""Oh, the ship it is ready and the wind is fair to plow the raging main!" said the captain. Of course my grandfather at once paid his fare without asking credit, and the amount was three hundred and twenty-seven dollars thirty-nine cents.
"Well, they set sail, and after going ever so many thousand miles, or hundred--I forget which, but it don"t matter--a great storm arose, a typhoon or simoon, perhaps both; and after slowly gathering up its energies for the s.p.a.ce of twenty-nine days, seven hours, and twenty-three minutes, without counting the seconds, it burst upon them at exactly forty-two minutes past five, on the sixth day of the week. Need I say that day was Friday? Now my grandfather saw all the time how it was going to end; and while the rest were praying and shrieking he had cut the lashings of the ship"s long-boat and stayed there all the time, having put on board the nautical instruments, two or three fish-hooks, a gross of lucifer matches, and a sauce-pan. At last the storm struck the ship, as I have stated, and at the first crack away went the vessel to the bottom, leaving my grandfather floating alone on the surface of the ocean.
"My grandfather navigated the long-boat fifty-two days, three hours, and twenty minutes by the ship"s chronometer; caught plenty of fish with his fish-hooks; boiled sea-water in his sauce-pan, and boiled all the salt away, making his fire in the bottom of the boat, which is a very good place, for the fire can"t burn through without touching the water, which it can"t burn; and finding plenty of fuel in the boat, which he gradually dismantled, taking first the thole-pins, then the seats, then the taffrail, and so on. This sort of thing, though, could not last forever, and at last, just in the nick of time, he came across a dead whale.
"It was floating bottom upward, covered with barnacles of very large size indeed; and where his fins projected there were two little coves, one on each side. Into the one on the lee-side he ran his boat, of which there was nothing left but the stem and stern and two side planks.
"My grandfather looked upon the whale as an island. It was a very nice country to one who had been so long in a boat, though a little monotonous. The first thing that he did was to erect the banner of his country, of which he happened to have a copy on his pocket-handkerchief; which he did by putting it at the end of an oar and sticking it in the ground, or the flesh, whichever you please to call it. He then took an observation, and proceeded to make himself a house, which he did by whittling up the remains of the long-boat, and had enough left to make a table, a chair, and a boot-jack. So here he stayed, quite comfortable, for forty-three days and a half, taking observations all the time with great accuracy; and at the end of that time all his house was gone, for he had to cut it up for fuel to cook his meals, and nothing was left but half of the boot-jack and the oar which served to uphold the banner of his country. At the end of this time a ship came up.
"The men of the ship did not know what on earth to make of this appearance on the water, where the American flag was flying. So they bore straight down toward it.
""I see a sight across the sea, hi ho cheerly men!" remarked the captain to the mate, in a confidential manner.
""Methinks it is my own countrie, hi ho cheerly men!" rejoined the other, quietly.
""It rises grandly o"er the brine, hi ho cheerly men!" said the captain.
""And bears aloft our own ensign, hi ho cheerly men!" said the mate.
"As the ship came up my grandfather placed both hands to his mouth in the shape of a speaking-trumpet, and cried out: "Ship ahoy across the wave, with a way-ay-ay-ay-ay! Storm along!"
"To which the captain of the ship responded through his trumpet: "Tis I, my messmate bold and brave, with a way-ay-ay-ay-ay! Storm along."
"At this my grandfather inquired; "What vessel are you gliding on?
Pray tell to me its name."
"And the captain replied: "Our bark it is a whaler bold, and Jones the captain"s name."
"Thereupon the captain came on board the whale, or on sh.o.r.e, whichever you like--I don"t know which, nor does it matter--he came, at any rate. My grandfather shook hands with him and asked him to sit down. But the captain declined, saying he preferred standing.
""Well," said my grandfather, "I called on you to see if you would like to buy a whale."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Buying A Whale.]
""Wa"al, yes, I don"t mind. I"m in that line myself."
""What"ll you give for it?"
""What"ll you take for it?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"
"Twenty-five minutes were taken up in the repet.i.tion of this question, for neither wished to commit himself.
""Have you had any offers for it yet?" asked Captain Jones at last.
""Wa"al, no; can"t say that I have."
""I"ll give as much as any body."
""How much?"
""What"ll you take?"
""What"ll you give?"
""What"ll you take?"