152 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



This year the bomb lances were frequently used by us, 

 with astonishing effect. On one occasion a whale was 

 going under a patch of ice, and no doubt we should have 

 lost her, had not the harpooner fired a bomb lance, which 

 exploded in a vital part that she rolled over quite dead. 



I will give an instance of the strength of the whale. As 

 we* were killing one, which lay alongside the floe, so that 

 only one boat could lance, I and another went on the ice to 

 assist. In her dying agony she struck the ice, which was 

 three feet thick, with the flat of her tail, breaking it in 

 pieces, and making the floe shake the length of a ship 

 from her. 



In some cases, a fish could not be approached with the 

 hand lance when they were lively, hence the benefit of the 

 bomb-lance. Great precaution must be used with them, 

 the powder in the gun must not be pressed too tight, 

 or the fuse is liable to bend, and in consequence it will 

 not ignite. Another time one exploded at the muzzle 

 of the gun, and rent the barrel down to the breach like 

 a piece of paper, some fragments struck my boat's bow, 

 and several pieces entered the wood, but fortunately 

 no one was hurt. It was a foolish action to fire when two 

 boats were in such close proximity. I was on one side 

 lancing the whale, when the boat on the opposite 

 side fired. 



The loose ice now closed upon us, so that we could not 

 ply the boats, and the whales were very numerous. At 

 every hole one was to be seen, and it was annoying that 

 we could not get at them. The following day, the ice 

 slacked off, but they had all disappeared. After waiting 

 several days, we went further south and killed two more, 

 which made us fifteen. Up to this time fortune had 

 crowned our endeavours, but now deserted us. Many 

 whales were seen but we could not get near to them. 



This season every whale that was fired at, we succeeded 



