190 WHALING AND FISHING. 



and the way from the whale to the ships wag very 

 unpleasant, the night being as dark as pitch, and 

 the sea very high. The following morning all the 

 boats were mustered together, and we pulled for 

 our whale. Arrived upon the spot, which we 

 easily recognized by the bearings of the land, ^ o 

 found no buoy. The whale we had hardly 

 expected to find knowing she would sink. After 

 a search of an hour, we found our drug, and taking 

 from it the lines, disposed ourselves in the boats 

 BO as to weigh the whale. 



It has been found that if, where a whale has 

 sunk, sufficient force can be brought to bear upon 

 him, to start his body from the bottom, it will 

 continue to ascend, and when it once gains the 

 surface, will not again sink. 



" If we don't lift our whale, the ground sharks 

 will eat her," was the captain's reason for haste. 



The first tug we gave at the lines brought every 

 iron up from the bottom. Some had pieces of the 

 entrails, others patches of the blubber adhering to 

 the barbs, and it became at once evident that the 

 sharks had been beforehand with us, and had 

 eaten off the outside, of blubber, before we arrived. 

 With many a muttered curse, "not loud but 

 deep," we gathered up our lines, anchor and drug, 

 and departed. 



During the week following this loss, we captured 

 two whales, both cows with calves, and both made 

 prey by taking advantage of their strong affections 

 for their young. Care was taken after this how- 



