ing seaman still in the water holding
by the fin, he addressed him with, "Well my lad, you have got a fine
fish here,"--to which after a natural reply in the affirmative, he
added, "but don't you find it very cold?"--"Yes," replied the
shivering sailor, "I'm almost starved. I wish you would allow me to
come into your boat until ours arrives." This favor needed no second
solicitation; the boat approached the man and he was assisted into it.
The fish being again loose and out of possession, the captain
instantly struck his harpoon into it, hoisted his flag, and claimed
his prize! Mortified and displeased as the other master felt at this
trick, for so it certainly was, he had nevertheless no redress, but
was obliged to permit the fish to be taken on board of his
competitor's ship, and to content himself with abusing the second mate
for want of discretion, and condemning himself for not having more
compassion on the poor fellow's feeling, which would have prevented
the disagreeable misadventure.

Those employed in the occupation of killing whales, are, when actually
engaged, exposed to danger from three sources, viz. from the ice, from
the climate, and from the whales themselves. The ice is a source of
danger to the fishers, from overhanging masses falling upon
them,--from the approximation of large sheets of ice to each other,
which are apt to crush or upset the boats,--from their boats being
stove or sunk by large masses of ice, agitated by a swell,--and from
the boats being enclosed and beset in a pack of ice, and their crews
thus prevented from joining their ships.

On the commencement of a heavy gale of wind, May 11th, 1813, fourteen
men put off in a boat from the Volunteer of Whitby, with the view of
setting an anchor in a large piece of ice, to which it was their
intention of mooring the ship.--The ship approached on a signal being
made, the sails were clewed up, and a rope fixed to the anchor; but
the ice shivering with the violence of the strain when the ship fell
astern, the anchor flew out and the ship went adrift. The sails being
again set, the ship was reached to the eastward (wind at north,) the
distance of about two miles; but in attempting to wear and return, the
ship, instead of performing the evolution, scudded a considerable
distance to the leeward, and was then reaching out to sea; thus
leaving fourteen of her crew to a fate most dreadful, the fulfilment
of which seemed almost inevitable. The temperatu