BANGERS OF THE FISHERY. — ANECDOTES. 363 



time, harpoon after harpoon drew out, the fish was 

 loosened from its entanglements and escaped. 



In the fishery of 1819, the Henrietta of Whithy 

 suffered a similar loss. A fish which was struck very 

 near the ship, by a hlo\v of its tail, stove a small hole 

 in the boat's bow. Every individual shrinking from 

 the side on which the blow was impressed, aided the 

 influence of the stroke, and upset the boat. They 

 all clung to it while it was bottom up ; but the line 

 having got entangled among the thwarts, suddenly 

 drew the boat under water, and with it part of the- 

 crew. Excessive anxiety among the people in the 

 ship, occasioned delay in sending assistance ; so that 

 when the first boat arrived at the spot, two survivor?; 

 only out of six men were found. 



During a fresh gale of wind in the season of 1809, 

 one of the Resolution's harpooners struck a suckinc? 

 whale. Its mother being near, all the other boatb. 

 were disposed around, with the hope of entangling 

 it. The old v^hale pursued a circular route round 

 its cub, and was followed by the boats ; but its ve-r 

 locity was so considerable, that they were unable to 

 keep pace with it. Being in the capacity of har- 

 pooncr on this occasion myself, I proceeded to the 

 chase, after having carefully marked the proceedings 

 of the fish. I selected a situation, in which I con- 

 ceived the whale would make its appearance, and 

 was in the act of directing ray crevr to cease rowing, 

 when a terrible blow was struck on the boat. The 



