Fighting the Whales

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWO.

  AT SEA.

  My first few days on the ocean were so miserable that I oftentimesrepented of having left my native land. I was, as my new friend TomLokins said, as sick as a dog. But in course of time I grew well, andbegan to rejoice in the cool fresh breezes and the great rolling billowsof the sea.

  Many and many a time I used to creep out to the end of the bowsprit,when the weather was calm, and sit with my legs dangling over the deepblue water, and my eyes fixed on the great masses of rolling clouds inthe sky, thinking of the new course of life I had just begun. At suchtimes the thought of my mother was sure to come into my mind, and Ithought of her parting words, "Put your trust in the Lord, Robert, andread His Word." I resolved to try to obey her, but this I found was noeasy matter, for the sailors were a rough lot of fellows, who caredlittle for the Bible. But, I must say, they were a hearty, good-naturedset, and much better, upon the whole, than many a ship's crew that Iafterwards sailed with.

  We were fortunate in having fair winds this voyage, and soon foundourselves on the other side of the _line_, as we jack-tars call theEquator.

  Of course the crew did not forget the old custom of shaving all the menwho had never crossed the line before. Our captain was a jolly old man,and uncommonly fond of "sky-larking." He gave us leave to do what weliked the day we crossed the line; so, as there were a number of wildspirits among us, we broke through all the ordinary rules, or, rather,we added on new rules to them.

  The old hands had kept the matter quiet from us greenhorns, so that,although we knew they were going to do some sort of mischief, we didn'texactly understand what it was to be.

  About noon of that day I was called on deck and told that old fatherNeptune was coming aboard, and we were to be ready to receive him. Aminute after, I saw a tremendous monster come up over the side of theship and jump on the deck. He was crowned with sea-weed, and painted ina wonderful fashion; his clothes were dripping wet, as if he had justcome from the bottom of the sea. After him came another monster with apetticoat made of sailcloth, and a tippet of a bit of old tarpaulin.This was Neptune's wife, and these two carried on the most remarkableantics I ever saw. I laughed heartily, and soon discovered, from thetones of their voices, which of my shipmates Neptune and his wife were.But my mirth was quickly stopped when I was suddenly seized by severalmen, and my face was covered over with a horrible mixture of tar andgrease!

  Six of us youngsters were treated in this way; then the lather wasscraped off with a piece of old hoop-iron, and, after being thus shaved,buckets of cold water were thrown over us.

  At last, after a prosperous voyage, we arrived at our fishing-ground inthe South Seas, and a feeling of excitement and expectation began toshow itself among the men, insomuch that our very eyes seemed brighterthan usual.

  One night those of us who had just been relieved from watch on deck,were sitting on the lockers down below telling ghost stories.

  It was a dead calm, and one of those intensely dark, hot nights, thatcause sailors to feel uneasy, they scarce know why. I began to feel souncomfortable at last, listening to the horrible tales which Tom Lokinswas relating to the men, that I slipt away from them with the intentionof going on deck. I moved so quietly that no one observed me; besides,every eye was fixed earnestly on Tom, whose deep low voice was the onlysound that broke the stillness of all around. As I was going verycautiously up the ladder leading to the deck, Tom had reached that partof his story where the ghost was just appearing in a dark churchyard,dressed in white, and coming slowly forward, one step at a time, towardsthe terrified man who saw it. The men held their breath, and one or twoof their faces turned pale as Tom went on with his description, loweringhis voice to a hoarse whisper. Just as I put my head up the hatchwaythe sheet of one of the sails, which was hanging loose in the still air,passed gently over my head and knocked my hat off. At any other time Iwould have thought nothing of this, but Tom's story had thrown me intosuch an excited and nervous condition that I gave a start, missed myfooting, uttered a loud cry, and fell down the ladder right in among themen with a tremendous crash, knocking over two or three oil-cans and atin bread-basket in my fall, and upsetting the lantern, so that theplace was instantly pitch dark.

  I never heard such a howl of terror as these men gave vent to when thismisfortune befell me. They rushed upon deck with their hearts in theirmouths, tumbling, and peeling the skin off their shins and knuckles intheir haste; and it was not until they heard the laughter of the watchon deck that they breathed freely, and, joining in the laugh, calledthemselves fools for being frightened by a ghost story. I noticed,however, that, for all their pretended indifference, there was not oneman among them--not even Tom Lokins himself--who would go down below torelight the lantern for at least a quarter of an hour afterwards!

  Feeling none the worse for my fall, I went forward and leaned over thebow of the ship, where I was much astonished by the appearance of thesea. It seemed as if the water was on fire. Every time the ship's bowrose and fell, the little belt of foam made in the water seemed like abelt of blue flame with bright sparkles in it, like stars or diamonds.I had seen this curious appearance before, but never so bright as it wason that night.

  "What is it, Tom?" said I, as my friend came forward and leaned over theship's bulwark beside me.

  "It's blue fire, Bob," replied Tom, as he smoked his pipe calmly.

  "Come, you know I can't swallow that," said I; "everybody knows thatfire, either blue or red, can't burn in the water."

  "Maybe not," returned Tom; "but it's blue fire for all that. Leastwiseif it's not, I don't know wot else it is."

  Tom had often seen this light before, no doubt, but he had never givenhimself the trouble to find out what it could be. Fortunately thecaptain came up just as I put the question, and he enlightened me on thesubject.

  "It is caused by small animals," said he, leaning over the side.

  "Small animals!" said I, in astonishment.

  "Ay, many parts of the sea are full of creatures so small and so thinand colourless, that you can hardly see them even in a clear glasstumbler. Many of them are larger than others, but the most of them arevery small."

  "But how do they shine like that, sir?" I asked.

  "That I do not know, boy. God has given them the power to shine, justas he has given us the power to walk or speak; and they do shinebrightly, as you see; but _how_ they do it is more than I can tell. Ithink, myself, it must be anger that makes them shine, for theygenerally do it when they are stirred up or knocked about by oars, orships' keels, or tumbling waves. But I am not sure that that's thereason either, because, you know, we often sail through them withoutseeing the light, though of course they must be there."

  "P'raps, sir," said Tom Lokins; "p'raps, sir, they're sleepy sometimes,an' can't be bothered gettin' angry."

  "Perhaps!" answered the captain, laughing. "But then again, at othertimes, I have seen them shining over the whole sea when it was quitecalm, making it like an ocean of milk; and nothing was disturbing themat that time, d'ye see."

  "I don' know _that_," objected Tom; "they might have bin a-fightin'among theirselves."

  "Or playing, may be," said I.

  The captain laughed, and, looking up at the sky, said, "I don't like thelook of the weather, Tom Lokins. You're a sharp fellow, and have beenin these seas before, what say you?"

  "We'll have a breeze," replied Tom, briefly.

  "More than a breeze," muttered the captain, while a look of graveanxiety overspread his countenance; "I'll go below and take a squint atthe glass."

  "What does he mean by that, Tom," said I, when the captain was gone, "Inever saw a calmer or a finer night. Surely there is no chance of astorm just now."

  "Ay, that shows that you're a young feller, and han't got muchexperience o' them seas," replied my companion. "Why, boy, sometimesthe fiercest storm is brewin' behind the greatest calm. An' the worsto' the thing is that it comes so sudden at times, that the masts aret
orn out o' the ship before you can say Jack Robinson."

  "What! and without any warning?" said I.

  "Ay, _almost_ without warnin'; but not _altogether_ without it. Youheer'd the captain say he'd go an' take a squint at the glass?"

  "Yes; what is the glass?"

  "It's not a glass o' grog, you may be sure; nor yet a lookin'-glass.It's the weather-glass, boy. Shore-goin' chaps call it a barometer."

  "And what's the meaning of barometer?" I inquired earnestly.

  Tom Lokins stared at me in stupid amazement.

  "Why, boy," said he, "you're too inquisitive. I once asked the doctoro' a ship that question, and says he to me, `Tom,' says he, `a barometeris a glass tube filled with quicksilver or mercury, which is a metal ina soft or fluid state, like water, you know, and it's meant for tellin'the state o' the weather.'

  "`Yes, sir,' I answers, `I know that, well enough.'

  "`Then why did you ask?' says he, gettin' into a passion.

  "`I asked what was the meanin' o' the _word_ barometer, sir,' said I.

  "The doctor he looked grave at that, and shook his head. `Tom,' sayshe, `if I was to go for to explain that word, and all about theinstrument, in a scientific sort o' way, d'ye see, I'd have to sit herean' speak to you right on end for six hours or more.'

  "`Oh, sir,' says I, `don't do it, then. _Please_, don't do it.'

  "`No more I will,' says he; `but it'll serve your turn to know that abarometer is a glass for measurin' the weight o' the air, and, _somehowor other, that_ lets ye know wots a-coming. If the mercury in the glassrises high, all's right. If it falls uncommon low very sudden, look outfor squalls; that's all. No matter how smooth the sea may be, or howsweetly all natur' may smile, don't you believe it; take in every incho' canvas at once.'"

  "That was a queer explanation, Tom."

  "Ay, but it was a true one, as you shall see before long."

  As I looked out upon the calm sea, which lay like a sheet of glass,without a ripple on its surface, I could scarcely believe what he hadsaid. But before many minutes had passed I was convinced of my error.

  While I was standing talking to my messmate, the captain rushed on deck,and shouted--

  "All hands tumble up! Shorten sail! Take in every rag! Look alive,boys, look alive."

  I was quite stunned for a moment by this, and by the sudden tumult thatfollowed. The men, who seemed never to take thought about anything, andwho had but one duty, namely, to _obey orders_, ran upon deck, andleaped up the rigging like cats; the sheets of nearly all the principalsails were clewed up, and, ere long, the canvas was made fast to theyards. A few of the smaller sails only were left exposed, and eventhese were close reefed. Before long a loud roar was heard, and inanother minute the storm burst upon us with terrific violence. The shipat first lay over so much that the masts were almost in the water, andit was as impossible for any one to walk the deck as to walk along theside of a wall. At the same time, the sea was lashed into white foam,and the blinding spray flew over us in bitter fury.

  "Take in the topsails!" roared the captain. But his voice was drownedin the shriek of the gale. The men were saved the risk of going out onthe yards, however, for in a few moments more all the sails, except thestorm-try-sail, were burst and blown to ribbons.

  We now tried to put the ship's head to the wind and "_lay to_," by whichlandsmen will understand that we tried to face the storm, and remainstationary. But the gale was so fierce that this was impossible. Thelast rag of sail was blown away, and then there was nothing left for usbut to show our stern to the gale, and "scud under bare poles."

  The great danger now was that we might be "pooped," which means that ahuge wave might curl over our stern, fall with terrible fury on ourdeck, and sink us.

  Many and many a good ship has gone down in this way; but we weremercifully spared. As our safety depended very much on good steering,the captain himself took the wheel, and managed the ship so well, thatwe weathered the gale without damage, farther than the loss of a fewsails and light spars. For two days the storm howled furiously, the skyand sea were like ink, with sheets of rain and foam driving through theair, and raging billows tossing our ship about like a cork.

  During all this time my shipmates were quiet and grave, but active andfull of energy, so that every order was at once obeyed without noise orconfusion. Every man watched the slightest motion of the captain. Weall felt that everything depended on him.

  As for me, I gave up all hope of being saved. It seemed impossible tome that anything that man could build could withstand so terrible astorm. I do not pretend to say that I was not afraid. The nearprospect of a violent death caused my heart to sink more than once; butmy feelings did not unman me. I did my duty quietly, but quickly, likethe rest; and when I had no work to do, I stood holding on to theweather stanchions, looking at the raging sea, and thinking of mymother, and of the words of kindness and counsel she had so oftenbestowed upon me in vain.

  The storm ceased almost as quickly as it began, and although the sea didnot all at once stop the heavings of its angry bosom, the wind fellentirely in the course of a few hours, the dark clouds broke up intogreat masses that were piled up high into the sky, and out of the midstof these the glorious sun shone in bright rays down on the ocean, likecomfort from heaven, gladdening our hearts as we busily repaired thedamage that we had suffered from the storm.