104 WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 



chock blocks for the new scuttle hatch or companion we have 

 made through the big hatch over the main hold. This being 

 just small enough to admit a man, we can leave it open in 

 bad weather for access to the hold. 



The captain attends to a thousand and one things without 

 pretending to do so, leaving as much as possible to the mate 

 and crew, and has a two hours' sleep, preparatory to a night 

 on the bridge, and works out the course on his chart. We are 

 aiming failing whales at Tobermory, and at odd intervals 

 we talk whales and prospects, about this kind of whale and 

 the other, and the sperm in particular, that we are now setting 

 our hopes on meeting ; as the finner has not put in an appear- 

 ance, the valuable sperm compared to the less valuable but 

 infinitely stronger fighting finners. Also Henriksen looks on 

 a little as I paint, for he is just as interested in my painting 

 as I am interested in his pricking out our course on the face 

 of one of those most suggestive pictures, the Admiralty charts. 

 There is nothing more fascinating, even thrilling, to my mind 

 than picking up this light or the other as we do to-night, 

 and verifying it on the chart in the cabin. 



Noaphead Light on the Orkneys is the first we will pick 

 up, we should see that soon after (or before) picking up the 

 " three flashes in quick succession " from that lonely skerry, 

 Sule Skerry, between Orkney and Cape Wrath. Its guiding 

 circle of radiance intersects the circle of the rays from Cape 

 Wrath. Cape Wrath is white and red alternately. Then 

 we will hie for the Butt of Lewis, weather permitting. St 

 Ebba give us better weather than we met there in the Balsena, 

 a whaling barque of the old style out from Dundee uncount- 

 able years ago we were twenty days hove to in a wicked gale 

 with broken bulwarks, spars, and tattered sails twenty 

 days between Cape Wrath and the south-west of Ireland 

 bad spaewives did it ! Now, holy St Ebba, hear our prayer. 

 Dear saint, give us gentle winds and fair, and for what we 

 are about to receive in the way of whales or fine weather 

 we will be most truly thankful. 



This is the first mate's birthday he is certificated as 

 master and has attained the ripe age of twenty-two, quite an 

 advanced age for many a Norwegian master, and we celebrate 



