Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 86: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

84. Adventure bomb to the paint-locker an’ give it a dab o’ red lead so if sometime it should happen to get mixed up with any of the others we can tell it at a glance. And then put it back where ye got it from.” Handing Smuts the bomb, he turned to the mate. “Tf all whalemen was as non-progressive as ye be, Mr. Deedham,”’ he observed bit- ingly, “‘we’d still be goin’ after whales with bows an’ arrers like them Gay Head Injuns used to. That there bomb ain’t wuth a —, eh? Till show ye. Why, sir, Id stake my entire v’yage on the bomb:an’ my rep’tation as a judge o’ human nater on Professer Enderby. I’m reely s’prized at ye, Mr. Deedham, ye seem to be as im- perv ous to new ideas as a salt codfish. ‘‘Jest to prove to ye that my judgment is as sound as ever I’m a-goin to throw that there bomb into the fust thing in the shape o’ a whale that comes along an’ Mr. Deed- ham you’re a-goin’ to see sunthin’ when that volcaner strikes. Yessur, you'll see sunthin’ surprizin’ or my name ain’t Elijah J. Mallett.” gS projectile soon vibrated throughout the ship. And the fact that the captain had sworn to use it at the first opportunity was a source of much gratifica- tion to all hands for they had immediately become as eager as a hunter with a new gun to see this wonder-working missile in action. Day after day while the old Sankaty was cruising slowly down to St. Helena, the eyes of the lookouts probed unceasingly the blinding glare of waters in search of a spout. Then of a sudden, one Monday morning, when they were in Lon. 26—47 W. Lat., 7—13 5., well to the westward of Ascension, the tenacious whalemen got their chance. “TI do b’lieve that there bull has been asleep on the bottom o’ the ocean for at least two weeks,” observed Captain Mallett as the boats were lowering. ‘His head an’ jaw is just plumb covered with barnacles an’ grass. He’s a ol’-timer an’ll likely prove fractious. Set your sails an’ work up to wind’ard o’ him an’ then run down. Take yer time an’ be keerful. Ye got all day an’ whatever ye do don’t galley* him.” After thus counseling his officers Captain Mallett took the Enderby bomb, now * Frighten. NEWS of this marvellous explosive marked with a broad band of red paint, from the hand of Smuts, and dropping into his boat joined in the pursuit of this freak- ish-looking whale. — IF, AS the captain surmized, the x giant bull had been having a pro- ¥" “4 longed nap prior to his appearance, he had, assuredly awakened very much re- freshed for no sooner did he feel the prick of the four irons as the captain and mate fastened to him than he immediately had business on the other side of the globe. Hollowing his back and swinging his enormous junk withamuffled roar that shook the water, he tore dead to windward, cleaving the seas. with the speed of a tor- pedo-boat, the boats swooping behind him in two streaks of boiling foam, the captain and mate, their legs straddled in the stern- sheets, gripping the long steering-oars, their eyes snapping in this Nantucket sleigh- ride with an excitement that was ever new. 3 The second and third mates’ boats which had come up to assist were left behind as if they were at anchor, while all the crews of the fast boats could do was to sit facing forward, hands on the bar-taut line and wait patiently until this ocean-greyhound slack- ened speed and gave them a chance to haul up on him. In something like a half-hour the t’gal- lants’ls of the Sankaty were just visible glinting against the mottled blue sky when, of a sudden, the bull veered his course to starboard nearly three points. This change allowed the men to haul in a few fathoms of line but as the whale had not slackened speed as soon as the slack of the lines was in they were powerless to haul the boats any closer. They were, however, within bombing distance, and the captain and mate got out the bomb-guns, and began firing. ‘Twenty- three bombs were fired but for some reason, the distance being too great or the whale having an exceptionally tough hide, they ail failed to bury but projected from the bull until his glistening back resembled an immense black satin cushion stuck full of pins. : “‘Set-fire! I’m all outer bombs!” yelled Mr. Deedham despairingly across the seeth- ing waters. ‘‘Why in ——, cap’n don’t ye fire that chem’cal bomb ye set such a tarnal store by, an’ put: a kink in him. He'll COMmICMOOOkKS. CGO