HUNTING THE NARWHAL AND THE WHALE. 235 



growing out from the bottom of the sea, with only a crust 

 upon it, that covered a bed of fire. 



The volcano was working at this time, at least a thundering 

 and rumbling within, and only a year later it broke out anew, 

 and rolled immense masses of lava down even to the foaming 

 sea. No wonder the Indians thought, that a fire god lives in 

 the boiling streams of glowing lava, though we contradict it, 

 of course, and prove to them the impossibility of the thing. 



But leaving the goddess Tele to prove her existence her- 

 self, we manned the tops next day that is, two men were 

 sent, one to the main and one to the fore-top to look out for 

 whales, and with this our cruise commenced. Whalers to 

 say at least a few words about our vessel itself, and introduce 

 the reader to our fishing gentry always carry more than the 

 usual complement of men for vessels of their tonnage, because 

 they must have hands left on board to work the ship, and 

 after fish have been taken, to boil out the blubber, while four 

 boats from large vessels, and fewer from smaller ones, are 

 usually out chasing other fish in sight. Each boat has a crew 

 of four men, besides the boat-steerer and a man at the head 

 of the boat. The captain of vessels never leaves his ship, 

 though in some, he goes himself in the first boat as the look- 

 out, leaving another one at the same time to command the 

 vessel. 



A whale-ship also differs in its deck construction from any 

 other vessel. Between the mainmast and the foremast are 

 the try-works large furnaces built of brick, and containing 

 two or more very large iron-pots for trying out the oil from 

 the blubber close to it is the galley, sometimes not much 

 larger than an overgrown sentry-box, with a stove in it, which 

 leaves hardly room enough for the cook to sit before and 

 broil his knees ; all kinds of pots and kettles hang up inside, 

 and a perfect variety of copper and iron vessels are fitted 

 upon every part, in every nook and corner of this machine ; 

 while it is a mystery to me how a human being' is able to 



