Page:Journal of a Voyage to Greenland, in the Year 1821.djvu/269

"Fig. 1. Hand-harpoons with barbs have already been tried; but the whole have failed in consequence of the weakness of the joint^[1]; they were of this form:

Fig. 1.

But Captain Manby's joint of the withers is extremely ingenious, and promises the greatest possible security of which such a contrivance is susceptible.

Fig. 2.

"Fig. 2, is a representation of the harpoon with the withers when tied together^[2].

Fig. 3.

"In Figure 3 they are expanded.

Fig. 4.

"Figure 4 shows the barbs or withers detached.

1. In this harpoon, the reliance for security depends entirely on the pins.
2. On this principle the reliance for security does not depend