We were doing nothing, and whistling for a breeze, when, all of a sudden, up comes five or six whales all round the ship, as if they had spied her from the bottom of the sea, and had come up to have a squint at her.

Of course the boats were manned at once, and in less than no time we were tearing after them like all alive.

But them whales were pretty wildish, I guess.

They kept us pullin' the best part of five hours before we got a chance at them.

My boat was out of sight of the ship before we made fast to a regular snorer, a hundred-barreller at the least.