“Now, by gravy!” exclaimed old Tom, who had a wealth of expletives in him when he was excited, “look out for squalls.”
“He’s been squally enough already, hasn’t he?” demanded our young officer.
“You ain’t seen the end yet, sir,” returned the old man.
“Well, I bet I do see the end——”
He broke off with a sharp intake of breath. Then: “Stern all!” he ejaculated.
Up through the green sea came a huge shadow. We could not shoot the boat back in time to clear the monster. The whale had turned and shot up under the boat!
The boat jarred as the prolonged lower jaw of the bull whale struck her keel forward. There was a mighty rush of waters, like a cataract; the whaleboat was flung aside, and Ben Gibson shot over the bow and fell right into the open mouth of the whale!
I know I screamed something—I don’t know what I said. The boat was shooting back under the impetus of the oars, and we escaped overturning.
But I had seen Ben fall and saw him disappear into the cavern of the creature’s mouth. I saw, too, the jaws come together once, and I swear our second mate was in the bull’s mouth when it closed!
But the next moment the maw of the beast opened and in the swirl of foam and blood-streaked water I caught sight of the senseless Gibson.