A WHALER'S CREW. 383 



when all the boats are despatched, fully manned, in 

 pursuit of the " fish," two or three hands may be left on 

 board to work the ship. A full complement is fifty-four 

 officers and men, including captain (or master), mate, 

 second mate, doctor, engineer, " speksioneer," two har- 

 pooneers, two loose harpooneers, six boat-steerers, eight 

 line-managers, ten able seamen, and so on. Both the 

 mate and second mate act as harpooneers when required. 

 The "speksioneer" is the officer who superintends the 

 cutting up of the whale. The word is derived from the 

 Dutch spek, or " blubber." 



In order, says Captain Markham,* that all the men on 

 board may take an interest in, and use their utmost 

 exertions for, the furtherance of a successful issue to the 

 voyage, each individual, according to his rank, receives a 

 percentage on the amount of cargo brought home, their 

 regular wages being small. Moreover, a bonus is paid to 

 every man in the boat that captures the first whale; the 

 barpooneer receiving 10s. if he gets fast with the gun- 

 harpoon, 10s. 6d. if with the hand-harpoon, and 21s. if 

 with both, while his mates receive 2s. 6d. each. This is 

 termed " sticking-money," or "fast-boat money." The 

 master is usually rewarded with 1 for every payable 

 fish struck by a harpooneer, and 3 if it be struck by a 

 loose harpooneer ; the latter being a kind of embryo or 

 apprentice harpooneer, who, if he discharges his duties 

 satisfactorily for a couple of years, is promoted to be a 

 full harpooneer. 



" The duties of a whaler's crew," says our authority, 

 " are allotted according to the abilities and qiialifications 

 which the men possess as fishermen. Thus the har- 



* Markham, " A Whaling Cruise to Baffin's Bay," pp. 12, 13. 



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