IN SEARCH FOR WHALES. 
33 
All the harpooners (seven in number) were in¬ 
vited to dine with me. I usually call them to¬ 
gether on our entrance into fishing-stations, to de¬ 
liver to them such instructions as my own views 
of the business,—the success' of our exertions,— 
and the liberal treatment of other adventurers 
who may happen to become our competitors,—seem 
to require. On this occasion I urged them to acti¬ 
vity, perseverance, and unanimity among them¬ 
selves :—to a benevolent exertion for the assist¬ 
ance of all ships, of all nations, to whom it might 
be useful, whenever that assistance could be ren¬ 
dered, without evident detriment to their own 
prosperity ; and gave them a code of rules to as¬ 
sist their judgment in cases of difficulty or danger. 
April 30th .—Meeting with ice a-head, at mid¬ 
night, the position of which the intense thickness 
of the frost-rime prevented us from ascertaining, 
we tacked, and stood off and on during the night. 
Towards noon the gale abated, and the frost rime 
became attenuated. The sun broke through the 
clouds at the same time, and produced a powerful 
effect on the temperature. At 2 a. m. the ther¬ 
mometer was 3° or 4° below zero ; at 8 a. m. it 
was + 6° ; and at 10 a. m. about 14° in the 
shade. But the genial influence of the sun was 
still more striking. In a sheltered air, it pro¬ 
duced the feeling of warmth ; the black-paint work 
c 
r 
