OLD WHALING DAYS. 21 



funeral. The scanty soil was only a few inches deep, and 

 his grave was speedily dug with crow bars, for shovels were 

 of no use. The funeral procession was most solemn and 

 impressive. All the ships had their flags half-mast, and about 

 thirty boats, each containing six men, towed the one in which 

 was the coffin and its occupant slowly towards the land. 

 The doctor read the funeral service, and we covered the 

 wooden shell with large stones, placed in such a position that 

 they did not rest upon it. A wooden head board with the 

 name, age, and birthplace of the deceased, and the ship to 

 which he belonged, marked his burial place. I saw it several 

 years after, and it was in good preservation. I may add that 

 I have seen other head boards, fifty years after their erection, 

 in good condition, although bleached quite white by the 

 weather. Many poor fellows are now resting in this in- 

 hospitable and sterile country. No gentle hand is there to 

 place a flower upon their lowly graves. They died in pro- 

 curing the necessaries of life for their wives and families, 

 and in this they were doing their duty. Their sacrifices 

 were great, and such brave hearts will not perhaps be 

 forgotten in the great roll-call by the recording angel. No 

 grave that I have ever seen there has been disturbed by 

 either bears, foxes, or wolves. Can such a thing be said in 

 our own country, where the flowers on the graves of our 

 dear ones are constantly being plucked by sacrilegious 

 hands. 



Two days after, came a calm, and the ice began to 

 open in all directions. Boats were speedily manned in 

 order to tow the ships through the intricate passages of the 

 islands to the northward. It is a dreary and slow process, 

 but when a few ships are together it becomes lively and 

 amusing. One ship tows against another, and the crews 

 strike up some song or chorus, which has a very fine effect 

 amongst the numerous islands and icebergs, the echoes 

 coming from every direction. We continued towing, 



