XI 



WORK OF THE FIGHTING WHALES 



SAID Captain Benjamin Worth in writing 

 his autobiography for use in Macy's His- 

 tory of Nantucket: 



"I began to follow the sea in 1783, being then 

 fifteen years of age, and continued until 1824. 

 During this period of forty-one years I was ship- 

 master twenty-nine years. From the time when 

 I commenced going to sea until I quitted the 

 business I was at home only seven years. At 

 the rate of four miles an hour while at sea I have 

 sailed more than 1,191,000 miles. ... I have 

 assisted in obtaining 20,000 barrels of oil. . . . 

 While I commanded a vessel not one of my crew 

 was killed or even had a limb broken by a whale." 



It sometimes happened that way. Some cap- 

 tains loaded their ships, voyage after voyage, 

 with never a mishap of any kind, but in the usual 

 course the whalemen had fierce combats with 

 whales during every cruise. Among the many 

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