THE TAKING OF A WHALE WITH HER YOUNG—ITS ENEMIES, &c.
In the spring of 1811, on board of Capt. Scoresby’s ship, one of the
harpooners struck a young whale, with the hope of its leading to the
capture of its mother. Presently she arose close by his boat and
seizing its young one dragged out nearly 100 fathoms of line with
amazing swiftness. Again she arose to the surface, darted furiously on
and appeared in great agony, seemingly regardless of the danger which
surrounded her. At length one of the boats came near enough to throw a
harpoon which hit, but did not hold; a second harpoon failed also, but
the third was fastened; still she did not attempt to escape, but allowed
other boats to approach so that in a few minutes three more harpoons were
fastened, and in the course of an hour afterwards she was killed. Is it
not extremely painful, William, to destroy an animal of so much affection
for its young? There are also two enemies to the whale found in the sea,
the Sword Fish and a cetaceous animal called by our fishermen the Killer.
At the sight of the former the whale seems agitated in an extraordinary
manner, leaping from the water as if with affright; wherever it appears,
the whale perceives it at a distance, and flies from it in an opposite
direction, and having no instrument of defence except its tail, it
endeavors to strike it; but the Sword Fish is as active as the other is
strong, and easily eludes the blow. It often cuts the whale in such a
manner as to colour the water all around with blood. The Killer is a more
destructive enemy, with strong and very powerful teeth. A number of these
fish are said to surround the whale, some attacking it with their teeth
behind, others before, till at last he dies from the loss of blood; and
what is singular, my son, it is said that the tongue of the whale is the
only part they devour. The whale is naturally a timid animal, for it is
said that the Northern Petrel, a bird of the genus of the Mother Cary’s
Chicken of our coasts, will sometimes alight upon its back, and set
it off in great agitation and terror. It is also frequently annoyed by
the larger species of Sharks, as the wounds sometimes found upon their
tails evidently show. The flesh of the whale is highly prized by the
Esquimaux, who not only eat the very fattest part, but will drink the oil
with great relish; the children, also, devour the skin raw. Capt. Lyon,
who was present at a feast in an Esquimaux village, says: “the houses
were all lighted up with lamps, all the pots were filled with flesh, and
the women, while cooking, pick out and devour the most dainty morsels.
One man takes up a large piece, applies it to his mouth, and severs with
his teeth as much as his mouth can possibly hold, then hands it to his
neighbor, and he passes it to the next, till all is eaten; a new piece is
then supplied, and thus it continues till they are completely gorged. A
young man named Toolooak received into his stomach in 21 hours upwards of
ten pounds of flesh and a gallon and a pint of water.” The obtaining of
their food is so precarious, my son, that for many days after this they
may not have a single morsel to eat.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: INSTRUMENTS FOR TAKING THE WHALE.
No. 1. Hand Harpoon. No. 2. Blubber Lance. No. 3. Gun Harpoon.]