ILLUSTRATIYE ANECDOTES. 279 



sion and elasticity of the line, that whenever it 

 slipped clear of any mass of ice, after turning it 

 round, into the space between any two adjoining 

 pieces, the boat and its crew flew forward through 

 the crack, with the velocity of an arrow, and never 

 failed to launch several feet upon the first mass of 

 ice that it encountered. 



While we scoured the sea around the broken 

 floe with the ship, and while the ice was attempted 

 in vain by the boats, the whale continued to press 

 forward in an easterly direction towards the sea. 

 At length, when 14 lines (about 1680 fathoms) 

 were drawn from the fourth fast-boat, a slight en- 

 tanglement of the line, broke it at the stem. The 

 fish then again made its escape, taking along with 

 it a boat and 28 lines. The united length of the 

 lines was 6730 yards, or upwards of 3f English 

 miles; value, with the boat,. above 150/. Sterling. 



The obstruction of the sunken boat, to the progress 

 of the fish, must have been immense ; and that of 

 the lines likewise considerable ; the weight of the 

 lines alone, being 35 hundred weight. 



So long as the fourth fast-boat, through the me- 

 dium of its lines, retained its hold of the fish, we 

 searched the adjoining sea with the ship in vain ; 

 but, in a short time after the line was divided, we 

 got sight of the object of pursuit, at the distance of 

 near two miles to the eastward of the ice and boats, 

 in the open sea. One boat only with lines, and two 



