We lost five or six fish by their sinking before we could get them made fast to the ship, and one or two bolted so fast that they broke loose and carried away a number of harpoons and many a fathom of line.

But such misfortunes were what we had to look for.

Every whaler meets with similar changes of luck, and we did not expect to fare differently from our neighbours.

These things did not cause us much regret beyond the time of their occurrence.

But it was far otherwise with the loss that now befell us.
It happened on a Sunday forenoon.