100 HISTORY OF THE WHALE. 



happening to slip into a coil of running rope, had his foot 

 entirely cut off, and'was obliged to have the lower part of the 

 leg amputated. A harpooner belonging to the Hamilton, 

 when engaged in lancing a whale, incautiously cast a little 

 line under his foot. The pain of the lance induced the 

 whale to dart suddenly downwards ; his line began to run 

 out from under his feet, and, in an instant caught him by a 

 turn round the body : he had just time to call out, " clear 

 away the line oh dear!" when he was almost cut asun- 

 der, dragged overboard, and never seen afterwards. The 

 following graphic and tragical scene is taken from Mr. Scor- 

 seby ' s Journal. Two boats belonging to the B aifin of Liver- 

 pool having been many hours absent from the ship, and oc- 

 casioned much anxiety, were at last descried pulling to- 

 wards the ship. On their approach we were a little sur- 

 prised by some unusual appearances, particularly their want 

 of their proper complement of oars, and the solemn coun- 

 tenances of the rowers. As soon as they came within hail 

 I inquired what had happened. "A bad misfortune, in- 

 deed," was the answer : " we have lost Carr !" the prin- 

 cipal officer of the boat. The particulars were as follow : 

 The two boats which had been so long absent had in the 

 outset separated from their companions, and allured by the 

 chase of a whale, they proceeded till they were far out of 

 sight of the ship. The whale led them amidst a great 

 shoal ; one rose so near the boat of which Carr was har- 

 pooner, that he ventured to pull towards it, though it was 

 meeting him, and offered but an indifferent prospect of suc- 

 cess : he, however, succeeded in harpooning it. The boat 

 and fish passing each other with great rapidity after the 

 stroke, the line was jerked out of its place, and instead of 

 " running" over the stem, was thrown over the gunwale ; 

 its pressure in this unfavorable position so careened the 

 boat that the side sank under water and began to fill. In 

 this emergency the harpooner, who was a fine active fellow, 

 seized the line and attempted to relieve the boat by restoring 

 it to its place ; but a turn of the line flew over his arm, in 



