236 The Story of the New England Whalers 



of it when the captain wished to remain on the 

 ship. 



Every whaler carried two or three spare boats 

 and plenty of lumber for making repairs. Some 

 modern whalers carry from five to seven boats on 

 the davits ready to lower, but they keep the star- 

 board waist clear because it is there that the 

 whale is secured when its blubber is to be saved. 

 The small schooners that now haunt the Atlantic 

 grounds carry two or three boats on the davits, 

 and a spare one on "the tail feathers," as the 

 davits at the stern are called. The davits are 

 made of stout bent timbers, that rise about ten 

 feet above the rail in order to hold the boat above 

 the waves. Iron davits have been tried, but they 

 were not approved. Whale boats are usually 

 worn out in one voyage, even when they are not 

 destroyed by the whales. They are thrown vio- 

 lently against the side of the ship when lowered 

 in a seaway; the race to reach the whale is some- 

 thing of a strain, and the race after the whale is 

 struck, when they are dragged through literally 

 through the waves at a speed of from six to 

 twelve knots an hour, is a greater one. When the 



