CUTTING IN AND TEYING OUT. 141 



the whale's back. As it was his boat that had 

 struck the whale the cutting in of the head was 

 his job. Nobody envied him the task. The 

 stripped body of a whale offers a surface as slip- 

 pery as ice. As the waves rocked the whale. 

 Long John had much ado to keep his footing. 

 Once he fell and almost tumbled into the water. 

 Finally he cut himself two foot-holds and began 

 to wield his axe, raining blows upon the neck. 

 He chopped through from the upper neck sur- 

 face into the corners of the mouth, thus loosen- 

 ing the head and upper jaw from the body. The 

 lower jaw is devoid of teeth. The tackle hook 

 having been fixed in the tip-top of the head's 

 bowlike curve, the windlass men heaved away. 

 Up rose the head above the bulwarks and swung 

 inwards. 



"Lower, lower away!" cried the mate. 



Down came the head upon the deck and a 

 great cheer went up. The " old head " was safe. 

 Immediately afterwards, the mate came forward 

 with a bottle of Jamaica rum and gave each 

 man a swig. " Bringing in his old head," as it 

 is called, is a memorable event in cutting in a 



