EDGING SOUTHWARD, 225 



of waning. While, however, South Sea whaling is con- 

 ducted on such old-world methods as still obtain ; while 

 steam, with all the power it gives of rapidly dealing with 

 a catch, is not made use of, the art and mystery of 

 the whale-fisher must continually decrease. No such 

 valuable lubricant has ever been found as sperm oil; 

 but the cost of its production, added to the precarious 

 nature of the supply, so handicaps it in the competition 

 with substitutes that it has been practically eliminated 

 from the English markets, except in such greatly 

 adulterated forms as to render it a lie to speak of the 

 mixture as sperm oil at all. 



Except to a few whose minds to them are kingdoms, 

 and others who can hardly be said to have any minds 

 at all, the long monotony of unsuccessful seeking for 

 whales is very wearying. The ceaseless motion of the 

 vessel rocking at the centre of a circular space of blue, 

 with a perfectly symmetrical dome of azure enclosing 

 her above, unfiecked by a single cloud, becomes at last 

 almost unbearable from its changeless sameness of 

 environment. "Were it not for the trivial round and 

 common task of everyday ship duty, some of the crew 

 must become idiotic, or, in sheer rage at the want of 

 interest in their lives, commit mutiny. 



Such a weary time was ours for full four weeks after 

 sighting Christmas Island. The fine haul we had 

 obtained just previous to that day seemed to have 

 exhausted our luck for the time being, for never a spout 

 did we see. And it was with no ordinary delight that 

 we hailed the advent of an immense school of black-fish, 

 the first we had run across for a long time. Determined 

 to have a big catch, if possible, we lowered all five boats, 

 as it was a beautifully calm day, and the ship might 



