242 The Story of the New England Whalers 



towing the boat after him. The boat steerer 

 had struck the whale abaft the vitals ... so 

 that it was yet far from certain whether he would 

 be captured. 



"The whale went out to sea two or three miles, 

 towing the boat at such speed that it did not 

 ride over the waves but cut through them, throw- 

 ing spray like a torpedo boat. Then he turned 

 about and doubling his wake sought the protection 

 offered by the shore ice near the ships. The 

 instant the whale headed shoreward four of the 

 captains and I took the only steam whale boat in 

 the fleet and joined in the chase, as there was 

 little hope of saving the whale unless more bomb 

 lances could be shot into him, and as yet not one 

 of the other boats had had opportunity to shoot 

 him. 



"At the north end of the floe was a bight in the 

 ice. The whale passed in under the ice and 

 suddenly appeared in this bight to blow. . . . 

 Before he could sound our boat had steamed 

 into the bight and was alongside of him. The 

 captain of the Lucretia stood in the forward end 

 of the boat with shoulder gun in hand ready at 



