n pain and danger. If sentiment were ever
permitted to interfere with such operations as ours, it might well have
done so now; for while the calf continually sought to escape from the
enfolding fin, making all sorts of puny struggles in the attempt, the
mother scarcely moved from her position, although streaming with blood
from a score of wounds. Once, indeed, as a deep-searching thrust
entered her very vitals, she raised her massy flukes high in air with
an apparently involuntary movement of agony; but even in that dire
throe she remembered the possible danger to her young one, and laid the
tremendous weapon as softly down upon the water as if it were a feather
fan.

So in the most perfect quiet, with scarcely a writhe, nor any sign of
flurry, she died, holding the calf to her side until her last
vital spark had fled, and left it to a swift despatch with a single
lance-thrust. No slaughter of a lamb ever looked more like murder. Nor,
when the vast bulk and strength of the animal was considered, could a
mightier example have been given of the force and quality of maternal
love.

The whole business was completed in half an hour from the first sight
of her, and by the mate's hand alone, none of the other boats needing
to use their gear. As soon as she was dead, a hole was bored through the
lips, into which a tow-line was secured, the two long fins were lashed
close into the sides of the animal by an encircling line, the tips of
the flukes were cut off, and away we started for the ship. We had an
eight-mile tow in the blazing sun, which we accomplished in a little
over eight, hours, arriving at the vessel just before two p.m. News of
our coming had preceded us, and the whole native population appeared to
be afloat to make us welcome. The air rang again with their shouts of
rejoicing, for our catch represented to them a gorgeous feast, such as
they had not indulged in for many a day. The flesh of the humpbacked
whale is not at all bad, being but little inferior to that of the
porpoise; so that, as these people do not despise even the coarse rank
flesh of the cachalot, their enthusiasm was natural. Their offers of
help were rather embarrassing to us, as we could find little room for
any of them in the boats, and the canoes only got in our way. Unable to
assist us, they vented their superfluous energies on the whale in the
most astounding aquatic antics imaginable--diving under it; climbing
on to it; pushing and rolling eac