WHALING ANECDOTE. 261 



to a gale, we lost sight, probably for ever, of those who 

 had afforded us an opportunity of beholding one of the 

 most exciting spectacles which the world can afford. 



During the succeeding part of this voyage we breakfasted 

 and dined frequently off the portion of the whale which fell 

 to our share of the spoil, the lean of which was really 

 excellent, and when cut into slices and broiled indis- 

 tinguishable from tender beef-steak ; the fat I did not 

 admire, the smell of it bringing forcibly to my recollection 

 the odour of the oil lamps with which the darkness used 

 to be rendered visible in the city of Dublin in my younger 

 days. 



As may easily be imagined, the circumstances of this 

 whale hunt dwelt forcibly uf)on our imaginations, and 

 elicited a good deal of comment and conversation, and 

 many anecdotes were related which we had heard or read 

 of whale fishing ; amongst the latter was one narrated by 

 a writer in the " Quarterly Review " some years ago, and 

 is in substance as follows : — 



"One of a ship's company — or an officer — in the North 

 Pacific, near the close of a day that had been rather stormy, 

 says that a school of young bull whales made their appear- 

 ance close to the ship ; and the weather having cleared up 

 a little, the captain ordered the mate to lower his boat, 

 while he did the same with his own, in order to go in pur- 

 suit of them. The two boats were instantly lowered ; they 

 soon got near the whales, but were unfortunately seen by 



s 3 



