50 
MAMMALIA. 
penetrate to tlie desired depth : out of five or six Whales struck 
by the harpoon, it often happens that one only is made well fast. 
When, from a false calculation as to the distance, awkwardness, or 
fear, the harpooner has thrown his weapon badly, the 
Whale promptly frees itself from the instrument which 
has wounded it, by a sharp contraction of its muscles. 
As soon as it is free, the animal starts off, and it is 
then useless to attempt to follow it ; it is lost sight of 
after fifteen or twenty minutes ; in most cases its 
companions accompany it, and are for the future more 
difficult to approach than they were formerly. If, 
on the contrary,, it is made fast to the boat, it 
quivers and seems to shrink under the blow ; excited 
by the pain, it prepares to make its escape ; hindered 
in doing this by the dart it carries in its flesh, it at 
first hesitates, so that any ordinarily skilful harpooner 
is able to send a second harpoon into it ; at any rate 
in a few minutes it dives. The officer then changes 
his place, and proceeds to take his post of action. Up 
to this time he has directed the manoeuvres ; now he 
is going to act himself ; to kill the animal is his right 
and: his duty. More than two hundred fathoms of the 
line are already in the sea, and the animal is still 
diving. The force of plunging is so great, that if 
there were anything in the way of the rope it would 
make the boat capsize. The line has been known, as 
it was unrolling itself, to catch a man by an arm, a 
leg, or even by the body,, and drag him down into the 
sea, from which he did not rise again till the part 
caught hold of had been cut through by the friction. 
It is difficult to form an idea of the coolness required 
in these preliminary manoeuvres : it is necessary to 
have at the same time great resolution, extreme 
promptitude, and the utmost prudence. If the first 
opportunity is missed, all chance may disappear, and 
the fruit of long labour is lost. To judge from the uneasy air 
of certain officers, one would say that they were afraid, so 
anxiously do they look all round, and watch every little thing ; 
but by the direction of the line, they know whether the 
Fig. 14.— 
Harpoon. 
