THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

203

 

and men. Every one was anxious to
know if it was the kind of whale we
wanted. The mate hailed the man at
the mast-head, “ Where away is that
whale? What do you call her?”

“Right whale, sir, on the lee beam,
two miles off; look out sharp for her !”

“Sing out when the ship heads for
her !”

“ Ay, ay, sir.”

“Keep her away!” said the captain
to the man at the helm. “Boy, hand
me the spy-glass.” “Steady!” sung
out the man at the mast-head. ‘Steady
it is!’ answered the wheel. The cap-
tain then started to go aloft. “Mr. A.
(to the mate,) you may square in the
after yards, and then call all hands.”

« Forward, there!’ shouted the mate.
“Haul the main-sail up and square the
yards! Bill!’ (to anold sailor.) |“ Sir?”
“Call hands!” “Ay, ay, sir. All
hands, ahoy!” shouted old Bill, in a
voice like a tempest. “Stand by the
boats!’ In Jess than no time the deck
was alive with men.

‘« Boat-steerers, get your boats ready !”
In a moment, as it were, the boats were
in readiness, the tubs put in, the lines
bent on to the harpoons, and the crews
standing by, ready to follow the boats
down to the water, when the word came
from the captain to lower away.

“There she blows!” sung out the
man at the fore; “not half a mile off.”

“ Down helm!” shouted the captain.
“Mr. A., brace up the mizzen top-sail.
Hoist and swing the boats! Lower
away!” Down went the boats, and
down followed the crews. As the boats
struck the water, every man was on his
thwart, with his hand on the loom of
his oar, and all at once the three boats

were cutting their way through the
water in the direction of the whale.

It was my duty to steer the mate’s
boat, and she happened to be the fast-
est puller, so that, although we all left
the ship together, and for a few rods
kept nearly head and head with each
other, still we knew well enough that,
as soon as the word came from the
mate to “give way,” we should drop
the others ina moment. So we did not
fret ourselves, but kept cool for a tight
pull, when the whale should show him-
self on the surface of the water again,
which he did the moment after.

“‘ Here she is!” cried the mate; “and
not over ten rods from the boat. Now,
my dear fellows, lay back hard! Spring
hard, I tell you! There she blows!
Only give way, my boys, and she is
ours!” The boat. bounded forward like
a thing of life. “Spring like tigers!”
said the mate, his voice sinking almost
toa whisper. I looked over my shoul-
der to see what kind of a chance I was
about to have, at the same time pulling
at my own oar with all my might. We
were going on her starboard quarter ;
just the chance I liked to fasten to a
whale. |

“Stand up!” shouted the mate; and
in a moment I was on my feet, and in
the next moment I had two harpoons
to the hitches into her. “Stern! stern
all!” sung out the mate, as he saw the
irons in the whale. ‘Come here, my
boy!” said he to me. We shifted ends ;
he to the head, and I to the stern of the
boat. The whale started off like light-
ning.

‘“‘ Hold on, line!’’ said the mate; and
away we shot after her, like an arrow
from the bow. The mate by this time