LIFE ON A SOUTH SEA WHALER. 821 



she remained at anchor that night I verily believe some of the poor 

 wretches would have tried to escape. 



The anchor came aweigh, the sails were sheeted home, and I re- 

 turned on deck to find the ship gathering way for the heads, fairly 

 started on her long voyage. 



Before nightfall we were fairly out to sea, and the ceremony of 

 dividing the crew into watches was gone through. I found myself 

 in the chief mate's or " port " watch (they called it " larboard," a 

 term I had never heard used before, it having long been obsolete in 

 merchant ships), though the huge negro fourth mate seemed none too 

 well pleased that I was not under his command, his being the star- 

 board watch under the second mate. 



I was pounced upon next morning by " Mistah " Jones, the fourth 

 mate, whom I heard addressed familiarly as " Goliath " and " Anak " 

 by his brother officers, and ordered to assist him in rigging the " crow's- 

 nest " at the main royal-mast head. It was a simple affair. There 

 were a pair of cross-trees fitted to the mast, upon which was secured a 

 tiny platform about a foot wide on each side of the mast, while above 

 this foothold a couple of padded hoops like a pair of giant spectacles 

 were secured at a little higher than a man's waist. When all was 

 fast one could creep up on the platform, through the hoop, and, rest- 

 ing his arms upon the latter, stand comfortably and gaze around, no 

 matter how vigorously the old barky plunged and kicked beneath him. 

 From that lofty eerie I had a comprehensive view of the vessel. She 

 was about three hundred and fifty tons and full ship-rigged — that is to 

 say, she carried square sails on all three masts. Her deck was flush fore 

 and aft, the only obstructions being the brick-built " try-works " in 

 the waist, the galley, and cabin skylight right aft by the taffrail. Her 

 bulwarks were set thickly round with clumsy-looking wooden cranes, 

 from which depended five boats. Two more boats were secured bot- 

 tom up upon a gallows aft, so she seemed to be well supplied in that 

 direction. 



The weather being fine, with a steady northeast wind blowing, so 

 that the sails required no attention, work proceeded steadily all the 

 morning. The oars were sorted, -examined for flaws, and placed in the 

 boats; the whale line, Manilla rope like yellow silk, an inch and a half 

 round, was brought on deck, stretched, and coiled down with the great- 

 est care into tubs holding, some two hundred fathoms, and others one 

 hundred fathoms each. New harpoons were fitted to poles of rough 

 but heavy wood, without any attempt at neatness but every attention 

 to strength. The shape of these weapons was not, as is generally 

 thought, that of an arrow, but rather like an arrow with one huge barb, 

 the upper part of which curved out from the shaft. The whole of 

 the barb turned on a stout pivot of steel, but was kept in line with 



