Another Fish taken. 155 



and had been so for some time, he told me that 

 Davy Smith was fast to a fine whale. Seeing it was 

 hopeless to expect any more rest, I turned out, 

 dressed, and went on deck in time to see the third 

 harpoon fired and the fish killed. 



It was the same old story, so I shall refrain from 

 saying anything about it. At five o'clock we sat 

 down to breakfast No. 1, and at half-past eight, 

 after the flinching was over, to No. 2. The fish 

 had evidently been struck before, having a scar on 

 its back and a healed wound in its flank, which 

 appeared to be caused by a harpoon. This makes 

 up over 100 tons — not bad luck, considering we are 

 only eight weeks from Dundee to-day. Not two 

 months from England, and we are off Prince Regent 

 Inlet, with no ice in sight to the westward. I verily 

 believe we could easily this year make the north- 

 west passage and come out safely with our ship by 

 Behring's Straits. The weather is most tantalizing, 

 a heavy fog hanging over the land, utterly screening 

 it from our view. At six this morning I obtained 

 good sights for double altitude and chronometer, 

 and also the meridian altitude at noon. We had 

 supposed, since eight o'clock, that we were steaming 

 up Prince Regent Inlet, and the captain went to 

 bed under that belief. I felt convinced we were 

 steering nearly a due west course, and told the 

 mate so, the compass being so sluggish, in conse- 

 quence, of our proximity to the magnetic pole, as to 



