WHALE FISHERY. 435 



These signals serve to indicate to surrounding ships the 

 exclusive title of the ' fast ship,' to the entangled whale, 

 and to prevent their interference, excepting in the way 

 of assistance, in the capture. A very natural inquiry 

 connected with this subject, is, what is the length of 

 time requisite for capturing a whale? This is a ques- 

 tion which can only be answered indirectly ; for I have 

 myself witnessed the capture of a large whale, which has 

 been effected in twentyeight minutes ; and have also 

 been engaged with another fish which was lost, after it 

 had been entangled about sixteen hours. Instances are 

 well authenticated, in which whales have yielded their 

 lives to the lances of active fishers, within the space of 

 fifteen minutes from the time of being struck ; and in 

 cases when fish have been shot with a harpoon-gun, in a 

 still shorter period ; while other instances are equally fa- 

 miliar and certain, wherein a whale having gained the 

 shelter of a pack or compact patch of ice, has sustained 

 or avoided every attack upon it, during the space of for- 

 ty or fifty hours. Some whales have been captured when 

 very slightly entangled with a single harpoon, while 

 others have disengaged themselves, though severely 

 wounded with lances, by a single act of violent and con- 

 vulsive distortion of the body, or tremendous shake of 

 the tail, from four or more harpoons; in which act, some 

 of the lines have been broken with apparent ease, and 

 the harpoons to which other lines were attached, either 

 broken or torn out of the body of the vigorous animal. 

 Generally, the speedy capture of a whale depends on the 

 activity of the harpooners, the favorableness of situation 

 and weather, and, in no inconsiderable degree, on the 

 peculiar conduct of the whale attacked. Under the 

 most favorable circumstances, namely, when the fisher- 

 men are very active, the ice very open, or the sea free 

 from ice and the weather fine, the average length of 

 time occupied in the capture of a whale, may be stated 

 as not exceeding an hour. The general average, includ- 

 ing all sizes of fish, and all circumstances of capture, 

 may probably be two or three hours. 



The method practised in the capture of whales, under 

 favorable circumstances/is very uniform with all the fish- 



