As ashore, the ladies often cause the most terrible duels among
their rival admirers; just so with the whales, who sometimes come
to deadly battle, and all for love. They fence with their long
lower jaws, sometimes locking them together, and so striving for
the supremacy like elks that warringly interweave their antlers.
Not a few are captured having the deep scars of these encounters,--
furrowed heads, broken teeth, scolloped fins; and in some instances,
wrenched and dislocated mouths.
But supposing the invader of domestic bliss to betake himself away
at the first rush of the harem's lord, then is it very diverting
to watch that lord. Gently he insinuates his vast bulk among
them again and revels there awhile, still in tantalizing vicinity
to young Lothario, like pious Solomon devoutly worshipping among
his thousand concubines. Granting other whales to be in sight,
the fisherman will seldom give chase to one of these Grand Turks;
for these Grand Turks are too lavish of their strength,
and hence their unctuousness is small. As for the sons and
the daughters they beget, why, those sons and daughters must
take care of themselves; at least, with only the maternal help.
For like certain other omnivorous roving lovers that might be named,
my Lord Whale has no taste for the nursery, however much
for the bower; and so, being a great traveller, he leaves his
anonymous babies all over the world; every baby an exotic.
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