Fighting the Whales | Page 7

for any one to walk the deck as to walk along the side of a
wall. At the same time, the sea was lashed into white foam, and the
blinding spray flew over us in bitter fury.
"Take in the topsails!" roared the captain. But his voice was drowned in
the shriek of the gale. The men were saved the risk of going out on the
yards, however, for in a few moments more all the sails, except the
storm-try-sail, were burst and blown to ribbons.
We now tried to put the ship's head to the wind and "lay to," by which
landsmen will understand that we tried to face the storm, and remain
stationary. But the gale was so fierce that this was impossible. The last
rag of sail was blown away, and then there was nothing left for us but
to show our stern to the gale, and "scud under bare poles."
The great danger now was that we might be "pooped," which means
that a huge wave might curl over our stern, fall with terrible fury on our
deck, and sink us.
Many and many a good ship has gone down in this way; but we were

mercifully spared. As our safety depended very much on good steering,
the captain himself took the wheel, and managed the ship so well, that
we weathered the gale without damage, farther than the loss of a few
sails and light spars. For two days the storm howled furiously, the sky
and sea were like ink, with sheets of rain and foam driving through the
air, and raging billows tossing our ship about like a cork.
During all this time my shipmates were quiet and grave, but active and
full of energy, so that every order was at once obeyed without noise or
confusion. Every man watched the slightest motion of the captain. We
all felt that everything depended on him.
As for me, I gave up all hope of being saved. It seemed impossible to
me that anything that man could build could withstand so terrible a
storm. I do not pretend to say that I was not afraid. The near prospect of
a violent death caused my heart to sink more than once; but my feelings
did not unman me. I did my duty quietly, but quickly, like the rest; and
when I had no work to do, I stood holding on to the weather stanchions,
looking at the raging sea, and thinking of my mother, and of the words
of kindness and counsel she had so often bestowed upon me in vain.
The storm ceased almost as quickly as it began, and although the sea
did not all at once stop the heavings of its angry bosom, the wind fell
entirely in the course of a few hours, the dark clouds broke up into
great masses that were piled up high into the sky, and out of the midst
of these the glorious sun shone in bright rays down on the ocean, like
comfort from heaven, gladdening our hearts as we busily repaired the
damage that we had suffered from the storm.
CHAPTER THREE.
OUR FIRST BATTLE.
I shall never forget the surprise I got the first time I saw a whale.
It was in the forenoon of a most splendid day, about a week after we
arrived at that part of the ocean where we might expect to find fish. A
light nor'-east breeze was blowing, but it scarcely ruffled the sea, as we

crept slowly through the water with every stitch of canvas set.
As we had been looking out for fish for some time past, everything was
in readiness for them. The boats were hanging over the side ready to
lower, tubs for coiling away the ropes, harpoons, lances, etcetera, all
were ready to throw in, and start away at a moment's notice. The man
in the "crow's nest," as they call the cask fixed up at the mast-head, was
looking anxiously out for whales, and the crew were idling about the
deck. Tom Lokins was seated on the windlass smoking his pipe, and I
was sitting beside him on an empty cask, sharpening a blubber-knife.
"Tom," said I, "what like is a whale?"
"Why, it's like nothin' but itself," replied Tom, looking puzzled. "Why,
wot a queer feller you are to ax questions."
"I'm sure you've seen plenty of them. You might be able to tell what a
whale is like."
"Wot it's like! Well, it's like a tremendous big bolster with a head and a
tail to it."
"And how big is it?"
"They're of all sizes, lad. I've seen one that was exactly equal to three
hundred fat bulls, and its rate of goin' would take it round the whole
world in twenty-three days."