NOTES. 309 



and some of its oars were projected high into the air, happily 

 no accident ensued. 



The excess of ardor among the men was now in full de- 

 mand, being appropriately drawn off by the vigor with which 

 the wounded monster struggled for its liberty and life. Out- 

 stripping the utmost speed of its pursuers, in the beginning 

 of the chase, it obtained shelter amid the compact accumula- 

 tion of numerous masses of ice where it was most difficult to 

 reach, and from whence it seemed next to impracticable to 

 be dislodged. After encountering, ho\vever, a variety of lit- 

 tle adventures, as well as some very threatening obstacles, 

 we succeeded in subduing the powerful animal; and no 

 sooner was it clear of the lines, and in a condition to be re- 

 moved, than the compact aggregation of ices by which it was 

 enveloped began to relax, so that with little further embar- 

 rassment a channel was cleared out, and the prize effectual- 

 ly secured. Thus, before the very first day available for the 

 fishery after the Sabbath had come to a close, all our anxie- 

 ties were relieved, our forbearance compensated, and our ef- 

 forts crowned with the desired success. 



After a careful examination of the journals of my four last 

 voyages in the whale fishery, being the same to which the 

 foregoing records chiefly refer, I can only discover three in- 

 stances wherein, after resisting the pursuit of whales seen on 

 the Sabbath, we were not successful in the fishery of the en- 

 suing week. 



As to those who may yet question the result of our argu- 

 ment that the statements here presented afford decisive evi- 

 dence of a providential blessing on the endeavor to keep the 

 Lord's day holy we would claim, at least, this fair and can- 

 did admission, that our refraining from Sabbath violation, 

 when urged to it by the prospect of worldly gain, was not 

 the occasion of either loss or disadvantage, in the ultimate re- 

 sult of our labors. Could, however, the conviction of those 

 who accompanied me in the voyages referred to, consisting, 

 probably, of one hundred and fifty different men, be convey- 



