ch. xxi] The British Whale Fishery 193 
being 2 or 3 feet thick. The band between the fins 
and head is called the kent. The kent purchase is passed 
from the kent to the head of the mainmast, and the 
fall taken to the windlass. The upper surface of the 
carcase is then raised one-fifth out of the water, with the 
belly up. The harpooneers then go down with " spurs" 
(iron spikes strapped to the foot) to prevent slipping, 
and boys in boats are in attendance with knives. The 
speksioneer directs the operations. The blubber is divided 
into oblong pieces or strips by blubber spades and knives. 
Spek tackles 1 are fixed to each strip and flay it off, being 
worked with winches. The spek tackle consists of two 
single blocks, one fast to guys between the fore and main 
mast, the other fast to the blubber by a strop. The 
blubber pieces, half a ton to a ton in weight, are received 
on deck by the boat-steerers and line-managers, the former 
dividing it into smaller pieces with strand knives, the latter 
passing it between decks with pick haaks down the main 
hatchway. It is received by two men called kings, who 
pack it in the flens gut. As soon as the strips are off, the 
whale is turned on its side by the kent purchase taken to 
the windlass. The whalebone is thus exposed, and is 
taken off on one side by bone handspikes and bone 
knives and spades, with the help of the spek tackle. It is 
split into junks on deck with bone wedges, and stowed 
away. Then there is another kenting. When the flensing 
is finished the carcase generally sinks. If it floats it is 
attacked by thousands of gulls and fulmars. The 
flensing of 20 to 30 tons of blubber can be completed in 
three or four hours, the average time. It is an extremely 
difficult operation, however, when the sea is rough. 
Some casks have been cleared out of the hold, and the 
space is called the flens gut. When it is full of blubber 
comes the operation of making off 2 . This is the freeing 
of blubber from all extraneous matter, cutting it into 
small pieces, and stowing it in the casks. The skee- 
man directs these operations. The spek trough is an 
oblong box over the place where the casks are to be 
filled. The surface of the lid forms a tabic, on which 
pieces of the whale's tail are placed as chopping blocks. 
1 Spek is the Dutch for blubber. 
2 From the Dutch afmaaken, to finish or adjust. 
M. I. 
t3 
