'THERE SHE WHITEWATERS!" 139 



which Ben had brought up for my use. After the 

 long and wearisome insipidity of salt junk and 

 biscuit, bean soup and duff, the lively acid of the 

 preserved tamarinds was most refreshing ; and 

 during our conversation I "stowed away" a large 

 proportion of the contents of the jar before me. 

 It was only when one of our Portuguese friends set 

 another jar beside me, expressing at the same time 

 a desire that I should "eat heartily, and give the 

 ship a good name," that I was made aware that I 

 was gormandizing. 



Our enjoyment was very suddenly brought to a 

 close by a cry of " there she Whitewaters," from 

 the masthead of the Betsy Ann. While upon a 

 gamm, both vessels' mastheads are manned as 

 though no visiting was going on, and upon a 

 discovery of whales, under such circumstances, 

 there generally ensues some, hard racing, and not 

 unfrequently hard feeling. 



Every one was upon the alert in a moment, as 

 the cry reached the deck. It was followed by the 

 regular intonations of "there blows," convincing 

 us that a school of sperm whales was in sight. 

 Our boat's-crew at once gathered together upon 

 deck, to hold ourselves in readiness for lowering. 

 The mate, after watching our ship keenly a mo- 

 ment, and satisfying himself by the unusual bustle 

 on board, that the whales were seen from there 

 too, came to us, and warned us that this time we 

 hould have to contend against four of the smartest 



