228 The Story of the New England Whalers 



whales by means of prussic acid. The subtile 

 poison was contained in tubes, in quantity about 

 two ounces. Among other difficulties one was to 

 discharge the poison at the right time. After 

 various trials the plan fixed upon was to attach 

 firmly to each end of the harpoon near the blade 

 one end of a strong copper wire, the other end of 

 which passed obliquely over the tube, thereby 

 securing it in its place; then through an oblique 

 hole in the shaft, close to the upper end of the 

 tube, and finally to a bight in the rope where it 

 was firmly secured. By these means the rope 

 could not be drawn tight (as it would be when 

 the harpoon attached to it struck the whale) 

 without crushing the tubes; the poison would 

 then enter the whale and death ensue. Messrs. 

 Young sent a quantity of the tubes charged with 

 poison by one of their ships engaged in the Green- 

 land fishery, and on meeting with a fine whale 

 the harpoon was deeply buried in its body; the 

 leviathan immediately 'sounded,' but in a very 

 short time the rope relaxed and the whale rose 

 to the surface quite dead. The men were so ap- 

 palled by the terrific effect of the poisoned harpoon 

 that they declined to use any more of them." 



