SPERM WHALE FISHERY. 
141 
harpoon, the captain of their little bark wished them 
to make trial of the method of which they had just heard, 
by the boat and line; but to his irresolute seamen the 
idea appeared monstrous, — the mere thought of having 
the boat they were in attached to an infuriated leviathan 
by a strong rope, struck terror among the whole crew. 
“What,’* said they, “ shall we be dragged to the bottom 
of the sea ? shall we be towed with the velocity of light- 
ning to the other side of the world ? shall we be torn to 
pieces by the jaws of the monstrous fish that we may be 
fastened to ?” In vain did their captain explain to them 
the various means they could employ to avoid those 
anticipated dangers ; he urged their reason to note the 
excellence of the plan, but his eloquence proved of no 
avail ; so fearful were they of this dangerous innovation 
on their old method, that the very rope which the captain 
had prepared for the service was pointed through the 
ship’s stern, during the night, and allowed to run over- 
board. But nevertheless, others more daring undertook 
the trial soon afterwards, in which they frequently came 
off victorious, so that the new method was established 
among them, and has since been much improved.- — (See 
Chapters xi. and xii.) 
The fishery was thus carried on at first by a few indi- 
viduals in America from their own shores, but as their 
numbers increased the quantity of whales diminished, so 
that, in a few T years, they had not only destroyed great 
numbers of these useful animals, but had driven the 
remainder to find more secure retreats, in which they 
could follow their natural inclinations, without being 
harassed by the chase or wounded by the harpoon. 
