SULPHUR-BOTTOMS. 221 



ft early as fast as the vessel; but on the contrary, 

 we could plainly see that it moved, if at all, the 

 other way, against the wind. 



"How do you account for that?" asked I of 

 the mate, while we were trying out. 



" Whalemen say it is caused by the lower fin of 

 the whale, which hangs loosely down in the water 

 as he lies upon his side. As the sea sweeps under 

 the body, this fin catches the water in a peculiar 

 manner, and being yet bound by the muscles, at 

 each sweep throws the whale's body slightly back, 

 thus neutralizing the force of the wave." 



The next day we saw a huge finback of the 

 kind called the sulphur -bottom. They are very 

 large, and the blubber is reputed to make oil fully 

 equal to sperm oil. Marvelous stories are told by 

 whalemen, of the size of these sulphur-bottoms, 

 some having been taken which turned out from 

 one hundred and thirty to one hundred and sixty 

 barrels of oil. They run, on being struck, just as 

 does the real fin-back, and oftentimes sink when 

 at the point of death, thus again disappointing 

 the expectant whaleman. 



The mode most depended on for capturing them 

 is to go on with a lance and an iron in the bows. 

 The lance being darted first, if there is reasonable 

 cause to suppose that it has struck his life, it 18 

 immediately followed by the iron. If it has not 

 inflicted a mortal wound, the iron is withheld, aa 

 in that case the fish would go off at top speed, 



