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diff --git a/old/62689-0.txt b/old/62689-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 439a808..0000000 --- a/old/62689-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6355 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Boy Whaleman, by George Fox Tucker, -Illustrated by George Avison - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Boy Whaleman - - -Author: George Fox Tucker - - - -Release Date: July 18, 2020 [eBook #62689] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY WHALEMAN*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 62689-h.htm or 62689-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62689/62689-h/62689-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62689/62689-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/boywhaleman00tuck - - - - - -THE BOY WHALEMAN - - -[Illustration: In less than a minute the bow just touched the big -fellow’s body.] - - -The Beacon Hill Bookshelf - -THE BOY WHALEMAN - -by - -GEORGE F. TUCKER - -With Illustrations in Color by George Avison - - - - - - -Boston -Little, Brown, and Company -1925 - -Copyright, 1924, -By George F. Tucker. - -All rights reserved. - -Published August, 1924. - -Printed in the United States of America - - - - - CONTENTS - - I Preparing for the Voyage - II At Sea - III About Whales - IV The First Chase - V Capturing and Cutting-in - VI Trying-out and Rounding the Horn - VII Recruiting and Shore Leave - VIII The Prize Whale and the Rescued Boat - IX Honolulu and Off To the Arctic - X Experiences in the Arctic - XI Honolulu Again, and Sea Tales - XII The Coast of Japan and the Carolines - XIII Whose Whale was It? - XIV Pitcairn Island - XV The Visit to Pitcairn - XVI Homeward Bound - XVII Settling the Voyage - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - In less than a minute the bow just touched the big fellow’s body - - Jake partly lost his balance, and the captain seized him - - Out of the thicket sprang our shipmate - - I shouted “B-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s. There he breaches!” - - The sea became more boisterous, and the captain gave orders to - throw the lead - - - - - THE BOY WHALEMAN - - - - - CHAPTER I - - PREPARING FOR THE VOYAGE - - -When I was a boy, New Bedford was not, as it is now, a great -manufacturing city, but the best known and largest whaling port in -the world. The wharves were then busy places; there vessels were -“fitted”, as they used to say, and sent out on their long voyages; -other vessels returned and discharged their cargoes. Great casks of -oil were arranged in rows on the wharves; those that were sold were -carted off on curious old trucks called gears, and those that were -to await a better market were given a thick covering of seaweed. -Everybody talked ships and oil. One would hear people say, “The -_Janet_ is reported in the Indian Ocean, clean,” that is, had taken -no oil; “The _Adeline_ is heard from in the Pacific, having made a -‘good cut’,” that is, had taken a lot of oil; “There is news from -the _Marcella_ from the other side of land, having done well.” “The -other side of land” meant the other side of the world, as Australia -and New Zealand, in the waters round which many whalers used to -cruise. - -My father, when a young man, went whaling for a single voyage which -lasted for more than three years. He was a sailor, or, to use the -regular phrase, a foremast hand, and at the end of two years he -became a boat-steerer or harpooner. When I was a little boy he used -to take me on his knee and tell me stories about the life of the -whalemen,—of chasing whales and harpooning them; of angry whales -smashing boats and chewing them to bits; of towing whales to the -ship and cutting them in and trying them out; of losing the ship and -remaining all night in the open boats; of encountering great storms -and riding them out in safety; of meeting after many months another -New Bedford vessel, and getting the latest news from home, and of -visiting in the Pacific Ocean islands inhabited by savages. - -At an early age I made up my mind to go to sea. On Saturday -afternoons I used to roam about the wharves and sometimes ventured -into the ships, only to be ordered out. But one day a man, called a -shipkeeper, was very kind to me. The shipkeeper was the man who had -charge of the wharf and the ships moored to it. He was a kind of -general manager. They were taking out the cargo from a vessel. - -“Haven’t I seen you around here before?” he asked. - -“Oh, yes, many times. I’ve been down here on the wharves nearly -every Saturday afternoon for several years.” - -“How old are you?” - -“Twelve.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Homer Bleechly.” - -“I suppose you would like to go to sea—wouldn’t you?” - -“Indeed, I would.” - -“As cabin boy?” - -“Yes.” - -Then he said thoughtfully, “Not yet, boy, not yet. It’s a hard life, -so you’d better wait awhile.” - -“That was what my father said.” - -The shipkeeper continued, “You go home and get a basket and a pail, -and I’ll take you up into the loft and give you something that will -make you happy.” - -I did as he said, and on my return he took me to a building at the -head of the wharf, in the front part of which was the merchant’s -office, and in the story above, a great loft full of whaling gear -and a great many other things which the vessels had brought home -from far islands in the Pacific Ocean. There was a boat like a -canoe, only larger and better shaped. It was different from anything -I had ever seen, and was made by savages on distant shores. Then -there were paddles beautifully made, with carvings done, the -shipkeeper told me, with shark’s teeth and bits of sea shells. There -were lots of war clubs and spears and strange-looking tools and -utensils. I wanted to ship on a vessel at once and sail for the -Pacific Ocean. - -“Here, boy,” said the shipkeeper, “give me your basket and pail.” - -He reached down into a great cask set on end and took out three -large objects, each about the size of a football. “These are -coconuts with the husks on. When you get home take a hatchet and cut -off the husks and you’ll find the coconut.” - -Then he put a big dipper down into another cask and took up a lot of -pickled limes and poured them into the pail. This he repeated -several times. “There, boy,” he said, “now take them things home, if -you can carry them. But don’t you tell any other boys that you got -them things here, for, if you do, we’ll be pestered by all the boys -in town.” - -When I reached home with my prizes and showed them to my mother, the -good woman looked troubled. I had often told her that I wanted to go -to sea and she had done all she could to discourage me. I now -renewed my desire, and, when my father came home, she took the -matter up with him, and they both told me how hard the sailor’s life -was and how little money there was in it. - -“Yes, I know, father,” I said, “but haven’t you taken me on your -knee and told me all about your own voyage and the strange places -you went to?” - -“Yes, my dear son, but I didn’t tell you about the unpleasant things -and the hardships a sailor has to put up with.” - -My home was a happy one, and I was the only child. No one ever had a -better mother. My father was a good man and a model parent. He -earned fair wages and provided well for his little family. Why -should I be discontented? Because, like many a boy, I was -unreasonable. Yet, was I wholly to blame? Life in a seaport town -appeals to the fancy of a boy. Longfellow wrote, - - I remember the black wharves and the slips, - And the sea-tides tossing free; - And Spanish sailors with bearded lips - And the beauty and mystery of the ships, - And the magic of the sea, - And the voice of that wayward song - Is singing and saying still: - “A boy’s will is the wind’s will, - And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” - -I determined to hide on some vessel, and, when she was well out to -sea, show myself and apply for the position of cabin boy. As I look -back upon my foolish purpose, I deeply regret my ingratitude to my -parents and the pain I caused them. In one sense it was a simple -thing to run away, but quite another to succeed in it. Before -sailing, a whaler would drop about three miles down the harbor and -remain there at anchor for several days in charge of the shipkeeper. -Then captain, officers and crew would go down in boats, weigh -anchor, and off the ship would go on her long voyage. - -Soon a vessel owned by the merchant who employed my friend the -shipkeeper was all ready for sea. In the late afternoon I made up a -bundle of clothes and went down on the wharf and walked aboard the -vessel in a free and easy way. No attention was paid to me, and -fortunately the shipkeeper was at the farther end of the wharf. I -went down into the cabin, and I recall how clean everything was with -the coating of fresh paint. I crawled into a berth, feeling sure -that at six o’clock the shipkeeper would lock the door without -coming into the cabin. By this time I was getting a little afraid -and almost wished that I was at home. At last I heard the town clock -ring out the hour of six, and then came a footstep nearer and -nearer, and lo! it was the shipkeeper. He was startled when he saw -me, and for a moment appeared angry. Then he said: - -“I didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t you know that I would have -to lock up the cabin every night until the vessel sails, and that -you would surely get caught?” - -“Yes, but I want to go as cabin boy, and I thought that they -wouldn’t ship me in the office.” - -“Does your mother know you are here?” - -“No.” - -“Don’t you see how foolish this all is? Now get out and I’ll take -you home.” - -I objected and he insisted. I was ashamed and did not want to go -home—not that I feared punishment, but because I shrank from facing -my parents. The shipkeeper took me along with him and left me with -my mother. I am not going to dwell on what happened at home. I have -only to say that I had a long talk with my parents that evening, and -I promised that I would never attempt to run away again and that I -never would ship for a voyage without their consent. - -But the sea continued to call me, and Saturdays I still visited the -wharves. I read every volume I could get on the life of the sailor, -and was particularly delighted with such books as Dana’s “Two Years -before the Mast”, and Melville’s “Moby Dick.” With the aid of my -friend, the shipkeeper, I collected all kinds of articles brought -home on the ships until I had a veritable little museum. - -And here, let me say that my parents took the proper course. My -mother was apparently troubled, but she conferred with my father, -and it was agreed that when I was old enough I might go to sea. -“When I was old enough” was not very definite. I felt that I was old -enough then, but I knew that my parents thought otherwise. At -thirteen I entered the High School and at fifteen I felt that I had -sufficient education, at least for a sailor, and I implored my -parents to let me go. - -“You aren’t old enough,” said my mother. - -“But yesterday, mother, you said that I was large and strong for my -age—as large and strong as a man of eighteen.” - -My mother made no reply, but there were tears in her eyes. - -It was July and vacation. I was restless and impatient. Hitherto I -had worked during vacations for a cooper, doing odd jobs, but now -the cooper sent me home with the statement that I was of no use to -him. Years afterward my mother told me that she and my father -conferred and decided that it was the best course to let me ship, -provided my age was not against me. - -In the fifties of the last century, whaling was at its height. In -the warm weather ships were constantly coming and going. There was -no lack of vessels, but would they ship a boy of fifteen who was as -large and strong as a man of eighteen? Of course my father’s consent -was necessary. I went to my old friend, the shipkeeper. One of his -employer’s vessels named the _Seabird_ was to sail in a few weeks, -and I was anxious to go in her. - -The shipkeeper said, “You are big for your years and as strong as a -man, but a sailor’s life is a hard one. But, if your folks are -willing you should go, I’ll see the old gentleman and find out what -he says about your going in the _Seabird_. Sailors are shipped -through the outfitters, sometimes called ‘sharks.’ The outfitters -provide the men with their clothes and various articles, and the -owners pay the outfitters and, at the end of the voyage, the owners -take the amount out of the sailor’s shares. If the old gentleman is -willing to take you, don’t have anything to do with an outfitter, -but have your mother provide the outfit, and I’ll give her a list of -the things you’ll have to take with you.” - -In a few days the shipkeeper said that his employer would see me -with my father, and in the late afternoon we appeared at his office. -The merchant was a Quaker, and he appeared at first a little stern. -He declared that it was unusual for one so young to be taken on a -whaler as a foremast hand, but my size seemed to justify an -exception; that I could ship only with my father’s consent; that my -parents must see to it that I had a good outfit; and that my share -or lay would be 1/180. On whalers captain, officers and crew shipped -on shares or lays, and my share or lay was to be one barrel of oil -for every one hundred and eighty barrels stowed down, and one pound -of whalebone for every one hundred and eighty pounds taken. - -And now my parents were busy fitting me out. The whaleman, who was -to be away for several years, required clothing suited to about -every climate, and an abundance of it. I was provided with needles, -linen thread, spools of sewing cotton, a shaving outfit, several -knives and forks with wooden handles, several combs, two pairs of -scissors, lots of buttons, plenty of soap, a couple of tin plates -and a large dipper, a sheath knife and belt, three thick blankets, a -bedtick and pillow filled with feathers, a dozen shirts and -undershirts, three suits for light weather and a heavy suit with a -large overcoat for the Arctic, two pairs of thick mittens, four -pairs of brogans, one light and one heavy cap, two so’westers, two -large straw hats and two oilcloth suits. My father added a roll of -cotton cloth which he said might come handy for trade with the -natives. Did ever a whaleman have so good an outfit? - -The shipkeeper told me that he would give me some points before -sailing, so, on the last Saturday afternoon, he pointed to the bow -of the _Seabird_ and said: - -“You see that heavy oak on the bow, and the iron shoe on the fore -foot? When you see them things you may be sure a ship’s bound to the -Arctic, for you have to put her in good shape to battle with the -ice. Now you stand off a few feet and look at the _Seabird_. She -ain’t as sharp and slick as a merchantman, but she ain’t bad -looking. Ain’t she nice and clean? She’s been well painted, the -boats are hanging at the davits, the rigging’s been tarred and -slushed, topmast spar and yard put in place and sails bent on. But, -say, she’ll look different from this in a few years when she comes -home with the paint scratched off, the sails black and patched and -the old hull greasy from stem to stern. Now you come on board.” - -He showed me the spare spars lashed to the deck and told me of the -extra cables stowed away. Then he took me to the hatchway, and told -me to look down into the hold. I could see that it was packed with a -lot of things. The shipkeeper said: - -“On a whaler you live together for a long time and you have to carry -loads of things with you—stores, trade, slop chest, sails and duck, -sundries, hardware, copper ware, crockery, provisions, casks, -staves, lumber, wood, etc. Some of the casks are filled with water, -and others are packed with provisions, clothing, and so forth. As -the provisions are used up and the clothing and other articles are -called for, the casks are ready for the oil. The greatest things on -the ship are the whaleboats. There are no such boats anywhere in the -world. You’ll find that’s so before you come back. Now I’ll show you -the little house you are to live in for many long months.” - -He took me into the forecastle. I went down the little steep -stairway into a gloomy space largely filled with bunks. I wasn’t so -cheerful when I came up, and, as I walked home, I thought of the -nice little room in which I had slept from infancy. - -I have said that this was Saturday. In the evening my schoolmates -came in. I did not betray my feelings. One of them said, “You look -as happy as if you had just returned from a voyage.” On the -following day my parents and I attended service as usual, in the -Bethel. This little church was founded especially for sailors and -was located on what was named “Johnny Cake Hill.” It still stands, -looking just as it did sixty years ago. On the walls of the interior -are cenotaphs erected to those who lost their lives on the deep. -These had never interested me, but this morning, surrounded by -sailors and realizing that this was my last Sunday at home, I -thought of the perils in store for me as I read the following:— - - In Memory of - Capt. William Swain - Associate Master - of the Christopher Mitchell of Nantucket - - This Worthy Man after Fastening to a whale - Was Carried Overboard by the Line and Drowned - May 19th 1844 - In the 49th Yr. of his Age - Be Ye Also Ready, for in Such an Hour as Ye - Think Not the Son of Man Cometh - -The ship was at her anchorage in the lower harbor. In a few days -came the hour of departure. Hitherto I had thought little about -parting with my mother. Now the thought of it was distressing and -the actual leave-taking heart-breaking. - -My parents had provided me with a sea chest which was better looking -and more costly than that of the average sailor. My father -accompanied me to the wharf, where we found a large gathering, -composed of sailors and their friends, who had come to bid them -good-by. My father showed much feeling in his parting words, and -like most fathers, he enjoined obedience, faithful discharge of duty -and exemplary habits. The realization of the life upon which I was -about to enter came upon me with full force. My chest and I were -taken aboard of a large catboat, and, as we slipped away, I saw my -father standing on the wharf and was not conscious of the presence -of any one else. An incident added to my discomfiture. Among all the -chests mine was the most noticeable, and this fact elicited unkind -remarks from some of my companions. - -“It’s a boy’s box,” said one. - -“Full of baby’s things,” observed another. - -“Call it a fancy chest,” remarked a third. - -“Call the young chap himself, ‘Fancy Chest,’” cried a fourth. - -“So we will,” they exclaimed. - -Then one of the men scraped his feet along the chest as if to remove -the paint. - -Immediately a large, powerfully built man thundered, “Take your feet -off that box, and all of you let the young fellow alone.” - -They obeyed, and my heart went out to my new friend. I didn’t know -who he was, but I soon found out. It was three miles to the ship, -and as we approached her she did look fine, and her appearance -cheered up my rather faint heart. When we were aboard we were told -to get our chests into the forecastle, which I had visited before -with the shipkeeper. The forecastle was supposed to accommodate -eighteen, and the bunks were arranged around the sides in a double -tier. The gloom seemed to deepen and, as I was told to take a bunk -forward, which was one of the poorest, I thought of my mother and -wished that I was at home. In a short time came the cry, “All hands -on deck.” - -When we emerged some one told me to go forward and help work the -windlass. - -“It’s time to weigh anchor,” he said. - -A “greenie” remarked, “I don’t see how they are going to weigh the -anchor; they ain’t got no scales.” - -A general laugh followed. We set to work and one of the men started -a rude chantey, and the old hands joined in. Chanteys are the songs -sailors sing when at work, and the mere singing seems to make labor -lighter. - -At last the anchor came up. In the meantime men had been sent aloft -to shake out the sails, and the vessel started on her long voyage. -As I caught a glimpse of land and historic land, too, often spoken -of by the early voyagers, I felt as if I had sundered the last tie -with home, and I found it difficult to keep back the tears. - -Just then the shipkeeper came to me and said, “I’m going out in the -vessel and coming back in the pilot boat. Now let me tell you -something. Even if things don’t go right, keep a civil tongue in -your head. Do what you’re told to do, and be respectful to those -over you, and never try to be familiar with them. If you do, you’ll -find it won’t pay. Now let me tell you something more. The first -mate’s name is Coster Lakeum. He sailed in this very vessel on the -former voyage as third mate. He’s a man who doesn’t talk much, but -he’s a fine seaman. I’ve told him that while you look to be eighteen -you’re only fifteen. Don’t ever try to be familiar with him, and he -may prove your best friend in the ship. You’ll be a lucky boy if he -should take you for stroke oar in his boat.” - -We had to beat out to sea as there was a head wind. As the vessel -tacked I was bewildered and wondered how any one could learn the -names of all the ropes and how to handle them. - -“Get out of my way and get to work,” said a hard-looking, burly -fellow, jostling me as he said it. He was an American of almost -repulsive countenance, and a man for whom then and there I conceived -a strong dislike. Well, I couldn’t work, for I didn’t know how to, -and I noticed that all the greenies seemed stupid, like myself, and -were at a loss what to do. The old sailors were handling the ship, -and in a couple of hours we reached the offing, the pilot boat came -up, and my good friend, the shipkeeper, shook me by the hand, and he -and the pilot stepped aboard the little craft and were soon far -astern. On our port were the islands, on one of which Gosnold made a -temporary settlement eighteen years before the _Mayflower_ anchored -in Provincetown Harbor. While the islands bear the name of Gosnold’s -Queen, their individual Indian names are still retained, and furnish -a curious and interesting rhyme: - - Naushon, Nonamesset, - Onkatonka and Wepecket, - Nashawena, Pasquinese, - Cuttyhunk and Penikese. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - AT SEA - - -When we were well out at sea the vessel began to pitch and roll so -that I found it difficult to keep on my feet. I would find myself in -the lee scuppers only to be thrown back again like a piece of -rubber. I noticed how the old sailors tipped their bodies to avoid -disaster, and I tried to get my sea legs on and partially succeeded. -Even then I slid at times, and at last I got hold of a pin and held -on. The man who had come to my help in the boat, when the sailors -were making fun of me, came up and said: - -“You greenies are not much use until you have learned the ropes. We -don’t look to you at all the first day out. Now, boy, let me tell -you that the chances are you are going to get sick before long, and, -if you go down into the close, stuffy forecastle, you’ll be a great -deal worse. I’m the first mate, and there’s no objection to your -sleeping on deck the first night out. If you do, you may sleep off -the sickness and be all right in the morning.” - -So he pointed out a place, and I knew then that my friend was Coster -Lakeum. Pretty soon I began to feel a little sick. It was a -don’t-care feeling, and it made the other sickness—the longing for -home—all the more intense. Why did I ever leave my father’s house? -Why did I abandon my mother’s love and care? I kept back the tears -and I kept out of the way. When night came I stretched out in the -place which had been pointed out and began to feel a little better. -The air was bracing and the thought of home did quite as much to -keep me from sleeping as the tossing of the ship. There was no one -now to see the tears which ran down my cheeks. Sleep stole on, and, -when morning came, I felt somewhat restored. I looked about for a -place to wash in, and for a basin, but saw none. I came to the -conclusion that sailors didn’t wash unless they let themselves down -into the sea. It was not long before I found out that water at sea -was a luxury. It was kept in a scuttle butt by the cabin door, where -a drink might be taken, but there was none for washing. The sailors -had to depend on rain and the sea. The cook, who was at the galley, -called to me, “Come here, Sonny.” - -I started, but the ship gave a lurch and down I went. He gave a loud -laugh, but there was something in the tone which showed that he -wasn’t making fun of me. I picked myself up, steadied my body, and -at the right moment covered the distance without further mishap. - -“Look here, boy,” he said, “you’re startin’ out rather young, but -you must be twenty.” - -This touched my pride. - -“Why, I am only fifteen.” - -“Only fifteen? Well, I suppose you didn’t have a very good home, so -you were glad to go to sea.” - -“Yes, I had a good home.” - -I felt uncomfortable. The cook continued pleasantly, “The sailor’s -life is a hard one, but there are bright spots. Let me tell you to -do as you are told to do and do your best. Feel a little squeamish, -eh?” - -“Not very much now, but I did, yesterday.” - -“And you will again, if you go down this mornin’ into that old -forecastle, so I’ll give you a little breakfast here, if you can -hold on with one hand while you use the other. Eat little to begin -with.” - -He gave me some coffee and a couple of pieces of bread soaked in -something. I held the cup containing the coffee in one hand and the -hard bread in the other, and, although more than once I thought they -would slip from my hands, I managed to make my repast without -accident. It wasn’t long before all hands were ordered aft. I was -now feeling pretty good, but I pitied the greenies who had passed -the night in the forecastle—they looked so forlorn. They had -evidently been sick and gave little appearance of being able to -work. - -We all huddled together and Captain Gamans, who was to be our master -for nearly three years, proceeded to address us. The captain was a -young man, not over thirty years old, of good size but not of very -attractive appearance. He seemed inclined to be somewhat savage. The -following remarks he delivered in a sharp, nasal tone: - -“See here, you fellows, I’m boss on this ship. I want you to -understand you’ll have to work and work hard. There’s no hanging -round on a whaler, as some folks think. Whalemen work a great deal -harder than merchantmen. Now don’t let me see any wasting of grub. -I’ll put the man who does it in irons for a week. The sooner you -greenies learn the ropes and to box the compass, the better. If you -don’t, no watch below until you do. Competition between the boats is -all right, but there must be fair play. Now for the boats’ crews and -the watches; and look out for yourselves.” - -Lakeum called out sharply, “Fall in line—old hands at one end, -greenies at the other.” - -The order was obeyed, but the vessel rolled so that the greenies -wobbled about considerably. The mates examined our ribs and arms in -order to size up our probable strength and endurance, while the -boat-steerers or harpooners stood by and offered suggestions. Then -came the selection for the places in the boats, and to my great joy -I learned that I was to be stroke oar in the first mate’s boat. I -felt grateful to Lakeum and the shipkeeper as well. The few who were -not chosen were to remain on the ship when the boats were down for -whales. Long afterwards Lakeum told me that selecting a greenie as -stroke oar was something of an experiment, but my size, the -recommendation of the shipkeeper and the fact that I was brought up -in a seaport town and knew something of salt water determined him. - -Now came what they called “the picking of the watches.” This was the -duty of the first and second mates. There were three watches on our -vessel. While those who made up a watch were on deck, the others -were at rest or off duty. Between four and eight p.m. there were two -short periods called dogwatches. That very day the crows’ nests were -built at the mastheads. In each case a pair of crosstrees was fitted -to the masthead, upon each side of which was constructed a small -platform. This provided a foothold. A couple of padded hoops were -secured above at a point a little higher than a man’s waist. With -his feet on the platform, his body through the hoops and his arms -resting thereon, one could look over the entire ocean, as far as the -horizon, in search of whales. - -In the late afternoon word came to shorten sail, and several of us -greenies were ordered aloft together with the old hands. This was my -first taste of the real work of a sailor. When my feet touched the -foot-ropes, young and agile as I was, I had considerable doubt about -keeping my place. “Tip forward, as the ship goes down and hold on as -she comes back, and be quick in knottin’ your reef points,” said an -old tar beside me. I managed to hold on, but I was slow and clumsy -in reefing. “Green at it, ain’t you? Watch me,” he declared. I was -glad when I found myself descending the ratlines and was on deck -once more. - -That night I slept in my bunk in the forecastle. I recall how close -and stuffy it was, how the waves pounded against the ship, how some -of the men, presumably the greenies, groaned as if in agony, how I -longed for a kiss from my mother and for the little bedroom at home, -and how glad I was when at four in the morning our watch was called -and I went on deck. - -Of all things on the ship the whaleboat was the most important, and -few mechanics were more skilful than its builder. This craft was -sharp at both ends and was something like the model of an Indian -birch-bark canoe. The bow and stern were high out of water. The bow -rose above the rail in a Y-shape, and in this was a brass roller for -the whale line to pass over. The boat was about thirty feet long, -six feet in beam and a little over two feet deep. It was so solidly -built that it could ride on a sea which would smash the ordinary -boat of a merchantman to bits. - -The whale line was about twelve hundred feet in length and was -coiled in a large tub. One end of it was taken aft to a post in the -stern of the boat called a loggerhead, around which two or three -turns were taken in order to bring a strain on the line when a -struck whale was going down or, to use the common expression, was -“sounding.” The friction caused by the line flying round the -loggerhead often set it on fire, and it was necessary to throw water -over it. The line was carried forward to the bow, and to it was -attached a harpoon. To this line, at some distance from the harpoon, -another short warp was attached, with a harpoon secured to the end. -The purpose was for the boat-steerer or harpooner to throw the -second iron after he had thrown the first or, if this were -impossible, to toss the second iron overboard, as otherwise it might -catch in a man’s clothing or endanger the other occupants of the -boat. - -The third day the work on the whaleboats was pushed vigorously. The -oars were examined to see if there were flaws, and were then laid in -the boats; the whale line was coiled down into tubs, new harpoons -were fitted to poles, and these and the lances were placed in the -boats. The whaleboat carried a sail, which was set when the wind was -favorable, and was then steered by a rudder. At other times it was -propelled by five great oars. - -The boat also carried a hatchet, a water keg, a keg containing a few -biscuits, candles, lanterns, glasses, matches, a compass, two -knives, two small axes, a boat hook, waif flags, fluke spades, -canvas buckets, a “piggin” for bailing, and paddles. A rudder hung -outside by the stern. - -The ordinary whaler carried four boats on the davits—three on the -port side and one aft on the starboard side. Some whalers carried a -fifth boat forward on the starboard side. - -The first mate’s boat was the one aft on the port side. This was the -one to which I was assigned. It was called the “larboard” boat. And -now it is to be noted that no whaleboat ever had a name. It even did -not have painted on it the name of the ship to which it belonged. - -On the fourth day the weather was mild and the sea calm. In the -morning the order came to lower the boats. The lookouts were in the -hoops at the mastheads, but there were no whales in sight. The truth -is, the greenies needed practice and training to prepare them for -the encounter with whales. Lakeum said to me: - -“Did you ever handle an oar?” - -“Oh, yes,” I said. “I can not only handle an oar but I can do two -things which my father told me most merchantmen can’t do. I can swim -and sail a boat.” - -“You may have to do both before this voyage is over,” was the reply -in rather a stern tone. - -Each boat carried six men. If, when in pursuit of whales, the wind -were favorable, the sail was set; if light, oars were used together -with the sail; if not favorable, the oars alone were used. - -And now we were not to seek whales, but have our first practice in -the imaginary pursuit. I had the stroke oar, which was nearly -fourteen feet long. If this were regarded as heavy and clumsy, what -would one say of the steering oar held by Lakeum, which was twenty -feet long? When the boat was lowered, we scrambled into her and took -our places. Another man and I were the only greenies in the mate’s -boat, and it turned out that he had never handled an oar before; as -for myself, I was only used to light oars of moderate length. The -sea looked very calm from the ship’s deck, but when we had pushed -off, we found that our great whaleboat was tossed about -considerably, and this made rowing more difficult. I was anxious to -do my best and I think Lakeum was aware of it, but he gave -suggestions and orders in a tone which made me realize that he was -my master. - -The mate always helps the stroke oarsman. As Lakeum steered with his -left hand, he pushed with his right hand on the handle of my oar. -The other greenie blundered more than I did and in such a way as to -interfere with the others. The men made him the object of their -ridicule, but Lakeum told them to be quiet. Take it all in all, some -progress was made that morning, and we returned to the vessel with -an appetite for dinner. - -This suggests the food that was served to us. There were three -messes,—cabin, steerage and forecastle. Meals were served at -seven-thirty A.M., at noon, and at five P.M. As to the forecastle, -the food was dumped in bulk into large pans and carried from the -galley to the forecastle, where the men ate it from small pans. For -drink we had tea and coffee sweetened with a kind of molasses. We -had salt junk and also hard bread which was improved by soaking it -to flabbiness, frying it in pork fat and deluging it in black -molasses. Lobscouse, a favorite dish, was a mixture of hard-tack, -meat and potatoes. Duff was made of flour, lard and dried apples. It -was boiled in a bag and served with molasses. - -We ate our food in the forecastle while sitting on benches in front -of our bunks. Sometimes the meat was divided into as many parts as -there were men. Then, as the carver asked, “Who’s this for?” a man -who had turned his back called another man’s name and the portion -was given to him. This was repeated until all the men were served. -Now let me say that during the voyage I never saw among the men a -single act of selfishness or greediness. Often those who are -uneducated and have had no social advantages are, in their relations -with others, the most considerate and gentlemanly. - -That afternoon the first vessel was sighted since leaving port. The -captain was out with his glasses, and I heard him say, “It’s a -whaler, and I know the managing owner’s streamer at the mainmast. -The vessel’s the _Rhoda_, for she’s due about now and has made a -splendid voyage according to the last report.” I asked one of the -old hands how you could tell a whaler in the distance, irrespective -of the owner’s flag, and he said, “Always by the boats. Can’t you -see with your naked eye the three boats hangin’ at the davits on the -port side?” This held good the world over. A whaler was always known -by her boats. - -While the whaler was a small vessel, she carried three or four times -as many men as a merchantman of the same size, because a large -number of men was necessary when whales were pursued and captured. -Besides the captain there were generally three or four mates or -officers, four boat-steerers or harpooners, a cooper, carpenter, -blacksmith, steward, cook, cabin boy, four shipkeepers or spare men, -and sixteen to twenty seamen. Sometimes the same person was -carpenter and cooper and often there was no blacksmith, the work of -sharpening irons and so forth being done by others. On many whalers -there was no cabin boy. On the _Seabird_ there was neither -blacksmith nor cabin boy, and a man named Jonas was both carpenter -and cooper. - -Of the four boat-steerers, I shall mention only the one on our boat. -He was a Portuguese from St. Michaels, and his name was Manuel—a -broad-shouldered, stalwart fellow, with a long, powerful arm. And he -was also a fine fellow—kind-hearted and good-natured. We had several -other Portuguese in the crew, natives of the Azores, one or two -blacks from the Cape Verdes and also one Kanaka from the Hawaiian -Islands. - -One member of the crew deserves especial mention. His name was -Israel Kreelman, a native of Vermont. He was getting along in years -and had followed the sea since his sixteenth year. He had never got -above the berth of seaman, for while he did his work faithfully and -well, he was not qualified for any higher position. Kreelman seemed -to me, at first, rather austere, but in time I found him generally -kind and companionable, and he took a real interest in me. I have -spoken of the hard-looking American seaman who talked to me savagely -and jostled me the first day out. His name was Jake, and in a few -days everybody was afraid of him. He talked little, and when he did -he was profane and abusive. I think it was just a week to a day from -the day of sailing, when an event occurred which nearly ended in a -tragedy. - -Jake was ugly as usual and had some words with the fourth mate. He -was cautioned in an emphatic tone. He did not seem inclined to -retort, but directed his abuse against the food served to the men, -which he called slush. - -[Illustration: Jake partly lost his balance, and the captain seized -him.] - -“There’s the coffee,” he said, “the captain and officers get the -best of it in the cabin. Then they add water to what’s left, and -this is what the boat-steerers and others get in the steerage. Then -they add more water to what’s left and that’s what we get in the -forecastle. It’s nothin’ but the captain’s slops.” - -There was some truth in Jake’s remarks, but the language used might -have been more moderate. The captain was standing near by, and his -face flushed rapidly. - -“Look here, Jake,” he exclaimed, “let me hear no more language of -that kind. If I do, I’ll put you in irons.” - -“You’re a coward. You couldn’t hurt a fly.” - -Before the captain could move or reply, Jake whipped out a knife and -made a lunge for him. I thought the knife was going into the -captain’s shoulder, but by a quick movement of the body he escaped. -Jake partly lost his balance, and the captain seized him. The vessel -was pitching and the outcome was uncertain. The captain seized the -wrist of Jake’s right arm, and just then Lakeum grabbed a -marlinespike and knocked the knife out of Jake’s hand. The men -struggled fiercely for a moment, when Jake slipped a little; this -put him at a disadvantage, and down they went, the captain on top. -They say you mustn’t strike a man when he’s down, but it may be that -it depends on the man and the circumstances. At any rate, the -captain gave Jake an awful mauling, and when he let him up and the -mates took him away to put him in irons, his face looked like jelly. -For several days everything went on smoothly and everybody seemed -subdued. The only comment was made to me by Kreelman. - -“Boy,” he said, “I’m a common sailor and will never get any higher, -but there are always two sides to a case. I’ve seen captains and -officers do some awful cruel things, and when I was younger, I’ve -suffered myself. But in this matter the captain was right. Jake’s a -bad man. I didn’t like him from the first. What they want to do is -to get rid of him, and they’ll do it, too. Keep your eyes open.” - -“How will they do it?” I asked. - -“Never mind, keep your eyes open.” - -I had heard of hanging men at the yardarm, and I assumed that, when -Kreelman said they would get rid of Jake, he meant they would take -his life in some way. I was uneasy and distressed. However, I had -little time for reflection, as I was constantly kept at work. - -We had several days of pleasant weather and each day we took to the -boats, and the greenies began to show great improvement in handling -the oars. The thirteenth day from home was a memorable one. I -supposed that the vessel was well on her way south, but a great -surprise was in store for me. It was a beautiful morning, and it was -not far advanced before a hazy outline appeared in the distance. As -we approached, it grew more distinct, and I was so surprised and -bewildered that I didn’t even think of seeking information. Soon the -object developed into a huge mountain, rising right out of the -sea—in fact from six to seven thousand feet in height. It was -evidently at one end of an island. Before long the vessel was put in -stays. Then came the order to lower the larboard boat. The greenie -who belonged in the boat was told to remain on the ship, and then -Jake appeared in the custody of the mates, and was told to take the -greenie’s place in the boat. Jake’s face was covered with scabs and -scars, and he didn’t appear so bold and defiant as he did before his -encounter with the captain. Lakeum steered for the shore, which -wasn’t over five hundred yards away, and I wondered what it was all -about and particularly where we were going. My curiosity increased -when on our arrival Lakeum shouted, “Twenty minutes shore leave.” -The men scrambled out of the boat—Jake, despite his beating, the -most agile of all. In a minute Lakeum and I were alone. - -“Aren’t you going with the boys?” he asked. - -“No,” I said, “I’d rather stay here. Will you tell me where we are?” - -“Where do you think?” - -“I haven’t any idea.” - -“Well, young man, this is one of the Azores. They call it Pico, and -that mountain rising right out of the sea is one of the most -wonderful things in the world.” - -I wanted to ask why we were there, but I knew that that was none of -my business. Lakeum helped me out. - -“There are two reasons why we are here. You’ve noticed that we’ve -had no second mate. We are going to have one in a few minutes. It is -no uncommon thing now for a Portuguese to ship in New Bedford -sometime ahead, and then go over to the Azores in the packet to see -the folks and wait for the ship. This is our case. Mr. Silva’s his -name and he must live pretty near here, for our captain had his -instructions just where to put the ship in stays. Now then, don’t -you see how Mr. Silva’s helped us out?” - -Lakeum, usually rather serious, laughed heartily. - -“Puzzled again? Well, just hear me. Don’t you see this is the way to -get rid of Jake?” - -“He’ll come back, won’t he?” - -“Come back? We’ll never see him again, and we never want to. As a -rule we don’t want a man who’s in debt to the ship to desert, but -this man is dangerous, and nobody’s safe when he’s around. We are -only too glad to get rid of him. We’ve given him a chance, and he’s -taken it already.” - -“Why didn’t the captain put back to New Bedford when the fracas was -over and have Jake arrested?” - -Again Lakeum laughed. - -“Why, boy, that would never do. Some of us would be called as -witnesses, and the rest would disappear. The voyage would be broken -up and the owners would be the losers. When the captain gave Jake -his licking he gave him his judge and jury and everything else.” - -We were at a little landing, and a road led up from it into the -island. On each side of the road was a wall made of large blocks -that looked like brown stones. Lakeum told me that these blocks were -pieces of lava, that the island was volcanic and that there were on -it many extinct craters. For the first time I saw oranges on the -trees, and it seemed to me as if I had entered into a new world. -Pretty soon down the road came a cart driven by a boy. In it was a -man seated on a chest. The cart was unlike any I had ever seen. It -was a crude affair, and the wheels were of solid wood. Lakeum -greeted the newcomer as follows: - -“Well, Mr. Silva, I never saw you before, but there’s no need of an -introduction. I know who you are. I’m Lakeum, the first mate. Let’s -get your chest aboard.” - -Silva showed a row of dazzling teeth and Lakeum continued, “I gave -the men leave. There they are up the road, coming this way. They’ll -all be here in a minute, except one.” - -Silva showed his teeth again and said, “Hard ticket, eh? Got a good -poundin’, did he? But he’s better off. The ship must stand it. He’s -spent the money the outfitter let him have—spent it before he came -aboard, and he has got on a new suit, such as it is, and it ain’t -cost him nothin’.” - -Silva grinned again. Then the smile vanished, and lowering his tone -he said, “I feel almost like desertin’, too. I come back here to get -married, and I’ve just left my little wife. I’ve been married only -two weeks. She wanted to see me off. I couldn’t stand it. It’s a -hard life we whalemen lead.” - -Though a boy, I was touched by the brave fellow’s words. All the men -showed up but one, and Silva took his place. As we pulled for the -ship I knew that it would be many months before we should again pull -for the shore. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - ABOUT WHALES - - -We now bore away south—all hands anxious to see whales. One morning -the captain called us aft and addressed us as follows: - -“I want to tell you about the prizes. Every man who sights a whale -that is captured gets a prize. If the whale makes fifty barrels or -less, a flannel shirt; if over fifty barrels, five dollars. These -are the prizes given away during the voyage. Then at the end of the -voyage the owner will give two gold watches—and good gold watches, -too—one to the man who raises the largest sperm whale during the -voyage, and the other to the man who raises the largest bowhead, -that is the whales that stow down the greatest amount of oil. Keep -your eyes open.” - -The name I went by was “Fancy Chest”, and it stuck to me to the end -of the voyage. As we walked away, Kreelman said: - -“Well, Fancy Chest, what do you think of it?” - -“Fine.” - -“Not so fine as you think. The flannel shirt isn’t good for much, -and you can’t spend the five dollars at any of the few places where -we stop, for they don’t know that kind of money. I went on a voyage -once and got a so-called gold watch when we got home. It was -pinchbeck. I had to shake it to make it go, and I shook it so hard -it made my arm ache.” - -This was discouraging, and I was pretty well disillusioned. It was -to be my fortune during the voyage to draw a watch, but I must -withhold the story about it till the end of the book. - -Kreelman continued, changing the subject, “It’s about time to have -fresh meat. I’m about tired of hard bread and lobscouse.” - -“Do they keep it on board?” - -“Fancy Chest, you are still a greenie. Look in the sea and see what -you see.” - -We had seen porpoises before, but never so many as there were now. -They were dancing all about the vessel, as if bent on a frolic. One -of the boat-steerers went forward and rigged a platform just over -the bow. Then he took his stand on it, with harpoon in hand. Two or -three of the graceful creatures came up as if to encourage advances, -and then disappeared beneath the surface. They were not near enough -for the boat-steerer’s purpose. Then a daring fellow leaped up as if -to defy the harpooner, only to fall a prey to his iron. Soon another -porpoise was captured. I looked at the pretty creatures lying on the -deck—each about five feet in length—with some pity, which gave way -to the pleasant thought of the approaching repast. - -As I went by the galley the cook said, “You’ll get something at -dinner to make you feel good.” And we did. The meat was boiled with -“doughboys” or dumplings, and nice it tasted, too. This change in -diet cheered us all, and that afternoon there was more contentment -than I had seen any day since we sailed. - -I had now learned to box the compass, and I knew the ropes. There -used to be an impression that the duties of a whaleman were light. -This is far from the truth. The labor was incessant. There was no -limit to the hours, and the work was often carried on in the night -watches. Contrary to the general impression, the whaler was cleaner -and more trim than the merchantman. And now a few words about -whales, as we were soon to have our first chase. - -Whales have lungs and warm blood, and their bodies do not differ -much from those of a cow or a horse. There are several kinds, but in -the good old whaling day only two kinds were of real value—the sperm -whales or cachalots and the whales which yielded bone. The largest -cachalot ever captured was nearly ninety feet long and nearly forty -feet in circumference, and weighed about ninety tons! Think of it! -One hundred and eighty thousand pounds! Now, if we say that thirteen -men weigh a ton, a whale of this kind will weigh more than the -entire population of a village of over eleven hundred inhabitants. -It is also said that a large sperm whale weighs a good deal more -than a hundred oxen, and has the strength of several hundred horses. -The head is blunt and flat, and the skull sometimes measures more -than twenty feet in length. The eye is near the angle of the jaw; it -has no lashes, and is about as large as the eye of a colt. The -creature can see ahead or to either side, but the eyes are separated -by the immense head, so that each eye seems to work on its own -account; and this is thought to be the reason why sperm whales act -so queerly at times. The most curious organ is the ear. It is just -behind the eye and is so small that a pencil can hardly be inserted -in it. - -The lower jaw, which contains the teeth, is far smaller than the -upper jaw, but it was regarded in whaling days of considerable -value, for the posterior part called the “jawbone” and the teeth, -which weighed about a pound and a half each, furnished the material -out of which sailors made so many curious articles. - -The sperm whale has no nose, but a substitute in a spouthole on top -of the head. - -The interior of the mouth is white, and the tongue is small and the -throat large. - -The head is, in size, about one third of the body, and in it is what -is called the “case” containing spermaceti, formerly used in the -manufacture of candles. It is dipped out with buckets, and sometimes -fifteen barrels are taken from a single head. What is this great oil -case for? Some think that the animal draws upon it for nourishment -during periods of food scarcity, just as bears store upon their -bodies great quantities of fat to draw on later. The whales are -covered with what is called blubber, which keeps them warm in cold -water and relieves the pressure when they “sound,” that is, go down -to great depths. - -The flippers, one on each side of the body, are not like the fins of -a fish, but are the limbs of land mammals, covered with blubber to -form paddles, and are supplied with bones, blood vessels and nerves. - -The tail of the whale divides into two flukes, the distance across -which is fifteen feet. This great weapon is used for a number of -purposes—for motion, as a weapon when pursued by enemies, for play, -called lobtailing, whereby he throws his tail high in the air and -then, lowering it, smites the sea with terrific force, and for -peaking, which is the tossing of the entire flukes with a part of -the body in the air before plunging below. - -When the whale so plunges below he is said to “sound,” and, as he -breathes like any other animal, he must take in for his dive a great -supply of air; otherwise he would drown. This great creature can -hold his breath for a long time, and, when he comes up, the air in -his lungs is heated, and, hence, as it is expelled into the cooler -air, it condenses and forms a vapor. This is what one sees when the -whale spouts. If this vapor touches the human skin, it stings. Now -the spout of the sperm whale is rather a poor one. It doesn’t go -straight up, but goes forward for a short distance. The blowings are -repeated sixty or seventy times at a rising, and then the whale goes -down again, and remains below for fifteen to forty-five minutes, and -occasionally for an hour or more. - -Now what does the cachalot do when he is under water? It is believed -that he goes to a great depth in search of cuttlefish or squid. Some -of these dead cuttlefish thrown up on the shore are known to be -forty to fifty feet in length, and, while some say that live -cuttlefish of great size have been seen on the surface of the ocean, -the statement may well be doubted. But it is known that fierce -battles take place under water between them and the whales; and it -is a fact that dead whales have been found floating with their -bodies badly cut and bruised. But the cachalot is generally the -victor. The cuttlefish is not the only food. It is a fact that -pieces of sharks have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales. - -The most curious thing about the sperm whale is that in rare cases -it produces ambergris, often worth its weight in gold; and this, it -is said, is due to the cuttlefish. This material is solid, is -generally ash-colored, is lighter than water and is fragrant when -heated. It is a growth in the intestines of the sperm whale, -produced, it is thought, by indigestion caused by the whale not -being able to assimilate beaks and other pieces of cuttlefish so -often found in the ambergris. Ambergris is generally found in -cutting up the whale. Its chief use is in manufacturing perfume. It -is not the perfume itself, but the substance which prevents -evaporation. - -The sperm whale is a great wanderer. He keeps away from the cold -water of the extremities of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but -travels all over the rest of the watery world. How do we know all -this? Because the whale himself has told us. Harpoons had stamped in -them the names of the ship’s owner and sometimes the name of the -ship. Often a whale with the harpoon in him would make his escape, -when the line parted, and afterwards be captured six or seven -thousand miles away from the place of encounter with the harpoon -still in his body. - -Some of the antics of the sperm whale are striking. He will rise in -the water and turn to look around him. Again he will raise his head -above the surface and remain for some time in that position, bobbing -up and down amid the waves. Then, suddenly turning, he will raise -his flukes in the air and beat them upon the water with great -violence. The sound caused thereby may be heard for many miles. -This, as I have said, is called lobtailing. Then he will spring from -the water so as to show a large part of his great frame. This is -called breaching. - -The female or cow cachalot is only about a third of the size of the -male or bull. The mother goes far out to sea with her baby calf, -apparently fearing no enemy, and her affection for the little -creature is very strong; so whalemen would kill the calf first, for -they knew that the mother would not forsake her offspring. The cow -is said to show affection for the bull, for when the bull is killed -the cow will stay by, only to be captured herself. - -How do whales sleep? It is generally thought that it is when they -are floating on the surface, either during the day or night. Both -whalers and merchantmen are known to have run on to whales with a -result similar to that occasioned by striking a rock or reef. If the -whales had been awake they would doubtless have avoided the vessels. -A famous case of collision was that of the _Union_, Captain Gardner, -which sailed from Nantucket in 1807. At ten o’clock at night, when -running at seven knots, she struck a whale with such force as to -smash in the timbers on the starboard bow. The pumps were started, -but the water gained rapidly and in a couple of hours the vessel -began to sink. Three boats left the ship, one of which was -abandoned, and the men were divided equally in the other two. There -was a heavy sea, and the Azores were over six hundred miles away. -They rigged sails which were carried away by the gale, and the two -boats were finally lashed together and for a time allowed to drift. -They had little water, and the men were put on scant rations. When -suffering intensely from thirst and hunger Flores was sighted. -Captain Gardner and his men made six hundred miles in seven days and -eight nights. This young master was only twenty-four years of age. -He followed the sea for many years. In one of his voyages his -encounter with a sperm whale resulted in a badly bruised body and a -mutilated hand. This injured member is shown in the photograph of -the old gentleman in the rooms of the Old Dartmouth Historical -Society in New Bedford. - -Now a few words about the whales which yield whalebone or baleen. It -used to be said that the whale which yielded excellent bone and a -generous quantity of oil was called the “right whale” to capture, -and hence the name. Later its larger relative was found in the -Arctic regions and called the bowhead, because of the structure of -the fore part of the head, which is shaped like a half-circle. The -whalebone of the bowhead is much larger than that of the right -whale, and in former days was more valuable. The slabs are in the -upper jaw, and in a bowhead are often a dozen feet or more in -length. When the mouth is closed these slabs slant back and lie -between the two jaws. When the mouth opens they hang almost -perpendicularly along the sides of the mouth, presenting the -appearance of a screen, which, as the inner side of each slab is -furnished with bristles or hairs, serves as a sieve. A bowhead once -captured had two hundred and eighty-six slabs of bone on one side of -the mouth and two hundred and eighty-nine on the other. The lower -lip supports and holds in place the lower edge of the sieve, while -the upper lip is drawn up. The right whales subsist on crustaceans, -called “brit,” which are taken in great quantities through the mouth -and are strained out by means of the bristles on the inner side of -the whalebone. The water flows out and the “brit” is caught by the -sieve. The brit is yellow and so abundant in some latitudes as to -give the appearance of extensive fields of golden grain. The right -whales are said to eat fish, if “brit” is not obtainable. The -rushing of a right whale through a field of “brit” has been compared -to a snowplow passing through a drift. He leaves behind him a trail -of blue water, spouts with great force and is difficult to capture. -Here we should note that the whalebone whales cannot see ahead of -them. - -While the bowheads are very heavy, they are not more than sixty-five -feet in length. The tail is about twenty-five feet broad and six -feet deep. One of these whales, taken in 1855 in the Okhotsk Sea by -the ship _Adeline_ of New Bedford, yielded two hundred and fifty -barrels of oil, and another taken in 1861 by the _General Pike_ of -the same port produced two hundred and seventy-four barrels. The -whalebone whales carry their nostrils on the summit of the head. -There are two spout holes; they are f-shaped, close together, -and are located about eighteen feet from the end of the head. As -they are nearer the lungs than in the case of the sperm whale, the -vapor shoots up straight, spreading as it rises. These whales are -encased in a layer of blubber which is from a foot to two feet in -thickness. It is softer, more oily and also more sticky than that of -the sperm whale. The tongue is thick and soft, is glued to the floor -of the mouth, and generally contains about six barrels of oil, -although it is said that the tongue of a very large bowhead has been -known to yield twenty-five barrels. Such a tongue is equal to the -weight of ten oxen. The flesh of the animal is coarse, firm and red -in color. The flukes are very powerful. Hence the maxim, “Beware of -a sperm whale’s jaw and a right whale’s flukes.” While the sperm -whale is a great traveler, the right whale never crosses the -equator. - -The female right whale is much larger than the female sperm, and at -the breeding time she frequents shallow waters. Her affection for -her young is very strong. It is said that she will clasp the calf -with a fin very much as a human mother holds her child. The young of -the bowhead mother is seldom seen, and it is thought that she keeps -it under the ice until it is weaned. - -The bowhead’s method of feeding is like that of its relative, the -right whale. The crustaceans in the North Atlantic and Arctic, -called “slicks”, give the water the appearance of oily streaks. They -are produced by different kinds of jellyfish and range in size from -a pea to six inches or more in diameter. When the bowhead is -feeding, the spread of the lips is about thirty feet, and the method -of feeding is the same as that of the right whale. - -Now what happened as the result of the pursuit of all these -creatures, well called the leviathans of the deep? Let any boy or -girl take the map and see where the whalemen cruised and captured -whales. Not content with Baffin’s Bay, Hudson’s Bay, the waters -along the coast of Greenland and in the North Atlantic, around the -Azores, Madeira, the coast of Africa, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha, -the Falkland Islands, the Cape of Good Hope and the Rio de la Plata, -the venturesome whalemen sought the Indian Ocean and more -particularly the great stretches of the Pacific and the Arctic -Oceans. Now let the boy or girl look carefully at the map of the -Pacific Ocean and see the multitude of islands in that great stretch -of water. It is said that more than four hundred islands were -discovered in the Pacific by American whalemen; and, when one sees -the names of Nantucket, Howland, Gardner and Starbuck, he need not -be told that the names were given by either Nantucket or New Bedford -whalemen. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE FIRST CHASE - - -From early morn, when the men took their places in the hoops, to -look for whales, there followed the regular order of the day. If the -weather were good, the captain took his observations; the watches -changed at proper times, and the men at the wheel and the lookouts -were relieved every two hours. In the afternoon, usually at about -four, the pumps were tested and the decks scrubbed. There was no -noise in the ship save that occasioned by wind and wave and orders -to the men. However, in the second dogwatch, which was generally -about twilight, some fun was permitted. The men gathered, chatted -and smoked. Rude strains were drawn from a battered accordion, while -all the time the boat-steerers were at the bench aft the try-pot, -engaged in whetting harpoons. - -We had, in our day, the old-fashioned log to determine the rapidity -of the ship’s motion, but it wasn’t used very much, as in cruising -for whales the speed of the vessel was of little consequence. - -On the approach of a storm the merchantman sometimes failed to make -preparations in season. Not so with a whaler. Only a few days after -leaving Pico we encountered a storm. As the gale bore down upon us -from the windward blackness, and the long range of wave crests grew -larger and the situation became more serious, we were quick to -shorten sail and, under storm staysails, met the gale without any -fear. Higher blew the wind, heavier pounded the sea, our staunch -boat shipped little water, though tossed about like a shell. - -A week or more passed, and the men in the hoops saw not a single -spout. Kreelman said to me, “Fancy Chest, the sperm whale, you know, -is a low spouter—just a little bushy spout forward—and it’s not easy -to see unless the whale’s near. The men with the sharpest eyes are -the Gay Head Indians, and we’ve got one of ’em on board, and he’s up -in the hoops now. He can see a sperm spout if any one can.” - -Within half an hour came the gladdening cry from aloft, “B-l-o-w-s! -b-l-o-w-s! b-l-o-w-s! There he breaches! There he white-waters!” The -captain called out, “Where away?” “Two points on the lee bow.” “How -far off?” “Two miles, sir.” “Keep your eye on him. Sing out when we -head right.” - -The captain gave orders to call all hands, get the boats ready, -square the mainyard, put the helm up, keep her off, stand by the -boats and lower away. Then he took his glasses and climbed to the -main crow’s nest. The braces, sheets, and halyards were thrown from -the pins, and then, while the men reached and hauled, the mates -slacked away, the yards swung and the vessel came about. The boats -quickly took to the water, and the crew swarmed down the falls and -dropped into their places. The boat-steerers went forward, the -officers aft. There was suppressed excitement, but no disorder. The -wind was favorable, the masts were stepped in all the boats, the -sails hoisted and peaked and the sheets paid out; and away we went. -Each boat, of course, carried six men. As it happened, we were -headed for a “pod” or “school” of sperm whales. All the boats were -in the chase, and the men left on the ship were the captain, the -four sparemen or shipkeepers, the cook, the steward and the -carpenter. The vessel fortunately was to windward and could easily -bear down on a boat if it made fast to a whale. Here I should say -that every whaling house had its private code of signals. As the -vessel was often a long distance from the boats engaged in the -chase, signals gave needed instructions. The signals were generally -about fifteen in number. They consisted of the position of colors -and of the sails. Thus the men were told of the location of whales -they could not see from the boats, of an accident to their -companions, such as a stove boat, or the need of their presence on -the ship. - -We had not gone a quarter of a mile before the wind shifted and we -had to take in sail and resort to the oars. My feelings are so well -told by Captain Robbins, an old whaleman, in his book called the -“Gam” that I propose to quote his exact language. The captain says: - -“I shall never forget the dazzling sensations of that first -moment—the tall ship, with her checkered sides and her huge white -davits; the two sharp-bowed clinker-built boats—five long oars in -each—two on one side, three on the other; the sun-glint upon the -oar-blades as they lifted above the surface, the white splash when -they dipped again; the rapid, nervous, brutal stroke; the pose of -the officers as they stood in the stern-sheets of the boats, each -with his lifted left hand holding the steering oar, and each with -his right hand pushing upon the stroke oar; and, yet more vivid, the -one figure I could see in our own boat. For the mate stood last, -steering with one hand and helping me row with the other.” - -Just as Captain Robbins describes, Lakeum steered with his left hand -and pushed on the handle of my oar with his right. He was an -interesting figure as he urged the men on in a low tone, telling -them at the same time not to make any noise. “It’s a pretty good pod -and we ought to get a good-sized bull,” he declared. Of course, -Lakeum was the only one in the boat who could see ahead. The -rowlocks were thumbed with greased marline, to prevent any noise of -the oars. Soon came the order to take in the oars and use the -paddles. Then I knew that we were close to a whale. In a few minutes -we were told to take the oars again and await orders. I turned my -head and beheld just in front of the bow of the boat a low black -mass, and I saw the boat-steerer leaning forward as if awaiting the -mate’s order. The fateful moment had come and my feelings were -intense. The boat moved ahead very slowly, and, just as the bow -touched the monster, Lakeum shouted, “Up and let him have it.” The -boat-steerer rose in a moment and pushed his left leg into the -clumsy cleat in the forward thwart. Then he rested the top end of -the harpoon handle in the palm of his right hand, steadying it with -his left. He hurled the iron with all his force and saw it bury -itself in the blubber up to the hitches. Seizing the second harpoon, -he threw it with equal success. - -Lakeum shouted, “Stern—stern—all, and get out of the suds!” He and -the boat-steerer changed places,—he to enter into a fight with the -whale, and the boat-steerer to become the boat-steerer in fact. The -whale threw up his flukes and brought them down with terrific force. -The sea was white with suds, but we got out of them safely. Down -went the whale and out went the line with a whizzing sound which -soon became a regular roar. The line went out so fast that it set -fire to the loggerhead, and I put out the fire by pouring water on -it. - -“I never saw a whale get away so fast,” said Lakeum. “This boat’s -nose may be under water any moment.” - -The bow was then pretty close to the surface. In a moment Lakeum -shouted, “All hands scramble aft!” This was to save us from disaster -by balancing the boat. - -I was somewhat alarmed and instinctively took the knife from the -cleat on the thwart. The men rushed aft in disorder, due to the -pitching of the boat, when a voice rang out, “Man caught; cut the -warp!” I didn’t have to hack twice; the knife was as sharp as a -razor, and one motion severed the line. A sharp cry came from the -man who was apparently caught, and overboard he went. Despite my -excitement and fright, I was foolish enough to think myself a hero, -but I wasn’t. The whale was gone for good, but we were temporarily -happy in the thought that we had saved the man from a terrible -death. The supposed averted tragedy, however, was more of a comedy. -My severing the line hadn’t helped the man any, for it happened that -his foot had pressed on the warp and he had been merely thrown into -the water, and, as he had hit a man on the way and knocked him over, -the order was given by some one to cut the warp. The man in the -water struck out for the boat and we soon pulled him aboard. - -Lakeum’s face changed color. He looked daggers at me. There were no -whales now in sight, and he gave orders to pull for the ship. As he -pushed on my oar our countenances were close together. For a time -nothing was said. As we neared the vessel, the expression of anger -and disappointment passed from his face. Lowering his voice he said: - -“I don’t think you are to blame or the man who gave the order to -cut, either. You have to work quick at such times. I’ll tell the -captain about it and make it all right with him. On some boats there -would have been a blast of profanity, and men who had done as you -and the other man did would have got bread and water for a week, but -such treatment is wrong.” He paused and then resumed, “That was -easily a hundred-barrel bull, and he was worth pretty close to five -thousand dollars.” - -Our boat was the only one which had made fast to a whale and the -rest of the day on ship was a dreary one, despite the fact that the -sea was quite calm and the sky without a cloud. In the second -dogwatch the men gathered and talked over the misfortune of the -morning. A few deplored the loss of the whale; the others made light -of it and made me the target of ridicule and joke. - -“Well, Fancy Chest, you cut the right line at the wrong time. You’ll -make a whaleman,” said one. - -“He’s so smart that he’ll be harpooning a whale with a knife, next -time,” said another. - -“I guess they’ll take that five thousand dollar whale out of Fancy -Chest’s lay,” observed a third. - -There was a loud laugh. Then Kreelman interfered: - -“Let Fancy Chest alone. Put yourself in his place, you smarties. For -a boy fifteen years old he did well, and a man fifty couldn’t have -done better. Any old sailor would have cut the line as Fancy Chest -did.” - -Kreelman was in a pleasant mood so far as his relations with me were -involved, and ignoring the others, he observed: - -“I think you are goin’ to make a whaleman, Fancy Chest, and there -are some things I can tell you about whales and whalin’ that you -don’t know, although you’ve learned two things to-day from bein’ in -the boat. One of the things you learned is that the boat-steerer -don’t throw the iron with his arm raised but gives it a kind of -thrust, and the other thing you’ve learned is that, after he’s -thrown the iron, he and the mate change places.” - -“And why is that?” I asked. “I can’t see the sense to it.” - -“There ain’t no sense to it, but it’s been done since whalin’ begun. -People do things because their fathers did ’em before ’em. Many a -whale’s been lost because the boat-steerer, after a long chase, was -all tired out from havin’ to pull an oar. The boat-steerer ought to -sit up in the bow and do nothin’ until the whale’s reached so that -he can be in good condition to strike. And after he’s struck he -ought to stay in the bow and kill the whale, and the mate remain in -the stern. There are many things you ought to know. After a sperm’s -struck and goes down, he throws out a kind of oil called ‘glip.’ If -the boat passes through this glip or crosses the line between it and -the whale, he knows it and puts on more speed. Sometimes the sperm -is cunning, for while soundin’ with his head in one direction, he -will turn and swim just opposite. Now as to the right whale—never -follow his wake, for the moment the boat runs into his suds he knows -it and makes off in great haste.” - -Kreelman continued, “Now, Fancy Chest, them that has book larnin’ -write about whales, but we old tars knows more than all of them -fellows put together. Sperm whales talk to each other just as folks -do.” - -“You don’t mean that, do you?” I broke in. - -“Talkin’ ain’t always with words. There’s another way of talkin’, -especially among animals, and whales is animals. Whales can pass the -news from one school to another, so can one whale to another. The -moment a whale is struck, other whales in the neighborhood know it -and either make off or, if the struck whale is a cow, draw near as -if to give help. Can you explain it? I can’t. Men in the hoops often -notice that when their own boats is attackin’ whales, a school -several miles to wind’ard will appear to be frightened and -disappear. Can you explain it? I can’t. Sometimes there’ll be a -school of whales spread out over a long distance, and as if by -signal they’ll all go under at the same time. Can you explain it? I -can’t. - -“But there are lots of things whales do that remind you a good deal -of human folks. Sometimes you see a lot of sperm whales together, -and that’s what you call a big school. Then sometimes you see a -little school. Now both them schools may be all bulls, or they may -be all cows, with just one bull to take care of ’em. In such case -this one bull is a good deal of a gentleman, for, if there’s -anything from behind to cause fright, he seems to tell the ladies to -make tracks, and he stays behind to look out for the enemy—whether -it’s a whaleboat or whatever it is. So this bull, with his caravan, -goes travelin’ all over the ocean. Now you let any other bull come -near and there’s sure to be a fight. In one of my voyages we saw a -fight in the Pacific Ocean. It was a fine day and a smooth sea. The -lookout called out whales, and we lowered. It seems it was a school -of cow sperms, and there was a big bull with ’em. As we were gettin’ -pretty near, another big bull, that had been soundin’, come up not -far off, and the two went for each other. Their heads come together -with terrible force, and, believe me, you could hear the noise a -mile away. Then they drew back and seemed to rest for a minute and -then they went at it again. This time they locked jaws. But there -was somethin’ clumsy about it. They didn’t seem to show the spunk -they did when they first come together. The ladies all disappeared, -and we men in the boats laid on our oars and watched the battle, -pretty sure we’d get both fellows in the end, and we did. They tried -to twist their jaws round without doin’ very much, except that in -wigglin’ their bodies and rollin’ round they made lots of suds. It -was pretty certain that both of ’em was badly hurt. Our boat and -another stole up quietly and we got both of them. And what do you -think we found out? Why, one of ’em had his jaw twisted and a number -of his teeth torn out, while the jaw of the other was broken off, so -that it hung only by the flesh. It’s no uncommon thing to capture a -whale whose jaw was long ago shattered and his head battered, and -who’s had an awful hard time to get food to eat because he couldn’t -fight the cuttlefish. We call them whales ‘dry-skins’ because the -blubber makes so little oil.” - -“Did you ever see a cuttlefish?” I asked eagerly. - -Kreelman was silent for some time. Then he replied: - -“I’ve seen big pieces of ’em which come out of the stomachs of sperm -whales, but I never see a live one, and I don’t know any one who -ever did. When you talk of them great things at the bottom of the -ocean it kind of makes you creep. Some folks say that they’ve come -up to the surface and run their big arms all over vessels and taken -the crew under water and eaten ’em up. I never seen it. Whalemen -don’t like to talk much about the cuttlefish, but some do say that -the whaleship which sees a cuttlefish never returns to port.” - -I saw that Kreelman was not disposed to continue the conversation. -Just then Lakeum passed. Kreelman waited until he was well aft and -then said: - -“That’s a strange man. He seems out of place on this vessel. He’s a -good sailor and all that, but there’s somethin’ about his life that -we don’t know. He’s been edicated and he comes of well-to-do folks. -He’s got a will of his own, but he treats the men fair, and you -never hear no swearin’. The men in your boat say that if you hadn’t -’a been a greenie, you never would have cut the warp to-day, and -that you would have got it straight in the face if any one but -Lakeum had been mate of the boat. But he treated you well, and no -doubt he’s made it all right with the captain by this time. Fancy -Chest, that man’s name ain’t Coster Lakeum. Nobody never had such a -name. No one knows his given name. Now you keep to yourself what -I’ve said.” - -I went to my bunk in a more cheerful mood, and that night I dreamt -that I was boat-steerer and that I made fast to a sperm that stowed -down oil worth five thousand dollars. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - CAPTURING AND CUTTING-IN - - -I have said that there is a wide difference between a merchantman -and a whaler. A ship that carries a cargo that is to be delivered -must make the port of delivery with all possible speed. On arrival -the sailors, who are paid wages, are not very likely to desert; and, -if they do, their places are usually easily filled. The food on a -merchantman generally strikes a pretty good average, because, in -most cases, recruits are obtained in the ports visited. It is -different with the whaler. There isn’t so much variety to or change -in the food on the whaler; the sail is shortened at night, and the -slower she goes at all times the better. Her cargo is to be taken -from the sea, and the whales are just as likely to find her as she -is to find them. Then the whaler is a home, such as it is, for three -or four years, and it is the duty of the captain to keep away from -ports as much as he can. - -The _Seabird_ took it very leisurely. Day followed day and we saw no -whales. I had to take my place in the hoops, and I searched the sea -for whales until my eyes fairly ached. I noticed that as we cruised -farther south, most of the birds were different from those of the -North Atlantic and far more numerous. The most interesting to me -were the albatross. They would come very near the vessel. They -seemed to float along rather than fly like other birds, and their -cry was somewhat like the braying of an ass. It is said that when -they have gorged themselves with fish and jellyfish, they will sit -motionless on the water and may be taken with the hand. One of them -seemed almost bent on getting on the ship, and some of the men, -watching their opportunity, captured him and secured him on the -deck. He measured fifteen feet in spread of wings. The plumage was -soft and mostly white. The beak was long and hooked at the point and -was of a delicate pink. The most curious things about him were his -webbed-feet with no hind toe or claw. The capture of the bird -afforded a pleasant change in our lives and provided a theme of -conversation for the rest of the day. - -After covering six or seven thousand miles, we reached the Rio de la -Plata, called by whalemen the River Plate. This is an estuary -between Uruguay and Argentina, and is a famous whaling ground. Here -once occurred one of the most terrible battles with a sperm whale of -which there is any record. When struck, the whale cut the boat in -two with his jaw and thrashed the wreck into bits. After the men -were picked up, two other boats planted irons in him and he smashed -both these boats to pieces. Of the men in the water, two could not -swim, so they climbed up on the whale’s back and sat down just -forward of the hump. Another boat arrived and took all the men on -board. The whale had six harpoons in him, but he made no effort to -escape. Two spare boats having come up, the whale tried to sweep his -jaw through the bottom of one of them, but the craft was, for a -time, well handled. He succeeded, however, in rushing through the -boat, and after four boats, about twelve hundred fathoms of line and -all the whaling gear were lost, the whale made off. - -Boylike, I fancied that all whales on this ground must be very -fierce. If I had any fear, it was only for a moment, for I was -anxious to hear the glad cry from aloft and to be ordered to the -boat. Just a week from the day when we reached the ground came the -welcome announcement, and all the boats were lowered. The whales -were to the windward and pretty far off. Lustily we pulled, but as -it happened the other boats led. There is sometimes luck or chance -in the pursuit of whales, and so it was with us. A whale made a kind -of detour and gave us a splendid advantage. We approached the -creature in very much the same way as we had formerly approached the -whale we had lost. The boat-steerer threw both irons successfully -and we got out of the suds and avoided the awful sweep of the great -flukes. The whale sounded, and the warp passed out quickly but not -so fast as to draw the boat’s stem very near to the surface. At last -the line slacked, and we were ordered to haul in, hand over hand. As -we did so, the line was coiled in a wide heap in the stern sheets, -as in the wet state it would not lie very close. When the whale -reappeared we were ordered to take the oars, and, when we reached -the great black object, Lakeum drove the lance between the third and -fourth ribs into his vitals. We pulled away, and the monster began -to thrash like an animal in a fit; the water was crimson, and jets -of blood at least six feet high leaped from the spout hole. They -gradually diminished until the blood merely oozed from it. The whale -made a final breach, fell on his side with a fearful splash and lay -dead in his own blood and a lather of foam. Then came the cry, “Fin -out!” Lakeum ran the lance into the whale’s eye, to make sure he was -dead, and then the tow-line was made fast to a slit cut in the spout -hole. Here let me say that the whales we captured didn’t all die in -the same way. I remember one whale whose head rose and fell in the -last struggle, while the flukes beat the water rapidly and -vigorously. I remember more than one whale that performed the -“flurry,” that is, swam for a few minutes in a circle, to the peril -of the men in the boat—that is, “milled”—and then rolled on his -side, dead. - -The whale we had just killed did, before death, what sperm whales -nearly always do. He threw up the contents of his stomach, -consisting of pieces of cuttlefish. As I looked at the monster, I -thought of the saying of Melville, quoted wherever whaling was -carried on, and likely to be quoted so long as any one cares for the -story of the enterprise, “A dead whale or a stove boat.” - -Another boat at some distance was also fast to a whale. There were -no other whales in sight. If there had been, Lakeum would have -“waifed” our whale—that is, planted in his body a barbed iron rod -bearing a flag. We were now to tow our whale to the ship—no easy -task, even in calm weather. The first step was to pass a chain -around what they call the “small” at the root of the tail. One of -the old hands, with a rope around his waist, climbed on to the -slippery object and, with some difficulty, got a line around the -“small” and thus enabled the men to secure the flukechain. We set -the sail and we used the oars, too. The ship, which had worked to -windward, bore down on us and lessened the distance. We got to the -ship before the other boat referred to. They were all ready for -us—cutting-fall, spades and cutting-stage. The last named was a -plank platform which reached beyond the carcass and just over the -surface. Now it is to be remembered that there was only one boat on -the starboard side, so that side was all clear from bow to gangway. -The whale was secured by the fluke chains. The head was under the -gangway and the tail was to the bow. The weather was good and so we -“cut to windward”, that is, with the whale toward the wind. In this -way the wind filling the sails counterbalanced to some extent the -weight of the cutting-falls, and helped to keep the vessel on an -even keel. - -Cutting-in required great skill. A bunch of blocks was secured -above, through which a rope was passed and then carried to the -windlass. The great, lower block, to which the blubber hook, -weighing about a hundred pounds, was attached, was swung over the -whale. Two men on the cutting-stage, provided with long spades, cut -a hole in the body just above the nearer of the two side fins. A -line in a half-circle was cut around the hole, and the hook was -inserted. A little army of men singing their chantey began heaving -at the windlass. Then the ship careened to the whale, a sharp sound -was heard, the ship rolled backwards from the whale, and the tackle -rose with a strip of blubber attached. The strain caused the whale -to roll over in the water, and, as the blubber peeled off along the -line called the “scarf”, it was hoisted higher and higher aloft till -its upper end grazed the maintop. The men at the windlass ceased -heaving and a harpooner with a long, keen weapon sliced out a hole -in the lower part of the swaying mass. Into this hole the end of the -second great tackle was hooked so as to retain a hold upon the -blubber. Then he severed it completely, so that while the short, -lower part was still fast, the long, upper strip, called the blanket -piece, swung clear, and was all ready for lowering. The heavers -renewed their chantey, and, while the one tackle was peeling and -hoisting a second strip from the whale, the other was slowly -slackened away, and down went the first strip through the main -hatchway, right beneath, into the blubber room. This gloomy place -was about thirty feet each way and between six and seven feet high. -From a beam swung a lamp, which gave a dull light. Blanket pieces -weighed a ton or more each, and, as they were coiled away, they -looked like hideous serpents. - -While the floor of the blubber room was slippery at all times, it -was particularly so when a heavy sea was on. Two men with -short-handled spades hewed off blocks from the blanket pieces, -called horse pieces, and pitched them up into a trough secured to -the upper edge of the hatch. Then they were loaded into tubs and -dragged away. The mincing of the horse pieces was performed at a -wooden horse, placed endwise against bulwarks, the pieces falling -into a tub. - -The beheading of the whale required skill similar to that involved -in the treatment of the carcass. He had no neck, and, as a fact, -where the neck might have been was the thickest part of him. It was -necessary to cut deep into the flesh and divide the spine at the -point where it was inserted into the skull, not an easy task, as the -whale tossed and rolled in the sea. If the whale had been a small -one, the head would have been hoisted on deck, but, as it was a -large one, it was held against the ship’s side and partly out of the -sea. The upper part of the head is called the “case.” A block was -arranged so that it hung down from the yardarm, and a man dropped -down to the head. A light tackle called a “whip” passed through the -block. Then came the task of beheading the whale, which was no easy -one. - -It is to be noted that the other boat which I have mentioned as fast -to a whale succeeded in killing the creature—a cow—and towing her to -the ship. She was secured astern to await the disposal of our -cachalot. I have forgotten to say that while cutting in the first -whale, the sea was full of sharks and the air thick with birds. This -was not peculiar to our case, but was common wherever a sperm whale -was cut in. Sharks! Sharks! Sharks! Squirming, darting, wiggling, -showing their white bellies as they turned this way and that and -displaying rows of huge teeth as they opened their hideous mouths. -Their efforts to tear off pieces of blubber were not very -successful, but the fact that they remained by the whale and showed -no disposition to depart seemed to indicate that they knew that a -treat awaited them when the carcass was to be cut from the ship and -to drift away. - -“Isn’t there any danger from these creatures?” I asked Kreelman. - -“Not very much. A shark is an awful coward, unless he’s sure he’s -got the better of you. I’ve seen one of ’em jump clean out of water -to try to get a man on the whale’s back, but, instead of that, a man -on deck got the shark with a spade, and, as he fell back in the -water with the blood flowing, the other sharks got him. Now and then -one of ’em will jump out of water and fall back among the others, -not so much for exercise but to show how hungry he is. Then it isn’t -always easy to get him with a spade, but I’ve seen it done.” - -The birds hovered about twenty feet above the carcass. They were of -all varieties, sizes and colors. Their screaming and screeching were -enough to drive one distracted. I had read of the wild pigeons, that -flew in such great flocks a hundred years ago, that for a time they -shut off the light of the sun, and, as I gazed at the winged -vampires, I could not help thinking that a not very large increase -in their numbers would serve the purpose of a dense cloud. Just then -there was a great commotion in the water. - -A man holding a spade declared, “They always do that just before one -of ’em jumps out. You can’t always get him, they’re so quick, but -I’m goin’ to try if I get a chance.” - -Hardly were the words uttered when a huge shark leaped into the air, -and the chance of which the spadesman spoke was an easy one, as it -happened, for the shark rose to a considerable height and so turned -his body as to present a good front for a spade. The man who had -spoken drove the implement clear through the fellow, and, as he held -the handle fast, the great weight of the body detached the spade, -and out gushed the blood as the shark fell back into the sea. If -there was commotion before, there was turmoil now, and, as the -sharks devoured their unfortunate companion, the water was red with -blood. The birds came lower and increased their shrieking. The awful -scene was not soon to be forgotten. - -The “case” was full of pure spermaceti and constituted nearly half -the head. In a large whale the case contained nearly three tons of -spermaceti. This is the way our case was baled out. A bucket was -attached to one end of the whip, and the other end was held by a -couple of hands on deck. These hoisted the bucket. The spermaceti -bubbled like new milk and was emptied into a large tub. - -After the blubber was stripped from the body and the contents were -removed from the head, these members drifted away, and, to the -relief of everybody, the sharks and birds followed the carcass. And -now the ship was reeking with oil and grease—a fitting preparation -for starting the try-works. The relief spoken of was only temporary, -for the cow whale took the place just vacated, and the air was again -thick with birds and the sea filled with sharks. - -And what was the reward for all our labor? The whales were first -sighted by the Gay Head Indian, and, as our whale yielded sixty -barrels, the Indian received five dollars. As for the crew, we were -given a great treat. Our customary food was, of course, lobscouse, -but now to it was added, at supper, a limited supply of gingerbread. -That was all. But now trouble arose over a garment. The boatsteerer -who struck the cow whale asked for a flannel shirt, and most of us -heard the discussion between him and the captain. - -“Why do you want a flannel shirt?” - -“Ain’t I entitled to it, sir?” - -“Why?” - -“I struck the cow.” - -“What if you did? I ain’t offered any prize for striking or killing -a whale. Only the Gay Header is entitled to a prize and he’s got it, -because he sighted the whales, and the first one made over fifty -barrels.” - -“Well, it seems to me that when whale is sighted and there’s a pod -of them, that after the mastheader gets his prize of five dollars -for the first whale captured, the boat-steerers of the other boats, -who strike whales that are captured, ought to get a flannel shirt -each.” - -“Yes,” said the captain scornfully, “and then the boat-steerer who -struck the first whale captured wouldn’t get anything at all.” - -This observation pretty effectually disposed of the boat-steerer’s -argument. But the men did not allow the discussion to die. A few -days after, when the oil from the two whales had been stowed down, -some of the crew took the matter up in the second dogwatch, and -showed real intelligence in the presentation of their views. The -boat-steerer’s contention met with no favor. The general view was -that the capture of every whale in reality justified the bestowal of -five dollars or a flannel shirt upon the mastheader and that, even -if four or five whales were taken from one pod, he was entitled to -all the prizes. This was, of course, liberal interpretation. The -incident seems to us now unimportant, but I recall how, as a boy, I -listened to the debate, how deeply interested the men were in the -discussion, and how it ended with the remark of one of them, that it -didn’t make any difference what they thought on the matter, as the -captain was likely to save all the money and shirts that he could. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - TRYING-OUT AND ROUNDING THE HORN. - - -And now came the trying-out. The try-works were placed between the -foremast and mainmast. The timbers underneath were of great strength -and capable of sustaining a mass of brick and mortar. They were some -ten feet square and five in height and were secured to the deck by -heavy knees of iron. The try-works were covered by a hatchway, on -removing which two great try-pots appeared. When not in use they -were kept clean by an application of soapstone and sand. The -furnaces under the try-pots were furnished with heavy iron doors. -Under the enclosed surface was a reservoir which was supplied with -water as evaporation went on. - -The first fire in the try-works was started with wood, but, after -the oil was tried out, the pieces, called scraps or fritters, served -as substitutes. Thus the whale supplied his own fuel. The horse -pieces had to be minced, and the clank, clank of the mincing machine -was constantly heard. At night the sight was a novel one. As the -blubber was thrown into the heated pots, the flames leaped out of -the doors, the smoke rolled away in great volumes, the oil pitched -with the pitching of the vessel and the smutched faces of the watch -made the scene all the more gloomy. Was there ever a whaler that -didn’t have plenty of cockroaches? If so, ours was not one. As the -heat increased, out came the little fellows and ran about in search -of new abodes. - -The work at night was carried on under the glare of blazing -cressets, called bug lights, hung from the davit heads. These -cressets were supplied with the scraps taken out of the boiling oil. -The light they gave could be seen for a long distance, and, though -we had not seen a sail that day, the light that night brought a -vessel to us. She came very near and wanted to know if we were on -fire and needed help. She was a merchant vessel bound for New York, -and, as she went on her way, the pleasant incident made us feel -grateful and put new vigor into our work. The deck was so slippery -from oil and blood that at times it was difficult to keep on one’s -feet. The boiling watch lasted six hours and, when it ended, the -released men presented a sorry sight with their dirty, cold and -clammy clothes and their faces showing such intense fatigue. As they -went to their rest, choking with smoke and carrying a sooty deposit -in their nostrils, they were happy in the thought that there was no -longer occasion for harsh language among the men and still harsher -commands of the mates. And yet I should modify this statement, for -the work was not one of continuous hardship, for at times we made a -show of merriment by nibbling bits of fried blubber and frying -doughnuts in the grease. Later in the voyage we dipped biscuit in -salt water, heaved them into a strainer and boiled them in the oil; -also with the help of the steward, we made fritters of the brains of -the whale, mixed with flour, and cooked them. - -The hot oil was strained into a large copper cooler, where it -settled, and was then poured into casks—not always an easy task -while the vessel pitched and rolled. The barrels were coopered, the -hatches removed, and the barrels lowered into the hold. The casks -were of various sizes, some of them containing three hundred gallons -or more. When the oil was all stowed down, came the clearing up. -Crude sperm oil, which was of a golden tint, and lye made from the -burned scraps were excellent for cleaning. Soon deck and rigging -were as orderly and presentable as if the whaler were a regular -merchantman. The two whales yielded sixty and thirty barrels and the -work of trying-out went on without a rest for three days and nights. - -We were now getting south, and we were told by the old hands that it -was probable that we should see few whales before rounding Cape -Horn. No one yet had made any demand on the slop chest and, as the -clothes of some of the men were getting a little worn, the crew -began to make use of needle and thread. It used to be said that a -whaleman could be told by his patches, and we had proof of it in the -work of some of the men. My clothes were in good condition and, -while my mother had taught me to sew and to patch a little, I was -glad that I was not one of the first ones to attempt repairing. I -watched the others, and I found it hard to repress a smile as the -good-natured blunderers plied needle and thread. One man patched a -dirty, dark garment with a piece of white cloth. Another attempted -to sew on a button by carrying the thread over the side or edge. A -third put an old jacket inside of another, sewed them together and -patched the openings. He said that he did this in order to have -something warm to wear when going round the Horn. - -I have said that the men were kept busy on a whaler. Yet life was -not all labor and peril. There were times when the sailors were -allowed to engage in “scrimshawing”, that is, carving and decorating -sperm whale’s teeth and bones. Jawbones of the whale were towed -astern so that they might bleach to a dazzling whiteness. The lower -jaw was lashed down to ring bolts, the gums were lanced with a -cutting spade, and the teeth were drawn out by a tackle rigged from -above. They were then pickled in barrels of strong brine. Another -way was to leave the lower jaw on deck until the gums rotted and -released the teeth. A few whalemen had delicate tools with which -they carved out sketches of whales and whaling scenes on sperm -whale’s teeth, but most of the work was done with crude tools and -sometimes with a jack knife alone. In using pieces of the jawbone, -the whalemen seemed to favor “jagging wheels”, so popular for -crimping purposes. They were probably thinking of the pies they had -enjoyed in their distant homes. The best collection, probably, in -the world, of these curious and now valuable articles, will be found -in the rooms of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society of New Bedford. - -We were now off the Falkland Islands, when a sail was sighted. The -lookout announced that she was a whaler. He knew that, of course, by -the boats she carried. Word was given to write letters for home as -quickly as possible. It was evident that the approaching vessel -desired to “gam” because she was bound home and wanted to learn the -latest news. The social feature of whaling was gamming—that is, the -ships exchanged visits by boats’ crews, the two captains remaining -for the time on one ship, and the two first officers on the other. -Another method as well was to let part of the crew of one ship visit -the other, and, while the captains and officers were in the cabin, -the men gathered forward, chummed, smoked poor tobacco, sang songs, -danced to the notes of a battered accordion, played games, and, -perhaps, listened to the yarn of some good story-teller. - -The vessel we were interested in proved to be the _Billow_ of New -Bedford. The captain with a boat’s crew boarded us. They were bound -home after a four years’ voyage, with a good cargo of sperm, and had -heard nothing from New Bedford for nearly a year. As we had been out -a considerable period, there was little or nothing to communicate, -but the visit did everybody good and, as the boat returned, we gave -them a lusty cheer. - -This very day, as there came a lull in some work I was doing for -Lakeum, he said, “Where are we now, Bleechly?” - -“Off the Falkland Islands.” - -“What’s on the starboard side?” - -“The Strait of Magellan.” - -“Who was Magellan?” - -“A great navigator.” - -“When did he discover the Strait?” - -“I think in 1520.” - -“Did he go through?” - -“Yes, but he had an awful time of it.” - -“How did you learn these things?” - -“Read them up.” - -Lakeum continued, “Now, Bleechly, you know how it has quite often -happened that, when a sperm whale has been struck, the line has -parted and years afterwards the same whale has been taken at a place -far distant from the place of the first encounter. Let me give you a -real case. I am told that just about where we are now, many years -ago a boat of the bark _Resolute_ of New Bedford, belonging to the -whaling firm of Justin & Davidson, struck a sperm. He was a big -fellow and put up a great fight. They had to cut the line, and he -went off with the harpoon in him. Several years afterward, the same -vessel, at a spot in the Indian Ocean seven thousand miles away, -captured the same whale and cut out the harpoon in him. When they -had cleaned it they found the imprint, Justin & Davidson. - -“How did the whale get to the place where they found him?” - -Lakeum, who, as I have said, was a man of good education, delighted -occasionally to ask questions with a view of testing my knowledge, -and in this case the location of our vessel suggested the questions -themselves. I had been so successful in responding to his queries -about the Strait of Magellan that I did not want to fail in this -second exercise. I set out to say that the whale swam to the Pacific -Ocean, but was restrained by the thought that Lakeum was in earnest -and that the remark would be regarded as impertinent. - -“Think it over and let me know in half an hour.” - -I could have gone to Kreelman, but to solicit his help would not -have been fair. It occurred to me to think over the habits of -whales, and immediately the whole thing was perfectly clear. - -“Can you answer the question?” said Lakeum, later. - -“I think so. The whale made the Indian Ocean by way of the Cape of -Good Hope.” - -“Why?” - -“For two reasons. He didn’t go by the Strait of Magellan because the -sperm hates soundings, and he didn’t go round the Horn because the -water was too cold.” - -“Go to the head of the class,” was Lakeum’s remark as he walked -away. - -These little manifestations of interest in me were particularly -pleasing, and assured me that I had, in this fair and just but -rather mysterious man, a true friend. - -And now the weather became more disagreeable and the ocean more -boisterous. The men put on their warmest garments, and the dread of -the passage of the Horn was relieved a little by the thought that -with favorable weather we should catch a glimpse of the Magellan -Clouds and the Southern Cross. And sure enough we did. The Magellan -Clouds are nebulæ in the southern part of the heavens—that is, they -constitute a beautiful, bright patch in the sky far different from -anything I have ever before seen; but the Southern Cross impressed -me even more. It is a small constellation of four chief stars -forming a cross. The brightest star is the southernmost. The stars -are white except the northernmost, which is of an orange color. The -constellation looked to me more like a kite than a cross. - -Though the weather was severe, the old hands said that we were -making an excellent passage and the chances were that we would soon -find ourselves in the Pacific Ocean. It was the severest weather I -had yet seen, and I thought that, if the passage were an excellent -one, I certainly did not care to see a rigorous one. The prediction -that we would soon find ourselves in the Pacific did not turn true. -We were nearly round the Horn when we met with awful weather. There -were sleet and a head wind for ten days. During this time we just -held our own. To add to our discomfort, the cook found it difficult -to run the galley, and our food was poor and there was not much of -it. The distress and misery were shown in every face, and the only -cheer came with the announcement that the captain had decided that, -if the weather didn’t change for the better on the following day, he -was going to turn about and make the Pacific the other way. - -“That’s a good many thousand miles,” said Kreelman, “but he won’t -make the Pacific that way. He’ll make it as we are headed now.” - -“What makes you think so?” I inquired. - -“You’ve got some book larnin’, Fancy Chest, but you don’t know -everythin’. Did you ever see the moon? I haven’t been to sea for -years for nothin’. Well, the moon changes to-morrow in the -afternoon. About two o’clock you’ll see the sea go down and the wind -shift too, and we’ll go ahead and round into the Pacific -a-swimmin’.” - -“Do you think the moon affects the weather that way?” - -Kreelman gave me a look of scorn and contempt, and, without -answering, walked away. - -The night was the wildest we had known, and the morning broke with -disheartening prospects. During the rest of the voyage I never saw -such an angry sea or knew such a dreadful storm. As noon approached -the waves began to go down and the wind to subside. By two o’clock -the weather was fair, and the wind had shifted in our favor. Every -one was contented except Kreelman. His discontent related only to -me; for, as he passed me on the deck, he gave me a withering look. -The next day Kreelman was more genial, and I thought I would see if -he was approachable. I observed: - -“I studied up the Pacific some before leaving home, and I suppose -that we are now going to whale it off the coast, and then farther -west on the Offshore Ground.” - -All he said was, “Water and fresh stuff.” - -This was a puzzle. I didn’t want to betray my ignorance, and, while -the man had been helpful to me in many ways, I didn’t warm up to him -very much when he was in the wrong mood. I determined to find out -what he meant, if I could, from another source. - -I have said little or nothing about our single Kanaka. He was of the -color of his race—not very dark—a good sailor, good-natured, lusty -and diligent. He had shipped on his first voyage at Honolulu and had -seen something of the world—more particularly of the world of water. -Born in a sunny clime, he did not like cold weather, and he had -suffered greatly in rounding the Horn. He had picked up considerable -knowledge from observation and experience, and he had what people -call in common language “horse sense.” In the second dogwatch I went -up to him and said: - -“Ohoo, I suppose that we are going whaling now.” - -“Whale as you go, but I tink cap’n, he go get to drink and eat.” - -“What do you mean by that, Ohoo?” - -“Me tell. No good water, old stuff to eat.” - -“In other words, Ohoo, the captain wants fresh water for us all and -fresh things to eat, and he’s going to stop at some island to get -these things.” - -My inference was right. - -“Dat it.” - -“What island do you think?” - -“Me dunno, but me tink Quesas.” - -I wondered where Quesas was. I had taken great interest in geography -at school, because, I suppose, of my fondness for the sea. I knew -that the Pacific was studded with islands, but I could not recall -any island of that name. - -Ohoo resumed, “Me dunno as me call him right, but not all Quesas; he -not all Quesas, he somethin’ before dat.” - -Then it came to me. - -“Is the name Marquesas?” - -“Dat him, dat him.” - -“Do you know about these islands, Ohoo; for there are more than -one?” - -Then he told me the names of two of them. I could not understand his -pronunciation, but the real names I learned later. Nukahiva he -called Newkeva, and Roa Pona he called Row Pew. - -“Newkeva be fine place—plenty good water, plenty everytin’ else. Row -Pew, he fine place, but me no like him. Long ’go dey take Kanaka and -eat him.” - -“Cannibals?” I inquired. - -“Me no know canny bells. Me know all ship bells.” - -It was all clear now. The drinking water was almost unendurable, and -every one from the captain down was longing for fresh food. There -was no sign of scurvy, but scurvy might at any time appear. The -Kanaka’s guess seemed reasonable, and the thought of having a drink -of good water once more and a sufficiency of fruit and vegetables, -as well as other things, was as pleasurable as the feeling that for -once I had the opportunity of getting the better of Kreelman. The -next morning I said to him: - -“I say, Mr. Kreelman, shall we take on our recruits at Nukahiva or -Roa Pona?” - -I put an accent on “Mr.” and I spoke in a tone which indicated -confidence in the statement. - -“Who told you that we are goin’ to stop at them places—Lakeum or the -captain?” - -“Neither of them. The captain hasn’t spoken to me but once since we -sailed, and then he told me to get out of the way. Lakeum’s talked -with me some, but he’s never mentioned stopping anywhere for -recruits. You’ve been long enough at sea to know that captain and -officers don’t hobnob much with us common sailors.” - -“Look here, young fellow, don’t you get smart with me. I’m as good -as anybody. Now I want to know who told you that we are goin’ to -recruit at the Marquesas.” - -“I keep my own secrets, Mr. Kreelman.” - -I permitted a little bit of a smile to come to my countenance, and, -as I walked away, I felt that Kreelman, although really a friend to -me, was as curious as any old busybody, and I resolved not to -furnish him with the information he desired. - -Within a week we struck and killed two sperm whales, which stowed -down about a hundred barrels. There was nothing unusual in their -capture, and the incidents attending cutting-in, trying-out and -stowing down were similar to those we had already experienced. - -Now came an interesting episode, its first occurrence, but to be -repeated frequently during the rest of the voyage. Three men wanted -things out of the slop chest. I supposed that that chest was an -enormous affair, several times the size of a huge trunk—an article -of superior finish like mine, only three or four times larger. I -found out that the slop chest was only a figure of speech and that -there was no real chest at all. The clothing and other articles were -put in large casks, which later were to be filled with oil, and were -only taken out as they were called for. On this occasion the men -wanted light shirts. So the carpenter, who had charge of the -business, brought up an armful of cheap shirts for the men to make -the selection. The garments were of different sizes. As a man held -one of them against his body, to determine the fit, a button fell -off. There was a general laugh. Some one called out, “They charge -for these shirts twice what they are worth, so they’ll make a -deduction of five cents for the button.” The laugh was renewed and -the carpenter endeavored to repress it. The appearance of the -captain was followed by silence. The carpenter gave the name of each -man and the garment selected, and the captain made entries in a -book. As far as I could see, the men didn’t have much to say about -the price of the articles, and after making the entries the captain -did not announce them or, if he did, it was in a low tone. Resort to -the slop chest was more frequent later, but it ceased to be of -interest save to the participants. - -I knew little, practically, about navigation, but I could tell -something by the sun, and I was sure that we were bound for the -Marquesas Islands. One morning no one was ordered aloft. This was -the first day since our departure when the crow’s nest was not -occupied. - -The Kanaka said to me, “Me know what up. See land soon.” - -The prediction was realized, for within an hour came the glad -cry,—“Land ho!” - -It was now April, 1860, and, with the exception of the bleak and -barren coast of Terra del Fuego, this was the first land we had seen -since leaving Pico, and, in all this time, we had not had a case of -scurvy or any kind of sickness, and hence an unopened medicine -chest. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - RECRUITING AND SHORE LEAVE - - -Otaheite, generally called Tahiti, was originally the garden of the -world. After the white man came there were great changes, but not -for the better. The soil remained as fertile as before and fruits -and flowers were just as abundant, but the natives lost the charm of -simplicity and innocence, and many of them imitated or adopted the -bad traits and habits of the whites. A similar misfortune befell -Nukahiva, so we were informed that we were not going into the -harbor, but were to get water at a place on the island some distance -from the settlement. The captain, we were told, was familiar with -the spot, as he had been there before. The men had been looking -forward to shore leave, and there was much disappointment, but the -privilege of going ashore to fill the casks with water, even in an -uninhabited country, was something. Just think of it—to walk once -more on the earth after all these months of virtual imprisonment in -a whaling vessel! - -I heard the captain say to Lakeum, as we approached the shore, “Good -anchorage and deep water, and, when the men get ashore, quick work, -too.” Hardly had the anchor touched bottom when the casks were -lowered, and certain men were picked to man two boats; I was happy -in being one of them. - -“They don’t want no deserters here,” I heard an old hand say. - -The pull was a short one. We landed at a beautiful spot and there, -before us, was an expanse of tropical splendors. How nice it was to -feel earth beneath one’s feet once more. - -“You don’t have to bail and fill here,” said Lakeum. - -This was the expression of a fact we were all aware of, for down an -elevation only a few feet from the shore poured a bounteous stream -of water. When the casks were landed, came the order “Let every man -drink all he wants.” We drank as animals drink, with our faces to -the stream. Oh! What luxury! It seemed as if we never could get our -fill, but the word came, “Better stop now and drink again after the -casks are filled.” A canvas hose with a square mouth was -forthcoming, and in less than an hour the casks were filled and -bunged up by the carpenter. Then we drank again to our hearts’ -content. We were soon on ship, the casks were raised, the windlass -was started, the ship took the wind and away we went. The men who -had been compelled to remain on the ship were alternately noisy and -sullen. We who had been permitted to land were equally discontented, -for our brief taste of this tropical paradise only made us long for -more. We fancied that we were now to seek the “Offshore Ground,” and -that it would be many months before we would see land again. A -pleasant surprise was in store for us. - -The following day was so beautiful as to be beyond my powers to -describe. We had a fair wind, and the air was not excessively warm. -I think we all felt rather indifferent, and the recollection of the -spot we had left the day before did not quicken our energies. In the -afternoon the crew were called aft. Captain Gamans stood with hands -in his pockets, and we knew that he was about to address us. Was he -to upbraid us for something we had done? That seemed improbable. Was -he to convey to us bad or good news? We were anxious to know. The -captain took the pipe out of his mouth and spoke as follows: - -“You men know that just so often you must have a supply of fresh -water and a change of food. We’ve got the water, and now we are -going to get the food. The owner put aboard of this vessel a lot of -cotton cloth, fancy prints, shoes, fishhooks, axes, hatchets, pipes, -bar soap and a lot of other things for trade. Now you see if you go -into port like Nukahiva, where the natives have become what you call -civilized, there’s no barter but money, and you pay a good deal more -for things than they are worth. If you trade with the natives where -there’s no money, and they ain’t been civilized, you can get a lot -of recruits for a mere song. That’s what we are going to do. We are -bound for Roa Pona, and we’ll be there to-morrow. After the trading -is all done, there’s going to be shore leave for everybody. I have -been there before and it’s a good place to trade, but it’s just as -well to keep your eyes open. About twenty years ago a whaler went in -there to trade and took on board a native as hostage and left on -shore a Kanaka, a foremast hand, as the other hostage. In the night -the natives killed the Kanaka and roasted and ate him. So now, in -trading, ships take a native hostage, but they don’t give one. The -trading is done in and from boats, and it’s slow work and takes half -a day. The second day’s when you have shore leave, and you can take -ashore what trinkets and odds and ends you have, if you want to, and -trade with the women for the things they make. You may want to take -some of these things home with you to give to your folks. - -“Now there’s one thing more. When I was here, before, there was a -beach comber on this island named Pete Ellyon. He’s a deserter from -a New Bedford whaler and acts as a kind of trader and interpreter. -He’s meaner and lower than the meanest and lowest native, and you’d -better look out for him. You can’t offer a sailor a greater insult -than to call him a beach comber. This man Ellyon’s folks are pretty -decent people, and he’s had some education, but he’s a renegade.” - -There is no need of saying that the address afforded us great -satisfaction. Early the next morning land was sighted, and a -favorable wind soon brought us within a mile of the shore. A -curious-looking boat, containing three natives, approached. It was -curious in that it had so little beam and was so light and fragile. -It was built for speed and not for carrying merchandise. One of the -men boarded our vessel, and from signs he made and from his familiar -air, we knew that he offered himself as hostage and that he had -already served in that capacity. His dress consisted of a cloth -around the loins and a broad-brimmed straw hat. He was brown-skinned -and his arms were tattooed. - -Soon we saw boats leaving the shore, and we dropped our boats to -meet them. All the articles and fittings which a whaleboat carries -were taken out of two of our boats, and what little trade we took -(and we didn’t take much) was placed in one of them. Each was towed -by a whaleboat, one of which was in charge of the captain and the -other of Lakeum. The meeting was about half a mile from the shore. -The sea was remarkably calm. While the boats of the South Sea -islanders are generally not made for commercial purposes, the two -which approached were exceptions. They were large, clumsy affairs, -each propelled by two men, and in one of them was a white man with a -scraggly beard and a repulsive countenance. He wore a tattered straw -hat, rusty trousers and an old dirty shirt. There was no need of an -introduction. We knew that he was Pete Ellyon. Our own captain did -not even deign to address him. In one of these boats were yams which -resembled potatoes, some of which weighed from twelve to fifteen -pounds, tarrows, which resembled turnips, oranges, bananas, -breadfruit, coconuts and other vegetables and fruits, and in the -other boat goats, pigs and fowl. The trading went on slowly. -Bargains were made largely by signs, Ellyon serving as a hindrance; -for as he spoke both English and the local jargon, he constantly -interrupted the proceedings and always, of course, in the interests -of the islanders. It took the whole morning to transfer the entire -merchandise to our boats, and I was astounded to see how little of -our own trade we parted with. I remember particularly two -transactions greatly to our advantage—one in which the captain gave -a small hatchet for about five bushels of oranges and a dozen -bunches of bananas, and the other, in which he traded three yards of -cotton cloth for a large pig. - -When we reached the ship, the bananas were suspended from the lower -rigging, the fruit and vegetables were deposited in the two spare -boats which were turned over for that purpose, and goats, pigs and -fowl were taken care of forward. - -“Them live things will go faster than the vegetables and fruit,” -said one of the men. - -And now we put for the open sea. When the hostage was aware of it he -gave a shriek and started to jump overboard. Lakeum and Silva -grabbed him, and he was soon in the place reserved for men who are -put in irons. The crew were excited and almost mutinous, for they -had a double grievance: they felt that they were to be deprived of -shore leave and that the poor hostage was to be carried away as a -captive. The whole matter was soon explained. Now that the trading -was over the captain feared that the hostage, if not restrained, -would jump overboard and swim ashore, and he wanted to retain him -until after the men had had shore leave on the following day. The -vessel was merely to move about on short tacks during the night. - -The morning was one of the loveliest I ever saw. The sun rose -without a cloud, and the water seemed tinged with gold. The Kanaka -and three other men declined the general invitation to go ashore and -they and the captain served as shipkeepers. The Kanaka said, with -great emphasis, “Me stay here; dey get no chance to eat me.” Most of -the crew had articles or trinkets, and I took with me about a third -of the cotton cloth my father had given me. The captain said that, -if the women and children were gathered on the beach, there was -little to fear. - -On our arrival there they were, and the only man with them was Pete -Ellyon. Just up the beach was rich, thick foliage, and an apparently -dense forest beyond. I heard Kreelman say, “This looks kind of -suspicious. That vile beach comber is the only man here, and it -wouldn’t surprise me if there was a gang of natives up there in the -bushes.” The women were fine-looking, wholesome creatures and, when -they smiled, they showed beautiful, dazzling teeth. The boys and -girls seemed rather shy at first; they were well-shaped and pictures -of health. There was a remarkable display of articles for -trade—necklaces and bracelets made from richly tinted shells joined -together by a kind of thread about like silk and made, I suppose, -from some plant or vine, and an abundance of other fancy articles -which one would think beyond the conception of savages. However, -these people were plainly superior to the ordinary South Sea -islanders. There were beautiful little mats and baskets made of -tapa, which is the bark of the paper mulberry, and there was a lot -of clubs, spears and paddles with wonderful carvings made with -sharks’ teeth or bits of shells. As the trading went on, Ellyon was -particularly pleasant and gracious. He would say, “Don’t let them -cheat you;” “Offer the woman half as much cloth as she asks for”; -“These young ones round here are regular thieves; look out for ’em.” -At first I wondered why this change from yesterday and then began to -suspect that he had some sinister purpose. When the business was -over, I was no longer the possessor of the cotton cloth, but -rejoiced in the ownership of a number of articles which I proposed -to take home to my mother, and of a spear, a paddle and a club, -which I intended to show to my young friends and to preserve as -mementos or trophies. - -“Now, boys,” said Ellyon, “Come up on the island and let me show you -round. There’s no spot on the earth any finer than this. There’s -fruit of all kinds and plenty of shady places where you can lay down -and rest.” - -We all wanted to go, but there was no response, not even a word of -thanks on our part. Most of us suspected treachery. We had no -firearms and, in case of ambush, we would be defenceless. On first -seeing Ellyon, the day before, and listening to his babbling while -the trading was going on, I would have said that it was impossible -for so repulsive a creature to be so polite as he now was. - -“Come, boys, come,” he repeated, “I don’t suppose you’ve had shore -leave before on this voyage, and now make the most of it. Where are -you bound to, ‘Offshore Ground’ or ‘Coast of Japan’ before you go to -the Arctic? I take it you’re goin’ to the Arctic. There’s nothin’ -like terra cotta for a man whose been treadin’ wood at sea for eight -or ten months. We gentlemen, who live in these Pacific Ocean islands -in order to spread civilization, are only too glad to entertain our -guests from the homeland. Come along to my lodge up on the high -land.” - -The captain had said that Ellyon had had some advantages, but the -reference to terra cotta drew a smile from one at least of the crew. -I think he saw it, for his expression changed. Then in a moment he -was pleasant again, and insistent that we should accept his -hospitality. It was now time for our good manners, so we thanked him -cordially and pleaded our excuses. One man had not walked any -distance for so long that he had almost forgotten the use of his -limbs; another preferred to rest by the sea and simply enjoy the -beautiful prospect; a third was so exhausted from rowing that he was -incapable of further effort, and so on. The beach comber now played -his last card. “Shipmates,” he declared, “there’s a lot of rum up in -my place. I can’t bring it down here, but, if you want to go up -there with me, you shall have all you want of it.” - -Most of the men became greatly interested. No grog had been served -during the voyage, and the very word “rum” had a pleasant sound. - -“You see, shipmates,” the beach comber continued, “you folks at home -don’t know what rum is. The rum you drink is made from molasses—that -is, made second-hand. Did you ever hear of Jamaica rum, worth its -weight in gold—the smartest drink on the other side of land that -ever tickled the palate? And why, shipmates? Made from the cane -first-hand, and not from molasses, second-hand. And how is it on -this side of land? Right here on this lovely island is the finest -rum that is made on any island in the Pacific. From what? The sugar -cane. By whom? Peter Ellyon. I’ve got a still that beats the Dutch. -Now come along with me and enjoy yourselves.” - -If safety had been assured I think most of the men would have -accompanied him, but the old ship, which had been our home for so -many months, now began to look more attractive than this garden -spot. One of the crew, who during the voyage had bewailed his lot in -being deprived of liquor, accepted the invitation cheerfully. We all -stared at him, but there was no disposition to sound a warning in -the presence of Ellyon. - -The two men walked up the beach to a little opening in the trees and -disappeared. Our men were ordered to be ready to man the boats. I -heard a man say, with a laugh, “He didn’t call himself Pete, but -Peter. He’s pretty high-toned, even out here among savages.” Another -man said in a very low tone, “What was Lakeum up to in not stoppin’ -that man from goin’? He’ll never come back, sure.” - -The women and children showed no disposition to go, and this seemed -to indicate to me that, while our departed shipmate was rather -imprudent, there was reason to believe that he would return. I was -right. He did return and in a hurry. Suddenly there rang out a -piercing shriek; the women and children disappeared, and out of the -thicket sprang our shipmate, followed by Ellyon, and ran for us like -a deer. Word came to push off, and into his place leaped the man as -agile as a cat. The crews bent to the oars, and there on the beach -stood our would-be entertainer, his face fairly livid with rage. He -sent after us a torrent of vile language; strange to say, no natives -appeared on the shore, and, as we widened the breach, the form of -our late associate was still visible and still active, but the -billingsgate language kept growing less and less distinct. - -[Illustration: Out of the thicket sprang our shipmate.] - -It was no time to learn the story of our shipmate’s adventure. When -we reached the _Seabird_ our boat remained in the water while the -other boats were raised. There was soon commotion on the deck, and -the hostage appeared in the custody of a couple of the men. By sign -and gesture he was ordered into our boat, and he complied. It was -not a long haul to a spot suitable to dump him. Lakeum declared: - -“See here, hostage, there’s your friend on shore. He’s waiting for -you and you’d better go overboard.” - -The hostage was indifferent. Lakeum smiled, and then imitated a man -about to leap over. The hostage, who had rebelled when he thought -the ship was bound out to sea, still seemed indisposed. Lakeum -laughingly declared, “We will do what is usual under the -circumstances.” - -Lakeum and another man seized the native and pitched him into the -sea. There was nothing cruel in the performance. The sea was the -man’s element, and he struck out in the direction of Ellyon as if he -was going to rejoin an old companion. - -And now, what was the explanation of the adventure of our shipmate -with the beach comber? It seems that Ellyon insisted on his -companion taking the lead on the ground that he would have an -unobstructed vision, and there was much that was beautiful to -behold. The man, who, by the way, was not overburdened with -intelligence, entertained no fear and complied. They had proceeded -only a short distance when an enormous snake crossed the path, and, -in order to avoid colliding with him our man stopped suddenly, and -Ellyon, having no warning, ran into him with such force that Ellyon -was thrown to the ground. As our man made all speed for the shore it -was the enraged Ellyon who let out the shriek. - -Hence we knew that the vile language he showered on us as we pulled -away was prompted by the mishap. - -In the second dogwatch the day’s doings were the theme of -conversation. What was Ellyon’s purpose? Did he intend to lead the -men to their death and then endeavor with the help of the natives to -capture the ship? Or was he merely socially inclined and anxious -after so long a separation from his own people to entertain us for -the pleasure it afforded him? Something, of course, hinged on his -alleged production of rum. If his story was true, there was some -reason to credit him with good intentions; if untrue, it was evident -that he had designs upon our lives and not upon our property, for we -hadn’t any property. His story as to the rum was discredited by one -of the men, who declared that all vegetation on the island was very -rank, and that the rum made from cane which grew rankly was of poor -quality. - -“That settles it,” said one of the old hands, who was something of a -wit, “Ellyon never had any decent rum in his life, and this rank -stuff he makes is as good as any he ever had. What he calls good rum -we sailors would call slops. Judge the old renegade by himself. I -don’t believe he meant no harm. The trouble is he got knocked down, -and that made him angry.” - -Ohoo, who had been a listener, now observed, “Me no go in boat -’cause fear trouble. Cap’n tell o’ Kanaka killed and eat on island -long ’go. That Kanaka man my uncle. Beach comber, he bad man. Good -luck for crew get back. Ship good ’nough for Ohoo.” - -As we broke up, Kreelman came to me and asked pleasantly, “How did -you know, Fancy Chest, that we were goin’ to stop at the Marquesas?” - -“I guessed it from what Ohoo told me.” - -“What did he tell you?” - -I felt like saying that an old sailor may be very much like an old -woman. However, I graciously told him of the inference I drew from -Ohoo’s remarks. - -“Fancy Chest,” said Kreelman, “if you live long enough you’ll be a -boat-steerer or a lawyer, I don’t know which.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE PRIZE WHALE AND THE RESCUED BOAT - - -I have said little about the cook, who was so kind to me the first -morning at sea. He was always pleasant and obliging, and he used to -say that he only regretted that he couldn’t prepare for me some nice -little bits like those my mother used to cook for me at home. One -day I said to him: - -“Why is it that you scrape out the plates so carefully and then put -the scrapings into a big cask? Why don’t you throw them overboard?” - -“Because I’m a money getter. Don’t you know what slush is? Why, it’s -the scrapings of the plates. I’ve heard it said that they use it on -some ships to slush the masts with. Not on this vessel—worth too -much. I put it in casks and there it stays till end of the voyage. -It don’t rot, gets sweeter all the time. When voyage is over, sold -to be made over, and out comes beautiful, rich lard. Goes to the -best restaurants and brings big prices. I get my lay in the slush.” - -“I never heard of such a thing,” I declared. - -“I make out of it in another way,” he continued. - -“How’s that?” - -“Why, I scrape the plates so carefully that often they don’t need -washin’; so I save labor.” - -All this was said seriously; and I have to say that I was not -disturbed. I thought it a joke that the rich should regard as a -luxury what we poor sailors discarded as worthless. And then I -thought that, if the story had been told to me before I left my -father’s roof, I should have been inclined to disbelieve it. - -The cook continued: - -“Now that we’ve got fresh stuff on board, let me tell you this. You -know that the cabin gets the best, the steerage, where the under -officers, boat-steerers and carpenter eat, next best, and the -forecastle last. Nevertheless, you folks will get some of it, and -I’ll do my best to make it taste right. Now let me tell you that in -this warm weather the forecastle is no place to eat in, so I’ve -asked Lakeum to let me serve the boys on deck, and he’s given his -consent, and this will be done so long as the weather’s warm. After -that back to the forecastle. You boys will sit on hatch and -windlass, and I’ll serve the food in a new way. There’ll be two -tubs, one of them called the meat kit, into which I’ll dump the -boiled meat, and a second, without any name, into which I’ll dump -the vegetables. Then every man will help himself. Coffee in the -mornin’ and tea at night, I’ll serve in buckets. The fruit they let -the boys have they can eat as they please, so long as it lasts.” - -The adoption of this new method seemed to cheer the men up. One -advantage was that we were disposed to converse more than we did in -the gloomy forecastle, and pleasantries were indulged in. The good -manners noticeable in the forecastle were not discarded on deck. -Food may not have been partaken of according to the requirements of -polite society, but each had due regard for the rights of others, -and there was no sign of greediness. - -I have said that I was not a great success at the masthead, and I -repeat it. My vision may have been poor or I may not have had very -good luck, but good fortune came in an unexpected way. A few days -after leaving the island I stood in the hoop, looking out on a sea -that was hardly moved by a ripple and on a sky that was clear of -clouds. I think I have said that a whale will suddenly appear when -for some time not a spout has been seen from the ship. The belief is -that the whale must have sounded at a place a long way off and then -made great speed under water. While I was scanning the horizon, -suddenly my attention was attracted by a spout not more than two -hundred yards away, and I shouted “B-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s. -There he breaches! There he white waters.” I saw just enough of the -whale to convince me that he was a large one. - -Silva’s boat was the first to take water, and that boat was the one -which got him. When the whale was fast to the ship, Silva said, “I -never see such a whale in my whalin’. He’s the biggest fellow I ever -see; he’ll make a good deal over a hundred. When we struck him he -didn’t seem to show no spunk. I never see a whale with such weak -flukes. He didn’t make much more suds than a washwoman makes, and, -when he sounded, it wa’n’t no more than a boy divin’. The line went -out so slow that you’d think there was a child pullin’ at the other -end, and we didn’t lose no more than eighty fathoms. And he ain’t no -dry skin. His jaws is all perfect. He ain’t been fightin’ with no -whale. There’s somethin’ the matter with the big fellow, but I don’t -know as we’ll find out.” - -[Illustration: I shouted “B-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s. There he -breaches!”] - -Turning to me, Silva said, “See here, young fellow, I guess you’ve -got ahead of all the boys. Seems to me you’ll be sportin’ a gold -watch when you get back to New Bedford.” - -One may fancy how pleased and elated I was. The whale was the -largest we had taken, and it was possible that we might take one -larger, but not very probable. The blubber peeled off in splendid -strips and appeared rich in oil. The general opinion was that the -whale would yield at least a hundred barrels, and one man’s estimate -was a hundred and twenty. - -“I’ve sailed the seas most of my life and the largest sperm we ever -took made a hundred and ten,” said one of the old sailors. - -When the blubber was stripped off and the head severed, the body -rolled over; and then a man, who had a spade in his hand, uttered an -exclamation. - -“What’s the matter?” some one asked. - -“What’s the matter? Look at that big bunch.” He pointed to a spot -where the intestines were greatly swollen. “There’s something in -there, sure. I don’t know what it is. I never see anything like that -before.” - -“Well, I know what it is,” said Captain Gamans, who was passing. -“Give me that spade and I’ll show you what it is, even though it’s -the first time I ever saw anything of the kind.” - -The captain pressed with the spade, and the intestines opened and -disclosed a large substance, which he declared to be ambergris. -There was great excitement, and the buzzing reminded me of a -gathering of gossipers. While deference, of course, had to be paid -to the captain, yet every one had something to say about the -preservation and uses of this strange and valuable secretion. The -truth is, no one knew anything about ambergris, for a man might -spend his life on a whaler without ever seeing a whale which carried -a pound of the substance. The captain ordered a large tub to be -brought. This was lowered, and a couple of sturdy Portuguese -descended and lifted the mass into the receptacle. When it was -landed on deck the buzzing was resumed as the inspection proceeded. -Every one had to feel of it. It was hard and apparently perfectly -formed. - -Now the truth was, the captain didn’t know any more about ambergris -than the foremast hands. Addressing Lakeum, he said, “We shall have -to take this stuff home with us, for it’s so valuable I wouldn’t -dare ship it, and the question is how best to take care of it. I -suppose the best thing to do is to put it in a small cask and head -it up and then put the cask into a bigger one filled with water. -This will tend to keep it cool and preserve it. What do you think?” - -“This is the first ambergris,” said Lakeum, “that I ever saw, and I -confess that I don’t know how to treat it. What do you say if I ask -the crew if any one of them knows anything about taking care of it?” - -The captain assented. Only one man responded to the inquiry. It was -Kreelman. - -“I never was on a whaler that took any ambergris, but a man who was -on the _Tiger_, which took a whale in 1848 which had a lump that -weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, told me that they made a great -mistake. He said that they kept it moist and it kind of spoiled, and -he said that, if they had kept it dry, they would have got ten -thousand dollars more for it than they did.” - -The captain said nothing, and the men were ordered to their tasks. -His expression was not pleasant, for it was evident that he did not -like a statement, apparently reliable, which ran counter to views he -had just expressed. But it is a fact that the ambergris was kept dry -during the remainder of the voyage. It took over three days and -nights to cut-in, try-out and boil down our leviathan, and stow down -the oil. Just before the figures were announced, there was a -resumption of the guessing. The best guess was a hundred and nine -barrels; the actual yield was one hundred and eleven barrels and -four gallons. After the cleaning up, the whale and his product -constituted the topic of conversation among the crew for a long -time. - -In the social hour they made all manner of fun of me, or rather of -the prospective watch. One said that the watch would prove to be -second-hand; another that it wouldn’t go; a third that when it was -wound the noise would be as loud as that made by the winding of a -clock; and a fourth that watches of the kind were sold at five -dollars the gross. They evidently endeavored to draw me out, but I -was silent. Then they took up the ambergris and, in a serious way, -began to discuss its value and uses. Several men thought that it was -the perfume itself, but Kreelman insisted that it was the substance -which prevented evaporation. Then tales were told of the fabulous -sums which druggists had paid for the substance and more fabulous -tales about the size and weight of various lumps of the article. -Then some one asked: - -“Does Fancy Chest get the ambergris beside the watch?” - -One would think that such a foolish question would only have -elicited a laugh; instead, it gave rise to an animated discussion. - -“If he does get both, he’ll be a kind of Crocus,” another declared. - -“And who was Crocus?” - -“He was a rich man—lived in New York—had more money than any other -man in the world.” - -Though I was a boy, I had seen enough of my companions to know that -any proffer of enlightenment would be resented; so I did not tell -them that Croesus was intended. - -In answer to the first question, one of the men said, “This is the -way I look at it. If sightin’ the biggest whale wins a prize, then -the ambergris in it, which is so rarely found in whales, is a prize -also and belongs to Fancy Chest.” - -The countenances of most of the men betrayed anxiety, but the -expression changed and there was a roar of laughter when Ohoo said, -“If Fancy Chest get watch and ambergris, den he get whole ting—de -blubber, jaw bone and teeth. Why not? Dat ain’t no common sense.” - -The discussion now went on in a milder way and was quite prolonged. -It ended with the emphatic statement of Kreelman: - -“Everybody, from captain down, has shipped on a lay. We all have our -lay or share in the whale, and everything in him. If Fancy Chest -shipped on one one-hundred-and-eightieth lay, that’s his part of the -ambergris, and that’s all there is to it.” - -There was now general acquiescence, and I silently concurred. - -The next morning I was in the crow’s nest and the Gay Head Indian -was, too. - -“I see somethin’,” he said. - -“Where?” - -“Off there on the weather bow.” - -I scanned the horizon earnestly and then asked, “What is it—a pod or -a single whale?” - -“It ain’t no whale. Can’t you see it—just a faint little thing?” - -I regretted my defective vision. The Indian leaned forward, showing -by his attitude and fixed look that he was intensely interested. I -heard him mutter; and now I, too, was greatly interested. I fancied -I could see a faint outline. The Indian renewed his muttering and -suddenly broke out, “Boat ahoy!” - -Up came the captain’s voice, “Where away?” - -“Three points on the weather bow, sir. Looks like a whaleboat.” - -It was almost time for the Indian and myself to be relieved, but -fortunately we remained aloft long enough for the Indian, at least, -to make out the object and announce the situation. - -“Whaleboat, sure,” he said. - -By this time the object was plain to me and I was soon able to make -out a boat. The Indian kept gazing intently and began muttering -again. Before long he shouted for the captain’s information: - -“Only four men rowin’. Looks like one man hurt.” - -When we descended, we found the carpenter out with the medicine -chest. It seemed to me as if time never passed so slowly. Did the -boat belong to some vessel which had suffered shipwreck, and had its -occupants been forced to resort to the awful expedients of famished -sailors, or had it merely lost its ship and been only a few days -astray? This last conjecture was the more probable, as we were -cruising on a whaling ground, and, though it was of vast extent, it -was rarely traversed by merchant vessels. As the boat came near us, -the ship was hove to. The Indian was right; there were four men at -the oars, and the man not rowing was bent over as if he had been -injured. To the captain’s hail the reply came from the man with the -steering oar: - -“Boat of the bark _Magic_ of New Bedford—struck a whale late -yesterday afternoon. Man’s arm caught in warp and injured. Warp cut, -lost bark, been out all night.” - -The injured man was the first to be helped aboard. He appeared -exhausted and was evidently in great pain. It is wonderful how -gentle and tender rough men can be when their services to a sufferer -are suddenly invoked. The man sat down on the hatch and was first -given a generous drink of New England rum. Then the captain and -carpenter proceeded to relieve him of his jacket. This was done very -slowly, and gently done, too. Even then the patient winced and his -face bore witness to the pain occasioned. The garment removed, an -unpleasant spectacle was presented. The sleeve of the shirt was -saturated with blood, which was dry, black and coated, and this -evidently had staunched the flow as his companions in the boat had -had no means of treating the injured member. The cook brought warm -water, and the carpenter soaked the sleeve until it parted from the -flesh. Then he severed the sleeve near the shoulder and the bruised -arm was revealed. First, washing it so as to remove any lint that -might adhere, and applying a lotion with the delicate touch of a -woman, he then wound the bandage around it with the skill of a -surgeon. The sufferer was then allowed the freedom of the cabin. - -“A good job,” said one of the sailors. “He done so well, Peter, why -don’t you have him take your tooth out?” - -Peter, a good-natured foremast hand, was suffering from toothache -and was very disconsolate. He said that he had never had any trouble -with his teeth before, and that this was the first tooth to decay. I -think he was pleased with the carpenter’s medical proficiency and -anticipated the extraction of the tooth without much suffering. -Peter was told to lie down on the hatch, and then there followed one -of the most barbarous practices I ever beheld. Forceps were then in -use, but the carpenter had none, and used the old-fashioned rollers -instead. The tooth was really ground out of the man’s jaw in a way -that reminded me of grinding sausages. He bellowed like a wild -animal, and the tears stood in his eyes. His glance showed -resentment rather than gratitude. Yet the carpenter did his best -with his old-fashioned implement. - -Kreelman said, quietly, “Carpenter, surgeon, blacksmith, dentist, -all one.” - -The mate of the rescued boat told an interesting story. In the late -afternoon they had lowered, and, after a long chase, had made fast -to a whale; a kink in the warp had led to the accident and the warp -was cut. It was nearly dusk, and the ship was not to be seen. They -took what they thought was the proper direction, but no lights were -observed. - -“If we don’t pick her up to-day, we’ll heave to at night and pick -her up in the morning,” said Gamans. - -On inquiry, it was found that the _Magic_ had made a fine voyage and -was on her last cruise. This was pleasant news, and word was passed -round that the men on the watch below might write letters to be -taken by the _Magic_, if we were so fortunate as to gam with her. -That evening our visitors were exultant over their successful voyage -and made us feel rather small with our moderate amount of oil. One -of the _Magic’s_ men was very boastful, and described incidents in -their voyage of an extraordinary nature, which did not lose -anything, however, from the man’s telling them. After he had pretty -well talked himself out, one of our men asked: - -“What do you think your cargo will amount to? When we left port, -sperm oil was the lowest it had been for a good many years, and your -catch, I suppose, is all sperm. You ain’t got no bone, and you -didn’t go in the Arctic as we are goin’.” - -“Well, our captain says it’ll bring about ninety thousand dollars.” - -The man looked round with an air of triumph. - -“Ninety thousand dollars is a good deal of money,” he continued. - -“Yes, it is, but we took about seventy-five thousand dollars of -merchandise in a few hours, and we’ve been out from port -considerably less than a year,” observed one of our men. - -The remark was greeted with a derisive laugh. - -One of our visitors retorted, “It would take a good many months to -get seventy-five thousand dollars’ worth of sperm oil, and a good -many weeks to try-out and stow down.” - -“We’ve got a patent machine. We do it all in one job.” - -“Pshaw! That’s nonsense.” - -“Men are pretty smart whalemen,” continued our man, “when they can -pick out a whale that’s got a lump of gold in him.” - -“You don’t mean to say——” The man stopped. - -“Yes, I do mean to say that we’ve got stowed away a lump of -ambergris that’s worth more than half your catch of over three -years. Suppose we change the names of the vessels and call our ship -the _Magic?_” - -The announcement, coupled with the laugh which followed, was too -much for the visitors, and the conversation turned to other -subjects—the common things which pertain to a sailor’s life, such as -the food, the weather and relations with the officers. When the -crews of different vessels meet, boasting is inevitable. Kreelman -said afterward that he never saw, at a gam, men so completely -squelched as were the sailors from the _Magic_. - -We hove to that night, as the captain said, and at dawn the crow’s -nests were manned by lookouts who were instructed to seek sharply -for the _Magic_, although whales were not to be ignored. Soon a -mastheader announced the top-hamper of a distant vessel, and, before -long, the two ships were in a position to gam. The _Magic_ dropped a -boat and her captain headed it. When it came alongside he leaped to -the deck and shook hands with our captain. The two men, who were old -friends, conversed earnestly and there was something interesting and -delightful in their meeting by chance, many thousand miles from -home, on a great ocean, which constitutes a pretty large part of the -entire globe. The captain of the _Magic_ wanted the last news from -home, and our captain gave him what little information there was. -Then Captain Gamans remarked, “Now let me tell you the latest news -of this vessel. We’ve got on board a lump of ambergris that weighs -three hundred pounds, and it’s well formed, too.” - -“What good luck! I never saw a piece of ambergris in my life.” - -How often one man’s good fortune is another man’s discouragement! -The visiting captain didn’t feel like remaining any longer. He took -our letters, exchanged courtesies, and departed. I watched the two -boats as they put back to and reached their ship, and then, as the -breach between the two vessels widened, I was conscious of the -recurrence of the feeling I had experienced when the _Seabird_ -dropped from her moorings in New Bedford harbor. The _Magic_ -diminished until it was only a speck. Then I thought, “In a few -months she will drop anchor in the home port, and a large number of -the officers and crew will be once more with family or friends. Long -months must elapse before our return, and then there are the -uncertainties of our calling—disasters or a broken voyage. Oh! for -my father’s kindly greeting, my mother’s smile, and the little room -which I abandoned for the sea.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - HONOLULU AND OFF TO THE ARCTIC - - -We were due in the Arctic Ocean the last of June, and were to touch -first at Honolulu, where most of us expected letters from home. It -was not our fortune to take a right whale during the voyage, as we -were to cruise partly for sperm whales, but chiefly for the right -whale’s great brother, the bowhead, to be found in the Northern -Pacific and the Arctic Oceans. We were privileged, however, to see a -right whale feed. One day we passed through a great stretch of -“brit.” The sea presented the appearance of an extensive field of -grain. I was at the masthead. Another lookout declared, “Plenty of -brit. Likely to see a right whale any time. If you do, no use to try -and take him. Never take a righter when he’s feedin’. One thing, he -won’t stop, and another thing, he goes too fast for you to follow -him.” - -In half an hour this very man called out, “B-l-o-w-s, b-l-o-w-s, -b-l-o-w-s.” - -“Sperm or righter,” shouted the captain. - -“Righter,” was the answer. - -There was no excitement below, indeed nothing to show that a boat -was to be lowered. To me the sight was new and interesting. The -spout was straight and erect and far more beautiful than that of the -sperm. The whale seemed to be bound directly for us and, as we were -going in opposite directions, it was not long before he passed at -close quarters. The rushing of the great creature with open mouth -through his pasture of brit reminded me of a snowplough passing -through a drift. He left behind him a trail of blue water and -spouted with great force. I did not have to be told again that the -right whale was difficult to capture when feeding. - -We cruised slowly towards Honolulu, taking a couple of small whales -on the way, and, when we arrived, we had four hundred barrels of -sperm oil stowed down. - -I was of the opinion that some of the men might desert, if they had -shore leave. I felt that the temptation would be very strong for -Ohoo, for he would be near his home and he did not regard the cold -weather in the Arctic with favor. - -The entrance of the harbor is through a narrow opening in the coral -reef, and the place where we dropped anchor was at a convenient -distance from the shore. A boat’s crew was selected, the captain -held the steering oar, and Lakeum was in the bow. Strange to say, -Ohoo was one of the other four, and I rejoiced in the fact that I -also was of the number. An hour’s leave was granted. The air was -balmy, and the town had rather an American appearance. But -delightful as it was to get back once more to civilization, I kept -thinking of my mother and my home, and I soon strolled back to the -landing. Lakeum, too, had returned, and we were alone. I don’t know -how he happened to divine my thoughts, but he did. - -“Bleechly,” he said, “you think Ohoo won’t come back, but he will. -I’d trust that Kanaka anywhere. His people live up in the town -somewhere. They are of the poorer class. Despite persuasion of -family or friends, Ohoo will show up in a few minutes.” - -Soon he resumed: - -“This place is almost as fine and beautiful as Tahiti, and many a -whaler has touched here. In the early days both men and women would -swim six or seven miles out to the incoming vessels. Things could be -bought here cheap then, but the more civilized people become, the -dearer everything is. The captain is bargaining for beef and pork, -and it will be brought out in a native boat, a kind of lighter, this -afternoon.” - -Again he ceased talking, looked thoughtful and sad, and then -resumed: - -“You are thinking of home, Bleechly,—your mother, no doubt. When you -get your letter, I hope you’ll find that all is well. There are many -beautiful sayings like ‘A man’s best friend is his mother’ and -‘There is no place like home.’ But what shall we say of a man who -has no mother and no home but a whaler?” - -He stopped abruptly and there was something in his face which led me -to think that he didn’t want the question answered, and certainly it -was plain that he did not propose to answer it himself. - -Ohoo appeared and broke forth, “Oh! Me so happy—my home, my home!—Me -find my folk—no dead, all live! Look at sea. Me swim in him all -round when me a boy. All my home.” - -Strange that Ohoo should touch with such joy on the subject which -Lakeum had just dismissed with such a mournful air. I felt that the -mate’s eyes were gathering dew and I fixed my gaze on the _Seabird_ -at her anchorage. The rest of the crew came back, the captain last. -In his hand were just a few letters. Recalling Lakeum’s words, I -thought how true it was that the only home of most of our men was -the dirty and dingy forecastle, and that they were to receive no -remembrances from the land they had left. - -Captain Gamans was generally more inclined to be austere than -sentimental. However, there was a touch of tenderness in what he -said when he handed me a couple of letters. - -“Lucky you are, boy, to get them. Lucky that you had a home to come -from and lucky you’ll be if you get back to it. I’ve no fault to -find with you so far; and, if you keep on, you may get a captain’s -berth, and I hope you will. But if I had my life over, I would stop -with the first voyage and go to work on shore, even if I couldn’t -get anything to do but shoveling dirt.” - -Pointing to a vessel anchored near by, the captain continued, -“There’s a lot of disaster and misfortune in whaling. I’ve just -learned about that ship. Almost no oil, crew deserted, big drafts. -That’s what they call a broken voyage! Lucky are we with our -ambergris.” - -We had now been gone nearly a year from New Bedford, and the -prevailing thought with me was that some sorrow might have visited -my distant home. I opened my mother’s letter with trembling hands; -and it was a mother’s letter, just such a one as a mother writes to -her son. All were well, there had been no sickness, she had -remembered me in her prayers, she had all confidence in the -correctness of my habits, she hoped that I was in excellent health, -home was not home without me, it seemed many years since my -departure, and only my return would restore her happiness. - -I opened my father’s letter without foreboding, for my mother had -told me that all was well. It was a father’s letter, just such a -letter as a father writes to his son. He hoped that I was diligent -and dutiful as a sailor, that my habits were correct, that I was in -good health and that I would have little from the slop chest, as -they had given me an outfit which cost a good deal of money. He -declared that, if people saved when they were young, they would keep -on saving during life, that he wanted me so to conduct myself that -there would be something coming to me at the end of the voyage, and, -if there was, that he wouldn’t claim it, although I was a minor, but -would allow me to deposit it in the savings bank in my own name. - -After receiving our recruits in the afternoon, we weighed anchor and -set sail for the north. The old whaling habit of cruising slowly and -shortening sail at night was now abandoned. We crowded on sail and -made for the Arctic with all possible speed. As we approached the -Aleutian Islands, the weather grew colder, and the men began to look -to the slop chest. I noticed that Ohoo called for the warmest -outfit, and the poor fellow needed it. - -And now a few words about bowheads. It wasn’t until 1843 that -whalemen began to know anything about these whales. Indeed, before -that time, they were ignorant that the right whale had this great -brother. Their haunts were in the North Pacific and in the Arctic -Sea. In the year named, a whaler for the first time visited the -Okhotsk Sea and found and captured bowheads. Soon after they were -discovered and taken off Alaska on what was called the Kodiak -ground; and in 1847 a whaler named the _Superior_ entered Bering -Strait. It was learned that, during the severe winter weather, these -whales largely visited these two grounds in the North Pacific and -then in June and July, as the lower Arctic became more or less free -from ice, passed through Bering Strait for their summer sojourn. As -more and more whalers visited the North Atlantic and the Arctic, the -bowheads became more shy and went farther north. The whalers which -pursued them were thus drawn into places where there was great -danger from ice; and eleven years from the time of our story came -the great disaster which even now bears the name of “Whalers Crushed -by Ice.” - -When we reached Bering Strait there was no longer any night. It is -often said that it was at midnight when the first bowhead was taken -in the Arctic. How can this be when, at the time we call midnight, -it was daylight? - -Several of the crew declared that we should now hear the singing -whales, and I was anxious for an explanation. I could hardly believe -what they told me when they said that bowheads communicate with one -another by emitting sounds resembling singing. This is thought to be -a signal, when passing through Bering Strait, to notify other whales -that they are bound north and that the Strait is clear of ice. There -is another explanation of this musical exercise. When a bowhead is -struck, other bowheads in the neighborhood are frightened or -“gallied”, and the singing is thought to be a signal of danger. I -noticed that the cry was something like the hoo-oo-oo of the hoot -owl, although longer drawn out and more of a humming sound than a -hoot. - -I had read about the “killers” and of their fierce attacks upon -right whales and bowheads, and assumed, as these battles were rarely -witnessed, that I might sail the seas for a life time without ever -beholding one. And yet the spectacle was presented soon after we -passed the Strait. The “killer,” also called the orca or thresher, -is a small whale with a complete set of teeth on both jaws. He isn’t -worth anything, and hence is never pursued by man. His favorite -victim is the bowhead and what he is after is the bowhead’s tongue. -Now it is to be noted that the tongue of a large bowhead is said to -weigh as much as a good many oxen. These killers are as cunning and -intelligent as they are cruel. Sometimes a pack of them will engage -in the attack on a whale, but frequently only three. In our case we -saw ahead of us a great splashing of water and an object that would -leap up into the air and disappear, and then reappear and repeat the -performance. When we got nearer we saw that a fight was going on -between a huge bowhead and three killers. The object we had seen was -a killer which again and again sprang into the air and descended on -the whale’s back with the design apparently of tiring him out. Then -we noticed that two creatures had fastened their teeth to the -whale’s lips with the purpose of forcing his mouth open. There are -few things in the world so powerful as the flukes of a bowhead. The -old saying was to beware of a sperm whale’s jaw and a right whale’s -or bowhead’s flukes. This unfortunate leviathan was pounding the sea -with his great flukes, but not to the injury of his assailants, for -they were well out of the way. The flukes were now less active. Soon -they ceased to operate; the exhausted bowhead opened his mouth, and -the ravenous trio proceeded to feast upon his tongue. - -We were now near the whale and, just as a boat was lowered, Kreelman -said to me, “That poor fellow is about gone, and it’ll be an easy -job to kill him. See the shape of him; he ain’t so long as a sperm, -but he’s bigger round and plumper, has thicker and richer blubber -and makes more oil, even if it don’t bring so much. But let me tell -you this, Fancy Chest, them killers don’t fool much with sperm -whales. A sailor told me once of a sight he see. He said two killers -and a swordfish tackled a big bull sperm. The killers come on in -front and went for the bull’s jaw, and the swordfish come up from -below to go for the bull with his sword. He said the bull grabbed -one of them killers and made mince meat of him and the other left. -One prick of the sword was all the whale needed. He rushed ahead a -little and then brought them flukes of his down with tremendous -force, and there wasn’t no part of the swordfish left. Better let a -sperm whale alone.” - -When the boat reached the bowhead, he was nearly dead, and it was an -easy matter to despatch him and tow him to the ship. The cutting-in -and trying-out were nearly the same as in the case of the sperm -whale. The only difference was in handling the head. The great -strips of bone were cut out, hoisted on deck, carefully cleaned and -stowed away. When the carcass was set adrift, there were no ravenous -sharks or noisy birds to be seen; and I thought how much more -fitting it would have been, if the great creature had met death in a -battle with man rather than fall an ignoble prey to the assaults of -what are called the “wolves of the sea.” - -Epicures prefer fish just out of the water. I wonder what they would -say of meat just out of the water. There is nothing to show that the -meat of sperm whales was ever served to the men, but that of the -bowhead was a common article of food. Of this I was ignorant until -Kreelman told me and he added, “We’ll have somethin’ for supper -that’ll make your mouth water. Generally the cabin gets the best, -the steerage next and the forecastle the scrapings. But the poor old -bowhead has so much meat that all will be treated alike.” - -I had a chat with my old friend, the cook. He told me that the best -cuts come from alongside the backbone or the afterpart of the whale, -that the flesh looks more like beef liver smeared with blood than -any other kind of meat, and that the usual method of cooking the -flesh is in meat balls, although stews and steaks are very good. The -cook went to the place where the chunks were suspended under the -boathouse and came back with one. - -“Now watch me, Fancy Chest,” he said. - -The cook put the meat through a sausage machine, spiced it with -sage, savory and pepper, mixed in a little chopped pork, then made -it up into balls and fried it. Most of us of the forecastle had -never tasted bowhead meat before, but we were loud in our praise of -the meat balls. The flavor was rather peculiar, and one of the men, -who had seen a good deal of the world, said that they tasted to him -a little like venison. - -“Me don’t know nothin’ ’bout Benny’s son,” observed Ohoo. “But me no -care no more ’bout lobscouse and hard bread; me eat blawhead all -time.” - -I have described a right whale feeding on brit. More than once it -was our fortune to see a big bowhead devour his dinner. The food in -the North Atlantic and Arctic is called “slicks”, which give the -water the appearance of oily streaks. They are produced by different -kinds of jellyfish and range in size from a pea to six inches or -more in diameter. When the bowhead is feeding the spread of the lips -is about thirty feet. Turning on his side, he will take a course -fifteen feet wide and a quarter of a mile long, scooping just under -the surface where the slicks are most abundant. The water passes -through the whalebone and packs the slicks upon the hair sieve. The -bowhead raises the lower jaw and, still keeping the lips apart, -forces the tongue into the cavity of the sieve, expelling the water -through the spaces between the bone. Then the bowhead closes his -lips to enjoy his meal. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - EXPERIENCES IN THE ARCTIC - - -Business was now carried on both day and night, or, more properly -speaking, all the time, as there was no night. There was always some -one in the crow’s nest. To increase the chances of seeing and -capturing whales, the _Seabird_ would drop a boat at about seven -A.M., and sail about twenty miles and then drop another boat. Then -she would cruise between the two boats. There was little danger, -where it was light all the time, of losing a craft. The boats were -well provisioned, and the men wore their thickest clothing. On the -third day a whale was announced just as the captain gave orders to -lower. Our boat and Silva’s engaged in sharp competition. We took -water first and got the lead, but the movements of the whale favored -the other boat, and Silva’s man put two irons into him. We stood by -to help if we were needed, and I eagerly watched the proceedings, -for this was the first real live bowhead I had seen struck. He -pounded the sea with his terrible flukes and then sounded just like -a sperm whale. When the slack was taken in and the big fellow -appeared on the surface, we followed Silva’s boat and watched with -keen interest the last act in the tragedy. Silva handled the lance -well, driving it into the body as if he had a sperm whale to deal -with. When the bowhead was dead and the tow-line was attached to -him, Lakeum said to me: - -“I hope Silva won’t have trouble. You know what so often happens in -the case of bowheads?” - -“No,” I replied. - -“Why, they sink.” - -“I didn’t know that, Mr. Lakeum. None of our men ever told me.” - -“Yes, they sink, just as so many right whales do. That monster there -is worth seven thousand dollars, good, and it would be a pity to -lose him.” - -The words were hardly uttered when Lakeum shouted, “Don’t look -right, Silva; settling a little.” There was apprehension, indeed -consternation, in the boats. It was true that the whale was -settling. When men don’t know what to do, they often shout, and this -is what the men in Silva’s boat did, and when the order came to cut -the tow-line, they shouted still louder. Then, as the great whale -disappeared, the noise subsided, and as both boats pulled for the -vessel, Silva was the picture of despair. The captain had witnessed -the unfortunate accident from the ship and was inclined to blame -Silva. - -“Well, I killed the whale, didn’t I, Captain?” - -“Yes.” - -“Am I to blame then, if he sunk?” - -There was no answer to this question. The captain muttered, “I don’t -see why so many of these bowheads sink.” - -Since passing Bering Strait we had seen several ships in the -distance, but they were not near enough to hail. And now a vessel -was bearing down on us—presumably not for a gam but for information. -She proved to be the _Awashonks_, a vessel with a remarkable -history. I was standing near the gangway when her captain boarded -us. The _Awashonks_ was three years from home, and the captain was -anxious for the latest news. There was little for Captain Gamans to -communicate, so the conversation, which was necessarily brief, -related to their respective voyages. - -“We have just lost a whale,” said our captain. “He sank. I suppose -you’ve had bowheads sink, haven’t you?” - -“Not on this voyage,” replied the visitor. “I learned the trick on -the last voyage. Every bowhead we kill we cut-in, try-out and stow -down, never lose one. If whalemen had learned the trick years ago, -there wouldn’t be so many bowheads at the bottom of the ocean.” - -The visiting captain evidently had information to convey, but didn’t -want to give it voluntarily. It seemed to me that he wanted Captain -Gamans to ask for it. There was a pause. Then our captain said: - -“I suppose sinking is due to the condition of the whale. I don’t -suppose lancing has anything to do with it.” - -“Lancing has everything to do with it. That’s where the trick comes -in. You lance a bowhead or a right whale over the shoulder blade, -directing the lance downward, and it will kill him in the shortest -time, but he’ll be pretty sure to sink, because there’ll be a -rushing escape of air, shown in large bubbles rising through the -water. Lance him straight or a little upwards and it’ll take more -time to kill him and be more dangerous, but you’ll save your -property.” - -The visitor assumed a triumphant air. I never saw Captain Gamans -play his part better. He expressed his thanks for the information -and then said, in an off-hand way: - -“I suppose that the whale we lost was worth several thousand dollars -and that’s a good deal of money for any ship that has to depend -solely on whaling; but we are not worrying on the _Seabird_. We’ve -packed something away that’s worth at least seven bowheads like the -one we’ve lost.” - -“And what’s that?” - -“Why nothing but a seventy-thousand-dollar lump of perfectly made -ambergris.” - -The tables were turned. The man who had rejoiced in his triumph was -now plainly annoyed. He manifested little interest in the ambergris -and soon took his departure. - -To me the _Awashonks_ was a vessel of great interest. A number of -ships which cruised in early days in the Pacific Ocean were never -heard from, and one opinion was that they were captured by savages. -This was nearly the fate of this very _Awashonks_. In October, 1835, -she touched at Namovik Island, of the Marshall group, in the Pacific -Ocean. The natives who boarded the vessel appeared to be friendly. -Suddenly, however, they seized the spades used for cutting in -blubber, and attacked the crew. The captain was beheaded and the man -at the wheel and the second mate were killed. Before Jones, the -third mate, could use a spade he had snatched from a native, he was -compelled to flee down the forehatch, and the rest of the crew -either took to the rigging or found refuge in the hold. The men -aloft cut away the running rigging to prevent the progress of the -ship; those below worked aft and, with muskets found in the cabin, -opened fire, but with little effect, as the natives sought places -that were not within range. Some of them gathered above the -companionway, which they had closed; Jones placed an open cannister -of powder underneath and fired it. The explosion tore off the roof -of the cabin and scattered the natives. Jones and his men then drove -them overboard. - -Twenty-five years had elapsed since this startling adventure; the -_Awashonks_ was still afloat and as a fact was to sail the seas for -nearly a dozen years more, only to be crushed by ice in the Arctic. -What was the age of whalers? Many a one was from time to time -repaired and practically made over. It is authentic that one vessel -was in commission for eighty-eight years and another for ninety-one. - -The logbooks of whalers are of great value in preserving much of the -history of whaling which cannot be gleaned from any other source. -Logs kept on merchant ships recorded formal matters, such as the -weather, the direction of the wind, the location of the vessel, the -courses taken and the distances covered. The logs of the whalers -contained all these matters and, in addition, accounts of the whales -attacked and captured, the bone taken, the oil stowed down, strange -occurrences on the deep, such as battles with whales and -deliverances from death, the places visited, the happenings on ship -and on shore, items of a personal nature, sums in arithmetic, -attempts at poetry, pictures of the whales captured or lost, -pen-and-ink sketches and often colored drawings, and illustrations -representing scenes in the life of the whaleman. - -The pictures of the whales alluded to were sometimes drawn with a -pen, but generally were impressed by means of a stamp, which in -early years was carved from wood by the men, and was later made of -rubber. The impression was made on the margin of the page, and, if -the whale were captured and boiled down, the number of barrels of -oil obtained was written on a little white spot purposely left at -about the middle of the picture. In running down the margins of the -pages, one could easily determine how many whales were taken, how -many escaped and the amount of oil each whale yielded. Black ink was -not always used. Occasionally the impression was in blue, and the -whale’s last agony was shown by a scarlet stream pouring from his -blowhole. Open the logbook of an old merchant ship and there is -nothing to interest, amuse or instruct, but the logs of the old -whalers, now in the possession of the New Bedford Public Library and -of the Dartmouth Historical Society, are as interesting as story -books, and are, indeed, story books themselves. If the log book of -the _Seabird_ was deposited in one of these repositories, one will -find this entry made by Lakeum after the capture of the cachalot -which yielded the ambergris—“This day we took a golden whale.” - -One would think that it was the duty of the first mate to keep the -logbook, but on a whaler others were permitted to ventilate on its -pages their joys or woes. One of the most amusing entries was the -following, made by the steward of the _Mystic_, sent on a cruise for -sea-elephant oil in 1843. - - How dear to this heart are the scenes of past days, - When fond recollection recalls them to mind, - The schooner so taut and so trim like a miss in her stays, - And her light rigging which swayed to the wind— - The old-fashioned galley, the try-works close by it, - The old blubber-boat with six oars to pull it. - The bunk of my messmate, the wooden chest nigh it, - The old monkey jacket, the often-patched jacket, - The greasy old jacket which hung up beside it. - -There are few logbooks which give accounts of mutinies for the -reason that, when the mutineers got possession of a vessel, the -logbook went overboard. An exception is that of the _Barclay_, which -sailed from New Bedford in 1843. The logbook records that trouble -began soon after sailing; that a fight for the third time occurred -at supper between one of the crew and the green hands; that the -fighter was put in the rigging and given a few stripes; that he -acknowledged the blame and was released; that he went forward, -making threats; that the blacksmith was very saucy, he being the -worse for rum; that for days the weather was so severe and the sea -so rough that no entries were made and no observations taken; that -after rounding the Horn the weather was much better; that on Monday, -April 29, 1845, at eight o’clock, the captain sent the steward -forward to call the men, or one of the men, aft, to see their meat -weighed; that they wouldn’t come; that the captain called them three -times and then took a broom to one of the blacks; that they refused, -one of them saying that one of their complaints was that a pound and -a quarter of meat was not enough; that they now went forward; that -the black was insolent and was told to go aft again, that he replied -that he would not and went to the forecastle, that in getting him up -one of the men interfered and struck the captain; that the captain -dropped his weapon and took hold of him; that the man seized the -weapon and attempted to strike the captain; that he was told to go -aft but refused, and went down into the forecastle, and, taking a -sheath knife, said he would kill the first man who came down there, -but that at last he delivered himself up to be put in irons. “Thus -ends in Peace.” The mutiny collapsed, otherwise the logbook would -have been delivered to the sea. - -During the voyage I had made many entries in the logbook under the -direction of Lakeum, and now I was to be intrusted with further -authority. Lakeum observed: - -“Bleechly, I’m going to let you keep the log now. You’d better first -tell me what entries you are going to make, and after you’ve made -them I’ll look them over in a general way to see that they are all -right. I don’t know as you are given to poetry and such things. If -you are I wouldn’t put any of your rhymes on the logbook. There is -too much scribbling on some of them.” - -Lakeum laughed heartily, the first sign of merriment on his part I -had for a long time seen. However, I had a little artistic taste, -and I proposed to indulge it. In a few days I had my first entry to -make other than the usual formal matters, and here it is: - - Remarks on Board of the _Seabird_, Captain Gamans. - In the Arctic Ocean. - Thursday, July 7, 1860. - - First part light breezes from S. W. Middle part - much the same. At 2 p.m. saw whales and put off. - Boats among whales. One whale being towed to ship. - -The imprints tell the story,—one whale making sixty barrels, and -underneath the words, No. 12; another whale without any accompanying -figures and the imprints of several flukes, above one of which was -the word “missed”, and under another the words, “Drew the Iron.” -Thus one whale was captured, the iron missed a second and drew out -of a third. Such a method of description reminds one of the -picture-writing of savages. - -Of course there was surmise as to who would sight the largest -bowhead which was captured. I think there was a general feeling that -the gold watch ought to go to the Gay Head Indian. He had, so far, -sighted more whales than any man on the ship. It was generally -thought that the other prize would go to me, although it was -possible that a sperm whale larger than the one I had announced -might be captured. One of the men reasoned, “Fancy Chest didn’t -really sight the whale; the whale sighted him. He happened to come -up near the ship, and such luck might have happened to anyone. Now -the Gay Header has got the best eyes of any man on board. Those Gay -Head Indians have made the best mastheaders on the New Bedford -whalers for years. But just as likely as not luck will be against -the man, and some greenie will get the prize.” - -I answered, “You forget that there are two more seasons yet—one -sperm whaling and another again north. As for myself, I wouldn’t -object to the watch, but I’m not catching unhatched chickens. I -don’t know as I would like anything better than for Ohoo to get the -watch.” - -Our life in the Arctic was not so bad. Not compelled to cruise far -north, as vessels were in later years, we encountered little ice and -the weather was generally fair. We were successful, and the -hardships we had to endure were not so severe as we had anticipated. -One day from the lips of the Gay Header came the happy call. The -boats were lowered and in a few hours the largest bowhead yet was -fast to the _Seabird_. The Gay Header was well liked, and his -supposed good fortune gave great satisfaction. During the cutting-in -and trying-out there was much conjecture as to the monster’s yield, -and it was remarkable how accurate were the estimates of the men who -for years had followed the sea. - -Here is the entry which I made in the log book: - - Remarks on Board the _Seabird_. In the Arctic Ocean. - - Tuesday, August 17, 1860. - - These twenty-four hours commenced with a light air. Cloudy - from the southward and westward. At 3 p.m. Gay Header - sighted whale and boats lowered, and at 7 fast to whale, - 3 miles from ship. Took whale alongside at 11. All hands - sent below. At 7 called all hands and commenced cutting-in. - -And what were the imprints in the white spot in the black whale on -the margin? - -“L. B. B. 163 barrels No. 16.” - -Four days later one of the men sighted another whale and when he was -alongside it was noted that he was of great size. Would he prove -larger than the Gay Header’s whale? That was the question. Comment -and guessing went on for several days while the toilful labor was -pursued. Towards the last of the trying-out and stowing down the -excitement rose to a high pitch, and the announcements were eagerly -received. As we were nearing the end 161 barrels was called out, -then fifteen gallons more. The amount was increased ten gallons, -then the last of it made six gallons more. A shout went up, “A half -a gallon short of 162, but call it 162”, and the Gay Header was one -barrel ahead. We had now, besides the sperm oil, ten hundred and -fifty barrels of whale oil in the hold and twelve thousand pounds of -whalebone, not to mention the ambergris. - -I had written at school very modest verses, lauded by my schoolmates -as very fine poetry, and I now composed a crude stanza which I -wanted to put in the logbook. With some hesitation and diffidence, I -went to Lakeum and stated my request. - -“I thought I told you, Bleechly, that we didn’t want any scribbling -on the log.” - -“Well,” I replied, “they’ve made some fun of me because they say -that my sighting the big sperm was only a matter of luck, and I want -to show to whom I would like to have the watch go, if a still larger -whale than mine is captured.” - -“Well, show me the lines.” - -I have spoken of Lakeum laughing heartily. He repeated the exercise. - -“Put it in if you want to. I think, however, you’ll make more money -whaling than you will writing poetry.” - -I made the following entry: - - They call me simply Fancy Chest, - And say within my grasp - The prize that every tar desires - It may be mine to clasp. - - But, if a man of keener sight - A greater whale may claim, - I choose a man of royal worth - And Ohoo is his name. - -Some of the crew asked me to repeat the lines. I noticed that they -seemed to make an impression only upon Ohoo. He wanted to know if I -was writing about something good to eat. - -During our stay in the Arctic we did not once make a landing. -Several times, in running in near the shore of Alaska, the Esquimos -came out to us in their boats and we hove to for a few minutes to -allow them to come on board. I noticed how skilfully they handled -their canoes, which were made of the skin of some animal, probably -the seal. The paddles were double-bladed, and very gracefully the -oarsmen shifted the blades, sending the boats ahead with remarkable -speed. The Esquimos had picked up a little English and their patois -was curious and not always intelligible. For bits of rope, old hoops -and so forth they traded knickknacks of their own making. For an old -shirt, I purchased several of these articles which I proposed to -carry home as mementos. About the middle of September, just as we -were about to sail for Honolulu, we ran near shore for the last -time, and just as we tacked several of their boats appeared. The -season was over and they seemed to know that they would see us no -more, for as we bore away, the occupants called out in cheery tones, -“Goo’by—goo’by.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - HONOLULU AGAIN, AND SEA TALES - - -And now for Honolulu! Every one was good-natured and happy. Few -vessels in the history of whaling could beat our record of fifteen -months. It was the opinion that if our good fortune continued, the -voyage would not exceed three years. There were no orders to shorten -sail nights. We were to make port in the shortest possible time in -order to ship all our oil for New Bedford, and prepare for our -cruise on the Coast of Japan. Lakeum said to me one day: - -“You remember that when we stopped at Honolulu we had rather a -picked crew when we went ashore. That was more a happen-so than -anything else. I suppose you thought that men who were thought not -likely to desert were selected, and I remember that I said something -to you about Ohoo’s faithfulness. You see at that time we had four -hundred sperm and the ambergris. That was enough to keep the men -loyal. Now we have ten hundred and fifty whale and twelve thousand -pounds of bone more. Do you suppose men with a lot of money in view -are going to desert? I think not. We shall be at Honolulu some time, -but you may be sure that every man will turn up when we sail.” - -We reached Honolulu in due season and discharged all our cargo, -except the ambergris. The foremast hands saw every nook and corner -of the beautiful town, which was peculiar in having both a tropical -and an American air. The bathing was delightful, and its charm was -only surpassed by watching from the shore the natives as they glided -on the surface of the sea like tiny seaboats or dove with the ease -and grace of the seafowl. Ohoo took me to his home, a rude little -cottage with few of the modern conveniences, but the home of kind -and pleasant people. His father was dead, but his mother, two -sisters and a brother were my entertainers. I ate their simple and -to me rather curious food, but was particularly pleased with the -fish which was cooked between heated stones. They danced and sang -their quaint songs, and I truly felt that I was in another world. -Ohoo acted as interpreter, and the funny work he made of it promoted -mirth and hilarity. I bade my new-made friends good-by, feeling that -this brief experience was one of the most delightful episodes of the -voyage. - -Our cargo discharged, and recruits taken aboard, we started for the -coast of Japan on November 24, 1860. Whales were, and still are, -plentiful in those waters, the first vessels to visit which were the -_Syren_ and _Maro_ of Nantucket in 1820. Our cruise was to be a long -one, and then we were to go north again. - -Of all the adventures of whalemen, none exceeds in daring and danger -that of Ronald MacDonald, all the more remarkable because the daring -was unnecessary and the danger voluntarily incurred. In 1826 the -ship _Lady Adams_ disappeared near the coast of Japan, and it was -surmised that she had struck a reef and that her crew, after -reaching shore, had been murdered. Another vessel, named the -_Lawrence_, was wrecked, and it was afterward learned that the -second mate and seven of the crew, after landing, had been cruelly -treated, one of the number having been tortured to death. It also -appeared that the crew of another vessel, which stranded on the -coast, received similar treatment, one of the men killing himself to -escape further torment. - -While whalemen regarded the Japanese coast with terror, yet one day, -when a whaler was cruising near that coast, MacDonald, a seaman, -obtained his discharge, taking in lieu of his “lay” a boat equipped -for landing and supplied with sundry books and certain utensils, and -boldly made for shore. On his arrival he was stripped of everything, -but, as it appeared to his captors that his outfit indicated good -intentions, they did not torture him; so he began to teach them -English. - -Some time afterward Commodore Biddle visited Yeddo for the purpose -of establishing trade relations with the Japanese. MacDonald and the -survivors of the two wrecked whale ships were committed to the -Commodore’s charge with the warning never to return. The stories -told by these whalemen, and the information gained by Biddle, -determined our government to send another expedition under Commodore -Perry, with results so well known to the world. - -In the dogwatch the _Lady Adams_, the _Lawrence and_ Ronald -MacDonald were much talked about. A couple of our men had sailed in -vessels that had cruised within a few years off the coast of Japan, -but they said they had never known a boat to land on the coast, and -so far as they knew a few whalers only had recruited at Hakodate, a -port to which vessels might go. There was something mysterious about -the quarter of the world we were approaching, and the uncertainty -colored our conversation in the dogwatch. Shipwrecks and other -disasters at sea were also brought up, and the more terrible the -tales, the greater the interest. - -“Suppose anything happened to us off the coast of Japan. What should -we do?” said one of the men. - -“It might be another case like the _Essex_,” replied Kreelman. - -There was a demand for the tale of the _Essex_. While I had read all -about that ill-fated vessel, I was anxious to hear Kreelman’s -version. - -“In the year 1820,” he began, “the ship _Essex_ of Nantucket, -Captain Pollard, was cruisin’ in this very Pacific Ocean when whales -was sighted. The first whale they struck stove the boat. Two other -boats was soon fast to another whale, and the ship headed towards -them. All of a sudden a big sperm bull breached nearby and bore down -on the ship at full speed and struck her with tremendous force and -she begun to sink. The whale moved off, and then he come back, -openin’ and closin’ his big jaws and poundin’ the sea with his -flukes and dashed into her again; and pretty soon she was on her -beam ends. Owen Chase, the mate of the _Essex_, writ a book in which -he said that there wasn’t no such thing as chance about it, that the -whale was mad because they had struck his companions and that he -meant revenge. In three boats captain, officers and crew made for -Peru, which was nearly three thousand miles away. They at first -reached an island where nobody lived, and three of them preferred to -die there rather than go through what the men would have to go -through who were to go on in the open boats. One boat was never -heard from. When one of them gave up and died the others ate his raw -flesh like wolves. At last they were rescued. Three in one boat was -picked up by one ship, and two in the other boat by another ship. -Captain Pollard was one of the men that was saved. Word got round to -Nantucket, before his return, of the awful time he and his shipmates -had had, and when he come back the streets was lined with people, -and not a word was said as he walked with bowed head to his home.” - -Kreelman’s tale was correct. Some one said, “Fancy Chest, you are a -scholard and have read about such things. You can’t tell no tale -that can beat that.” - -“I don’t want to,” I declared. “The story of the _Essex_ is all true -and I trust it may never be repeated; but I can tell a story of a -whale as savage as the one which sank the _Essex_. He too attacked a -whaler, but no lives were lost.” - -“Go on,” they shouted. - -“In 1850 the _Parker Cook_ of Provincetown, while cruising in the -Atlantic, lowered two boats for a bull sperm. The boat-steerer of -one of the boats made fast with two irons, and the whale capsized -her. The line fouled and nearly severed the boat-steerer’s leg from -the body. He fortunately was able to cut the line, and the other -boat picked up the men in the water and returned to the ship. But -the whale wasn’t satisfied. Like the destroyer of the _Essex_, he -made for the _Parker Cook_ and struck her with great force, throwing -the men to the deck and burying the cutwater and stem up to the -planking in his head. Then he repeated the performance but with -abated force. The captain lowered another boat, and, when they were -in close quarters, fired three bomb lances into the creature and so -wounded him that he spouted blood. Every time the whale made for the -boat, great skill was required in avoiding his charges. The whale -was at last killed, and when tried out yielded a little over a -hundred barrels. The vessel put into Fayal for medical treatment for -the boat-steerer and for repairs. Lucky it was that the attack was -directly on the stem. Had it been on any other part of the vessel -she would probably have shared the fate of the _Essex_.” - -The men called for another, and I responded: - -“Of course, what I have just told I read out of a book, and, as you -ask for another, I’ll give you this which I also read out of a book, -but it’s true nevertheless. While near the Azores in 1832, the -mate’s boat of the _Barclay_ of Nantucket struck a whale with both -irons, and, when the mate went forward to use the lance, the whale -turned and killed him and then escaped. A few days after, the -_Hector_ of New Bedford fell in with the same whale, and several -boats were lowered. The whale made for the mate’s boat. This -officer, by a quick move, avoided the encounter, and the -boat-steerer threw his harpoon successfully, but the whale turned -and smashed the bow of the boat. He then demolished the captain’s -boat. While the crew were picked up, the whale proceeded to bite up -the pieces of the broken craft, and succeeded with a single -exception. This was a keg. As the keg bobbed up and down on the -waves, the whale tried to capture it with his teeth, but -unsuccessfully, and he seemed very angry. After the men had reached -the ship, the whale and the keg were still in evidence. The mate now -picked a crew and lowered again. The whale then lost interest in the -keg and made for the boat. Its occupants, terror-stricken, pulled -for the ship. Several times they barely escaped from the whale’s -jaws, and they were becoming exhausted when the whale, which had -been fighting of course with his belly up, turned over to lift his -head out of water and take in some fresh air. The boat was so near -that the mate was able to drive his lance into the creature’s -vitals, killing him almost instantly. The harpoons of the _Barclay_ -were found in his body.” - -The men were very attentive and thoughtful. One of them said, “If a -boat’s crew should lose the ship in these waters we’re goin’ to, it -wouldn’t do to land, and I don’t know what would become of ’em.” - -Kreelman turned to me and said, “Fancy Chest, that reminds me of the -bark _Janet_. I’ve heard the story, but you’ve read about it, I -suppose. So go on and tell it.” - -“Yes, I have read about it. In 1849 a boat’s crew succeeded in -killing a whale, and soon after the boat was capsized. All the -contents except the oars were lost. The men were able to right the -craft, but she was water-filled, and the sea was so rough that to -prevent the boat from foundering the oars were lashed across her. -Night was coming on and, unfortunately, they were not seen from the -vessel. Working their way to the dead whale, they made fast to him -and endeavored to empty the water from the boat, but the sea was so -rough that they were forced to cut loose. After a night of great -suffering they looked in vain for the bark. They could make little -headway, and they were all exhausted, so they put the boat before -the wind. On the second day the sea subsided, and they were -encouraged to throw over the boat and empty the water. One man was -lost in the unsuccessful endeavor, and two of the men soon went mad. -The nearest land was an island off the coast of Peru, a thousand -miles away. The weak and discouraged crew summoned all their -strength and tore the ceiling from the boat, with which to rig a -wooden sail. They steered their course at night by the stars, and by -day suffered great agony from the heat. There was neither food nor -water for seven days, and then they drew lots, and one of their -number was killed and eaten. A shower fell, but too late. On the -eighth day another man died and on the ninth another shower -furnished water. Then a dolphin leaped into the boat. For several -days birds came so near that the men were able to kill them. Twenty -days after the boat capsized they reached the island off Peru. There -they killed a wild pig and two days later were taken off by the -_Leonidas_ of New Bedford.” - -“Well,” observed one of the men, repeating the previous remark, “if -a boat gets lost from a ship on the ground we are goin’ to, they’d -have a hard time of it. It wouldn’t do to land there, and where -could they land?” - -This observation gave rise to discussion, and the expression of -views showed a woful ignorance of geography. Kreelman seemed to have -the best grasp of the situation. - -“Gentlemen,” he said, “this coast of Japan ground, as they call it, -stretches over an awful distance. It runs clear down pretty near to -the Caroline Islands. That’s south, and I shouldn’t be surprised if -we touched there for supplies before we go north again. A man who -cruised in this ocean and was once on this ground told me all about -it.” - -“There ain’t no danger from savages round here, is there?” asked one -of the men. - -“No danger in these days,” replied Kreelman. “In old days -occasionally a whaler in this ocean was never heard from. Some -thought shipwreck, some thought cuttlefish and some thought savages. -I don’t know. I don’t believe there will ever be again such a case -as the _Sharon’s_. That was twenty years ago. One of the men who was -on board told me about it years ago.” - -The sea was quite tranquil, we were sailing freely and there was -silence. I knew that all Kreelman wanted was encouragement. - -“I have heard of that case,” I observed. “It was in 1842.” - -“How do you know?” - -“Oh, I’ve read about it.” - -“Well, readin’ ain’t always knowin’. When you hear a thing from a -man who’s been there it’s first hand, and, when you get it out of a -book, it’s second hand.” - -“Well,” I observed, “you had no objection, not long ago, to listen -to stories I took from books.” - -Kreelman made no reply and on his own invitation told the story in -his quaint way. - -“Well, you see, this _Sharon_ touched at an island where a number of -the crew deserted, and she put to sea with only seventeen men all -told. One day two boats were lowered for whales, and the captain, a -Portuguese boy and three natives of the Kingsmill group of islands -was left on board. They took a whale and the ship bore down and took -him alongside, and then they trimmed the sails to prevent her -forgin’ ahead. The boats were now after other whales. - -“Soon the signal flag of the ship at half-mast informed those in the -boats that there was trouble on board and they put for the ship. -When within hailin’ distance the boy, who was in the riggin’, called -out that the natives had killed the captain and had control of the -ship. One of the natives shook a cuttin’-spade at the men in the -boats. Then he said somethin’ in his own language to the fourth -native who was in one of the boats. They thought that he asked him -to jump overboard and swim to the ship, but the man in the boat -shook his head. Then the fellow on deck threw the cook’s axe and he -aimed so good that the man in the boat only saved himself by dodgin’ -it. - -“The mate was afraid that the savages would swing the yards and that -the sails would catch the wind, so he called to the boy in the -riggin’, ‘Cut the halyards of the upper sails on the mainmast and -then go forward on a stay and cut ’em on the foremast.’ The boy done -it, and then the boats got close together and the mates talked over -what they’d better do. One said one thing, and another another. - -“Benjamin Clough, only nineteen years old, was third mate of the -ship. Clough stood up in the bow of the first mate’s boat, picked up -a lance and hurled it at a savage standin’ on the ship’s rail, but -the warp was too short and the savage laughed at him. Then Clough -said that, if the boy would cut loose the foreroyal stay and let it -drop into the water from the end of the jib boom, he would swim to -the ship with the warp of the lance in his mouth and fight the -savages single-handed. The mate said, ‘All right,’ and they called -to the boy, but he was weak from bein’ afraid and tired out, and -couldn’t do it. The ship didn’t drift much, and they stayed in the -boats till night come on. - -“Now this Clough was an awful smart fellow and he said once more -that he would swim to the ship, and the first mate told him to go -ahead. He took off every rag he had on, then he took a boat knife in -his teeth, and he didn’t care if the sea was full of sharks; he swam -straight to the stern of the vessel, climbed up the rudder and got -into the cabin through a window. He found, in the dark, two -cutlasses and two muskets, which he loaded. A native come down the -steps and Clough attacked him with a cutlass and cut out one of his -eyes, but in the struggle Clough’s right hand was badly cut. The -native was as good as killed. - -“One of the other two savages come to the head of the stairs with a -cuttin’ spade in his hand. Clough pointed a musket with his left -hand and right forearm and fired it and killed the fellow. As his -body come down stairs, bringin’ the spade with him, it struck -Clough’s left arm and cut it badly. And now see what a smart fellow -the first mate was. Through the cabin window Clough told him what he -had done, and how badly he was hurt, and called for help and said -that only one savage was alive. But the brave mate replied that, as -he had only heard one shot, he believed that only one savage was -dead, so he wouldn’t help Clough. The poor fellow stretched out on -the cabin floor helpless. In half an hour the boat come under the -stern, and the men climbed in through the windows. The native who -hadn’t been hurt jumped overboard but come on board again during the -night and was put in irons. Clough’s wounds healed and, when he got -back, his owners made him captain of the _Sharon_ and then built a -new ship for him.” - -The men were greatly pleased with Kreelman’s story; they were loud -in their praises of Clough; and, as foremast hands have generally a -pretty low estimate of the upper officers, they expressed their -opinion of the first mate in uncomplimentary language. This -conference during the dogwatch was the most interesting of any in -the whole voyage. Most of my companions had looked forward to this -long cruise with some forebodings, and the stories narrated -pertained to experiences and incidents which some of them probably -felt they might themselves encounter before the season was over. But -Kreelman’s tale had thrilled them. What gloom there had been was -dissipated, and the men went to the watch below that night all ready -for their labors in the months before them. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE COAST OF JAPAN AND THE CAROLINES - - -One would think from the name “Coast of Japan” that whalers cruised -off the land. In truth they cruised generally some distance from it, -for, as has been said, sperm whales do not like soundings and are -found in deep water. Fortunately we did not experience a typhoon or -any violent storm. We saw a few vessels that looked like junks, but -they did not come near enough for us to hail them. Of whalers we saw -not a few, and we gammed with several of them. During the months we -were there we took three hundred and fifty barrels of sperm oil and -were about to start for the Caroline Islands, as Kreelman had -predicted, when I had the most eventful experience of my life. As I -recall it after all these years, I shudder and renew my gratitude -for deliverance. - -The day before we were to sail for the Carolines, whales were -announced in the afternoon, and Silva’s and Lakeum’s boats were -lowered. The wind was right; so the masts were stepped and the sails -set. For heavy whaleboats, built for service and not for speed, we -made very good time. Every one was happy, and I fancy that the men -in both boats contemplated a good day’s work with a couple of -whales, at least, fast to the ship. - -Silva’s boat had the advantage, and within an hour from the time of -leaving the ship was fast to a whale. The other whales vanished, so -we took in sail and awaited developments. In the meantime the wind -had shifted, but we could see the ship in the distance, and she was -of course beating towards us. It is difficult to tell what a whale -will do under water, and he doesn’t propose to let anybody know. -When he disappears you may think that he will reappear at some point -in the distance and then, of a sudden, he will emerge not far from -the place where he sounded. Not a whale was now to be seen; but we -were sure that one at least would soon be in evidence, and that was -the one that had been struck by the harpooner of Silva’s boat. But -we lost interest in that leviathan, for suddenly a great sperm whale -rose not more than a hundred feet from our craft. We were ordered to -take the paddles, and in less than a minute the bow just touched the -big fellow’s body. With his left leg in the clumsy cleat and his -stalwart figure strongly outlined against the western sky, where the -sun was now hardly visible, our boat-steerer threw both harpoons -with splendid effect. We were quick to respond to Lakeum’s order, -but the flukes were very inactive and there were hardly any suds to -get out of; and the whale showed no inclination to sound. - -“I’ve been in a boat for thirty years,” said one of our men, “and I -never see a whale like that before. I believe he’s sick, and I -shouldn’t be surprised if he had five hundred pounds of ambergris in -him worth a good deal more than a hundred thousand dollars.” - -We had pretty quick proof of the fact that the whale was not sick, -and we never had the opportunity to learn whether or not he was rich -in ambergris. The monster deliberately turned belly up and came for -us. - -Lakeum yelled, “Up with your oar, Bleechly.” That meant, of course, -a signal to the other boat for help. The whale took our boat in his -teeth, and all of us, with one exception, jumped into the water. The -exception was a quiet, inoffensive man, and an excellent sailor whom -we all liked, and who had been friends with every one during the -voyage. The whale seized him so that the head and arms alone were to -be seen. The poor man uttered a fearful shriek, and there came to -his face an expression of anguish and despair. Then he disappeared -and the whale proceeded to chew our boat into bits. Five men -struggling in the water, and an angry whale likely to devour them at -any moment! - -The whale was indifferent to the others. He directed his attention -to me. I was a good swimmer and my salvation depended on my -successfully eluding him, and on my keeping afloat until help -arrived. The monster turned over, closed his jaws and came feeling -around slowly and carefully. He passed close to me, and, afraid of -his flukes, I grasped the warp attached to the harpoons in his body -and was towed a short distance. The moment he slacked speed, I dove -under, so as to clear the flukes and come up astern of them. Now I -felt rather secure; but strange to say he turned and half breached -as he came for me. If he had struck me a full blow, I should have -been crushed to pieces. I think the end of his jaw may have just -touched my body. At any rate, down I went, and, when I came up, he -had turned so that I was able to get hold of the warp again. Now he -seemed to be puzzled. - -My four companions, all of whom appeared to be good swimmers, were -struggling in the water, but he paid no attention to them. He -pounded the sea with his flukes and then turned over again. I had to -release my grasp and as his great body rolled against me, I was half -stunned and half drowned, and consciousness left me. When I came to, -it was dark. I felt very sore on the side where the whale had rolled -against me, and I was extremely weak. - -I muttered, “Where am I? Where am I? Am I dead or alive?” - -Assurance came with the voice of Lakeum. “You are all right, -Bleechly. Let me tell you the whole story. When the whale turned -over, as you were clinging to the warp, he proceeded to bite up what -little pieces of the boat there were left. When you put the oar on -end as a signal, Silva ordered his warp cut and gave up his whale in -order to save us, and he arrived just in the knick of time. You were -taken aboard first, of course, and made as comfortable as possible; -then the rest of us were rescued.” - -“What became of the whale?” I broke in. - -“Oh, he made off. It was then growing dark and the ship was not to -be seen, but she’ll pick us up in the morning.” - -I was in considerable pain, and the wet clothes increased my -discomfort. It was pretty difficult to do much for a sick man in a -whaleboat with eleven men in it, but they did for me all they could, -and it is remarkable how kind and tender, at such times, rough and -unskilled men can be. The long, dreary night at last ended and the -sun rose beautifully, but in my condition it made no impression upon -me. Not far away was a curious-looking vessel which Lakeum said was -a junk, and it seemed to be bearing down on us. I heard them say -that our vessel’s top-hamper could just be seen. The wind was now -favorable, water was thrown on the sail, and the men took to the -oars as well. With this double method of propelling the boat it made -pretty good time. I was propped up in a little space at the stern, -just where I was clear of the oarsmen, and where I was afforded -unrestricted vision. - -The junk seemed to be gaining on us. Then it suddenly occurred to me -why the men were at the oars and why water was thrown on the sail. -Strange to say this apprehended peril didn’t disturb me. The -interest inspired largely relieved me of suffering. The stranger -kept gaining on us and soon I could see men on her deck. Now -I turned a little, although the effort was somewhat painful, -and noticed that the _Seabird_ was not so very far off, as her -upper rigging was visible. Lakeum encouraged the men in a low -tone, and the situation had the aspect of a race. The junk was a -strange-looking object with its lugsails, the first I had ever seen, -and its low prow. But while she was gaining on us we were making -good time, and, of course, our own ship was approaching, though she -was beating to windward. There is much mystery at sea about -currents, but there is more mystery about wind. Sometimes three -vessels may be seen, each sailing with a different wind. Suddenly -the junk changed her course; the wind was no longer friendly. In -less than a quarter of an hour we were alongside the _Seabird_, and, -while I was able to walk, I was not fit for duty; so I was allowed -to go to my bunk in the dismal forecastle. - -For three days I could not respond to duty and, while I did not -receive the modern treatment which one receives from a trained -nurse, the carpenter drew supplies from the medicine chest, applied -lotions and wound bandages, if not always with a trained hand, yet -with good intent, fortified by words of sympathy and cheer. My -associates, rough seafaring men, were kind and moved quietly about -in our little enclosure, as if to relieve my suffering and -contribute to my comfort. Ohoo was particularly thoughtful, asking, -in his broken English, “What me do you? Me willin’ help all time.” -And the cook, my old friend, provided from his meager material -little dishes that were out of the usual. But constantly there was -presented the picture of our old companion in the whale’s jaw—he of -whom we all had thought so well, and with whom we had never had a -difference—and my heart was filled with gratitude for my -preservation and deliverance. - -It was a pleasure to get back to work and to feel that we were on -our way to the Carolines. It was now March, 1861, and we were due at -our destination in May. Nothing eventful occurred during the -passage; a few whales were seen and boats were lowered, but in each -case the chase was abandoned. We were very happy when we caught the -first glimpse of land, for we knew that the stay was to be a pretty -long one. While there was much work to be done in overhauling the -ship and taking aboard supplies, we were told that there would be a -good deal of liberty, as the spot we were to visit was remote from -any settlement, and the people with whom we were to deal were -natives. - -We dropped anchor in a small bay and there, right before us, was the -ship _Sunrise_ of New Bedford, stripped of boats, sails and so -forth, and hove down upon her side, so that the keel was exposed. We -soon learned that the ship had sprung a leak, and, as the nearest -civilized port was many miles away, the ship had been beached and, -under the direction of the carpenter, the necessary repairs had been -made. - -I remember what Kreelman said, “Fancy Chest, there’s nothin’ like -whalemen. Merchantmen couldn’t do that. Whalemen are jacks at all -trades. A whaleship’s a little world, and there’s nothin’ that -whalemen can’t do.” And now, after many long years of rather varied -experience, I recall Kreelman’s words, and give them my hearty -approval. - -The first thing to do was to get temporary supplies. So a boat was -sent ashore with a little trade, and when it returned it brought -vegetables, fruit, fowl and pigs enough to last us for a fortnight -or more. - -The next day the ship was hauled in near shore and secured with -chain cables. By orders of the captain, Lakeum began the overhauling -and putting in order. The yards were sent down and the entire -rigging was examined and necessary renewals were made. All the -blocks were put in order. The masts were stayed, standing rigging -was set up, yards were crossed, running rigging was rove, sails were -bent and furled snug, and all the yards squared. All this took, of -course, a number of days. After that, general shore leave was -announced. The _Sunrise_ was now repaired, and about to be hauled -out to an anchorage, where she could be refitted with spars, -rigging, sails and so forth and refurnished with casks, provisions, -movables and the like. Here was work done in these two cases which -would have cost the owners a great deal of money had the vessels put -into port. - -All of us went ashore, and all hands of the _Sunrise_ were given -liberty at the same time. If the expression may be used, it was a -case of gamming on shore. The captains and officers got together, -and the crews went off by themselves. The island was one of the -smallest of the group. The natives were hospitable and invited us -into their little huts, where they set before us fruit, of which -there was a great variety and abundance, and their curiously cooked -food. The day was faultless and the whole experience most -delightful. The men of the two vessels affiliated beautifully. There -was no friction. In the late afternoon we all went in swimming, and -a luxury it was to men whose brief opportunity of obtaining a bath -on shipboard was afforded by a rainfall, and generally a very poor -opportunity, too. Just before separating, all gathered together, and -then for the first time the conversation turned to our respective -catches. The amount of our oil compared very favorably with that of -the _Sunrise_, but our new-made friends were inclined to be boastful -and assertive. One of our men said very quietly: - -“Oil is a good thing, but, when you have something on board worth -more than a thousand barrels of sperm, that’s a little better -thing.” - -“You ain’t discovered no diamond mine in the ocean, have ye?” asked -a _Sunrise_ man. His companions roared. - -“No,” replied our spokesman; “we didn’t discover no diamond mine. We -opened up a gold mine.” - -“What d’ye open it up with—a pickaxe?” Another loud laugh. - -“No, with a cutting spade; and the man on our ship who has the -largest lay is goin’ to see more money than he ever see before, when -his voyage is settled. A one-hundred-and-eightieth lay in seventy -thousand dollars worth of ambergris ain’t to be sneezed at.” - -As I recall the experience of that day I now regret that any -allusion was made to the ambergris. Its introduction into the -conversation seemed to disturb the pleasant relations, and the -leave-takings were cold and formal. - -Trade negotiations were renewed, and abundant supplies were taken on -board. We now learned that we were to proceed to the Okhotsk Sea. -Some bowheads remained in these waters during the summer, while many -passed out to seek the Arctic Ocean. It was rumored that the captain -had had such good luck the first season in the Arctic that he -believed it policy to change to another whaling ground. There may -have been a bit of superstition in this, but the change proved a -good one. Word was passed round that we were going to stand well to -the westward and go to the right of the Hawaiian Islands, and this -because the captain hoped to sight some whaler bound home, and -intrust a letter to her. Day followed day and only one small whale -was taken. Finally a speck was seen at the horizon in line of the -course we were taking. As we drew nearer the boats could be seen at -the davits, so we knew she was a whaler. Both vessels hove to, one -of our boats was lowered, and the captain went in her to visit the -stranger. On his return I was near the gangway and heard him say, -“The _Hepworth_ of New Bedford, bound home.” - -“Did you tell them about the ambergris?” asked Lakeum. - -“No, that’s such a tender subject that I thought I’d spare them. But -I learned something that was a great surprise. The captain said that -they told him, not long ago, in Honolulu, that last November a man -named Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.” - -“Did you ask the captain who Lincoln was?” - -“Yes, but he said he didn’t know.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - WHOSE WHALE WAS IT? - - -We arrived at the Okhotsk Sea in the early summer; and one has only -to visit that inlet to learn how extensive it is. The weather was -not so severe as that of the Arctic, and so far as we were concerned -we found the whaling equally good. Our captain followed the method -he had adopted in the Arctic of dropping a boat, sailing a long -distance and dropping another, and then taking a course between -them. The bowheads seemed a little more active than those in the -Arctic, but, if once struck, there was nothing to fear except their -terrible flukes. There was much conjecture as to some probable -creature who would yield more oil than the Gay Header’s whale, and -thus be the means of bestowing the watch on another. One whale, the -largest in the Okhotsk, yielded one hundred and fifty-eight barrels -and the Gay Header was safe. - -In the whaling days there were quarrels over whales, and a few -lawsuits, too. Strange that these differences should arise at places -thousands of miles distant from Massachusetts, and that the cases -should be tried in the United States Court in that State. How could -there be any quarrel or lawsuit over a whale lying dead on the -surface of the ocean? And the question may be answered by asking -another question, “Whose whale was it?” That is, the question was -not always who killed the whale but who owned the whale after it was -killed. - -There was a usage generally observed by whalemen that when a whale -was struck, and the harpoon, with the line attached, remained in the -whale, but the line did not remain fast to the boat, and a boat’s -crew from another ship continued the pursuit and captured the whale, -and the master of the first ship claimed the whale on the spot, the -whale belonged to the first ship. At last the matter was taken into -the United States Court, and the judge held that the usage was a -good one and that the whale belonged to the first ship. - -Two lawsuits arose over whales captured in the Okhotsk Sea. One, as -follows: Having killed a bowhead, the first mate of the whaler -anchored the whale in five fathoms of water and attached a waif, -intending to return the next day. Early in the morning, boats of -another New Bedford whaler towed the whale to their ship, where it -was cut-in and boiled down. It turned out that the anchor didn’t -hold in the night, that the cable coiled around the whale’s body, -and that no waif irons were attached to it. The captain of the -vessel whose boat had originally killed the whale visited the other -ship and laid claim to the whale; for oil and bone worth five -thousand dollars or more were not to be given up without something -more than a protest. If the captain of the vessel which had the oil -and the bone had yielded, the bone could easily have been then -delivered, but to turn over great casks of oil from one vessel to -another, in a rough sea, was not so easy. But the captain wouldn’t -yield. The discussion between the two masters was bitter and -boisterous. - -“I killed the whale,” said the captain of the first vessel. - -“Your first mate says he killed it.” - -“Now don’t be smart. You know when I said ‘I’, the reference was to -my ship.” - -“Where’s the proof that anybody in your ship killed it?” - -“Proof enough. Even if the waif was gone, the whale was dead, and I -can show that the warp coiled around the body was the warp of my -ship.” - -The captain of the other vessel thundered back, “The whale belongs -to this ship, and the oil and bone from him will stay on this ship -until we get back to New Bedford, and what are you going to do about -it?” - -“You’ll find out what we are going to do about it when we get back -to that port.” - -And the visiting captain went to his boat. They did find out, for -when they returned, the United States Court held that the ship whose -first mate killed the whale was entitled to the value of the oil and -bone. - -The subject of the second lawsuit was a bowhead in which we were -interested, and a big one, too. Both our vessel and another one laid -claim to it. When, on a very fair day for that part of the world, -bowheads were sighted, all our boats were lowered. As a rule the -captain of a whaler did not go in a boat, but remained on the ship -with the cooper, steward, cook, spare hands and so forth. But now -and then the captain would take a hand in whaling. - -Twice before, during the voyage, Captain Gamans had commanded a -boat, and each time had been unsuccessful. There was a little fun -among the men over the captain’s failure—of course, with -themselves—and I happened to hear a remark one day from Silva which -made me believe that the officers had a little fun also, among -themselves, at the captain’s expense. I have the impression that the -captain wanted to make good, for on this day he decided to go in the -boat. - -There were several bowheads in sight, and rather far off. Our men -pulled away lustily, but when we were pretty near a big fellow, shy -and sly, like all of his kind, down he went, and when he came up the -signal from the ship showed him so far away that we gave up the -chase. Two other boats were in pursuit of whales, and they, too, -were unsuccessful, while the fourth boat made fast to a bowhead. -Then there was a commotion in the boat, the men moving around -quickly as if something had happened. Lakeum said, “It’s the -captain’s boat. I hope he hasn’t had any more bad luck. It looks to -me as if they have cut the line. I hope nobody’s hurt. We’ll make -for her.” And so we did, while the two unsuccessful boats put back -to the ship. - -When we came up, the captain told us that they had hardly struck -when there was a kink in the line, and they immediately cut the -warp. “But,” he exclaimed, “there are two irons in him, and there is -nothing to do but chase him up. The whale didn’t sound for a long -period and the direction he took was to wind’rd.” There was no -stepping the mast and setting the sail, so the men in the two boats -tugged away at the oars. - -We pursuers were soon outdistanced. Our own ship had not been able -to work to windward, and so had to beat her way in the direction we -were taking. As Lakeum pushed on my oar, he said, “These bowheads -are so shy and cunning you are only sure of them when they are -cut-in and stowed down. It may be that fellow will hold up till we -reach him, but I should feel more satisfied if it was a sperm.” - -We had been pulling for an hour or more, and we were tired and, I -think, pretty cross, when Lakeum said, “There’s a boat clear ahead, -and, as far as I can see, it’s fast to a whale.” This was -encouraging, if the whale were the one the captain’s boat had lost. -But what chance was there? I think if it had been put to vote, our -men would have voted that the chase was a foolish one. But it wasn’t -a foolish one. Even sailors are often mistaken as to things which -happen on the sea. Our boat was just a little ahead of the captain’s -and when we arrived the whale was in the last flurry and soon rolled -over. Captain Gamans was an assertive man, and was never much -troubled with modesty. - -“That whale belongs to me,” he shouted. - -It had seemed to me that the captain took some risk in his -assertion, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. - -“Guess again,” said the mate of the other boat. - -“You’ll find two fresh harpoons in him, with the cypher of my ship -on them,” insisted Gamans. - -The mate of the boat merely ignored our captain and gave orders to -attach the tow-line. The men obeyed as if they were unaware that -there were claimants of the whale in the neighborhood. - -Captain Gamans was exasperated and shouted, “My ship’s harpoons are -in that whale, and I claim the whole carcass, bone and all.” - -“Keep on claiming,” replied the mate. - -“I can see the line attached to the harpoon, and I’m going to keep -on claiming my ship’s property, and I’m going to have it, too.” - -“How are you going to get it?” inquired the mate, who now looked -defiance, and kept changing the lance from one hand to the other, as -if he was about to use it for some other purpose than on the -bowhead’s body. - -“I’m going to cut out them harpoons and examine them myself.” - -“No, you’re not.” - -“We’ll see about it. You know what the usage is—you see our vessel -there working up from the leeward. What does that mean? Here are our -two boats in the open sea. What does that mean? Here’s a whale with -fresh harpoons in him. What does that mean? And the whale killed by -the boat of another vessel, for there’s your vessel to the windward -bearing down on us. What does that mean?” - -“What are you, a lawyer? You talk as if you was making an argument -to a jury, but there’s only six men in the boat and that’s only half -a jury.” - -This produced a laugh, and our captain was now furious. - -“Did you hear what I said?” he shrieked. - -“No, I didn’t. I was calculatin’ how much this old fellow would stow -down and how much bone he would yield. Then I was figurin’ how much -the whole thing would bring in money. Then I was makin’ out what we -men in this boat would get on our lays. When a man’s usin’ his mind -on heavy matters, he ain’t got no time to attend to little things.” - -Our boat was between the captain’s and that of the stranger. Captain -Gamans called out, “Lakeum, back water and give me a chance.” - -I saw that Lakeum did not want to comply, but the command was from -his superior, and he was bound to obey. Lakeum gave the order in a -slow tone, and we oarsmen responded with more alacrity, for we -wanted to see what the outcome would be. As the captain’s boat -advanced, he exclaimed: - -“Now I’m going to show you the harpoons of my ship in that whale.” - -“No, you ain’t.” - -“There they are,” declared the captain, “and the short warps -attached to them.” - -“You can’t prove it,” roared the stranger. - -“We’ll see if I can’t,” retorted the captain. - -The bow of our boat touched the stranger’s on the port side, near -the stern. Each man brandished his lance, and it looked like a -battle, which might result perhaps in a tragedy, when a voice rang -out: - -“Jessup, put up your lance. I’ll handle this matter.” - -In our excitement we were not aware that a boat had been -approaching, and now, as we heard the sharp command and turned to -look at the craft, we rightly inferred that it belonged to the -vessel bearing down on us from the windward. - -Our captain fixed his gaze on the stranger; the expression of anger -left his face; his lips just parted; his eyes sparkled. Then he -muttered, “I can hardly believe it.” But he did seem to believe it, -for he called out, “Is that you, Gates? I thought you was in New -Bedford.” - -“Well, Gamans, I knew you wasn’t there, but I didn’t expect to see -you here. I thought you was in the Arctic this season.” - -“I was last year, but where did you come from, Gates?” - -“I’m master of the _Oriole_, the old ship you and I were -boat-steerers in some years ago. And there she is, bearing down on -us. But what’s this row about?” - -“Your mate is laying claim to my whale. We struck him a while ago -and the lines parted. Then we followed him up with all speed and -when we got here we found that your mate’s boat had put irons in -him, and the whale didn’t turn over until after we arrived.” - -“Can you show your irons in him?” - -“I can, if I have a chance.” - -There was a laugh all around, and the mate of the _Oriole_ seemed to -assent to the merriment, for a faint smile lighted his countenance. - -“I’ll give you the chance,” Gates responded. - -The two captains examined the leviathan, and, sure enough, there -were two fresh irons in the whale with a short piece of warp -attached to each. We laid on our oars, awaiting the result. Captain -Gamans examined the harpoons carefully and then, turning to Captain -Gates, said, “There’s our cypher stamped in each of them.” - -Captain Gamans maintained that the case came within the usage -acknowledged and followed by whalemen. Captain Gates replied, “I -don’t know but it does, Gamans, but I can’t give up that whale for -old friendship’s sake. I have my owners to look out for as well as -officers and crew. It seems as if our men did some of the killing. -Be that as it may, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You take the whale -and then we’ll gam this evening and draw up some kind of an -agreement which shall state all the facts to satisfy our owners, and -which may be evidence in court, if the case can’t be settled in any -other way. I want to see your ship, for I’ve never been in her -before. But you know the _Oriole_ of old, so I’m going to invite -myself aboard of your vessel.” - -“Good,” said Captain Gamans. Then he continued earnestly, “What’s -the news from home?” - -“The chief news is the war.” - -“What war?” - -“The Civil War.” - -“I didn’t know that war could be civil. I thought it was pretty -uncivil.” - -“Don’t you know there’s war between the North and the South?” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Why, the southern States have left the country—that is, they -haven’t cleared out, but have left the government and set up one of -their own. Each side has armies, and there’s fighting going on.” - -“I declare,” said Captain Gamans. “This is the first time we’ve -heard of it. We learned that a man named Lincoln was elected -President, but the war’s a surprise.” - -We were all excited, and as we pulled for our ship there was general -regret that we knew so little of the great conflict, and that it -would be many months before we should know more. - -The vessels kept near each other that night—what night there was. At -about six bells Captain Gates came aboard, and some of us were -anticipating a nice gam with the men who brought him in the boat, -when Lakeum came to me and said, “The captain wants you in the -cabin.” - -What did it mean? I had no right in that part of the ship unless -summoned; and, indeed, I had not been in the cabin since the voyage -began. Was I supposed to be guilty of some offense, and was I to -appear before the captain as a criminal appears before a judge? - -I entered with mingled fear and anticipation, and received from -Captain Gamans the curt statement, “I sent for you because you’re a -good penman, as I’ve seen from your handwriting in the logbook. And -you’ve had a better education than most of us, even if you are a -boy. We shall want you in a few minutes. Sit down there until we are -ready, and keep quiet.” - -I complied, but my heart was with the visitors on deck, and I -listened listlessly to the rambling conversation of the captains. -The only subject of any interest to me was the reference to their -going in the boats, and this ended the colloquy. - -“How many times have you been in the boat, Gates?” asked our -captain. - -“Three times.” - -“What luck?” - -“None, twice—third time, uncertain. And you, Gamans?” - -“Three times.” - -“What luck?” - -“None, twice—third time, uncertain.” - -Both men saw the joke and laughed heartily. - -Captain Gamans fumbled about and brought out some letter paper, a -small bottle of ink, which had not been opened, and an aged -penholder to which was attached a rusty pen. I dug out the cork of -the bottle with a knife, and then the two captains began their -dictation. There was little difference in their view of the -situation and in their respective claims to the whale. The trouble -seemed to be their inability to express themselves in proper -English, and I was quite proud when they relied on me, occasionally, -to supply a word and straighten out their sentences, although, by -their manner, they seemed to regard me, all the time, as an -inferior. To shorten the story, the agreement, in its final form was -as follows: - - It is agreed by the captains of the _Oriole_ and - _Seabird_ as follows: The captain’s boat of the - _Seabird_ struck a bowhead in the Okhotsk sea. The - harpoons held, but the lines parted, and the bowhead - made off. Two _Seabird’s_ boats followed the whale in - the direction he took. It was a long pull, for the whale - was out of sight. At last the two boats came up to where - a boat of the _Oriole_ had struck and was killing a - bowhead. The mate of the _Oriole_ used the lance and the - bowhead rolled over after the Seabird’s boats had - arrived on the spot. The captain of the Seabird claimed - the whale as belonging to his ship, and the mate of the - _Oriole_ denied the claim. While a discussion was going - on, the captain of the _Oriole_ came up in his boat and - interfered, and it was agreed between the captains that - they should examine the whale to see if there were fresh - harpoons in him. Pretty soon they found two with a small - end of line attached in each case. On washing the irons, - they found in them the cypher which showed that the - irons belonged to the _Seabird_. Both captains lay claim - to the whale. They have drawn up this agreement for the - benefit of their owners, and, if their owners cannot - agree as to who owns the whale, then this statement may - be used in court as a true statement of the facts, if - the court agrees to its being used. Both of us have - signed our names hereto. - -When I had made a good copy of the above stipulation, that is, as -good a copy as I could make with the worthless pen, I passed the -paper over to my superiors for them to sign. - -“You sign first, Gates.” - -“No, you sign first, Gamans.” - -“I’ve got a little rheumatism in my hand, Gates.” - -“I’ve got a kink in my forefinger, Gamans.” - -I wanted to say, “What is the use of making all this fuss? Neither -of you can hardly more than sign his name, but that’s no disgrace. -Some of the ablest captains have little education and, if they had -been educated, they probably never would have risen to be captains. -And here you two men are acting like old women who, when they sign -their names, give all manner of excuses because their handwriting is -so poor.” - -“Give me the pen, then,” said our captain. - -It took a mighty effort for him to write his name. He twisted his -body and cramped his fingers, and, when the task was over, handed me -the pen with a gesture of impatience. - -I said, in a very respectful tone, “Don’t you think you had better -write underneath the words, ‘Captain of the _Seabird?_’” - -“Look here, young fellow, do you suppose I am going to write a -book?” he replied, sharply. - -“The boy’s right, Gamans.” - -“I think it will do no harm if I do it for you, as you have written -your name in full,” I suggested. - -“Go ahead, then.” - -Then Captain Gates repeated our captain’s performance, and the -last-named deliberately folded up the paper and put it in his -pocket. “Where do I come in, Gamans? How can you keep that paper -when I ain’t got none?” - -“I’ll keep it for you; I’m honest.” - -The two men had been very friendly that evening, and a bottle and -two empty glasses in sight justified at least the inference of -conviviality. It looked for the first time like a clash, when I -modestly intimated that a copy might be made and executed like the -original. Consent was given, and the copy was made and signed with -the same fuss which attended the execution of the original. - -Serenity restored, Captain Gates said, “I’ll tell you where I’ve got -you, Gamans. It’s in the long distance you rowed from the time you -struck the whale and lost him until you reached our boat.” - -“And I’ll tell you where I’ve got you, Gates. When our boats got up -to the whale, your mate hadn’t used the lance, and the whale hadn’t -yet rolled over.” - -A glance from Captain Gamans told me that I was dismissed. I was -glad to get forward where the visiting crew were. They were giving -our men the news from home. - -When one of them caught sight of me, he blurted out, “Hullo, Tom -Haggass, the last time I saw you, you were raidin’ my father’s -orchard.” - -“Well,” I rejoined, “the last time I saw you was three years ago, -when you cut a caper and were threatened with the State Reform -School. Besides, I’m not Tom Haggass. My name is Homer Bleechly.” - -A roar greeted the rejoinder. The captains appeared. As the boat -pulled away we gave them a hearty parting. A quarrel had been -averted and a good time enjoyed. - -Now as to the whale. The usage was on our side and, when we reached -home, we learned that it had been affirmed by the court in a case -whose facts were almost identical with ours. The oil and bone of -that bowhead brought forty-five hundred dollars. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - PITCAIRN ISLAND - - -We left the Okhotsk in September, with twelve hundred and fifty -barrels of whale oil and thirteen thousand pounds of bone, besides -the sperm we had taken. When it was learned that we were bound home -and, presumably, were not to call anywhere, there was discontent and -grumbling among the men. The captain was condemned for two reasons. -We needed a supply of vegetables and meat, and the men were now so -weary of the sea that they wanted shore leave once more. Fancy, -then, our satisfaction when word was passed round that the captain -proposed to call at Pitcairn Island and remain there for several -days. This meant that we would take on board fruit, vegetables, -goats, fowl and so forth. When I was a little boy, my father told me -all about the mutineers of the _Bounty_, and their residence on -Pitcairn Island for nearly twenty years without the world knowing -anything about them or they knowing anything about the world. Later -I read the story of Fletcher Christian and his companions, and, in -my last year in High School, and not long before shipping on the -_Seabird_, I wrote a composition on the subject, which I now offer -as a schoolboy’s narrative: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -In the latter part of the eighteenth century, a vessel, named the -_Bounty_, was sent out from England to Tahiti to obtain young -breadfruit plants and carry them to the West Indies. It was thought -that their cultivation would produce an excellent article of food -for the negroes on the plantations. Of this vessel William Bligh was -captain and Fletcher Christian was mate. The voyage was not a -pleasant one, and there was great discontent because of the poor -food and the cruelty of the captain. The vessel arrived at Tahiti in -October, 1788, and remained there several months, while officers and -crew were engaged in gathering breadfruit plants and stowing them -away on the vessel. On April 4, the vessel set sail. There was no -abatement of Bligh’s tyranny, his treatment of Christian being -particularly harsh and abusive. The accusations of falsehood and -theft, and the recollection of the indignities he had been compelled -to bear with patience and forbearance during the voyage forced -Christian to mutiny, as he knew that it would be fruitless, as a -junior officer, to bring his superior to a court martial. Bligh and -eighteen others were put in a boat and cut adrift. A landing was -effected by them at an island about thirty miles distant, where one -of their number was killed by the natives. Thence they set out on -the open sea and, after a voyage of over thirty-six hundred miles, -and encountering all kinds of weather, and enduring great sufferings -from hunger and thirst, they reached a Dutch settlement on the -island of Timor. They eventually reached England. - -Christian, having become captain of the _Bounty_, took the vessel to -the small island of Toubouai and then to Tahiti. There all the -mutineers preferred to remain except Christian, Alexander Smith and -seven others. These last took wives at Tahiti and six men as -servants, and embarked and set sail. When Bligh and his associates -reached England, much interest was manifested in his adventure, and -the British Government took steps to apprehend the members of the -_Bounty’s_ crew who had remained at Tahiti. A number of them were -brought back to England and tried, and three of them were found -guilty, and executed. - -We now return to the _Bounty_. Fletcher Christian belonged to an -English family of repute and prominence. A brother was a learned man -and a college professor. - -The design of Fletcher was to seek some island where he and his -companions would be safe from discovery. Captain Cartaret, in 1767, -discovered a solitary island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia -and South America and named it Pitcairn after a midshipman who was -the first to observe it. A copy of Captain Cartaret’s “Voyage to the -South Seas” was among the books left on board the _Bounty_, and its -description of this lovely island, it is thought, determined -Christian to seek it as a probably safe retreat for himself and -companions. Because of the want of correctness in the latitude and -longitude, laid down by Cartaret in the charts, the cruise lasted -several weeks. At last they sighted what was apparently a rock, -rising high in the ocean. It was a welcome sight, although there was -nothing to indicate that there was a beautiful interior with fertile -valleys and mountain sides clothed with palms. The _Bounty_ was -beached at a bend in the shore, which has ever since borne the name -of “Bounty Bay.” - -On landing, Christian divided the island into nine portions, one for -himself and the remainder for his companions. Then everything was -removed from the vessel—planks from her sides, nails, bolts, masts, -spars, sails, and her cargo of provisions, tools, guns, ammunition, -implements, goats, pigs and hens. Then they set fire to the hull and -it was completely burned up. - -Christian now became a changed man. He stocked a cave with water and -provisions and would spend whole days there, evidently intending to -make it his retreat in the event of pursuit and discovery, and, no -doubt, indulging in bitter reflections. For three years all went -well, and then trouble began when the whites endeavored to impose -upon their native servants. A plot to kill all the white men was -discovered by their wives, and thwarted. This plot was followed by -another, which partially succeeded. Christian was shot dead, while -cultivating his garden, and four of the other Englishmen were also -despatched. The survivors, feeling that they were not secure from -attacks, determined to destroy all the Tahitian men, and this -purpose was carried into effect. - -If quiet and contentment followed these barbarities they were of -short duration, for tragedies were in store. One of the four, named -McCoy, made an ardent spirit from a root, and he and one Quintail -were constantly intoxicated. McCoy threw himself from some rocks, -and was killed, and Quintail became so threatening and dangerous -that Young and Smith, the last of the nine, destroyed him to -preserve their own lives. This was the last scene in the dreadful -drama. - -Edward Young and Alexander Smith now experienced a complete change -of life. Resort was made to a Bible and prayer-book, which Christian -had brought with him, and which he himself had studied. Daily, -morning and evening prayer was established, as well as a system of -religious instruction. Young did not long survive, and in 1800 -Alexander Smith was the sole surviving man on the island. In the -meantime children had been born, and the responsibility and the -direction of the affairs of the little colony rested on Smith. - -Nearly twenty years passed without the world knowing what had become -of the _Bounty_, when information came in a curious and interesting -way. In September, 1808, the attention of Mayhew Folger, captain of -the American ship _Topaz_, was called to a rocky island rising -abruptly from the sea. Smoke was seen, and there were other signs of -habitation. A tremendous surf was beating on the shore, and the -captain was doubtful about a landing place, when a canoe was seen -approaching. The occupants hailed the new arrivals in good English, -and cordially invited them to land. The captain declined, but a -sailor volunteered to go in the canoe, provided the ship stood in -near to the land, so that he might swim back, if an attack was -attempted. On landing, the sailor was accosted by Smith, who told -him the whole tragic story of the _Bounty_, and informed him that -the birth of children had brought the population to thirty-five -persons, and that he was the sole guardian and instructor. This -intelligence was communicated to the captain, and he landed -forthwith. Smith was anxious, after the long exile, to learn the -world’s news. So the captain gave him an account of it, laying -emphasis on the fact that a little man named Napoleon Bonaparte had -come to the front, in France, had usurped the throne and had overrun -Europe with his armies, but that England had won great victories on -the sea—an announcement which was greeted by Smith with the -exclamation, “Old England forever!” - -When Captain Folger gave his story to the world, the interest taken -in it soon subsided, and six years elapsed before the island was -again visited. In 1814 two British frigates—the _Briton_ and the -_Tagus_—appeared, but this was accidental, as the island was not -laid down on their charts. A canoe came out to the _Briton_ and -there was a request from one of the two occupants, “Won’t you heave -us a rope now?” When asked, “Who are you?” he replied, “I am -Thursday October Christian, son of Fletcher Christian, the mutineer, -by a Tahitian mother, and the first-born on the island.” His -companion was Edward Young, son of the midshipman of that name in -the _Bounty_. Thursday October Christian was so named for the day -and month of his birth. Every one was impressed by the courteous -deportment of the young men, and they were shown over the ship. They -were absorbed in everything, astonished when they saw a cow, which -they took to be a large goat, and greatly interested in a little, -black terrier. Edward Young observed, “I know that is a dog. I have -heard of such things.” Refreshments were offered them in the cabin. -Before partaking, and at the conclusion of the repast, they sought -the divine blessing. - -When the captains went ashore, they were received by Smith, who had -changed his name to John Adams since the visit of Captain Folger, to -avoid recognition. He was hardly more than fifty and was hearty and -robust in appearance, but his countenance was that of one aged and -worn. He disclosed to his visitors the terrible events which had -occurred, but he stoutly maintained that he took no part in the -mutiny, and he expressed his disapproval of Captain Bligh’s -treatment of both officers and men. When asked if he would like to -return to England, he replied in the affirmative and expressed his -love for the land of his birth; but his family and friends would not -allow of his leaving the island. - -The officers were not only impressed with the moral aspect of the -community, but were greatly interested in the natural beauty of the -island. Its mountains rose to a height of more than a thousand feet -above the sea, and about their summits circled countless sea-birds. -The slopes down to the water’s edge were covered with groves of palm -and coconut and breadfruit trees. In the valleys tropical fruits -were produced in abundance, and the visitors were particularly -interested in the Taroroot, from which bread was made. The only -songster was a small species of flycatcher, but, later, warblers -from Valparaiso were introduced. - -On an elevated platform stood the little village of Pitcairn. The -houses surrounded a grassy square, protected by palisades to -preserve it from the depredations of goats, hogs, and poultry which -roamed about the island. The houses were built of boards, the sides -and ends planed and made to ship and unship on account of the warm -weather. The interior of the houses bespoke comfort and cleanliness, -and the beds and bedding were very neat. Each dwelling had a pen for -hogs, another for fowl and a building for manufacturing cloth. The -linen was made of the bark of the paper mulberry tree, steeped in -water, and then beaten out to the proper thickness by pieces of -wood. Varieties of cloth were also made from the breadfruit tree and -a kind of fig. - -The visitors were assured that each person considered his possession -as held for the general good, so disputes were easily settled; and, -if hasty words were uttered, the offender was ever willing to make -amends. Adams deeply impressed the captains of the frigates. They -made a favorable report to the Admiralty, but little interest was -taken, and Pitcairn was neglected. - -At length, John Buffett, one of the crew of a whale ship which -touched there, was so pleased with the place that he manifested a -desire to remain, and he was released from the ship. Not long after -another sailor, John Evans, joined the community. Both men married -Pitcairn girls. In 1825 the _Blossom_, Captain Beechy, a British -man-of-war, appeared off the island. During his stay of three weeks, -Captain Beechy gave close attention to conditions, customs and -proceedings. Sunday was strictly observed, and there were five -services in the day. Meals were prepared the day before, so that -there might be little work on the Sabbath. The fare consisted of -pork or fowl, which, according to the Tahitian method, was baked -between stones. There were vegetables, bread or pudding made of the -taroroot, and breadfruit. At this time there was enough water for -all wants, the supply coming from tanks cut in the rocks. There was -only a small natural stream. Captain Beechy touched upon the mutiny. -Adams talked freely, but affirmed that he had taken no part in it. - -In 1828 a third seafaring man came to the island and became, like -Evans and Buffett, a permanent settler. His name was George Hunn -Nobbs. On March 29, 1829, John Adams, the beloved pastor and -teacher, passed away, and Nobbs succeeded him. - -On his return, Captain Beechy memorialized the Admiralty, stating -that as the population increased there would be a scarcity of both -water and food. - -In 1830 there were eighty-seven persons in the colony, which was -visited by a long drought; and fears of a famine were entertained. -On the Government’s proposal, they all removed to Tahiti, where -Thursday October Christian died. The lax morals of the inhabitants -were distasteful to the Pitcairners, and the Buffett family and a -few others returned to the island only to find their plantations -ruined by the animals which had run wild in their absence. Soon -after an American brig brought back the remaining families, and all -set to work to restore their ravaged houses and gardens. - -Now all seemed favorable again, but a bitter experience was awaiting -them. Soon appeared a man named Joshua Hill, who announced that he -had been sent out by the Government to assume direction of the -affairs of the island. He assumed absolute authority and proved -himself as great a tyrant as he was imposter. Nobbs, Buffett and -Evans were compelled to leave the island. Fortunately in 1838 Hill -was taken away to Valparaiso, and the exiled men returned. - -The island now was more frequently visited by ships, and Pitcairn -became better known to the world. In 1848 the surgeon of a vessel -named the _Colypso_ was conducted to the east end of the island and, -reaching a place, the approach to which was extremely dangerous, he -made drawings of figures on the face of the rocks which represented -the sun, moon, birds and even human beings. On his return the people -showed him ancient spear and arrowheads. - -Captain James Wood of the _Pandora_, which arrived in July, 1849, -gave, in a letter, an interesting account of the settlement and -people. He described the young folks as good looking, having fine -teeth, pleasant faces and fine figures, generally clad in a long -white jacket with a dark-colored wrapper fastened around the waist -and hanging down to the ankles, wearing neither shoes nor stockings, -and having large and broad feet. He also said that their hair was -long, kept clean by the aid of coconut oil, and so turned up behind -as not to need a comb. - -As the population increased, it was regarded as desirable for the -whole colony to be transported to Norfolk Island. This conclusion -was reached with profound regret. The total number thus conveyed was -one hundred and ninety-four. Elaborate preparations were made for -them, and their reception was a kind one. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -After writing my composition it appeared that, in 1858, two families -by the name of Young returned to Pitcairn and other families soon -followed. In October, 1860, the inhabitants numbered seventeen. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE VISIT TO PITCAIRN - - -While our voyage had been a successful one, our outfits were not all -exhausted; we had material enough for the capture of a few more -sperm whales provided we could see them. The captain, however, was -anxious to reach home, and orders were no longer given to shorten -sail at night. So the old _Seabird_ made pretty good time for a -vessel of her type. There was not a member of the crew who had not -heard of Pitcairn, and one had visited the spot, and he was loud in -his praises of it and the people. This was before the departure to -Norfolk in the early fifties of the last century. He told us of the -kindness of the Pitcairners, of the noble bearing of the men and of -the beauty and kindness of the women. - -“I took a great fancy to two of them—John and Ruth Quintail,” he -said. “They were grandchildren of one of the mutineers. John was -twenty and Ruth eighteen. They did everything they could do for a -common sailor like me. They were both pretty religious like most of -the people, but they were full of fun. They could swim like ducks, -and while I was there Ruth swam round the island. She used to wear -an orange blossom in her beautiful hair. Our American girls are -called fair, but she was the fairest girl I have ever seen. I -suppose Ruth and John are at Norfolk Island now and will never go -back to Pitcairn.” - -Our interest constantly deepened, and I think that even the staidest -old tars were as expectant as if they had been boys. There are no -coral reefs around Pitcairn; it is of volcanic origin and is -sometimes likened to a rock rising out of the ocean. It is only two -and a half miles in length, and a mile in width. It was about midday -when we caught sight of it. While the ocean seemed rather calm, yet -as we drew near I noticed what I had already read, that the waves -dashed fiercely against it. There was only one place suitable for -landing, and even then a boat had to be skilfully managed in order -to avoid disaster. When not far from shore the ship was hove to, and -then a white flag was displayed which told that they saw us and that -we were welcome. Soon a boat put out and, as it came alongside, I -noticed that it was a dugout. One of the two occupants was -particularly interesting to me. As he moved about the deck he caught -sight of me and, approaching, said: - -“You and I must be of about the same age. I am sixteen and my name -is James Russell.” - -He was so pleasant and unassuming that I could not help saying to -myself that he would never make a sailor. Our visitors extended to -the captain a cordial invitation to visit the island and assured him -of a warm welcome. Of course this was intended to include officers -and crew. The captain made fitting acknowledgment, rather unusual -for one generally so abrupt, and replied that on the morrow there -would be shore leave for all except the few required to manage the -ship. - -We were like schoolboys that night, anxious and expectant. In the -dawn the island seemed one high peak covered with green creeping -plants and trumpet vines. As we approached in the boats a man -standing on an elevation showed us where to land. The surf was -beating fiercely on rock and beach, but we glided ashore without any -casualty. Nearly all of the eighteen then inhabiting the island were -there to receive us. Russell sought me out and brought me to a young -woman to whom I was presented in a very pleasant way. Her name was -Sarah McCoy. - -The ascent was slow as the path leading to the upland was very -steep. On arriving at the top, we were told that the large open -space was the market-place where trading was carried on with the -whalemen who occasionally called at the island. Thence we passed by -a pretty path winding through tropic trees to what was called the -town. Many of the buildings showed signs of neglect, the result of -the abandonment of the island only a few years before. Our guests -had restored some of the buildings, and to our surprise the interior -of the houses and their furnishings were about the same as those of -our own homes in America. - -Now let me describe Sarah McCoy. She was eighteen years of age and -while she was of dark complexion and had raven black hair, which was -prettily decorated with an orange blossom, yet in form and feature, -in conversation and deportment, there was much of the Anglo-Saxon. -Her attire was of tappa cloth, although I was told that all the -islanders had European clothing. Her teeth were beautiful. The -features were regular and the combination was pleasing. We were told -that we were to be parcelled out among the people for dinner, and it -was arranged that I was to be one of six who were to enjoy the -cooking of Sarah McCoy. - -The young girl said, with a laugh, “We are the most civilized people -in the world, in one respect, and that is cooking. We have no -stoves, yet we cook food in a very short time, and we think very -much better than food cooked in stoves. The dinner is all prepared -and there is only one thing to do to make it ready for the table. -Come, James Russell and I will show you over the island.” - -The girl was so artless, innocent and winning that I was quite -carried away with her. She was full of fun, and at times almost -boisterous with laughter, but modest and natural withal. Everywhere -we went we saw goats, pigs and fowl running wild, and I knew that -this meant a bountiful supply for our ship. I wish I could fittingly -describe the scenery. From countless fragrant herbs and lime and -orange trees delicious odors filled the air. The coconut trees were -supplied with tall plumes which waved gently above our heads, and I -should have thought that I was in some land of enchantment, far away -from the world, had it not been for the sound of the breakers -beating against the shore. - -My companions led me to a rocky elevation overlooking the sea. - -“How beautiful!” I exclaimed. - -“Yes, beautiful to you,” said young Russell, “but we see it all the -time. We study and read about England and America and long to see -the beautiful things there, isn’t that so, Sarah?” - -“Yes, indeed,” replied the young girl. “How much I would like to see -England, for in reality we are all English here.” The young girl -paused and soon continued, “They tell me that the American girls are -bright and beautiful. Is it not so?” - -What could a great boy like myself say to a question like that? I -think she meant to relieve me of my embarrassment, for she said -cheerily, - -“Tell me about the American girls—how they look and what they do?” - -In my simple boyish way I tried to comply, but not very -successfully; and I think she helped me out some by asking a second -question before I could answer the first. Suddenly she broke out, -“There are two things that girls do the world over—they sing and -dance. I would like to hear your girls sing and see them dance. I -suppose we all sing alike but we dance differently. We have a simple -dance which came to us from our Tahitian grandmothers. Yours is -different; you glide around in kind of circles, I think; but that -would be impossible for me.” - -I think that, if the girl had thought a moment, she would not have -made this allusion to her large bare feet which had never known -shoes. There was a troubled look to her eyes. Then there came a -ringing laugh. - -“But we girls can put our feet to a noble use. Swimming is as easy -to us as it is to the water fowl. We take to it from infancy. Only -yesterday I swam round the island.” - -“Swam round the island!” I exclaimed. - -“Yes, that is nothing,” she said. “It is only about five miles.” - -And now Young Russell plied me with all kinds of questions about -American boys—how they looked and what they did—and about American -cities and what they looked like. I endeavored to answer as well as -I could. When it came to cities, I told him I never had been in but -one—the little city I came from. - -And so we strolled back to the point of departure, chatting away -like old friends meeting after a long separation. It was with deep -interest that I watched the preparation of the food that was to -constitute our repast. Sarah’s mother was there—not so dark as her -daughter, but comely and pleasant. - -“Come,” said the young girl, “and see how your dinner is prepared -and cooked.” - -Just outside the house was a hole in the ground which was used as an -oven. Sarah covered the bottom of it with fresh plaintain leaves. -From a fire near by heated stones were pitched into the hole and -covered with another layer of leaves. Then yams, breadfruit and -sweet potatoes, four large fowl wrapped in tappa cloth, and three -great cakes, made of yams and plaintains beaten up and similarly -covered, were laid in. Over them all were placed more leaves and -heated stones, and over the stones another great layer of leaves. -Above all, to keep in the heat, was laid a piece of old canvas. -Pointing at it, Sarah said with a laugh: - -“That came from a ship which stopped here, and it is the only thing -you see to remind you of civilization. Now in civilized countries,” -she continued, “it takes a long time to cook things. In twenty -minutes to half an hour, gentlemen, your dinner will be ready. The -steam does it.” - -I never before had taken Kreelman for a wit, but this time he was -equal to the occasion. - -“The steam does it, miss, just as you say. And there’s a place in -America where they ain’t civilized because they cook with steam, -too.” - -I think we were all as surprised as we were interested. - -“Where?” was the general question. - -“And they use rockweed instead of plaintain leaves.” - -That gave us sailors the clew, and we laughed. - -The girl was puzzled. Kreelman asked: - -“Did you ever hear of a Rhode Island clambake, miss?” - -Of course she had not, and Kreelman enlightened her as to the -similar method of cooking with heated stones. In twenty-five minutes -Sarah threw off the canvas and we men pitched off the stones. Sarah -tested the good things with a fork, and pronounced them well done. -Then pointing at what looked like a coffee-pot on the live coals of -the fire near by, she said: - -“There is something that looks like civilization. In it is a drink -that tastes like coffee, which we make from roots and herbs.” - -We sat down in the house, and the women proposed to wait on us; but -we protested. So the good things were brought in, and we all sat -down together. And what a repast! One may say that the things merely -seemed delicious because we had lived for many months on ship fare. -Perhaps that quickened our appetite, but after all these long years -I must say that I never enjoyed a better-cooked meal. After we rose, -I noticed on the wall a picture of Queen Victoria, and beneath it -written in a large, free hand a National Anthem, composed by -Reverend G. H. Nobbs. He was the beloved pastor who was now with -most of his flock at Norfolk Island. There were three stanzas. I was -granted permission to copy them. The first stanza is as follows: - - ’Mid the mighty Southern Ocean - Stands an isolated rock, - Blanchèd by the surf’s commotion, - Riven by the lightning’s shock. - Hark those strains to heaven ascending - From those slopes of vivid green, - Old and young, their voices blending— - God preserve Britannia’s Queen! - -After dinner, a messenger announced that a little later hosts and -guests would meet in the open space just in front of the houses, -which constituted what they called the town. Our little party was -there early, and a pleasant thing it was to see the people gather; -an islander, for example, coming with three or four of our men, all -talking and laughing, and making one feel that he would like to -exchange the trials and turmoil and temptations of the world for the -sweet rest and quiet of this little island. Our hosts entertained us -with songs, concluding with the National Anthem which was rendered -with fine effect. Then our captain whispered to Lakeum, who in -chosen words expressed our gratitude for the hospitality rendered -and wished the colony abundant blessings and especially happiness -and prosperity. I think we were all proud of Lakeum, and we were -fortunate to have him as our spokesman, as he was the only one of -our company who was capable of creditably expressing himself. - -The leave-takings were reserved for the place where we had landed, -and a happy throng we were as we strolled along to the shore. If -some difficulty attended our landing, more awaited our departure. -Ours was the first craft to confront the surf and, staunch old -whaleboat as it was on the open sea, it was unequal to the -situation, for over it went, tumbling us all into the water. A loud -laugh went up from the spectators, and several of the islanders -plunged into the sea to help us. We righted the boat and, under the -directions of our friends, mounted the crests successfully, and the -other boats followed us. But something else followed us as well—the -kindly adieus of the Pitcairners. - -The next day liberty was given the shipkeepers, and the captain, -Lakeum and Silva went ashore with them, carrying trade to be -exchanged for supplies. We were notified that the bargaining would -take a good part of the day, and that on the appearance of the white -flag we were to lower the boats and make for the shore. About the -middle of the afternoon, the signal appeared, and three boats put -out. As we rested on our oars at a spot about a hundred yards from -the beach, we witnessed the storing in the native dugouts of pigs, -goats, fowl, fruit and vegetables, which were to be transferred to -our craft. The islanders were so apt and clever that the transfer -was easily effected, and as we pulled for the ship I saw Sarah for -the last time. She was standing on a bank waving her hand, and -Russell was beside her. He joined with a parting gesture. I -experienced a feeling like that which distressed me when the -_Seabird_ slipped from her moorings at the beginning of the voyage. -It was a touch of homesickness. - -Now the island peak loomed in black outline against a pale green -sky; heavy clouds hung about the western horizon glowing with -crimson imparted by the sun which had just gone to his setting; the -waves were tinted with reflected hues. I was not in a frame of mind -to enjoy the spectacle. My thought was of the maiden whom I should -never see again, and the dew gathered in my eyes. - -The crew felt kindly towards the captain, and they lauded him highly -for giving them such a royal treat. As we set sail, they were happy -and elated, and their joy was increased when they were informed that -we were not going round the Horn, but were to make for home through -the Strait of Magellan. The shortening of the voyage was the -interesting feature. They had no conception of the difficulties and -dilemmas they were to encounter in that hazardous passage—frequent -fogs, hidden rocks and sudden squalls. - -When Kreelman and I had a few minutes together, he said: “Fancy -Chest, I never was in the Magellan Strait, but a sailor who was on a -merchantman told me that they went through there, and he never had -such a time in his life. He said that there was a mile for every day -in the year, and it took a week to get through. Once they scraped -along a hidden rock, and just escaped shipwreck. I don’t know why -the old man wants to go through there, but I suppose he does. I -never knew of a whaler goin’ through there before. Bad as the Horn -is, it’s free sailin’ there. I hope the oil, bone and ambergris is -insured.” - -This expression of Kreelman’s views was not encouraging. - -“How did you like the day on shore?” I inquired. - -“A great day for sailors. The old man done himself noble in giving -us shore leave, and the Pitcairn folks done themselves proud in -entertainin’ us. It was somethin’ like one of them nice, little -places in a hot land. You know what I mean.” - -Kreelman looked at me, appealingly. “I think you mean an oasis in -the desert,” I volunteered. - -“That’s it, Fancy Chest, an oyster, only not in the desert, but in -the ocean.” - -The man mused, then broke out, “You heard Lakeum give that talk. -There ain’t no man among edicated men who could have done better. -I’ve been on the sea about all my life and I never see before a man -on board a whaler like that man. You never hear no bad language and -he acts different from the other men. He treats the men well, but he -don’t allow no nonsense. And then he carries himself well. He’s got -an edication, and he come from first-class folks, but, as I told you -long ago, you can’t find out nothin’ about him. I guess, if all -whalers was made up of men like him, they’d be better places to live -in.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - HOMEWARD BOUND - - -We saw no whales as we went south, and we approached the Strait of -Magellan under what seemed to be favorable auspices. The weather was -fair, the sea was tranquil and the scenery was picturesque. The -strait is three hundred and sixty miles in length, and from five to -thirty miles in breadth. Patagonia is to the north, and the island -of Tierra del Fuego to the south. As we entered the strait and, for -a good many miles as we proceeded, we saw lofty ranges covered with -snow and immense glaciers, and between them patches which looked -like dark forests. The third day the weather changed, and navigation -became more difficult. The fog set in and, though we had seen no -vessels, the captain deemed it wise to be cautious, and we made only -about three or four knots an hour. In the late afternoon the fog -lifted, and the captain made for the shore of Tierra del Fuego. The -sea became more boisterous, the sky assumed a threatening aspect, -and the captain gave orders to throw the lead. When four fathoms was -reported, he gave orders to heave to, to take in sail and put out -two anchors. In the meantime the sky grew blacker, and we all worked -with a will to have the ship snugged up and ready when the storm -broke. - -[Illustration: The sea became more boisterous, and the captain gave -orders to throw the lead.] - -When it came, it was more like a hurricane than a squall, and it -came without any warning other than the troubled aspect of sea and -sky. It seemed as if all the wind in the world were gathered in one -terrific blast and that, too, for our especial benefit. It nearly -swept the men off their feet and drove them to cover; it fairly -shrieked as it swept through the rigging, and the only good thing -about it was that it lasted less than half an hour. - -Kreelman said to me, “I rather think after all that the old man -knows his business. I believe he’s made the voyage through here -before and he knows just what to do and when to do it. By the way, -Fancy Chest, who was that man Magellan they call the strait after, -was he a Nantucket whaleman?” - -“Oh, no. He lived a hundred years before the _Mayflower_ came over. -He was a Portuguese, but sailed for a Spanish king. In 1520 he made -the passage through this strait from east to west, and was the first -white man to cross the Pacific Ocean. He gave it the name of -Pacific, stopped at the Philippines and was killed there by the -natives.” - -“He had some grit, didn’t he? If he hadn’t been killed, I rather -think he would have returned by the way of the Horn.” - -We remained at our anchorage all night. The watch reported another -storm towards morning, only less violent. At daybreak the sea was -calm, and a boat appeared. Never had I seen and never have I since -seen such a spectacle of destitution, misery and wretchedness. The -boat was a rude affair, propelled by clumsy paddles. In the center -on a stone foundation was a fire, or rather a bed of live coals. The -occupants of the boat were Fuegians, small in stature, badly formed -and only half-clad. It would be difficult to picture people more -inferior and degraded. Some huddled over the fire, and others -stretched out their arms while they muttered something which we -assumed to be a request for food or clothing. The cook threw them -some scraps, and, as we weighed anchor and were off, they called to -us in tones from which we judged that they regarded our bounty as a -scant one. - -Lakeum came forward and said to me, “What do you know about these -Fuegians?” - -“I read up about them when I was at school. They are of a low order -of intelligence and are treacherous and degraded.” - -Lakeum declared, “Let me tell you what an officer in our navy told -me. He said that their vessel once called at the northerly side of -the strait and that the Patagonians, though living close to salt -water, never ventured from shore. What little they knew about -boating pertained to fresh water. They had a circular craft for -crossing shallow streams. They would dump into it whatever was to be -transported; and then a horse was attached and he drew it to the -other side. This officer also said that the Fuegians would cross the -strait, steal anything they could lay their hands on, and, putting -off in their boats with their plunder, would laugh at the -Patagonians standing on the shore and unable to follow them.” - -We were a week in making the passage, and a hard week it was, too. -The brief hurricanes came towards night, and the captain made due -preparations, as he had warning of their coming. Fogs came and went; -the air was raw and the desolation and solitude were relieved only -once when we sighted a steamer in the distance. The mere glimpse of -her improved our spirits and gave us courage. At the middle of the -strait there were large mountains at the north, and small hills at -the south. Here, on the Patagonian side, was a white settlement -called Sandy Point, and used by the Chilean Government as a penal -colony. We ran so near shore at this place that we could plainly see -a little group of Patagonians. They were of large structure and -powerfully built. I have since learned that the statement that many -Patagonians are seven feet high is untrue. As we approached the -eastern entrance to the strait, we noticed that the shores were low -and reddish in color, and apparently sandy. Once more in the -Atlantic we began to sing lustily the familiar song “Homeward -Bound”, the first and last stanzas of which are as follows: - - We’re homeward bound, oh, happy sound! - Good-by, fare ye well, - Good-by, fare ye well! - Come, rally the crew and run quick around, - Hurrah, my bullies, we’re homeward bound! - - We’re homeward bound, may the winds blow fair, - Good-by, fare ye well, - Good-by, fare ye well! - Wafting us true to the friends waiting there, - Hurrah, my bullies, we’re homeward bound! - -In a couple of weeks we began to see whales, and lowered several -times, but they eluded us. When we reached the Rio de la Plata, we -captured a sperm whale that boiled down sixty barrels. Imbedded in -the body was a harpoon which had evidently been there for a long -time. It had become so rusted that we could not discover a trace of -the owner’s or ship’s name. I always took an interest in trophies -and asked Lakeum if I might have it. My request was granted, and the -rusty old reminder of the lost art of whaling is still in my -possession. - -As we neared home, Kreelman began to take an interest in my -welfare—no longer with sharp words and in a haughty manner, but -rather as a father gives counsel to a son. - -“Fancy Chest,” he said, “I come from poor folks back in the country, -so I thought I would like to follow the sea. I was a young fellow -when I reached New Bedford and shipped on a whaler, and in a few -years I’ll be an old man. I’ve been on the sea a good part of my -life, and I don’t know nothin’ but salt water. Now what have I made -out of it? Mighty little. I’ve never spent the little that was -comin’ to me, but put it by for old age. I haven’t any home or any -friends, and all my folks is dead. I shall ship on whalers so long -as they’ll let me, and I may die on shipboard and be buried at sea, -but it doesn’t matter whether on land or sea. Now what are you goin’ -to do, Fancy Chest—follow the sea or stick to the land and do -somethin’ else?” - -“The sea looks pretty attractive to me. I was warned before I left -home that the foremast hand got very little out of a voyage. Every -one on this vessel is going to get a little fortune, and why -shouldn’t I follow the sea?” - -“You forget,” Kreelman rejoined, “that the ambergris is a good part -of our catch, and you might sail the seas a hundred years without -seeing another pound of it. I suppose you hope to be a captain some -day, but it’s a long road before you get there. Then, if you marry, -you are away from your home about half of your life. Remember that -all voyages are not successful. If you stick to the sea you’ll never -have a voyage that begins to equal this one. Then there’s another -thing. I suppose you think this crew are just like the crew of any -other vessel. No, they ain’t. Except gettin’ rid of that fellow at -the Azores, this voyage of ours has run as smooth as oil. If you go -on another voyage, it may be worse than bedlam.” - -Kreelman’s counsel set me to thinking, and as the days went by I -weighed the advantages and disadvantages of a whaleman’s life. Then -I thought of my mother—how hard it was for her to give me up, and -how it pained her to part with me. I was still young, only in my -eighteenth year, and the world was all before me. Then and there I -determined to say to my mother at our meeting that one voyage was -enough, and that I would seek employment on the land. - -Days passed, and as we neared home the Civil War was a constant -subject of conversation. We had, of course, no definite information, -so we indulged in conjecture. Late one day we saw smoke many miles -astern of us, and we assumed that it came from a burning ship or -from a steamer. The smoke increased in volume, and we soon saw that -the object, which was apparently pursuing us, was a steamer. Some -one said it might be a cruiser. From this inadvertent remark grew -the general belief that it was a cruiser. It would soon be dark, and -word was given to wet the sails. The water was passed up in buckets -and the men worked diligently. The hope was that the darkness would -protect us, but that hope was soon abandoned, for our supposed -pursuer was fast gaining upon us. After capture the oil would be -burned with the ship, but what should be done with the ambergris? It -was suggested by some one that it be cut up into small pieces and -concealed upon our persons, but there was not time enough to resort -to that expedient. Nearer and nearer came the great black object, -belching out its clouds of smoke. There was nothing on our part but -resignation and also reflection on a wonderful voyage ending in -collapse and ruin. When within half a mile of us the steamer veered, -and in a short time passed us. They must have seen the old whaler, -but she was too insignificant for recognition. The reaction brought -relief, and the relief was followed by laughter. - -On the last day of April we sighted Block Island, and soon a pilot -boat made for us. When the pilot boarded us he called out to the -captain, - -“What’s your ambergris worth?” - -“How’d you know about that?” asked the captain. - -“Why, all New Bedford is talkin’ about it. They say there’s more -interest taken in your voyage than in any other since whalin’ begun. -You’ll have a lot of visitors when you drop anchor.” - -The wind came from the southwest and we made good time, soon -reaching the Elizabeth Islands and then passing into the bay. We -anchored at about the place from which we had sailed nearly three -years before. The sharks at sea were quick to gather round the -carcass of a whale; so were the gentlemen on land, of the same name, -quick to gather on the deck of our vessel. These were the visitors -the pilot referred to. One of them shook me vigorously by the hand, -remembered me perfectly, was sure he had fitted me out before I -sailed, and would do the right thing by me now, if I would go to his -shop. - -“You are mistaken,” I declared. “You didn’t fit me out. My outfitter -was a woman.” - -“A woman!” he exclaimed. - -“Yes,” I said, “my mother.” - -Just then some one tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and beheld my -old friend, the shipkeeper. How delighted we were to meet again! How -pleasant it was to hear that my parents were well! - -“Bleechly,” he remarked, “don’t have anything to do with the -outfitters. Our boat is going up soon, and we’ll take you and your -chest along. By the way, how did you like Lakeum?” - -“Fine. I pulled the stroke oar in his boat.” - -“Yes, he is a fine man,” said the shipkeeper, thoughtfully. “It’s -rare indeed that you find a man like him on a whaler.” - -The captain and officers went with us in the boat. Glad as I was to -be home again, I felt some regret in parting from the old vessel, -scarred from the battles with wind and wave and reeking with grease -and oil. I gave Lakeum a pressing invitation to go home with me and -meet my parents, but he courteously declined. He showed feeling when -I thanked him for his kindness to me during the voyage. I ordered -the chest sent up to the house and walked briskly myself, so as to -anticipate its arrival. - -Of my meeting with my parents and of the assurance conveyed to my -mother that I had done with the sea, I propose to say nothing. Happy -was our home and delighted was my mother with the things I brought -her—the handiwork of the South Sea islanders, and of the inhabitants -of Pitcairn. That evening all the boys I had ever known, including -my old classmates, crowded into the house and made a hero of me. All -the articles I had brought were scanned and handled as if they were -precious and invaluable. Strange and ridiculous questions were -asked, which I answered with great dignity and with solemn demeanor. -The ambergris was, of course, the subject of animated discussion. -Its value naturally was greatly exaggerated, one boy putting it at a -million dollars. Then the watch was taken up, and all kinds of -questions were asked as to its make and value. These I could not -answer, because I had not received it. When the boys took their -departure, most of them said that they were going to sea. My mother -smiled and observed that their parents would have something to say -upon the matter. - -How strange that night it seemed to stretch out in a bed! How -difficult it was to compose myself to sleep! My little room had not -been occupied since my departure, and now for the time being the -three years seemed to be obliterated and I was a boy once more under -my father’s roof. At last sleep stole on. I was visited by pleasant -dreams and, when I awoke in the morning, I exclaimed, “Where am I, -where am I?” only to find that I had forsaken the forecastle for the -home of my youth, and as good a home as any boy ever had. - -The voyages were to be settled on the following day, so I told my -parents that, before officers and crew separated, there were three -of our number whom I desired to invite to the house, and they -approved my purpose. I made search that morning for Lakeum. Again I -wanted to press him to come to our home. I could get no trace of -him. At last I bethought me of the shipkeeper. - -“Bleechly,” he said, “Lakeum’s gone and left a power of attorney -with a friend to settle his voyage. From what he said I think it -likely that he’ll never go whaling again.” Thus this man, who had -been such a true friend to me, and who had won the esteem of all the -men under him for nearly three years, passed out of my life. I never -saw him or heard of him again. - -I found Kreelman in an outfitter’s establishment and I urged him to -honor our home with his presence at supper that evening. He seemed -touched and voiced his thanks most courteously but declined my -invitation. Then I looked up Ohoo and found him in a sailor’s -boarding house in the company of some questionable-looking -individuals. I called him to one side and extended an invitation to -supper. - -“Me go, me tank ’ou,” he replied. - -When I introduced him to my mother, in the afternoon, she observed, -“My son has told me how kind your family were to him in their home -in Honolulu, and now we are only too glad to have you in our little -home here in New Bedford.” - -“Me tank ’ou. Me sing and dance.” - -Ohoo conducted himself at our humble table with credit. His manners -were better than those of many people of opportunities and -education. In the evening he sang some of his quaint and weird -native songs, and he indulged in dances which caused merriment and -won applause. Just before he left my father cautioned him as to the -care of the money he was soon to receive, and suggested that the -savings bank take care of it during his absence on the next voyage. -As a fact, the counsel later was followed, and, when Ohoo went to -sea again, a goodly sum was standing to his credit in the -institution my father named. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - SETTLING THE VOYAGE - - -On the following morning, my attention was called to an article in -the local newspaper declaring the voyage of the _Seabird_ to be the -most remarkable, if not the most profitable, in the history of -whaling. The find of ambergris was pronounced to be without a -parallel, and the announcement was made that gold watches were -offered as prizes—one to the man who first sighted the largest -bowhead that was captured, and the other to the man who first saw -the largest sperm whale which was also taken. The article proceeded: - - The keenness of sight of the Gay Head Indians is - proverbial, and to a foremast hand of that colony was - awarded the prize for the largest bowhead captured. It - is with great pleasure that we announce that one of our - New Bedford boys was a successful competitor. Homer - Bleechly, who shipped on the Seabird as a foremast hand, - when hardly more than a boy, displayed the most - remarkable powers of vision, actually raising more - whales than any other man on the ship. One day when in - the crow’s nest with the Gay Header beside him, he - surpassed that vigilant individual in discovering the - low bushy spout of a sperm whale at a point on the - horizon where his companion could detect nothing but the - mere movement of the waves. The whale thus sighted - proved to be a monster, and as fierce as he was - physically great. He smashed two boats and severely - injured two seamen. The oil he yielded stowed down just - one hundred and forty-one barrels. - -This statement, so far from the truth, astounded me. I learned that -the information was furnished the newspaper by one of my -over-zealous friends. It had the effect of advertising my success, -which it will be remembered was due to a mere accident, and hence -deepened the interest in the watches. - -My father told me that, in settling the voyage, he did not advise -the employment of a lawyer. He remarked, “You will have to pay a -lawyer at least twenty-five dollars, and it’s money thrown away. -Sailors now are too smart for the lawyers. This is the way they do. -Where two men have the same lay and the same outfit and have had the -same amount out of the slop chest, during the voyage, they agree -that one of them shall have a lawyer. So this man goes in with his -lawyer and his voyage is settled and he is paid off; and he pays his -lawyer twenty-five dollars. Then the second man goes in all alone, -and his voyage is settled and he is paid off. Then these two men get -together and compare notes, and, if they find that the settlement is -fair, one of them being twenty-five dollars out of pocket, in go the -rest of the crew in a bunch, to settle, and the twenty-five dollars -is borne by the whole crew. You don’t want a lawyer. However, the -only thing you want to look out for is the ambergris. It’s rarely -they find it, but some druggist may know what the last lot brought.” - -I followed the suggestion, and the druggist I visited said, “The -last lot came in about fifteen years ago. There were thirty pounds, -all in good condition, and it was sold in Boston for seven thousand -dollars. I believe the substance is worth just as much now as it was -then.” - -It was about eleven o’clock when I went with my father to the -owner’s office. Most of the crew were gathered outside on the wharf. -When we entered, the only people present were the Quaker, the -bookkeeper, one of the foremast hands and a lawyer. - -“The only matter left,” said the lawyer, “is the ambergris. I -understand that it is more valuable than diamonds.” - -The Quaker rejoined, “I prefer to have thee talk dollars and cents. -I belong to the Society of Friends, and know nothing of the value of -precious stones, jewels and so forth. Friends have no use for such -things.” - -“Well, the lump is over three hundred pounds, and I’ll settle at the -rate of a thousand dollars a pound—Three Hundred Thousand Dollars -for the whole thing.” - -“Not in this office,” said the Quaker quietly. - -“Well, on what basis will you settle?” - -“I will settle on the basis of a fair valuation and no other.” - -Then the lawyer launched out with a great flow of words, accompanied -by violent gestures, to show what he considered was a just -valuation, concluding, “What do you think of that?” - -“I think, my friend, that thee indulges in too much unprofitable -language,” was the reply. - -“Well, then let’s hear your views,” said the lawyer. - -The Quaker expressed himself as follows, and to this day I remember -how clearly he presented his views and how free he was from -excitement. - -“We have had no trouble in agreeing on the value of the oil and bone -as a basis of settlement and now the only difference relates to this -lump of ambergris weighing three hundred pounds. It has been -examined and found to be in very fair condition. The highest price -it is likely to bring is not three hundred thousand but seventy -thousand dollars. I naturally assume some risk as to quality and -price. I will settle on the basis of sixty-five thousand dollars, -and, if that isn’t satisfactory, thee may bring suit or do anything -else thee pleases.” - -The lawyer grumbled a little, muttered something to his client, -backed down entirely, watched with keen eyes the payment of the -amount due his companion and accompanied him to the door as if he -were a brother. - -The Quaker smiled and observed to my father, “I will settle with -this young man after the second sailor has been dealt with.” - -Hardly were the words uttered, when that individual appeared. And it -was no other than Ohoo. Negotiations were soon concluded and Ohoo -made his mark, took his money and then looked beseechingly at my -father, who notified the merchant that he was to see to it that -Ohoo’s money was safely guarded. - -“I approve of thy purpose,” the Quaker responded. - -Ohoo departed, and almost immediately returned, accompanied by the -rest of the crew. After they had been dealt with, the settlement -with my father was soon over. The ruling prices as to oil and bone -were accepted, and sixty-five thousand dollars for the ambergris was -agreed to. - -“This is a remarkable case,” said the Quaker, as he handed my father -a little over eight hundred dollars. “Thy son has had nothing from -the slop chest, and he receives the largest amount I have ever paid -a sailor for a single voyage since I have been in the business.” - -The Quaker took from a drawer a couple of watches, and held them up -before his silent and interested audience. He observed, “I have now -a very pleasant duty to perform. It is to bestow a gold watch upon -our friend from Gay Head, who sighted the largest bowhead captured, -and another upon this young man, who was the first to announce the -largest sperm whale taken.” - -The Gay Header showed a row of beautiful teeth as he took the watch; -and he caused much laughter when he put it up to his ear, evidently -to find out whether it was going. - -As I stepped forward, I did not extend my hand, but said, “I don’t -know as I ought to take the watch, sir. My discovery of the whale -wasn’t due to sharp eyes, but to luck. The big fellow had sounded at -a place far off from us and happened to come up pretty near the -ship. I happened to be the first one to see him.” - -“Nevertheless, the watch belongs to thee.” - -Then addressing the crew, he inquired, “Isn’t that so, my friends?” - -There was a loud “Yes.” - -My gratitude was twofold—to the Quaker merchant for his generosity, -and to my companions, most of whom I was never to see again, for -their kind approval. - -My money was later disposed of to the entire satisfaction of my -parents, and now for the closing incident—the watch. My father went -to his work, and I went home. The watch came out of my pocket every -time I passed any one, and, as I passed a good many people, it came -out a good many times. When I reached home, my mother handled it as -tenderly as if it had been a baby, and loudly praised my Quaker -benefactor. When evening came the visitors exceeded those of the -night before. Every one wanted to handle the watch, and I was afraid -that they might wear it out before they got through with it. Again I -was asked all kinds of questions about the voyage, and particularly -about the whale which brought me such good fortune. This was rather -a delicate subject. But I was fair enough to say that the case was -not a very meritorious one. That night I slept with the watch under -my pillow. - -The next morning I walked up Union Street just as the merchants and -other business men were going to their offices and places of -business. In a jeweler’s window was a standard clock, and I noticed -more than one passer-by stop and take out his watch and compare the -time. This gave me an opportunity to display my timepiece. So I took -it out with a great deal of pride, and to my surprise and grief it -was fifteen minutes slower than the clock. My head was hot, my eyes -were misty and my heart beat violently. I put the watch to my ear, -and lo! it had stopped. I walked up the street in a dazed condition, -turned into a side street and sat down on a doorstep. I was at a -loss what to do, but at last, having pulled myself together, I -returned to the jeweler’s and, entering, handed him the watch and -asked what the matter with it was. He opened it with an important -air and examined it carefully and oh! so slowly. - -His face was lighted by a faint smile as he said, “It will take ten -days to repair it, and it will cost you fifteen dollars.” - -An outlay of fifteen dollars on a watch that was not fit for an -ashheap! I stammered some excuse and took my departure. All my -faculties were now awake, and the course of procedure was plain. I -made haste to the Quaker’s office. I stood out on the wharf and, -looking through the window, saw him, apparently as placid as ever, -at work at his desk. I had determined to give him a perfect blast, -and, while I was trying to summon the language I proposed to use, -some one spoke to me. It was my old friend, the shipkeeper. He saw -that I was disturbed and asked the cause. I told him my story and -finished by declaring that I was going into the office and upbraid -the Quaker for his treatment of me. - -“I wouldn’t do that,” said my companion, “until I had been to -another jeweler. There are two things a man can buy and never know -what he’s buying—one’s a horse and the other is a watch. Another -jeweler may tell you a different story. Suppose you go to one.” - -This advice had an excellent effect, and I followed it. I sought an -old watchmaker and silversmith who had a long established record for -skill and honesty. There was something fatherly about him, and his -face always wore a pleasant expression. His examination was slow and -thorough. When completed, a smile spread over his countenance, as he -said: - -“That’s a fine watch, and there is nothing the matter with it. The -trouble is you forgot to wind it last night.” - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY WHALEMAN*** - - -******* This file should be named 62689-0.txt or 62689-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/6/8/62689 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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