172 DANGERS OP 



excessive force, which threw it into the air in frag- 

 ments, with the men and every thing it contained. 

 The men, though much bruised, managed to support 

 themselves with oars, &c. for about three quarters 

 of an hour, when they were relieved by the arrival 

 of another of the boats. All this time the whale con- 

 tinued near them, and several sharks, attracted by 

 the blood. The whale was finally secured. 



Numberless stories are told &i fighting whales, one 

 or two of which we shall mention. In the year 1804, 

 the ship Adonis, being in company with several 

 others, struck a large whale off the coast of New 

 Zealand, which " stove" and destroyed nine boats 

 before breakfast, and the chase was consequently 

 given up. After destroying the boats belonging to 

 many ships, this whale was at last captured, and 

 many harpoons of various vessels were found in its 

 body. This whale was extensively known under 

 the designation of " New Zealand Tom," and many 

 traditions about it are carefully preserved. 



But it is not boats only, for ships even are some- 

 times destroyed by these powerful creatures. It is 

 a well authenticated fact, that the Ajnerican ship, 

 the Essex, was destroyed in the South Pacific 

 Ocean by an enormous Sperm Whale. When the 

 greater part of the crew were absent in the boats 

 killing whales, the few people remaining on board 

 saw an enormous whale come up close to the ship, 

 and when very near, it appeared to sink down for 

 the purpose of avoiding the vessel ; and in doing so, 

 struck its body against some part of the keel, which 



