An order or two rapidly executed, and the boat was pulled to within safe distance; Johannes made two tremendous lunges with his lance, and the whale turned slowly over and lay quivering for a few minutes; then it was still, and the men gave a cheer.
“Poor whale,” thought Steve, who was far from being hardened over such matters; but he tried to think that this capture meant so many gallons of beautifully clear oil, and money for defraying the expenses of their search, and he now stood up to have a good long look at their prize, which was fully fifteen feet long and proportionately heavy.
And now, the excitement of the chase being over, the question arose where was the Hvalross, and where was the other boat? These questions were answered by the two vessels, which formed with them a triangle, whose sides were about a mile in length; while, to add to the satisfaction of the adventure, the other boat was showing a signal, and they could see that it was towing something astern.
Meanwhile Johannes and his fellow-harpooners were busily securing a rope to their prize and drawing in and laying up their line. Next the harpoon was carefully cut out from where it was deeply imbedded in the animal’s back; and then the boat’s head was turned for the ship, which was steaming slowly towards them as they rowed on towing their carefully secured prize astern.
“I’m glad they’ve had good luck, too,” said Steve; “but, I say, what has become of the shoal?”
“Gone right away, sir,” replied Johannes. “We startled them, and they smelt danger. We may catch up to them by-and-by.”
“Not to-day,” said Captain Marsham quietly. “Pull, my lads;” and he steered so that they might get nearer to their companions’ boat and the Hvalross be reached by them both at once.
“You are right, sir,” said Johannes in his quiet, independent, but respectful manner; “we shall not see the whales again to-day, and we must make haste if we are to reach the ship before it comes.”
“Before what comes?” said Steve, wondering at the man’s manner.
“Look,” he said, pointing to the north-west.