16 THE WHALE-EISHERY. however, the harpoon was disengaged, X X and he swam to the boat. X X Entanglement in the line, while the X X retreating fish is drawing it off rapidly, X X is often fatal. A sailor, in 1818, hap- x X penin g to step into a coil of running X X rope, had a foot cut entirely off, before X X he could be extricated. A harpooner, X X also, had carelessly thrown some part X X of the line under his feet, when a sud- X X den dart of the fish made it twist round X X his body. He had just time to cry x X out, “ Clear away the line-! 0 dear!” X X when he was cut almost asunder, X I dragged overboard, and’ never seen X afterwards. X But these are only a small portion of X the dangers experienced in these per- X ilous pursuits. To numberless others X in which the poor mariners are placed X by the Whale, we may add the dangers X of shipwreck, which, in these regions, X among fields and mountains of ice, are X very great, and often occasion the most X dreadful sufferings. . ' X
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