366 WHALE-IISHEIIV. 



captaii immediately afterwards, and prepared to 

 make a second attack on the fish, when it should 

 remount again to the surftice. At the moment of 

 its ascension, the boat of Vienkes happening unfor- 

 tunately to be perpendicularly above it, was so sud- 

 denly and forcibly lifted up by a stroke of the head 

 of the whale, that it was dashed to pieces before the 

 hai-pooner could discharge his weapon. Vienkes 

 flew along v\ith the pieces of the boat, and fell upon 

 the back of the animal. This intrepid seaman, who 

 still retained liis weapon in his grasp, harpooned the 

 whale on which he stood ; and, by means of the har- 

 jDoon and the line, which he never abandoned, he 

 steadied himself firmly upon the fish, notwithstand- 

 ing his hazardous situation, and regardless of a con- 

 siderable wound that Ire received in his leg, in his fall 

 along with the fragments of the boat. All the efforts 

 of the other boats to approach the whale, and deliver 

 the harpooner, were futile. The captain, not seeing 

 any other method of saving his unfortunate com- 

 panion, who was in some way entangled with the 

 line, called to him to cut it with his knife, and be- 

 take himself to swimming. Vienkes, embarrassed 

 and disconcerted as he was, tried in vain to follow 

 this counsel. His knife was in the pocket of his 

 drawers ; and, being unable to support himself with 

 one hand, he could not get it out. The whale, 

 mean wliile, continued advancing along the surface 

 of the water with great rapidity, but fortunately 



