44 Superstitions of the Crew. 



superstitious, and attribute our ill-luck to various 

 causes. Oue day it is put down to a comb which is 

 universally used by all in the cabin, and which, in 

 consequence, nearly fell a victim to their supersti- 

 tion ; another day it is to a small pig we have on 

 board, and which, I have no doubt, if we do not get 

 a fish, will soon be offered as a sacrifice at the shrine 

 of Dame Fortune. I trust they will not impute 

 their ill-luck to the fact of my being on board, 

 imagining that a naval officer is as unlucky on board 

 a whaler as some sailors fancy bishops to be. Other 

 whalers have joined us, and yesterday, to our mor- 

 tification, one of them, the " Narwhal/' succeeded in 

 capturing a fine fish under our very eyes. 



The whale had been first seen by one of our men, 

 and two boats lowered and despatched in pursuit, 

 the other ships also sending their boats. These 

 were all spread out, occupying a distance of at least 

 a mile, when, as ill-luck would have it (as far as we 

 were concerned), the whale rose close to one of the 

 " Narwhal's " boats, which immediately struck the 

 fish, and up went the flag as a signal that they were 

 fast, on perceiving which the " Narwhal " hoisted 

 her jack, 1 and sent the remainder of her boats away 



1 When ships are fishing in company, it is usual for the 

 vessel whose boat succeeds in getting fast to a fish, to display 

 the fishing jack from the mizen top-gallant mast head, whicK 

 is kejit fiying until the fish is killed. Each ship has a different 

 device or pattern for her fishing flag. 



