CHAP. II.] WHALES AND WHALERS. 37 



boat. He has been living twelve or fifteen years in 

 Cook's Strait, and the relation of his adventures and 

 migrations in company with the native tribe, to 

 which he is now joined, made the evening pass away 

 very quickly and agreeably. His ruddy and good- 

 humoured countenance showed, at all events, that 

 such a life had not occasioned him many sleepless 

 nights, and that in New Zealand a man might 

 thrive, at least as far as regards his bodily wel- 

 fare. 



On Sunday, September 1, we went ashore early 

 in the morning. We passed several huge carcases 

 of whales sunk under water. A curious spectacle 

 presented itself on the beach, which was covered 

 with remains of whales skulls, vertebrae, huge 

 shoulder-blades and fins ; and the blubber, in pieces 

 a square foot in size, was still boiling in large pots : 

 the fire was fed with these pieces of blubber, after 

 the oil had been boiled out of them. There was much 

 stench from whale-oil, but this was disregarded, so 

 great was the interest I felt in the whole process. 

 After I had inspected the trying-houses, in one of 

 which a native of Australia was occupied, of whose 

 intelligence and quickness his master spoke very 

 highly, I went through the village. Some of the 

 houses were substantial wooden buildings, but the 

 majority had thatched walls of liands and bulrushes, 

 with a roof of the same materials. They consisted 

 of one floor, and contained two or more rooms, with 

 a spacious chimney. The floor is of clay firmly 



