On Nov. 29th, we left Wallis Island and proceeded towards the Equator where we cruised until the 1st of February, 1832, and succeeded in taking 25 c. of Sperm Oil. Then finding the head of the main-mast rotted badly and the weather rather unfavourable for prosecuting the whaling business we bore away and steered for Otaheite and on the 23rd February we arrived at _Eamco_,[57] an island a short distance from Otaheite where the Captain intended to repair his main-mast. We found at Otaheite, the ship _Atlantic_, Capt. Fisher, who intended to cruise for a short time for whales and then proceed for the United States. I immediately shipped on board and on the 28th February, signed his articles intending to sail the next day. Early the next morning we got underweigh and stood out to sea steering to the south east under short sail with the man at the mast-head looking for whales. It was on the morning of 20th of April, just as the sun was rising, that the man at the mast-head cried out “There she blows!”[58] It was very still on board; the ship steered close to the wind, a light breeze from east and not a sound heard except the slight ruffling the ship made as she forced her way through the water. But nothing could have acted so forcibly on our feelings as the cry that whales were in sight. In a moment the ship was in confusion, the sailors came up from below and ran to clear their boats and see all in readiness for the pursuit. “Where away?” enquired the Captain, as he was coming up the companion-steps and without waiting for an answer ordered the ship to be hove to and the boats manned. The order was promptly executed by the respective officers and on ascertaining they were sperm whales, he ordered the officers to lower the boats and pursue them. The whales were but a short distance from the ship and we had a good opportunity to observe their movements. The boats, sufficiently armed and manned, soon got amongst the whales, when the man at the mast-head had orders to inform those on deck of the movements in the boats and to inform those in the boats by signals of the situation of the whales. [Illustration: A SHOAL OF SPERM WHALE OFF THE ISLAND OF HAWAII IN 1833 From an engraving by J. Hill after a painting by T. Birch. The picture shows the famous Roach (Rotch) whaling fleet,--the _Enterprise_, _Wm. Roach_, _Pocahontas_ and _Houqua_, all from Nantucket.] In a few moments we perceived by a great splashing, which one of them made, that the 1st officer had hove his harpoon into one of them. After running under water some time and taking the line out of the boat to a considerable distance, the whale came up on top of the water. The other whales immediately joining the wounded one and gave the other boats an opportunity of striking also, which they immediately improved and all three of the boats were each fastened to a whale at the same time. After the whales became exhausted they hauled up to them and lanced until they were dead.