THE WHALKBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 27 



Luudoniiiere, who was on the coast of Florida in 156-i, in mentioning one of 

 the rivers I'emarks : 



[June 22, 1564]. "Before departing I named this river the River of the 

 Dolpliins, because on my arrival I saw there a lai-ge number of dolphins playing 

 about in the mouth of it." ' 



A remarkable story of the whale fishery of the Indians of Florida was told by 

 Joseph de Acosta in his History of the Indies, the fii'st edition of which ajtpeared 

 in 1590. This story was repeated again and again by later writers, and in spite of 

 its marvellous character it was long before it disap)peared from the histories. 



In the quaint translation of Grimston it is as follows : 



" But the combate which the Indians have with Whales is yet more admirable, 

 wherein appeares the power and greatnesse of the Creator to give so base a Nation, 

 as be the Indians, the industry and courage to incounter the most fierce and 

 deformed beast in the worlde, and not only to fight with him, but also to vanquish 

 him, and to triumph over him. Considering this, I have often remembred that 

 place of the Psalnie, speaking of the Whale, Draco iste, quern for mast i ad illuden- 

 dum eum. What greater mockerie can there be then to see an Indian leade a whale 

 as bigge as a mountaine vanquished with a corde. The nianer the Indians of 

 Florida vse (as some expert men have tolde me) to take these whales (whereof 

 there is gi-eat store) is, they put themselves into a canoe, whicli is like a barke of a 

 tree, and in swimming approach neere the whales side ; then with great dexteritie 

 they leape to his necke, and there they ride as on horsebacke, expecting his time, 

 then hee thi-ustes a sliarpe and strong stake, which hee cari-ies with him, into the 

 whales nosthrill, for so they call the hole or vent by which they breathe; presently 

 he beates it in with an other stake as forcibly as hee can ; in the meane space the 

 whale dooth furiously beate the sea, and raiseth mountaines of water, I'unning into 

 the deei)e with great violence, and presently riseth agaiue, not knowing what 

 to doe for paine ; the Indian still sittes firme, and to give him full payment for this 

 ti-ouble, he beates another stake into the other vent or nosthrill so as he stoppeth 

 him quite, and takes away his breathing ; then hee betakes him to hiscanoe, which 

 he holdes tied with a corde to the whales side, and goes to land, having first tied 

 bis corde to the whale, the which hee lettes runue with the whale, who leapes from 

 place to place whilest he finds water enough ; being troubled with paine, in the end 

 hee comes neei-e the land, and I'emains on ground by the hugenesse of his body, 

 vnable any more to moove ; then a great number of Indians come vnto the conquered 

 beast to gather his sjioiles, they kill him, and cut his flesh in peeces, this do they drie 

 and beate into powdei-, vsing" it for meate, it dooth last them long: wherein is 

 fulfilled that which is spoken in another Psalme of the whale, Dedisti eum escam 

 populis ^EtMopum.r ~ 



BERMUDA. 



In 1G65 we have iw the first time a short account of a whale fishery at 

 the Bermudas (published anonymously in the first volume of the Philosophical 



' Laudonniere, R., Hist, de Florida. Bibl. Elznir, 1853, p. 68. 



' AcosTA, J., The Natural and Moral History of the Indies. Reprinted from the English 

 translated edition of Edward Grimston, 1604, pp. 148-150 (revised by Clements R. Markham). 

 Hakluyt Soc, London, 1880. 



