In the Land of the Long White Cloud

lying in their berths at that early hour of the morning. The men sprang up at once and stormed onto the deck at lightning speed. They were wound up and energized by the thrill of the hunt, which was no wonder. When successful, the whalers received premiums that enhanced their meager pay. When Lucas came on deck, he saw the skipper gazing over the side, frowning at the whale, which was playing a game with the waves within sight of the New Zealand coast.
    “Gorgeous specimen!” Milford rejoiced. “Huge! I hope we take him. If we do, we’ll fill half the barrels today. He’s fat as a pig ready for slaughter!”
    The men bellowed with laughter. It was Lucas’s first encounter with a whale, and he was having trouble viewing the majestic and fearless animal before them as prey.

    The powerful sperm whale, almost as big as the whole
Pretty Peg
, slid elegantly through the waves, leaping out from time to time, turning and twisting in the air like a bucking, carefree horse, with a pure embodiment of the joy of life. How were they supposed to bring this gigantic animal down? And why did they want to destroy this beauty? Lucas could hardly get enough of the grace and sprightliness displayed by the whale despite its immense mass.
    The other men, however, had no eyes for that. They were already separating themselves into teams and assembling around their individual boat commanders. Copper waved Lucas over to him. Apparently, he was among the select few who commanded their own boats.
    “This is it, boys!” The skipper ran excitedly around the deck and gave the boats their launching orders. His core crew performed as a well-rehearsed team. The men lowered the small but sturdy rowboatsskillfully into the water—six rowers took their places in each one, followed by the boat commanders and harpooners, and sometimes a boatsteerer as well. To Lucas, the harpooners looked very tiny in comparison to the animal they wanted to bring down. But Copper merely laughed when he made a comment to that effect.
    “The size is what does it, boy! Sure, a single shot just tickles the beast. But six’ll lay ’im low. Then we pull ’im up to the ship an’ cut the fat from ’im. Hard work but worth it. And the skipper there ain’t greedy. If we bag that one, we’ll all be getting a couple extra dollars. So put your back in it!”
    The sea was not too rough that day, and the rowboats quickly neared the whale. It did not seem to be trying to escape. On the contrary, it seemed to find the commotion of boats all around it quite diverting and made a few extra leaps, as though entertaining an audience—until the first harpoon struck home.

    A harpooner from boat one rammed a spear into the animal’s fin. Shocked and annoyed, the whale threw itself around and swam directly at Copper’s boat.
    “Careful around its tail! When he’s seriously hurt, he’ll flap around. Don’t get too close, boys!”
    Copper gave directions as he aimed for the whale’s rib cage. He finally landed the second hit, which he placed much better than the first. The whale seemed to be weakening. Now an onslaught of harpoons rained down on the animal. Lucas watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as the whale reared up under the assault, now trying to flee but too late. The harpoons were attached to ropes, which was how the whale was to be hauled back to the ship. The whale was now almost deranged with pain and fear. It tore at its bonds, occasionally succeeding in pulling out one of the harpoons. But the whale bled from dozens of wounds, and the water around it foamed red. Lucas was nauseated by this theater, by the merciless slaughter of this majestic creature. The battle of the colossus against its opponentsraged for hours, and the men poured all their strength into rowing, throwing, and pulling on the ropes to overcome the whale. Lucas did not notice the blisters forming and bursting on his hands. Nor did he feel any fear when Copper, determined to distinguish himself, came ever closer to the thrashing, dying whale. Lucas felt nothing but disgust and sympathy for the creature fighting valiantly until its last breath. He could hardly comprehend having a part in this unfair fight, nor could he abandon his crew. He was here now, and his life too depended on the whale being brought down. He could ponder it all later.
    Finally the whale floated motionless in the water. Lucas did not know whether it was really dead or simply exhausted, but regardless, the men