138 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



stuffed specimens in museums, would have 

 seemed a mere baby beside this monster of the 

 deep. 



As proof that the whale was ours, the har- 

 poon sticking in its back bore the brig's name, 

 and fast to the haft and floating far out on the 

 sea in a tangled mass was the 800 fathoms of 

 line from the brig's two tubs. Our first work 

 was to recover the line. As this had to be 

 straightened out and coiled in the boats, it was 

 a long and tedious job. Then with a short sharp 

 spade, a hole was cut through the whale's flukes 

 and a cable passed through and made fast. 

 iWith both boats strung out along the cable, the 

 men bent to the sweeps, hauling the carcass 

 slowly toward the brig. Meanwhile the vessel 

 had been sailing toward us. So we had but a 

 hundred yards or so to pull. 



The loose end of the hawser was passed 

 through the hawse hole in the starboard bow and 

 made fast to the forebitt. In this way the flukes 

 were held close to the bow. As the brig made 

 headway under short sail, the great body washed 

 back against the vessel's side and lay upon the 



