168 ALL AFLOAT 



Yet accidents like these only spurred the 

 whalemen on to greater efforts, not of mere 

 bravado, but of daring skill. Perhaps the most 

 wonderful regular feat of all was ' spading,' 

 which meant slewing the boat close in, as the 

 whale was about to sound, and cutting the 

 tendons of its tremendous death-dealing tail 

 by a slicing blow from the two-handed razor- 

 edged * spade.' Perhaps the most wonderful of 

 all exceptional escapes was that of a boat which 

 was towed by one whale right over the back of 

 another. And perhaps the most exciting finish 

 to any international race was the one in which 

 the Yankee, who came up second, got ' first 

 iron ' by ' pitchpoling ' clear over the interven- 

 ing British boat, whose crew were nearly 

 drowned by this ' slick ' Yankee's flying warp. 



No wonder old whalemen despise the easier 

 and safer methods of steam whaling practised 

 by the Norwegians in Canadian and other 

 waters at the present day. And yet steam 

 whaling is not without some thrilling risks. 

 The steamers are speedy, handy, small, about 

 one hundred tons or so, with the latest pattern 

 of the explosive harpoon gun originally in- 

 vented by Sven Foyn in 1880. The range is 

 very short, rarely over fifty yards. The har- 

 poon may be compared to the stick of an 



