EDGING SOUTHWARD. 227 



ripping the boat in two halves lengthways, like a 

 Dutchman splitting a salt herring. 



Away went the fish with the whole of the line, 

 nobody being able to get at it to cut ; and, but for the 

 presence of mind shown by the crew in striking out and 

 away from the tangle, a most ghastly misfortune, in- 

 volving the loss of several lives, must have occurred. 

 As it was, the loss was considerable, almost outweighing 

 the gain on the day's fishing, besides the inconvenience 

 of having a boat useless on whaling grounds. 



The accident was the fruit of gross carelessness, and 

 should never have occurred ; but then, strange to say, 

 disasters to whale-boats are nearly always due to want of 

 care, the percentage of unavoidable casualties being very 

 small as compared with those like the one just related. 

 When the highly dangerous nature of the work is remem- 

 bered, this statement may seem somewhat overdrawn; but 

 it has been so frequently corroborated by others, whoso 

 experience far outweighs my own, that I do not hesitate 

 to make it with the fullest confidence in its truth. 



Happily no lives were lost on this occasion, for it 

 would have indeed been grievous to have seen our ship- 

 mates sacrificed to the manes of a mere black-fish, after 

 successfully encountering so many mighty whales. The 

 episode gave us a great deal of unnecessary work 

 getting the two halves of the boat saved, in addition 

 to securing our fish, so that by the time we got the 

 twelve remaining carcasses hove on deck we were all 

 quite fagged out. But under the new regime we were 

 sure of a good rest, so that did not trouble us ; it 

 rather made the lounge on deck in the balmy evening 

 air and the well-filled pipe of peace doubly sweet. 



Our next day's work completed the skinning of the 



