THE GREENLAND WHALE. 345 



about two hundred fathoms long, and properly coiled 

 up that it may be given out as fast as is requisite, 

 otherwise the whale would immediately sink the 

 boat. At first, the velocity with which the line runs 

 over the side of the boat, is so great, that it is con- 

 stantly wetted 'to prevent its taking fire; but in a 

 short time the strength of the whale begins to dimi- 

 nish, and the men, instead of letting out more rope, 

 strive as much as possible to pull back that which is, 

 already given out. If the whole line belonging to 

 one boat be run out, that of another is immediately 

 fastened to it. This is repeated as necessity requires-; 

 and instances have been met with, where all the rope 

 belonging to the six boats has been necessary, al- 

 though half the quantity is generally sufficient* 



When the whale descends and has run some hun- 

 dred fathom deep, he is obliged to come up for air, 

 and then makes so dreadful a noise with his spouting, 

 that some have compared it to the firing of artillery. 

 As soon as he appears on the surface of the water, 

 some of the harpooners fix another harpoon in him, 

 upon which he plunges again into the deep; and on 

 his coming up a second time, they pierce him wiib 

 spears, till he spouts out streams of blood instead of 

 water, beating the waves with his fins and his tail, till 

 the sea is all as a foam. He is then known to be near 

 death, and the boats continue to follow him till he has 

 totally lost his strength. When dying, he turns him- 

 self oa his back, and is drawn on shore, or to the ship, 

 if at a distance from land. He is then cut up, and his 

 flesh or blubber generally put in barrels, and brought 

 home, although formerly, as already observed, the oij 

 was extracted in that country. 



Every .whale is computed to yield, on an average, 

 from sixty to a hundred barrels of oil, of the value of 

 about four pounds sterling per barrel, which, with the 

 whalebone,, is sufficient to prove the great importance 

 qf this fish considered in a commercial point of view. 



The flesh of the \\liale is, among some nations, 



reckoned a d.aiaty : and the inhabitants of Greenland 



urs ibnd qf it. tp excess. They not on! v eat the 



Q -3 



