Items:
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Directions:
The whale is made of a big log of wood with a roughly-shaped head and tail to represent a whale. Two boats will usually carry out the whale hunt, each boat manned by one patrol--the Patrol-leader acting as captain, the corporal as bowman or harpooner, the remainder of the patrol as oarsmen. Each boat belongs to a different harbor, the two harbors being about a mile apart. The umpire takes the whale, and lets it loose about half-way between the two harbors, and on a given signal the two boats race out to see who can get to the whale first. The harpooner who first arrives within range of the whale drives his harpoon into it, and the boat promptly turns round and tows the whale to its harbor. The second boat pursues, and when it overtakes the other, also harpoons the whale, turns round, and endeavors to tow the whale back to its harbor. In this way the two boats have a tug-of-war, and eventually the better boat tows the whale, and possibly the opposing boat, into its harbor. It will be found that discipline and strict silence and attention to the captain's orders are very strong points towards winning the game. It shows, above all things, the value of discipline. You are allowed to dislodge your enemy's spear by throwing your own over it, but on no account must you throw your spear over the other boat or over the heads of your crew, or a serious accident may result. The spearman must not resign the spear to any other member of the boat. It is forbidden to lay hands on the fish or on the other boat--unless this is done to avoid a collision.