FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
for a change. As the boats come alongside we heave over 
some long strops into the boats. The men in the boat run 
these rope rings through the holes in the skins, where 
the flippers have been — the arm-holes of the seal's waist- 
coats, as it were— then both ends of the strop are looped 
over a hook that is fast to a line that runs through a block 
above the main-hatch and comes down to the drum of the 
winch at the foot of the mainmast. When the men in the 
boat shout, he at the winch lets steam on, and up comes 
the bunch of bloody skins which are flopped down on the 
main-deck ; the second hand on deck then unhooks the 
strop, hauls it out of the seal-skins, runs to the bulwarks 
with it, and drops it over into the boat along with the line 
and hook. Done against time this means plenty of exer- 
cise : as the pile of skins rises higher and higher, the 
second man has to stumble up and down the heap of 
sliding skins to get hold of the strops. To-night the 
decks are piled some five feet high with skins. 
W ednesday^th. — Just as we were beginning breakfast this 
morning, a hand came down the after-hatch and whispered 
with an awe-struck voice : < There 's a whale lying along- 
side, sir.' Whalers are only accustomed to see the Bowhead 
lying on the water, so you can imagine the excitement! 
Up the hatch every one went hatless into the wind and 
snow, and stared from the stern at the great beast's back. 
There it was lying y sure enough, with the dark ripple 
lapping against it ; but there was an unmistakable spinal 
ridge down its back that the right whale does not have. 
It was just the colour and shape of an enormous elephant s 
