570 WHALE FISHERY. 



this interval the boats were all moored to the fast-boat, 

 the men being fearful of being dispersed ; but on the 

 disappearing of the fog, ihe pursuit was recommenced 

 with renewed vigor. Still the harpooners were not able 

 to succeed. They were now convinced of the neces- 

 sity of using every measure to retard the flight of the 

 fish. For this purpose, they slacked out nine lines, a 

 weight in air of eleven hundred weight, while the crew 

 of the fast-boat endeavored farther to retard his progress, 

 by holding their oars firmly in the water, as if in the act 

 of backing the boat astern. But this plan did not suc- 

 ceed. They then lashed two or three boats with their 

 sides to the stern of the fast-boat, and these were dragged 

 broad side first, with little diminished velocity for some 

 time. But the fish at length, feeling the impediment, 

 suddenly changed its course, and again disappointed the 

 crews of two of the boats, which had got extremely 

 near it. 



' Several times the harpooners seized their weapons, 

 and were on the point of launching them at the fish, 

 when in an instant it shot from them with singular ve- 

 locity and disappeared. In this way the chase was con- 

 tinued for fourteen hours, when the fish turned again 

 towards the wind. But the men were exhausted by such 

 continued exertion, together with the haid labor to which 

 they had been previously subjected, at the same time be- 

 ing without meat or drink, and sparingly sheltered from 

 the inclemency of the weather. 



' By this time we had reached the boats with the ship. 

 The wind had increased to a gale, and a considerable sea 

 had arisen. We had no hope, therefore, of success. 

 As, however, we could not possibly recover the lines at 

 this time, stormy as the weather was, we applied a cask 

 as a buoy to support them, and moored an empty boat 

 having a jack flying in it, to the cask with the intention 

 of keeping near it during the storm, and with the expec- 

 tation of recovering our lines, and a faint hope likewise 

 of gaining the fish after the termination of the gale. 

 The boat was then abandoned. We made an attempt to 

 keep near the boat" with the ship, but the increasing 

 force of the gale, drove us, in spite of every effort away. 



