210 WHALE-FISHERY. 



Excepting when it has young under its protection, 

 the whale generally exhibits remarkable timidity of 

 character. A bird perching on its back alarms it. 

 The fisher, however, is sometimes liable to danger 

 from its fury. 



The Aimwell, while cruising in the Greenland 

 seas, in the year 1810, had boats in chase of whales. 

 One of them was harpooned. But instead of sink- 

 ing immediately, on receiving the wound, as is the 

 most usual manner of the whale, this individual 

 only dived for a moment, and then rose again be- 

 neath the boat, struck it in the most vicious manner 

 with its fins and tail, stove it, upset it, and then dis- 

 appeared. The crew, seven in number, got on the 

 bottom of the boat, but the unequal action of the 

 line, which for some time remained entangled with 

 the boat, rolled it occasionally over, and thus plung- 

 ed the crew repeatedly into the water. Four of 

 them, after each immersion, recovered themselves, 

 and clung to the boat; but the other three, one of 

 whom was the only person acquainted with the art 

 of swimming, were drowned before assistance could 

 arrive. The four men in the boat being rescued, 

 the attack was renewed, and two more harpoons 

 struck. But the whale, irritated instead of being 

 enervated by its wounds, recommenced its furious 



i 



by the late Captain of the Royal County, in a letter contain- 

 ing the account of the transaction, as inserted in his log 

 book. 



