156 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



sters of the sea, even as ships once sailed between the boots of the 

 famous Colossus at old Rhodes . . . 



In one of those southern whalemen, on a long three or four year's 

 voyage, as often happens, the sum of the various hours you spend at 

 the masthead would amount to several entire months . . . Your 

 most usual point of perch is the head of the t'-gallant-mast, where 

 you stand upon two thin parallel sticks (almost peculiar to whalemen) 

 called the t'-gallant cross-trees. Here, tossed about by the sea, the 

 beginner feels about as cosy as he would standing on a bull's horns. 



When, after weeks of such vigilance, whales were finally 

 sighted, the whaleman was projected at once into the most ex- 

 citing and hazardous of his manifold duties. Few methods 

 of making a living devised by man have combined so much 

 uncertainty, excitement, heavy labor, hardship, and danger as 

 the pursuit and capture of a full-grown sperm whale. This 

 huge game usually betrayed its whereabouts by "blowing," or 

 spouting 5 by "white-watering," or raising miniature geysers 

 of water and spray by falling heavily upon its side after 

 "breaching" j or by "lobtailing," or striking the top of the water 

 with its massive tail in a series of resounding whacks. 



Each lookout was instructed to "sing out" in stentorian tones 

 every time one of these signs was observed. This was the 

 captain's cue to inquire from the deck, "Where away?" 

 When the answer came, "Three points off the weather bow, sir," 

 a series of rapid orders galvanized the whole crew into action. 

 If the spout was a considerable distance away, the sails were 

 trimmed to head the vessel in the proper direction; but if the 

 distance was not too great the boats were lowered immediately 

 and the chase was begun. 



The scene of action was now transferred from the ship it- 

 self to the whaleboats. The larger whalers carried four of 

 these small, graceful craft — one on the starboard quarter and 

 the remaining three on the larboard quarter, waist, and bow. 

 The starboard boat was reserved for the captain or fourth 

 mate ; while the larboard, waist, and bow boats were used by the 

 first, second, and third mates, respectively. The whaleboats 

 were admirably adapted to the industry's insistent demand for 

 combined speed, strength, and seaworthiness. They were 

 usually twenty-eight or thirty feet long, strong but light, 



