A BREACH
Should the whale sound, he would stay down an hour or longer, taking out at times all the line of one or more boats.
If he took all from one and no neighbouring boat was handy to supply more, a wooden contrivance for retarding his speed called a “drug” was made fast to the end of the line and cast loose.
The men peaked their oars, waiting for the whale to reappear.
His reappearance was not a modest drifting to the surface. He was thoroughly enraged, and he came up in a manner dramatic and picturesque.
Suddenly, with the speed of an express train, he rose from the bottom, often making a clean leap out of the water and coming down with a mighty splash.
Lucky the boat’s crew that was not caught underneath.