572 WHALE FISHERY. 



at a great distance, to join the boats at eight in the af- 

 ternoon. They succeeded in taking one of the lines 

 to the ship, which was made fast to the ship, with a view 

 of retarding its flight. They then furled the top-gal- 

 lant sails, and lowered the top-sails ; but after supporting 

 the ship a few minutes head to wind, the wither of the 

 harpoon upset, or twisted aside, and the instrument was 

 disengaged from its grasp. The whale immediately set 

 off toward the windward with increased speed, and it 

 required an interval of three hours before the ship could 

 again approach it. Another line was then taken on 

 board, which '^immediately broke. A fifth harpoon had 

 previously been struck, to replace the one which wag 

 pulled out, but the line attached to it was soon afterwards 

 cut. They then instituted various schemes for arresting 

 the speed of the fish, which occupied their close atten- 

 rion nearly twelve hours. But its velocity was yet such, 

 that the master, who had himself proceeded to the at- 

 tack, was unable to approach sufficiently near to strike a 

 harpoon. After a long chase, however, he succeeded in 

 getting hold of one of the lines, which the fish dragged 

 after it, and of fastening another line to it ; the fish then 

 turned fortunately towards the ship, which was at a con- 

 siderable distance. 



' At four o'clock, in the afternoon of the thirtieth, thir- 

 tysix hours after the fish was struck, the ship again join- 

 ed the boats; when, by a successful manoeuvre, they se- 

 cured two of the fast lines on board. The wind blowing 

 a moderately brisk breeze, the top-gallant sails were 

 taken in, the principal sails hauled up, but, notwithstand- 

 ing the resistance a ship thus situated must offer, she was 

 towed by the fish, directly towards the quarter from 

 whence the wind blew with the velocity of a least one and 

 half or two knots, during an hour and a half. And then, 

 though the whale must have been greatly exhausted, it 

 beat the water with its fins and tail in so tremendous a 

 way, that the sea around was in a continual foam, and 

 the most hardy of the sailors scarcely dared to approach 

 it. At length, about eight o'clock in the afternoon, af- 

 ter forty hours of almost incessant, and for the most part 

 fruitless exertions, this formidable and astonishingly vi- 



