COMPETITION FOR DEAD WHALE. 171 



I directed my mate, Mr. Hopkins, to come 

 down to leeward, and keep the mast between 

 him and the Orion, that he might not be seen 

 from that ship, which might excite suspicions 

 that something was in the wind ; and, in the 

 same manner, I went myself aloft to take a 

 look at the object to windward an object of 

 much interest to us, as it was probably of great 

 value. 



The other ships quietly kept on their course. 

 The Lupin, being to leeward, could not possibly 

 see the whale; and on board the Orion, the 

 look-out aloft seemed to be taking a nap, for 

 no indications were given that the whale was 

 seen from the ship. This gave us hopes that 

 we might secure the prize ; and all was anima- 

 tion on board the Cremona. The mate's boat, 

 being the fastest, was got in readiness, and a 

 good coat of tallow was applied to her bottom 

 a set of the best oars was selected and all due 

 preparation made for a race. 



For nearly an hour we kept on our course, 

 occasionally going a little to windward, but not 

 in a manner to excite observation. By this 



