OLD WHALING DAYS. 47 



be any favour shewn, or a better boat picked by anyone. 

 Three cheers were given, grog served out, and the watch 

 then set. During the passage outward, everybody was pre- 

 paring for the fishing, weather permitting, harpoons, knives, 

 and other instruments were sharpened and cleaned. We 

 had a remarkably fine passage, and arrived off Fortune Bay, 

 in the island of Disco, about the i2th April. There we 

 sighted a whale, but did not succeed in capturing it. We 

 went to the offing, with Riff Koll about sixty miles and 

 Disco about sixty-five or seventy miles distant, and the ice 

 was in a very favourable condition, being composed of 

 loose floes and sconces. We were soon employed amongst 

 whales, as this place was noted for them at this time of the 

 year, when the ships could get into the neighbourhood. 

 There was a very old saying, "With Riff Koll Hill and 

 Disco dipping there you will see the whale fish skipping," 

 which saying was verified. Our boats had no sooner been 

 lowered than we succeeded in getting fast, and had the 

 whale killed in about two hours. The following day the 

 brig Anne, of Hull, hove in sight. She belonged to the 

 same owner. \ She at once fastened to one, then to another, 

 when fortune appeared to desert us and go over to the 

 Anne. No sooner did we strike a whale, than she followed 

 suit, theirs was killed immediately, whereas ours took many 

 hours. His crew had all the play, and ours all the trouble. 

 When we struck our third whale, he immediately struck 

 another. Ours took out four boats' lines and capsized a 

 boat, and was with great difficulty captured after twenty 

 hours' battle. The Anne got two during that time, and 

 flensed before ours was dead. A strong wind came on and 

 began to close the ice. We then went to the northward, off 

 Disco Bay. The land was about twenty miles distant, the 

 ice here was formed into a pack ; the wind blowing on to it 

 made a very nasty short sea at the edge. A few whales 

 were seen, and we were soon in pursuit. t One was struck, 



