UNCOMFORTABLY NEAR BEING TEE LAST. 185 



bombs, Yankees hold the mysticetae in such supreme 

 contempt that none of them would dream of wasting so 

 expensive a weapon as a bomb upon them. I was given 

 to understand by my constant crony, Mistah Jones, that 

 there was no more trouble in killing a bowhead than 

 in slaughtering a sheep ; and that while it was quite true 

 that accidents did occur, they were entirely due to the 

 carelessness or clumsiness of the whalemen, and not in 

 any way traceable to a desire on the victim's part to do 

 any one harm. 



The sea was little encumbered with ice, it being now 

 late in June, so that our progress was not at all im- 

 peded by the few soft, brashy floes that we encountered, 

 none of them hard enough to do a ship's hull any 

 damage. In most places the sea was sufficiently shallow 

 to permit of our anchoring. For this purpose we used 

 a large kedge, with stout hawser for cable, never furling 

 all the sails in case of a strong breeze suddenly spring- 

 ing up, which would cause us to drag. This anchoring 

 was very comfortable. Besides allowing us to get much 

 more rest than when on other cruising-grounds, we were 

 able to catch enormous quantities of fish, mostly salmon, 

 of which there were no less than fourteen varieties. So 

 plentiful were these splendid fish that we got quite 

 critical in our appreciation of them, very soon finding 

 that one kind, known as the " nerker," was far better 

 flavoured than any of the others. But as the daintiest 

 food palls the quickest, it was not long before we got 

 tired of salmon, and wished most heartily for beef. 



Much fun has been made of the discontent of sailors 

 with food which is considered a luxury ashore, and 

 wonder expressed that if, as we assert, the ordinary 

 dietary of the seaman be so bad, he should be so ready 



