﻿62 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  badly 
  nipped, 
  and 
  her 
  rudder 
  smashed. 
  Three 
  days 
  later 
  her 
  

   spare 
  rudder 
  was 
  also 
  rendered 
  useless, 
  and 
  she 
  had 
  to 
  avail 
  

   herself 
  of 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  crews 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  vessels 
  to 
  make 
  

   good 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  damages 
  sustained. 
  After 
  much 
  

   blasting 
  and 
  cutting 
  the 
  two 
  ships 
  got 
  free, 
  and 
  pursued 
  their 
  

   voyage 
  northward, 
  having 
  been 
  fast 
  for 
  seventeen 
  days. 
  

  

  Not 
  so, 
  however, 
  the 
  'Balaena,' 
  between 
  whom 
  and 
  the 
  open 
  

   water 
  there 
  intervened 
  a 
  solid 
  barrier 
  of 
  ice 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  extent, 
  

   defying 
  all 
  their 
  efforts 
  to 
  force 
  a 
  passage 
  through 
  ; 
  no 
  sooner 
  

   was 
  a 
  space 
  cut 
  than 
  the 
  floe 
  closed 
  in, 
  rendering 
  fruitless 
  all 
  

   their 
  efforts, 
  and 
  her 
  rudder 
  was 
  carried 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  pressure. 
  

   It 
  was 
  not 
  till 
  the 
  15th 
  August 
  that 
  she 
  got 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  ice, 
  

   having 
  been 
  imprisoned 
  for 
  seventy 
  days. 
  This 
  misfortune 
  came 
  

   after 
  having 
  her 
  foretop-gallant 
  mast 
  and 
  mizzen-topmast 
  carried 
  

   away 
  on 
  the 
  26th 
  April 
  in 
  a 
  gale 
  off 
  Cape 
  Farewell. 
  But 
  the 
  

   gallant 
  crew, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  severe 
  ice 
  work 
  during 
  their 
  

   long 
  detention, 
  were 
  not 
  neglectful 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  object 
  of 
  their 
  

   voyage. 
  On 
  the 
  28th 
  July 
  a 
  "Whale 
  was 
  seen, 
  and, 
  dragging 
  

   the 
  boats 
  a 
  mile 
  over 
  the 
  ice, 
  they 
  gave 
  chase, 
  but 
  returned 
  

   empty-handed. 
  A 
  second 
  attempt 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  was 
  equally 
  

   fruitless. 
  On 
  the 
  30th 
  several 
  Whales 
  were 
  seen, 
  with 
  a 
  like 
  

   disappointing 
  result, 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  they 
  actually 
  got 
  fast 
  to 
  

   one, 
  but 
  the 
  harpoon 
  drew. 
  On 
  1st 
  August 
  yet 
  another 
  fish 
  was 
  

   lost. 
  Could 
  anything 
  be 
  more 
  disappointing 
  to 
  the 
  imprisoned 
  

   crew 
  ? 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  till 
  off 
  Cape 
  York 
  that 
  the 
  ' 
  Balsena 
  ' 
  killed 
  

   her 
  first 
  and 
  only 
  Whale, 
  a 
  fine 
  fish 
  of 
  10 
  ft. 
  8 
  in. 
  bone, 
  and 
  she 
  

   bore 
  up 
  for 
  home 
  on 
  the 
  31st 
  October, 
  after 
  having 
  visited 
  the 
  

   west 
  side 
  fishing-grounds, 
  where 
  plenty 
  of 
  Whales 
  were 
  seen, 
  but 
  

   the 
  sea 
  was 
  too 
  heavy 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  putting 
  off. 
  

  

  The 
  ' 
  Balsena's 
  ' 
  catch 
  consisted 
  of 
  1 
  Whale, 
  4 
  White 
  Whales, 
  

   2 
  Walrus, 
  6 
  Seals, 
  and 
  35 
  Bears, 
  yielding 
  14 
  tuns 
  of 
  oil 
  and 
  

   18 
  cwt. 
  of 
  bone. 
  

  

  We 
  left 
  the 
  ' 
  Eclipse 
  ' 
  just 
  escaping 
  from 
  the 
  ice 
  in 
  Melville 
  

   Bay. 
  Thence 
  she 
  made 
  good 
  progress 
  to 
  Cape 
  York, 
  where 
  she 
  

   had 
  another 
  slight 
  nip, 
  but 
  reached 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  Pond's 
  Bay 
  on 
  

   3rd 
  July. 
  In 
  the 
  middle 
  fishing-grounds 
  a 
  small 
  Whale 
  of 
  5-ft. 
  

   bone 
  had 
  been 
  captured, 
  and 
  on 
  Sept. 
  20th 
  a 
  large 
  Whale 
  near 
  

   Coutts 
  Inlet, 
  11 
  ft. 
  3 
  in. 
  bone 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  22nd 
  October, 
  

   at 
  Katerhead, 
  that 
  she 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  crowning 
  stroke 
  of 
  good 
  

  

  