CHAPTER II 



THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SPERM 

 WHALE 



MY earliest recollections are rather hazy, but 

 principally centre themselves around pleasant 

 sensations. I was born, as nearly as I can 

 remember, at high noon in the Indian Ocean near 

 the Equator. You must excuse me from being more 

 exact, for while we whales know the oceans down 

 to a depth of five hundred fathoms from North to 

 South within the frigid zones, and all the watery 

 world around, we do not pretend to the scrupulous 

 accuracy with regard to exact position that humans 

 do. Why should we ? We always know where we 

 are, we never miss one another, and although we 

 keep no log-books we never forget anything that 

 we ought to remember. 



So to come back to my birthplace, it was, as I have 

 said, in the Indian Ocean near the Line, and my first 

 feeling was, ' How pleasant everything is ! ' The sea 

 was like warm milk, the softest, most delicious cradle 

 that ever babe was rocked in. Overhead, the glorious 

 sun like a globe of molten fire that was bursting its 

 bounds on every part of its rim, poured down a flood of 

 life-giving heat. Not a cloud in the stainless blue, 

 not a fleck of foam on the peaceful waters, only great 



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