230 WHALING AND FISHING. 



exposed all to almost certain destruction, without 

 any reasonable prospect of getting the whale. We 

 immediately commenced bailing the boat, each 

 man as he crawled aboard over bow or stern (for 

 so full of water was the boat, that a touch upon 

 her side woiild have capsized her), going to work. 

 Buckets, hats, shoes, and every thing else available 

 were brought into requisition, and we soon got the 

 water so far under that two men could be set to 

 work with paddles ; and thus while the rest bailed 

 we slowly reached the ship. Here the boat was 

 wrapped round with mats and ropes, and hoisted 

 in to be repaired. A few of her after timbers 

 were broken ; nearly every plank was started, and 

 her keel was splintered in two places. 



The whale, as we knew by our iron which was 

 sticking in his back, was the same we had struck. 

 After going down at the distance of a mile, his 

 temper probably got the better of him, and 

 he returned to wreak revenge on his assailants. 

 Barnard^ who was the first to discover him, said 

 he saw a huge body glistening as it rose rapidly 

 under the boat, and at once guessed it to be a 

 whale, not thinking however, till we all saw the 

 iron in his back, that it was the whale. 



None of the other boats succeeded in getting 

 fast. The crews said that although that portion 

 of the school which they were pursuing, was at 

 /east two miles from us, they knew the moment 

 we got fast, by the sudden disappearance of every 

 Whale. 



