The ship, the Abraham Lincoln, traveled for a long time. The voyage had no special events for many weeks. But one event showed the great skill of Ned Land. It showed why everyone trusted him.
On June 30th, the ship met some American whalers (ships that hunt whales). These sailors did not know anything about the narwhal. But the captain of a ship called the Monroe saw a whale. He asked Ned Land for help.
Captain Farragut wanted to see Ned Land work. He let Ned Land go to the other ship. Ned Land was very fast. He used his harpoon (a long spear with a rope used to catch whales) and hit two whales. He was a great hunter.
The Abraham Lincoln moved very fast near the coast of South America. On July 3rd, the ship reached the bottom of the continent. Captain Farragut did not want to go through narrow water. He went around the dangerous Cape Horn (the piece of land at the very bottom of South America).
The sailors agreed with Captain Farragut. They thought the monster was too big for narrow water. On July 6th, the ship passed the last piece of land. Finally, the Abraham Lincoln entered the Pacific Ocean.
"Keep your eyes open!" the sailors shouted. Everyone looked at the water. The government promised two thousand dollars to the person who found the monster. Everyone wanted to win that prize.
Day and night, the sailors watched the ocean. Even the men who could see well in the dark did not sleep. Everyone wanted to see the monster first.
I also watched the water all the time. I did not want the money, but I was very interested. I did not eat much. I only slept for a few hours. I stayed on the deck of the ship in the rain and the sun.
Sometimes a sailor saw a black back in the water. Everyone ran to the side of the ship. They were very excited. But it was always a normal whale. The sailors were often angry and disappointed.
The weather was good. The sea was calm and beautiful. In July, the ship crossed the middle of the ocean. Captain Farragut stayed in deep water. He thought the monster stayed away from land because the monster was so big.
The crew became very nervous. They could not eat or sleep. They often thought they saw the monster, but they were wrong. They felt very tired because they were too excited for too long.
Soon, the sailors became angry. They looked for the monster for three months. They did not find anything. Now, they wanted to go home to America or Europe.
Captain Farragut saw that the sailors were unhappy. He did not want a mutiny (a situation where sailors refuse to follow the captain’s orders). So Captain Farragut made a promise to the crew. He asked for three more days.
"If we do not find the monster in three days, we will go home," Captain Farragut said. This was on November 2nd. The crew agreed to wait. They started to look at the water again with a lot of energy.
Two days passed. The sailors tried many things to attract the monster. They put large pieces of meat in the water. Many sharks came to eat the meat, but the monster did not appear.
The night of November 4th arrived. The ship was near Japan. The moon was behind the clouds. The ocean was quiet and dark. I stood near the side of the ship with Conseil.
The officers used their glasses to look at the dark water. Everyone was silent. I looked at Conseil. He was usually very calm, but now even Conseil looked curious.
"Come, Conseil," I said. "This is our last chance to win the two thousand dollars." Conseil looked at me. He did not look excited about the money.
"I never expected to win the money, sir," Conseil said. "The government will keep its money." I agreed with Conseil. I felt that our trip was a mistake.
"You are right, Conseil," I said. "We wasted a lot of time. We should be back in France in my museum. I want to organize your old bones and animals."
"I want that too, sir," Conseil replied. "I think people will laugh at us. We looked for a monster and found nothing."
"That is true," I said. "People will make fun of us." Conseil looked at me seriously. He said that a famous scientist like me should not go on such a trip.
Suddenly, a loud voice stopped our conversation. It was Ned Land. He was shouting from the front of the ship.
"Look over there!" Ned Land shouted. "It is the thing we are looking for! It is right there!"