HISTORY OF THE WHALE. 101 



an instant dragged him overboard, and plunged him under 

 water to rise no more ! So sudden was the accident, that 

 only one man, who had his eye upon him at the moment, 

 was aware of what had happened ; so that when the boat 

 righted, which it immediately did, though half full of wa- 

 ter, they all at once, on looking round at an exclamation 

 from the man who had seen him launched overboard, in- 

 quired, "What had got Carr ?" It is scarcely possible to 

 imagine a death more awfully sudden or unexpected. 

 The accident was, indeed, so instantaneous that he had no 

 time for the least exclamation ; and the person who wit- 

 nessed his extraordinary removal observed, that it was so 

 exceedingly quick, that, although his eye was upon him at 

 the instant, he could scarcely distinguish the object as it 

 disappeared. 



A large whale became the subject of a general chase, 

 says Scorseby, on the 23d of June. Being myself in the 

 first boat which approached the fish, I struck my harpoon 

 at arm's-length, by which we fortunately evaded a blow 

 which appeared to be aimed at the boat. Another boat 

 then advanced, and another harpoon was struck, but not 

 with the same result ; for the stroke was immediately re- 

 turned by a tremendous blow from the fish's tail. The 

 boat was sunk by the shock, and at the same time whirled 

 round with such velocity that the boat-steerer was precipita- 

 ted into the water on the side next to the fish, and carried 

 down to a considerable depth by its tail. After a minute 

 or so, he arose to the surface, and was taken up along with 

 his companions into another boat. 



Some boats of the Aim well, on the 26th May, being in 

 pursuit of whales, harpooned one. When struck, this in- 

 dividual only dived for a moment, and then rose again 

 beneath the boat, struck it in the most vicious manner with 

 its tail and fins, stove, upset it, and then disappeared. The 

 crew, seven in number, got on the bottom of the boat ; but 

 the unequal action of the lines, which remained entangled 



