Whale Hunting in the Shetland Islands.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue XV, 11 April 1903, Page 1026

Whale Hunting in the Shetland Islands.

An esteemed correspondent who has visited New Zealand, and found many Highlanders there, sends the following article, accompanied by the flue photo on page 1007: Our illustration depicts a por’ ■ of a school of whales numberin' -n 80 and 90 which was aiiy stranded by the fishermen iVcisdale, in the Shetlands, the Ultima Thule of Britain.

Weisdale is a quite romantic hamlet about 12 miles from the county town of Lerwick. The crofters’ cottages are situated on both sides of a long narrow “voe,” or fiord, which extends for a considerable distance inland, bounded by high hills.

It was on a Sunday in the beginning of February this year that the capture was made. The morning dawned bright and fair, the wind was scarcely sufficient to ruffle the waters of the “voe,” and, in fact, a more peaceful scene could scarce be imagined, and one would have been inclined to think that it was impossible for anything to occur which could turn that Sunday quiet into a scene of animation. The people were getting ready to go to the little church at the “voe-head,” as was their custom, when suddenly it chaneed that someone looked out in the direction of Russaness, a headland which marks the entrance to Weisdale Voe, and there desecried a school of whales disporting themselves. As quick almost as thought the intelligence spread from house to house, and. the cry of “Whaals!” sounded on every hand. That Sabbath quiet was broken, and all thought of church-going abandoned by many. Boats were launched as quickly as was possible, and proceeded to the vicinity of the whales. Then the hunt began, and although it was slow and dangerous work, yet eventually the fishermen in their little boats were successful in driving the whales into the voe. It was than that excitement waxed intense. Most of the Shetlanders are expert at using harpoons and lances, long years of experience at Greenland has made them so; and so, when the whales got into shallow water the boats closed in on them, and harpooning began. The maddened animals, half-

blinded by blood, tore about in all directions, and. woe betide the luckless boat that came within reach of their tails as they lashed the water in their fury. At last they began to take the ground, and were then dispatched as expeditiously as possible, but darkness had set in before the coup de grace was given to the last. These whales are termed “caaing,” or driving whales, and will measure from six to about twenty-five feet in length. These are only valuable for the oil, which in this case yielded about £BO to the captors. In the days gone by, when a school of whales was captured, the landlord, whose property adjoined the place where they were landed, used to cl im one-third of the total proceeds, but years ago, when a large school was captured, the fishermen resented this claim, and when the case came before the court it was finally decided that tho landlord had no right to make this claim. J