THE WHALES ALONG THE SHORE 23 



line uncoiling from the bows and taking with it a cumber- 

 some wooden drogue that the Indian threw over the side. 



'The spyglass, quick,' said Ebenezer and clasped it to 

 his eye. 'See, he sinks another iron and the other boats 

 close in; but there go flukes; the whale sounds and they'll 

 have to wait a while now before they can sink others.' 



'More boats are coming from the north,' observed 

 Jonathan. 



'You are right, lad. They have seen my signal and 

 are joining the hunt.' 



The principle adopted by these shore whalemen was 

 based on the long drawn harassing tactics that the 

 Indians used against whales long before the first white 

 settlers came to the New England shores. The lightly 

 built cedar-planked boats manned by mixed crews of red 

 and white men almost invariably carried an Indian 

 harpooner and were owned and usually commanded by 

 white men. Their method was to launch all available 

 craft into the chase and to sink into the whale as many 

 harpoons as possible during the periods that it was 

 refreshing its lungs on the surface. The sharp harpoons 

 weakened the whale and the drogues that were attached 

 to them retarded his progress when trying to escape, 

 whether along the surface or in a deep dive. As his 

 strength waned more and more harpoons and drogues 

 were fastened to him until, often after many hours, he was 

 despatched by thrusting a long sharp lance into his lungs. 

 Never at any stage in this method of hunting were the 

 boats actually attached to the whale as were the boats of 

 the deep-sea whaleships. 



Jonathan and Ebenezer took turns to visit the kitchen of 

 the camp. The cook who was an old Indian with a face 

 set in a thousand wrinkles presented them each with a 

 platter offish which, together with some of Mrs. Mather's 

 pastries from Jonathan's satchel, was enough to satisfy 

 their midday appetites. 



