e worth from five hundred to eight hundred pounds, and that, if the
lines are in any way damaged, the fish may be lost, it will be
acknowledged that they have good reason to be careful. Each line is
about one hundred and twenty fathoms long; so that when the six lines,
with which each boat is supplied, are spliced together, the united
length is seven hundred and twenty fathoms, or four thousand three
hundred and twenty feet.

A few fathoms of the line is left uncovered, with an eye at the end, in
order to connect the lines of another boat to it; for sometimes, when a
whale swims far, or dives deep, the lines of several boats are joined
together. The rest of the line is neatly and carefully coiled away in
the stern of the boat.

To the upper end of the line is spliced the "fore-ganger" of a "spanned
harpoon," thus connecting the harpoon with all the lines in the boat. A
"fore-ganger" is a piece of rope a few fathoms long, made of white or
untanned hemp, so as to be more flexible and easily extended when the
harpoon is projected from the hand.

As the crew of each boat accomplished the work of coiling away their
lines, they gave three hearty cheers, to which we all responded; so we
had as much cheering as at a sailing match.

I must try to describe a harpoon, for the benefit of those who have
never seen one. It is the whaler's especial weapon--the important
instrument of his success. It consists of a "socket," "shank," and
"mouth." The shank, which is made of the most pliable iron, is about
two feet long; the socket is about six inches long, and swells from the
shank to nearly two inches in diameter; and the mouth is of a barbed
shape, each barb or wither being eight inches long and six broad, with a
smaller barb reversed in the inside. The object of the barb, of course,
is to prevent the harpoon being drawn out of the whale after it has been
fixed.

The hand harpoon is projected by aid of a stock or handle of wood, seven
feet in length, fixed in the socket. After the whale is struck, this
handle falls out; but it is not lost, as it is secured to the line by a
loop. The line, it must be remembered, is fastened to the iron part of
the harpoon.

Harpoon-guns are now frequently used for projecting harpoons. The
harpoon for this purpose is made with two shanks, side by side, one of
which goes into the bore of the gun; to the other on the outside the
line is attached.

On every harpoon is stamped the name of