192 ACCOUNT OF THE AECTIC REGIONS. 



escaping to a piece of ice. When the fish returned 

 to the surface to " blow," it was struck a second 

 time, and soon afterwards killed. The moment it 

 expired, it began to sink, which not being a usual 

 circumstance, excited some surprise. My Father," 

 who was himself assisting at the capture, observing 

 the circumstance, seized a grapnel, fastened a rope 

 to it, threw it over the tail of the fish, and fortu- 

 nately hooked it. It continued to sink ; but the 

 line being held fast in the boat, at length stopped 

 it, though not until the " strain" was such that 

 the boat was in danger of sinking. The " bight" 

 or loop of a rope being then passed round the fish, 

 and allowed to drop below it, inclosed the line be- 

 longing to the sunken boat, which was found to be 

 the cause of the phenomenon observed. Imme- 

 diately the harpoon slipped out of the whale, and 

 was, with the line and boat attached to it, on the 

 point of being lost, when it was luckily caught by 

 the encompassing rope. The fish being then re- 

 leased from the weight of the lines and boat, rose 

 to the surface ; and the strain was transferred to the 

 boat connected with the disengaged harpoon. JMy 

 Father, imagining that the sunken boat was en- 

 tangled among rocks at the bottom of the sea, and 

 that the action of a current on the line produced 

 the extraordinary stress, proceeded himself to assist 

 in hauling up the boat. The strain upon the line he 

 estimated at not less than three-fourths of a ton^ 



