boat. His great black head, like the broad bow of a dumb barge,
driving the waves before it, loomed high and menacing to me, for
I was not forbidden to look ahead now. But coolly, as if coming
alongside the ship, the mate bent to the big steer-oar, and swung
the boat off at right angles to her course, bringing her back
again with another broad sheer as the whale passed foaming. This
manoeuvre brought us side by side with him before he had time to
realize that we were there. Up till that instant he had
evidently not seen us, and his surprise was correspondingly
great. To see Louis raise his harpoon high above his head, and
with a hoarse grunt of satisfaction plunge it into the black,
shining mass beside him up to the hitches, was indeed a sight to
be remembered. Quick as thought he snatched up a second harpoon,
and as the whale rolled from us it flew from his hands, burying
itself like the former one, but lower down the body. The great
impetus we had when we reached the whale carried us a long way
past him, out of all danger from his struggles. No hindrance was
experienced from the line by which we were connected with the
whale, for it was loosely coiled in a space for the purpose in
the boat's bow to the extent of two hundred feet, and this was
cast overboard by the harpooner as soon as the fish was fast. He
made a fearful to-do over it, rolling completely over several
times backward and forward, at the same time smiting the sea with
his mighty tail, making an almost deafening noise and pother.
But we were comfortable enough, while we unshipped the mast and
made ready for action, being sufficiently far away from him to
escape the full effect of his gambols. It was impossible to
avoid reflecting, however, upon what WOULD happen if, in our
unprepared and so far helpless state, he were, instead of simply
tumbling about in an aimless, blind sort of fury, to rush at the