UNSUCCESSFUL CHASE. 177 



CHAPTER VIII. 



On the 7th, after having, during the preceding 

 week, seen and lowered for whales several times, our 

 masthead'sman sung out that the James Allen's 

 boats were whaling. She was some distance from 

 us ; but we lowered away, and arrived in time 

 to find they had turned up a large whale. This was 

 the fifth she had taken within the past eight weeks, 

 making her three hundred and seventy-five barrels 

 of oil. Our boats returned to the ship empty handed ; 

 and, as is usual when another ship has been success- 

 ful, we all indulged in a regular growl at the hardness 

 of our luck, complaining that we could capture 

 nothing, whilst others were filling their ships. But, 

 to view the matter impartially, we were having 

 returned to us a Roland for the Oliver we presented 

 to them whilst on the Shark's Bay Ground ; in that 

 vicinity the success being all on our side. The next 

 day, as if our bearishness had been productive of 

 good effect, at daylight we sighted sperm whales. 

 We lowered away three boats ; the desertion of our 

 men in the bay, rendering it impossible for us to 

 lower four boats and leave a sufficient number aboard 

 to work the ship in case of need. Directly after lower- 

 ing, the first and third mates struck large whales; 

 after remaining fiist for a short time, the irons 

 belonging to the larboard boat drew — the boatsteerer 



M 



