forest of whalebone hanging down from the roof, the white whale
cannot keep under water long without coming up to breathe; but the one
Johannes had so cleverly struck nearly carried out the whole of the
line, which Steve watched darting out ring by ring over the bows, till,
in spite of the riskiness of the proceeding, the second Norseman seized
the end which lay outside the tub, and gave it a hitch round a block in
the bows left for the purpose.

"Be ready for a ride, Steve," said the captain, "if he does not pull us
under before they can cut the rope; in that case be ready for a swim."

"The first for preference," thought Steve; but neither event occurred,
for the rope suddenly ceased running, and as Johannes armed himself with
one of the great lances which lay along the thwarts, his companion
rapidly hauled in the slack line and laid it in rings once more.

Practice had made the man wonderfully perfect in this duty, and fathom
after fathom was laid in, while the whale remained under so long that
the captain shouted to Johannes:

"Has the harpoon come out?"

"I don't know yet, sir; I'm afraid so," was the reply. "These fish are
so tender; they are often lost in this way."

And all the time the second man kept on hauling in the line, and the
others lay on their oars, for the rope came up straight out of the deep
water.

"Yes, sir, he has gone, I fear," said Johannes.

"No!" cried the other, for the slack line suddenly tightened and was
jerked out of his hand; then the water parted about a dozen yards from
the boat, the head of the whale appeared, and then the whole of the
creature, as it rose higher, curved right over, and descended head first
again, its tail giving a peculiar wave in the air before it disappeared,
while all had a glimpse of the harpoon shaft, which directly after was
seen floating on the surface of the water.

"Gone this time!" cried Steve in disappointed tones.

"Yes, he has gone almost straight down."

"And we have lost him?"

"I hope not, sir," said Johannes, leaning over the side, as the boat
glided on, and picking up the long shaft of the harpoon.

"And you've lost the head of the harpoon, too."

"Oh no, that's fast to the line," replied the man; "the shaft is meant
to come out, so that it shall not be broken."

"I did not understand that," muttered the boy, as the line that had been
recovered now began to run out again as rapidly as before, hissing over
the gunwale, and judgin