, laying his huge hand on the shoulder of that worthy61. "Down your helm" (to the steersman).
"Ay, ay, sir!"
"Stiddy!"
"Steady it is, sir."
Mivins's face, which for some hours had worn an expression of deep anxiety, relaxed into a bland62 smile, and he smote63 his thigh64 powerfully, as he exclaimed, "That's them, sir, and no mistake! What's your opinion, Mr. Saunders?"
The second mate peered earnestly in the direction in which the light had been seen; and Mivins, turning in the same direction, screwed up his visage into a knot of earnest attention so complicated and intense, that it seemed as if no human power could evermore unravel65 it.
"There it goes again!" cried Saunders, as the light flashed distinctly over the sea.
"Down helm; back fore-top-sails!" he shouted, springing forward; "lower away the boat there!"
In a few seconds the ship was hove to, and a boat, with a lantern fixed66 to an oar, was plunging67 over the swell68 in the direction of the light. Sooner than was expected they came up with it, and a hurrah69 in the distance told that all was right.
"Here we are, thank God," cried Captain Guy, "safe and sound. We don't require assistance, Mr. Saunders; pull for the ship."
A short pull sufficed to bring the three boats alongside, and in a few seconds more the crew were congratulating their comrades with that mingled feeling of deep heartiness70 and a disposition71 to jest which is characteristic of men who are used to danger, and think lightly of it after it is over.
"We've lost our fish, however," remarked Captain Guy, as he passed the crew on his way to the cabin; "but we must hope for better luck next time."
"Well, well," said one of the men, wringing the water out of his wet clothes as he walked forward, "we got a good laugh at Peter Grim, if we got nothin' else by our trip."
"How was that, Jack72?"
"Why, ye see, jist before the whale gave in, it sent up a spout22 o' blood and oil as thick as the main-mast, and, as luck would have it, down it came slap on the head of Grim, drenchin' him from head to foot, and makin' him as red as a lobster73."
"'Ow did you lose the fish, sir?" inquired Mivins, as our hero sprang up the side, followed by Singleton.
"Lost him as men lose money in railway speculations74 now-a-days. We sank him, and that was the last of it. After he had towed us I don't know how far—out of sight of the ship at any rate—he suddenly stopped, and we pulled up and gave him some tremendous digs with the lances, until he spouted jets of blood, and we made sure of him, when all at once down he went head-foremost like a cannon75 ball, and took all the line out of both boats, so we had to cut, and he never came up again. At least, if he did it became so dark that we never saw him. Then we pulled to where we thought the ship was, and, after rowing nearly all night, caught sight of your lights; and here we are, dead tired, wet to the skin, and minus about two miles of whale-line and three harpoons76."
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1
harpooner
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harpoon
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| n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获 | |
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harpooning
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| v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的现在分词 ) | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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hitches
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| 暂时的困难或问题( hitch的名词复数 )； 意外障碍； 急拉； 绳套 | |
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hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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10
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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12
perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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entanglement
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| n.纠缠，牵累 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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18
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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20
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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21
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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25
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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26
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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34
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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35
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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38
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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41
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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42
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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44
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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47
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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48
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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51
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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52
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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53
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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gusty
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| adj.起大风的 | |
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56
tacks
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| 大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法 | |
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57
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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59
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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61
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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67
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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68
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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73
lobster
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| n.龙虾，龙虾肉 | |
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74
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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75
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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76
harpoons
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| n.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的名词复数 )v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的第三人称单数 ) | |
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