ys," warned Jim, "be careful; no more talking. We will soon be
within range."

A strained, intense silence settled over the boat. All was expectation
and suppressed excitement. I do not suppose that the gentle reader can
realize the feeling of the boys at this moment, as he has probably
never stalked a whale in the open ocean, but perhaps he can imagine
something of what they felt.

One thing favored the young whale hunters, and that was the fact that
the whales were taking things very softly and slowly, their big bodies
barely moving through the water. They seemed to be enjoying the calm
of the clear morning, and were taking an ocean stroll as it were.

The bull, some sixty feet in length, was in the lead; at some little
distance to the east was the cow and a young whale near her side. It
was a wonderful sight to see the big black fellow forging slowly in
advance, his head a long, square promontory rising from the water, and
his body a half-submerged island.

But what power and strength was there in that great body and what
temerity it was for the boys to tackle him; they should have been glad
to let him go on his way unmolested, if he would do the same for them.
But the boys had no such thought. Under the silent direction of Jim's
hand the boat made a circle and swept around back of the great mammal
coming up on the far side. As the chase came near its end the pulses
of the boys quickened. There was a wonderful excitement in closing in
with this king of all the oceans.

Jim crouched in the bow, the harpoon clutched in his right hand. Now
the boat was within fifty feet of the whale, who was evidently not
yet aware of their near proximity, as he could not see anything
approaching along the side. It was indeed a thrilling moment. Jim rose
to his full height in the bow, with the harpoon poised above his
shoulder, a powerful and athletic figure.

The boat was now alongside the monster, and then with all his strength
of body, arm and shoulder, he plunged the harpoon down deep into the
great black body, following the instructions of the captain as near
as he could; he was but an amateur, after all, and he missed a vital
spot.

"Back up, boys!" he yelled.

Down dug the poised oars into the water, and the boat tried
frantically to get out of the deadly circumference of the wounded
whale's wrath. Instead of sounding down, as he would have done if
vitally wounded, he thrashed and pounded the ocean into foam. There
was