CHAPTER105DoestheWhale'sMagnitudeDi

inasmuch,then,asthisleviathancomesflounderingdownuponusfromthehead-watersoftheeternities,itmaybefitlyinquired,whether,inthelongcourseofhisgenerations,hehasnotdegeneratedfromtheoriginalbulkofhissires.

butuponinvestigationwefind,thatnotonlyarethewhalesofthepresentdaysuperiorinmagnitudetothosewhosefossilremainsarefoundinthetertiarysystem(embracingadistinctgeologicalperiodpriortoman),butofthewhalesfoundinthattertiarysystem,thosebelongingtoitslatterformationsexceedinsizethoseofitsearlierones.

ofallthepre-adamitewhalesyetexhumed,byfarthelargestisthealabamaonementionedinthelastchapter,andthatwaslessthanseventyfeetinlengthintheskeleton.whereas,wehavealreadyseen,thatthetape-measuregivesseventy-twofeetfortheskeletonofalargesizedmodernwhale.andihaveheard,onwhalemen'sauthority,thatspermwhaleshavebeencapturednearahundredfeetlongatthetimeofcapture.

butmayitnotbe,thatwhilethewhalesofthepresenthourareanadvanceinmagnitudeuponthoseofallpreviousgeologicalperiods;mayitnotbe,thatsinceadam'stimetheyhavedegenerated?

assuredly,wemustconcludeso,ifwearetocredittheaccountsofsuchgentlemenaspliny,andtheancientnaturalistsgenerally.forplinytellsusofwhalesthatembracedacresoflivingbulk,andaldrovandusofotherswhichmeasuredeighthundredfeetinlength—ropewalksandthamestunnelsofwhales!andeveninthedaysofbanksandsolander,cooke'snaturalists,wefindadanishmemberoftheacademyofsciencessettingdowncertainicelandwhales(reydan-siskur,orwrinkledbellies)atonehundredandtwentyyards;thatis,threehundredandsixtyfeet.andlacépède,thefrenchnaturalist,inhiselaboratehistoryofwhales,intheverybeginningofhiswork(page3),setsdowntherightwhaleatonehundredmetres,threehundredandtwenty-eightfeet.andthisworkwaspublishedsolateasa.d.1825.

butwillanywhalemanbelievethesestories?no.thewhaleofto-dayisasbigashisancestorsinpliny'stime.andifeverigowhereplinyis,i,awhaleman(morethanhewas),willmakeboldtotellhimso.becauseicannotunderstandhowitis,thatwhiletheegyptianmummiesthatwereburiedthousandsofyearsbeforeevenplinywasborn,donotmeasuresomuchintheircoffinsasamodernkentuckianinhissocks;andwhilethecattleandotheranimalssculpturedontheoldestegyptianandninevehtablets,bytherelativeproportionsinwhichtheyaredrawn,justasplainlyprovethatthehigh-bred,stall-fed,prizecattleofsmithfield,notonlyequal,butfarexceedinmagnitudethefattestofpharaoh'sfatkine;inthefaceofallthis,iwillnotadmitthatofallanimalsthewhalealoneshouldhavedegenerated.

butstillanotherinquiryremains;oneoftenagitatedbythemorereconditenantucketers.whetherowingtothealmostomniscientlook-outsatthemast-headsofthewhale-ships,nowpenetratingeventhroughbehring'sstraits,andintotheremotestsecretdrawersandlockersoftheworld;andthethousandharpoonsandlancesdartedalongallcontinentalcoasts;themootpointis,whetherleviathancanlongenduresowideachase,andsoremorselessahavoc;whetherhemustnotatlastbeexterminatedfromthewaters,andthelastwhale,likethelastman,smokehislastpipe,andthenhimselfevaporateinthefinalpuff.

comparingthehumpedherdsofwhaleswiththehumpedherdsofbuffalo,which,notfortyyearsago,overspreadbytensofthousandstheprairiesofillinoisandmissouri,andshooktheirironmanesandscowledwiththeirthunder-clottedbrowsuponthesitesofpopulousriver-capitals,wherenowthepolitebrokersellsyoulandatadollaraninch;insuchacomparisonanirresistibleargumentwouldseemfurnished,toshowthatthehuntedwhalecannotnowescapespeedyextinction.

butyoumustlookatthismatterineverylight.thoughsoshortaperiodago—notagoodlifetime—thecensusofthebuffaloinillinoisexceededthecensusofmennowinlondon,andthoughatthepresentdaynotonehornorhoofofthemremainsinallthatregion;andthoughthecauseofthiswondrousexterminationwasthespearofman;yetthefardifferentnatureofthewhale-huntperemptorilyforbidssoingloriousanendtotheleviathan.fortymeninoneshiphuntingthespermwhalesforforty-eightmonthsthinktheyhavedoneextremelywell,andthankgod,ifatlasttheycarryhometheoiloffortyfish.whereas,inthedaysoftheoldcanadianandindianhuntersandtrappersofthewest,whenthefarwest(inwhosesunsetsunsstillrise)wasawildernessandavirgin,thesamenumberofasinedmen,forthesamenumberofmonths,mountedonhorseinsteadofsailinginships,wouldhaveslainnotforty,butfortythousandandmorebuffaloes;afactthat,ifneedwere,couldbestatisticallystated.

nor,consideredaright,doesitseemanyargumentinfavourofthegradualextinctionofthespermwhale,forexample,thatinformeryears(thelatterpartofthelastcentury,say)theseleviathans,insmallpods,wereencounteredmuchoftenerthanatpresent,and,inconsequence,thevoyageswerenotsoprolonged,andwerealsomuchmoreremunerative.because,ashasbeenelsewherenoticed,thosewhales,influencedbysomeviewstosafety,nowswimtheseasinimmensecaravans,sothattoalargedegreethescatteredsolitaries,yokes,andpods,andschoolsofotherdaysarenowaggregatedintovastbutwidelyseparated,unfrequentarmies.thatisall.andequallyfallaciousseemstheconceit,thatbecausetheso-calledwhalebonewhalesnolongerhauntmanygroundsinformeryearsaboundingwiththem,hencethatspeciesalsoisdeclining.fortheyareonlybeingdrivenfrompromontorytocape;andifonecoastisnolongerenlivenedwiththeirjets,then,besure,someotherandremoterstrandhasbeenveryrecentlystartledbytheunfamiliarspectacle.

furthermore:concerningtheselastmentionedleviathans,theyhavetwofirmfortresses,which,inallhumanprobability,willforeverremainimpregnable.andasupontheinvasionoftheirvalleys,thefrostyswisshaveretreatedtotheirmountains;so,huntedfromthesavannasandgladesofthemiddleseas,thewhale-bonewhalescanatlastresorttotheirpolarcitadels,anddivingundertheultimateglassybarriersandwallsthere,comeupamongicyfieldsandfloesandinacharmedcircleofeverlastingdecember,biddefiancetoallpursuitfromman.

butasperhapsfiftyofthesewhale-bonewhalesareharpoonedforonecachalot,somephilosophersoftheforecastlehaveconcludedthatthispositivehavochasalreadyveryseriouslydiminishedtheirbattalions.butthoughforsometimepastanumberofthesewhales,notlessthan13,000,havebeenannuallyslainonthenor'westcoastbytheamericansalone;yetthereareconsiderationswhichrendereventhiscircumstanceoflittleornoaccountasanopposingargumentinthismatter.

naturalasitistobesomewhatincredulousconcerningthepopulousnessofthemoreenormouscreaturesoftheglobe,yetwhatshallwesaytoharto,thehistorianofgoa,whenhetellsusthatatonehuntingthekingofsiamtook4,000elephants;thatinthoseregionselephantsarenumerousasdrovesofcattleinthetemperateclimes.andthereseemsnoreasontodoubtthatiftheseelephants,whichhavenowbeenhuntedforthousandsofyears,bysemiramis,byporus,byhannibal,andbyalltheessivemonarchsoftheeast—iftheystillsurvivethereingreatnumbers,muchmoremaythegreatwhaleoutlastallhunting,sincehehasapasturetoexpatiatein,whichispreciselytwiceaslargeasallasia,bothamericas,europeandafrica,newholland,andalltheislesoftheseacombined.

moreover:wearetoconsider,thatfromthepresumedgreatlongevityofwhales,theirprobablyattainingtheageofacenturyandmore,thereforeatanyoneperiodoftime,severaldistinctadultgenerationsmustbecontemporary.andwhatthatis,wemaysoongainsomeideaof,byimaginingallthegrave-yards,cemeteries,andfamilyvaultsofcreationyieldingupthelivebodiesofallthemen,women,andchildrenwhowerealiveseventy-fiveyearsago;andaddingthiscountlesshosttothepresenthumanpopulationoftheglobe.

wherefore,forallthesethings,weaccountthewhaleimmortalinhisspecies,howeverperishableinhisindividuality.heswamtheseasbeforethecontinentsbrokewater;heonceswamoverthesiteofthetuileries,andwindsorcastle,andthekremlin.innoah'sfloodhedespisednoah'sark;andifevertheworldistobeagainflooded,likethenetherlands,tokilloffitsrats,thentheeternalwhalewillstillsurvive,andrearinguponthetopmostcrestoftheequatorialflood,spouthisfrotheddefiancetotheskie.