OKDEK VI. THE CETACEA. 253 



extraordinary advoiituros ; as cxaui|ilcs of wliicli \vc suiijoin a vcr}- few nar- 

 ratives of facts, mostly taken iV<.)in Mv. Seorseby's Jonrnal. 



"The wiiale itself, though, for the most [lart, undesi<j:iiedly, is the cause of 

 tlic greatest number of accidents which occur. Injuries are often sustained 

 by entanglement of the lines. A sailor belonging to an English shi[i, hap- 

 pening to slip into a coil of running rope, had his foot entirely cut ott", and 

 was obliged to have the lower part of the leg ami)utated. A harpooncr, 

 belonging to another, the Hamilton, when engaged in lancing a whale, in- 

 cauiiously cast a little line under his foot. The pain of the lance induced 

 the whale to dart sudilenly downwards ; his line l)cgan to run out from under 

 l;is feet, and, in an instant, caught him by a turn round tlie body. lie 

 had just time to call out, '. Clear away the line I ' when he was almost cut 

 asunder, dragged overboard, and never seen afterwards. Two boats, belong- 

 ing to the Batlin, of Liverpool, having been many hours from the sliip, and 

 occasioned much anxiety, were at last descried puUinLC towards it. On 

 their approach, we were a little surprised by some unusual ajipcaranccs, 

 particularly the want of their proper complement of oars, and the solemn 

 countenances of the rowers. As soon as they were within hail, I inquired 

 what had happened. ' A liad misfortune, indeed,' was the answer ; ' we have 

 lost Carr I ' — the principal officer of tlic boat. The particulars were as fol- 

 lows : The two Loats which had Ijeeu so long absent had, in the outset, sep- 

 arated from their comptinions, and, allured by the chase of a whale, they 

 proceeiled till they v>-erc far out of sight cjf the shi|). The whale led them 

 amidst a great shoal ; one rose .so near the boat of which Carr was liar|H)ouer, 

 that he ^■enturcd to [)ull towards it, though it was meeting him, and oliered 

 but an indifferent prospect of success ; he, however, succeeded in harpooning 

 it. The boat and whale passing each other with great rapidity after the 

 stroke, the line was jerked out of its place, and, instead of 'running' o\er 

 the stern, was thrown over the gunwide : its pressure in this unfaxijrablc 

 position so careened the boat, that the side sank imder water, and began to 

 fill. In this emergency, tlic harpooncr, who was a very fine, active fellow, 

 seized the line, and attempted to relieve the boat l)y restoring it to its place ; 

 but a turn of the line flew over his arm, in an instant dragged him overboard, 

 and plunged him under water, to rise no more ! So sudden was the accident, 

 that only one man, who had his eye upon him at the moment, was aware of 

 what had happened ; so that when the boat righte<l, which it immediately 

 did, though half full of water, they all at once, on looking around at an ex- 

 clamation from the man who had seen him launched overboard, inquired 

 what had got Carr. It is scarcely possible to imagir.c a death more 

 awfully sudden or unexpected. The accident was, indeed, so instantaneous, 

 that he had no time for the least exclamation ; and the person who wit- 



