LOSS OF A whale's HEAD. 95 



following it up, occasionally nipping at it as if they 

 did not understand the consistency of an object that 

 resisted their incisors. 



On Sunday, April 27th, we lowered away for, and 

 captured a fine sperm whale. The James Allen's 

 boats lowered at the same time with ours ; they arrived 

 first to the whale, ran on, and darted ; but their 

 boatsteerer missed, and our waist boat, seizing the 

 opportunity, ran on and fastened. On the following- 

 Sunday we again saw sperm whales, and captured an- 

 other ; on the succeeding day the weather was boiste- 

 rous, but we proceeded, in the face of numerous diffi- 

 culties, to cut him in : just as we had got him in a good 

 position for hooking on, the fluke chain parted, and 

 away he went. We lowered away, and a second time 

 secured him. In attempting to veer, the whale got 

 under the ship, and it was only by strenuous tugging 

 and hauling that we raised him. At length we 

 began to cut, and towards noon had the head severed 

 from the body ; but, after various attempts, we gave 

 up all hopes of saving it ; it was then allowed to tow 

 from the quarter; we then went to work at the body, 

 and at 5 o'clock in the afternoon had it all aboard. 

 The weather having moderated, we renewed our 

 efforts to save the head, and succeeded so far as to 

 get it in tow forward, when the hawser parted ; we 

 next attached a studdingsail tack to it; but, althougli 

 the rope was large and new, it parted like packthread. 

 A tub of line was then bent on, and the head allowed 

 to float astern ; but in a short time the strap attached 

 to the head chain parted, and away it went, a total 

 loss, leaving us with nothing to console us, except 

 the reflection that we bad dene all that men could 



