OUR FIRST CALLING-PLACE. 93 



heavily laden for the return journey to the «hip. My 

 friend had kindly given me a large piece of splendid 

 cheese, for which I was unahle to make him any return, 

 being simply clad in a shirt and pair of trousers, neither 

 of which necessary garments could be spared. 



"With hearty cheers from the whole population, we 

 shoved off and ploughed through the kelp seaward again. 

 When we got clear of it, we found the swell heavier than 

 when we had come, and a rough journey back to the ship 

 was the result. But, to such boatmen as we were, that 

 was a trifle hardly worth mentioning, and after an hour's 

 hard pull we got alongside again, and transhipped our 

 precious cargo. The weather being threatening, we at 

 once hauled off the land and out to sea, as night was 

 falling and we did not wish to be in so dangerous a 

 vicinity any longer than could be helped in stormy 

 weather. Altogether, a most enjoyable day, and one 

 that I have ever since had a pleasant recollection of. 



By daybreak next morning the islands were out of 

 sight, for the wind had risen to a gale, which, although 

 we carried little sail, drove us along before it some seven 

 or eight knots an hour. 



Two days afterwards we caught another whale of 

 medium size, making us fifty-four barrels of oil. As 

 nothing out of the ordinary course marked the capture, 

 it is unnecessary to do more than allude to it in passing, 

 except to note that the honours were all with Goliath. 

 He happened to be close to the whale when it rose, and 

 immediately got fast. So dexterous and swift were his 

 actions that before any of the other boats could "chip 

 in " he had his fish ** fin out," the whole affair from start 

 to finish only occupying a couple of hours. We were 

 now in the chosen haunts of the great albatross, Cape 



