132 The Story of the New England Whalers 



The story of another third mate, Mr. Benjamin 

 Clough, of the Sharon, and his fight with murder- 

 ous islanders, may very well be told here, because 

 of the effect which such stories had upon the 

 industry in the earlier days. On October 15, 

 1842, the whaler Sharon, Captain Norris, of Fair- 

 haven, Massachusetts, put into Ascension Island 

 for wood and water. When ready to proceed on 

 her voyage, eleven of her crew deserted, and being 

 protected by the inhabitants, they succeeded in 

 eluding the officers sent in search. In consequence 

 of this the ship sailed on October 27 with a crew 

 that numbered only seventeen men all told. 

 The captain intended to touch at Bay of Islands 

 or Port Jackson and fill up his crew. 



On Sunday, November 6, whales were raised, 

 and two boats were lowered, leaving Captain 

 Norris, a Portuguese boy named Manuel Jose 

 dos Rios, and three natives of the Kingsmill group 

 of islands on board to keep the ship. A fourth 

 islander was in one of the boats. A whale was 

 soon killed by the boats, and as it was not far 

 from the ship it was "waifed," so that the ship 

 might easily run down to it and secure it, while the 



