OF THE SPERM WHALE. 
173 
after sunset, which is the usual practice when boats are 
placed under such circumstances. 
After having secured the whale alongside, and which 
we expected to lose during the night from the roughness 
of the weather, they all came on board, when the mis- 
fortune of poor Berry was spoken of with sorrow from 
all hands, while the joy of their own deliverance served 
to throw a ray of light amidst the gloom. 
On the morning of the 18th June, 1832, while we 
were still fishing in the “ off-shore ground” of Japan, we 
fell in with an immense sperm whale, which happened 
to be just the sort of one we required to complete our 
cargo. Three boats were immediately lowered to give 
him chase ; but the whale, from some cause or other, 
appeared wild in its actions long before it had seen any 
of our boats, although it might have been chased the 
