70 THE WHALE HUNTERS 



I come to the new country but there they say again I have 

 too many years to go in the boats. It is a country for the 

 young, this America and I send a letter to my three sons 

 to come and they will find much to do in the whaleships 

 because the whalemen here know so little of how to catch 

 the whale.' 



'But surely the New Englanders are experts in the art 

 already?' Jonathan interposed. 



'Only on their own beaches,' replied Pierre. 'Perhaps 

 you see something of the ships from Europe in these 

 Straits, yes? And then you find that the Quaker ship 

 you sail in is not such a fine whaler after all. Now fetch 

 me some salt pork from that cask and then tell Mr. Macy 

 that we shall need some more flour.' 



Jonathan found Macy with a telescope clasped to his 

 eye and looking in the same direction the boy saw a line of 

 snow covered peaks that were the mountains of Green- 

 land. Patches of drifting ice scattered the sea and the 

 helmsman was picking a way for the ship between them. 



As often as he could get away from the galley Jonathan 

 went on deck watching the ship's progress. 



By the time that the watches changed at midnight the 

 coast was in full view in the light of the midnight sun. 

 Snow covered all but the lower fringe of that mountainous 

 land. It was the month of July and soon the ruthless 

 Arctic would repulse the bold invasion of summer and 

 cover sea and land alike with a cloak of white that would 

 last until May or June of the following year. 



With this knowledge the captain steered his ship 

 towards the ice to seek the Greenland whale and fill his 

 holds with blubber as quickly as possible. 



Soon the cry of 'Town ho!' sent the men tumbling into 

 the boats which had been lowered and towed in readiness. 

 They sped across the water and one of the boats quickly 

 made fast to one of the whales which swam off along the 

 surface with the boat in tow. It reached a large iceberg 



