Preparations for bringing Alongside. 51 



flinching and taking in the blubber. The crews of 

 the fast boats were engaged in hauling in and coil- 

 ing away their lines, which on the death of the 

 whale are always cut at the splice of the fore gore. 

 It is usually the duty of the crew of the first fast 

 boat to prepare the whale for coming alongside. The 

 preparations consist in cutting a hole through each 

 fin, for the purpose of receiving the fin-tow, and 

 lashing them together across the belly of the fish. 

 This is done in order that they may offer no obstruc- 

 tion in the water whilst the fish is being towed 

 alongside. The tail is then roused up to the bows 

 of the boat, and in this way the fish is brought to 

 the port side of the ship, and there secured in the 

 following manner. The fish is always brought 

 alongside with its tail forward abreast of the fore 

 chains; it is then secured by means of a tackle from 

 the fore rigging, which is hooked to a strop round 

 the small end of the tail (where it is united to the 

 back of the fish), and by a stout rope, which is 

 called the "rump rope." A similar purchase is 

 hooked from the main rigging to a strop rove 

 through a hole cut in the extremity of the under 

 jaw, which is called the " nose tackle." The right 

 fin of the fish (which is next the ship's side, the 

 whale being on its back) is dragged taut up and 

 secured by a chain or rope to the upper deck, the 

 bulwarks of the vessel on the port side being un- 

 shipped. Between the fore-mast and main-mast is 



