being my watch. The second lieutenant relieved me at the pumps. Who
can attempt to describe the appearance of things upon deck? If I was
to write for ever I could not give you an idea of it--a total darkness
all above, the sea on fire, running as it were in Alps, or Peaks of
Teneriffe; (mountains are too common an idea); the wind roaring louder
than thunder, (absolutely no flight of imagination), the whole made
more terrible, if possible, by a very uncommon kind of blue lightning;
the poor ship very much pressed, yet doing what she could, shaking her
sides, and groaning at every stroke. Sir Hyde upon deck lashed to
windward! I soon lashed myself alongside of him, and told him the
situation of things below, saying the ship did not make more water
than might be expected in such weather, and that I was only afraid of
a gun breaking loose. "I am not in the least afraid of that; I have
commanded her six years, and have had many a gale of wind in her; so
that her iron work, which always gives way first, is pretty well
tried. Hold fast! that was an ugly sea; we must lower the yards, I
believe, Archer; the ship is much pressed." "If we attempt it, Sir, we
shall lose them, for a man aloft can do nothing; besides their being
down would ease the ship very little; the mainmast is a sprung mast; I
wish it was overboard without carrying any thing else along with it;
but that can soon be done, the gale cannot last for ever; 'twill soon
be daylight now." Found by the master's watch that it was five
o'clock, though but a little after four by ours; glad it was so near
daylight, and looked for it with much anxiety. Cuba, thou art much in
our way! Another ugly sea: sent a midshipman to bring news from the
pumps: the ship was gaining on them very much, for they had broken one
of their chains, but it was almost mended again. News from the pump
again. "She still gains! a heavy lee!" Back-water from leeward,
half-way up the quarter-deck; filled one of the cutters upon the
booms, and tore her all to pieces; the ship lying almost on her beam
ends, and not attempting to right again. Word from below that the ship
still gained on them, as they could not stand to the pumps, she lay so
much along. I said to Sir Hyde: "This is no time, Sir, to think of
saving the masts, shall we cut the mainmast away?" "Ay! as fast as you
can." I accordingly went into the weather chains with a pole-axe, to
cut away the lanyards; the boatswain went to leeward, and the
carpenters stood by the mast. We were all ready, when a very violent
sea broke right on board of us, carried every thing upon deck away,
filled the ship with water, the main and mizen masts went, the ship
righted, but was in the last struggle of sinking under us.
As soon as we could shake our heads above water, Sir Hyde exclaimed:
"We are gone, at last, Archer! foundered at sea!" "Yes, Sir,
farewell, and the Lord have mercy upon us!" I then turned about to
look forward at the ship; and thought she was struggling to get rid of
some of the water; but all in vain, she was almost full below
"Almighty God! I thank thee, that now I am leaving this world, which I
have always considered as only a passage to a better, I die with a
full hope of the mercies, through the merits of Jesus Christ, thy son,
our Saviour!"
I then felt sorry that I could swim, as by that means I might be a
quarter of an hour longer dying than a man who could not, and it is
impossible to divest ourselves of a wish to preserve life. At the end
of these reflections I thought I heard the ship thump and grinding
under our feet; it was so. "Sir, the ship is ashore!" "What do you
say?" "The ship is ashore, and we may save ourselves yet!" By this
time the quarter-deck was full of men who had come up from below; and
'the Lord have mercy upon us,' flying about from all quarters. The
ship now made every body sensible that she was ashore, for every
stroke threatened a total dissolution of her whole frame; found she
was stern ashore, and the bow broke the sea a good deal, though it was
washing clean over at every stroke. Sir Hyde cried out: "Keep to the
quarter-deck, my lads, when she goes to pieces, 't is your best
chance!" Providentially got the foremast cut away, that she might not
pay round broad-side. Lost five men cutting away the foremast, by the
breaking of a sea on board just as the mast went. That was nothing;
every one expected it would be his own fate next; looked for daybreak
with the greatest impatience. At last it came; but what a scene did it
show us! The ship upon a bed of rocks, mountains of them on one side,
and Cordilleras of water on the other; our poor ship grinding and
crying out at every stroke between them; going away by piecemeal.
However, to show the unaccountable workings of Providence, that which
often appears to be the greatest evil, proved to be the greatest good!
That unmerciful sea lifted and beat us up so high among the rocks,
that at last the ship scarcely moved. She was very strong, and did not
go to pieces at the first thumping, though her decks tumbled in. We
found afterwards that she had beat over a ledge of rocks, almost a
quarter of a mile in extent beyond us, where, if she had struck, every
soul of us must have perished.
I now began to think of getting on shore, so stripped off my coat and
shoes for a swim, and looked for a line to carry the end with me.
Luckily could not find one, which gave me time for recollection.
"This won't do for me, to be the first man out of the ship, and first
lieutenant; we may get to England again, and people may think I paid a
great deal of attention to myself and did not care for any body else.
No, that won't do; instead of being the first, I'll see every man,
sick and well, out of her before me."
I now thought there was no probability of the ship's soon going to
pieces, therefore had not a thought of instant death: took a look
round with a kind of philosophic eye, to see how the same situation
affected my companions, and was surprised to find the most swaggering,
swearing bullies in fine weather, now the most pitiful wretches on
earth, when death appeared before them. However, two got safe; by
which means, with a line, we got a hawser on shore, and made fast to
the rocks, upon which many ventured and arrived safe. There were some
sick and wounded on board, who could not avail themselves of this
method; we, therefore, got a spare top-sail-yard from the chains and
placed one end ashore and the other on the cabin-window, so that most
of the sick got ashore this way.
As I had determined, so I was the last man out of the ship; this was
about ten o'clock. The gale now began to break. Sir Hyde came to me,
and taking me by the hand was so affected that he was scarcely able to
speak "Archer, I am happy beyond expression, to see you on shore, but
look at our poor Phoenix!" I turned about, but could not say a single
word, being too full: my mind had been too intensely occupied before;
but every thing now rushed upon me at once, so that I could not
contain myself, and I indulged for a full quarter of an hour in tears.
By twelve it was pretty moderate; got some nails on shore and made
tents; found great quantities of fish driven up by the sea into the
holes of the rocks; knocked up a fire, and had a most comfortable
dinner. In the afternoon made a stage from the cabin-windows to the
rocks, and got out some provisions and water, lest the ship should go
to pieces, in which case we must all have perished of hunger and
thirst; for we were upon a desolate part of the coast, and under a
rocky mountain, that could not supply us with a single drop of water.
Slept comfortably this night and the next day, the idea of death
vanishing by degrees, the prospect of being prisoners, during the war,
at the Havana, and walking three hundred miles to it through the
woods, was rather unpleasant. However, to save life for the present,
we employed this day in getting more provisions and water on shore,
which was not an easy matter, on account of decks, guns and rubbish,
and ten feet water that lay over them. In the evening I proposed to
Sir Hyde to repair the remains of the only boat left, and to venture
in her to Jamaica myself; and in case I arrived safe, to bring vessels
to take them all off; a proposal worthy of consideration. It was, next
day, agreed to; therefore got the cutter on shore, and set the
carpenters to work on her; in two days she was ready, and at four
o'clock in the afternoon I embarked with four volunteers and a
fortnight's provision, hoisted English colors as we put off from the
shore, and received three cheers from the lads left behind, which we
returned, and set sail with a light heart; having not the least doubt,
that, with God's assistance, we should come and bring them all off.
Had a very squally night, and a very leaky boat, so as to keep two
buckets constantly bailing. Steered her myself the whole night by the
stars, and in the morning saw the coast of Jamaica distant twelve
leagues. At eight in the evening arrived at Montego Bay.
I must now begin to leave off, particularly as I have but half an hour
to conclude; else my pretty little short letter will lose its passage,
which I should not like, after being ten days, at different times,
writing it, beating up with the convoy to the northward, which is a
reason that this epistle will never read well; as I never set down
with a proper disposition to go on with it; but as I knew something of
the kind would please you, I was resolved to finish it; yet it will
not bear an overhaul; so don't expose your son's nonsense.
But to proceed--I instantly sent off an express to the admiral,
another to the Porcupine man of war, and went myself to Martha Bray to
get vessels; for all their vessels here, as well as many of their
houses, were gone to Moco. Got three small vessels, and set out back
again to Cuba, where I arrived the fourth day after leaving my
companions. I thought the ship's crew would have devoured me on my
landing; they presently whisked me up on their shoulders and carried
me to the tent where Sir Hyde was.
I must omit many little occurrences that happened on shore, for want
of time; but I shall have a number of stories to tell when I get
alongside of you; and the next time I visit you I shall not be in such
a hurry to quit you as I was the last, for then I hoped my nest would
have been pretty well feathered:--But my tale is forgotten.
I found the Porcupine had arrived that day, and the lads had built a
boat almost ready for launching, that would hold fifty of them, which
was intended for another trial, in case I had foundered. Next day
embarked all our people that were left, amounting to two hundred and
fifty; for some had died of their wounds they received in getting on
shore; others of drinking rum, and others had straggled into the
country.--All our vessels were so full of people, that we could not
take away the few clothes that were saved from the wreck; but that was
a trifle since we had preserved our lives and liberty. To make short
of my story, we all arrived safe at Montego Bay, and shortly after at
Port Royal, in the Janus, which was sent on purpose for us, and were
all honorably acquitted for the loss of the ship. I was made admiral's
aid-de-camp, and a little time afterwards sent down to St. Juan's as
captain of the Resource, to bring what were left of the poor devils to
Blue Fields, on the Musquito shore, and then to Jamaica, where they
arrived after three month's absence, and without a prize, though I
looked out hard off Porto Bello and Carthagena. Found in my absence
that I had been appointed captain of the Tobago, where I remain his
majesty's most true and faithful servant, and my dear mother's most
dutiful son,
----ARCHER
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
AN ACCOUNT OF THE WHALE FISHERY
WITH ANECDOTES OF THE DANGERS ATTENDING IT.
Historians, in general, have given to the Biscayans the credit of
having first practiced the fishery for the Whale; the English, and
afterwards the Dutch are supposed to have followed in the pursuit. It
was prosecuted by the Norwegians so early as the ninth century, and by
the Icelanders about the eleventh. It was not till the seventeenth
century however, that the whale fishery was engaged in by the maritime
nations of Europe as an important branch of commerce.
The crew of a whale ship usually consists of forty to fifty men,
comprising several classes of officers, such as harpooners,
boat-steerers, line-managers, &c. together with fore-mastmen, landmen
and apprentices. As a stimulus to the crew in the fishery, every
individual, from the master down to the boys, besides his monthly pay,
receives either a gratuity for every size fish caught during the
voyage, or a certain sum for every ton of oil which the cargo
produces. Masters and harpooners receive a small sum before sailing,
in place of monthly wages; and if they procure no cargo whatever,
they receive nothing more for their voyage; but in the event of a
successful fishing, their advantages are considerable.
The crow's nest is an apparatus placed on the main-top-mast, or
top-gallant-mast head, as a watch tower for the officer on the
lookout. It is closely defended from the wind and cold, and is
furnished with a speaking trumpet, a telescope and rifle. The most
favorable opportunity for prosecuting the fishery in the Greenland
seas, commonly occurs with north, north-west or west winds. At such
times the sea is smooth, and the atmosphere, though cloudy and dark,
is generally free from fog and snow. The fishers prefer a cloudy to a
clear sky; because in very bright weather, the sea becomes
illuminated, and the shadows of the whale-boats are so deeply
impressed in the water by the beams of the sun that the whales are apt
to take the alarm. Fogs are only so far unfavorable as being liable to
endanger the boats by shutting out the sight of the ship.--A well
constructed whale-boat floats lightly and safely on the water,--is
capable of being rowed with great speed, and readily turned round,--it
is of such capacity that it carries six or seven men, seven or eight
hundred weight of whale-lines, and various other materials, and yet
retains the necessary properties of safety and speed. Whale-boats
being very liable to receive damage, both from whales and ice, are
always carver-built,--a structure which is easily repaired. The
instruments of general use in the capture of the whale, are the
harpoon and lance. There is, moreover, a kind of harpoon which is shot
from a gun, but being difficult to adjust, it is seldom used. Each
boat is likewise furnished with a "jack" or flag fastened to a pole,
intended to be displayed as a signal whenever a whale is harpooned.
The crew of a whale-ship are separated in divisions, equal in number
to the number of the boats. Each division, consisting of a harpooner,
a boat-steerer, and a line-manager, together with three or four
rowers, constitutes a "boats crew."
On fishing stations, when the weather is such as to render the fishery
practicable, the boats are always ready for instant service. The
crow's nest is generally occupied by one of the officers, who keeps an
anxious watch for the appearance of a whale. The moment that a fish is
seen, he gives notice to the "watch upon deck," part of whom leap into
a boat, are lowered down, and push off towards the place. If the fish
be large, a second boat is despatched to the support of the other; and
when the whole of the boats are sent out, the ship is said to have "a
loose fall." There are several rules observed in approaching a whale
to prevent the animal from taking the alarm. As the whale is dull of
hearing, but quick of sight, the boat-steerer always endeavors to get
behind it; and, in accomplishing this, he is sometimes justified in
taking a circuitous rout. In calm weather, where guns are not used,
the greatest caution is necessary before a whale can be reached;
smooth careful rowing is always requisite, and sometimes sculling is
practiced. It is a primary consideration with the harpooner, always to
place his boat as near as possible to the spot in which he expects the
fish to rise, and he conceives himself successful in the attempt when
the fish "comes up within a start," that is, within the distance of
about two hundred yards.
Whenever a whale lies on the surface of the water, unconscious of the
approach of its enemies, the hardy fisher rows directly upon it; and
an instant before the boat touches it, buries his harpoon in his back.
The wounded whale, in the surprise and agony of the moment, makes a
convulsive effort to escape. Then is the moment of danger. The boat is
subjected to the most violent blows from its head, or its fins, but
particularly from its ponderous tail, which sometimes sweeps the air
with such tremendous fury, that boat and men are exposed to one common
destruction.
The head of the whale is avoided, because it cannot be penetrated with
the harpoon; but any part of the body, between the head and the tail,
will admit of the full length of the instrument, without danger of
obstruction. The moment that the wounded whale disappears, a flag is
displayed; on sight of which, those on watch in the ship, give the
alarm, by stamping on the deck, accompanied by shouts of "a fall."--At
the sound of this, the sleeping crew are roused, jump from their beds,
rush upon deck, and crowd into the boats. The alarm of "a fall," has a
singular effect on the feelings of a sleeping person, unaccustomed to
hearing it. It has often been mistaken as a cry of distress. A
landsman, seeing the crew, on an occasion of a fall, leap into the
boats in their shirts, imagined that the ship was sinking. He
therefore tried to get into a boat himself, but every one of them
being fully manned, he was refused. After several fruitless endeavors
to gain a place among his comrades, he cried out, in evident distress,
"What shall I do?--Will none of you take me in?"
The first effort of a "fast-fish," or whale that has been struck, is
to escape from the boat by sinking under water. After this, it
pursues its course downward, or reappears at a little distance, and
swims with great celerity, near the surface of the water. It sometimes
returns instantly to the surface, and gives evidence of its agony by
the most convulsive throes. The downward course of a whale is,
however, the most common. A whale, struck near the edge of any large
sheet of ice, and passing underneath it, will sometimes run the whole
of the lines out of one boat. The approaching distress of a boat, for
want of line, is indicated by the elevation of an oar, to which is
added a second, a third, or even a fourth, in proportion to the nature
of the exigence. The utmost care and attention are requisite, on the
part of every person in the boat, when the lines are running out;
fatal consequences having been sometimes produced by the most trifling
neglect.--When the line happens to "run foul," and cannot be cleared
on the instant, it sometimes draws the boat under water; on which, if
no auxiliary boat, or convenient piece of ice, be at hand, the crew
are plunged into the sea, and are obliged to trust to their oars or
their skill in swimming, for supporting themselves on the surface.
Captain Scoresby relates an accident of this kind, which happened on
his first voyage to the whale fishery. A thousand fathoms of line were
already out, and the fast-boat was forcibly pressed against the side
of a piece of ice. The harpooner, in his anxiety to retard the flight
of the whale, applied too many turns of the line round the bollard,
which, getting entangled, drew the boat beneath the ice. Another boat,
providentially was at hand, into which the crew had just time to
escape. The whale, with near two miles length of line, was, in
consequence of the accident, lost, but the boat was recovered.
The average stay under water of a wounded whale is about thirty
minutes. When it reappears, the assisting boats make for the place
with their utmost speed, and as they reach it, each harpooner plunges
his harpoon into its back, to the amount of three, four, or more,
according to the size of the whale. It is then actively plied with
lances, which are thrust into its body, aiming at its vitals. The sea
to a great extent around is dyed with its blood, and the noise made by
its tail in its dying struggle, may be heard several miles. In dying,
it turns on its back or on its side; which circumstance is announced
by the capturers with the striking of their flags, accompanied with
three lively huzzas!
Whales are sometimes captured, with a single harpoon, in the space of
fifteen minutes. Sometimes they resist forty or fifty hours, and at
times they will break three or four lines at once, or tear themselves
clear off the harpoons, by the violence of their struggles. Generally
the capture of a whale depends on the activity of the harpooner, the
state of the wind and weather, or the peculiar conduct of the animal
itself. Under the most favourable circumstances, the length of time
does not exceed an hour. The general average may be stated at two
hours. Instances have occurred where whales have been taken without
being struck at all, simply by entangling themselves in the lines that
had been used to destroy others, and struggling till they were drowned
or died of exhaustion.
The fishery for whales, when conducted at the margin of those
wonderful sheets of ice, called fields, is, when the weather is fine,
and the refuge for ships secure, the most agreeable, and sometimes the
most productive of all other ways. When the fish can be observed
"blowing" in any of the holes of a field, the men travel over the ice
and attack it with lances to turn it back. As connected with this
subject, Captain Scoresby relates the following circumstance, which
occurred under his own observation.
On the eighth of July, 1813, the ship Esk lay by the edge of a large
sheet of ice, in which there were several thin parts, and some holes.
Here a whale being heard blowing, a harpoon, with a line fastened to
it, was conveyed across the ice, from a boat on guard, and the
harpooner succeeded in striking the whale, at the distance of three
hundred and fifty yards from the verge. It dragged out ten lines,
(2400 yards,) and was supposed to be seen blowing in different holes
in the ice. After some time it made its appearance on the exterior,
and was again struck, at the moment it was about to go under the
second time. About an hundred yards from the edge, it broke the ice
where it was a foot thick, with its head, and respired through the
opening. It then pushed forward, breaking the ice as it advanced, in
spite of the lances constantly directed against it. At last it reached
a kind of basin in the field, where it floated on the surface without
any incumbrance from ice. Its back being fairly exposed, the harpoon
struck from the boat on the outside, was observed to be so slightly
entangled, that it was ready to drop out. Some of the officers
lamented this circumstance, and wished that the harpoon might be
better fast; at the same time observing that if it should slip out,
either the fish would be lost, or they should be under the necessity
of flensing it where it lay, and of dragging the blubber over the ice
to the ship; a kind and degree of labor every one was anxious to
avoid. No sooner was the wish expressed, and its importance explained,
than a young and daring sailor stepped forward, and offered to strike
the harpoon deeper. Not at all intimidated by the surprise manifested
on every countenance at such a bold proposal, he leaped on the back of
the living whale, and cut the harpoon out with his pocket knife.
Stimulated by his gallant example, one of his companions proceeded to
his assistance. While one of them hauled upon the line and held it in
his hands, the other set his shoulder against the end of the harpoon,
and though it was without a stock, contrived to strike it again into
the fish more effectually than at first! The whale was in motion
before they had finished. After they got off its back, it advanced a
considerable distance, breaking the ice all the way, and survived this
novel treatment ten or fifteen minutes. This daring deed was of
essential service. The whale fortunately sunk spontaneously after it
expired; on which it was hauled out under the ice by the line and
secured without farther trouble. It proved a mighty whale; a very
considerable prize.
When engaged in the pursuit of a large whale, it is a necessary
precaution for two boats at all times to proceed in company, that the
one may be able to assist the other, on any emergency. With this
principle in view, two boats from the Esk were sent out in chase of
some large whales, on the 13th of June 1814. No ice was within sight.
The boats had proceeded some time together, when they separated in
pursuit of two whales, not far distant from each other; when, by a
singular coincidence, the harpooners each struck his fish at the same
moment. They were a mile from the ship. Urgent signals for assistance
were displayed by each boat, and in a few minutes one of the
harpooners was obliged to slip the end of his line. Fortunately the
other fish did not descend so deep, and the lines in the boat proved
adequate for the occasion. One of the fish being then supposed to be
lost, five of the boats out of seven attended on the fish which yet
remained entangled, and speedily killed it. A short time afterwards,
the other fish supposed to be lost, was descried at a little distance
from the place where it was struck;--three boats proceeded against
it;--it was immediately struck, and in twenty minutes also killed.
Thus were fortunately captured two whales, both of which had been
despaired of. They produced near forty tons of oil, value, at that
time L1400. The lines attached to the last fish were recovered with
it.
Before a whale can be flensed, as the operation of taking off the fat
and whalebone is called, some preliminary measures are requisite.
These consist in securing the whale to the boat, cutting away the
attached whale-lines, lashing the fins together, and towing it to the
ship. Some curious circumstances connected with these operations may
be mentioned here.
[Illustration]
In the year 1816, a fish was to all appearance killed by the crew of
the Esk. The fins were partly lashed, and the tail on the point of
being secured, and all the lines excepting one, were cut away, the
fish meanwhile lying as if dead. To the alarm, however, of the
sailors, it revived, began to move, and pressed forward in a
convulsive agitation; soon after it sunk in the water to some depth,
and then died. One line fortunately remained attached to it, by which
it was drawn to the surface and secured.