WHALES — CAPTURE A COW AND CALF. 335 



CHAPTER XIII. 



At two o'clock in the afternoon of October lltK 

 we weighed our anchor, and, with a fair wind, stood 

 out to sea. Twenty-four hours afterwards we sighted 

 a school of sperm whales, consisting of cows and 

 calves. After some little manoeuveriug, we lowered 

 away all four boats ; but the whales going to wind- 

 ward, the captain and mate, after an hour's chase, 

 deemed farther pursuit useless, and returned aboard. 

 The other boats, however, continued the chase; and 

 at about 5 P. M. the third mate's boatsteerer fastened, 

 kilhng the whale with his irons. Whilst hauling up 

 to him, the line became entangled in the jaws of an- 

 other whale, and was severed. The third mate then 

 lanced and killed three more ; but night coming on, 

 and the weather becoming rugged, he was unable 

 to save any of them, and obliged to return to the 

 ship empty-handed. The mate, in the interim, had 

 fastened to a cow, and killed her and her calf, both 

 of which were saved ; but it was midnight before 

 we had them secured alongside. These two were 

 the most diminutive whales it has been our fortune 

 to capture. The cow, which was the first female of 

 the species we have had alongside, was about thirty- 

 five feet in length, and of much inferior bulk to the 

 male. Her skin was smoother, glossier, and of a 

 deeper color; and, taken altogether, she was a much 



