I 

 OLD WHALING DAYS. 191 



the outside is ten or eleven miles. We sent our boats 

 away as usual, and whales were plentiful, but moving 

 rapidly across the bay. 



One day the boats separated, three being on the north 

 side and three on the south. One to the southward 

 fastened to a whale, and she was killed before the others 

 came up. We towed her to the ship, and flensed her the 

 next day. 



The Eric was already in the inner harbour, and had 

 landed materials for houses and provisions for the wintering 

 party. The manager came on board, and offered to engage 

 any of our men. who would like to join them. Three 

 Shetland men volunteered their services. The agreement 

 was signed, and they were landed just before we left. The 

 houses were already built, and everything prepared for the 

 company to winter. The wives of the manager and doctor 

 were also going to stay. It was to some extent hazardous on 

 their part. Very few of the Danish miners would remain, as 

 they considered their contract broken by not being able to 

 land on the east coast of Greenland, and that was why 

 volunteers were wanted from our vessel. The following 

 year all the people were brought home, as the expedition 

 proved a total failure. 



We were joined by a Dundee steamer, and a sailing ship 

 called the Windward, belonging to Peterhead. The master 

 of the steamer told us they had the greatest difficulty in 

 getting through Melville Bay, to the west land. They had 

 to go to the northward *>f Carey's Islands before finding a 

 passage across, and burnt most of their coal, yet had not 

 been successful on the west side. Some had got a few 

 whales in coming to the southward. 



Our ideas about the Melville Bay route, therefore, turned 

 out to be correct. He said it was utterly impossible for 

 our vessel to have forced her way amongst the huge floes, 

 and that many times they were at a standstill in forcing 



