138 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



We cruised from Scott's Inlet down to Agnes' Monument 

 and Cape Kater, and many whales were seen. All the 

 vessels had their boats away every day, ours amongst the 

 rest. One day two of the harpooners fired and missed, but 

 the third got fast to a large whale, and we succeeded in 

 killing it before darkness set in, but the wind increased, 

 which made it most dangerous and difficult to flense in the 

 dark, as we were amongst numerous bergs and heavy loose 

 ice. The ship was nearly unmanageable with having a 

 whale alongside. After a weary fifteen hours' flensing, we 

 were able to set our canvas and ply to the northward, having 

 drifted many miles during the night. 



The other vessels which had been in our company had 

 the same bad luck, and although we had been amongst so 

 many whales during the season, we did not succeed 

 according to expectation. The crews of the more successful 

 ships heartily sympathised with the less fortunate ones, but 

 it is better to be envied than pitied. 



I may here mention that sailing ships had an admirable 

 code of distant signals for their boats. For instance, when 

 a ship is under full sail, and the boats, say two or three 

 miles distant, and a fish appears ahead, the flying jib is 

 hauled down ; if astern, the mizzen gaff topsail is hauled 

 down ; if on the weather bow, the weather clue of the fore- 

 top-gallant sail is clewed up ; the lee bow, the lee foretop- 

 gallant sail is clewed up ; on the weather beam, the weather 

 maintop-gallant sail is clewed up ; on the lee beam, the lee 

 one is clewed up ; to stop pulling, the foretop-gallant sail is 

 clewed up at the masthead and braced by. If this still 

 remains in that position after the boats have stopped 

 pulling, it is the signal to return on board. For near 

 signals, a black waver resembling a frying pan is used by 

 the master in the crow's nest, who points it in the direction 

 he wishes the boats to pull. To return on board, a black 

 canvas bag, called a bucket, is hoisted at the mizzen 



