of provisions were supplied me
sufficient for a long voyage; and the whale being _put to_, I departed
amidst the tears and lamentations of the friendly islanders, who looked
upon me as a man bent upon my own destruction. But I was aware that the
fishery would soon commence, and had great hopes of being picked up by
one of the vessels. I was soon clear of the lake; and the lad who was
on the back of the draught whale, having towed me out in pursuance of
his orders, until the island appeared like a cloud on the horizon, cast
me loose and hastened back, that he might return home before dark.

For three weeks I remained in the inside of this enormous boat, or
rather I may say fish tossed upon the waves, but without injury, from
its extreme buoyancy. One morning I was awakened from a sound sleep by
a sudden blow on the outside of my vessel. I imagined that I had come
in contact with an iceberg, but the sound of voices convinced me, that
at last I had fallen in with my fellow creatures. A harpoon was now
driven in, which I narrowly escaped, and a volley of execrations
followed, by which I knew immediately that the people were English.

After a few minutes, they commenced sawing a hole in the side of my
whale boat; and a piece being removed, a head was put in. Fearful of
another harpoon, I had raised up my large white bear's skin as a
defence, and the man perceiving it, immediately withdrew his head,
swearing that there was a white bear in the belly of the whale. The
boat shoved off and they commenced firing musket balls, which pierced my
boat through and through, and I was obliged to lie down at the bottom to
save my life. After about twenty shots, the boat again came along side,
and a man, putting his head in, and perceiving me at the bottom of the
boat, covered over with the bear's skin, imagined that the animal had
been killed, and reported to his companions. With some degree of
apprehension they climbed in at the hole which they had cut, when I
lifted up my bear's skin, and made my appearance, dressed in the black
skin worn by the inhabitants of Whales' Island. This frightened them
still more; one roared out that it was the devil, and they all ran to
make their escape at the hole by which they entered, but in their
eagerness they prevented each other.

It was with difficulty that I convinced them that I was harmless, which
I did at last; and having explained in a few words how I came there,
they permitted me