190 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



The whale they pursued led them into a vast 

 shoal of the species ; they were, indeed, so 

 numerous, that their " blowing" was incessant, 

 and they believed they could not have seen less 

 than a hundred. Fearful of alarming them 

 without striking any, they remained for some 

 time motionless, watching for a favourable op- 

 portunity to commence an attack. One of 

 them at length arose so near the boat of which 

 William Carr was harpooner, that he ventured 

 to pull towards it, though it was meeting him, 

 and afforded but an indifferent chance of suc- 

 cess. He, however, fatally for himself, succeeded 

 in harpooning it. The boat and fish passing 

 each other with great rapidity after the stroke, 

 the line was jerked out of its place, and instead 

 of "running" over the stern, was thrown over 

 the gunwale ; its pressure in this unfavourable 

 position so careened the boat, that the side sank 

 below the water, and it began to fill. In this 

 emergency the harpooner, who was a fine active 

 fellow, seized the bight of the line, and at- 

 tempted to relieve the boat, by restoring it to its 

 place ; but by some singular circumstance, 



