154 THE OCEAN. 
the bow of the boat is speedily enveloped in smoke, 
and instances are not unfrequent of the gunwale 
even bursting into a flame, or even of the head of the 
boat being actually sawn off by the line. To prevent 
this, a bucket of water is always kept at hand, to 
allay the friction. Accidents even still more tragic 
sometimes occur from entanglements of the line. 
“A sailor belonging to the John of Greenock, in 
1818, happening to slip into a coil of running rope, 
had his foot entirely cut off, and was obliged to have 
the lower part of the leg amputated. A harpooner 
belonging to the Hamilton, when engaged in lancing 
a Whale, incautiously cast a little line under his foot. 
The pain of the lance induced the Whale to dart sud- 
denly downwards; his line began to run out from 
under his feet, and in an instant caught him by a 
turn round the body. He had just time to call out, 
‘Clear away the line—Oh dear!’ when he was 
almost cut asunder, dragged overboard, and never 
seen afterwards.” Many such-like anecdotes are on 
record. ; . 
When a boat is “fast” to the Whale, a little flag 
is instantly hoisted in the stern asa signal to the 
ship, and other boats are at once despatched to its 
assistance. Sometimes, before their help can arrive, 
the united lines of the boats first sent are all run 
out, in which case the men are obliged to cut the 
line, and lose it with the Whale, or the boat would 
be dragged under water. But generally some of the 
free boats can approach sufficiently near the animal 
on his return to the surface, to dart another harpoon 
into his body; perhaps he again dives, but returns 
