THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 135 



were accordingly left for cabin use. To soothe feelings aft, 

 the words "TOO LATE" were inscribed in chalk on the lids, 

 and we closed proceedings to the air of " God save the 

 King," and the words, 



* ' One piece of beef for four of us, 

 Not enough for two of us, 

 Thank Neptune there's no more of us, 

 God save the king," 



Those of good conscience, at peace with the world, then 

 turned in and slept the sleep of the just. Some time before 

 daylight the second mate's pleasant hail awoke us, " Fo'c'sle 

 there ! whose watch is it ?" when, discovering the absence 

 of the bow-boat, he thundered away with a handspike on 

 the deck, and yelled, "All hands turn out, every mother's 

 son of you ! tumble up naked, or I'll skin some of you !" 

 The ebullition of his boiling blood led him to interlard his 

 invitation to tumble up with divers maledictions on our 

 eyes, our tarry top4ights, and our maternal progenitors, with 

 some wholesale " cussing," sadly at variance with the pious 

 intent of our good captain. 



Thus violently aroused from our slumbers, we turned out 

 leisurely, and tumbled up, inquiring of the irate mate, 

 "What's the row on deck?" We found the captain very 

 angry, of course ; but a deeper feeling than anger was ap- 

 parent when to the muster-roll two of the boat-steerers fail- 

 ed to answer, one of them his favorite harpooner. But it 

 was no time for idle regrets. " Stir your stumps and get 

 down a boat," was the order, soon as the extent of our loss 

 was ascertained ; but the order was not so easily obeyed, 

 as the falls were lashed in several places, and plugs of soft 

 wood forced into the davits so as to Jackson them. After 

 loosening these, it was found that some pins had been cut 

 away. Thus nearly an hour was lost, while the impatient 

 captain and mates fumed about the disabled boats. At last 



