Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/369

OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 129 nesses of the success of their friends in this new under taking. Betts also took a party in the Martha. The Abraham, too, was in company ; while the Nesharnony was sent to leeward, to keep a look-out in that quarter, lest the natives should take it into their heads to visit the group, while so many of its fighting-men, fully a hundred altoge ther, were absent. It is true, those who stayed at home were fully able to beat off Waally and his followers ; but the governor thought it prudent to have a look-out. Such was the difference produced by habit. When the whole force of the colony consisted of less than twenty men, it was thought sufficient to protect itself, could it be brought to act together ; whereas, now, when ten times twenty were left at home, unusual caution was deemed necessary, be cause the colony was weakened by this expedition of so many of its members. But everything is comparative with man. When all was ready, the whaling expedition sailed; the governor leading on board the Mermaid, which had no less than forty females in her Bridget and Anne being among them. The vessels went out by the southern channel, passing through the strait at the bridge in order to do so. This course was taken, as it would be easier to turn to windward in the open water between the south cnpe and the Peak, than to do it in the narrow passages between the islands of the group. The Mermaid led off handsomely, sparing the Henlopen her courses and royals. Even the Abraham could spare the last vessel her foresail, the new purchase turning out to be anything but a traveller. The women wondered how so slow a vessel could ever catch a whale! The direction steered by the fleet carried it close under the weather side of the Peak, the summit of which was crowded by the population, to see so unusual and pleasing a sight. The Martha led, carrying rather more sail, in proportion to her size, than the Mermaid. It happened, by one of those vagaries of fortune which so often thwart the best calculations, that a spout was seen to windward of the cliffs, at a moment when the sloop was about a league nearer to it than any other vessel. Now, every vessel in the fleet had its whale-boat and whale-boat s crew ; though