He Did Not Seem To Like
The Encounter Much Himself, For He Sheered Off, And Spouted At A
Good Distance.
We once came very near running one down in the
gig, and should probably have been knocked to pieces and blown
sky-high.
We had been on board the little Spanish brig, and were
returning, stretching out well at our oars, the little boat going like a
swallow; our backs were forward, (as is always the case in pulling,)
and the captain, who was steering, was not looking ahead, when, all
at once, we heard the spout of a whale directly ahead. "Back water!
back water, for your lives!" shouted the captain; and we backed
our blades in the water and brought the boat to in a smother of
foam. Turning our heads, we saw a great, rough, hump-backed whale,
slowly crossing our fore foot, within three or four yards of the
boat's stem. Had we not backed water just as we did, we should
inevitably have gone smash upon him, striking him with our stem
just about amidships. He took no notice of us, but passed slowly on,
and dived a few yards beyond us, throwing his tail high in the air.
He was so near that we had a perfect view of him and as may be
supposed, had no desire to see him nearer. He was a disgusting
creature; with a skin rough, hairy, and of an iron-grey color.
This kind differs much from the sperm, in color and skin, and is said
to be fiercer. We saw a few sperm whales; but most of the whales
that come upon the coast are fin-backs, hump-backs, and right-whales,
which are more difficult to take, and are said not to give oil
enough to pay for the trouble. For this reason whale-ships do not
come upon the coast after them. Our captain, together with Captain
Nye of the Loriotte, who had been in a whale-ship, thought of
making an attempt upon one of them with two boats' crews, but
as we had only two harpoons and no proper lines, they gave it up.
During the months of March, April, and May, these whales appear in
great numbers in the open ports of Santa Barbara, San Pedro, etc.,
and hover off the coast, while a few find their way into the
close harbors of San Diego and Monterey. They are all off again
before midsummer, and make their appearance on the "off-shore
ground." We saw some fine "schools" of sperm whales, which are
easily distinguished by their spout, blowing away, a few miles to
windward, on our passage to San Juan.
Coasting along on the quiet shore of the Pacific, we came to anchor,
in twenty fathoms' water, almost out at sea, as it were, and directly
abreast of a steep hill which overhung the water, and was twice as
high as our royal-mast-head. We had heard much of this place, from
the Lagoda's crew, who said it was the worst place in California.
The shore is rocky, and directly exposed to the south-east, so that
vessels are obliged to slip and run for their lives on the first
sign of a gale; and late as it was in the season, we got up our
slip-rope and gear, though we meant to stay only twenty-four hours.
We pulled the agent ashore, and were ordered to wait for him,
while he took a circuitous way round the hill to the mission,
which was hidden behind it.
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