Miscellany: Incident Of A Whaler

Perhaps there is no voyage attcmpted by man where there is so much danger attending as whaling. The haruy mariners engaged in this business, have not on]y the elements to contend wiih, but also the great leviathan of the deep. Mony ships cruize in latitudes but Hule known and encounter severe gales and sufter many privations whicli are unknown to those engaged in the merehant service. It was once my lot to be engaged in this business, and an incident occurred during that voyage which may well be worth relaliDg. There are several persons on the Islaad of Nantucket wlw can vouch for its auihenticity. Ba-rly one pleasarrt morning, while cruising near the equator, the man. in the maintop-gallant cross-lrees, sang out, Htoere she blows!' which usual inteiligence to the officers on deck that a whaleis insight. ♦VVhere awny?' lustiïy enmiircd the mate. 'Three noints off the bow, sir. Thereshe blows! look.s likc a sperm whale, sir,' ! again sung out the man. Tlio mate liad already ascended the rigging as high as the top-mast crosstrees, when he ari'anged hisspy glass, and looked in the direction in which the whale was blowing. 'There she biows - that's a sperm whale;' exclaimod the confident mate. - 'Mr. Emmons,' continued he, addressing the second mate, who was on deck, 'cali ihe captain.' But this was unnecessary; the captain had already turned out of his berth, and rushed on deck, where he was finishing his toilet. 'Mr. Fisher, what is it? a fin back?' inquired he of ihe mate. 'No, no, sir, sperm whale - I could see his hump very distinctly with the glass - but he is gone down novv.' 'What time is it, steward?' inquired.the cnptain. After ascertaining which, he addreosed the second made, telling him to finish washing oíTat once, and order the boat steerers to get their boats in readiness. The captain was all 'eager for the fray;' he ascended the rigging, till ha ving reached the fore-top-gallant yard, (the sail being furled,) he seated hiraself, and inquired of the mate how far off the whale was when last seen?' 'About four or five miles.' 'Which way was he heading?' 'To ïeeward sir, as near as I could judge.' 'On deck there!' hailed the captain. 'Halloa, sir.' 'Keep her ófftwo points. and square in the yards a bit.' 'Aye, aye, sir,' replied the second mate.i ne yards were squared in and the good ship Cyrus, of Nantucket, bégan to move a little Taster through the water. - The mate hinted tö the captain that probalily tho .ship might run over the whale, nnd asked him f the foresail should not be hauled down. Nenrly fo.'ty-five minutes had now elapsed.since the whale disappeared; and every eye was strained in looking for him. 'Tliere slie blows!' shouted half a dozen voices at once. 'T sse him,.my lads,' said Captain Hussey; 'there he is, Mr. Fisher, about a mile off; we will lay down and lower away.'The boaís were immediately lowered f rom the davits into the water, and every man soon in bis respective place. 'Use your paddies instead of oars; do you hear, the othcr boatsl' exclaimed the captain at the top of bis voico. 'Ayc, aye, sir,' was the reply. I belonged to this boat, and had the honor of steering. It was soon perceptible that our boat was the hen rest to the whtile,the olher boatsconsequently ceased paddüng, sö asnotto frighten the whale, which we were approaching so rapidly. 'Dick,' said the captain, 'don't miss him, for.he is an eighty barrel whale.' 'Never fear, sir,' I replied, taking the head iron (the harpoon) in my hand, and eyeing the huge Whale as he slowly moved through the water, scarcely burying hishump. We were now almost withindart, when the captain whispered to the men, 'seize the oars and pull.' Jnan instant we were alongside. 'Give it to him, Dick,' roared the captain.'Bang,' went one iron; 'bang,' went the other. 'Starn all - starn all- starn, you scamps, starn!' cried our elaled captain, a'flêr having seen the second iron buried to the hitcties in the back of the whale. , 'Come after me, my boy.' 'Aye, aye, siiy' I replied, going aft, seizing the line which wasaround the loggerhead in the stern of the boat. The captain went forwurd preparing to use the deadly lance as the two other boats carne up with the intention of also fastening. - The whale which a few moments before was so quiet, now appeared moro like an enraged bullock; his flukes (i. e. tail,) was ofion high in the air, cvery joint was cracking, making a sound similar to the .snapping of a Inindred whips; and then bis head would nppear severa} feet out of water, which, togelher with his formidable jaws and frightful teeth, plainly showed his strength, and what it was in his power to do. The second mate's boat approached the whale, and the young man 'by the name of Hale was standing up ready to dart tlo irows, bot the whale caught sight of the boat and instantly made for it with his mputh open. Yet Halo was nothing but he darted, the irons, one after the other, and then jumped It was all that saved him, for the jaws of the whale camedown on the vcry spot where ho had stood, and withso' much power that the head of the boat was bitten o ff. . He swani to our Mboat evidently grateful for having escaped. Mr. Fisher now pulled up. 'Be careful how you go on ihat whale,' exclaimed the captain, much chagrinedat (he catastrophe which he had just witnesssed. The mate, however, was not allowed to approach his whaleship, for he politely gave the boat a gentle cut with hisfiukes, which stove the bottom in, and sent the crew some rods from the boatin compnny with some whaling gear, such as harpoons, lancets, wail-poles, line-tubs, &c. 'By George!' roared captain Hu&sey, 'two boats stoven, and the whale not having received a lance.' 'Haul line! haul line! I will now see what we can do. Bow the line, Hale, and sit down upon the thwart,' said he to theyoung man who had been taken into our boat, and was standing upby his side. But he disregarded the captain's order, and still remained standing. The captain was in the act of darting a lance, when the whale turned upon us. 'Starn - stam - stam - staru all! Take the harpoon oar, Hale, and starn! he exclaimed. As Hale was "about obeying this order, the whale rolled under the bow of the boat, and striking itat the same time with his jaw, so that by the collision he lost his balance, and feil overboard directly under the jawsof the whale! The whale lifted his head out of the water, showing the young man firmly in his mouth; as if in mockery of all our attempts to capture hiin, and then disappeared with his victim. How long the whale was out oí sight, I cannot teil. In a few seconds, however, Hale's hat carne up and floated upon the surface, and about a minute after, Hale himself appeared. 'Pull me in for Heaven's sake,' he exclaimed, 'I have been in the whale's jaw.'We soon had him in tho boat, his scalp was hanging by a portion of the skin, at ihe back of his head. It was replaced, and a handkerchief bound round to keep it in the right position. For some minutes he could not speak, but after a time he informed us that he was not injured elsewhere. 'W here's tho whale?' inquired the captain. 'Blast the whale!' I almost exclaimed. 'There he is, sir,' answered one of the men, pointing it oat. 'VVell, haul line, we will haul up close to him and then cut, for Hale must be injured more seriously than perhaps we are aware of.' We were accordingly hauledup, when the whale turned flukes and disappeared. 'Cut line; it is folly to hold on any longer,' said the captain. The' line was cut, and we were soon alongside the ship. Hale was hoisted up in the boat and carned into the cabin, where he was examined by the captain and myself. On movinga poriion of his clothes several frightful wounds were discovered, one of vvhich, in the lower extremity of his body, was so large that a portion of the intestines were hanging out. There were others also on his thighs. These were all sewed up, and after being properly bandaged, he was placed in one of the berths. The stoven boats were picked up; others imtnediately rigged and put in order, while men were sent to the mast heads (with what hearts I will not pretend to say,) to keep a look-out for the whale that had cost us so much trouble. 'Pretty how-do-you-do,' said the captain to the mate, who'till now had been very busy in making the changes in the boats. Ïwö boats knocked in pieces - craft of various kinds lost, and what is ten times worse, one of the boai-steerers nearly killed - pretty morning's work, I declare. [ want to see that whale once more, if it is only to ask him how he féels with those irons in his back.' Mr. Fisher expressed the same sentiment, adding that he had never witnessed such hard luck. What became of the whale I never learnt. If he was afterwards seen f rom the mast head, no' one announced the fact. Aftera few days, the cnrpenter had repaired the boats, and seme of ihe crew had pa'Ptially forgotten the occurrence. But not so wirh poor Hale. Hé was obliged to remain below so'me weeks before hO was enabled to go in the boat again. Ou being asked by some one what his though's were iu the whale's jaw, he replied he thought 'the whalo might make eighty barrels of oil!' I will merel y add that he is now mate of a whale ship. Mr. Fisher now commands the Napoleon, and Mr. Emmons the Cyrus, bolh ships belong to Nantucket. Captain Hussey isin the ship James Maury, of Salem'.