THE SOUTHERN FISHERY 217 



boat had a crew of six men, two of whom in the stern 

 and bow respectively were the " headsman " and 

 " boat-steerer." 



Four boats were generally used in the chase 

 under the command of the captain and mates 

 respectively. The headsman has command of the 

 boat, and steers it until the whale is reached. The 

 boat-steerer pulls bow oar, until near the whale, when 

 he quits the oar and strikes the harpoon into the 

 animal. The line attached to the harpoon runs 

 between the men to the stern of the boat, and after 

 passing two or three turns round the loggerhead is 

 continuous with the coils lying in the tubs in the 

 bottom of the boat. 



The boat-steerer now comes aft, and steers the 

 boat by means of an oar passed through a ring 

 attached to the stern, he also watches the line. The 

 headsman at the same time passes forward and takes 

 up the lance to plunge into the whale at the first 

 opportunity. 



During the time the ship* is on the whaling 

 grounds, men are placed at each mast-head, who are 

 relieved every two hours; an officer is also on the 

 fore-top-gallant-yard, so that there are four of the 

 crew constantly on the look-out from the most 

 elevated parts of the ship. 



In mid-September the weather changed for the 

 worse and whales became scarce, until at the end of 

 the month they disappeared. A course was then 

 set for the Bonin Islands in 141 30' E. 

 Longitude, and 26 30' N. Latitude, where several 



