THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 209 



sun showed her from the mast-head nearly top-sails down. 

 We then shortened sail, and she came up with us during the 

 night. The next day we ran side by side, and interchanged 

 boats' crews through the entire day. At evening we parted 

 with our pleasant company, and sighted the carcass of a 

 whale stripped of its blubber. 



JVov. 16. A large bone-shark was seen alongside the ship. 

 He was near the surface, and we judged his size to be about 

 thirty feet in length, although we could not make out his- 

 form accurately. We wished to lower a boat and attempt 

 capture with the harpoon, but the captain said that as the 

 shark was a gilled fish, and would not rise to the surface to 

 allow a chance for the lance, and was far too powerful to be 

 restrained in its running, it would be useless. This fish is 

 believed by sailors to have a mouth furnished with bone, like 

 the right whale, though much shorter; hence the name of 

 bone-shark ; and if seamen's accounts be true, the creature 

 is unknown to naturalists. 



N~ov. 23. Seeing no whales in the vicinity o'f Cocos, we 

 squared away before a light breeze, and ran for Charles Isl- 

 and, Galapagos. At 2 P.M. to-day we came to anchor in nine 

 fathoms' water in an open roadstead, affording good holding- 

 ground. This is the nearest safe anchorage to the landing- 

 place of a small colony of Peruvianos, seven miles distant. 

 The colony is established about three miles inland, near the 

 only fresh water found on the entire group. In front of our 

 anchorage is a beach of sand, and the low ground back of it 

 is pretty well clothed with low bushes, while on the hills the 

 cactus is seen, and a few trees. Throwing our lines over the 

 side, we took enough fish for supper, and, by-the-bye, fish- 

 ing about these islands affords constant surprises. Each fish 

 one catches is odder in shape, and different in size and color 

 from its predecessor. The varieties are so great that they 

 seem inexhaustible. 



