OLD WHALING DAYS. 131 



Sukkertoppen, and worked our way to the northward 

 amongst streams and patches, until we came to Whale Fish 

 Island. The natives came off and told us that many 

 fish had recently been there, so we coiled the lines in the 

 boats and prepared for work, cruising between the Islands 

 and Disco. Many whales were seen and fired at, but 

 missed. Such mismanagement was very disheartening at 

 the commencement of the voyage. 



We stayed two days longer, and not seeing any more, we 

 sailed to the westward amongst streams of ice, and to all 

 appearance this was the most likely place to find them. I 

 thought possibly we should get some here, but was 

 disappointed, although in previous years I had seen them 

 very numerous. We then sailed further north to Disco 

 Bay, but the weather was too boisterous. We fell in with 

 some of the other whalers, but none had been successful, 

 and the season for the Disco fishing was over. 



We all turned our attention towards N.E. Bay. When off 

 Hare Island a strong gale from the northward commenced 

 to blow, and before we could get made fast to an iceberg 

 the ice wrapped round our ship and two others, and we 

 were soon beset. The ice crushed and pressed upon us in 

 such an alarming manner that we expected every moment 

 to become total wrecks. Our rudder was promptly un- 

 shipped, or we should have lost it. 



In the offing of this island there is a reef on which bergs 

 ground, and the ice drifting from the northward upon them, 

 makes it very dangerous to get beset, so we always hug the 

 land if possible, and take the inside passage, called the 

 Malygat, but this time it was full of ice, and our only way 

 was at the outside. One of the vessels was forced close to 

 a wall-sided berg, and had scarcely time to take the boats in 

 before the ship had drifted within three feet of it. 



In our case nothing but a small sconce piece of ice saved 

 us from being forced on to another. Fortunately the floe 



