The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-04-19
Capture of Whales in Westmannhavn
BaY, Farce Island.

III was most curious sight, and the scene
rv was calculated 10 set it of to ADVANTAGE.
The bay Is about three miles lcng, bv three
quarters Of a mile broad, and surrounded bv
steep, rugged mountains, which looked mar
ticu!ar'y gloomy in the :ombre twilight. Be-
tween the whales and the outlet to the sea
full SIXTY boats We're collected together, with
crews OF six or eight men each, who were
living lazily on their oars, while atou, a bun.
dred natives On either side were employed in
dragging net of ropes, some five hundred
yards long. across the entrance This net
is only used in Wcstmannhavn. where there
are no sloplng shadows upon which to drive
the whales: it is. Of course. not intended 10
catch them in, for no RET could b- made.
sufficiently strong; but it is supposed to re-
tard their escape when they attempt to get
ont to sea. The boats were the ordinary
ones in common use the only difference ob-
servahle in them being. that they had now
'ances stuck upright. like mas,s, at the stem
and stern. and attached to the beaches bv
several fathoms of rope
More boats came dropping in for some
time after our arrival. until At eleven o'clock
we counted the number up to ninety: So
that, includin. the men on shore, not fewer
than eight hundred must have been present.
all then dressed in the rusty brown lack
cts and black knee-brre' of the country.
with ~ much uniformity as a regimen, ot
soldiers The net was drawn further and
further up the bay. great care being taken
to AVOID frightening the whales. which swan
quietly before It, or rolled about a: their ease.
evidently Tuite unconscious of danger.
When matters seemed approaching to
crisis. our party separated. Each of us got
INTO a boat and stood in the bows, with a
lance in our hands ready for action. and the
trav commenced. Halt Of the boat. remain
ed outside the net. to support the buoy. and
the remainder. about fifty in number, incu-
ding ours, closed round their prev and drove
them. bv shouting and throwing towards the
shore. the animals tamrlv submitting until
they got close TO it. Then they turned. and
bore down uron us. lookin. most formidable,
and surrounded by great wave, which their
impetus carried with them Not knowing
how 'hr boats would behave. We tvros await
ed the charge with no small m,sgiyincs. nm
der An assumed air of great calmness The
natives, on the other hand, became frantic
with excitement. yelling like maniacs, splash
ing the water with their spears, and seeming
about to throw Themselves into it in their in
t"nse desire To head them back. All their
efforts. however. were of no avail The whole
herd broke through our ranks. though they
were severed, speared in passing. Many Of
;h- boats were lifted halt cut Of the water in
the cUi>,Ons. while the cries of the toatnen.
ming led with ;he lend blowiE. OF the whales.
made wild and not Inappropriate chorus.
which rang through the surrounding hills.
" hen clear Of us me animals continued their
career at the same pace. and came in contact
with the net, which they carried back, as
we'll a> the line OF boats supporting it, sever
Al wards: and in few seconds ESCAPED. !eav-
lng few OF their companions entangled iE
MS folds la,hng the water up twenty or thir-
" feet h@h.in their desperate struggle to dis
engage themselves. In tn end thev GOT A.
way. anl swain half mill. out towards the
sea. when they dived under water. aud re-
manned nearly minute ont OF sight We
then pulled after Them As fast as We could
The scene rc>embicd an enormous regatta,
with herd OF whales a> the turning buoy
and hy dint Of stones and shouts. tLey were
headed back again. spearcd and again broke
! through the barrier opposed TO them.
lhi> operation was repeated three times.
AZ last. mnch wounded and harassed, thew
were forced INTO narrow part Of the bay.
All their enemies pressed round them at
once; and the animals either wild with
fear. or completely b,wil,.ered as to the ,li-
rcrtion of the sea. dashed towards the shore,
carving manv ot the boats with them in the
rush. On a ilattcr bcah thew would all at
once have been stranded but this was so
steep and rocky. that after two or three min
utc> melee. du,in. which the boats and the
whales were mixed up in one Sighting. >trne-
J Cling wave. only one-thrd of them were kill
ed. and the remainder reached deep water
again. The real sport was, however. over,
aud what followed WAS merely a sickrning.
though nsctu! i'i"re Of hatchery in which we
took 10 part. Those which were not taken.
have lost their leader never reunited. but
rolled rroanin. in the bay. quite blinded in
their own blood, and thus tell victims in de-
tail to their pur>ucr> When a whale is suf-
tcen,lv wounded and exhausted to be man.
a"eahlc, a boat is run along>i de- and one OF
the men strikes a hook INTO the buhhcr. at
ta"hed To a strong rope. by means Of which
the rest Of the crew hold their boat fast to it,
while knife. stuck deep IN behind the
head. soon terminates its >ufirrinSS Others,
on shore. hook and dispatch the whales
which get asr0 md, in the same manner. AZ
terthe herd vas comp mpl"trlvhroken up and sep
arated, we landed. and. from cor ma nj ns
cliff, viewed with advantage the strange spec.
tacle below. The bay was, without rxa..er
alton. red with blood some boats we're towing
dead whales on shore, others were sr"arins
the few remaining living ones while round
the beach, men up to their nrcSs in the va
ter were actively engaged in the great work
OF slaughter. Occasionally the ooatmar
would hook one more ivtiv than they sup
posed it to be-. which would tow their boa
rapidly about, or break away from them. ol
lie lashihg up clouds of water IN its agony
Not single fish escaped. The few that had
an opportunity of doing so, returned IL
search Of their leader, and shared the fa.t
Of their companions; and in two hours from
. the commencement the whole 2l2 we're de
stroycd.-|ruiSe of tie Yacht Maria, 1854.
FEELING HIS RESroNSrBrLrTY. - The
, Prussian school counsellor Dinter nob,
said, II promised God that would look up
on every Prussian peasant child as being
who could complain of me before God, If
did not provide him the best education as
man and Christian which it was possible
for me to provide"
-PuIIernickel says that a woman's hear
is the "mOSt sweetest" thing In the world