Part 1 (1/2)
The Boy With the U S Fisheries
by Francis Rolt-Wheeler
PREFACE
Treasure-shi+ps, bearing richer cargoes than any galleons that crossed the Spanish Main, still sail over the ocean to-day, but we call the sators of old still is found beneath oilskins and a sou'wester, but the heroes give their lives to gain food for the world instead of knowledge; and the thrilling quest of piercing the reater fascination than when it seeks to probe the unfathoreat reater than to destroy it, so is the true savior of the seas the Fisheries craft, not the battleshi+p; so is the hatchery htier than the fortress, the net or the ood than the torpedo or the Nordenfeldt
The Bureau of Fisheries for the United States Government, Mr Chas
Frederick Holder and his associates for the anglers of America, and the sturdy and honorable class of conity and value one of the oldest and greatest of all industries Not till the waste of waters is tamed as has been the wilderness of land will their work be done, and the Fisheries Bureau must ever remain in the forefront of such endeavor To reveal the incalculable riches of this vast domain of rivers, lakes, and seas; to show the devotion of those whose lives are spent ae, skill, and youth may find a road to serve America and all the world beside, is the aim and purpose of
THE AUTHOR
THE BOY WITH THE U S FISHERIES
CHAPTER I
MAROONED BY A WHALE
”There she blows!”
Colin Dare, as sitting beside the broken whale-gun and who had been proo in the boat that would be put out frohted, jumped to his feet at the cry froerly, rushi+ng to the rail and staring as hard as he could at the heaving gray waters of the Behring Sea
”There she blo-o-ows!” again cried the lookout, in the long echoing call of the old-ti out his hand, he pointed to a spot in the ocean about three points off the starboard bow Colin's glance followed the direction, and almost immediately he saw the faint cloud of vapor which showed that a whale had just spouted
”Do you suppose that's a whalebone whale, Hank?” asked the boy, turning to a lithe Yankee sea-dog with a scraggy gray beard who had been busily working over the un
”No sayin',” was the cautious reply, ”we're too fur off to be able to tell yet a while How fur away do you reckon we be?”
”A ht to catch up with the whale pretty soon, oughtn't we?”
”That depends,” the gunner answered, ”on whether the whale's willin' or not He ain't goin' to stay, right there”
”But you usually do catch up?”
”If it's a 'right' whale we generally try to, an' havin' steam to help us out makes a pile o' difference Now, in the ol' days, I've seen a dozen whales to wind'ard an' we couldn't get to 'em at all By the tihted, they were gone”
”Well, I hope this is a 'right' whale,” Colin said with emphatic earnestness
”Why this one 'specially?” the old sailor asked
”I heard Captain Murchison say that if we caun was out of order, rather than lose a chance, he would send a boat out in the old-fashi+oned way”
”An' you want to see how it's done, eh?”