152 FISHEEMEN OF THE UNITED STATES. 



than half the time and wanted to make me coot half the time. I objected, but what was the use ? 

 I finally had to submit to it. "VVe went, early that spring, about the 10th of May, to the coast of 

 Newfoundland. We fished with clams on the north side, being ahead of the capelin school, in the 

 Straits of Belle Isle and at Bonne Bay. When it came time to go north to meet the capelin school 

 we left the Newfoundland fishing and went to Grosswater again, and fished in Indian Harbor on 

 the south side of Grosswater Bay. We then fished until we consumed our salt, with the exception 

 of a few hogsheads. We got a good fare of fish, about 1,200 quintals. Then we came down into 

 the Straits of Belle Isle and went to a place called Pinwire, and there we washed our fish out and 

 took them ashore on the rocks to dry. We brought them home green the year before. We had 

 to turn and dry them on both sides, because we couldn't dry them underneath. I think we staid 

 there about four weeks. We then took our fish in and started for home. On our arrival home the 

 fish were not dry enough for market, and we went to Gloucester and took our fish out and dried 

 them over again, and then went to Boston for a market. My share amounted to $83.00. I then 

 came home in October and engaged in the shore fishery and winter fishery, as in years before. 



In 1820 we fitted out the first whaling vessels from Provincetown. There were five that went 

 to the Azores and about that region for sperm whales. In 1821 we had twelve vessels from Prov- 

 incetown in the sperm-whale fishery. My father went as ship-keeper on one of the whalers, and 

 he made a pretty good voyage, so that he felt richer than ever before. In 1822 we fitted out 

 eighteen vessels, and I shipped in the brig Laurel, Cook, master. In the two years previous the 

 whalers, on an average, did considerably better than the cod fishermen, and that was the reason 

 why the whalers increased so fast. We sailed on the 3d day of April from this port, and went 

 southwest out across the Gulf Stream. On the morning of the sixth day from home one man cried 

 out, "Townol" They now say, "There she blows," when they see a whale. I was below asleep, 

 and the noise on deck woke me. We lowered a boat and went out. There were three or four or 

 half a dozen whales together, but finally they tricked us and got away and we went back to get 

 our breakfast. We saw in the evening a bunch of whales to the leeward, and we got out and 

 struck a small one and held on to her a short time, but she became loose. I saw, however, that 

 she was spouting blood and they didn't throw the harpoon again, but went to work lancing the 

 whales, and we soon had seven spouting blood, and gave them their death wounds very soon. It 

 soon began to look squally, with heavy clouds in the west. The first whale died and the rest 

 moved slowly to the windward, but it blew so heavy that we went back and took the first one 

 aboard and .cut her in. -It made but twelve barrels of oil. This was south of the Gulf Stream. I 

 could not say just what latitude and longitude it was in, but I think we may have been one-third 

 the waj- to the Azores. We then run down, without seeing anything more, hunting around until 

 we made the isle of Corvoj and on the following day we went over to the western side of the island 

 of Terceira, We cruised up and down the shore day in and day out. We saw whales once, but 

 they were going very fast. We chased them until night, but lost them. That was the second 

 time we saw sperm whales. Afterwards, in cruising off to the east side of Terceira, the wind 

 came on to blow heavy from the northwest, and we went through the south side and anchored 

 between Port au Pr6 and Port Angra. I think there were a dozen out of the eighteen of our fleet 

 anchored there. There was a Portuguese boat came down from Angra just to get a list of the 

 crews and a bill of health. All had a bill of health. He boarded the schooner Nero, Captain 

 Miller, of Provincetown, and when he came to call the crew up to examine them one man was below 

 sick in his berth. He says, "I will take you up to Angra;" but the captain didn't like that. 

 Finally he hesitated some and said, "I think I better go up first and get orders." He went oif, I 



