206 The Story of the New England Whalers 



finished them on a strop, as one would put an 

 edge on a razor. When not in pursuit of whales 

 it was a common practice to put leather shields 

 over the cutting parts of harpoons and lances. 



The shank of the harpoon was about 30 inches 

 long. The toggle of a toggle-iron was about 

 six inches long. At the upper end of every 

 shank was a socket into which a six-foot wooden 

 handle was set. A hickory sapling with the 

 bark on was much liked by able harpooners 

 in other days, because the bark gave a good 

 handhold. A short piece of the whale line was 

 secured to the shank just at the socket by turns 

 called hitches. It was then led halfway up the 

 handle, and fastened there at two points by 

 several turns of stout cord. When a whaler 

 said that a harpoon was "in to the hitches," 

 he meant that the full length of the metal part 

 had been driven in. 



Harpooners who had special pride in their 

 work, some of those, for instance, who wore the 

 chock pin as a badge of honor, had harpoons 

 made for their private use. Well-worn horse- 

 shoes and horseshoe nails were much used in 



