28 THE INDUSTRIES OF SHETLAND. [N.v., 



On reaching a narrow channel leading to the shallows where the 

 hunt ended, the whales paused and seemed to hesitate, and at this 

 moment a most exciting incident occurred in a sudden rush of the 

 leader — the bell wether of the flock — in the wrong direction. Instead 

 of running ashore as he ought to have done, he evaded it and dashed 

 off madly along the beach with several companions, their backs above 



water. 



The crisis of the day had now arrived, when our admiral, in sight 

 of the entire fleet, gave chase, and getting alongside of the Deductor, 

 took deliberate aim, and sent two bullets into his body. 



After this brilliant movement, which was cheered to the echo and 

 seen at once to be decisive, the final triumph followed. The bullets 

 by no means diminished the activity of the Deductor, but they 

 occasioned an immediate retreat among the ranks of his devoted 

 followers. A panic then ensued, when the whale rushed upon the 

 sands and became safely stranded. This was the catastrophe of the 

 hunt, and all the crews, with another cheer, took the water and were 

 soon wading among the moving tails and backs. Any whale which 

 was not sufficiently grounded was now taken by the fins by two men 

 and conducted into shallower water, and then beached upon the belly, 

 and then one by one each whale was stabbed to death, the orthodox 

 method of performing the operation being to lift up a fin and deliver 

 the stab beneath it. 



The Ca'ing whale dies hard, and the state of insensibility which 

 follows the fatal stab is succeeded by heavy lashings of the tail ; and 

 then follows a short, death-like trance, followed by fainter throes, 

 repeated with brief interruptions till the dying flurry commences. 

 During the final struggle the animal utters those piteous cries which 

 have been compared to the most plaintive accents of the human 

 voice. This piteous cry which it makes when molested or when 

 stranded on the beach, and which brings its companions crowding to 

 the spot, gained for it the name of Ca'ing, or Calling, whale. 



The creature whose capture I have been describing is probably the 

 most harmless of all the ' monsters of the deep.' But although he 

 is perfectly free from vice, he is addicted to laying about him heavily 

 with his tail in the last moments of his life. His death is long in 

 overtaking him, even after the fatal stab on being stranded. For some 

 minutes he lies still in a dying trance, from which he awakens to die 

 in earnest. It is to be hoped the final struggles are involuntary and 

 unattended by pain ; but however this may be, it is as well to avoid 

 his tail during those last moments. Several fishermen were banged 

 on the back from their carelessness, and one young fellow was roUed 

 over and stunned. 



The operation of flenching lasted the whole night. A good fat 



