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International Marketing, 5th Edition

Pervez Ghauri
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page i

International Marketing
page ii
page iii

International Marketing
Fifth edition

Pervez N. Ghauri
Philip Cateora

Bogota Mexico City Toronto London Madrid Milan Dubai


New Delhi Sydney
Seoul Singapore Taipei City Shanghai Beijing Hong
Kong Kuala Lumpur Bangkok
New York Chicago Dubuque Los Angeles Columbus
page iv

International Marketing, Fifth edition


Pervez N. Ghauri and Philip Cateora

ISBN-13 9781526848598
ISBN-10 1526848597

Published by McGraw Hill


338 Euston Road
London
NW1 3BH
Telephone: 44 (0) 203 429 3400
Website: www.mheducation.co.uk

British Library Cataloging in Publication Data


A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data


The Library of Congress data for this book has been applied for from the Library of
Congress

Portfolio Managers: Sabrina Farrugia and Lucy Wheeler


Content Developers: Hannah Cooper and Maggie du Randt
Marketing Manager: Vee Suchak
Content Product Manager: Adam Hughes

Cover design by Adam Renvoize


Text design by Kamae Design

Published by McGraw Hill (UK) Limited, an imprint of McGraw Hill, 1221 Avenue of
the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2022 by McGraw Hill Education
(UK) Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval
system, without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill Education, including, but
not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or
broadcast for distance learning.

Fictitious names of companies, products, people, characters and/or data that may
be used herein (in case studies or in examples) are not intended to represent any
real individual, company, product or event.

ISBN-13 9781526848598
ISBN-10 1526848597
eISBN-13 9781526848604
eISBN-10 1526848600
© 2022. Exclusive rights by McGraw Hill for manufacture and export. This book
cannot be re-exported from the country to which it is sold by McGraw Hill.
page v

Dedication

For Saad P. Ghauri

page vi
page vii

Brief Contents
Preface xvi
About the Authors xxi

Acknowledgements xxii

Guided Tour xxiv


Create & Custom Publishing xxix

Improve your Study, Research & Writing Skills xxx

Part 1 An Overview
Chapter 1 The Scope and Challenge of International Marketing 2
Chapter 2 The Dynamics of International Markets 22

Part 2 The Impact of Culture and Political Systems


on International Marketing
Chapter 3 The Foundations of Cultural Understanding 46
Chapter 4 Cultural Dynamics in International Marketing 62
Chapter 5 The International Political and Legal Environment 87

Part 3 Assessing International Market


Opportunities
Chapter 6 Researching International Markets 112
Chapter 7 Emerging and Regional Markets 135
Chapter 8 Exporting and Logistics 162

Part 4 Developing International Marketing


Strategies
Chapter 9 International Marketing Strategies 182
Chapter 10 International Market Entry Strategies 206
Chapter 11 Segmentation and Positioning in International Markets 227
Chapter 12 International Branding Strategies 245
Chapter 13 Digital and Social Media Marketing 267
Chapter 14 Ethics and Social Responsibility in International Marketing 287

page viii

Part 5 Developing International Marketing


Strategies
Chapter 15 Product Decisions for International Markets 308
Chapter 16 Marketing Industrial Products and Services 327
Chapter 17 International Distribution and Retailing 349
Chapter 18 Pricing for International Markets 375
Chapter 19 International Promotion and Advertising 403
Chapter 20 Personal Selling and Negotiations 427

Part 6 Supplementary Resources


The Country Notebook: A Guide for Developing a Marketing Plan 448
Case Studies to Accompany Parts 1–5 455

Glossary 584
Index 590
page ix

Detailed Table of Contents


Preface xvi
About the Authors xxi
Acknowledgements xxii
Guided Tour xxiv
Create & Custom Publishing xxix
Improve your Study, Research & Writing Skills xxx

PART 1 An Overview

Chapter 1 The Scope and Challenge of International Marketing 2


Chapter outline 2
Chapter learning objectives 2
The internationalisation of business 4
International marketing defined 6
The international marketing task 7
Marketing controllables 8
Domestic uncontrollables 8
Foreign uncontrollables 8
Environmental adaptations 10
Self-reference criterion: an obstacle 11
Different marketing orientations 12
Domestic market extension orientation 12
Multi-domestic market orientation 12
Global marketing orientation 14
Globalisation of markets 16
Developing a global awareness 17
International marketing orientation 19
Summary 19
Questions 20
Further reading 20
Notes 21

Chapter 2 The Dynamics of International Markets 22


Chapter outline 22
Chapter learning objectives 22
The twentieth century 24
World trade and the emergence of multinational corporations 24
The twenty-first century and beyond 26
Balance of payments 29
Protectionism 30
Protection logic and illogic 30
Trade barriers 33
Easing trade restrictions 38
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 38
World Trade Organization (WTO) 40
International Monetary Fund (IMF) 42
Summary 43
Questions 43
Further reading 44
Notes 44

PART 2 The Impact of Culture and Political Systems on


International Marketing

Chapter 3 The Foundations of Cultural Understanding 46


Chapter outline 46
Chapter learning objectives 46
Natural features of different international markets 47
Climate and topography 47
Nature environment and international trade 49
Social responsibility and environmental management 50
Resources 51
World population trends 53
World trade routes 56
Trade routes 57
Historical perspective in international trade 58
History and contemporary behaviour 58
History is subjective 59
Summary 60
Questions 60
Further reading 61
Notes 61

Chapter 4 Cultural Dynamics in International Marketing 62


Chapter outline 62
Chapter learning objectives 62
Cultural knowledge 64
Factual knowledge 64
Interpretive knowledge 65
Cultural sensitivity and tolerance 65
Culture and its elements 65
Elements of culture 66
Analysis of elements 71

page x

Can cultural differences be measured? 72


Cultural change 75
Cultural borrowing 76
Similarities: an illusion 77
Resistance to change 77
Planned cultural change 78
Required adaptation 78
Degree of adaptation 78
Imperatives, adiaphora and exclusives 79
Communications emphasis 80
Summary 84
Questions 84
Further reading 85
Notes 85
Chapter 5 The International Political and Legal Environment 87
Chapter outline 87
Chapter learning objectives 87
Political environments 88
Stability of government policies 88
Nationalism 88
Political risks 90
Economic risks 92
Encouraging foreign investment 92
Assessing political vulnerability 94
Politically sensitive products 95
Forecasting political risk 96
Reducing political vulnerability 97
Good corporate citizenship 97
Strategies to lessen political risk 97
Legal environments 98
Bases for legal systems 99
Legal recourse in resolving international disputes 102
Conciliation 102
Arbitration 102
Litigation 103
Protection of intellectual property rights: a special problem 103
Prior use versus registration 105
International conventions 105
Commercial law within countries 105
Legal environment of the EU 106
The decision-making process 107
Competition policy 107
Summary 109
Questions 109
Further reading 109
Notes 110

PART 3 Assessing International Market Opportunities

Chapter 6 Researching International Markets 112


Chapter outline 112
Chapter learning objectives 112
Breadth and scope of international marketing research 113
The marketing research process 115
Defining the problem and establishing research objectives 116
Developing a research plan 117
Quantitative and qualitative research 117
Gathering secondary data 119
Gathering primary data 121
Multicultural research: a special problem 125
Analysing and interpreting research information 125
Presenting the findings and results 125
How to organise marketing research 126
Estimating market demand 127
Analogy 128
Income elasticity 129
Multinational marketing information systems 129
Summary 130
Appendix: Sources of secondary data 130
International organisations 131
Chambers of commerce 131
Trade, business and service organisations 131
US government 131
Other sources: abstracts, bibliographies and indexes 132
Questions 132
Further reading 133
Notes 133

Chapter 7 Emerging and Regional Markets 135


Chapter outline 135
Chapter learning objectives 135
What are emerging markets? 136
Demand and consumption in emerging markets 138
Marketing in emerging markets 139

page xi
Regional market groups 143
Why economic union? 144
Economic factors 144
Political factors 144
Geographic proximity 145
Cultural factors 145
Patterns of regional cooperation 145
Regional cooperation groups 146
Free trade area 146
Customs union 147
Common market 147
Political union 148
Regional market groups in Europe 148
Europe 148
EU structure 153
EU authority 153
The Maastricht Treaty and European union 155
European Economic Area (EEA) 155
Regional market groups around the globe 156
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 156
The Americas 156
Asia 157
Africa 157
Middle East 158
Strategic implications for marketing 158
Opportunities 158
Market barriers 158
Ensuring EU market entry 159
Summary 159
Questions 160
Further reading 160
Notes 161

Chapter 8 Exporting and Logistics 162


Chapter outline 162
Chapter learning objectives 162
Regulations and restrictions on exporting and importing 163
Export controls 163
Import restrictions 164
Customs-privileged facilities 170
Foreign trade zones 171
Export documents 172
Export declaration 172
Bill of lading 172
Commercial invoice 172
Insurance policy or certificate 172
Licences 172
Other 173
Terms of sale 173
Letters of credit 174
Packing and marking 175
Export shipping 175
Logistics 177
The foreign-freight forwarder 177
Summary 178
Questions 178
Further reading 179
Notes 179

PART 4 Developing International Marketing Strategies

Chapter 9 International Marketing Strategies 182


Chapter outline 182
Chapter learning objectives 182
International marketing management 183
Global versus international marketing management 183
Standardisation versus adaptation 184
Market-driven versus market-driving strategies 185
Competition in the global marketplace 186
Quality and competitive marketing 187
Cost containment and international sourcing 189
Collaborative relationships 189
Relationship marketing 191
Formulating international marketing strategy 191
Positioning 194
Product life cycle and international marketing strategy 195
Strategic planning 197
Company objectives and resources 199
International commitment 199
The planning process 199
Summary 203
Questions 203
Further reading 204
Notes 204

Chapter 10 International Market Entry Strategies 206


Chapter outline 206
Chapter learning objectives 206

page xii

Product portfolio, growth and internationalisation 207


Product portfolio and growth 207
Becoming international 208
Phases of international marketing involvement 208
Changes in international orientation 209
Market entry objectives 210
Market opportunity assessment 212
Market/country selection 213
Invest 214
Divest/license 214
Joint venture 214
Export 214
Selective strategy 215
Market entry strategies 217
Exporting 217
Licensing 218
Franchising 219
Strategic international alliances 220
Consortia 222
Manufacturing 222
Countertrade 223
When to choose which strategy 223
Summary 224
Questions 225
Further reading 225
Notes 225

Chapter 11 Segmentation and Positioning in International


Markets 227
Chapter outline 227
Chapter learning objectives 227
Market segmentation, targeting and positioning 228
International market segmentation 229
International market segments 231
Geographic segmentation 231
Demographic segmentation 232
Psychographic segmentation 233
Behavioural segmentation 233
Market targeting 234
International target market strategies 235
Market positioning 237
Approaches to positioning 238
Product characteristics or attributes 238
Price–quality 238
Product users 238
Positioning in international marketing 239
International positioning strategies 240
Global consumer culture positioning 240
Local consumer culture positioning 242
Foreign consumer culture positioning 242
Summary 242
Questions 242
Further reading 243
Notes 243

Chapter 12 International Branding Strategies 245


Chapter outline 245
Chapter learning objectives 245
Introduction to branding 246
The development of branding 247
Country-of-origin effect and global brands 250
Own brands 252
Brand elements 253
Functions of brands 253
Characteristics of brands 254
Brand management 256
Brand equity 256
Branding strategy 256
Brand strategy 259
Brand portfolio strategy 259
Brand architecture 260
Corporate branding 261
Branding versus advertising 261
Corporate identity 261
Corporate reputation 262
Summary 264
Questions 264
Further reading 265
Notes 265

Chapter 13 Digital and Social Media Marketing 267


Chapter outline 267
Chapter learning objectives 267
Digital marketing 268
Introduction 268
Digital marketing strategy 268
The benefits of digital marketing 270
Digital media channels 271
A framework for digital marketing 272
Social media marketing 274
Social media domains 276
Social media planning 278

page xiii
Summary 285
Questions 286
Further reading 286
Notes 286

Chapter 14 Ethics and Social Responsibility in International


Marketing 287
Chapter outline 287
Chapter learning objectives 287
Ethical environment 288
Anti-trust: an evolving issue 291
What is social responsibility? 291
Analysing ethical issues and social responsibility 293
Business ethics 295
Ethics and international marketing 296
Green marketing 298
Ethical behaviour in international marketing 301
Summary 304
Questions 305
Further reading 305
Notes 305

PART 5 Developing International Marketing Strategies

Chapter 15 Product Decisions for International Markets 308


Chapter outline 308
Chapter learning objectives 308
International markets and product decisions 309
Products and brands 312
Products and culture 313
Innovative products and adaptation 315
Diffusion of innovations 315
Degree of newness 316
Physical or mandatory requirements and adaptation 317
The product life cycle 318
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
for if it had jammed, the line would surely have snapped and the
whale been lost.

“The winch was then started and the whale drawn slowly toward
the ship.”

The burst of speed was soon ended and the whale sounded for ten
minutes, giving us all a chance to breathe and wonder what had
happened. When the animal came up again, far ahead, the spout was
high and full, with no trace of blood, so we knew that he would need
a second harpoon to finish him. I was delighted, for I had long
wished for a chance to get a roll of motion-picture film showing the
killing of a whale, and now the conditions were ideal—good light,
little wind, and no sea.
I ran below to get the cinematograph and tripod and set it on the
bridge while the gun was being loaded. The winch was then started
and the whale drawn slowly toward the ship. He persisted in keeping
in the sunlight, which drew a path of glittering, dancing points of
light, beautiful to see but fatal to pictures. I shouted to Captain
Andersen, asking him to wait a bit and let the whale go down, hoping
it would rise in the other direction. He did so and the animal swung
around, coming up just as I wished, so that the sun was almost
behind us. It was now near enough to begin work and I kept the
crank of the machine steadily revolving whenever it rose to spout.
The whale was drawn in close under the bow and for several minutes
lay straining and heaving, trying to free himself from the biting iron.
“Stand by! I’m going to shoot now,” sang out the Gunner, and in a
moment he was hidden from sight in a thick black cloud.
The beautiful gray body was lying quietly at the surface when the
smoke drifted away, but in a few seconds the whale righted himself
with a convulsive heave. The poor animal was not yet dead, though
the harpoon had gone entirely through him. Captain Andersen called
for one of the long slender lances which were triced up to the ship’s
rigging, and after a few more turns of the winch had brought the
whale right under the bows, he began jabbing the steel into its side,
throwing his whole weight on the lance. The whale was pretty “sick”
and did not last long, and before the roll of motion-picture film had
been exhausted it sank straight down, the last feeble blow leaving a
train of round white bubbles on the surface.
A sei whale at Aikawa, Japan. This species is about forty-eight feet
long and is allied to the finback and blue whales.

Andersen and I went below for breakfast and by the time we were
on deck again the whale had been inflated and was floating easily
beside the ship. When we had reached the bridge the Gunner said:
“I don’t want to go in yet with this one; we’ll cruise about until
twelve o’clock and see if we can’t find another. I am going up in the
top and then we’ll be sure not to miss any.”
I stretched out upon a seat on the port side of the bridge and lazily
watched the water boil and foam ver the dead whale as we steamed
along at full speed. Captain Andersen was singing softly to himself,
apparently perfectly happy in his lofty seat. So we went about for two
hours and I was almost asleep when Andersen called down:
“There’s a whale dead ahead. He spouted six times.”
“‘There’s a whale dead ahead. He spouted six times.’”

“The click of the camera and the crash of the gun sounding at
almost the same instant.” The harpoon, rope, wads, smoke, sparks
and the back of the whale are shown in the photograph.
I was wide awake at that and had the camera open and ready for
pictures by the time we were near enough to see the animal—a sei
whale—blow. He was spouting constantly and this argued well, for
we were sure to get a shot if he continued to stay at the surface. The
Bo’s’n made a flag ready so that the carcass alongside could be let go
and marked. Apparently this was not going to be necessary, for there
was plenty of food and the whale was lazily wallowing about, rolling
first on one side and then on the other, sometimes throwing his fin in
the air and playfully slapping the water, sending it upward in geyser-
like jets.
“Half speed!” shouted the Gunner; then, “Slow!” and “Dead slow!”
The little vessel slipped silently along, the propellers hardly
moving and the nerves of every man on board as tense as the strings
of a violin. In four seconds the whale was up, not ten fathoms away
on the port bow, the click of the camera and the crash of the gun
sounding at almost the same instant. The harpoon struck the animal
in the side, just back of the fin, and he went down without a struggle,
for the bursting bomb had torn its way into the great heart.
By eleven o’clock it was alongside and slowly filling with air while
the ship was churning her way toward the station. Andersen went
below for a couple of hours’ sleep in the afternoon, and I dozed on
the bridge in the sunshine. We were just off Kinka-San at half-past
six, and by seven were blowing the whistle at the entrance to the bay.
Three other ships, the San Hogei, Ne Taihei, and Akebono, were
already inside but had no whales. Later Captain Olsen, of the
Rekkusu Maru, brought in a sei whale, but this was the only other
ship that had killed during the day. About eleven o’clock, just as I
came from the station house after developing the plates, and started
to go out to the ship, the Fukushima and Airondo Maru stole quietly
into the bay and dropped anchor. They, too, had been unsuccessful,
and, we learned later, had not even seen a whale.
Before we turned in for the night Captain Andersen said to me:
“We were just off Kinka-san at half-past six, and by seven were
blowing the whistle at the entrance to the bay.”

“We’ll go sou’-sou’ west tomorrow; that’s a whale cruise. But I’m


afraid there is going to be a big sea on, for the wind has shifted and
we always get heavy weather when it’s blowing offshore.”
The news was not very encouraging, for although I have spent
many days on whaling ships I have never learned to appreciate
perfectly the charm of the deep when the little cork-like vessels are
tossing and throwing themselves about as though possessed of an
evil spirit. Each time, I make a solemn vow that if ever I am fortunate
enough once more to get on solid ground my days of whaling will be
ended.
CHAPTER VIII
CHARGED BY A WILD SEI WHALE

“We hunted them for two hours, trying first one and then the
other—they had separated—without once getting near enough
even for pictures.”

The ship got under way at two o’clock the next morning, and within
half an hour was pitching badly in a heavy sea. At five Andersen and
I turned out and climbed to the bridge, both wearing oilskins and
sou’westers to protect ourselves from the driving spray. The sun was
up in a clear sky, but the wind was awful. The man in the top shouted
down that he had seen no whales, but that many birds were about,
showing that food must be plentiful and near the surface. Captain
Andersen turned to me with a smile:
“Don’t you worry! We’ll see one before long. I’m always lucky
before breakfast.”
Almost while he was speaking the man aloft sang out, “Kujira!”
The kujira proved to be two sei whales a long way off. When we were
close enough to see, it became evident that it would only be a chance
if we got a shot. They were not spouting well and remained below a
long time.

“He was running fast but seldom stayed down long, his high
sickle-shaped dorsal fin cutting the surface first in one direction,
then in another.”

We hunted them for two hours, trying first one and then the other
—they had separated—without once getting near enough even for
pictures. It was aggravating work, and I was glad to hear Andersen
say:
“We’ll leave them and see if we can find some others. They are
impossible.”
When we came up from breakfast six other ships were visible,
some of them not far away and others marked only by long trails on
the horizon. We passed the San Hogei near enough to hear Captain
Hansen shout that he had seen no whales, and then plowed along
due south directly away from the other ships. In a short time, one by
one, they had dropped away from sight and even the smoke paths
were lost where sky and sea met.

“Always the center of a screaming flock of birds which sometimes


swept downward in a cloud, dipping into the waves and rising
again, the water flashing in myriads of crystal drops from their
brown wings.”

It was eleven o’clock before we raised another spout, but this


animal was blowing frequently and the great cloud of birds hovering
about showed that he was “on feed.” He was running fast but seldom
stayed down long, his high, sickle-shaped dorsal fin cutting the
surface first in one direction, then in another, but always the center
of a screaming flock of birds which sometimes swept downward in a
cloud, dipping into the waves and rising again, the water flashing in
myriads of crystal drops from their brown wings.
As we came close we saw that the whale was in a school of
sardines, the fish frantically dashing here and there, often jumping
clear out of the water and causing their huge pursuer a deal of
trouble to follow their quick turnings. But he managed his lithe body
with wonderful rapidity, and ever before the fish left him many yards
behind was plowing after them, his great tail sending the water in
swirling green patches astern.
We were going at full speed and came down to half when a
hundred fathoms away, but we could not take it slow, for the whale
was running directly from us. I got two pictures of the birds and from
where I was standing beside the gun could plainly follow the animal
in his course. As he rose about sixty fathoms ahead and turned to go
down, his back came into view and just behind the fin a large white
mark was visible.
“That’s a harpoon scar,” said Andersen. “It is a bad sign. He may
give us a run for it, after all.”
The engines were at dead slow now, for the whale had surely seen
us and might double under water, coming up astern. Andersen was
ready at the gun, swinging the huge weapon slightly to and fro, his
feet braced, every few seconds calling out to the Bo’s’n aloft, “Miye
masu ka?” (Do you see him?)
We had been waiting two minutes (it seemed hours) when the
Bo’s’n shouted:
“He’s coming. He’s coming. On the port bow.”
In a second the water began to swirl and boil and we could see the
shadowy form rise almost to the surface, check its upward rush, and
dash along parallel with the ship.
A sei whale showing a portion of the soft fatty tongue.

“Dame (no good), dame, he won’t come up!” exclaimed Andersen.


“Mo sukoshi (a little more) speed, mo sukoshi speed! Dame, dame,
he’s leaving us. Half speed, half speed!”
“In the mirror of my camera I could see the enormous gray head
burst from the water, the blowholes open and send forth a cloud of
vapor, and the slim back draw itself upward, the water streaming
from the high fin as it cut the surface. Andersen’s last words were
drowned in the crashing roar of the gun.”

Never shall I forget the intense excitement of those few minutes!


The huge, ghost-like figure was swimming along just under the
surface, not five feet down, aggravatingly close but as well protected
by the shallow water-armor as though it had been of steel. Andersen
was shouting beside me:
“He won’t come, dame, dame. Yes, now, now! Look out! I shoot, I
shoot!”
In the mirror of my camera I could see the enormous gray head
burst from the water, the blowholes open and send forth a cloud of
vapor, and the slim back draw itself upward, the water streaming
from the high fin as it cut the surface. Andersen’s last words were
drowned in the crashing roar of the gun. Before we could see through
the veil of smoke we heard the sailors shout, “Shinda!” (dead), and
the next instant the black cloud drifted away showing the whale lying
on its side motionless. I tried to change the plate in my camera, but
before the slide could be drawn and the shutter reset, the animal had
sunk. Apparently it had been killed almost instantly, for the rope was
taut and hung straight down.
In a few minutes Andersen gave the word to haul away, and the
Engineer started the winch. No sooner had the rattling wheels
ground in a few fathoms than we saw the line slack and then slowly
rise. Faster and faster it came, the water dripping in little streams
from its vibrating surface.
In a few seconds the whale rose about ninety fathoms ahead and
blew, the blood welling in great red clots from his spout holes. He lay
motionless for a moment and then swung about and swam directly
toward the vessel. At first he came slowly, but his speed was
increasing every moment. When almost opposite us, about thirty
fathoms away, suddenly, with a terrific slash of his tail, he half
turned on his side and dashed directly at the ship.
“Full speed astern!” yelled the gunner, dancing about like a
madman. “He’ll sink us; he’ll sink us!”
The whale was coming at tremendous speed, half buried in white
foam, lashing right and left with his enormous flukes. In an instant
he hit us. We had half swung about and he struck a glancing blow
directly amidships, keeling the little vessel far over and making her
tremble as though she had gone on the rocks; then bumped along the
side, running his nose squarely into the propeller. The whirling
blades tore great strips of blubber from his snout and jaws and he
backed off astern.
Then turning about with his entire head projecting from the water
like the bow of a submarine, he swam parallel with the ship. As he
rushed along I caught a glimpse of the dark head in the mirror of my
camera and pressed the button. An instant later the great animal
rolled on his side, thrust his fin straight upward, and sank. It had
been his death struggle and this time he was down for good. As the
water closed over the dead whale I leaned against the rail trembling
with excitement, the perspiration streaming from my face and body.
Andersen was shouting orders in English, Norwegian, and Japanese,
and cursing in all three languages at once.
I think none of us realized until then just what a narrow escape we
had had. If the whale had struck squarely he would have torn such a
hole in the steamer’s side that her sinking would have been a matter
of seconds. The only thing that saved her was the quickness of the
man at the wheel, who had thrown the vessel’s nose about, thus
letting the blow glance from her side. It was a miracle that the
propeller blades had not been broken or bent so badly as to disable
us; why they were not even injured no one can tell—it was simply the
luck that has always followed this vessel since Captain Andersen
came aboard.

“Then turning about with his entire head projecting from the
water like the bow of a submarine, he swam parallel with the
ship.”

It should not be inferred that the whale deliberately attacked the


ship with the intention of disabling her. There is little doubt in my
mind but that the animal was blindly rushing forward in his death
flurry, and the fact that he struck the vessel was pure accident.
Nevertheless, the results would have been none the less serious if he
had hit her squarely.
“I was ... gazing down into the blue water and waiting to catch a
glimpse of the body as it rose, when suddenly a dark shape glided
swiftly under the ship’s bow.”

After a hasty examination showed that the propeller was


uninjured, the whale was hauled to the surface. I was standing on the
gun platform gazing down into the blue water and waiting to catch a
glimpse of the body as it rose, when suddenly a dark shape glided
swiftly under the ship’s bow. At first I thought it was only
imagination, an aftereffect of the excitement, but another followed,
then another, and soon from every side specter-like forms were
darting swiftly and silently here and there, sometimes showing a
flash of white as one turned on its side.
They were giant sharks drawn by the floating carcass as steel is
drawn by a magnet. Like the vultures which wheel and circle in the
western sky far beyond the reach of human sight, watching for the
death of some poor, thirst-smitten, desert brute, so these vultures of
the sea quickly gathered about the dead whale. I watched them
silently fasten to the animal’s side, tearing away great cup-shaped
chunks of blubber, and shivered as I thought of what would happen
to a man if he fell overboard among these horrible, white-eyed sea-
ghosts.
Within three minutes of the time when the whale had been drawn
to the surface over twenty sharks, each one accompanied by its little
striped pilot fish swimming just behind its fins, were biting at the
carcass.
“Dame, dame, they’ll eat my whale up,” shouted Andersen in
Japanese. “Bo’s’n, bring the small harpoon.”

“Two boat hooks were jabbed into the shark’s gills and it was
hauled along the ship’s side until it could be pulled on deck.”

One big shark, the most persistent of the school, had sunk his teeth
in the whale’s side and, although half out of water, was tearing away
at the blubber and paying not the slightest attention to the pieces of
old iron which the sailors were showering upon him. When the
harpoon was rigged and the line made fast, Andersen climbed out
upon the rope-pan in front of the gun and jammed the iron into the
shark’s back. Even then the brute waited to snatch one more
mouthful before it slid off the carcass into the water. It struggled but
little and seemed more interested in returning to its meal than in
freeing itself from the harpoon, but two boat hooks were jabbed into
its gills and it was hauled along the ship’s side until it could be pulled
on deck. This was no easy task, for it must have weighed at least two
hundred pounds and began a tremendous lashing with its tail when
the crew hauled away. “Ya-ra-cu-ra-sa,” sang the sailors, each time
giving a heave as the word “sa” was uttered, and the shark was soon
flapping and pounding about on deck. The seamen prodded it with
boat hooks and belaying pins and I must confess that I had little
sympathy for the brute when the blood poured out of its mouth and
gills, turning the snow-white breast to crimson. I paced its length as
it lay on the deck, taking good care to miss the thrashing tail and the
vicious snaps of its crescent-shaped jaws. It measured just twelve
feet and, although a big one, was by no means the largest of the
school.

Making the sei whale fast to the bow of the ship.


When the whale had been finally made fast and the ship started,
the shark, now half dead, was pushed over the side. It had not gone
ten feet astern before the others of the pack were tearing away at
their unfortunate brother with as great good will as they had attacked
our whale.
Andersen and I went below to an excellent tiffin, for which I had a
better appetite than at breakfast, as the sea had subsided. The course
was set for the station to get coal and water for the next day’s run,
but we could not be in before seven or eight o’clock. The gunner lay
down in the cabin for a short nap, and after lighting my pipe I went
“top sides” to the bridge. I had been there not more than ten
minutes, when “puf-f-f” went a sei whale about two hundred fathoms
away on the starboard beam.

A sei whale swimming directly away from the ship. The nostrils or
blowholes are widely expanded and greatly protruded.

The air pumps were still at work inflating the carcass alongside,
and the gun had not yet been loaded. Captain Andersen ran forward
with the powder charge sewed up in its neat little sack of cheesecloth;
and after the Bo’s’n had rammed it home, wadded the gun, and
inserted the harpoon, we were ready for work. The vessel had been
taking a long circle about the whale, which was blowing every few
seconds, and now we headed straight for it.
Like the last one, this animal was pursuing a school of sardines
and proved easy to approach. Andersen fired at about fifteen
fathoms, getting fast but not killing at once, and a second harpoon
was sent crashing into the beautiful gray body which before many
hours would fill several hundred cans and be sold in the markets at
Osaka. The sharks again gathered about the ship when the whale was
raised to the surface, but this time none was harpooned as we were
anxious to start for the station.
It was nearly three o’clock when the ship was on her course and
fully six before we caught a glimpse of the summit of Kinka-San, still
twenty miles away. A light fog had begun to gather, and in the west
filmy clouds draped themselves in a mantle of red and gold about the
sun. Ere the first stars appeared, the wind freshened again and the
clouds had gathered into puffy balls edged with black, which scudded
across the sky and settled into a leaden mass on the horizon. It was
evident that the good weather had ended and that we were going to
run inside just in time to escape a storm.
CHAPTER IX
HABITS OF THE SEI WHALE

“For many years the sei whale was supposed to be the young of
either the blue or the finback whale, and it was not until 1828 that
it was recognized by science as being a distinct species.”

For many years the sei whale was supposed to be the young of either
the blue or the finback whale, and it was not until 1828 that it was
recognized by science as being a distinct species. The Norwegians
gave the animal its name because it arrives upon the coast of
Finmark with the “seje,” or black codfish (Polachius virens), but in
Japan it is called iwashi kujira (sardine whale).

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