110 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



weather side to keep the waves from breaking. 

 But despite the oil that spread from them over 

 the water, giant seas frequently broke over the 

 brig. One crushed the waist boat into kindling 

 wood and sent its fragments flying all over the 

 deck. We were fortunate to have several other 

 extra boats in the hold against just such an emer- 

 gency. Waves sometimes filled the ship to the 

 top of the bulwarks and the sailors waded about 

 up to their breasts in brine until the roll of the 

 vessel spilled the water overboard or it ran back 

 into the sea through the scuppers and hawse- 

 holes. 



The waves ran as high as the topsail yard. 

 They would pile up to windward of us, gaining 

 height and volume until we had to look up al- 

 most vertically to see the tops. Just as a giant 

 comber seemed ready to break in roaring foami 

 and curl over and engulf us, the staunch little 

 brig would slip up the slope of water and ride 

 over the summit in safety. Then the sea would 

 shoot out on the other side of the vessel with a 

 deafening hiss like that of a thousand serpents 

 and rush skyward again, the wall of water 



