The gales of those northern regions during the summer though sharp are
generally short. As soon as the weather moderated we made sail, to try
and pick up the whales we had killed, or if unable to find them to
attack others.
The carpenter and his crew meantime were busily employed in repairing
damages and building another boat in lieu of the one which had been
lost. A sharp look-out was kept from the crow's nest for the dead
whales, or for any fresh whales which might be seen spouting.
"I am afraid it is like looking for a needle in a haystack," observed
Sandy to me. "Still there is nothing like trying; one or two may be
seen, to be sure, but as to falling in with many, it's more than I
expect we shall do, for they are mostly, do ye see, gone northward among
the ice."
Just as Sandy had delivered himself of this opinion, the second mate
from the crow's nest shouted:--
"There she spouts! There she spouts!" and pointed to the north-east.
The loud stamping of the men on deck soon summoned those who were below.
The first mate took charge of one boat, and the boatswain, with whom I
went, of the other. Away we pulled as fast as we could lay our backs to
the oars, hoping to get up to the whale before she sounded, but we were
disappointed; down she went, and we had to wait for her reappearance.
It was uncertain where she would next come up. We saw the mate's boat
paddling to the northward.
"She'll not come up there," observed Sandy, steering to the west.
We kept our oars slowly moving, ready to give way at an instant's
notice. The result proved that neither was right, for the whale
appeared between the two points.
"There she spouts!" shouted Sandy, and away we pulled as if our lives
depended upon our exertions. Our boat was somewhat nearer the whale
than was the other, and Sandy was eager to have the honour of winning
the prize. The whale was evidently one of the largest size. It had
discovered our approach and seemed prepared for the encounter.
Notwithstanding this we pulled on, Sandy standing in the bows with his
gun ready to send his harpoon into the monster's side. He fired and, as
the line ran out, seizing his spear, he was in the act of thrusting it
not far from where he had planted his harpoon, when he shouted:--
"Back of all! Back of all!"
It was indeed time, for Sandy had observed by the movements of the whale
that it was about to throw itself out of the water. Before we had
pulled a couple of strokes it rose completely above the surface, and,
rapidly turning, down came its enormous flukes on the very centre of our
boat, cutting it in two, as if a giant's hatchet had descended upon it.
Those who were able sprang overboard and swam in all directions for our
lives. Two poor fellows in the centre of the boat had been struck by
those ponderous flukes, and, without uttering a cry, sank immediately.
While Sandy, with a spear in his hand, still clung to the bows until
jerked off by a second blow, which sent that part of the boat flying
into the air.
As I swam away I looked round with a horrible dread of seeing the whale
open-mouthed following me; but, instead, I caught sight of its flukes
raised high in the air, and down it dived, carrying out the line still
fast.
Sandy shouted out to us to swim back to the wreck to try and secure the
end, that the mate's boat might get hold of it when she came up; but
just then the tub itself floated away and, as may be supposed, we were
all eager to get hold of whatever would assist to float us. Some clung
to the fragments of the wreck, others to the oars, until rescued by the
mate's boat, which quickly reached the scene of the disaster. Had not
our two shipmates lost their lives, this accident was too common an
occurrence to make us think much about the matter. No sooner were we on
board than we pulled away in the direction we thought the whale would
reappear, knowing that it must soon come to the surface again to
breathe.
As I lay exhausted in the bottom of the boat I heard the cry of "There
she spouts!" and I saw the crew rowing lustily away. I soon recovered
sufficiently to look about me. The mate approached cautiously, to be
prepared for any vicious trick the whale might play. He fired, and I
heard the men shout:--
"A fall, a fall!"
Several lances were also stuck into it. The creature dived. A second
line was bent on, but before it ran to the end it slackened, and we
hauled up ready to attack the whale with our lances.
By this time a third boat had come up, and when the whale appeared it
was attacked on both sides. After some violent struggles it turned over
on its side. It was dead.
Recollecting the loss of our two shipmates the shout of triumph was
subdued, and the crews refrained from singing as usual as we towed the
prize towards the ship, which was beating up to meet us.
I now saw the whole operation of "flensing," or cutting off the blubber.
A band was first formed round the animal, between the head and fins,
called the "kent." To this a series of tackles, called the
"kent-purchase," was fixed, by which means, with the aid of the
windlass, the body of the whale could be turned round and round. The
blubber was then cut off by spades and large knives, parallel cuts being
made from end to end, and then divided by cross cuts into pieces about
half a ton each. These being hoisted up on deck were cut into smaller
portions and stowed below in casks. The whole part of the blubber above
water being cut off, the body was further turned round, so as to expose
a new portion; and, this being stripped off, another turn to the body
was given. The kent was then unrolled, and, the whalebone from the head
being extracted, the remainder of the mass, called the "kreng," was
allowed to go adrift, affording a fine feast to the mollies, which in
countless numbers had been flying round us, ready to take possession of
their prize. From its power of wing and its general habits, the fulmar
of the north may be likened to the albatross of the southern hemisphere.
Why the fulmar is called molly I could not learn. Sandy assured me
that many sailors believe the birds to be animated by the spirits of the
ancient Greenland skippers.
"For because, do ye see," he remarked, "the mollies have as great a
liking for blubber as those old fellows had."
The fulmars having gorged themselves flew away towards the nearest ice
to the northward, in which direction we now steered, the captain having
abandoned all hope of recovering the lost whales. Scarcely had we got
the blubber stowed away than it again began to blow hard, but we were
still able to steer northward, a constant look-out being kept for the
ice.
We were standing on when I heard "Hard to starboard," shouted, and on
looking ahead I saw a huge mass of ice, of fantastic shape, rising out
of the water, of sufficient size, had we touched it and caused it to
overturn, to have crushed the ship. Scraping by we found ourselves
almost immediately afterwards surrounded by countless masses, differing
greatly in size, most of them being loose drift-ice. Our stout ship,
however, still continued her course, avoiding some masses and turning
off other pieces from her well-protected bows. Every mile we advanced,
the ice was becoming thicker. Still on we went, threading our way
through the heaving masses. At length, above the ceaseless splashing
sound, a roar increasing in loudness struck our ears. It was the ocean
beating on the still fixed ice, and ever and anon hurling fragments
against it with the force of battering rams.
"The sea is doing us good service," observed the mate, "for it will
break up the floes."
It seemed to me much more likely that the ship would be dashed to
pieces. When, however, the fixed ice could be seen from the crow's
nest, we hove to, to wait for calmer weather. There we lay, tossed
about with the huge slabs and masses of ice grinding together or rolling
over each other around us, and threatening every moment to come crashing
down on our deck, while reiterated blows came thundering against our
sides.
Night came on, and shortly afterwards the snow began to fall thickly,
covering our deck, while from one side of the heavens the full moon
burst forth from amid the clouds, lighting up the scene, increasing
rather than diminishing its horrors. The snow circled in thick eddies
round us, the sea foamed and raged, and masses of ice in the wildest
motion were swept by; the timbers strained and creaked, while the ship
shook under the reiterated shocks, sufficient it seemed to rend her into
fragments, but the ice which had collected round her prevented her
destruction.
Ewen and I occasionally went on deck, for to sleep was impossible. "Are
you sorry you came to sea?" I asked.
"No," he answered, "I wanted to know what a storm was like, and now I
shall be satisfied, but I shall be glad when it's calm again."
When I awoke a change had come over the scene. I went on deck, a
perfect calm prevailed. All round us were piles of ice. The blocks
arid masses which stood out against the sky were cast into shades, while
the level floes sparkled like silver in the rising sun. Far away to the
southward we could still see the ocean heaving slowly. In a short time,
however, leads between the bergs and floes opened out, the water being
of the colour of lead. All hands were called up to make sail, and we
stood on forcing our way between the floes, until open water was
reached, though in every direction lofty icebergs and extensive floes
were still to be seen. Many of the bergs were of the most fantastic
form and brilliant colours. Some had arches of vast size, others
caverns worn in them within which the ice appeared of the brightest blue
and green, curtained with glittering icicles, all without being of
stainless white.
I should fill up the whole of my journal were I to attempt to describe
all the wonders and beauties of the Arctic regions.
Our object, when whales were not to be met with, was to kill walruses,
and for this purpose our boats were provided with the necessary gear.
We had in each boat six harpoon-heads, and four shafts of white pine.
Each harpoon had fastened to its reck one end of a line, twelve or
fifteen fathoms long, the line being coiled away in its proper box. It
is not necessary to have longer lines, because the walrus does not
frequent water more than fifteen fathoms deep, and even should the water
exceed that depth, owing to the pressure above him he is unable to exert
his full strength.
Besides these harpoons, we had four lances nine feet in length, to which
the iron barbed heads were strongly fixed. As we were approaching the
ice, we caught sight of two hundred black heads, at least, swimming
rapidly along. They were morse, or walruses, and Andrew declared had
got young with them who would retard their progress. Three boats were
instantly lowered with their proper gear. I went with Sandy, who was an
experienced walrus-hunter, and at once took the lead. We made the boat
fly through the water, while ahead was the herd of walruses bellowing,
snorting, blowing, and splashing. The herd kept close together, now
diving, now reappearing simultaneously. One moment we saw their grizzly
heads and long gleaming white tusks above the water, then they gave a
spout and took a breath of fresh air, and the next moment their brown
backs and huge flippers were to be seen and the whole herd were down.
Sandy stood up in the bows with his harpoon ready for a dart. In a few
seconds up again came the walruses, and we were in their midst. The
harpoon flew from Sandy's hand deep into the body of the nearest walrus.
He then seized another harpoon and darted it into a "junger" which came
swimming incautiously by. Its mother, hearing its plaintive cry, rushed
towards us with her formidable tusks, endeavouring to recover it; but
before she had time to dig them in the side of the boat a shot from one
of our guns and a plunge from Sandy's spear had terminated her
existence. The "junger," which was only slightly wounded, uttered a
whimpering bark, when a score or more of walruses swam fiercely towards
us, rearing their heads out of the water, snorting and blowing, ready to
tear the boat to fragments. Several were killed before the calf had
ceased its cries, when they prudently retired to a distance to escape
our bullets and the thrusts from our spears. We had secured six
walruses; for, though others were wounded they sank.
So well satisfied was the captain with the result of our chase, that,
soon after the blubber and skins had been stowed away, he ordered the
two boats to be prepared for another chase. Andrew, who wished to see
the sport, went in the boatswain's boat, and Ewen got leave to accompany
us, he being now able to pull an oar well.
We could see the land to the westward, and, by keeping as close to it as
the ice would allow, we hoped to fall in with plenty of game. We
accordingly pulled away to the west where the sea was tolerably open.
Our wish was to find the animals asleep on the ice where they could be
more easily attacked and secured than in the water in which they have
the means of exerting their great strength to the uttermost, whereas on
the ice they were at our mercy.
The days were now increasing in length so much that we often forgot how
many hours we had been out. Though the Arctic summer was approaching
the weather continued uncertain. We had killed two ordinary-sized
walruses, when a third, an enormous fellow, was seen sleeping not far
from the edge of the floe. We approached cautiously, hoping to kill
him, or at all events to get a harpoon well secured in his body. Once
he lifted up his head and winked an eye, but did not appear to apprehend
danger. With bated breaths we urged the boat slowly forward. My
brother fired and the bullet went crashing into the animal's head. Next
instant Sandy, leaping out, drove his harpoon into its body. It was
fortunate that he succeeded in doing this, as the walrus by a violent
effort rolled itself over into the water rapidly carrying out the line,
the end of which was secured to the bollard.
Sandy had barely time to leap back into the boat, when away we went,
towed by the walrus, the bow pressed down in a way which threatened to
drag it under water. Sandy stood ready, axe in hand, to cut the line to
save us from such a catastrophe. Suddenly the line slackened. The
walrus dived and shortly afterwards came up again.
My brother fired and missed. The animal disappeared. We felt far from
easy, for we knew that there was a great chance of its rising directly
under the boat which it might too possibly capsize, or it might tear out
a plank with its formidable tusks, when it would follow up the
proceeding by attacking us as we struggled in the water. Happily,
however, exhausted by the wounds it had received, it rose a short
distance ahead, when a thrust from Andrew's spear finished its career.
We hauled it up on the ice by means of the tackles we carried for the
purpose, to denude the huge body of the skin and blubber.
We were so busily engaged in the operation, that we did not perceive the
approach of a thick fog which quickly enveloped us, while the wind began
to blow directly on the ice. It became important therefore to get a
good offing to avoid the risk of the boat being dashed to pieces. We
now steered in the direction we supposed the ship to lie, but as we
could not see fifty fathoms ahead we knew well that we were very likely
to miss her. The wind increased and the sea, getting up, threatened
every instant to swamp the boat.
"It must be done," cried Sandy; "heave overboard the blubber and skins,
better get back to the ship with an empty boat than not get back at
all."
His directions were obeyed and everything not absolutely required in the
boat was thrown out of her. Notwithstanding this there was still the
danger of being cast on a mass of floating ice, or of having one come
toppling down on us, when our destruction would have been certain. We
did our utmost to keep the boat's head to the sea, as the only hope we
had of saving her from going down.
What had become of the other boat we could not tell. We looked out for
her, but she was nowhere visible. Our ship, too, was in no small peril,
for she might--should she be unable to beat off the solid ice--be dashed
against it and knocked to pieces.
All night long we pulled on, amid the heaving waves and tossing floes,
sometimes narrowly escaping being thrown on one of them. We could hear
them crashing and grinding together as one was driven against the other.
I, for one, did not expect to see another sun rise, nor did probably
any of my companions. Few words were exchanged between us. Sandy sat
at the steering oar, keeping an anxious look-out for dangers ahead and
occasionally cheering us up to continue our exertions.
"Pull away, lads, pull away; as the boat has kept afloat so long,
there's no reason why she shouldn't swim till the gale is over," he
cried out. Just then, however, a heavy sea came rolling up, and down it
came right over our bows, almost filling the boat.
"Never fear, bale it out, doctor," cried Sandy; and my brother and Ewen
set to work, and, happily, before another sea struck us, got the boat
free. None of the rowers, however, could venture to cease pulling for
an instant; not that we made much progress, but it was all-important to
keep the boat's head to the sea. Looking up some few minutes after
this, I fancied that I saw a peculiar light away to leeward. I was just
going to draw Sandy's attention to it, when I discovered, close under
our lee, a huge iceberg towering up towards the sky. Had we been on the
opposite side, it would have afforded us some shelter from the gale,
provided it did not topple over. As, however, we were to windward, we
had the greatest difficulty in escaping from being thrown upon it.
Sandy's voice sounded almost like a shriek as he urged us to pull away,
while he kept the boat off from the furious surf, which, with a sound of
thunder, beat upon the lower portion of the berg. We did not need
urging, for we all saw our danger. Though the sea tumbled about much as
before, we felt in comparative safety when the berg was passed. Still,
other bergs or floes might have to be encountered, and we knew not at
what moment we might come upon them. How anxiously we all wished for
daylight I need not say. At length it came, presenting a wild scene of
confusion around us, the ocean as turbulent as ever. We had been
mercifully preserved through it, and we trusted that our buoyant craft
would carry us back to the ship. She, however, was not to be seen, but
we made out, far off, a speck, now on the top of a wave, now
disappearing in the trough, which Sandy declared was the other boat.
Our spirits rose somewhat, but we were getting exhausted from hunger and
thirst, for we had no food nor water with us, nor if we had could we
have spared time to eat and drink.
As day-light increased we made out the land, for which Sandy steered, as
the other boat was apparently doing. The thought of setting foot on
shore, and obtaining a short rest, encouraged us to renew our exertions.
The ice had been driven away from us, and formed a barrier some
distance off from the land. We were thus able to make better progress
than during the night. We could now distinguish the other boat clearly
over the starboard quarter.
Mr. Patterson, the second mate, evidently considered--as did Sandy--that
it would be hopeless to try and get on board the ship until the gale was
over. Perhaps he feared, as we did, that she had been knocked to pieces
on a floe or against one of the icebergs floating about. As we
approached the land we saw that it was fringed with rocks and masses of
ice, between which it would be perilous in the extreme to make our way.
Still, unless we could get round to the lee side, it must be done.
Sandy stood up to look for the shore. A bay presented itself where the
sea broke with less force. We stood on rocks and ice rising up amidst
the seething waters, now on one side, now on the other. Sandy steered
between them with consummate skill. Mr. Patterson's boat followed at
some distance. A foaming wave came sweeping up, on the summit of which
we were carried forward until we could hear the boat's keel grate on the
beach.
"Jump out, jump out!" cried Sandy to the men forward, who obeyed, and,
carrying the painter, dragged the boat some way up the strand. We all
followed, and, putting our shoulders to the gunwale, had her safe out of
the power of the waves. We then ran to assist our shipmates, whose boat
had suffered more than ours, and was almost knocked to pieces; indeed,
on examining her, we found, to our dismay, that to make her fit for sea
she would require more repairs than, without tools, we were able to
give. We had thus only one boat in which to make our escape from the
island, and she was insufficient to carry the whole of the party.
Should the ship not appear, therefore, we should be compelled to remain,
and perhaps have to endure the hardships of an arctic winter with very
inadequate means for our support. We were, however, on shore, and at
all events safe for the present; but we were without food, fuel, or
shelter, except such as our boat would afford us. Water we could
procure from the fragments of icebergs driven on the beach, but we were
unlikely to obtain either walruses or seals, as they would have sought
the shelter of the lee side of the island; even the birds had deserted
the shore on which we were driven. We determined, therefore, to make an
excursion across the island, hoping, either to reach the other side, or
fall in with reindeer or other animals.
Several of the men, overcome with fatigue, preferred remaining under the
boats, waiting for the food we might obtain. My brother, Sandy, Ewen,
and I, with the second mate and Charley Croil, a fine young lad of whom
I have not yet spoken, set off; the mate, my brother, and I having our
rifles, and Sandy his harpoon and lines, while the others carried
lances. Though feeling somewhat weak from our long fast, hunger urged
us on; and in spite of the roughness of the ground, making our way to
the westward, we soon lost sight of our companions on the beach.