I remember even yet the feeling of awful disappointment that came over
me when I understood that we had lost the fish after all our trouble! I
could almost have wept with bitter vexation. As for my comrades, they
sat staring at each other for some moments quite speechless. Before we
could recover from the state into which this misfortune had thrown us,
one of the men suddenly shouted, "Hallo! there's the mate's boat in
distress."

We turned at once, and, truly, there was no doubt of the truth of this,
for, about half a mile off, we beheld our first mate's boat tearing over
the sea like a small steamer. It was fast to a fish, and two oars were
set up on end to attract our attention.

When a whale is struck, it sometimes happens that the whole of the line
in a boat is run out. When this is about to occur, it becomes necessary
to hold on as much as can be done without running the boat under the
water, and an oar is set up on end to show that assistance is required,
either from the ship or from the other boats. As the line grows less
and less, another and another oar is hoisted to show that help must be
sent quickly. If no assistance can be sent, the only thing that remains
to be done is to cut the line and lose the fish; but a whale-line, with
its harpoon, is a very heavy loss, in addition to that of the fish, so
that whalers are tempted to hold on a little too long sometimes.

When we saw the mate's boat dashing away in this style, we forgot our
grief at the loss of our whale in our anxiety to render assistance to
our comrades, and we rowed towards them as fast as we could.
Fortunately the whale changed its course, and came straight towards us,
so that we ceased pulling, and waited till they came up. As the boat
came on I saw the foam curling up on her bows as she leaped and flew
over the sea. I could scarcely believe it possible that wood and iron
could bear such a strain. In a few minutes they were almost abreast of
us.

"You're holding too hard!" shouted the captain.

"Lines all out!" roared the mate.

They were past almost before these short sentences could be spoken. But
they had not gone twenty yards ahead of us when the water rushed in over
the bow, and before we could utter a word the boat and crew were gone.
Not a trace of them remained! The horror of the moment had not been
fully felt, however, when the boat rose to the surface keel up, and, one
after another, the heads of the men appeared.