First, it is to be observed, that when it is like to be a good year to catch whales in, there is many white fish to be seen before; but where we see many seales, there we do not expect to meet with many whales; for they say that they eat up the food of the whale, wherefore the whales will not stay in such empty places, but go to find out better, and so come to Spitzbergen; for there, at the shoar, we see great plenty of the small sea-snails, and perhaps some other small fish. They are caught after the following manner. When they see whales, or when they hear them blow or spout, they call in to the ship, “Fall, fall”; then every body must be ready to get into the long-boat that he doth belong to, commonly six men go into every long-boat, and sometimes seven, according as the long-boats are in bigness; they all of them row until they come very near unto the whale; then doth the harpoonier arise, who sits always before in the boat, where the harpoon, or the sharp iron made like unto an arrow fixed to a stick, doth also lye on the foremost board of the long-boat, which the seamen call the staffen, that is, the broad piece of wood that cometh up from before the boat from the bottom, and stands up higher than all the rest.