"Ah! yes, I see!" said the captain; "whales' food; just the opportunity for you, Mr. Benedict; a chance not to be thrown away for studying one of the most curious of the crustacea."
"Nonsense!" ejaculated Benedict contemptuously; "utter nonsense!"
"Why? what do you mean, Mr. Benedict?" retorted the captain; "surely you, as an entomologist, must know that I am right in my conviction that these crustacea belong to one of the six classes of the articulata."
The disdain of Cousin Benedict was expressed by a repeated sneer.
"Are you not aware, sir, that my researches as an entomologist are confined entirely to the hexapoda?"
Captain Hull, unable to repress a smile, only answered good-humouredly,-
"I see, sir, your tastes do not lie in the same direction as those of the whale."
And turning to Mrs. Weldon, he continued,-
"To whalemen, madam, this is a sight that speaks for itself. It is a token that we ought to lose no time in getting out our lines and looking to the state of our harpoons. There is game not far away."
Jack gave vent to his astonishment.