Rokens and the other harpooners had, with
the assistance of the various boats' crews, slain and captured several
large whales, and Nikel Sling had prepared, and assisted to consume, as
many breakfasts, dinners, and suppers as there are days in the period of
time above referred to;--in short, those five weeks, which we thus
dismiss in five minutes, might, if enlarged upon, be expanded into
material to fill five volumes such as this, which would probably take
about five years to write--another reason for cutting this matter short.
All this shows how much may be compressed into little space, how much
may be done and seen in little time, and, therefore, how much value men
ought to attach to little things.

Five weeks passed away, as we have already remarked, and at the end of
that time the _Red Eric_ found herself, one beautiful sunny afternoon,
becalmed on the breast of the wide ocean with a strange vessel, also a
whaler, a few miles distant from her, and a couple of sperm-whales
sporting playfully about midway between the two ships. Jim Scroggles on
that particular afternoon found himself in the crow's-nest at the
masthead, roaring "Thar she blows!" with a degree of energy so appalling
that one was almost tempted to believe that that long-legged individual
had made up his mind to compress his life into one grand but brief
minute, and totally exhaust his powers of soul and body in the
reiterated vociferation of that one faculty of the sperm-whale.
Allowance must be made for Jim, seeing that this was the first time he
had been fortunate enough to "raise the oil" since he became a whaler.

The usual scene of bustle and excitement immediately ensued. The men
sprang to their appointed places in a moment; the tubs, harpoons,
etcetera, were got ready, and in a few minutes the three boats were
leaping over the smooth swell towards the fish.

While this was taking place on board the _Red Eric_, a precisely similar
scene occurred on board the other whale-ship, and a race now ensued
between the boats of the two ships, for each knew well that the first
boat that harpooned either of the whales claimed it.

"Give way, my lads," whispered Captain Dunning eagerly, as he watched
the other boats; "we shall be first--we shall be first; only bend your
backs."

The men needed not to be urged; they were quite as anxious as their
commander to win the races and bent their backs, as he expressed it,
until the oars seemed about to break. G