Sour Grapes. 159 



owing to the peculiar transparency of the atmo- 

 sphere, presented that lustrous effulgence rarely 

 witnessed out of these regions. Hardly a breath 

 of wind ruffled the surface of the clear, pellucid 

 water on which we rested, whilst from the south- 

 ward, stretching across from Batty Bay, where 

 Captain Kennedy, in the " Prince Albert/' win- 

 tered in '51 } to Port Bo wen, where Sir Edward 

 Parry wintered in '24, was the land ice, an effectual 

 barrier to our further progress up the inlet. Sud- 

 denly all was activity and commotion on board ; 

 whales were seen, and all boats lowered and sent 

 away in pursuit, the " Camperdown" following 

 our example, and in less than a couple of minutes 

 no less than sixieen boats dotted the water, de- 

 stroying the effect of the hitherto unbroken and 

 fairy-like scene. There was no time to be wasted, 

 for the " Camperdown's " crew appeared to be the 

 leading one. At about eight, we observed one of 

 her boats to be fast, and ours was, therefore, re- 

 called and hoisted up after being away about two 

 hours ; our consolation — a very poor one — being 

 that it was only a small fish, " no larger/' as one of 

 the harpooneers informed me, " than a sardine." 



Tuesday, July 1st. — 2.30 a.m. — Just returned 

 from a most successful foray amongst the huge 

 mystieeti. Having fortified the inner man, I shall 

 attempt to detail the proceedings that have occu- 

 pied our time for the last seventeen hours. At 



