FATAL INCIDENT. 189 



" On their approach," he says, " we were a 

 little surprised by some unusual appearances, 

 particularly by the obvious want of the proper 

 complement of oars, and the solemn counte- 

 nances of the rowers s ; but a deficiency in the 

 number of men was neither observed nor sus- 

 pected. As soon as they came within hail, my 

 anxiety induced me to call out, and inquire 

 what had happened. " A bad misfortune, in- 

 deed," replied the officer commanding the first 

 boat; " we have lost Carr!" This awful in- 

 telligence, for which we were altogether unpre- 

 pared, shocked me exceedingly, and it was some 

 time before I was able to inquire into the par- 

 ticulars of the accident, which had deprived us 

 of one of our shipmates. As far as could be 

 collected from the confused accounts of the 

 crew of the boat, of which he went out in 

 charge, the circumstances were as follow : 

 The two boats that had been so long absent 

 had, on the outset, separated from their com- 

 panions, and, allured by the chase of a whale, 

 and the fineness of the weather, they proceeded 

 until they were far out of sight of the ship. 



