471 HISTORY OF 



lows in lull sail, like all the rest, never losing siglit of the boats, 

 and ready to lend them assistance ; the whole ocean seems dyed 

 in blood. Thus they renew their attacks, till the whale begins 

 to be (jnite enfeebled and spent, when they plunge their longer 

 s|)ears into various parts of its body, and the enormous animal 

 expires.* When it is dead, to prevent it from sinking, they tie 

 it with a strong iron chain to the side of the boat, and either 

 cut it up in pieces, and carry it home in that manner, or extract 

 the oil from the blubber on ship-board. 



Such is the mannei in which these fish were taken in the be- 

 ginning ; but succeeding arts have improved the method, and the 

 harpoon is now thrown by ; a machine being used which inflicts 

 a deeper wound, and strikes the animal with much greater cer- 



* The extreme fidelity of these wonderful animals towards each otlier, 

 and their atfection for thtir offsprings, is ahnost incredible. So fondly at. 

 taclied are they to the society of tlicir brethren, that many instances are re- 

 ciiided of their assuming a passive floating position, on the surface, after 

 offering much resistance ; as though disdaining to survive the loss of their 

 companions. Thus, when the Cyrus had captured six, out of a herd of seven 

 whales, and they were supported around the vessel on the water, the sur- 

 viving one rose, and thrust its head amongst its dead brethren, and remained 

 immoveable, close to the vessel, while it was killed. In general, the female 

 is accompanied in her progress by her young one, though, on tlie contrary, 

 she sometimes wanders very far from it ; and yet, by some unknown im- 

 pulse, higlily calculated to excite our amazement, she has no difficulty in 

 finding it, though perfectly silent, in the vast and trackless ocean, as often 

 as she requires ; and the same may be said of all the cetacea. But further, 

 when her young one is hardest pursued and harpooned, she sjipports it 

 under her fin, while she plunges with it for safety into unfathomable depths. 

 A young whale, liaving been struck by a harpoon from a Hull vessel, being 

 at the time at some distance from its mother, had run out some length 

 of line, when the latter appeared in sight, and rapidly bent her course to- 

 wards it. In vain did she use every usual means to induce it to leave the 

 place of danger, while swimming by its side, as far as the line would allow, 

 in circles around the boats, diu-ing the space of four hours ; and within this 

 time, on four separate occasions, the parent was observed, when on the 

 surface, to throw one of her fins over the body of the young whale, and to 

 endeavour to drag it away by all the force she possessed ; she, lastly, in this 

 way set off with it in a straight direction, carrying away additional line, to 

 tlie extent of seven hundred and twenty fathoms ; but by that time, the 

 young one became so much exhaiisted from loss of blood, that she neces. 

 parily abandoned it to its fate, and herself escaped, by pursuing her progress 

 towards the ice, roaring and spouting with great vehemence ; for when a 

 whale is struck with a harpoon, or is enraged by the loss of its young. It 

 ejects the water through its spiracles witli great force, producing a stridu- 

 lous kind of roaring, which may be heard the distance of a mile. 



