Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1905-04-19

armed with the fatal "harpoon gun"
After the stroke the whale suddenly
headed away from the boats, sent up
an enormous jet of water and blood
some twenty feet in the air, dashed the
water into foam with a terrible furry
of his gigantic tail, and then suddenly
dipped beneath the surface of the
ocean. To such a vast depth did he
plunge in his agony of pain and fright
that two boats We're compelled to join
their lines to ours; and three times he
dived, staying under nearly twenty
minutes on each occasion, before we
could get near enough to lance him in
a vital part. Unfortunately, as he
sped away he drew on the boats to-
wards a large field Of ice known to be
in the vicinity before it was actually
sighted, because of the extraordinary
GOODNESS %pervading the atmosphere.
AS the custom is with a wounded
whale, he made to get under the ice
in hot haste. The only chance for sue
cess was to finish him before he disap-
peared beneath the foe. He would
have to come up nee more to breathe
before he could dive beneath the ice
floor, and we got ready to dispatch
him. Soon the line began to grow
slack, and up, up he came with start
ling speed. For a few minutes there
was an awful furry on the surface,
while our boat became entirely OBJ
scured by the flying spume. The crea-
ture had been pierced with lances I'M
til the water was REDEEMED with blood.
yet so padded with fat was he after
his summers gorging on behring's that
the lances failed to reach a vital organ.
70 u great chagrin he dived under
the ice, and, as the boats could now no
longer follow him beyound the edge
OF the ice-feld, the order was reluct-
antly given to cut the line, abandon
the prize. and return to the ship. Very
keen was the disappointment of the
men. Here was a fine whale gone
to the deuce" Gone, too. cut clean
away from the grasp of the men, was
half a ton of good whalebone. How
ever, there was a feeling pervading
the fo'c's'le all that evening that l
would not yet give up, but would OF
ganize a search party. and each one
hoped that he might be one of those
chosen to go out to try and retrieve
the lost booty.
On the morning following. after
thinking the matter over, | decided
that the whale must be dead, as the
lances had been driven well home, and
had drawn 50 much blood. Thereupon
[ picked out six of the best men on
board to help me hunt for the carcass.
Two rifles were slowed in the boat.
and enough biscuit to last the seven
of us for a couple of days.
All day the men rowed hard, while I
swept the sea with my glasses. The
vast ice-foe had slowly drifted south
ward, and it was a long time ere we
came up with ii, which we did to-
wards nightfall. In the clear water
behind it's wake we made out an island
of black rock fringed with Il wide
taWny sand beach. and soon we sight
ed something unusual on a yellow bar
that ran far out from the island among
great joy, it revealed itself as the
stranded body of the dead whale.
The men were delighted at the pros
pect of recovering the valuable whale
bone, for here was prize enough even
if it became necessary to abandon the
blubber.
That night we camped in a sheltered
cove of the island, and needing no rock
ing, for We were tired out after our
long pull. What was our astonish-
ment next morning when we found
our prize in possession of a company
of Polar bears! There were a round
dozen of them-not to speak of a
couple of yearling cubs which kept
close to their dams-all fighting, snarl-
ing and tearing at the flesh of the
whale. 1t was evident that a pitched
battle would be necessary to decide
whether the carcass belonged to us
who had killed the whale or to the
bears who were now in full possession.
Bigger than grizzlies, at times raising
to their full height as dancing bears
are trained to do, the monsters before
us bore out the reputation of Lancas-
ter Sound for it's extremely large breed
of Daars, noted for their ravenous pro-
pensities and extreme daring and fer
ocity.
1t was at the ebb Of the tide-dead
low water-When we decided to make
our attack. The boat was brought
round and headed towards the sand
SPIT where lay the stranded body of
the whale. The feeding bears had ap-
parently scented battle from afar, for
two of the biggest took to the water
and swan far out towards the boat.
These became an easy prey, for they
were dispatched while swimming
alongside; but there still remained ten,
and of these ten, five were indeed for
midable monsters. Seeing the fate of
their companions, the remainder of
those which had entered the water
returned to the beach. Five lined up
in front of the whale, while the other
five, including the two she-bears with
their cubs, fell to the rear of the car
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