82 
REVIEWS. 
Groodsir’s “Arctic Voyage,” which we have mentioned at the head of 
this article, is interesting, as a touching record of one brother engaged 
in a hopeless search for another, who doubtless perished with Franklin 
and Crozier; and also for the lively account it contains of life on hoard 
a whaler. The following sketch will convey an idea of his style :— 
“ We thought at the time that the fish were running right into the bay, and ima¬ 
gined that we could hear the distant sound of the guns, and the shouting of ‘ falls’ about 
the ships, which could just be seen. We were in no very good humour at the idea of not 
being in the thick of it, but we had no reason to complain, as it turned out, for we learned, 
on our return, that the fish had never gone into the bay, and that scarcely any one had 
seen them on this occasion but ourselves. But we now had a good chance ; a fish was 
seen beside the ice at no great distance from us, but beyond a ‘ fair start.’ I have no¬ 
ticed a peculiarity about the whale, that if there is a piece of ice within sight it will 
run towards it, and come to the surface beside it. And when beside a floe it always 
rises beside its edge, and never appears at any distance from it. And, moreover, if there 
should be a crack or bight in the floe, it is ten chances to one it will rise to blow in it, 
in preference to the outer edge of the floe. This is well known to the whalers. Such a 
crack being now opposite to us, and at such a distance from where the whale was last 
seen, it was likely she would rise there next, and we pulled towards it. Here we lay 
for some minutes in breathless expectation, our oars out of the water, and the harpooner 
silently motioning with his hand to the boat-steerer which way to ‘ scull.’ Up in the 
very head of the crack the water was now seen to be circling and gurgling up. ‘ There's 
her eddy' quietly whispers our harpooner: ‘ A couple of strokes now , hoys ,— gently ,— 
that'll do.' Looking over my shoulder, I could see first the crown, then the great black 
back of the unsuspecting whale, slowly emerge from the water, contrasting strangely 
with the bright white and blue of the ice on each side—then followed the indescribable 
hurstiing roar of her blast. But short breathing time had she—for, with sure aim and 
single tug of his trigger-string, the keen iron was sent deep in behind her fin. ‘ Harden 
up, hoys !' he cries, and the boat is pulled right on to the whale, when he plunges the hand- 
harpoon deep into her back, with two hearty digs. The poor brute quivered throughout, 
and for a second or two lay almost motionless ; then diving, and that with such rapidly 
increasing speed, that the line was whirled out of the boat like lightning. The usual signals 
were now made to the other boats that we were ‘ fast.’ 
“ For the first few minutes the lines were allowed to run out without interruption, 
then, one, two, three tui’ns were successively thrown round the ‘ bollard.’ This had the 
effect of stopping her speed somewhat, but the line still ran out with a great strain. The 
boat’s bow was forcibly pressed against the ice, and crushed through the underwashed ledge, 
to the solid floe beyond; the harpooner, sitting upon his ‘thwart,’ allowing the lines to 
run through his hands, which were defended by thick mitts: stopping the progress of the 
fish as much as he could, as the rest of the boats were still some distance from us. Every 
few minutes the fish seeming to start off as with renewed strength, the boat’s bow would 
be pulled downwards, threatening to pull us bodily under the floe. But then allowing 
the line to run out, the strain was partly removed, and the boat’s -head again rose, but 
only to be again dragged downwards. Upwards of twenty minutes had elapsed since 
we had 4 got fast,’ and the strain now began to slacken, but it was full time,—we were 
drawing nigh the ‘ bitter end.’ The welcome sound of a gun was heard, and in a few 
seconds, looking down the edge of the floe, we could see one of our boats with the well- 
known blue 4 Jack’ flying. A few fathoms more of line were rapidly drawn out, and then 
the strain suddenly ceased. We commenced hauling them in, and whilst doing so, could 
see a third boat 1 get fast.’ The rest of the boats were now at band, and as she appeared 
at the surface, closely surrounded her, and busily plied her with their lances. It was in 
about an hour and a half from the time we first struck her, that we heard the distant 
cheers announcing her death. From the time the second boat had got fast we had been 
busily engaged hauling in our lines, and thus slowly approaching the cluster of boats 
round the dying whale. But long ere we had finished this they had succeeded in killing 
her, and she was lying safe and sound, made fast to the edge of the floe. The boats now 
