Sometimes She Will Swim Away As If
Untouched, And Draw The Cord With Such Swiftness That It Will Set
The Edge Of The Boat On Fire By The Friction.
If she rises before
she has run out the whole length, she is looked upon as a sure prey.
The blood she has lost in her flight, weakens her so much, that if
she sinks again, it is but for a short time; the boat follows her
course with almost equal speed. She soon re-appears; tired at last
with convulsing the element; which she tinges with her blood, she
dies, and floats on the surface. At other times it may happen that
she is not dangerously wounded, though she carries the harpoon fast
in her body; when she will alternately dive and rise, and swim on
with unabated vigour. She then soon reaches beyond the length of the
cord, and carries the boat along with amazing velocity: this sudden
impediment sometimes will retard her speed, at other times it only
serves to rouse her anger, and to accelerate her progress. The
harpooner, with the axe in his hands, stands ready. When he observes
that the bows of the boat are greatly pulled down by the diving
whale, and that it begins to sink deep and to take much water, he
brings the axe almost in contact with the cord; he pauses, still
flattering himself that she will relax; but the moment grows
critical, unavoidable danger approaches: sometimes men more intent
on gain, than on the preservation of their lives, will run great
risks; and it is wonderful how far these people have carried their
daring courage at this awful moment! But it is vain to hope, their
lives must be saved, the cord is cut, the boat rises again. If after
thus getting loose, she re-appears, they will attack and wound her a
second time. She soon dies, and when dead she is towed alongside of
their vessel, where she is fastened.
The next operation is to cut with axes and spades, every part of her
body which yields oil; the kettles are set a boiling, they fill
their barrels as fast as it is made; but as this operation is much
slower than that of cutting up, they fill the hold of their ship
with those fragments, lest a storm should arise and oblige them to
abandon their prize. It is astonishing what a quantity of oil some
of these fish will yield, and what profit it affords to those who
are fortunate enough to overtake them.
The river St. Lawrence whale, which is the only one I am well
acquainted with, is seventy-five feet long, sixteen deep, twelve in
the length of its bone, which commonly weighs 3000 lbs., twenty in
the breadth of their tails and produces 180 barrels of oil: I once
saw 16 boiled out of the tongue only. After having once vanquished
this leviathan, there are two enemies to be dreaded beside the wind;
the first of which is the shark:
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