128 WHALING AND PISHINO. 



regarded as greatly superior to the rest, the sperm- 

 aeetti being, of course, the most valuable. It was 

 not until I was set to work ipon this enormous 

 mass of solid blubber, that 1 fairly realized the 

 size of tka animal we had slain. This huge cube 

 of nearly nine feet, was only a portion, perhaps 

 a fair half of his head. What then, thought I, 

 as I slashed away at it, my puny strokes seem- 

 ing like those of an ant nibbling at an apple, 

 what then must have been the size of his entire 

 carcass. 



Our trying-out operations were in " full blast." 

 The watch had been set at eight, one-half the 

 crew being kept on deck for six hours, which is 

 the duration of a trying-out watch. On such 

 occasions each man has a particular duty assigned 

 him. The mates and boatsteerers superintend 

 the try -pots, feed the fires, and ladle out the seeth- 

 ing oil into a copper cooler. Three men are con. 

 stantly employed at the mincing machine ; some 

 pitch horse-pieces from the blubber-room hatch 

 to the machine ; while others have the care of the 

 casks, rolling them up to be filled, and afterward 

 securing them. One at the wheel and another on 

 look-out, with a few to look on, and " spell " the 

 rest, complete the list. 



At night, our ship presented a highly pictur- 

 esque scene. The flames, darting high above the 

 try- works, revealed the masts, rigging and decks, 

 In an unearthly glare, among which the men 

 jumping or sliding about decks on their various 



