Harpoons, Lances, Guns, and Boats 233 



escaping immediate danger, only to return again 

 for another attack. In speed and handiness the 

 canoe model was not excelled by any then known 

 to the white men. Therefore, in spite of race 

 prejudice, inherited from the brutal days when 

 every man's hand was against his neighbor, the 

 white whalers adopted the red man's model. 



The whale boat was sharp at both ends and 

 could be driven astern as readily as ahead. Giving 

 the boat great sheer building the bow and stern 

 high out of water enabled it to throw off the 

 waves of a rough sea, and also made it less likely 

 to turn over when struck by a flaw of wind. 

 Then, still following the canoe model, the floor 

 was made nearly flat so that the crew could turn 

 the boat swiftly and dodge the onslaught of a 

 wounded whale much as the Indians did. Oars 

 were used by the white whalers from the first, but 

 they also adopted the Indian paddle, because 

 paddles made less noise and disturbance in the 

 water. Finally sails were added to the boats of 

 the white whalers, partly because a sailing boat 

 could run on to a whale without disturbing it, and 

 partly because sailing saved the work of rowing. 



