180 A BOAT AND CREW LOST IN A FOG. 



gave liis fishsbip a wide berth He did not, they 

 said, appear to be in pursuit of them, but kept on his 

 way, unmolesting, and unmolested. 



On the 25th we lowered for blackfish, and cap- 

 tured six, which yielded us ten barrels of oil. These 

 fish, like the whales on this coast, are fatter than 

 they are elsewhere, and average larger. Two days 

 afterwards we gammoned with the barque Emily 

 Downing, of Hobartown. She reported, that on the 

 day we were blackfishing she had sighted two schools 

 of sperm whales. Swinging only three boats, the 

 captain and second mate went in pursuit of one 

 school, and the mate of the other. The last seen 

 of the mate's boat he was close to the whales, and 

 his boatsteerer standing up, preparatory to darting, 

 when a thick fog enveloped everything. The two 

 boats in company proceeded to regain the ship, which 

 ihcy did with much difficulty ; and had not those on 

 board kept up a continual ringing of their ship's 

 bell to guide them, the probabilities are, that they 

 would have fared no better than the mate and his 

 crew, who had neither been seen nor heard of since. 

 Conjectures were rife as to their probable fate : some 

 Burmising that the boat had been stoven, and all 

 hands lost ; others thought that, as the mate was a 

 prudent man, of much experience, and well knew the 

 locality of the laud, he would most likely direct his 

 boat straightway to it, and lose no time in searching 

 for their ship. The latter were right, as was proved 

 on the 30th, when the Downing and we were in 

 company, lying under short sail, — a fresh breeze 

 blowing, with a heavy sea in attendance — our mast- 

 headsman apprised us, that there were several sails 



