gS THE WHALE HUNTERS 



seemed but a mere shallop; and all around them the sea 

 and sky was patterned with the shapes of similar vessels 

 whose tall hulls and delicate traceries of masts and 

 rigging stood out in sharp relief against the white and 

 blue background. 



The ships of this great fleet all lay to ice-anchors dug 

 into the floes, which, having six-sevenths of their bulk 

 below the sea were very little affected by the force of the 

 winds compared with the ships. 



'Look, Jonathan!' cried Joseph. 'That big armed 

 vessel there ! She must be the commodore that fired the 

 cannon. She appears more suited to fighting than 

 whaling.' 



'Yes, none of the others have gunports,' said Jonathan, 

 and he followed Joseph on an eager inspection of the 

 Der Browerys upper deck. 



'What can that be ?' asked the younger lad pointing to 

 a huge wooden beam that lay horizontally across the poop- 

 deck and jutted out over each quarter. 



'Perhaps it is used to hoist and lower the whaleboats,' 

 suggested Joseph. He leant out from the ship's side. 

 'Yes, there is a large tackle with a hook on the lower block 

 hanging from the end of the beam. And there is a boat 

 moored under the stern with rings in the bow and stern 

 to take the hooks; but I can only see one tackle — no, 

 there is the other in the mizzen rigging.' 



Joseph's deductions were, in fact, correct. The large 

 fixed beam or shear as it was called was actually the fore- 

 runner of the cranes or davits that came at a later date 

 in the evolution of whaleships. 



'Do you suppose, Joseph, that these Dutchmen chase 

 the whale in that clumsy shallop?' asked Jonathan. 



He pointed to the craft under the stern. 



The only noticeable feature in common with the 

 American whaleboat was that it was double-ended. With 

 its shorter length, broader beam and heavier construction 



