For, contrary to the usual practice, he paused not an instant, but rather quickened his pace, as if spurred.Heavens, how he went! The mast and sail had to come down--and they did, but Ihardly know how.The spray was blinding, coming in sheets over the bows, so that I could hardly see how to steer in the monster's wake.He headed straight for the ship, which lay-to almost motionless, filling me with apprehension lest he should in his blind flight dash that immense mass of solid matter into her broadside, and so put an inglorious end to all our hopes.What their feelings on board must have been, I can only imagine, when they saw the undeviating rush of the gigantic creature straight for them.On he went, until I held my breath for the crash, when at the last moment, and within a few feet of the ship's side, he dived, passing beneath the vessel.We let go line immediately, as may be supposed; but although we had been towing with quite fifty fathoms drift, our speed had been so great that we came up against the old ship with a crash that very nearly finished us.
He did not run any further just then, but sounded for about two hundred and fifty fathoms, rising to the surface in quite another mood.No more running away from him.I cannot say I felt any of the fierce joy of battle at the prospect before me.I had a profound respect for the fighting qualities of the sperm whale, and, to tell the truth, would much rather have run twenty miles behind him than have him turn to bay in his present parlous humour.It was, perhaps, fortunate for me that there was a crowd of witnesses, the other ships being now quite near enough to see all that was going on, since the feeling that my doings were full in view of many experts and veterans gave me a determination that I would not disgrace either myself or my ship; besides, I felt that this would probably be our last whale this voyage, if I did not fail, and that was no small thing to look forward to.
All these things, so tedious in the telling, flashed through my mind, while, with my eyes glued to the huge bulk of my antagonist or the hissing vortices above him when he settled, I manoeuvred my pretty craft with all the skill I could summon.For what seemed a period of about twenty minutes we dodged him as he made the ugliest rushes at us.I had not yet changed ends with Samuela, as customary, for I felt it imperative to keep the helm while this game was being played.My trusty Kanaka, however, had a lance ready, and I knew, if he only got the ghost of a chance, no man living would or could make better use of it.
The whole affair was growing monotonous as well as extremely wearying.Perhaps I was a little off my guard; at any rate, my heart almost leaped into my mouth when just after an ugly rush past us, which I thought had carried him to a safe distance, he stopped dead, lifted his flukes, and brought them down edgeways with a vicious sweep that only just missed the boat's gunwale and shore off the two oars on that side as if they had been carrots.
This serious disablement would certainly have led to disaster but for Samuela.Prompt and vigorous, he seized the opportune moment when the whale's side was presented just after the blow, sending his lance quivering home all its length into the most vital part of the leviathan's anatomy.Turning his happy face to me, he shouted exultingly, "How's dat fer high?"--a bit of slang he had picked up, and his use of which never failed to make me smile."High" it was indeed--a master-stroke.It must have pierced the creature's heart, for he immediately began to spout blood in masses, and without another wound went into his flurry and died.
Then came the reaction.I must have exerted myself beyond what Ihad any idea of, for to Samuela I was obliged to delegate the, task of fluke-boring, while I rested a little.The ship was soon alongside, though, and the whale secured.There was more yet to be done before we could rest, in spite of our fatigue.The other boats had been so successful that they had got two big fish, and what we were to do with them was a problem not easily solvable.
By dint of great exertion, we managed to get another whale alongside, but were fain to come to some arrangement with the ELIZA ADAMS, one of the ships that had been unsuccessful, to take over our other whale on an agreement to render us one-third of the product either in Port William or at home, if she should not find us is the former place.
Behold us, then, in the gathering dusk with a whale an either side, every stitch of canvas we could show set and drawing, straining every nerve to get into the little port again, with the pleasant thought that we were bringing with us all that was needed to complete our well-earned cargo.Nobody wanted to go below; all hands felt that it was rest enough to hang over the rail on either side and watch the black masses as they surged through the gleaming sea.They represented so much to us.Very little was said, but all hearts were filled with a deep content, a sense of a long season of toil fitly crowned with complete success; nor was any depression felt at the long, long stretch of stormy ocean between us and our home port far away in the United States.That would doubtless come by-and-by, when within less than a thousand miles of New Bedford; but at present all sense of distance from home was lost in the overmastering thought that soon it would be our only business to get there as quickly as possible, without any avoidable loitering on the road.
We made an amazing disturbance in the darkness of the sea with our double burthen, so much so that one of the coasting steamers changed her course a bit to range up by our side in curiosity.
