sharks would
be as thick about him as the lawyers round Westminster Hall, and that I
should certainly be snapped up if I went near: for my comfort he added,
"These devils seldom touch a man if they can get anything else." This
might be very true; but I must confess I was very glad to see one, of
the boats come to our assistance, while the mother whale, encumbered
with the heavy harpoon and line, and exhausted with the fountain of
black blood which she threw up, drew near to her calf, and died by its
side; evidently, in her last moments, more occupied with the
preservation of her young than of herself.

As soon as she turned on her back, I had reason to thank the "Mudian"
for his good advice; there were at least thirty or forty sharks
assembled round the carcasses, and as we towed them in, they followed.
When we had grounded them in the shallow water close to the beach, the
blubber was cut off; after which, the flesh was given to the black
people, who assembled in crowds, and cut off with their knives large
portions of the meat. The sharks as liberally helped themselves with
their teeth; but it was very remarkable, that though the black men,
often came between them and the whale, they never attacked a man. This
was a singular scene; the blacks with their white eyes and teeth,
hallooing, laughing, screaming, and mixing with numerous sharks--the
most ferocious monsters of the deep--yet preserving a sort of truce
during the presence of a third object: it reminded me, comparing great
things with small, of the partition of Poland.

I found that there was neither honour nor profit for me in this
diversion, so I no more went a whale-fishing, but took my passage to
Halifax in a schooner--one of those vessels built during the war, in
imitation of the Virginia pilot boats; but like most of our imitations,
about as much resembling the original as a cow is like a hare, and
bearing exactly the same proportion in point of velocity. And, as if it
had been determined that these vessels should in every respect disgrace
the British flag the command of them was conferred on officers whose
conduct would not induce captains to allow them to serve under them, and
who were therefore very unwisely sent into small vessels, where they
became their own masters, and were many of them constantly drunk: such
was the state of my commander from the time I sailed until we reached
Halifax. The example of the lieutenant was followed by his mate and