When we got to the New Zealand grounds we began at once the regular routine of cruising, but saw no whales for three days. We did see two whalers, one of them from home, having sailed a week or two after we did, and come around the Horn. This was the Henry, Captain Jefferson. We lay to for the whole of that day, while we had a good gam, Captain Nelson going aboard her for the forenoon, and their first mate coming aboard of us. In the afternoon the two captains adjourned to the Clearchus, and the Henry’s mate went back, followed by Mr. Baker in his boat. The Henry had no mail for us—none for me, at least—and I did not send any of my journal by her, only a brief letter to my mother, for the chances were that we should get home as soon as she. Each captain had whaling news of value to the other, and possibly the rum on the Clearchus was different from the Henry’s, and they wanted to compare them. Captain Jefferson put off about sunset, and Mr. Baker came back. Much to the disappointment of Captain Nelson, Captain Jefferson knew nothing about any new cruising ground, the place where the Apollo had filled up. A couple of days later we raised the spouts of a small pod of fairly large whales, and got one of fifty barrels, which Mr. Macy killed. The other boats chased for three hours in a heavy combing sea, but the whales got away. After that we had the usual luck, nothing extraordinary. We chased a good many times with no result, and got three whales which gave up their lives quietly. The whales on the New Zealand grounds were rather big fellows, for the most part, sixty barrels and upward; and some have been taken there which ran well over one hundred barrels—one of one hundred and thirty-seven barrels, I believe, although we took none over eighty. Several of these large whales gave us trouble. The first of these was met when we had been there about three weeks. The weather was boisterous, as it was {315} apt to be while we were on those grounds. We raised a lone spout, very full and powerful, on the lee bow. The whale was not feeding, but was coming to windward, and we lowered three boats at once, Mr. Brown’s, Mr. Macy’s, and Captain Coffin’s. Captain Coffin was hardly in condition yet to be of the most service, but he was so eager to go that Captain Nelson let him. All three boats pulled out ahead of the whale to cut him off, and waited. When we first sighted the spout it was above three miles distant, the whale swimming in a business-like way and making five or six knots. We had plenty of time, therefore, to get into good positions, and we drifted down before the wind directly upon his course.