THE WHALE FISHERY. 223 



the ship's papers simply as boat-steerer* ; if shipped to take the place of a regular boat-steerer, 

 who may be disabled by accident, or whose office may become vacant by death, he is entered as 

 " spare boat-steerer" or as " preventer boat-steerer. " t He is known in the fishery as boat-steerer, 

 and out of it as harpooner. He should be a mau of unusual personal courage, aud with firm and 

 steady nerves. This class of whalemen has won a name and record which, for bravery nnd the 

 faithful performance of duty, is honored and respected throughout the fleet; so much so, tbat the 

 expression "coward harpooner" would seem at ouce contradictory and out of place. But the har- 

 pooners of the fleet have degenerated with the fishery. In the palmy days of whaling the flower of 

 New England's sons won the right to dart the harpoon by That spirit of fearlessness and gallantry J 

 which characterized the earh American patriot; but now almost every harpooner that sails from 

 New Bedford is the representative of an inferior race. 



The boat-steerers are petty officers and rank next to the mates. Their duties are manifold ; 

 they are required to stand their watches at the mast-head on the lookout for whales, to act as 

 oarsmen in approaching whales, to dart the harpoon, to go down upon the whale while "cutting 

 in," to stand before the try- works when "boiling out", and during the intervals they are expected to 

 keep the boats and apparatus always ready for the capture. They take great pride in their boats 

 and equipments, more especially the harpoons. They are in the liu a , of promotion, and if capable 

 aud efficient both as whalemen aud seamen, the chances for commanding whaling vessels are in 

 their favor. Great care is exercised by the captains in the selection of their harpooners. As a 

 rule they are picked men, who have made one or more voyages, who are skillful in managing boats,, 

 aud courageous enough to face death without shrinking. If they become confused or frightened, 

 and miss their whales, they may be deposed until they have an opportunity to regain their former 

 prestige, provided the captain gives them the chance. This is what might be termed "hard luck," 

 but it is one of the cast-iron rules of the fishery. Some captains may perhaps give their boat- 

 steeiers two or three "chances," as they are termed, but if they miss several chances in succes- 

 sion, other men are put in their places. The success of the voyage depends in a great measure 

 upon the boat-steerers, aud the captains cannot have a personal preference in their appointments. 



The office of harpooner has always been one of prominence and importance, and the scarcity 

 of suitable men or the incompeteucy of incumbents has often occasioned serious drawbacks. 

 Both the English and Dutch relied solely upon the Biscayans for their harpooners when they first 

 embarked in the Greenland fishery. England soon found it to the interest of her fleet to pre- 

 scribe certain laws in regard to the selection of her harpooners. 



Scoresby says that at the inception of the Greenland fishery the English harpoouers com- 

 manded the whaleboats, harpooned the whales, and killed them with the lances. Also that they 



* It is but natural to suppose from the terms " bout-header" and "boat-steerer" that the position of the former 

 was at the ht-ac.1 of the boat, anil that of the latter at the stern simply attending to his duties of steering the boat, as 

 the term would imply. Such, however, is not the case when approaching a whale, anil toavoid the confusion of these 

 terms I will more fully explain t lie duties of these two men in a subsequent account of the capture of the whale. 



t Although the term "preventer" is more generally used in the Provincetown fleet, someof the vessels hailing from 

 New lied ton I record their extra harpoonersas "preventer boat-steerers"; but the crew invariably call them "spare' boat- 

 steerers. " The terms '-spare" and "preventer " are employed for anything held in reserve. The term "boat-steerer" 

 owes its origin to the fact that the harpooner, after striking the whale, takes the steering oarandso directs the move- 

 ment sol' the boat as to en able i he olliei r to kill the whale,. The term "slewer," a .slang expression, is also some times used. 



tin the prosperous days of this industry the " chock-pin," a blender wooden peg for holding the whale-line in its 

 proper place at the head of the. boat whim fast to a whale, was the badge of the harpooner, the emblem of his office, 

 and attested his fitness for the. position he proudly maintained and bis skill and courage in striking whales. More 

 paiticularly, I am told, was this the ease at Nantucket. When tin- fortunate boat -si cere rs returned from successful 

 voyages, they inserted chock-pins in the two upper button-holes of their coals as insignia of rank, to distinguish them 

 from the common foremast hands or ' deck wallopers"; they walked the streets of their native island, attracting the 

 attention of the fair 'Tuckotcrs in thiriuKe.-i-girt home. 



