TURTLES AND PORPOISES 47 



had a tub in which four hundred fathoms of 

 whale line were coiled and carried two harpoons 

 and a shoulder bomb-gun. I was assigned to 

 the midship oar of Gabriel's boat. 



Let me take occasion just here to correct a 

 false impression quite generally held regarding 

 whaling. Many persons — I think, most per- 

 sons — have an idea that in modern whaling, har- 

 poons are fired at whales from the decks of ships. 

 This is true only of 'long-shore whaling. In this 

 trade, fin-backs and the less valuable varities of 

 whales are chased by small steamers which fire 

 harpoons from guns in the bows and tow the 

 whales they kill to factories along shore, where 

 blubber, flesh, and skeleton are turned into com- 

 mercial products. Many published articles have 

 familiarized the public with this method of whal- 

 ing. But whaling on the sperm grounds of the 

 tropics and on the right whale and bowhead 

 grounds of the polar seas is much the same as it 

 has always been. Boats still go on the backs of 

 whales. Harpoons are thrown by hand into the 

 great animals as of yore. Whales still run away 

 with the boats, pulling them with amazing speed 



