176 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



why the decks never look so white as just after what they call an 

 affair of oil. Besides, from the ashes of the burned scraps of the 

 whale, a potent lye is readily made; and whenever any adhesiveness 

 from the back of the whale remains clinging to the side, that lye 

 quickly exterminates it. Hands go diligently along the bulwarks, and 

 with buckets of water and rags restore them to their full tidiness. 

 The soot is brushed from the lower rigging. All the numerous im- 

 plements which have been in use are likewise faithfully cleansed 

 and put away. The great hatch is scrubbed and placed upon the try- 

 works, completely hiding the pots; every cask is out of sight; all 

 tackles are coiled in unseen nooks; and when by the combined and 

 simultaneous industry of almost the entire ship's company, the whole 

 of this conscientious duty is at last concluded, then the crew them- 

 selves proceed to their own ablutions; shift themselves from top to 

 toe; and finally issue to the immaculate deck, fresh and all aglow . . . 

 But mark: aloft there, at the three mastheads, stand three men in- 

 tent on spying out more whales, which, if caught, infallibly will again 

 soil the oaken furniture, and drop at least one small grease spot some- 

 where. Yes; and many is the time, when, after the severest unin- 

 terrupted labors, which know no night; continuing straight through 

 for ninety-six hours; when from the boat, where they have swelled 

 their wrists with all day rowing on the Line — they only step to the 

 deck to carry vast chains, and heave the heavy windlass, and cut 

 and slash, yea, and in their very sweatings to be smoked and burned 

 anew by the combined fires of the equatorial sun and the equatorial 

 try-works; when, on the heel of all this, they have finally bestirred 

 themselves to cleanse the ship, and make a spotless dairy room of it; 

 many is the time the poor fellows, just buttoning the necks of their 

 clean frocks, are startled by the cr}^ "There she blows!" and away 

 they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary 

 thing again. 



Such iU-timed smiles of fortune meant that the life of the 

 crews during the months on the whaling grounds was a curious 

 combination of consuming activity and monotonous idleness. 

 At highly irregular intervals a run of luck in raising and cap- 

 turing whales would involve long periods of fatiguing, unre- 

 mitting toil. Seemingly endless hours, and sometimes whole 

 days, were spent at the oars, either in the pursuit of game or 

 in towing dead bodies back to the vessel. Upon arriving there 

 it was necessary to take part in cutting-in the most recent cap- 

 ture or to stand a long watch at the try-pots. The meals, 

 inadequate before, now had to be swallowed hastily, in spite of 



