" Making off." 59 



in a heap, which is called the " bank/' directly in 

 front of the " spek trough/' which latter is a large 

 oblong trough, about eighteen feet long, and two 

 feet in width and breadth, which is placed imme- 

 diately above the hatchway, through which the 

 blubber is to be passed down. A hole about a foot 

 square is cut in the centre of this trough, to which 

 is fitted a long* canvas shoot or hose, called a " lull," 

 the end of which is pointed into the tank receiving 

 the blubber. The lid of the trough is turned back, 

 and is supported underneath by chocks, so as to 

 form a table about three feet high, on which are 

 placed the blocks cut from the whale's tail. Behind 

 these blocks are stationed the boat-steerers, armed 

 with choppers, whose province it is to chop up the 

 pieces into small portions, after they have passed 

 through the hands of the skinners. They are then 

 thrown into the spek trough, passed down through 

 the lull, and so into the tanks. 



The skeeman and king superintend its transit 

 below, and shift the lull from tank to tank as they 

 become full. One hand is stationed at the grind- 

 stone for the purpose of sharpening the different 

 instruments as required, the remainder of the men, 

 armed with pickies, are employed passing the 

 blubber to and from the various operators. 



This work tends to make the ship in a more 

 filthy and greasy state than the operation of flinch- 

 ing, although there is nothing absolutely repugnant 



