Height from height has caught the sound LESSON XLVII. Capture of a Whale.-COOPER. THE Ariel lay in a small bay, and on board of her were lieutenant Barnstable, the midshipman, Mr. Merry, and the hero of the piece, long Tom, the cockswain, from Nantucket, whose father was a Coffin, and his mother a Joy. Barnstable and long Tom Coffin being out in a whale boat, the former exclaimed, "Tom, there is a blow of a whale-'tis a fin back." "No, Sir, 'tis a right whale," answered Tom; "I saw his spout; he threw up a pair of pretty rainbows. He's a raal oil-but, that fellow." And thus he could not resist the temptation of having "a stroke of the harpoon at the impudent rascal." While they were pulling towards their game, long Tom arose from his crouching attitude in the stern-sheets, and transferred his huge frame to the bows of the boat, where he made such preparations to strike the whale as the occasion required. The tub containing about half of a whale-line, was now placed at the foot of Barnstable, who had been preparing an oar to steer with, in place of the rudder, which was unshipped, in order that, if necessary, the boat might be whirled round, when not advancing. Their approach was utterly unnoticed by the monster of the deep, who continued to amuse himself with throwing the water, in two circular spouts, high into the air, occasionally flourishing the broad flukes of his tail, with a graceful, but terrifick force, until the hardy seamen were within a few hundred feet of him, when he suddenly cast his head downwards, and, without any apparent effort, reared his immense body for many feet above the water, waving his tail violently, and producing a whizzing noise, that sounded like the rushing of winds, The cockswain stood erect, poizing his harpoon, ready for the blow; but when he beheld the creature assume this formidable attitude, he waved his hand to his commander, who instantly signed to his men to cease rowing. In this situation the sportsmen rested a few minutes, while the whale struck several blows on the water, in rapid succession, the noise of which re-echoed along the cliffs, like the hollow reports of so many cannon. After this wanton exhibition of his terrible strength, the monster sunk again into his native element, and slowly disappeared from the eyes of his pur suers. "Which way did he head, Tom?" cried Barnstable, the moment the whale was out of sight. "Pretty much up and down, Sir," returned the cockswain, whose eye was gradually brightening with the excitement of the sport; "he'll soon run his nose against the bottom, if he stands long on that course, and will be glad to get another snuff of pure air; send her a few fathoms to star-board, Sir, and I promise we shall not be out of his track." The conjecture of the experienced old seaman proved true, for, in few minutes, the water broke near them, and another spout was cast into the air, when the huge animal rushed, for half his length, in the same direction, and fell on the sea, with a turbulence and foam equal to that which is produced by the launching of a vessel for the first time, into its proper element. After this evolution, the whale rolled heavily, and seemed to rest from further efforts. His slightest movements were closely watched by Barnsta ble and his cockswain, and when he was in a state of comparative rest, the former gave a signal to his crew, to ply the oars once more. A few long and vigorous strokes sent the boat directly up to the broadside of the whale, with its bows pointed to one of the fins, which was at times, as the animal yielded sluggishly to the actions of the waves, exposed to view. The cockswain poised his harpoon, with much precision, and then darted it from him with a violence that buried the iron in the blubber of their foe. The instant the blow was made, long Tom shouted, with singular earnestness-" Starn all !" "Stern all!" echoed Barnstable; when the obedient seamen, by united efforts, forced the boat in a backward direction, beyond the reach of any blow from their formidable antagonist. The alarmed animal, however, meditated no sach resistance; ignorant of his own power, and of the insignificance of his enemies, he sought refuge in flight. One moment of stupid surprize succeeded the entrance of the iron, when he cast his huge tail into the air, with a violence that threw the sea around him into increased commotion, and then disappeared, with the quickness of lightning, amid a cloud of foam. "Snub him!" shouted Barnstable; "hold on, Tom; he rises already." Ay, ay, Sir," replied the composed cockswain, seizing the line, which was running out of the boat with a velocity that rendered such a manœuvre rather hazardous, and causing it to yield more gradually round the large loggerhead that was placed in the bows of the boat for that purpose. Presently, the line stretched forward, and, rising to the surface, with tremulous vibrations, it indicated the direction, in which the animal might be expected to re-appear. Barnstable had cast the bows of the boat towards that point, before the terrified and wounded victim rose once more to the surface, whose time was, however, no longer wasted in his sports, but who cast the waters aside, as he forced his way, with prodigious velocity, along their surface. The boat was dragged violently in his wake, and cut through the billows with a terrifick rapidity, that, at moments, appeared to bury the slight fabrick in the ocean. When long Tom beheld his victim throwing his spouts on high again, he pointed with exultation, to the jetting fluid, which was streaked with the deep red of blood, and cried-"Ay! I've touched the fellow's life! it must be more than two feet of blubber that stops my iron from reaching the life of any whale, that ever sculled the ocean." "I believe you have saved yourself the trouble of using the bayonet, you have rigged for a lance," said his commander, who entered into the sport with all the ardour of one whose youth had been chiefly passed in such pursuits; "feel your line, Master Coffin; can we haul along-side of our enemy I like not the course he is steering, as he tows us from the schooner." "'Tis the creature's way, Sir," said the cockswain; "you know they need the air in their nostrils, when they run, the same as a man; but, lay hold, boys, and let us haul up to him." The seamen now seized the whale-line, and slowly drew their boat to within a few feet of the tail of the fish; whose progress became sensibly less rapid, as he grew weak with the loss of blood. In a few minutes, he stopped running, and appeared to roll uneasily on the water, as if suffering the agony of death. "Shall we pull in, and finish him, Tom ?" cried Barnstable; "a few sets from your bayonet would do it." 66 The cockswain stood examining his game, with cool discretion, and replied to this interrogatory" No, sir, no-he's going into his flurry; there's no occasion for disgracing ourselves, by using a soldier's weapon, in taking a whale. Starn off, Sir, starn off! the creature's in his flurry!" The warning of the prudent cockswain, was promptly obeyed, and the boat cautiously drew off, to a distance, leaving the animal a clean space, while under its dying agonies. From a state of perfect rest, the terrible monster, threw its tail on high, as when in sport; but, its blows were trebled, in rapidity and violence, till all was hid from view, by a pyrimid of foam, that was deeply dyed with blood. The roarings of the fish, were like the bellowing of a herd of bulls, and to one who was ignorant of the fact, it would have appeared as if a thousand monsters were engaged in deadly combat, behind the bloody mist that obstructed the view. Gradually, these effects subsided, and when the discoloured water again settled down to the long and regular swell of the ocean, the fish was seen, exhausted, and yielding passively to its fate. As life departed, the enormous black mass rolled to one side, and when the white and glistening skin of the belly became apparent, the seamen well knew that their victory was achieved. "What's to be done now?" said Barnstable, as he stood and gazed with a diminished excitement, at their victim; "he will yield no food, and his carcass will probably drift to land, and furnish our enemies with the oil." "If I had but that creature in Boston bay," said the cockswain, "it would prove the making of me; but such is my luck for ever! Pull up, at any rate, and let me get my harpoon and line-the English shall never get them, while old Tom Coffin can blow." LESSON XLVIII. Capture of the British Cutter Alacrity, by the American Schooner Ariel.-COOPER. THUS far the cockswain and his crew had the fight, on the part of the Ariel, altogether to themselves, the men, who were stationed at the smaller and shorter guns, standing in perfect idleness, by their sides; but in ten or fifteen minutes, the commander of the Alacrity, who had been staggered by the weight of the shot, that had struck him, found that it was no longer in his power to retreat, if he wished it; when he decided on the only course, that was left for a brave man to pursue, and steered, boldly, in such a direction as would soonest bring him in contact with his enemy, without exposing his vessel to be raked by his fire. Barnstable watched each movement of his foe, with eagle eyes, and when the vessel had got within a lessened distance, he the order for a general fire to be opened. The acgave tion now grew warm and spirited on both sides. The power of the wind was counteracted by the constant explosion of the cannon; and instead of driving rapidly to leeward, a white canopy of curling smoke hung above the Ariel, or rested on the water, lingering in her wake, so as to mark the path, by which she was approaching to a close and still deadlier struggle. The shouts of the young sailors, as they kindled their instruments of death, became more animated and fierce, while the cockswain pursued his occupation with the silence and skill of one, who laboured in a regular vocation. Barnstable was unusually composed and quiet, maintaining the grave deportment of a commander on whom rested the fortunes of the contest, at the same time that his dark eyes were dancing with the fire of suppressed animation. 66 never "Give it them!" he occasionally cried, in a voice that might be heard amid the bellowing of the cannon; mind their cordage, my lads; drive home their bolts, and make your marks below their ridge ropes." In the mean time, the Englishman played a manful game. He had suffered a heavy loss by the distant cannonade, which no metal he possessed could retort upon his enemy; but he struggled nobly to repair the error in judgment, with which he had begun the contest. The two vessels gradually drew nigher to each other, until they both entered into the common cloud, created by their fire, which thickened and spread |