Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/89

 A WHALE IN SIGHT. 6/ — . " Ah, Jack, my boy," chuckled the captaîn, " the whale little thînks who are watching hîm enjoy hîs breàkfast ! " " Yes," saîd the boatswain ; " a dozen such gentlemen as that would freîght a craft twîce the size of ours ; but this one, îf only we can get him, will go a good way fowards fillîng our empty barrels." " Rather rough work, you know/' said Dick, " to attack a finback ! " " You are rîght, Dîck," answered the captaîn ; " the boat has yet to be built whîch is strong enough to resist the flap of a jubarte's tail." " But the profit is worth the risk, captain, isn*t it ? " " You are right again, Dick," replied Captain Hull, and as he spoke, he clambered on to the bowsprit in order that he mîght get a better view of the whale. The crevv were as eager as their captain. Mounted on the fore-shrouds, they scanned the movements of their coveted prey in the distance, freely descanting upon the profit to be made out of a good finback and declaring that ît would be a thousand pitiés if this chance of filling the casks below should be permitted to be lost. Captain Hull was perplexed. He bit his nails and knitted hîs brow. " Mamma ! " cried little Jack, *' I should so much like to see a whale close, — quite close, you know." "And so you shall, my boy," replied the captain, who was standing by, and had come to the résolve that if his men would back him, he would make an attempt to capture the prîze. He tumed to hîs crew, — " My men ! what do you think ? shall We make the ven ture ? Remember, we are ail alone ; we hâve no whale-' men to help us ; we must rely upon ourselves ; I hâve thrown a harpoon before now; I can throw a harpoon again ; what do you say ? " The crew responded wîth a ringing cheer, — F 2
 * Ay, ay, sir l Ay, ay l "