WHALING IN THE COLONIES 27 



Macy was able to make the surprising statement that from 

 1690 to 1760 not a single white person was killed in the boat- 

 whaling carried on from the island. Nantucket whaling be- 

 gan to show possibilities of fulfilling the prophecy made on 

 Folly House Hill in 1690. According to a well-worn tradi- 

 tion (which need not be taken too seriously) some man then 

 remarked feelingly to a number of persons who were observing 

 the spouting of whales at sea: "There is a green pasture where 

 our children's grandchildren will go for bread." 



In fact, the children usurped the occupation assigned to 

 the great-grandchildren. In 171 2, when Christopher Hussey 

 was blown off shore in a gale and captured the first sperm 

 whale far out at sea, the superior quality of the new oil was 

 recognized at once. Sperm oil was lighter and purer than the 

 whale oil of the right whales which had theretofore constituted 

 the only victims of the harpoon. But the sperm whale was 

 a haughty, elusive aristocrat of the high seasj and he would not 

 deign to soil his flukes in the shallow coastal waters which were 

 frequented by his more phlegmatic cousin, the right whale. 

 So it was necessary to develop larger and more seaworthy craft 

 which could venture into deeper water and pursue the cachalot 

 in his own domain. And Nantucket took to sperm whaling 

 with a native enthusiasm which continued throughout her his- 

 tory. By 1 715 she had six small sloops of thirty to forty 

 tons each which were making voyages of several weeks' dur- 

 ation, sometimes sailing as far as Newfoundland in search of 

 game. 



During the ensuing half-century the entire American fishery, 

 with Nantucket in the lead, underwent a steady development 

 in technique, in range of operations, and in size. The tech- 

 nique of whale-hunting was improved by fastening the boat 

 to the whale by means of a long line attached to the harpoon j 

 by working out the lines and dimensions of the graceful and 

 versatile whaleboatsj and by developing a series of ingenious 

 contrivances whereby the blubber could be stripped off and the 

 oil boiled out and stowed away at sea. Harpoons, lances, 

 whale-line, cutting-spades, and other articles of whaling craft 

 and gear evolved in a similar manner. Vessels, too, became 

 not only larger and heavier, but underwent gradual changes 



