AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE This unexpected fall so stunned me that I have no clear recollection of my sensations at the time.

I was at first drawn down to a depth of about twenty feet.

I am a good swimmer (though without pretending to rival Byron or Edgar Poe, who were masters of the art), and in that plunge I did not lose my presence of mind.

Two vigorous strokes brought me to the surface of the water.

My first care was to look for the frigate.