WHALE-FISHERY. 207 



On the 28th of May, 1817, the Royal Bounty, of 

 Leith, Captain Drysdale, fell in with a great num- 

 ber of whales in the latitude of 77° 25' N., and 

 longitude 5° or 6° E. Neither ice nor land was 

 in sight, nor was there supposed to be either the 

 one or the other within 50 or 60 miles. A brisk 

 breeze of wind prevailed, and the weather was 

 clear. The boats were therefore manned and sent 

 in pursuit. After a chase of about five hours, the 

 harpooner commanding a boat, who, with another 

 in company, had rowed out of sight of the ship, 

 struck one of the whales. This was about 4 A. M. 

 of the 29th. The captain supposing, from the long 

 absence of the two most distant boats, that a fish 

 had been struck, directed the course of the ship to- 

 wards the place where he had last seen them, and 

 about 8 A. M. he got sight of a boat which display- 

 ed the signal for being fast. Some time afterwards, 

 he observed the other boat approach the fish, a se- 

 cond harpoon struck, and the usual signal displayed. 

 As, however, the fish dragged the two boats away 

 with considerable speed, it was mid-day before any 

 assistance could reach them. Two more harpoons 

 were then struck, but such was the vigour of the 

 whale, that although it constantly dragged through 

 the water from four to six boats, together with 1600 

 fathoms of line, which it had drawn out of the dif- 

 ferent boats, yet it pursued its flight nearly as fast 

 as a boat could row; and such was the terror that it 

 manifested on the approach of its enemies, that 



