FISHINQ BEGINS. 19 



harpooners that no other fuel was ever used for boiling 

 blubber at any time, there being always amply sufficient 

 for the purpose. 



The most interesting part of the whole business, 

 though, to us poor half-starved wretches, was the plen- 

 tiful supply of fresh meat. Porpoise beef is, when 

 decently cooked, fairly good eating to a landsman ; judge, 

 then, what it must have been to us. Of course the tit- 

 bits, such as the liver, kidneys, brains, etc., could not 

 possibly fall to our lot ; but we did not complain, we 

 were too thankful to get something eatable, and enough 

 of it. Moreover, although few sailors in English ships 

 know it, porpoise beef improves vastly by keeping, 

 getting tenderer every day the longer it haugs, until at 

 last it becomes as tasty a viand as one could wish to 

 dine upon. It was a good job for us that this was the 

 case, for while the porpoises lasted the " harness 

 casks," or salt beef receptacles; were kept locked ; so if 

 any man had felt unable to eat porpoise — well, there 

 was no compulsion, he could go hungry. 



We were now in the haunts of the Sperm Whale, or 

 " Cachalot," a brilliant look-out being continually kept 

 for any signs of their appearing. One officer and a 

 foremast hand were continually on watch during the day 

 in the main crow's-nest, one harpooner and a seaman in 

 the fore one. A bounty of ten pounds of tobacco was 

 offered to whoever should first report a whale, should it 

 be secured, consequently there were no sleepy eyes up 

 there. Of course none of those who were inexperienced 

 stood much chance against the eagle-eyed Portuguese ; 

 but all tried their best, in the hope of perhaps winning 

 some little favour from their hard taskmasters. Every 

 evening at sunset it was " all hands shorten sail/' the 



