60 THE WHALE AND 



Friendly Congratulations. Trying out. 



benefit of the gonies and other birds. But no 

 sooner was the last fold of blubber off, the flukes 

 hoisted in, and the great chain detached, than it 

 sank plumb down. About the same time two 

 ships bore down to speak us, the Henry of Sag 

 Harbor, and the Lowell of New London. Their 

 captains came on board to congratulate us on 

 our success, and " learn the news." They had 

 just arrived on the ground, and had not yet 

 taken any whales. 



Soon after we had finished cutting in, about 

 eight o'clock in the evening, the wind increased 

 almost to a gale, making it impossible to try out 

 that night. But to-day, while the ship is lying 

 to, the business has begun in good earnest; 

 the blubber-men cutting up in the blubber- 

 room ; others pitching it on deck ; others fork- 

 ing it over to the side of the " try- works ;" two 

 men standing by a "horse" with a mincing 

 knife to cleave the pieces into many parts for 

 the more easy trying out, as the rind of a joint 

 of pork is cut by the cook for roasting : the boat- 

 steerers and one of the mates are pitching it into 

 the kettles, feeding the fires with the scraps, and 

 bailing the boiling fluid into copper tanks, from 

 which it is the duty of another to dip into casks. 



