first: in the year 1820 the ship essex, captain pollard, of nantucket, was cruising in the pacific ocean. one day she saw spouts, lowered her boats, and gave chase to a shoal of sperm whales. ere long, several of the whales were wounded; when, suddenly, a very large whale escaping from the boats, issued from the shoal, and bore directly down upon the ship. dashing his forehead against her hull, he so stove her in, that in less than "ten minutes" she settled down and fell over. not a surviving plank of her has been seen since. after the severest exposure, part of the crew reached the land in their boats. being returned home at last, captain pollard once more sailed for the pacific in command of another ship, but the gods shipwrecked him again upon unknown rocks and breakers; for the second time his ship was utterly lost, and forthwith forswearing the sea, he has never tempted it since.