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"No, sir; it is evidently a gigantic narwhal, and an electric one."
"Perhaps," added I, "one can only approach it with a torpedo."
CHAPTER VI 19
"Undoubtedly," replied the captain, "if it possesses such dreadful power, it is the most terrible animal that ever
was created. That is why, sir, I must be on my guard."
The crew were on their feet all night. No one thought of sleep. The Abraham Lincoln, not being able to
struggle with such velocity, had moderated its pace, and sailed at half speed. For its part, the narwhal,
imitating the frigate, let the waves rock it at will, and seemed decided not to leave the scene of the struggle.
Towards midnight, however, it disappeared, or, to use a more appropriate term, it "died out" like a large
glow-worm. Had it fled? One could only fear, not hope it. But at seven minutes to one o'clock in the morning
a deafening whistling was heard, like that produced by a body of water rushing with great violence.
The captain, Ned Land, and I were then on the poop, eagerly peering through the profound darkness.
"Ned Land," asked the commander, "you have often heard the roaring of whales?"
"Often, sir; but never such whales the sight of which brought me in two thousand dollars. If I can only
approach within four harpoons' length of it!"
"But to approach it," said the commander, "I ought to put a whaler at your disposal?"
"Certainly, sir."
"That will be trifling with the lives of my men."
"And mine too," simply said the harpooner.
Towards two o'clock in the morning, the burning light reappeared, not less intense, about five miles to
windward of the Abraham Lincoln. Notwithstanding the distance, and the noise of the wind and sea, one heard
distinctly the loud strokes of the animal's tail, and even its panting breath. It seemed that, at the moment that
the enormous narwhal had come to take breath at the surface of the water, the air was engulfed in its lungs,
like the steam in the vast cylinders of a machine of two thousand horse-power.
"Hum!" thought I, "a whale with the strength of a cavalry regiment would be a pretty whale!"
We were on the qui vive till daylight, and prepared for the combat. The fishing implements were laid along
the hammock nettings. The second lieutenant loaded the blunder busses, which could throw harpoons to the
distance of a mile, and long duck-guns, with explosive bullets, which inflicted mortal wounds even to the
most terrible animals. Ned Land contented himself with sharpening his harpoon--a terrible weapon in his
hands.
At six o'clock day began to break; and, with the first glimmer of light, the electric light of the narwhal
disappeared. At seven o'clock the day was sufficiently advanced, but a very thick sea fog obscured our view,
and the best spy glasses could not pierce it. That caused disappointment and anger.
I climbed the mizzen-mast. Some officers were already perched on the mast-heads. At eight o'clock the fog
lay heavily on the waves, and its thick scrolls rose little by little. The horizon grew wider and clearer at the
same time. Suddenly, just as on the day before, Ned Land's voice was heard:
"The thing itself on the port quarter!" cried the harpooner.
Every eye was turned towards the point indicated. There, a mile and a half from the frigate, a long blackish
body emerged a yard above the waves. Its tail, violently agitated, produced a considerable eddy. Never did a
tail beat the sea with such violence. An immense track, of dazzling whiteness, marked the passage of the
CHAPTER VI 20
animal, and described a long curve.
The frigate approached the cetacean. I examined it thoroughly.
The reports of the Shannon and of the Helvetia had rather exaggerated its size, and I estimated its length at
only two hundred and fifty feet. As to its dimensions, I could only conjecture them to be admirably
proportioned. While I watched this phenomenon, two jets of steam and water were ejected from its vents, and
rose to the height of 120 feet; thus I ascertained its way of breathing. I concluded definitely that it belonged to
the vertebrate branch, class mammalia.
The crew waited impatiently for their chief's orders. The latter, after having observed the animal attentively,
called the engineer. The engineer ran to him.
"Sir," said the commander, "you have steam up?"
"Yes, sir," answered the engineer.
"Well, make up your fires and put on all steam."
Three hurrahs greeted this order. The time for the struggle had arrived. Some moments after, the two funnels
of the frigate vomited torrents of black smoke, and the bridge quaked under the trembling of the boilers.
The Abraham Lincoln, propelled by her wonderful screw, went straight at the animal. The latter allowed it to
come within half a cable's length; then, as if disdaining to dive, it took a little turn, and stopped a short
distance off.
This pursuit lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour, without the frigate gaining two yards on the cetacean. It
was quite evident that at that rate we should never come up with it.
"Well, Mr. Land," asked the captain, "do you advise me to put the boats out to sea?"
"No, sir," replied Ned Land; "because we shall not take that beast easily."
"What shall we do then?"
"Put on more steam if you can, sir. With your leave, I mean to post myself under the bowsprit, and, if we get
within harpooning distance, I shall throw my harpoon."
"Go, Ned," said the captain. "Engineer, put on more pressure."
Ned Land went to his post. The fires were increased, the screw revolved forty-three times a minute, and the
steam poured out of the valves. We heaved the log, and calculated that the Abraham Lincoln was going at the
rate of 18 1/2 miles an hour.
But the accursed animal swam at the same speed.
For a whole hour the frigate kept up this pace, without gaining six feet. It was humiliating for one of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]