The Whale
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The whale is mentioned in the first chapter of the Bible, 21st verse. "And God created
great whales." Some suppose that large fish of every kind are here meant.
An animal called the leviathan is described in one of the last chapters of Job, which
some suppose to be the whale. It certainly means a large and strong animal, as you
will see by the questions asked about him: "Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook
? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put a hook in his nose
? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? When
he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid. The arrow cannot make him flee; he
laugheth at the shaking of a spear; he maketh the deep to boil like a pot; one would
think the deep to be hoary." This is like the whale in some things; but you will
remember that it is not certain that he is meant.
The common whale for which so many sailors are always seeking on the great ocean, is
an enormous animal. It is often found seventy feet long; and it is said that they have
been found of the length of a hundred feet. If you do not know how long this would be,
you will do well to ask some friend to tell you of a building or something else with
which you can compare it; for it is not very likely that you will ever see the whale
itself, and its size is very wonderful. It is covered with a coat of fat, sometimes more
than a yard thick; and when this is cut up and put over fires in great kettles, a hundred
barrels of oil are sometimes obtained from a single whale.
Perhaps you already know how they take the whale. As soon as the sailors see one,
they go towards him in a boat until they get as near to him as they dare. Then they
throw their harpoons at him; these are sharp-pointed irons, fastened to a very long
rope, one end of which they keep in the boat. As soon as the whale is wounded, he
dives down into the water, and swims away to some distance. He is usually obliged to
come up again in about half an hour to breathe, for he cannot live all the while under
water; and then the men throw other harpoons at him. Sometimes he comes so near
as to upset the boat with a blow of his strong tail. The picture shows you a scene of
this kind, where the boat was tossed into the air, the men thrown out, and one of
them drowned.
great whales." Some suppose that large fish of every kind are here meant.
An animal called the leviathan is described in one of the last chapters of Job, which
some suppose to be the whale. It certainly means a large and strong animal, as you
will see by the questions asked about him: "Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook
? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put a hook in his nose
? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? When
he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid. The arrow cannot make him flee; he
laugheth at the shaking of a spear; he maketh the deep to boil like a pot; one would
think the deep to be hoary." This is like the whale in some things; but you will
remember that it is not certain that he is meant.
The common whale for which so many sailors are always seeking on the great ocean, is
an enormous animal. It is often found seventy feet long; and it is said that they have
been found of the length of a hundred feet. If you do not know how long this would be,
you will do well to ask some friend to tell you of a building or something else with
which you can compare it; for it is not very likely that you will ever see the whale
itself, and its size is very wonderful. It is covered with a coat of fat, sometimes more
than a yard thick; and when this is cut up and put over fires in great kettles, a hundred
barrels of oil are sometimes obtained from a single whale.
Perhaps you already know how they take the whale. As soon as the sailors see one,
they go towards him in a boat until they get as near to him as they dare. Then they
throw their harpoons at him; these are sharp-pointed irons, fastened to a very long
rope, one end of which they keep in the boat. As soon as the whale is wounded, he
dives down into the water, and swims away to some distance. He is usually obliged to
come up again in about half an hour to breathe, for he cannot live all the while under
water; and then the men throw other harpoons at him. Sometimes he comes so near
as to upset the boat with a blow of his strong tail. The picture shows you a scene of
this kind, where the boat was tossed into the air, the men thrown out, and one of
them drowned.
