124 VOYAGE INTO 



and the water runs into it. And this sound is a certain sign 

 of his feebleness and that he is going to expire. Some tchalcs 

 blow blood to the veiy last after they have been woimdcd, 

 and these dash the men in the long-boats most filthily, and 

 dye the sloops as if they were painted with a red colour ; 

 nay, the very sea is tinged red all along where they swim. 

 Those ichales that are mortally wounded, heat themselves 

 that they reek while they are alive. When the xohales blow 

 up the water, they fling out with it some fattish substance 

 that floats upon the sea, like sj^erm, and this fat the malle- 

 mucJies devour greedily, of which several thousands attend 

 him, so that a whale often hath more attendants than a king 

 hath servants. 



Sometimes also the harpoons break out ; then often long- 

 boats of other ships attend, and as soon as they see that the 

 harpoon is come out, they fling their own into him, and the 

 whale is theirs, although the first harpoon hath almost killed 

 the ichale ; j&t if he doth get loose the second party claims 

 him, and the first must look for another. Sometimes at the 

 same time two harpoons, belonging to two several ships, are 

 struck into the whale ; such ones are divided equally, and 

 each one hath half; the other two, three, or more sloops, as 

 many as there is of them, wait for the xchale's coming up 

 again, and when they see that he is tired they kill him out- 

 right with lauuces. In doing this is the greatest danger, for 

 the first that do fling the harpoon into him are drawn along 

 by the tcliale, and are at a good distance from him, but those 

 that kill him with launces are as well upon his body as at his 

 sides, according as the ivhale turns and winds himself, and 

 they receive many and severe blows. Here the steersman 

 must take care to observe how the xchale runs and turns 

 himself about, that the harpoonier may reach him with his 

 launces : all the other men in the sloops row diligently, 

 sometimes forwards and sometimes backwards, which they 

 call rowhuf on and strihing, and when the irhale lifts up him- 



