"Bowheads!" shouted the mate.
Their great black heads rose above the surface like ponderous2 pieces of machinery3; tall fountains shot into the air; the wind caught the tops of the fountains and whisked them off in smoke; hollow, sepulchral4 whispers of sound came to the brig as the breath left the giant lungs in mighty5 exhalations. Why they were called bowheads was instantly apparent—the outline of the top of the head curved like an Indian's bow. As the head sank beneath the surface, the glistening6 back, half as broad as a city street and as black as asphalt, came spinning up out of the sea and went spinning down again.
Our crippled captain in his fur clothes and on crutches8 limped excitedly about the quarter-deck glaring at $300,000 worth of whales spouting9 under his nose. But with so much ice about and such a heavy sea running he was afraid to lower.
If the whales saw the brig they gave no sign. They passed all around the vessel10, the spray of their fountains blowing on deck. One headed straight for the ship. The mate seized a shoulder bomb-gun and ran to the bow. The whale rose, blew a fountain up against the jib-boom, and dived directly beneath the brig's forefoot. As its back curled down, the mate, with one knee resting on the starboard knighthead, took aim and fired. He surely hit the whale—there was little chance to miss. But the bomb evidently did not strike a vital spot, for the leviathan passed under the ship, came up on the other side and went on about its business.
The sight of all these whales passing by us with such unconcern, blowing water on us as if in huge contempt, almost seeming to laugh at us and mock our bombs and harpoons12 and human skill, drove the captain frantic14. Should he allow that fortune in whales to escape him without a try for it? With purple face and popping eyes he gazed at the herd15 now passing astern.
"Lower them boats!" he cried.
"What?" expostulated Mr. Landers. "Do you want to get us all killed?"
"Lower them boats!" yelled the skipper.
"Don't you know that a boat that gets fast to a whale in that ice will be smashed, sure?"
"Lower them boats!" shouted the captain.
Mr. Winchester, enthusiastic and fearless whaleman that he was, was eager for the captain's order. His boat and Mr. Landers's went down. The waist boat—mine—was left on its davits. But Gabriel, its boatheader, armed with a shoulder gun, went in the mate's boat. Left aboard to help work ship, I had an opportunity to view that exciting chase from beginning to end.
With storm-reefed sails, the boats went plunging16 away over the big seas, dodging17 sharply about to avoid the ice cakes. Not more than two hundred yards away on our starboard beam a great whale was blowing. The mate marked it and went for it like a bull dog. He steered18 to intercept19 its course. It was a pretty piece of maneuvering20. The whale rose almost in front of him and his boat went shooting upon its back. Long John let fly his harpoon13. Gabriel fired a bomb from his shoulder gun. There was a flurry of water as the whale plunged21 under. Back and forth22 it slapped with its mighty flukes as it disappeared, narrowly missing the boat. Down came the boat's sail. It was bundled up in a jiffy and the mast slewed23 aft until it stuck out far behind. Out went the sweeps. The mate stood in the stern wielding24 a long steering25 oar11. I could see the whale line whipping and sizzling out over the bows.
For only a moment the whale remained beneath the surface. Then it breached26. Its black head came shooting up from the water like a titanic27 rocket. Up went the great body into the air until at least forty feet of it was lifted against the sky like some weird28, mighty column, its black sides glistening and its belly29 showing white. Then the giant bulk crashed down again with a smack30 on the sea that might have been heard for miles and an impact that sent tons of water splashing high in air. For an instant the monster labored31 on the water as if mortally hurt, spouting up fountains of clotted32 blood that splattered over the ice blocks and turned them from snow white to crimson33. Then a second time the whale sounded and went speeding away to windward, heading for the ice pack.
It dragged the boat at a dizzy clip despite the fact that the line was running out so fast as to seem to the men in the boat a mere34 vibrant35, indistinct smear36 of yellow. The boat was taken slicing through the big waves, driving its nose at times beneath the water, and knocking against lumps of ice. A long ice block appeared in its course. A collision seemed inevitable37 unless the boat was cut loose from the whale.
Captain Shorey was watching the chase with fierce intentness as he leaned upon his crutches on the forecastle head. He had been filled with great joy, seized with anxiety or shaken with anger as the hunt passed from one phase to another. He shouted his emotions aloud though there was never a chance for the men in the boats to hear him.
"Good boy, Long John," he had cried when the boatsteerer drove his harpoon home.
"That's our fish," he had chortled as the wounded leviathan leaped high against the sky and spouted38 blood over the ice.
Now when it seemed possible that the mate would be forced to cut loose from the whale to save his boat from destruction, the captain danced about on his crutches in wild excitement.
"Don't cut that line! Don't cut that line!" he yelled.
Mr. Winchester realized as well as the captain that there was something like $10,000 on the other end of the rope, and he had no idea of cutting loose. Towed by the whale the boat drove toward the ice. The mate worked hard with his steering oar to avoid striking the block. It was impossible. The bow smashed into one end of the ice cake, was lifted out of the water and dragged across to slip back into the sea. A hole was stove in the starboard bow through which the water rushed. The crew thereafter was kept busy bailing39.
It was evident from the fountains of blood that the whale was desperately40 wounded, but its vitality41 was marvelous and it seemed it might escape. When Mr. Landers saw the mate's line being played out so rapidly he should have hurried to the mate's boat and bent42 the line from his own tub to the end of the mate's line. As an old whaleman Mr. Landers knew what to do in this crisis, but in such ice and in such high seas he preferred not to take a chance. He was a cautious soul, so he held his boat aloof43. The mate waved to him frantically44. Long John and Gabriel wigwagged frenzied45 messages with waving arms.
As for Captain Shorey on his crutches on the forecastle head, when it seemed certain that the whale would run away with all the mate's line and escape, he apparently46 suffered temporary aberration47. He damned old man Landers in every picturesque48 and fervent49 term of an old whaleman's vocabulary. He shook his fist at him. He waved a crutch7 wildly.
"Catch that whale!" he yelled in a voice husky and broken with emotion. "For God's sake, catch that whale!"
All this dynamic pantomime perhaps had its effect on Landers. At any rate, his men began to bend to their sweeps and soon his boat was alongside that of the mate. His line was tied to the free end of the rope in the mate's almost exhausted50 tub just in time. The mate's line ran out and Landers' boat now became fast to the whale.
Fortune favored Landers. His boat was dragged over the crests51 of the seas at thrilling speed, but he managed to keep clear of ice. The whale showed no sign of slowing down. In a little while it had carried away all the line in Mr. Landers' tub. The monster was free of the boats at last. It had ceased to come to the surface to blow. It had gone down into the deep waters carrying with it the mate's harpoon and 800 fathoms52 of manila rope. It seemed probable it had reached the safety of the ice pack and was lost.
The boats came back to the brig; slowly, wounded, limping over the waves. The flying spray had frozen white over the fur clothes of the men, making them look like snow images. They climbed aboard in silence. Mr. Landers had a hang-dog, guilty look. The skipper was a picture of gloom and smoldering53 fury. He bent a black regard upon Mr. Landers as the latter swung over the rail, but surprised us all by saying not a word.
When the next day dawned, we were out of sight of ice, cruising in a quiet sea. A lookout54 posted on the forecastle head saw far ahead a cloud of gulls55 flapping about a dark object floating on the surface. It was the dead whale.
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1
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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7
crutch
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| n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱 | |
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crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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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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harpoon
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| n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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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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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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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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intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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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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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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slewed
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| adj.喝醉的v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去式 )( slew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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breached
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| 攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反 | |
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titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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clotted
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| adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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smear
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| v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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38
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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39
bailing
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| （凿井时用吊桶）排水 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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45
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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46
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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aberration
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| n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差 | |
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48
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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49
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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50
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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51
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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52
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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53
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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54
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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gulls
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| n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
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