THREE HARPOONS AND A SPERM WHALE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1425, 22 June 1899, Page 9

THREE HARPOONS AND A SPERM WHALE.

.Oil ihe seventh afternoon I was in the main crow’s-nest with the chief, when I noticed a ship to windward of us alter her course, keeping away three of four points on an angle that would presently bring her across our bows a good way ahead. I was getting pretty well versed in the tricks of the trade now, so I kept- mum, but strained my eyes in the direction for which the ether ship wass steering. The chief was looking astern at some finbacks, the look-out men forward were both staring to leeward, thus for a minute or so I had a small arc of the horizon to myself. The time was short, but it sufficed, and for the first time that voyage I had the privilege of “raising” a spenn

whale. My voice quivered with excitement as I uttered the war-whoop, “Ah blo-o-o-o-w ! ” Round spun the mate on his heel, while the hands clustered like bees roused from their hive. “Where away—where ? ’ gasped the. mate. And I pointed to a spot about half a point on the lee bow, at the same time calling his attention to the fact that the stranger to windward was keeping away. In answer to the skipper’s hurried queries from below, Mr Count gave him the general outline of affairs, to which he replied by crowding every stitch of canvas on the vessel that was available. The spout I had seen was a good ten

miles off, and for the present, seemed to belong to a ‘'lone” whale, as it was the only one visible. There was a good breeze blowing, as much, in fact, as we could carry all sail to, the old barky making a tremendous commotion as she blundered along under the unusual press of • canvas. In the excitement of the race all our woes were forgotten; we only thought of the possibility of the ship get- . ting there first. We drew gradually nearer to the stranger, who, like us, was carrying all the sail he had got, but, being able to go a point or two free, was outsailing us. It was anybody’s race as yet, though, when we heard the skipper’s hail, “Way down from aloft ! ” as he came up to take our place. The lvhale had sounded, apparently heading to leeward, so that the weather-gage held by our rival was not much advantage to him now. We ran on for another two miles, then shortened Sail, and stood by to lower away the moment he should re-appear. Meanwhile another ship was working up from to leeward, having evidently noted our movements, or else, like the albatross, “smelt whale,” no great distance to windward of him. Waiting for that whale to rise was one of the most exciting exncr ; - ences we had gone through as yet, wit 1 ) two other ships so near. Everybody’s nerves seemed strung up to conca.t pitch.

and it was quite a relief when from half a dozen throats at once Durst the crv, “There she white-waters! Ah b'oo-o----o-w ! ” Not a mile away, dead to leeward of us, quietly beating the water with the flat of his dukes, as if there was no such thing in the watery woEd as a whale-ship. Splash ! almost simultaneously went the four boats. Out we shot from the ship, all on our mettle; for was not the skipper’s eye upon us from his lofty eerie, as well as the crew of the other ship, not now more than a mile away? We seemed a terrible time getting the sales up, but the officers dared not risk our willingness to pull while they could be independent of 11s. By the time we were fairly off, the other ship’s boats were coming like the wind, so that eight boats were now converging upon 'the unconscious monster. We fairly flew over the short, choppy sea, getting drenched; with the flying spray, but looking out far more keenly at the other boats that at the whale. Up we came to him, Mr Count’s boat to the left, the other mate’s boat to the right. Almost at the same moment the irons flew from the hands of the rival harpooners; but while our was buried to the hitches in the whale’s side, the other mail’s just ploughed up the skin on the animal’s back, as it passed over him and pierced our boat clos.e behind the harpooner’s leg. Not seeing what had happened to his iron, or knowing that we were fast, the other harpooner promnt'y hurled his second iron, which struck solidly. It was a pretty angle, but our position was rather bad. The whale between us was tearing the bowels of ■ he deep in his rage and fear ; we were struggling frantically to get our sail down: * and at any moment that wretched iron through our upper strake might tare a plank out of us. Our chief, foaming at the mouth with rage and excitement, was screeching inarticulate blasphemy at the other mate, who, not knowing what was the matter, was yelling back all his '’opious vocabulary of abuse. I felt verv glad the whale was between ;s, < r there would have been some murder done. At last, out drops the iron, leaving jagged hole you could put your arm through, Wasn’t Mr Count mad ? I really thought ho would split with rage, for it was impossible for us to go on with that hole in our bilge. The second mate came alongside and took our line as the whale was just commencing to sound, thus setting us free. We made at once for the other ship’s “fast” boat, and the compliments that had gone before were just casual conversation to what filled the air with dislocated language now. Presently both champions cooled clown a bit from want of breath, and we got our case stated. It

was received with a yell or derision from the other .side as a. splendid effort of lying on our part ; because the first ship » fast claims the whale, and such a prize as this one we were quarreling about was not to be tamely yielded. However, as reason asserted her swayover Mr Count, he quieted down, knowing ful well that the state of the line belonging to his rival would reveal the truth when the whale rose again. Therefore we returned to the ship, leaving our three boats busy awaiting t».o whale’s pleasure to rise again. When the skipper heard what had happened he had his own oat manned, proceeding himself to the battlefield in expectation of complications presently. By the time he arrived upon the scene there were two more boats lying by, which had come up from the third ship, mentioned as working up from to leeward. “Pretty fine ground this’s got ter be ! ” growled the old man. .“Caint strike whale ’thout bein’ crowded eout uv yer own propputty by a gang ov bunco steerers like this. Shal hev ter quit it, en keep a pawn-shop.’ And still the whale kept going steadily down, down, down. Already 110 was on the second boat’s lines, and taking them out faster than ever. Had we been alone, this persistence on liis part, though anoying, would not have mattered much ; but, with so many others in company, the possibilities of complication should we need to slit) our purl ivpvp numprniK Tlio

ship kept neai\ and Mr Count, seeing •how matters were going, had hastily patched his boat, returning at once with another tub of line. He was but just in time to bend on, when to our great delight we saw the end slip from our rival’s boat. This in no wise terminated his lien on the whale, supposing he could prove that- he struck first, but it got him out of the way for a time. Meanwhile we were running lino faster than ever. There was an enormous length attached to the animal now—some twelve thousand feet—the weight of which was very great, to say nothing of the many “drogues” or “stopwaters” attached to it at intervals. Judge then, of my surprise when a shout of “810-o-o-w ! ” caled my attention to the whale himself just breaking water about haf a. mile away. It was an awkward predicament ; for if we let go our end, the others would be on the whale immediately; if we held ,on, we should certainly be dragged below in a twinkling ; and our disengaged boats could do nothing, for they had no line. But the difficulty foou settled itself. Out ran our end, leaving us hare of line as pleasure skiffs, The newcomer, who had been prowling near, keeping a close watch upon us. saw our boat jump up when released from the weight. Off he Anew like an arrow to the labouring leviathan, now a “free fish,” except for such claims as the two firstcomers had upon it, which claims are legally assessed, where no dispute arises. 111 its disabled condition, dragging so enormous a weight of line, it was but a few minutes before the fresh boat was fast, while we looked on helplessly boiling with impotent rage. AH that we could now hope for was the salvage of some of our line, a mile and a half of which, inextricably mixed up with about the same length of our rival’s, was towing astern of the fast expiring cacholot. So great had been the strain, upon that hardly-used animal that he did not go into his usual “flurry,” but calmly expired without the faintest struggle. In the meantime two of our boats had been sent on board again to work the ship, while the skipper proceeded to try his luck in the recovery of his gear. On arriving at the dead whale, however, we found that he had rolled over and over beneath the water so many times that the line was fairly wrapped round him, and the present possessors were in no mood to ul-ow us the privilege of unrolling it. During the conversation we had drawn very near the carcass, so near, in fact, that one hand was holding the boat alongside the whale’s “small” by a bight of the line. I supo.se the skipper’s eagle eye must have caught sight of the trailing part of the line streaming beneath, fur suddenly he plunged overboard, reappearing almost imediately with the fine in his hand. He scrambled into the boat with it, cuting it from the whale at on jo, and starting his boat’s crew hauling in. There was a hubbub again. The captain of the “Narragansett,'’ our first rival, protested vigorously against our monopoly of the line; but in grim silence our skipper kept on,taking no notice of him, whilst we steadily hauled. Unless he of the “Narragansett” choose to fight for what he considered his rights, there was no help for him. And there was

something in our old man’s appearance eminently calculated to discourage aggression of any kind. At last, disgusted apparently with the hopeless turn affairs had taken, the “ Narragansett’s” boats drew off, and returned on board their ship. Two of our boats had by this time accumulated a mountainous coil of line each, with which we returned to our own vessel, leaving the skipper to visit the present holder of the whale, the skipper of the “John Hampden.” something in our 0 man’s appearance they settled the “Narragaiisett’s” claim between them, I never knew, but I dare say there was a costly law-suit about it in New Bedford years after. This was not very encouraging for a start, nor did the next weeK see 11s do any better. Several'times'we saw other ships with whales alongside, but we got no show at. all. Now, I had hoped a great deal from our cruise on these grounds, because I had hearu whispers of a visit to the icy Sea of Okhotsk, anu me prospect was to me a horrible one. i never did take any stock in Arctic work. But if we made a good season on the* Japan grounds, we should not go north, but gradually work down the pacific again, on the other side, cruising as we went. Day after day went uy without any fresh capture or even sight of fish, until I began to believe that the stories I had heard oi the wonderful fecundity of the Coast of Japan waters were fables without foundation, in fact. Had I known what sort of fishing our next bout would be, I should not have been so eager to sight whales again. If this be not a platitude of the worst kind, I don’t know the meaning of the word ; hut, after all, platitudes have their uses, especially when you want to state a fact baldly.