The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-10-05 00:00:00

WHALE HUNTING.

A. whaler of many years experience, writing lately from
Esmeraldas to the Panama Star and Herald, gives an ac-
count of an exciting "whale hunt." He writes—

"On May 27,- in latitude 4 deg. 13 min. south,
longitude 114 deg. 40 min. west, we lowered our boats
for whales. Mr. Martin, our first mate, soon fastened
to a large one, which stove his boat slightly, but this
one was soon killed and brought alongside. In the
meantime the second mate, Mr. Hancock, had chased
the whales a long way off to leeward, had fastened to
an 80-barrel fellow, and got slightly stove in doing so.
The whale acted very ugly. At the least noise from
the boat he would rush toward it, lashing the sea with
its flukes, and obliging Mr. Hancock to keep at a
respectable distance, he being alone at the time, and
his boat stove and leaking badly. Every time Mr.
Hancock would try to get near the whale the monster
would rush toward the boat. Sometimes he would
raise his head out of the water and appear to belisten-
ing for the least noise, turning slowly round, and then
all at once down would go his head and up his
tail, and the sea would be lashed into foam.
In a short time the third mate arrived on the scene of
action, and was ordered by the second mate not to
fasten to the whale, but to play "loose boat," that is,
not being encumbered with a line fast to the whale, he
could more easily row up to or away from him, and
could watch for a favourable opportunity to shoot the
monster with a bomb lance. In the meantime the
ship was running down towards them, and the mate
at the masthead reported a boat stove, as Mr. Han-
cock had set the signal which indicated that fact. Cap-
tain Kelly then sent Mr. Martin in the fourth mate's
boat to assist in killing the whale. On his arrival at
the scene he went boldly on and fastened, when sud-
denly his boat was badly stove and capsized. Mr.
Hancock picked up the crew, and the first mate went
into the third mate's boat and again attacked the
whale. N. sooner did the monster hear the sound of
the approaching oars than he made for the boat at
great speed, and before they could get out of the way,
struck them, stoving in the boat and capsizing it.
Fortunately the whale was quiet for a few moments,
enabling Mr. Hancock to pick up the men, but none
too soon, for just as they had sterned off for a short
distance the whale again attacked the atoven boat,
seizing it in his mouth again and again, and shaking it
as a dog would a rat; then up would go his tail, and
fragments of the boat, oars, etc., would fly high in the
air. Mr. Hancock went to the ship, and soon returned
with another boat. All this time the whale was rush-
ing first here and then there • at one moment on his
head, and at another on his tail. The only thing to
do was to lay off and shoot bombs at him, but it was
a difficult job to get near enough to him for the bombs
to be effectual, his body most of the time being per-
pendicular. The first mate was fortunate enough to
put a bomb into the right spot, which soon killed the
whale,"—Land and Water.

How INDIANS FlSH.—Rabbit-hunting and fishing
constitute the business of life now to the Prute
warriors in Nevada, since the buffalo has travelled
north, and antelope is fast following them; and in
the capture and killing of such small deer he is
exceedingly expert. His fishing tackle consists of a
bit of light rope, weighted at one end with a stone, and
grasped at the other by the fisherman. To this line
are attached at regular distances half a dozen or more
hooks, made of rabbit-bones, in the form of a narrow
V; and to the angle of each V again is fastened a short
line made of sinews, and baited with some such trifle
as a small snail or fresh water sucker. The fish,
swallowing the bait and line, swallows also the hook,
which is so acted upon by the tension of the line as to
expsncl its two prongs and fasten them firmly in the
victim's throat; and then it struggles and whirls and
darts about the line, attracting all its family and the
neighbours to swallow the same snare, until the angler
has counted a btte for every hook, and quietly draws in
hie main line heavy with its spoils,