58 " Making off." 



are engaged, it is necessary to select a quiet day, 

 to enable the men to complete the entire operation 

 without being disturbed. 



The blubber is first hoisted on deck by means of 

 the main winch, worked by the firemen. It is then 

 seized by two men on each side of the deck, who, 

 with their pickies, drag it to two others stationed 

 on each side (generally harpooneers) , whose duty it 

 is to cut it up in pieces about twelve or sixteen 

 pounds weight, and who remove from it all kreng 

 and other extraneous matter. These latter are 



Clash and Clash-hooks. 



called " krengers." The blubber is then thrown 

 forward to the remaining harpooneers, who are sta- 

 tioned on each side of the deck near a " clash," 

 which is an iron stanchion firmly fixed into a socket 

 in the deck, standing about three feet high, and 

 having five iron spikes on the top. 



Each harpooneer, or " skinner," as he is called 

 whilst so employed, has an assistant, who is called 

 a " clasher," who picks up the pieces of blubber 

 having skin on with a pair of clash-hooks, and 

 places it on the top of the clash. The skin is then 

 separated from the blubber by the skinner, armed 

 with a long knife. The blubber is then deposited 



