A Fish Captured. 45 



to assist in killing the whale, the boats belonging 

 to the other ships being recalled. Meanwhile the 

 unfortunate fish, which had gone down to a consi- 

 derable depth on being struck, came up to blow, 

 when another harpoon was fired into it, and another 

 flag was hoisted, announcing that two boats were 

 fast, and so this continued until there were five boats 

 fast, leaving three others free to come up and de- 

 spatch the whale with their lances. By that time, 

 however, we were at too great a distance for me to 

 observe any of the details. The whale ships always 

 have their boats painted different colours, the more 

 readily to distinguish them from other boats when 

 fishing in company. Ours are painted blue, white, 

 blue, longitudinally, with black gunwales ; and our 

 fishing flag is white, with a blue five-pointed star. 

 We keep dodging about amongst the ice, poking 

 into water-holes, always keeping a bright look-out 

 for fish. Several white whales and narwhals keep 

 sporting about the ship, but these are seldom 

 molested when there is a chance of obtaining larger 

 and more profitable game. Numerous icebergs are 

 in sight, some of enormous size. Yesterday we 

 passed to leeward of one whose circumference must 

 have been over two miles. 



We have seen land to the westward, which we 

 suppose to be Resolution Isle, distant about twenty- 

 five or thirty miles. We attempted to obtain 

 soundings, but got no bottom with two hundred 



