r roared rather than shouted, "Give
way, lads!" and the latter bent their backs as if they meant to pull the
boat bodily out of the water, and up into the atmosphere. Meanwhile all
the other boats were in hot pursuit of the second whale, which had led
them a considerable distance away from the first.

"What do you mean by striking that fish?" shouted Captain Dunning, when,
after a hard pull, he came up with the boat, the crew of which had just
succeeded in thrusting a lance deep into a mortal part of the huge
animal, which soon after rolled over, and lay extended on the waves.

"What right have you to ask?" replied the captain of the strange ship,
an ill-favoured, powerful man, whose countenance was sufficient to
condemn him in any society, save that of ruffians. "Don't you see your
drogue has broke loose?"

"I see nothing of the sort. It's fast at this moment; so you'll be good
enough to cut loose and take yourself off as fast as you please."

To this the other made no reply, but, turning to his men, said: "Make
fast there, lads; signal the other boats, and pull away for the ship;
look sharp, you lubbers."

"Och! captain dear," muttered Phil Briant, baring both arms up to the
shoulders, "only give the word; _do_, now!"

Captain Dunning, who was already boiling with rage, needed no
encouragement to make an immediate attack on the stranger, neither did
his men require an order; they plunged their oars into the water, ran
right into the other boat, sprang to their feet, seized lances,
harpoons, and knives, and in another moment would have been engaged in a
deadly struggle had not an unforeseen event occurred to prevent the
fray. This was the partial recovery of the whale, which, apparently
resolved to make one final struggle for life, turned over and over,
lashed the sea into foam, and churned it up with the blood which spouted
in thick streams from its numerous wounds.

Both boats were in imminent danger, and the men sprang to their oars in
order to pull out of the range of the monster's dying struggles. In
this effort the strange boat was successful, but that of Captain Dunning
fared ill. A heavy blow from the whale's tail broke it in two, and
hurled it into the air, whence the crew descended, amid a mass of
harpoons, lances, oars, and cordage, into the blood-stained water.

The fish sheered away for some distance, dragging the other boat along
with it, and then rolled over quite dead. Fortunately not one