12 TEE CRUISE OF TEE " CACEALOT:' 



much but bad temper — not much sailor, nor much 

 whaler, generally in hot water with the skipper, who 

 hated him because he was an " owner's man." " An de 

 fourf mate," wound up the narrator, straightening his 

 huge bulk, "am de bes' man in de ship, and de bigges'. 

 Dey aint no whalemen in Noo Bedford caynt teach nie 

 nuffin, en ef it comes ter man-handlin' ; w'y I jes' pick 

 em two't a time 'n crack 'em togerrer like so, see ! " and 

 he smote the palms of his great paws against each other, 

 while I nodded complete assent. 



The weather being fine, with a steady N.E. wind 

 blowing, so that the sails required no attention, work 

 proceeded steadily all the morning. The oars were 

 sorted, examined for flaws, and placed in the boats ; 

 the whale-line, manilla rope like yellow silk, 1^ inch 

 round, was brought on deck, stretched and coiled down 

 with the greatest care into tubs, holding, some 200 

 fathoms, and others 100 fathoms each. New harpoons 

 were fitted to poles of rough but heavy wood, without 

 any attempt at neatness, but every attention to 

 strength. The shape of these weapons was not, as is 

 generally thought, that of an arrow, but rather like an 

 arrow with one huge barb, the upper part of which curved 

 out from the shaft. The whole of the barb turned on 

 a stout pivot of steel, but was kept in line with 

 the shaft by a tiny wooden peg which passed through 

 barb and shaft, being then cut off smoothly on both 

 sides. The point of the harpoon had at one side a 

 wedge-shaped edge, ground to razor keenness, the other 

 side was flat. The shaft, about thirty inches long, was 

 of the best malleable iron, so soft that it would tie into 

 a knot and straighten out again without fracture. Three 

 harpoons, or "irons" as they were always called, were 



