156 ALLEN: NEW ENGLAND WHALEBONE WHALES. 



to be lost now.' His speaking in this manner gave the crew new courage. They soon per- 

 ceived that they made headway; and after long rowing they all got safe on shore." 



The pursuit of whales often carried the shore-whalers well away from land in these early 

 days, and the above instance no doubt reflects what was of frequent occurrence. Many a 

 long, hard pull they had to bring them back to land, and nightfall often caught them ere they 

 made the shore. 



Samuel West 1 refers to an old tradition that "it was common to see a light upon Gay 

 Head in the night time. Others informed me, that their ancestors have told them, that the 

 whalemen used to guide themselves in the night by the lights that were seen upon Gay Head." 

 These lights were thought to be of supernatural origin, but may have been kindled by the 

 Indians encamped there. 



Accidents also happened at times to whalemen on land. Thus in the Boston News-Letter 

 of July 23, 1741, it is related that a Mr. Nathaniel Hardy, of Truro, "an elderly Man of this 

 Place, being at one of the Fry Houses boiling of Oil, he was taken with a fainting Fit, and fell 

 into a large Vessell of boiling hot Oyl, and was scalded in a most miserable Manner." 



Ministers' Salaries. The pious settlers of Plymouth seem to have been not unmindful 

 of, Heaven's benefaction in supplying them so "great store" of whales, for in June, 1662', we 

 find that "the Court proposeth it as a thing they Judge would bee very comendable and beni- 

 ficiall to the Townes where Gods Providence shall cast any whales; if they should agree to sett 

 apart some p[ar]te of euery such fish or oyle for the Incurragement of an able Godly Minnester 

 amongst them." 3 This praiseworthy suggestion evidently found favor among some at least 

 of the towns, for in that same year, 1662, the town of Eastham voted that a part of every 

 whale cast ashore should be appropriated for the support of the ministry. 4 A number of years 

 later, we find it recorded that in 1702, the town of Sandwich gave to Rev. Roland Cotton 

 "all such drift- whales as shall during the time of his ministry in Sandwich, be driven or cast 

 ashore within the limits of the town, being such as shall not be killed with hands." 5 The same 

 year Rev. John Cotton at Yarmouth received " incurragement " to the extent "of 40 in money, 

 of the product of the whale fishes that came to this town the last year, the town to have 

 the balance." 6 



Strife over Drift Whales. Despite the numerous regulations passed for the prevention 

 of controversy, the strife over drift whales seems to have continued with energy. In 1693, 

 the town of Sandwich was "in controversy with the Sheriff of the county, 'he having seized 



1 West, Samuel. A Letter concerning Gay Head. Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci., 1793, vol. 2, p. 150. 



2 Quoted by Starbuck, 1878, p. 33. 



3 Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, 1861, vol. 11, p. 135. 



4 Pratt, E. History of Eastham, Wellfleet, and Orleans, 1844, p. 33. 

 6 Freeman, F. History of Cape Cod, 1862, vol. 2, p. 85. 



6 Ibid, p. 206. 



