THE CALIFORNIA GBAY WHALE. 27 



passed through or along the edge of the kelp, where the gunners chose their own 

 distance for a shot. This method, however, soon excited the suspicions of these 

 sagacious creatures. At first, the ordinary whale-boat was used, but the keen- 

 eyed "Devil -fish" soon found what would be the consec[uence of getting too near 

 the long, dark -looking object, as it lay nearly motionless, only rising and falling 

 with the rolling swell. A very small boat — with one man to scull and another 

 to shoot — was then used, instead of the whale-boat. This proved successful for a 

 time, but, after a few successive seasons, the animals passed farther seaward, and at 

 the present time the boats usually anchor outside the kelp. The mottled fish being 

 seen approaching far enough off for the experienced gunner to judge nearly where 

 the animal will "break water," the boat is sculled to that place, to await the 

 "rising." If the whale "shows a good chance," it is frecjuently killed instantly, 

 and sinks to the bottom, or receives its death -wound by the bursting of the bomb- 

 lance. Consec[uently, the stationary position or slow movement of the animal 

 enables the whaler to get a harpoon into it l^efore sinking. To the harpoon a line 

 is attached, with a buoy, which indicates the jolace where the dead creature lies, 

 should it go to the bottom. Then, in the course of twenty -four hours, or in less 

 time, it rises to the surface, and is towed to the shore, the blubber taken off and 

 tried out in pots set for that purpose upon the beach. 



Another mode of capture is by ships cruising off the land and sending their 

 boats inshore toward the line of kelp ; and, as the whales work to the southward, 

 the boats, being provided with extra large sails, the whalemen take advantage of 

 the strong northerly winds, and, running before the loreeze, sail near enough to be 

 able to dart the hand-harpoon into the fish. "Getting fast" in this way, it is 

 killed in deep water, and, if inclined to sink, it can be held up by the boats till 

 the ship comes up, when a large "fluke-rope" is made fast, or the "fin-chain" is 

 secured to one fin, the "cutting -tackle" hooked, and the whale "cut in" immedi- 

 ately. This mode is called "sailing them down." Still another way of catching 

 them is with "Greener's Harpoon Gun," which is similar to a small swivel-gun. 

 It is of one and a half inch bore, three feet long in the barrel, and, when stocked, 

 weighs seventy -five pounds. The harpoon, four feet and a half long, is projected 

 with considerable accuracy to any distance under eighty -four yards. The gun is 

 mounted on the bow of the boat. A variety of manoeuvres are practiced when 

 using the weapon : at times the boat lying at anchor, and, again, drifting about for 

 a chance -shot. When the animal is judged to be ten fathoms off, the gun is 

 pointed eighteen inches below the back ; if fifteen fathoms, eight or ten inches 

 below ; if eighteen or twenty fathoms distant, the gun is sighted at the top of its 

 back. 



