Most  of  the  guests  were  using  their  toothpicks,
some  were  beginning  to  talk  of  what  was  to  be  done
next,  when,  with  haste  in  his  step,  fire  in  his  eye,
and  a  harpoon  in  his  hand,  Eric  Scambester  came
to  announce  to  the  company,  that  there  was  a  whale
on  shore,  or  nearly  so,  at  the  throat  of  the  voe !
Then  you  might  have  seen  such  a  joyous,  boister-
ous, and  universal  bustle,  as  only  the  love  of  sport,
so  deeply  implanted  in  our  nature,  can  possibly
inspire.  A  set  of  country  squires,  about  to  beat
for  the  first  woodcocks  of  the  season,  were  a  com-
parison as  petty,  in  respect  to  the  glee,  as  in  regard
to  the  importance  of  the  object;  the  battue,  upon  a
strong  cover  in  Ettrick  Forest,  for  the  destruction
of  the  foxes  ;  (m)  the  insurrection  of  the  sportsmen
of  the  Lennox,  when  one  of  the  Duke's  deer  gets  out
from  Inch-Mirran ;  nay,  the  joyous  rally  of  the  fox-
chase  itself,  with  all  its  blithe  accompaniments  of
hound  and  horn,  fall  infinitely  short  of  the  anima-
tion with  which  the  gallant  sons  of  Thule  set  off
to  encounter  the  monster,  whom  the  sea  had  sent
for  their  amusement  at  so  opportune  a  conjuncture.
The  multifarious  stores  of  Burgh-Westra  were
rummaged  hastily  for  all  sorts  of  arms,  which  could

TOL.  I.  — 17


258  THE  PIRATE.
