the ship just as
the whale rose the second time, about half a mile away to leeward.

From the appearance of this whale we felt certain that it was one of
the largest we had yet seen, so we pulled after it with right good
will. I occupied my usual place in the captain's boat, next the bow
oar, just beside Tom Lokins, who was ready with his harpoons in the
bow. Young Borders pulled the oar directly in front of me. The
captain himself steered, and, as our crew was a picked one, we soon
left the other two boats behind us.

Presently a small whale rose close beside us, and, sending a shower of
spray over the boat, went down in a pool of foam. Before we had time
to speak, another whale rose on the opposite side of the boat, and then
another on our starboard bow. We had got into the middle of a shoal of
whales, which commenced leaping and spouting all round us, little aware
of the dangerous enemy that was so near.

In a few minutes more up comes the big one again that we had first
seen. He seemed very active and wild. After blowing on the surface
once or twice, about a quarter of a mile off, he peaked his flukes, and
pitched down head foremost.

"Now then, lads, he's down for a long dive," said the captain; "spring
your oars like men, we'll get that fish for certain, if you'll only
pull."

The captain was mistaken; the whale had only gone down deep in order to
come up and breach, or spring out of the water, for the next minute he
came up not a hundred yards from us, and leaped his whole length into
the air.

A shout of surprise broke from the men, and no wonder, for this was the
largest fish I ever saw or heard of, and he came up so clear of the
water that we could see him from head to tail as he turned over in the
air, exposing his white belly to view, and came down on his great side
with a crash like thunder, that might have been heard six miles off. A
splendid mass of pure white spray burst from the spot where he fell,
and in another moment he was gone.

"I do believe it's _New Zealand Tom_," cried Bill Blunt, referring to
an old bull whale that had become famous among the men who frequented
these seas for its immense size and fierceness, and for the great
trouble it had given them, smashing some of their boats, and carrying
away many of their harpoons.

"I don't know whether it's New Zealand Tom or not," said the captain,
"but it's pretty clear that he's an old sperm bull. Give way, lads, we
must get th