The
harpoon has the job of attaching the whale to the boat and
exhausting the whale. Eventually the whale is weakened and the
whaling boat can be brought up close. Killing the whale is carried
with a "lance" a razor sharp spade-tipped blade on the
end of a long thin metal rod attached to a heavy wooden handle for
momentum.
This is the most tense and dangerous part of the
whale hunt as it's now up close and personal. If the whalers have
gauged the whale correctly and this is the right moment, and if
the man with the lance is skilled at his job, gets a good aim and
a good shot, the whale will be dispatched quickly and
safely.
If not, then the boat could at worst be wrecked
and the men in the sea, one or more could be hit with the hugely
powerful tail or mauled by the sperm whales huge jaw and teeth. Or
the whale could be off again before the whole thing is repeated
maybe minutes, maybe hours later.
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