S44 WHALE-FISHERY. 



with their clothes in their hands, and leap Into the 

 boats, when there was no aj^pearance of danger, 

 thought the men were all mad ; hut, with another 

 individual, the effect was totally different. Alarm- 

 ed with the extraordinary noise ; and still more so, 

 when he reached the deck, with the appearance of 

 all the crew seated in the boats in their shirts, he 

 imagined the ship was sinking. He therefore en- 

 deavoured to get into a boat himself, but every one 

 of them being fully manned, he was always repulsed. 

 After several fruitless endeavours to gain a place 

 among his comrades, he cried out, with feelings of 

 evident distress, " What shall I do ? — Will none 

 of you take me in ?" 



The first effort of a *' fast-fish," or whale that has 

 been struck, is to escape from the boat, by sinking 

 inider water. After this, it pursues its course di- 

 rectly downward, or re-appears at a little distance, 

 and swims with great celerity, near the surface of 

 the water, towards any neighbouring ice, among 

 which it may obtain an imaginary shelter ; or it re- 

 turns instantly to the surface, and gives evidence 

 of its agony, by the most convulsive throes, in 

 which its fins and tail are alternately displayed in 

 the air, and dashed into the water with tremendous 

 violence. The former behaviour, however, that is, 

 to dive towards the bottom of the sea, is so frequent, 

 in comparison of any other, that it may be consi- 

 dered as the general conduct of a fast-fish> 



