His great black head, like the broad bow of a dumb barge,
driving the waves before it, loomed high and menacing to me, for
I was not forbidden to look ahead now. But coolly, as if coming
alongside the ship, the mate bent to the big steer-oar, and swung
the boat off at right angles to her course, bringing her back
again with another broad sheer as the whale passed foaming. This
manoeuvre brought us side by side with him before he had time to
realize that we were there. Up till that instant he had
evidently not seen us, and his surprise was correspondingly
great. To see Louis raise his harpoon high above his head, and
with a hoarse grunt of satisfaction plunge it into the black,
shining mass beside him up to the hitches, was indeed a sight to
be remembered. Quick as thought he snatched up a second harpoon,
and as the whale rolled from us it flew from his hands, burying
itself like the former one, but lower down the body. The great
impetus we had when we reached the whale carried us a long way
past him, out of all danger from his struggles. No hindrance was
experienced from the line by which we were connected with the
whale, for it was loosely coiled in a space for the purpose in
the boat's bow to the extent of two hundred feet, and this was
cast overboard by the harpooner as soon as the fish was fast.
Pages:
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121