4O2 The Story of the New England Whalers 



water. They even went offshore on the ice 

 and killed whales in the pocket-like openings 

 found in the ice-field. Blow high or blow low, 

 they were there for oil and bone, and they would 

 neglect no opportunity that offered, merely be- 

 cause the ice was threatening. 



On August 25 a strong northeast gale came. 

 The whalers had been expecting it to come, and 

 it released the entire fleet by driving the pack 

 away to a distance of from four to eight miles. 

 When the ice began to move off, the Eskimos 

 flocked to the ships and told the captains that 

 this was the last opportunity that would be offered 

 for escape; but the captains laughed at the friendly 

 warning. The whales were coming from under 

 the ice in numbers greater than at any time dur- 

 ing the season ; moreover, another northeast wind 

 was sure to follow the southwest gale which the 

 Eskimos said was due in a short time. In Sep- 

 tember they would pull out for home, not 

 sooner. 



For four days the whalers prospered. Then 

 the wind shifted to the southwest, as the Eskimos 

 had predicted. It was not a bad gale at first, 



