Le voyage de Rata - The journey of Rata

15 The whale After a while, from the prow, they heard Punua yelling: " Rätä ! A gigantic animal is approaching! It’s a whale!" Stunned, the men saw a whale approaching, mouth open wide like a bottomless pit. It looked like a huge fish trap in which the vessel was bound to be caught. The crew was shouting in fear. Punua caught a spear and stuck it across the wide open mouth so that the whale could not close it. Then the reckless Punua entered the mouth and he tickled the animal’s palate. The whale, annoyed, sneezed. Thus propelled, the ship and her intruders were blown all the way onto a beach. As the sea calmed down, Rätä realized that this island was the one he wanted to reach.