188 WHALING AND FISHING. 



It was soon discovered that we could uige the 

 little calf in any direction, by gentle touches of 

 the lance, and accordingly we forced it and its 

 mother with it, to take a course leading toward 

 the ships. For two hours we continued lancing 

 her, and as she spouted blood nearly all this time, 

 we were satisfied she must soon die. 



But now we were scarce half a mile from ine 

 vessels the sea-breeze came in, and as she felt it, 

 new life seemed to enter the whale. She again 

 tried to push her young one ahead, and finding 

 this useless, and that we took occasion meantime 

 to ply her with lances, she suddenly turned upon 

 the boats. 



Six boats were now gathered about her. When 

 a boat would approach her, she would whirl 

 round and dash at it with her flukes. With her 

 long sword-like fins (a sixty barrel humpback's 

 fins are at least twenty-five feet long, and shaped 

 like a broadsword), she kept us off her sides ; and 

 by running continually around in a small circle, 

 she got uur various lines so fouled that we began 

 to fear we should have to cut from her and fasten 

 afresh . 



The sea, too, was getting very high, and it wafl 

 disagreeable to work about a wkale. At this time 

 one of the boats pulled up to try a lance. It was 

 a long dart, and instead of striking the whale, the 

 lance glided into the little calf, which was lying 

 snugly along her side. 



With a weak puff the calf turned over ana 



