18 THE NATURALIST IN BERMUDA. 
been formerly attempted in vain, but within these two or 
three years, in the spring time and fair weather, they take 
sometimes one, two, or three in a day. They are less, I 
hear, than those in Greenland, but more quick and lively ; 
so that if they be struck in deep water, they presently 
make into the deep with such violence, that the boat is in 
danger of being haled down after them, if they cut not 
the rope in time. Therefore they usually strike them in 
shoal water. They have very good boats for that purpose, 
manned with six oars, such as they can row forwards or 
backwards as occasion requireth. They row up gently to 
the whale, and so he will scarcely shun them, and when 
the harpineer, standing ready fitted, sees his opportunity, 
he strikes his harping iron into the whale, about or before 
the fins, rather than towards the tayl. Now the harping 
irons are like those which are usual in England in striking 
porpoises, but singular good mettal, that will not break, but 
wind, as they say, about a man’s hand. To the harping 
iron is made fast a strong lythe rope, and into the socket 
of that iron is put a staff, which, when the whale is struck, 
comes out of the socket, and so when the whale is something 
quiet, they hale up to him by the rope, and, it may be, 
strike into him another harping iron, or lance him with 
lances in staves till they have killed him. This I write by 
relation, for I have not seen any killed myself. I hear not 
that they have found any spermaceti in any of these 
whales, but I have heard from credible persons that there 
is a kind of such as have the sperma, at Eluetheria and 
others of the Bahama Islands, (where also they find often 
quantities of ambergrease,) and that those have great teeth 
(which ours have not) and are very sinewy. One of this 
