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No wonder old whalemen despise the easier and safer methods of steam whaling practised by the Norwegians in Canadian and other waters at the present day. And yet steam whaling is not without some thrilling risks. The steamers are speedy, handy, small, about one hundred tons or so, with the latest pattern of the explosive harpoon gun originally invented by Sven Foyn in 1880.
"I took the Harpoon down myself, and hired a skipper to take the Nukahiva. Before doing so, however, I overhauled their gear and installed gas engines in them also only I'd learned something by this time. I bought second-hand engines, rebuilt, but with a guaranty, and they cost me a thousand dollars less than new engines.
It was evidently badly wounded, for had it been only slightly hurt it would probably have dived. Meetuck immediately seized his harpoon, and rushed towards the struggling monster, while Fred grasped a gun, and O'Riley a harpoon, and ran to his assistance. West remained to keep back the dogs.
Then he swam away under water with the bladder float, and folded it up under his arm, and took out the air from it, and swam in towards land, and swam and swam until he came to the land near by where his kayak was lying. Then he went to it, and having taken out the point of the harpoon, he went out hunting. He struck a black seal, and rowed home at once.
It flashed across my mind at that moment that as those on board the Abraham Lincoln, having once seen the effect of Ned Land's harpoon when it struck the Nautilus, could not but have concluded their enemy was no monster of the deep though indeed a monster of man's contriving the warships of all nations would now be on the look-out for the Nautilus, and we on board it could scarcely hope for mercy.
He had risen to his feet and without a word more he came down the shingle again towards the workers, walking in a leisurely way and trailing the harpoon along. He approached Chang who turned on him again with the anger of a busy man importuned by a beggar.
Hussey concerning the nearest way to bed; but, as Queequeg was about to precede me up the stairs, the lady reached forth her arm, and demanded his harpoon; she allowed no harpoon in her chambers. "Why not? said I; "every true whaleman sleeps with his harpoon but why not?" "Because it's dangerous," says she.
In the circuit of a single week, happening to be thrown daily and busily into "her" society, "the harpoon had struck." He chose the phrase as an honest yet delicate reminder of the compact made when last the two chums had ridden together. All three of the Callenders were in the evening group, and the five talked about an illumination of the city, set for the following night.
The harpoon fortunately happened to be attached to a large buoy, called by whalers a drogue, which was jerked out of the boat like a cannon-shot as the whale went down, carrying harpoon and drogue along with it. "Well done, lad," cried the captain, in great delight, "you've made a noble beginning! Now, lads, pull gently ahead, she won't go far with such an ornament as that dangling at her neck.
What could a harpoon have to say for itself? Do not, however, let this miserable entrance-hall alarm you, at the same time, for the fate of the mouthful thus presented half-dressed to the oesophagus. You will find it only so much the better treated within.
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