Beadle's Boy's Library of Sport, Story, and Adventure, No. 37 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

—— — ——- — —— = =< is Ve Old Tar Knuckle and His Boy Chums. —+-— —— water with his wrinkled head, which, sprinkled here and there with barnacles, looked as if it contained a hundred wicked eyes. “Lively, mates!” cried Knuckle. “We mustn’t let that chance slip us.” The Esquimaux had also seen the whale. As the old tar spoke, not one of, the visitors remained in the room. “They are going for that whale, too!” de- clared To ~. “Ay, ay!” asserted Knuckle; ‘‘ but we must git ahead of ’em. Come, Jads, we'll have to put lightnin’ in the boat to beat them fellows!” ‘How about our house?” asked Tom. ** We can lock it up.” Accordingly, the windows having been se- curely fastened and the door locked, Knuckle and his companions hurried to the hollow in the rock which served for a boat-house. The boat was quickly launched. Tom Hasler, as harpooner, pulled the bow- oar, Yonkitt the after-oar, and Nye the tub-oar, while Knuckle held the steering-oar—the one which is used to steer a whale boat. Of course, there being only four men, the crew was not a full one—which consists of six. Nevertheless they worked well, and the light vessel sped swiftly on, ‘Make her fly, lads! make her fly!” ordered old Knuckle, who stood with his legs astraddle in the stern-sheets. ‘‘Spring your backbones, and make her jump!” ** Hoo-law! boatee go streakee! hoao-law!” shouted Yonkitt, who pulled a magnificent stroke. ‘We're ahead of them Esquimaux! they haven’t waked up yet!” announced the mate, ‘‘and we'll be on top of the whale before they open their eyes, my lads, if you work sharp!” Yonkitt laughed. ‘Him Hsquimaux very quick,” he warned, as he looked off the larboard bsam—* see!” Following the direction of his glance, Knuckle, to his surprise and chagrin, beheld two long, light boats, so airy and transparent that they seemed rather to skim over, than to touch the water, and to blend with it. Each of them contained four shaggy occu- pants, whose long paddles flashed like broad rays of light as they were plied with a rapidity which was truly marvelous. These light crafts had hitherto been hidden by a ridge of ice that extended outward from the sbore. Knuckle pulled a plug of tobacco from his pocket and bit off nearly a quarter of if. He exhorted his crew in an animated manner as he rolled his cud from side to side. The bovs did their best, but the Esquimaux kept gain- ing. Neanwhile there was the whale, now not more than fifteen fathoms ahead, his huge brow still mig 4 scooping the water, and his spout now and then gushing upward with a noise like the rush of steam from a pipe. The Esquimaux boats by this time were so near that they could be plainly seen by the American whalemen. Each craft was about ten feet long, made of the ribs of the walrus, with sealskin tightly fastened over them. They were sharply pointed at both ends, and as stated, were transparent. The paddles used were about five feet in length, and were neatly covered with skins. In spite of every exertion of the boys, the Esquimaux were soon abreast of the boat. ** Now, lads, don’t let ’em pass us!” cried the old salt. But, even as he spoke, the sealskin boats lange skimmed past, aud darting on, were soon a full cable’s length ahead. All at once, however, they stopped, and their occupants good-naturedly permitted the Beacon’s crew to pass them. ‘Thank ye!” growled Knuckle, annoyed even by this concession on the part of the Eequimaux. ‘Thank ye, but if we bad a full crew, I don’t think you’d have needed to stop for us to pass you,” E ' : Yonkitt laughed, showing his white teeth. 2 uimaux boat go like the wind,” “Now, Tom, stand up!” ordered Knuckle, Hasler sprung to his feet. There was the whale not seven fathoms ahead. ‘Give it to him!” yelled the old tar. Whiz-z!. went the barbed iron, as Tom hurled it, with unerring aim. It struck the whale’s barnacled hump, and was buried there to the very socket. When first struck the whale usually sounds— that is to say dives into the depths under water. He may roll sideways, whisk about, or use bis flukes fcr two or three seconds before going down, but never longer. , The monster now fastened to, gave one tre- mendous sheer to larboard, threw up his flukes and brought them down sideways toward the boat, which, had they struck it, would have been shattered like an eggshell. But old Knuckle, the moment he perceived that Tom’s iron was in the whale, had given the usual command— which means ‘*‘ to back water:” ‘*Starn! starn!” Yonkitt, Tom, and Nye backed from the huge animal just in time, The flukes barely grazing the light cedar planks, struck the water with a noise like a cannon-shot, enveloping the boat in a cloud, of spray. Then, lifting his huge, uncouth head for an instant, down went the huge monster, diving into the depths of his ocean home. Instantly, as is always the case at this time, the harpooner changed places with his cfficer. He sprung to the stern-sheets and seized the steering-oar, while Knuckle took his place in the bo w. Away went the line, humming as it ran around the logger-head, while the boat, her forward gunwale almost under water, shot through the sea with the speed of a whirlwind, dragged by the old ocean-king speeding along in the depths below. Yonkitt threw water upon the smoking line to keep it from burning, while old Knuckle, Hasler and Nye gave three rousing cbeers. ‘Hoo! hoo! boolaw! hoolaw!” yelled the Esquimaux in their boats astern, Boong-ker! boong! boong! boong! boonger- boong! went the line, as it ran through the chocks of the boat. ‘*Good-by!” shouted Knuckle, waving his hat to the Esquimaux. ‘‘ Your skin-boats are of no account now, my lads!” ‘* Hock-e-law! hi-yaw-hoo!” was borne back from the wild Northmen, as they paddled toward the fast boat, : “There she rips! there sbe streaks it!” said Tom, as the boat redoubled her speed. ae; are said old Knuckle, ‘‘he’s a r’al sresners that whale, and knows what he’s about!’ As Knuckle spoke, he selected several of the best lances he could find, and holding one care- lessly, looked about him, Directly ahead, a mile off, were masses of ice —some of them twenty feet in hight. Straight toward them the boat was heading, but the old tar hoped that the whale would come up before reaching them. Nearer to the floe drew the boat every moment. Should it be dragged into the ice the eril would be extreme. To strike one of those ergs at a much less rate of speed than the present must result in its destruction. The old fourth mate looked at Nye. ‘* Lad,” said he, ‘‘ 1 was charged to take good eare of you. If we get much nearer to the ice, Ill have to cut from the whale.” Charley’s eyes flashed. **No! no!” he protested; ‘‘don’t cut on my account! Hold on, I say, to the whale!” Knuckle smiled. His mouth never before looked so wide. ‘“ Ay, ’'m for holding on, too!” declared Tom, “‘even to the death.” “To the death, say I, too, and arterwards, for that matter!” cried Knuckle. At that moment the speed of the boat began to slacken, indicating that the whale was pre- paring to come up, ‘Haul line!” shouted the old mate a few minutes later, as the rope ceased to run, The boys pulled with a will, and soon bad the line taut, Yonkitt having carefully coiled the slack of it in the tub. The boat was within twenty feet of the ice- floe, when a sort of hollow, roaring sound was heard, followed by a buzzing noise like that of a revolving saw. All at once the water, not ten fathoms ahead, was seen to go round and round in a circle of little eddies, ‘Stand by!” shouted the fourth mate. As he spoke, the water parted in the center of the little whirlpool, ooh up rose the levia- than, his huge body shooting half its length out of the sea, with the line which was attac ed to the iron sticking in the hump, flying into the air. ‘‘ Pull ahead!” cried Knuckle, as he balanced his long lance in his right hand. The crew seized oars and obeyed. As soon as he was within darting distance, Knuckle burled his weapon, which, with un- erring precision, was buried in the body of the Sea monster. The moment be felt the lance, the monster gave one tremendous, sidelong sheer toward the boat, and raising his flukes, sent them right and / oe left, beating the sea with the rapidity of a windmill. Slap! bang! ker-boong! crash! ker-whish! went the huge tail, fanning the air about the heads of the crew and scattering the spray around them in clouds, ‘Starp! starn!’? roared old Knuckle, as he buried bis lance again and again in the writh- ing, bounding body of the whale, ** Hoo-law! hoo-hoo-hoolaw!” screamed Yon- kitt. W hiz-z-z! whiz-z! whisk! went the flying line the boys dodging the bights as they cireled abont their ears, ‘Pull ahead!” yelled the mate, The oarsmen obeyed, and now the old tar was in the thick of the fight. With a thump the boat’s bow struck the side of the leviathan, and Knuckle with his lance commenced to churn the huge animal’s body. The hissing, blinding spray, the thunder of the falling flukes, the roar of the nolling waters, the shouts of Yonkitt, the cheers of Hasler and Nye, the loud rushing of the whale-spout, and, not far astern, the yells of the Esquimaux, who were paddling up “ like mad,” created a most unearthly din. Through it al. Knuckle remained coo) and steady, using his lance with deadly precision and endeavoring to reach the life spot, which is seldom done, owing to the rapidity of the whale’s movements; The keen eye of the old tar noting every move of his adversary, he suddenly bawled out; ‘‘SrTarn!” in a voice that made his hearers jump. A sudden spasm had seemed to convulse the Cganite barnacled body. The huge head was whirled round, and with one tremendous effort the whale sprung the full length of bis form from the sea, and thus, for an instant, hung sus- vended, with outstretched fins, directly over the ry0at! Well was it. that Knuckle had given the order to ‘‘starn” in time! Down came the enormous living mass, just missing the boat, and striking the sea with the din of twenty thunderbolts! ** Pull ahead!” roared Knuckle again, and again bis lance churned the whale. But the latter now, with plunging bounds, made directly for the ice, and reaching it, whisked about among the bergs, staining ant with his blood, Again came the order to pull ahead, and soon the planks of the boat grated through the ice. As Knuckle plied his lance, the infuriated monster, era e round like lightning, dashed forward with bis huge, bar- nacled head directed toward the boat, “Starn!’ howled Knuckle, and the boys en- deavored to obey. But the ice was in the way, and jammed against one of the bergs, with other masses all around it, the little craft could not be worked, and thus, at last, it was at the mercy of the King of the Sea. Cool and composed, Knuckle still plunged his lance into the enemy. But the monstrous head came surging on like a great moving rock, its barnacles gleaming like hundreds of evil eyes, while, still scattered by the limber flukes, the balf-blinding spray whirled between it and the imperiled crew. “It’s all up with us, lads!” cried the old sea- man as he continued to ply bis lance, ‘‘ we’re cornered now!” Caught in a bight of the berg, none of the occupants of the craft could save themselves by jumping out of their vessel, for the ice, a steep wall, hemmed them in on three sides. ** Hoo-aw!” shrieked Yonkitt, ‘‘ We no can git away!” ‘* We're as good as dead, for that matter!” con- fessed Knuckle, mournfully. In fact tbe enormous head of the whale, com- ing swiftly on, now not seven fathoms distant, must dash the boat to fragments the moment it should strike it, and kill every one of the crew! CHAPTER III. A MYSTERY. WHILE the Beacon’s boat’s crew were thus anticipating a terrible death, two shafts of light appeared to dart swiftly through a chan- nel between a couple of ice-bergs to the right of the whale. These were nothing more nor less than the two transparent soalakin boats of the Esqui- maux, who by this time had succeeded in reach- ing we floe. ne glance showed them the perilous situa- tion of the party in the ice-cove. Yonkitt gave a of joy on seeing his coun- trymen, but Knuckle shook his head, s beg ‘Too far off to help us!” be averred, Such really appeared to be the case, for Eomichbooks 3 ;