178 WHALING AND FISHING. 



roused at four, had our breakfast in readiness, and 

 after devoting fifteen minutes to this, " lower 

 away " was shouted, and all hands were immedi- 

 ately called into the boats. It was <jf course not 

 yet daylight, but we at once stood for the lower 

 part of the bay, which being with the morning 

 land breeze the extreme windward, was the scene 

 of our primary operations. 



After pulling away about three quarters of an 

 hour we began to hear whales some breaching, 

 some making the white-water fly, others under 

 headway, and spouting with a loud metallic sound 

 very closely resembling the puffing of a Mississipp . 

 steamboat. It was not yet quite daylight. The 

 rain it had rained ever since we lowered was 

 pouring down in torrents, the air was chilly, and 

 when not pulling, we sat shivering in the boat, 

 the water running from our clothes, much as 

 though we had been standing under a Brobdig 

 nagian shower-bath. 



At six o'clock it was fairly light enough to 

 work. On taking a survey of the ground, we 

 found ourselves at the entrance to a little bight of 

 the shore, about a mile deep, at the bottom of 

 which some whales were seen disporting them- 

 selves in the rain, which they evidently enjoyed. 

 It had been arranged that our eight boats, (the 

 Jas. Eodgers was a four-boat ship), should cruise 

 in parties of two. Our partner was the third 

 mate of the Kodgers. Hailing him, a short COD 

 saltation was held, the result of which was a 



