160 WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 



But it was quite true ; and other men did so a seamanlike 

 piece of work. The harpooning is easy as shelling peas, but 

 to make fast the line to a belaying pin and get a running 

 bowline round the tail, and then hitch on a tackle and 

 purchase to that and heave the shark outward single-handed 

 needs sailorlike neatness and quickness rather than great 

 strength. 



We let the youngsters have their fill of shark-killing; 

 when each has killed or helped to kill one, the novelty 

 will wear off, and they will get accustomed to their company, 

 and will not stop work to pay them more than a passing 

 attention with the flensing blades. 



At early dawn we recommence at the whale ; our crew 

 have not yet quite mastered the process, but they will do it. 

 We have strong winches if few men, fifteen is our comple- 

 ment, about sixty used to tackle the job in the old 

 style. 



With practice and our captain's ingenuity and determina- 

 tion we will get Case, Junk, and all on board before mid- 

 day meal. It is a thorough bit of sailor's work, every dodge 

 of purchase block and pulley needed. 



We have the junk now on board ; it was a big hoist, and 

 at the next port of call we will get some extra thick wire back- 

 stays to strengthen our masts, and so heave the next head 

 on board with greater ease. 



It is a marvel this case or long forehead of spongelike 

 spermaceti oil, only covered with thin soft blubber skin. 



The mass of fibrous tissue is even fuller of liquid oil than 

 a bath sponge could be full of water. Whilst it was still 

 warm we pumped it out with flexible steel pipes, but it con- 

 densed and choked the pipe. But when it grew colder we 

 could just handle it. I should think it produced about two 

 tons of liquid oil. 



Now we have the long under jaw of white leather-like 

 quality, with its double row of ivory-white teeth, on board. 



This is where our plan of campaign differs from the most 

 recent whalers ; they either tow their prey ashore or into 

 harbour alongside great floating ship factories of several 

 thousand tons, to be cut up and boiled down. We cut it up 



