A WHALE CAPTURED. 
129 
hard, with thick snow; so that there was consi¬ 
derable difficulty in working the ship, among the 
innumerable sheets of ice with which we were 
encompassed. The whole of these we were not 
so fortunate as to avoid; one piece was struck 
in “ stays,” the ship having got “ stern-way,” 
which materially damaged the rudder. 
It continued to blow hard, with thick snow, the 
whole of the 25th. Having obtained smooth- 
water, under the lee of a floe, we were enabled, 
notwithstanding the gale, to pursue several whales 
that were seen in the course of the day. Some 
near approaches were made by our different liar- 
pooners, and one of the fish was struck; but, af¬ 
ter withdrawing about 300 fathoms of line, the 
harpoon retracted, and the prey escaped. We ' 
still kept the boats on the watch ; and, towards 
evening, another whale was harpooned in a man¬ 
ner that proved effectual. It took 960 fathoms 
of line from the “ fast-boat,” and was re-struck and 
killed, after an interval of about three hours. It 
proved a valuable prize, being estimated to yield 
at least twenty tuns of oil, and a ton weight of 
whale-bone. The longest lamina of the whale¬ 
bone measured eleven feet three inches. 
At 6 o’clock of the following morning, (the 
26 th of June), the snow ceased, the weather clear¬ 
ed, and the land was seen distinct and bold from 
the deck. 
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