THE CHASE OF THE BLUE WHALE 185 



The little steamers used in the pursuit of the Balccn- 

 optera are vessels of about loo tons burthen and 95 feet 

 in length. They can steam fast — from twelve to fifteen knots 

 — and can turn in their own length. Up in the bows is the 

 heavy swivel gun which has back and front sights. The 

 charge is half a- pound of powder. The harpoon is four and 

 a half feet long, furnished with a diamond-shaped head, 

 which flies open when the time-fuse explodes. The main 

 shaft has four iron flukes which are tied with string, and 

 these open and anchor the main shaft in the whale on the 

 explosion. The after part of this iron shaft is divided, and 

 in this opening runs the iron ring to which is attached a 

 strong manilla rope, two or three inches in diameter. It is 

 unusual to fire at a whale at greater distance than forty 

 yards, the shots being generally taken at about ten to twenty 

 yards range. To the uninitiated, it may seem difficult to 

 miss a huge creature like a whale at a distance of twenty 

 yards, but such is often the case, as the roll and pitch of 

 the ship, which in these vessels is very quick, renders 

 accurate shooting by no means easy. 



The crew of the St. Lawrence consisted of — Captain 

 Nilsen, who was also first gunner; a mate, Christian Johanes- 

 sen ; an engineer, and four seamen, each of whom could take 

 any part, from shooting the whales to cooking the dinner. 

 They were all Norwegians, and very cheery, modest fellows. 

 I felt I would like to sail about the world amongst unvisited 

 places, and hunt all kinds of wild beasts, with none but 

 Norwegians as my companions. They are the best of all 

 comrades, always good-natured, loving sport, especially if it 

 is dangerous, and absolutely self-reliant. 



We steamed out of the harbour of Little St. Lawrence 

 at 9 P.M., and at once entered dense fog and a heavy swell. 



