Anyhow, it killed him
promptly, while almost directly after another one saved further
trouble by passing in his own checks. But he sank at the same
time, drawing the first one down with him, so that we were in
considerable danger of having to cut them adrift or be swamped.
The "wheft" was waved thrice as an urgent signal to the ship to
come to our assistance with all speed, but in the meantime our
interest lay in the surviving Black Fish keeping alive. Should
HE die, and, as was most probable, sink, we should certainly have
to cut and lose the lot, tools included.
We waited in grim silence while the ship came up, so slowly,
apparently, that she hardly seemed to move, but really at a good
pace of about four knots an hour, which for her was not at all
bad. She got alongside of us at last, and we passed up the bight
of our line, our fish all safe, very much pleased with ourselves,
especially when we found that the other boats had only five
between the three of them.
The fish secured to the ship, all the boats were hoisted except
one, which remained alongside to sling the bodies. During our
absence the ship-keepers had been busy rigging one of the cutting
falls, an immense fourfold tackle from the main lowermast-head,
of four-inch rope through great double blocks, large as those
used at dockyards for lifting ships' masts and boilers.
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