272 The Story of the New England Whalers 



and rats is now about the only livin' thing there 

 is upon the island except ourselves, and I begun 

 to think that if they increased much more they'd 

 eat me as they have everythin' else.'" 



The rats had come from the wrecked ship, 

 "the numerous eggs in the birds' nests provin' 

 a great temptation," and they had driven the 

 birds from the reef. They had then begun to 

 clear the cocoanut trees, and the lost sailors found 

 themselves face to face with the problem of con- 

 trolling the increase of the rats under penalty 

 of starvation. But while they were working 

 at the problem in sailor fashion "we had rat 

 to eat all ways, roast rat, broiled rat, fried rat, 

 rat fricassee, and rat stew" -the ship to which 

 they belonged arrived off the island and took 

 them away, leaving the rats in full control. 



In the usual course, after a whale had been 

 harpooned it sounded and then, on returning 

 to the surface, went swimming away as if in 

 search of a far country. The crew then faced 

 forward and grasping the line hauled in and 

 pulled the boat closer to the whale, if possible. 

 If the speed of the whale was so great they could 



