Xiv FOREWORD. 



that time we hear of "squadrons" of small boats setting 

 out for expeditions along the coast, the whole company 

 putting into shore at night to camp on the beach. Such 

 expeditions often remained out for a week or two at a 

 stretch. Verily those were the days of small things. When 

 whaling came to full bloom, the ships sailed on voyages 

 lasting from one to three years, and sometimes longer. 



Nantucket was a bit slow in getting into the game. Her 

 settlers were not by training, seafaring men. She did not 

 really turn her attention to the blubber-mines afloat all 

 about her until an indiscreet right whale fairly jumped 

 down her throat. A big fellow nosed his way into the har- 

 bor and hung about for three livelong days, flaunting him- 

 self before the eyes of the landlubbers. It was too much 

 for them. "They invented and caused to be made a har- 

 poon" while the whale waited, and all inexperienced as 

 they were, attacked and killed the monster. 



That woke them up. They set seriously about learning 

 the art of whale-chasing. Eealizing their lack of skill, 

 they sent over to Cape Cod for a tutor, one Ichabod Pad- 

 dock, to teach the best way to kill whales and try out the 

 oil. That was 1690. From that time Nantucket whaling 

 advanced by leaps and bounds. 



At first the islanders got all the prey they wanted 

 without going out of sight of land. Watch was set on a 

 tall mast, and the lookout spying a welcome spout, gave the 

 alarm. Prizes were towed ashore, where try-works had 

 been built, the whale was beached, cut up, and the blubber 

 tried out, the oil being cooled and casked. 



Long enough after shore fishing had ceased to be profit- 

 able, when the whaling fleet consisted of goodly schooners 

 and barks, the fires under the beach try-works were 

 kept blazing. Whales captured at sea were cut up, and 



