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"As when enclosing harpooneers assail, / In wintry seas, the slumbering Whale; / Soon as the _harpoons_ pierce the scaly side, / He groans, he darts impetuous down the tide; / And rack'd all o'er with lacerating pain, / He flies remote beneath the flood in vain."
The first and principal thing, my son, in the whaling ships, are the boats, which are made to float lightly upon the water; their bow and stern are made sharp, and they are capable of being rowed with great speed, and readily turned round,-and are of such size as to carry six or seven men and seven or eight hundred weight of whale-lines. The instruments used in the capture are the harpoon and lance; besides these they have used occasionally the harpoon-gun, which is a kind of swivel. This gun was invented in the year 1731: being however difficult and somewhat dangerous in its application, it is now seldom used. One of the most essential particulars in the Dutch whale ships is the "_Crow's Nest_," a sort of sentry box made of canvass or light wood, pitched on the main-top-mast head. This is the post of honor, where the master or officer of the watch often sits for hours provided with a spy glass, a speaking trumpet, and a rifle gun. As soon as they have arrived in those seas which are the haunt of the whale, the crew are keeping watch day and night; -seven boats are kept hanging by the sides of the ship ready to be launched in a few minutes.