KILLING A CALF. 18$ 



sank. The mother seemed to know in a moment 

 what had happened. She followed it to the bot- 

 tom. After making several circuits about it, as 

 re guessed by the motions of our lines, she again 

 rose to the surface, but this time with nose pointed 

 to the windward. 



" Now we'll have to take it, Charley," said the 

 boatsteerer to me. 



And sure enough, she dragged us off against 

 the wind, and through a most uncomfortable sea, 

 at the rate of four or five miles per hour. 



It was sunset before she brought to again, and 

 then we were eleven or twelve miles from the 

 ship. The wind was very strong, but fortunately 

 for us, she had dragged us under the lee of a small 

 headland, and the sea was not so violent. 



Here she stood at bay. But there were so many 

 boats, that while some would engage her attention 

 and her flukes, with which she defended herself, 

 others would approach from ahead and lance her. 

 With all this, however, it was long after sunset 

 before she finally " rolled fin out." 



We could not of course tow her down that 

 night, and as one of the boats had a small kedge 

 stowed in the bows, the whale was brought to 

 anchor. First we put irons into various parts of 

 her body, with which to lift her in case she sank. 

 Next, the anchor was dropped, and a small cable 

 made fast to the whale's flukes, and finally, anchor 

 and whale were buoyei with a drug. 



It was ten o'clock ere we got on board this night* 



