52 TEE CRUISE OF THE "CACHALOT:' 



it is impossible to understand anything of the economy 

 of a south- sea whaler without giving it, and I have felt 

 it the more necessary because of the scanty notice given 

 to it in the only two works published on the subject, both 

 of ^hem highly technical, and written for scientific 

 purposes by medical men. Therefore I hope to be 

 forgiven if I have tried the patience of my readers by 

 any prolixity. 



It will not, of course, have escaped the reader's notice 

 that I have not hitherto attempted to give any details 

 concerning the structure of the whale just dealt with. 

 The omission is intentional. During this, our first 

 attempt at real whaling, my mind was far too disturbed 

 by the novelty and danger of the position in which J 

 found myself for the first time, for me to pay any 

 intelligent attention to the party of the second part. 



But I may safely promise that from the workman's 

 point of view, the habits, manners, and build of the 

 whales shall be faithfully described as I saw them during 

 my long acquaintance with them, earnestly hoping that 

 if my story be not as technical or scientific as that of 

 Drs. Bennett and Beale, it may be found fully as 

 accurate and reliable ; and perhaps the reader, being 

 like myself a mere layman, so to speak, may be better 

 able to appreciate description free from scientific formula 

 and nine-jointed words. 



Two things I did notice on this occasion which I will 

 briefly allude to before closing this chapter. One was 

 the peculiar skin of the whale. It was a bluish-black, 

 and as thin as gold-beater's skin. So thin, indeed, and 

 tender, that it was easily scraped off with the finger- 

 nail. Immediately beneath it, upon the surface of the 

 blubber, was a layer or coating of what for want of a 



