A WHALE HUNT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 34, 22 August 1891, Page 301

A WHALE HUNT.

AVE you ever seen a whale-hunt, dear Bee? If not you would do well to visit Queen j Charlotte Sound during the whaling S season. At the entrance to Tory Channel there stands out like a promontory a Hattopped hill called the ‘Look-out.’ On this a watch is kept from daylight till dark. The men amuse themselves by

playing marbles, with one eye on the nui vive towards the straits, and the other on the game. Yon may think this will give a squint-eyed appearance to the watchmen, but nothing of the sort: their eyes are always looking the right way. When a whale comes in sight—that always exciting moment—the marbles are scattered, up goes the signal, and down rush the men to the boats, which are always ready in

a sheltered nook at the foot of the ‘Look-out.’ On the opposite side of the channel, at Te Awaite, the process is reversed. All the women and children at the station run up the hills to see the fun as fast as the difficulties in the way and a limited amount of breath will allow them, till they reach a convenient spot for observation, and then the excitement begins. You see the boats tossing up and down, the big waves rolling into Tory Channel, and you feel quite carried away with the excitement around you, and wonder how it is possible for those small boats to live in such a sea. But the people around you have no such fear. They know the boats are manned by brave, hardy fellows ; they know the exact position of each boat, and give you a wonderful amount of information. Although the men appear to be pulling quietly along, they know that every nerve of each man is strained to its utmost tension ; and though they cheer them on to victory, they do so simply because they cannot help themselves in their excitement, and not because it will increase their efforts. Away in the distance we see a small black speck, from whence issues, at certain intervals, a jet of spray, which resembles a geyser. * There she ’pouts I’ yells a brown faced, bare footed youngster, and the cry is taken up all around. Then the black spot disappears and again reappears, and up goes the geyser-like spray again, whilst away over on the Wellington side a light haze is beginning to cover the hills, and to creep slowly but surely towards the black object, which appears to be now basking in the sun. Imagine the excitement on the hills above Te Awaite. The haze turns to mist, and the mist threatens fog, creeping slowly, but surely, up to that precious black spot, which is sometimes there and sometimes gone, you know not where, till you see the living geyser shoot up again, and hear the childish voices yelling out, ‘ There she ’pouts !* Every change seems to be bringing the black spot nearer, and we see that the boats are getting very close, when down comes the fog like a pall and swallows everything up. But the Te Awaiteans do not give up ; they wait and watch till their patience is rewarded. The sun breaks out in all its splendour, and the fog is dispersed, but better than al), there are the boats close at hand, but they in turn are mere specks in contrast with the huge monster they are towing behind them. Just to see the way we all run down the bill would do you good. If laughter is better than medicine, we shall not nave any doctors’ bills to pay for some time to come, for we ran and

fell, got up and ran again through tangle* of fern, manuka, and lawyers till we an stood on the beach ready to watch the process of beaching the monster. Then the women remembered their forgotten duties, and there was a general scamper to the different houses, for everybody discovered they were hungry now, and had had nothing to eat all day.

Jean.