356 CETACEA. 



latitudes of Baffin's Bay, sometimes entering Lancaster Sound and Bar- 

 row's Straits. 



Tiie ships leave tlieir harbors for the Arctic fishing-grounds in spring, 

 and when they reach the fishing-grounds, either cruise to and fro, or lie 

 at anchor in a favorable spot. Men are placed at the mast-head to look 

 out. The cry, " There she blows," brings all the crew on deck, the 

 boats are at once manned with six or eight rowers, a helmsman and a 

 harpooner, and row with all speed toward the unsuspecting whale. The 

 harpoon is a long, lance-like weapon, provided with a strong barb, and 

 made fast to a very long, very flexible rope which is rolled on a reel with 

 the utmost care, as any kink in it as it runs out would imperil the boat. 

 The boat approaches as near the whale as possible, the harpooner rises 

 and poises his weapon. He flings it with all his strength, and the rowers 

 immediately back-water to get away from the wounded animal. Usu- 

 ally it dives at once, and with such speed that the line runs from the 

 reel with such violence that it has to be kept cool by pouring water over 

 it. It often, indeed, happens that the boat is dragged for hours by the 

 wounded creature in its headlong flight. The whale appears at the sur- 

 face in about a q^uarter of an hour, in order to breathe ; the boat from 

 which it has been struck and other boats from the ship apprr-ach a 

 second weapon is plunged iucO the body. The fish rolls froir side to 

 side, leaps out of the water, dives furiously, leaving a whirlpo(<l behind 

 it ; rises once more, only to meet a new lance. Blood is driven out from 

 the blow-holes, and the sea is dyed red; a vain expenditure ol strength 

 makes the ocean boil, then comes a final quiver, and the whale sinks on 

 one side, a plaything for the waves ; while, in the Southern seas, thou- 

 sands of birds, chiefly petrels and albatrosses, are flying around waiting 

 to make a meal of the dead monster. 



When the whale is dead, it is made fast alongside of the ship, belly 

 upward, its tail forward, and its nose level with the stern of the vessel. 

 It is not without great difficulty that this enormous mass, which just 

 now traversed the sea with such facility, can be towed so as to be 

 landed on the shore. 



In olden times the fishermen of the north of Europe used to cut up 

 the whale by going upon its carcass, provided with boots furnished 

 with cramp-irons. They thus stripped off" bands of blubber along the 

 whole length of the animal, from head to tail. But this way of cutting 

 up the whale was long, difficult, and even dangerous. 



