160 lam appointed Boat- Steer er. 



about half-past nine yesterday forenoon some 

 whales were seen, from the crow's nest, about five 

 miles off, and a couple of boats were sent away to 

 try their luck. Shortly more whales were seen, 

 and all boats were ordered away in chase. We 

 were at this time nearly abreast of Leopold Har- 

 bour, steaming out of the inlet on our way to the 

 middle ice outside Lancaster Sound. Immediately 

 whales were seen the engines were, of course, 

 stopped. One of the boat-steerers having severely 

 injured his foot the day before, the mate offered the 

 post to me, an offer I gladly accepted, as a means 

 of passing the time and indulging in the excite- 

 ment of whaling. We pulled steadily for at least 

 sis miles without seeing anything, the ship by that 

 time being hull down astern. It was a calm, 

 lovely day, with bright sunshine. Soon the blast 

 of a fish was seen, followed by several others ; but 

 being a clear day, our approach, when near, was 

 always observed, and down they would go, with a 

 tremendous splash of their huge tails. At about 

 twelve, Jemmy Gray — I have quite adopted the 

 custom on board the " Arctic," and always allude 

 to the harpooneers by their Christian names — got 

 fast to a fish. Leaving a couple of boats to assist 

 him, the remainder dispersed in various directions, 

 chasing whales, all of which seemed of a small size. 

 It was nearly two o'clock when I saw a heavy blast 

 some distance ahead, accompanied by a small one, 



