d wear out its
strength, and thus become an easy prey. Medley stood ready all the time
to slacken out more line should its speed become so great as to run the
risk of its dragging the bows under water, while the man next him sat
with axe in hand prepared to cut it in case there was a probability of
the boat being swamped. Nearer and nearer we approached the land, till
we could distinctly see the surf rising up in a wall of foam, and
breaking over the coral reef surrounding it. We expected every moment
that the whale would turn to avoid the danger ahead, and that we should
be able to haul in the slack of the rope, and get sufficiently close to
give it another wound. That it was losing blood, and consequently its
strength, we knew by the red tinge of the water in its wake; still it
held on. I glanced towards the shore--I could see a gap in the line of
surf, beyond which the land rose to a greater height than anywhere near.
It formed, I concluded, the entrance to a bay or lagoon, but seemed so
narrow that even a boat would run the danger of being swamped by the
surging waters on either side. Galled or terror-stricken as the whale
evidently was, I could scarcely suppose that it would run itself on
shore, yet from the course it was taking it seemed possible that such it
was about to do. Suddenly, however, the roar of the surf growing louder
and louder, it appeared to perceive its danger, and leaping almost out
of the water it turned away to the northward, giving the boat so violent
a jerk that she was nearly capsized. Escaping that danger, we were
exposed to another, for the sea, now brought on our beam, continually
broke over the side, employing two hands in baling, while often it
appeared as if she would be turned completely over. At length the
monster began to lessen its speed, and we were hauling in the line to
get up to it, when suddenly raising its flukes down it went, dragging
out the line again at a rate which made the bollard smoke, but the sea
breaking over the bows prevented it from catching fire. The first line
was soon drawn out--the second went on, and that, too, speedily ran
towards the end. It was vain to attempt stopping it. The whale was
now, we knew, swimming under water, and heading away from the shore. It
must ere long come up again--but could we hold on till then? Already
the seas broke fearfully over the bows. In spite of the efforts of the
men baling, the boat was half full of water. Med