142 The Story of the New England Whalers 



belly waistcoat, as he stood at the stern, steering 

 that boat toward the shore until he was able to 

 leap to the pebbly beach. How he smiled, and 

 spoke in soothing tones and offered gifts that were 

 beautiful in the eyes of the savages who had 

 gathered, with arms in hands, to meet him, need 

 not be told in detail. But in the account quoted 

 it is noted that after a time "they gathered around 

 him in great numbers. They would not allow 

 him to move or walk a step, but carried him wher- 

 ever he wished to go," and "paid him every 

 homage they knew how." To the untutored 

 mind of the islanders of the South Sea the whaler 

 was a god. 



Of peculiar interest is the brief description of 

 Deception Island, as given by Captain Pendleton, 

 who was a whaler and sealer hailing from New 

 London, Connecticut. On approaching the island 

 he recognized at once that it was an extinct 

 volcano. The sight of such a peak rising out of 

 deep water excited his curiosity and he went 

 sailing alongshore for a further examination. 

 Thus, very unexpectedly, he came to a huge 

 gash or slit in the side of the mountain affording 



