BLACK-PISH. 67 



gpeed. Eventually my shipmates made most excel- 

 lent oarsmen, and won themselves laurels in several 

 contests of speed with crews much more expe- 

 rienced than ours. 



We were favored with an almost continual suc- 

 cession of fair breezes, till we neared the line, 

 where the customary calms and light winds gave 

 us occasion for a little more working ship than we 

 had until then, been used to. A strict look out 

 was continually kept, but no spouts greeted the 

 wearied eyes of our look-out men. 



On the line, however, one Sabbath morning, a 

 school of black-fish passed quite near the vessel, and 

 of course we lowered for them, but few whalemen 

 observing the Sabbath when whales are in ques- 

 tion. Black-fish are a small species of whale, 

 tolerably hard to catch, as they have none of the 

 regularity of movement which is characteristic of 

 their huger cousins, the sperm and right whales. 

 They make but little oil when caught but to a 

 whaleman all is fish that spouts. 



The fish were themselves evidently in high 

 spirits, running about in every direction, breach- 

 ing, making the water fly with their flukes, and 

 acting out all manner of queer antics. None of the 

 caution and silence usually observed on lowering 

 after sperm whales was therefore necessary, and 

 previously instructed as to the nature of the 

 business we were upon, and that it was to be con- 

 sidered more in the light of sport, than as a serious 



