A WHITE-ASil BAEEZE. 179 



determination to pull intc the bight, and try the 

 fish we there saw. The other boats, meanwhile, 

 were posted on different parts of the ground, each 

 two choosing for themselves a special portion, and 

 paying exclusive attention to the whales thoy 

 found there. 



We spent the entire forenoon in a fruitless 

 chase of the humpbacks, who seemed to dodge 

 the boats with the utmost ease, and while appa- 

 rently not attending at all to our movements, took 

 care never to come within dart of our irons. 



They had none of the regularity of the sperm 

 whale, and their motions, unlike his, could not be 

 counted upon. The land breeze was very weak, 

 for which reason we were obliged to use the oars, 

 and substitute what whalemen call a " white ash 

 breeze," (in allusion to our oars being generally 

 made of that kind of wood), for the natural air. 



About twelve o'clock we took a little rest and 

 ate our dinners, consisting of sundry biscuits, 

 interlaid with pieces of salt junk. Up to this 

 time none of the boats had succeeded in getting 

 fast, much to our disappointment ; for when on the 

 previous day we saw how numerous were the 

 whales, we had imagined it to be henceforth an 

 easy and every-day matter to kill them. Shortly 

 after dinner the sea-breeze set in. At the first 

 puff the whales were thrown into the greatest 

 excitement, and snorting louder than ever, started 

 tbr the mouth of the bay. 



We Gould now use our sails, and made haste to 



