A WHALING INCIDENT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2164, 1 February 1881, Page 3

A WHALING INCIDENT.

The 11 Southland Times ” of a late date, says:—“lf is notorious what luck has fallen to the foreign whalers that during late years have visited tho New Zealand waters. The American barque Asia, and the barque Sapphire, hailing from Hobart, are lying at present in Half-moon Bay, Stewart’s Island, the former having 45 tuns of sperm oil aboard, and the latter 65 tuns. The crew of tho Sapphire had lately an encounter with an old sperm whale off Preservation Inlet, that is fit to go into a book. Instead of sheering off after receiving the harpoon, the old fellow faced about and came at tho boat open-jawed, fighting with both mouth and tail. During five hours be did not move a mile from where he was struck. Two harpoons were got into him, and ono lance, and also flvo or six bomb lances, but only one of the last exploded. The line which held him gave way somehow, and the crew returned to dinner, the barque being only about 200 yards off. After dinner the boat was again manned, and got close alongside tho fish without being observed. Tho mate had a gun ready, and being in a position to fire a deadly shot, pulled the trigger, when the cap snapped, and the whale seeming to hear the noise, swam away to windward and escaped. The fruitless snapping of that cap cost probably five or six hundred pounds. Such is life—and whaling !