128 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



The amount of time which the men spent in these crowded, 

 nauseating forecastles depended upon the arrangement of the 

 hours of duty. In this regard the whalers, while on passage 

 to and from the whaling grounds, commonly followed the 

 time-honored custom of the sea known as "watch and watch." 

 Under this plan the crew was divided into two watches which 

 were on duty during alternate four-hour periods throughout 

 each twenty-four hours. The sequence was changed daily by 

 substituting two shorter intervals of two hours each, known as 

 the dog-watches, for the period from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thus 

 during any given twenty-four hours, beginning with the first 

 dog-watch, each of the two watches would be on deck, either 

 actually at work or subject to call, during the following 

 periods: 



Starboard Watch 



4 P. M. to 6 P. M. =2 hours 



8 P.M. to 12 midnight =4 " 



4 A. M. to 8 A. M. =4 " 



12 noon to 4 p. M. =4 " 



Total = 14 " 



Larboard Watch 



6 p. M. to 8 p. M. =2 hours 



12 midnight to 4 A. M. =4 " 

 8 A. M. to 12 noon =4 " 



Total =10 " 



On the following day, owing to the interposition of the dog- 

 watches, the two schedules would be reversed j and this daily 

 alternation would continue indefinitely. 



Certain members of the crew, however, were not obliged to 

 stand "watch and watch." The cooper, carpenter, black- 

 smith, cook, and steward ordinarily worked at their respective 

 tasks during the day and then slept throughout the night, 

 though they might be called upon to assist in handling the ship 

 whenever it seemed advisable. The captain, of course, came 

 and went as he pleased. But in practice most masters felt 

 their responsibilities so keenly that they spent a large propor- 

 tion of their time on deck, and were always within easy call. 



The nature of the duties demanding attention during these 

 various groups of hours differed widely. The watches on 



