THE CASE AND JUNK. 127 



and passed forward to the mincing-horse, where, 

 with two men to turn and one to feed the machine, 

 sufficient blubber to fill our two try-kettles was 

 fcoon minced. This ready, the fires were started, 

 first with wood, the dry " cracklings," or scrap*, 

 as they are called, being afterward used for fuel. 



Numerous empty casks were now hoisted on 

 deck, coopered, and lashed along the bulwarks. 

 Into these the oil was bailed, after being allowed 

 to cool in a copper tank adjoining the try -works, 

 and there it remained until quite cool, when it was 

 stowed below. Meantime the case was opened ; 

 a man being placed in the large opening, the pure 

 and beautifully white spermacetti was bailed out 

 with a bucket constructed for that purpose. It is 

 quite fluid when first taken out, but quickly con- 

 geals on exposure to the air. It is at once placed 

 in new casks, which are duly marked " case." 



The shell, when completely empty, was with 

 much labor and by the united strength of the 

 whole crew, hauled to the gangway, where, divest- 

 ing it of tackles, we took advantage of a favorable 

 lurch of the ship to launch it overboard. The 

 case itself, although closely resembling blubber, is 

 in fact a huge mass of tendons, muscles and fibres, 

 so closely interwoven as to be almost impervious 

 to the harpoon or spade. It yields no oil by try- 

 ing out, and is therefore fitly thrown away. 



Next, the junk, the remaining portion of the 

 head, was cut into horse-pieces and tried out sep- 

 arately, the oil from this part of the whale being 



