76 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



was into the sea like a shot. The rest of the 

 boat's crew were as much annoyed as myself, and 

 anathematized the unhappy Solomon in every lan- 

 guage spoken in Scandinavia. I believe I added 

 some strongish expressions in English. We made 

 up our minds to disrate Solomon if this occurs 

 again, and to try another of the crew as harpooner 

 instead of him. 



l<lth. Northeast wind, thick fog, and hard frost, 

 all the rigging incased with icicles. Hitherto all 

 our skins, with the blubber attached, had been 

 thrown into the hold "in bulk," but they have 

 now accumulated so as to render it necessary that 

 the blubber should be divided from the skins and 

 stowed in the casks; we therefore take advantage 

 of the fog to-day to perform this necessary but un- 

 pleasant process, which is conducted as follows : 



There is set up across the deck, immediately aft 

 the hatchway, a sort of frame or stage of stout 

 planks, about four feet high, and sloping down at 

 an angle of about 60° with the deck at the forward 

 side. It is perpendicular aft, and at that side of it 

 the two men who are to act as " specksioneers" 1 

 (blubber-cutters) take their stand, clad in oilskin 

 from top to toe, and armed with large knives, sharp 

 as razors, and curved on the edge. The skins are 

 then hoisted out of the hold and hung across the 

 frame, two at a time, with the blubber side upmost. 

 It is an operation requiring great dexterity to sep- 

 arate the fat from the skin, so as to remove the 



