RIGHT WHALES. 



"We cruised about three months in the Southern 

 Ocean, looking for right whales. We saw many, 

 and took six hundred barrels of oil and about five 

 thousand pounds of bone. 



One day, when the weather was fine and the 

 ocean very calm, we lowered and gave chase 

 to two monstrous right whales that were going 

 slowly to the leeward. The captain's boat came 

 up to them first and succeeded in striking one. 

 Instantly down went both the whales. When 

 they came up again, the mate struck the other 

 one. They proved to be a bull and a cow — the 

 cow was struck first. 



The bull made the sea foam. He cut around in 

 great fury and stove two of our boats — the cap- 

 tain's and the mate's — and the lines had to be 

 cut to get clear. The second mate came along 

 lively and picked up the crews, which came near 

 sinking his boat. Eighteen men in one boat, and 

 the ship four miles away to leeward — a pleasant 

 prospect ! And as the wind had died down com- 

 pletely there was nothing for it but to row, and 

 that in an all but sinking boat, so crowded you 

 could hardly move without knocking your neighbor 

 overboard. 



