DAKGEES OF THE FISHERY. — ANECDOTES. 367 



never attempted to dive. While liis comrades de- 

 spaired of his life, the harpoon by which he held, at 

 length disengaged itself from the body of the whale. 

 Vienkes being then liberated, did not fail to take 

 advantage of this circumstance ; he cast himself into 

 the sea, and, by swimming, endeavoured to regain 

 the boats which continued the pursuit of the whale. 

 When his shipmates perceived him struggling with 

 the waves, they redoubled their exertions. They 

 reached liim just as his strength was exhausted, and 

 had the happiness of rescuing this adventurous har- 

 pooner from his perilous situation *. 



In one of my earliest voyages to the whale-fishery, 

 I observed a circumstance v/hich excited my highest 

 astonishment. One of our harpooners had struck 

 a whale, it dived, and all the assisting boats had 

 collected round the fast-boat, before it arose to the 

 surface. The first boat which approached it ad- 

 vanced incautiously upon it. It rose with unex- 

 pected violence beneath the boat, and projected it 

 and all its crew, to the height of some yards in the 

 air. It fell on its side, upset, and cast all the men 

 into the water. One man received a severe blow in 

 his fall, and appeared to be dangerously injured; 



* I give this ancedote on the authority of the author of the 

 Histoire des Peches^ who translated it from the Dutch. Part 

 of the story bears the marks of tnith ; but some of it, it must 

 be acknowledged^ borders pja the marvellous. 



