tance
towards the restoration of their benumbed bodies, each appeared
sensible that their narrow escape from death was highly providential.
The forbearance of God is wonderful. Perhaps these very men a few
hours before, were impiously invoking their own destruction, or
venting imprecations upon their fellow beings! True it is that the
goodness of the Almighty extendeth over all his works, and that while
'Mercy is his darling attribute,'--'Judgment is his strange work.'

The most extensive source of danger to the whale-fisher, when actively
engaged in his occupation, arises from the object of his pursuit.
Excepting when it has young under its protection, the whale generally
exhibits remarkable timidity of character. A bird perching on its back
alarms it; hence, the greater part of the accidents which happen in
the course of its capture, must be attributed to adventitious
circumstances on the part of the whale, or to mismanagement or
foolhardiness on the part of the fishers.

[Illustration]

A harpooner belonging to the Henrietta of Whitby, when engaged in
lancing a whale, into which he had previously struck a harpoon,
incautiously cast a little line under his feet that he had just hauled
into the boat, after it had been drawn out by the fish. A painful
stroke of his lance induced the whale to dart suddenly downward; his
line began to run out from beneath his feet, and in an instant caught
him by a turn round his body. He had but just time to cry out, "clear
away the line,"--"O dear!" when he was almost cut assunder, dragged
overboard and never seen afterwards. The line was cut at the moment,
but without avail. The fish descended a considerable depth, and died;
from whence it was drawn to the surface by the lines connected with
it, and secured.

While the ship Resolution navigated an open lake of water, in the 81st
degree of north latitude, during a keen frost and strong north wind,
on the 2d of June 1806, a whale appeared, and a boat put off in
pursuit. On its second visit to the surface of the sea, it was
harpooned. A convulsive heave of the tail, which succeeded the wound,
struck the boat at the stern; and by its reaction, projected the
boat-steerer overboard. As the line in a moment dragged the boat
beyond his reach, the crew threw some of their oars towards him for
his support, one of which he fortunately seized. The ship and boats
being at a considerable distance, and the fast-boat being rapidly
drawn away fro