he vessels. I was soon clear of the lake; and the lad who was on
the back of the draught whale, having towed me out in pursuance of his
orders, until the island appeared like a cloud on the horizon, cast me
loose and hastened back, that he might return home before dark.

For three weeks I remained in the inside of this enormous boat, or
rather I may say fish tossed upon the waves, but without injury, from
its extreme buoyancy. One morning I was awakened from a sound sleep by a
sudden blow on the outside of my vessel. I imagined that I had come in
contact with an iceberg, but the sound of voices convinced me, that at
last I had fallen in with my fellow-creatures. A harpoon was now driven
in, which I narrowly escaped, and a volley of execrations followed, by
which I knew immediately that the people were English.

After a few minutes, they commenced sawing a hole in the side of my
whale boat; and a piece being removed, a head was put in. Fearful of
another harpoon, I had raised up my large white bear's skin as a
defence, and the man perceiving it, immediately withdrew his head,
swearing that there was a white bear in the belly of the whale. The boat
shoved off, and they commenced firing musket balls, which pierced my
boat through and through, and I was obliged to lie down at the bottom to
save my life. After about twenty shots, the boat again came along side,
and a man, putting his head in, and perceiving me at the bottom of the
boat, covered over with the bear's skin, imagined that the animal had
been killed, and reported to his companions. With some degree of
apprehension they climbed in at the hole which they had cut, when I
lifted up my bear's skin, and made my appearance, dressed in the black
skin worn by the inhabitants of Whale's Island. This frightened them
still more; one roared out that it was the devil, and they all ran to
make their escape at the hole by which they entered, but in their
eagerness they prevented each other.

It was with difficulty that I convinced them that I was harmless, which
I did at last; and having explained in a few words how I came there,
they permitted me to go with them on board of the ship. The captain was
very sulky when he heard the story; he had imagined it to be a dead
whale, and had ordered it to be towed alongside, to cut off the blubber.
Disappointed in his expectations, he swore that I was a Jonas, who had
come out of the whale's belly, and there would be no luck in the ship,