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CHAPTER XVIII. 



ON THE " LINE " GKOUNDS. 



Wh weighed at last, one morning, with a beautiful 

 breeze, and, bidding a long farewell to the lovely isles 

 and their amiable inhabitants, stood to sea, bound for 

 the '* line " or equatorial grounds on our legitimate 

 business of sperm whaling. It was now a long while 

 since we had been in contact with a cachalot, the last 

 one having been killed by us on the Coast of Japan 

 some six months before. But we all looked forward to 

 the coming campaign with considerable joy, for we were 

 now a happy family, interested in the work, and, best 

 of all, even if the time was still distant, we were, in a 

 sense, homeward bound. At any rate, we all chose so 

 to think, from the circumstance that we were now work- 

 ing to the southward, towards Cape Horn, the rounding 

 of which dreaded point would mark the final stage of 

 our globe-encircling voyage. 



We had, during our stay at Honolulu, obtained a 

 couple of grand boats in addition to our stock, and were 

 now in a position to man and lower five at once, if 

 occasion should arise, still leaving sufficient crew on 

 board to work the vessel. The captain had also engaged 

 an elderly seaman of his acquaintance — out of pure 



