The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen Page 9

  CHAPTER VII

  _The Baron relates his adventures on a voyage to North America, whichare well worth the reader's attention--Pranks of a whale--A sea-gullsaves a sailor's life--The Baron's head forced into his stomach--Adangerous leak stopped a posteriori._

  I embarked at Portsmouth in a first-rate English man-of-war, of onehundred guns, and fourteen hundred men, for North America. Nothing worthrelating happened till we arrived within three hundred leagues of theriver St. Laurence, when the ship struck with amazing force against (aswe supposed) a rock; however, upon heaving the lead we could find nobottom, even with three hundred fathom. What made this circumstancethe more wonderful, and indeed beyond all comprehension, was, thatthe violence of the shock was such that we lost our rudder, broke ourbowsprit in the middle, and split all our masts from top to bottom, twoof which went by the board; a poor fellow, who was aloft furling themainsheet, was flung at least three leagues from the ship; but hefortunately saved his life by laying hold of the tail of a largesea-gull, who brought him back, and lodged him on the very spot fromwhence he was thrown. Another proof of the violence of the shock was theforce with which the people between decks were driven against the floorsabove them; my head particularly was pressed into my stomach, where itcontinued some months before it recovered its natural situation. Whilstwe were all in a state of astonishment at the general and unaccountableconfusion in which we were involved, the whole was suddenly explainedby the appearance of a large whale, who had been basking, asleep,within sixteen feet of the surface of the water. This animal was so muchdispleased with the disturbance which our ship had given him--for in ourpassage we had with our rudder scratched his nose--that he beat in allthe gallery and part of the quarter-deck with his tail, and almost atthe same instant took the mainsheet anchor, which was suspended, asit usually is, from the head, between his teeth, and ran away with theship, at least sixty leagues, at the rate of twelve leagues an hour,when fortunately the cable broke, and we lost both the whale and theanchor. However, upon our return to Europe, some months after, we foundthe same whale within a few leagues of the same spot, floating dead uponthe water; it measured above half a mile in length. As we could take buta small quantity of such a monstrous animal on board, we got our boatsout, and with much difficulty cut off his head, where, to our great joy,we found the anchor, and above forty fathom of the cable, concealed onthe left side of his mouth, just under his tongue. [Perhaps this was thecause of his death, as that side of his tongue was much swelled, witha great degree of inflammation.] This was the only extraordinarycircumstance that happened on this voyage. One part of our distress,however, I had like to have forgot: while the whale was running awaywith the ship she sprung a leak, and the water poured in so fast, thatall our pumps could not keep us from sinking; it was, however, my goodfortune to discover it first. I found it a large hole about a footdiameter; you will naturally suppose this circumstance gives me infinitepleasure, when I inform you that this noble vessel was preserved, withall its crew, by a most fortunate thought! in short, I sat down overit, and could have dispensed with it had it been larger; nor will yoube surprised when I inform you I am descended from Dutch parents. [TheBaron's ancestors have but lately settled there; in another part of hisadventures he boasts of royal blood.]

  My situation, while I sat there, was rather cool, but the carpenter'sart soon relieved me.