Chapter III

Jonah is shoved from the ship. A wild whale swims by the boat. He opens his swallow, and seizes the prophet. It is not to be wondered at that Jonah suffered woe. The prophet is without hope. Cold was his comfort. Jonah was only a mote in the whale’s jaws. He entered in by the gills, and by means of one of the intestines of the fish, came into a space as large as a hall. The prophet fixes his feet firmly in the belly of the whale. He searches into every nook of its navel. The prophet calls upon God. He cries for mercy. He sits safely in a recess, in a bowel of the beast, for three days and three nights. The whale passes through many a rough region. Jonah makes the whale feel sick. The prophet prays to God in this wise: