" BOWIIEAD" FISHING. 203 



will help me — to make this a comfortable as well as a 

 successful ship. I hope with all my heart we shall 

 succeed." 



In answer to this manly and affecting little speech, 

 which confirmed my previous estimate of Captain 

 Count's character, were he but free to follow the bent 

 of his natural, kindly inclinations, and which I have 

 endeavoured to translate out of his usual dialect, a 

 hearty cheer was raised by all hands, the first ebullition 

 of general good feeling manifested throughout the 

 voyage. Hearts rose joyfully at the prospect of comfort 

 to be gained by thoughtfulness on the part of the 

 commander ; nor from that time forward did any sign of 

 weariness of the ship or voyage show itself among us, 

 either on deck or below. 



The news soon spread among us that, in consequence 

 of the various losses of boats and gear, the captain 

 deemed it necessary to make for Honolulu, where fresh 

 supplies could readily be obtained. We had heard many 

 glowing accounts from visitors, when " gamming," of the 

 delights of this well-known port of call for whalers, and 

 under our new commander we had little doubt that we 

 should be allowed considerable liberty during our stay. 

 So we were quite impatient to get along, fretting con- 

 siderably at the persistent fogs which prevented our 

 making much progress while in the vicinity of the 

 Kuriles. But we saw no more bowheads, for which none 

 of us forward were at all sorry. We had got very 

 tired of the stink of their blubber, and the never-ending 

 worry connected with the preservation of the baleen; 

 besides, we had not yet accumulated any fund of 

 enthusiasm about getting a full ship, except as a reason 

 for shortening the voyage, and we quite understood 



