hich rang through the stillness
discordantly, startling all hands out of their lethargy like bees out
of a hive. After the usual preliminaries, we were all afloat with
sails set, gliding slowly over the sleeping sea towards the unconscious
objects of our attention. The captain did not lower this time, as there
only appeared to be three fish, none of them seeming large. Though at
any distance it is extremely difficult to assess the size of whales, the
spout being very misleading. Sometimes a full-sized whale will show a
small spout, while a twenty-barrel cow will exhale a volume of vapour
extensive enough for two or three at once.

Now although, according to etiquette, I kept my position in the rear
of my superior officers, I had fully determined in my own mind, being
puffed up with previous success, to play second fiddle to no one, if
I could help it, this time. Samuela was decidedly of the same opinion;
indeed, I believe he would have been delighted to tackle a whole school
single-handed, while my crew were all willing and eager for the fight.
We had a long, tedious journey before we came up with them, the wind
being so light that even with the occasional assistance of the paddles
our progress was wretchedly slow. When at last we did get into their
water, and the mate's harpooner stood up to dart, his foot slipped,
and down he came with a clatter enough to scare a cachalot twenty
miles away. It gallied our friends effectually, sending them flying in
different directions at the top of their speed. But being some distance
astern of the other boats, one of the fish, in his headlong retreat,
rose for a final blow some six or seven fathoms away, passing us in
the opposite direction. His appearance was only momentary, yet in that
moment Samuela hurled his harpoon into the air, where it described a
beautiful parabola, coming down upon the disappearing monster's back
just as the sea was closing over it. Oh, it was a splendid dart,
worthy of the finest harpooner that ever lived! There was no time for
congratulations, however, for we spun round as on a pivot, and away we
went in the wake of that fellow at a great rate. I cast one look astern
to see whether the others had struck, but could see nothing of them; we
seemed to have sprung out of their ken in an instant.

The speed of our friend was marvellous, but I comforted myself with the
knowledge that these animals usually run in circles--sometimes, it
is true, of enormous diam