234 LIFE AMONG THE ESKIMOS 



"I once had, when I was boat-steerer, quite an adventure with a whale 

 which was determined not to die. It was a large and valuable balleener. Soon 

 after the boat was lowered we got alongside. As I rose to heave the harpoon 

 it seemed, almost in an instant, that the whale had plunged down to the bottom 

 of the bay ; as the rope uncoiled and went over the gunwale it fairly smoked 

 with the intense rapidity of the friction, and I had to order it 'doused' to pre- 

 vent its taking fire. It came, too, within a hair-breadth of capsizing us. For- 

 tunately, the line was over seventy fathoms long, and of the strongest kind. 

 After she plunged we followed on, it taking all our strength to bring the boat 

 near enough to keep the line slack. She stayed under "water the first time so 

 long that we thought she was dead and sunk. It was nearly an hour before 

 she rose : and when she did, the jerk almost snapped our strong line, already 

 weakened by the friction and unusual tension. 



"As soon as she appeared she began to beat the water with her flukes, and 

 swirled around so that it appeared impossible to get a lance into her, and, while 

 I was endeavoring to do this, our line parted, and away she went, carrying 

 the harpoon with her. We followed with all the speed we could force, and at 

 last, after several hours' hard pull, came up with her. She seemed to know we 

 were following, and several times disappeared, and then would come up to 

 blow, perhaps half a mile off; but we were bound to have her. On and on she 

 went, on and on we followed. The moon was shining, and the Arctic summer 

 night was almost as light as day^ and deep into the night we followed her. 

 Down she went, for the sixth or seventh time, but fatigue was getting the 

 better of her. She was weakening, while with all the fatigue our spirits, and 

 strength, too, were kept up by the excitement. At last, when we had been 

 nearly twenty-four hours on the chase, I got^ another harpoon in her. This 

 seemed to madden her afresh. Another plunge, which had nearly carried us 

 with her ; but this time she did not stay down more than ten or twelve minutes. 

 Up she came once more, the water all around covered with blood, and we 

 knew she was done for. Three or four lances were hurled into her ponderous 

 bulk, and at last our exertions were rewarded by seeing her roll over on her 

 side. She was dead. We bent on another strong line, and soon towed her to 

 a floe. But we found ourselves with our prize, a good nine miles from the ship. 

 We could not, therefore, save the blubber, but we made a good haul of balleen, 

 with which we loaded our boat to its utmost capacity, and then dragged her, 

 with her heavy cargo, the whole distance over the ice to the ship, which is what 

 I call a fair day's work." 



