f the whales were much
distressed; one large one seemed to be the especial mark of the enemy,
which pursued him in a body.

"Look, look!" cried John. "He jumped almost out of the water. He is as
big as a house!"

"I didn't know anything could hurt a whale, he's so big!" commented
Jesse. "How do they fight a whale?"

"Maybe they poke 'em with that big fin," said Uncle Dick. "But they do
the damage with their jaws. One of them will bite a chunk out of a
whale, and as quick as he lets go another will take his place. They come
pretty near to eating the whale alive sometimes, although I don't know
that they really kill them very often."

"Well, I don't know," said Rob, who was looking steadily ahead. "There
is one right ahead of us who just came up, and he's acting mighty
stupid. See, he's coming right across the bows. If we don't look out
we'll hit him. There!"

Even as he spoke there came a heavy jar which almost stopped the ocean
vessel. Her steel-shod bow had struck the whale full in the middle of
the body.

"Caught him square amidships," sung out Captain Zim from his station. "I
guess we finished what the killers began!"

The great creature lay for an instant stunned on the surface of the
water, its vast body bent as though its back were broken. Then as the
ship passed on it slowly sank from sight, even as the school of whales,
diving and breaching, also fell astern, still pursued by their savage
enemies.

"Well," said Captain Zim, "I've sailed these waters thirty years, but
that's the first time I ever struck a whale."

"I've promised these boys plenty of exciting things," commented Uncle
Dick. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather you wouldn't run over any more
whales. You'll be taking the keel out of this ship the first thing you
know."

"I see something else!" called Jesse, who was examining the rolling sea
studiously with the field-glasses. "See it--right over there about two
hundred yards! It looks like a man standing up in the water."

"Oh, _that_," said Uncle Dick, "it's only a seal."

"Couldn't I shoot it?" asked Rob. "I'd like to get its fur."

Uncle Dick laughed. "You wouldn't find its hide worth more than a dollar
or so, if you got it," said he. "That's only a little hair seal. You
won't find any fur seals until you get a good many hundred miles beyond
Kadiak. And that's a good many hundred miles yet from here. Let the
little fellow go, and turn the glasses on that big bunch of whale-birds
ove