SPITZBEllGKX AND GREEXLAXD. 123 



there it is also very dangerous and hard to come to the ichale, 

 for he is so cunning- that when he perceives where the ice is 

 he retires thither immediately. The harj)oonier stands at 

 the head of the long-boat, and doth draw on the rope, to try 

 whether it is heavy or light ; if it feels heavy, so that we are 

 afraid it will pull the boat under water, then wc give him 

 more rope, if he runs streight out before, he draweth the 

 sloops after him. If he doth run underneath a great ice- 

 field, the harpoonier taketh a knife in his hand, which they 

 call a chopping-knife, and if the ice-field be hollow, or 

 spongy, or full of holes in the middle, so that the ichale can 

 fetch breath underneath it, and the rope is not long enough 

 to follow him, and if the ice be several miles long, they draw 

 the rope in as much as possibly they can until it be streight, 

 and then he chops it off, loosing the piece of the rope whereon 

 the harpoon is fastened, that sticketh in the body of the tvhale, 

 yet not without great loss, for oftentimes they run away with 

 the lines that belong to five and more sloops. It happens 

 very often that they run to the ice wdth the long-boats, so 

 that they dash against it as if they would break it into pieces, 

 which also very often happens. But Avhen the ichale rises 

 again they oftentimes fling one or two more harpoons into 

 him, according as they find he is tired more or less : then he 

 dives under water again. Some swim or run even all along 

 on the Avater, and they play with their tail and finns, so that 

 wc must have great care that we may not come too near them. 

 AV'hen the ichales fling their tails about after this manner, 

 they wind the line about their tail, so that we need not to 

 fear the harpoon tearing out, for then they are ty'd strong 

 and firm enough with the rope. After they are wounded 

 they spout with all their might and main, so that you may 

 hear them as far ofi" as you may a cannon ; but when they 

 are quite tired it cometh out only by drops, for he hath not 

 strength enough to force the water up, and therefore it 

 sounds as if you held an empty mug or bottle under water, 



