204 WHALE-FISHERY. 



were already considerably fatigued, having been 

 employed immediately before in the arduous opera- 

 tion hereafter to be described, called making off; 

 but, of course, proceeded in the boats to the chase 

 of the fast fish. It made its appearance before they 

 all had left the ship. Three boats then approached 

 it, unluckily at the same moment. Each of them 

 so incommoded the other, that no second harpoon 

 could be struck. The fish then took the alarm and 

 ran off towards the east, at the rate of about four 

 miles per hour; some of the boats gave chase and 

 others took hold of the fast-boat and were towed by 

 it to windward. When two boats, by great exertions 

 on the part of their crews, had got very near the 

 fish, and the harpooners were expecting every mo- 

 ment to be able to strike it, it suddenly shifted its 

 course under water, and in a few minutes discover- 

 ed itself in a southerly direction, at least half a 

 mile from any boat. It then completed a circuit 

 round the fast-boat, with the sweep of nearly a mile 

 as a radius, and though followed in its track by the 

 boats, it dived before any of them got near it, and 

 evaded them completely. When it appeared again, 

 it was at least half a mile to windward of any of 

 them, and then continued arduously advancing in 

 the same direction. At various times during the 

 pursuit, the boats having the most indefatigable 

 crews, reached the fish within ten or fifteen yards, 

 when, apparently aware of their design, it imme- 

 diately sunk and changed its course; so that it in- 



