228 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



needed all his skill to keep afloat in his heavy 

 boots and skin clothes. As soon as the mate 

 could control his merriment, he stuck the long 

 handle of his spade down and Louis grasped it 

 and was pulled back on the whale's body. He 

 sat there, dripping and shivering and with chat- 

 tering teeth, rolling his white eyes up at the 

 laughing crew along the rail with a tragic " Et 

 tu, Brute " expression. He couldn't see the 

 joke. 



" Lemme aboard," he whimpered. 



" Stay where you are," roared the captain, 

 " and cut in that head." 



Louis lived in mortal fear of the skipper, and 

 the way he straightened up in his slippery seat 

 and said " Aye, aye, sir! " made the crew burst 

 out laughing again. Another axe was passed 

 down to him. He floundered to his feet, and 

 though he found it harder than ever in his wet 

 boots to keep his footing, and slipped more than 

 once and almost fell off again, he finally suc- 

 ceeded in cutting off the head. He had regained 

 his air of bravado by the time he had scrambled 

 back on deck. 



