370 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



the great strength of the animal, that, after being fast in the 

 manner I have described, for upwards of lour hours, and taking 

 the boats out to sea attached to him to a distance of about ten 

 miles from the harbour, and having been pierced with so many 

 wounds, he was still able to defy every effort to bring him in. 

 It had now got late, and was dark, and an attempt was made 

 to force him up near enough to get another large harpoon into 

 him ; this was no sooner done, than he darted off ; and by an 

 almost unaccountable and seemingly convulsive effort, in a 

 moment broke loose from all fetters, carrying away with him 

 eight or ten harpoons and pikes, and leaving every one staring 

 at his neighbour in speechless astonishment, confounded at 

 the power of the animal which could thus snatch himself from 

 them at a time when they conceived him almost completely in 

 their power. 



" Since then some of these animals have occasionally been 

 heard of at a distance from the harbour ; and a few days ago, 

 in coming over from Fort Augusta with another gentleman, 

 we fell in with one of them, which allowed us to get so near 

 him, that it was determined to set out the next morning to 

 look for him. We did so ; and took with us several large 

 harpoons, muskets, pikes, &c., determined, if it were possible, 

 to bring him in. He was described about eight o'clock near 

 Greenwich, towards the top of the harbour, as usual floating 

 near the surface, and moving slowly about. Having allowed 

 the boat to get very close to him, he was struck with a har- 

 poon, which was thrown at him in a most dexterous manner 

 by Lieutenant St John, of the royal artillery. He immediately 

 set out towards the mouth of the harbour, towing the boat 

 after him with such velocity, that it could not be overtaken by 

 any of the others. After going on this way for near an hour 

 he turned back, which enabled the other boats to lay hold ; 

 and four of them were tied, one after the other, to the one in 

 which he was harpooped, with four or five people in each of 

 them. By this means we hoped to tire him out the sooner. 



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