Adventures of the Explorers 127 



teredo. The whirl of the cyclone had not been 

 recognized and ships were hove to with their bows 

 pointing toward the deadly centre of the hurricane. 

 The great plague of the sea, scurvy, was ever 

 before the crews making long voyages. The 

 game sought, especially the sperm whale, was not 

 only a monster of prodigious strength ; it was well 

 known to be aggressively vicious, and the boat's 

 crew took their lives in their hands whenever 

 they lowered for the chase. 



Nevertheless, of such peculiar fibre was the mind 

 of the whaler that the terrors and dangers which 

 made weaker men tremble were given not a 

 thought, as he made sail for sea. Indeed, if these 

 dangers had any moving influence whatever upon 

 the American whaleman, they did but strengthen 

 his determination to go. With a spirit like that 

 which animated those who searched for the Golden 

 Fleece, or that in the breasts of the Vikings who 

 braved the frozen North, he went forth seeking 

 wonderlands. 



Because of this spirit, enough tales of adventure 

 have been recorded in the annals of the whalemen 

 to fill a large volume, some of which shall be given 

 here to illustrate the character of these men. 



