242 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



bulk had to be hauled out of the ice. This was 

 a difHcult matter even with plenty of time in 

 which to do it. Night was coming on and it was 

 the brig's custom in the hours of darkness to 

 sail far away from the great ice pack with its 

 edging of floating bergs and floes in order to 

 avoid possible accident and to sail back to the 

 whaling grounds on the morrow. This Captain 

 Shorey prepared to do now. As a solution of the 

 dilemma, an empty bread cask or hogshead was 

 brought on deck and the name of the brig was 

 seared in its staves with a hot iron in several 

 places. This cask was towed to the floe, hauled 

 up on the edge of the ice, and the long line of 

 one of the harpoons sticking in the whale was 

 made fast to it by means of staples. Thus the 

 cask marked the floe in which the whale was 

 lying. 



It was growing dark when the brig wen? 

 about, said good-night to the whale, and headed 

 for open water to the south. We sailed away 

 before a stiff breeze and soon cask and floe and 

 the great white continent beyond had faded 

 from view. When morning broke we were bowl- 



