four boats in all; and the first mate desired my boat and another to go
in chase of them, while he remained with the other two, for this old
whale to come up again. Well, off we went, and soon came up with the
school: they are the most awkward part of whale fishing; for they are
savage, and, moreover, easily 'gallied,' that is, frightened. I picked
out one, and tried to come up with him; but he was very shy, and at last
he raised his head clean out of the water, and set off at the rate of
ten miles an hour; this showed that he was aware of danger. I had just
thought of giving him up, and trying for another, when he suddenly
turned round and came right toward the boats. That we knew meant
mischief; but, in coming toward us, he passed close to the other boat
and the steersman gave him the harpoon right well into him. This made
him more savage, and he stood right for my boat, plowing up the sea as
he rushed on. I was all ready in the bow with the harpoon, and the men
were all ready with their oars to pull back, so as to keep clear of him.
On he came, and when his snout was within six feet of us we pulled sharp
across him; and as we went from him, I gave him the harpoon deep into
the fin. 'Starn all!' was the cry as usual, that we might be clear of
him. He 'sounded' immediately, that is, down he went, headforemost,
which was what we were afraid of, for you see we had only two hundred
fathoms of line in each boat; and having both harpoons in him, we could
not bend one to the other, in case he 'sounded' deep, for sometimes they
will go down right perpendicular, and take four lines, or eight hundred
fathoms, with them; so we expected that we should this time lose the
whale as well as our lines, for when they were run out we must either
cut or go down with him. Well, the lines ran out so swift that we poured
water on them that they might not fire--and we thought that it was all
over, for the lines were two-thirds out, and he was going down as fast
as ever, when all of a sudden he stopped. We were hauling in the slack
lines, when we saw him rise again, about a quarter of a mile off. It