The Whaling Fleet beset. 145 



night I obtained the meridian altitude of the sun, 

 which was 6° 42' 30", or 6° 54' 45" corrected. 



Wednesday , June 2oth. — Last night was one of 

 those beautiful evenings so frequently met with in 

 these regions. The sun was shining brightly, whilst 

 a light breeze scarcely ruffled the surface of the 

 water, which resembled molten lead, with immense 

 floes of ice floating on its bosom, whose sides were 

 plainly reflected in the element on which they rested. 

 The captain, who is possessed of remarkably quick 

 eyesight, rendered doubly acute by constant obser- 

 vation and frequent use of the telescope, had just 

 gone aloft, and I was admiring the tall, tapering 

 spars of a whaler, so clearly and distinctly reflected 

 in the water, about a quarter of a mile ahead of us, 

 when I was awakened from my reverie by the skipper 

 hailing in a low voice, ordering top-gallant sails and 

 stay- sails to be set, and to turn ahead easily with 

 the screw, though to put no fuel on the fire, saying 

 at the same time he saw some fish about five miles 

 ahead. We glided almost imperceptibly past the 

 little vessel, whose shape and outline I had been 

 recently admiring, before the people on board of her 

 had discovered "what was in the wind." When 

 fairly ahead " all hands " were called and all our 

 boats quickly in pursuit. The light air had by this 

 time entirely subsided, and the perfect calm which 

 ensued rendered it extremely difficult for our boats 

 to get within striking distance of the fish, who 



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