THREE LARGE WHALES CAPTURED. 289 
harpoon was fastened, on the striking of which, 
without the application of a single lance, the 
wounded animal dived to the bottom, and died 
there. Probably it had been stunned by the blow 
it received against the rocks. The hauling of 
this fish up by the lines, and the clearing it after¬ 
wards of a floe, under which it was carried by the 
current, proved a tedious business, having occu¬ 
pied all hands for several hours. Just before these 
measures were completed, another whale having 
arisen within sight of the people in the boats, was 
pursued and entangled. This, after much chasing, 
and many displays of its formidable tail in the 
air, as if in resistance of our attacks, likewise fell 
under our lances. 
The inset of Davy’s Sound had, by this time, 
brought the ship close to the land-ice, that had 
now accumulated and packed to the breadth of 
fourteen miles from the shore, and obliged us to 1 
cast loose from the ice, and get under-way, though 
deprived of the assistance of all our boats, and 
with only four persons (none of whom were sea¬ 
men) to assist me in setting the sails, and work¬ 
ing the ship. About 2 a. m., of the 16th of Au¬ 
gust, we joined some of the boats,' and having af¬ 
terwards got our prizes in tow, we stretched about 
a league to the eastward, that we might be well 
clear of the land-ice : we then moored to the first 
T 
