“Fast!” yelled the captain.
Instantly, the boat steerer sprang back, Cap’n Pem dropped his oar and scrambled nimbly forward, the boat steerer seized the oar and took the mate’s place and old Cap’n Pem crouched in the bow.
Then commenced such an exciting scene as the boys had never dreamed of. Hardly had the two men changed places in the boat when the whale threw himself bodily from the sea, a veritable giant of a creature, snapping his enormous jaws together as he did so, and the next second he was off like an express train, while behind him, the frail boat tore through the sea in a cloud of foam as it was hurtled by the terrified mountain of flesh to which it was fast. Straight away the huge creature sped, until the boat was a mere speck upon the horizon.
“Keep ’em in sight, lads! Keep ’em in sight!” yelled Captain Edwards, and leaping to the shrouds, he climbed quickly aloft and stood beside them on the crosstrees.
“Sounded again!” he exclaimed presently, and then, “headin’ this way!” Rapidly now the boat increased in size with the threshing flukes of the cetacean now and then visible, and headed apparently directly for the Hector.
As he approached the other whaleboat, the men bent to their oars, the craft leaped towards the stricken whale and as he rushed by, within a score of feet another iron was hurled and with both boats fast the whale sped on. But the second iron from Mr. Kemp’s boat had turned him in his mad course and he tore past the stern of the Hector within fifty feet—so close, in fact, that the boys could see the expressions on the men’s faces, could see the gear within the boats and caught the sound of Cap’n Pem’s shout as the gallant old whaleman waved a hand and yelled up to them.
“Derned near rammed us!” exclaimed the skipper. “Would have if Kemp hadn’t struck and turned him!”
Scarcely had he spoken when, so suddenly that the two boats overran the spot where he had been an instant before, the whale sounded and as the line rushed out through the bow-chock until it smoked, the tub-oarsmen doused it with water and Cap’n Pem and the second mate seized the ever-ready hatchets and held them poised to cut the lines in case of need. Everything now was taking place close to the ship and the watchers on the crosstrees seemed to look directly down into the two boats. Fathom after fathom of the line whirred over the boat’s bows as the whale dived straight for the ocean bottom and it seemed as if the whole three hundred fathoms in each boat would be exhausted ere the creature ceased sounding.
Then, to the watchers’ ears, came Cap’n Pem’s shout of “haul line!” and rapidly as hands could work, the dripping hemp was drawn in and coiled in its tub, and the boys, realizing the whale was coming up, watched breathlessly for his appearance. Suddenly he breached so close to the ship that, as he spouted, the spray drifted across the bark’s decks and the vessel rolled to the wave he created as he reared his gigantic head far above the sea and brought it crashing down. Then for a space, he lay quiet, and silently and cautiously the mate’s boat drew closer and closer to the monster and the boys held their breath as they saw Cap’n Pem grasp the long, keen lance and they realized that the old whaleman, disdaining new-fangled methods, planned to kill the whale by the old-fashioned lance which must actually be shoved into the animal’s side.
“Dern him!” whispered the captain. “Why don’t the old fool use the bomb lance? Does he want to be stove?”