George William Manby

“ At three o'clock my expectation was realized, for I was disturbed by such a noise, bustle, and confusion, that, had I not been acquainted with the cause, I should naturally have imagined, either that the crew had mutinied, the ship was on fire, or some inevitable destruction fast approaching. I arose and went on deck, and saw near us a boat with its jack flying, as a signal that a whale had been stricken; the watch were stamping on the deck like madmen, while others, running to their separate boats, were exclaiming "a fall! a fall!" that is, a fish is fast, and all must turn out in pursuit. ”

“ At ten o'clock at night the ice was observed to be in rapid motion, in a course opposed to our proceeding westward; at this time some of the richest clouds I ever beheld, were lining the canopy, of heaven: the extraordinary blueness of the water, and its peculiar transparency were astonishingly pleasing. By the optical illusion seen in it, the clouds were here accurately reflected, and appeared to be at a depth equal to their altitude above the surface, while the splendour of their colours was much heightened, and every particle of their woolly foldings distinctly seen. ”

“ To behold our native land, always excites the tenderest emotions on the mind, yet, the anticipated pleasure receives a chill, from the dreaded apprehension of hearing of the death of some much regarded friend, or, some fatality to our country, and it is this circumstance, which renders a voyage to Greenland so particularly distressing, as no possibility presents itself of the least intelligence until the return. ”

“ There were many hundred seals upon one piece of ice, and they literally covered its surface; some lying asleep at their full length, others playfully stretched in an infinite variety of postures: when the boats arrived within one hundred yards of them, the alarm was given, for some of a herd are always on the watch: they instantly reared themselves to give us a look, then hurried to the edge of the ice as fast as their inaptness for travelling would permit, and plunged into the water. ”

“ A strong gale of wind, the thickest fog possible, and the most turbulent sea I ever experienced, with the rugged shore of Iceland partly under our lee, placed us in much anxiety and peril, as our reckoning brought us within a few miles of the land, and all who were conversant with navigation judged that we were about to be drawn into one of the bights of the island. ”

“ It also afforded me great pleasure, to hear both masters express their unqualified confidence that my design to lessen the perils to which whale fishers are often exposed would fully succeed; and that all danger would be removed by the use of the shells and carcasses to destroy the power of the fish. They appeared to be fully impressed with the advantage to be expected from these inventions, from having witnessed, in the pursuit of their avocation, the melancholy fate of some of their companions, who had been suddenly cut off by these powerful monsters of the deep. ”

“ At four o'clock the fog began to disperse, and we found ourselves by the side of a long and heaving stream of ice, running east and west; the pieces composing it were violently agitated by a lofty swell, that rendered it too hazardous to attempt passing through it; we therefore sailed in a westerly direction by the side of it, for upwards of fifteen miles. This long tract of connected ice, is one of those peculiarities which render the navigation of an arctic sea so very difficult, that the skilful accomplishment of it can only be attained by much experience. ”

“ On this, and the two following days, an inveterate fog, attended with rain and a heavy gale of wind, perplexed us, and called forth every precaution that prudence could dictate to preserve us from danger, as nothing warned us of our approach to the ice, but the hideous dashing of the waves against its rugged borders. Repeatedly did detached pieces strike the ship with a degree of violence, that made our situation fearful, and often, as far as our limited sight would allow, we beheld heavy pieces in every direction. ”

“ I wish you to keep in mind, that my intention is to do an essential public benefit; and in its operation, to obtain advantage to the owners of the ship who give you employment; to your captain who promoted you to the situation of harpooner; to your companions, who are deeply interested in the success of your boat; and lastly, to yourself, not only from the rewards you may acquire from the use of the gun-harpoon, but the credit you will derive in being the first man to establish its utility. ”

“ The seamanship displayed during this day, in making judicious boards to weather points that occurred in our course through a long, strait, and treacherous opening in the ice, was beyond all praise. It is impossible to conceive any thing more interesting than the intricacies of the passage between floes of various sizes, many of which had evidently been broken from fields during the late gales. The sun dazzled my eyes by its glow upon the snow-clad ice, and the temperature of the thermometer became reduced to thirty-five degrees. ”

“ I longed to examine, on the spot, the tremendous effects which are there produced upon the surface of the ground, by the contention of the elements beneath its foundations, and to behold those scenes unrivalled in nature, where lofty columns of boiling water are jetted from caldrons heated by subterraneous fires; my object was also in some measure to witness the happiness of a race of people, who, although living in a most remote country under the greatest privations, are so warmly attached to their native land, that they rank themselves among the most blessed people of the earth ”

“ Often did the ship, under full sail, pass through openings scarcely wider than itself, and frequently not only was the horizon obscured in a mist, but the ship became wrapt in a vapour so dense, as to render our situation extremely perilous among the numerous obstacles that lay in our way. After several fruitless attempts to find a passage from the ice, we at length succeeded, again entered the open sea, and, not having seen a whale for several days, steered to the northward, in hopes of further and better success. ”

“ A bright sun, whose shining beams ever give delight, induced me to rise early, and the pleasing sight of a rich blue sky welcomed me on deck. The ship appeared to be in a large basin, with twenty other vessels, surrounded by a horizon that was covered with ice; part of this was a continuation of the field near which we had kept during the last two days; the other part was formed of immense pieces connected with it. A whale having been seen to retire under the ice, the boats from many ships were sent in pursuit, and kept under the ridge of the ice watching for its reappearance ”

“ From the insecure situation in which I was standing, having scarcely taken the gun from my shoulder, I was thrown by the effect of the concussion over the boat-steerer's oar, and fell upon the ice, but this fortunately being covered with snow, I received no injury. Instantly recovering myself, I attempted to regain the boat, but the fish had drawn it out of reach, so that I was left to make my observations, the whale being within a few yards of me. The agony the poor animal now appeared to be suffering, would, on any other occasion, have excited sentiments of unmixed compassion ”

“ To an admirer of the art of sailing, nothing could afford a higher treat than was exhibited this day, in passing through a sea covered with pieces of ice, under a pressure of sail, closely hauled, and going at the rate of eight miles an hour. In one direction, was a stream composed of pieces of ice, closely joined; in another, pieces near each other, through which the ship could only make its way by continual tacking, while immense hummocks threatened our destruction, if we did not respect their consequence by giving way to them. ”

“ The sailor who personated Neptune, and whose authority all must obey, bearing the emblems of fishing in one hand, and a brazen trumpet in the other, was so extravagantly attired, as to excite the most irresistible laughter. He approached towards me, and inquired whence I came, which, with several other interrogatories, was answered to his apparent satisfaction; but I believe his complacency arose from the remembrance of the "cape bottle," with which I had formerly regaled the crew. ”

“ I ventured to differ in opinion with you, as to the power of penetration of the shells and carcasses, which, being oblong in their form, would probably fly in the direction of their shortest axis. You now inform me that you have been adapting a shell to the present harpoon-gun, with a spear point, that will, if required, go through a fish. Penetration was all the former shell wanted; for there can be no doubt, but a shell or carcass introduced into the body of a whale, must be the most efficient means of facilitating the capture ever devised. ”

“ The occurrences of our voyage, after we left the ice, were of continued sameness, too trivial to be either worthy of observation or amusing; they may be thus briefly related: an uninterrupted series of most unfavourable weather conspired try our patience; for nine successive days, it blew with the greatest violence, and without intermission, (often attended with heavy rain) directly in opposition to us, by which we were driven upwards of three hundred miles, not only out of our course, but into the horribly agitated Atlantic Ocean. ”

“ At two o'clock in the morning it was announced to me that the island of Jan Mayne was in sight, on which I arose, and saw the east side of it. It presented nothing unusual to the general appearance of distant land. It was much obscured in a mist, and only a part rising from the margin of the ocean was visible; but as we approached it, new objects presented themselves and kept the attention continually alive. About five o'clock, the sun, which had not, during the last fortnight, shed its kind rays upon us, indicated a disposition to re-appear ”

“ Our feast was on a leg of mutton that we had brought out with us and which had been suspended under the mizen-top for a hundred and thirty-one days; it was full of gravy, and as fine flavoured as ever was eaten: such a repast heightened the joys of the day, and we drank with glee, a long, happy, and glorious reign to our King, and prosperity to our country; nor did we forget our wives and friends at home. ”

“ The fog having continued without abatement yesterday, now gradually changed from the densest mist into the clearest sky. The whole of this day, we continued to sail to windward, with a fresh breeze from the south-east, to keep clear of the heavy bodies of ice, that had so long interrupted us; until, at length, at four o'clock in the afternoon, we could proceed no further for these frozen impediments: we were therefore obliged to retrace our steps, as the only means of seeking some new lead to clear us from the entanglement of those compact bodies of ice that were surrounding us. ”