SO VERY LIKE A WHALE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1288, 5 November 1896, Page 11

SO VERY LIKE A WHALE.

The New York World is responsible for the following story of a whale alleged to have been caught by Colonel F. W. Black, who is attached to the United States Custom House at Sand Point, Pop Off Island, one of the Shumagin group off the Alaska Peninsula :

According to Colonel Black, the whale was captured in the spring of 1824 when a calf but eighteen or twenty months old. He has been named Bulshoy, which is an Aleut word and signifies immense.

“ After the mother was killed," ran Colonel Black’s narrative, “ the natives enjoyed themselves for several days by chasing the calf. As they did not harm him, he became somewhat used to the presence of boats, and would allow them to approach tolerably close. On July 4th, John C. Whiley, the storekeeper on the island, who had furnished the wire net, announced that he would properly cele brate the day by feeding the whale. He secured a walrus bladder, filled it with milk, and was soon alongside Bulshoy. After a deal of coaxing the calf was induced to drink some of the milk. When the bladder was emptied Whiley rowed back to the shore, and the whale followed. More milk was obtained, and this time it took no coaxing to induce the calf to drink it. For the next six weeks Whiley and the Indian fed the pup twice every day. Whiley said that he was going to train Bulshoy to work in harness, and he and his servant set about it. They made a harness of walrus hide, and it was slipped on Bulshoy while he was eating. When he discovered that he was harnessed the whale made a rumpus. For two days he thrashed around in the bay and refused to come when Whiley called him. He could not get tho harness off, however, and on the third day he swam alongside the boat and seemed to beg for his breakfast. Since then he has been docile, and Whiley was soon able to guide him by means of ropes attached to the harness. In October the whale was tried in the open sea for the first time, and he dragged a big whaling boat to the island of Oonga, a distance of sixteen miles, without mishap, and with seemingly little effort."