122 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



" It is unknown whether the haven of this Weigatt 

 (blow-hole) goeth through the country or no." 



In some years this Waygat was blocked with ice, 

 and then the whalers went back round the west ice 

 and anchored at Disco and about the south-east 

 point of Spitsbergen, sending their boats into the ice 

 because there were no whales in the open water. 

 These boats had great difficulty in towing the dead 

 whales, with oars and sails, out of the ice on the east 

 coast towards their ships. If a gale from the east or 

 north-east brought this ice into motion, the ships 

 weighed anchor and retreated into Wybe Jansz Bay. 



Whaling was first made a free trade about 1650, 

 by this time the west-ice fishery was being 

 established. 



The west-ice fishery was divided into high and 

 low latitude fishery, the former between 79^ and 

 73 N. Latitude and the latter lower down. At its 

 period of greatest prosperity from one hundred to 

 two hundred ships went along the Greenland ice up 

 to Spitsbergen Voorland (on Prince Charles Island) 

 or straight to 79 or 79^ N., very seldom higher or 

 lower, and thence steered west in the ice-bearing 

 southerly current that is in an ordinary year. 



In a south-ice year they did not go so high, but 

 steered east as soon as they found it was a good 

 year for the South-ice Whale. How this was 

 ascertained was doubtful. " Having ascertained 

 from the shape of the ice, its height, size and form, 

 that we were in the south-ice, and that it was a south- 

 ice year, we steered towards the east." 



