WHALING AND FISHING. BY CHARLES NORDHOFF, AUTHOR OF "MAN-OF-WAR LIFE," " THE MERCHANT VESSEL.1 NEW YORK : DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. Entered according to Act .of Congress, in the year 1855, by MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio. PREFACE. WITH this volume my story of life at sea *B complete. I have endeavored to give a strictly faithful account of the various phases of a sailor's existence. I have borne in mind the usual objection to books of this class: that they are likely to inspire youth with an uneasy longing for a wandering, worthless mode of life. And as my little books were likely to interest young men and uovs, my aim has been to gi\re a plain com- mon sense picture of that about wmch a false romance throws many charms. If anything I have written on this subject shall induce a young man, launching into life, to make a sensible choice of evils, by looking elsewhere than to the Sea for the adventurous existence which his spirit requires, I shall be rewarded. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Whalemen Wanted! A Whaling Shipping Office — fhc Man-of-Wars-man — The Merchant Seaman — The Whale- man— Talk with the Shipper — 1 determine on a Whaling Cruise — Go to New Bedford. - »- 11 CHAPTER II. Sew Bedford — The Town — The Wharves — The Shipping Office — Prospective Whalemen — Old Bill — The Outfit- ters — Tricks upon the Greenhorns — Hezekiah Ellsprett Claims the Captain's Stateroom — Old Bill and the Ship-owner — The Transformation. ' - - 21 CHAPTER III. The Sag Harbor Whalemen — Shipped at last — Arransje- ment of a Whaleship's Decks — The Try Works — The Boats — The Lower Deck — Sailing Day — Our Crew — Seasickness — Training the Greenhorns — Labors of an Outward Bound Whaleman — Drudgery. - - 40 CHAPTER IV. Land He i Fayal — Anxiety of all hands to get ashore — Portuguese — Their resignation — Fruit — We continue the voyage — Fitting the vessel for her cruise — Drilling • the crew in the boats— The line — Chasing Blackfish -, ProTisions — Cooks • - 56 (v) Tl CONTENTS. CHAPTER V Sabbath — Our Captain's Whaling experience — Land Ho! The Scene of a battle — Tristan d'Acimha — The story of its settlement — Governor Glass — The internal econ- omy of the settlement — Intercourse with shipping -- General appearance of the Island — A wreck — An excit- ing race — Madagascar or Malaga? ... 74 CHAPTER VI. The " Cruising Ground " — What constitutes Wiale Ground —How the Haunts of Whales are Discovered — The Disci- pline of a Whaleship on a cruise — Monotony of the Life — Drawing Water — Portuguese Man-of-war — Cape St. Mary's, of Madagascar — Raising a Finback — "There she blows" — A false Alarm — Sperm Whales — Preparation for lowering — " Going on to a Whale " — "Give it to him ! " — The Whales run — The Chase — The last Desperate Effort, and accompanying Mishap — " Getting stove " — A furious Whale — We are picked up, and lose the Whale. - - 91 CHAPTER VII. Fitting a new Boat —We raise Whales again — Our Boat gets fast — The Whale takes out the Line — The Mate despairs — Sunset — The third Mate refastem — The Mate kills the Whale — " There's Blood " — The Flurry- Getting a Fish alongside — Cutting in — Wrenching off the Head — The Teeth — The Junk — The Case — Extraordinary gathering of Sharks — Their Rapacity — Trying on*, — Horse-pieces — Blanket-pieces — Mincing — Division of Labor — A Night Scene — Nauseating Labor — Picking out fat-lean — Stowing down the Oil — Clearing up Deeks. - - - 114 CONTENTS. V CHAPTER VIII • Gamming " —Sail Ho ! — The Betsy Ann — Her Crew — A " Merchant Sailor "— A Council — A school of Whales — A race between two Whale boats — The Offer to share the Chances refused — It is our Whale — The Barza- roota Islands — Procuring Wood — A strange Fish — Harpooning Hippopotami — We cause one to "spout blood" — Tow it Ashore — Hippopotamus Steak — A Night Visit to the Shore for the Purpose of Killing a few Hippopotami, with its Results. .... 188 CHAPTER IX. No Whales — Tediousness of the Life — Expedients to kill Time — The Habits of Sperm Whales — Their Food — The Sperm Whale Squid —Its Arms— The Whale's Teeth, and how it is supposed that he uses them — Means of Defense possessed by Whales — The right Whale — The Humpback — Quickness of Motion of a Sperm Whale — Lowering in a Calm — Difficulty of approaching a Whale at such a Time — He Listens — Sudden disappearance-^ Chasing a gallied Whale — Rainy Weather — Bourbon — Determination to leave the Vessel at the first Opportu- nity— The Coast of Madagascar — A Story of St. Mary's Shoal. . 166 CHAPTER X Something further concerning the habits of Whales — The Humpback — Their liability to Sink when dead — Aptongil Bay — Our Anchorage — The denizens of the Jungle — Our first Whaling day — A Word concerning the Weather — Actions of Whales — Close of the first Day — The Night — Another Deluge — We get fast — The Whale spouts Blood — Tenacity of Life — Towinur - dead Whale — Cutting in — Trying out — A "Cow an« Tiii CONTENTS. a Calf* — Strong affection of the Mother-Whale — How Whalemen take advantage of this — The Calf is killed — ?Fhe Sharks eat up our Whale — Scaring a Humpback Its Results. - - - - 174 CHAPTER XI Antongil Bay, continued — Whaling near Desolation Island — Teddy — A Character — Sea-Lions — How they are Cap- tured— Tannanarevou^- A .City on a hill top — The Natives — The Scurvy — Burying a Man — Nearly a Ghost Story — The Cook's opinion of Ghosts — Attempts at explanation, meet with no Favor — The Result — Prepar- ing to leave the Bay — Our first and only Holiday in the Bay — A Tour of Exploration — Disturbing an Ant's nest —Flying Foxes — We proceed to Sea. - - - -194 CHAPTER XII. St. Mary, Madagascar — Applying for Liberty — It is granted — Sickness Ashore — The Town and Fort — Two Men remain over night — They are taken sick and die — An Auction — Reflections — The Seychelles — Plans for leaving the Vessel — We raise a School of Whales — How a dead Whale makes headway against the Wind — Striking a Finback — " There blows " — The excitement of " going on » to a Whale— Fast and Loose — A Whale's Revenge — The Boat Stove. - - -21(1 t . . CHAPTER XIII. Mahe— A Newspaper — The Islands — Their Inhabitants — A lazy man's Paradise — Plans for Escape — George Thomp- son's Yarn — A Cruise in a Whale boat — The Escape — Sailing along Shore — The Arrival at Mozambique — Con- cerning Attempts to Desert from Whaleships — Some Reasons *br the Frequent of such Attempts. - - 281 CONTENTS. * CHAPTER XIV. "Liberty" — The Massowah Vessel — She wants a Hand — I go alongside — The Vessel is searched — We sail — T h* trip to the Mauritius — The Crew — The Captain — Discipline — The Land — Port Louis Harbor — I gain an unexpected Friend — I take charge of the Captain's Boat — A trip to Tombo Bay —Paul and Virginia— The Island — Its state under the French — Under British rule — Malabar Apprentices — Malabar Town — The Natives — Chinese.- * '*;*'" • • - 24€ CHAPTER XV. A Touching Ceremony — A Sailor's Grave — I turn Boatman — Life in the Isle of France — Seeking Employment — Joe Rodgers — A Bullock Drogher — Tamatave Bay — The place of Sculls — Hump cattle — Our return Passage — Taming wild Cattle — Sancho — His docility — Meeting Ashore — Difficulty of leaving so warm a Friend — A Wedding. 270 CHAPTER XVI. The Annie — Her Captain — I Ship in her — Our Crew — A Clipper's Forecastle — Sleeping Dzs-acconimodations — Steering — " Humbugging " — Planning a Mutiny — Counter Planning — The African Coast — Algoa Bay — The Anchorage — Surf-boats — Cape Boors — A South Easter — A Double Wreck — Lloyd's Agent. - - 281 CHAPTER XVII. Consequences of the Wreck — A New Crew — Scotch English — Uses of a Barometer — A South-easter Squall —Return to Port Louis — Ship for England — The Pauline Houghton — Talking to the Mate — Our Crew — Paddy —An examination in Seainanship — The Ship — Her X CONTENTS. rotten rigging — The Captain's daily siesta — The Mate gets himself into trouble — How to gain the respect of a tyrant — Shooting at a mark — The Trades — Paddy's last torture — Short handed — Sufferings — Kecuperat- ing — Seeking a Berth — The last act of Tyranny — Paying off — A " Recommendation." - SIX CHAPTER XVIII. 1 wait foT the Barque — Disappointed — " Working n a Pas- sage— New York after two yea/a' Absence — Coasting — Cape Men — Smyra, the Cook — Our Crew go Home — Ship Keeping — Solitude leads to Reflection — A "Coaster's Life — A "Stranger" — The Cape — The Mary Hawes — A " Fish Crew " — Fishing « at Half Line "—We Sail — Preparing for Business — The Vessel — Her Captain. - 342 CHAPTER XIX. '•The Fleet"— A Night Scene—The First Day on Fish Ground — Habits of Mackerel — Advantages of being in a Fast Vessel — Why there is a "Fleet" — Method of Taking Mackerel — Bait used — Monotony of the Fisher- man's Life — A Fish-day — Premonitory Symptoms — Rain — " Shorten Up " — Breakfast — Dressing Fish — Making a Harbor — Salting down — Coming to Anchor — After Supper Comforts — The Morning after a Storm — The Close of the Trip — Depart for New York — I Determine to quit the Sea— "ad do so — Difficulties Attending such » Change with the Sailor. 3UI WHALING AND FISHINtt CHAPTER I. WANTED! — A Whaling Shipping Office — The Maa- .flf-wars-man — The Merchant Seamen — The Whaleman— Talk with the Shipper — I Determine on a Whaling Cruise — Go to «few Bectftrd. " LANPSMEN WANTED ! ! ONE THOUSAND STOUT YOUNG MEN, AMERICANS, WANTED fof the fleet of whaleships, now fitting out for the North and South Pacific Fisheries. "Extra chances given to Coopers, Car- penters and Blacksmiths. " None but industrious young men, with good recommendations, taken. Such will have superior chances for advancement. " Outfits, to the amount of SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS furnished to each individual, be- fore proceeding to sea. 12 WHALING AN D FISHING. " Persons desirous to avail themselves of the present splendid opportunity of seeing the world, and at the same time acquiring a profitable business, will do well to make early application to the undersigned." Such were the contents of a flaring poster, whose bright capitals caught my eye, as one morn- ing I was rambling with a shipmate along South street, on the East River side of New York. Such notices are no rarity in the Eastern seaports. "Whale crews" are in almost constant demand, and these " Wants " and " Fine Chances," stare one in the face on nearly every street corner. They are the lures by means of which the farm -boys, the factory -boys, and the city -boys are drawn to the net of the shipper. The very hopeful, and delightful, but somewhat overdrawn picture of a whaleman's life, here in few words set forth, has enticed many a tolerably honest, but withal lazy lad to seek the shipper's office, and engage himself for a three or four years cruise. To a sailor this avenue to a whaleship is hermetically sealed. Neither here nor in New Bedford is he at all likely to be shipped — for experience has taught the captains and owners of whaling vessels that your real tar is too uneasy a creature to be kept in good order for so long a cruise as whalemen now-a-days generally make. Knowing very well that the shippers will not THE SHIPPING OFFICE. 13 engage them, it is no uncommon amusement with sailors, to step into one of these whaling shipping offices, and make all manner of inquiries concerning the business, the pay, the prospects of success, and finally perhaps, to offer to engage themselves — at which last stage the agent gener- ally breaks off all communication by informing his mischievous visitors that he has at present no chances open. " Here's the office, Charley," said my shipmate, who had been amusing himself at the expense of one of the bright posters we had passed. " Let's go in and talk a little to the old fellow. I'll ask him if he don't remember shipping me as boat- steerer in the Happy-go-lucky." " You don't look green enough for a whaleman, Jack," said I. " No/' answered he, giving his trowsers an extra hitch, and his rakish little nat a more know- ing set, "there's no green here, lad; but come in." We stepped into a tolerably roomy office, divided into two unequal parts by a railing, behind which stood a desk, upon which leaned a tall, black- bearded, shrewd looking man. This proved to be the shipper, or shipping-master, as this dignitary is styled by seamen. The front and largest divi- sion of the office was furnished with several long forms or benches, ranged along the wall, some chairs, and an occasional spit-box. On the benches reclined at full length three as verdant specimens of humanity as could be easily conceived of. Dirty, 14 WHALING AND PISH3NQ. lazy looking wretches they were, withal, whose begrimed faces, and filthy shirts betokened a most inconsistent aversion to the element upon which they were about to seek their fortunes. One of them I noticed had already taken the initiatory gtep in sailorship — his mouth was filled with to- bacco, and the saliva was trickling from the lower corner, to the floor beneath. " Industrious young men, with good recom- mendations," muttered my companion, in a very audible whisper. The shipper evidently looked upon us as rather unwelcome intruders, and did not hesitate to tell us. that there were no chances to ship. " Don't you want to ship a good Boatsteerer ? " askad my friend, in reply to this hint. "Do you mean to say that you were ever whaling? " was the Yankee answer to this. The accustomed eye of the shipper had seen at first glnnce that neither of us were whalemen; and had we disguised ourselves with all possible care, he would still have been as sure as before, of this. It is a singular fact, that seamen, as also those who bave much dealings with them, can tell, almost at a single glance at a sailor, and with the most un- erring certainty, what special department of his business he has most generally followed. What may be the actual distinguishing marks, it would be difficult to say. But they are there, plainly visible to the initiated, and unconcealable by any but the most experienced old seadogs, who, havicg SEAMEN. 15 seen a little of all services, sometimes succeed in making themselves a puzzle, even to .he discrim- inating vision of the shipper. Of these distinguishing marks it may be said kowever, that the man-of- wars-man isknownj by a certain jaunty neatness of attire, and a some thing dashing, and carelessly gay, in his air ana manner, which is above all others his peculiarity. Let him dress as he will, he can never drop that air of saucy recklessness. The merchant seaman is rough, weatherbeaten, with hard features, face and neck bronzed by many suns, and hands swollen by hard work. But he is more particularly distinguishable by an in- discribable awkwardness, in manner and gait. Toil and exposure have made his body stiff and clumsy. His tout ensemble presents more angulari- ties than that of his brother of the service, and in his motions he displays none of the easy grace of the latter. Withal, his clothing fits him badly. The most skillful tailor gives him up in despair, and he lumbers through the world with an ungainly roll, which somehow puts one in mind of a bear. It IB in storm, and danger, " in the times that try men's souls," that Forecastle Jack shows to ad- vantage. But how shall I describe a whaleman? that walking embodiment Eag-fair — " patch upon patch, and a patch over all." While Jack and I are taking a survey of the office, there comes in a fair specimen of the genus. " He is a boatsteerer '' — 16 WHALING AND FISHING. the shipper whispers to me as he sees him enter the door ; and he is probably a smart fellow, else would he not be cordially welcomed in az»d alter • ttvely listened to by that worthy. He is a rather slender, middle-sized man, with a very sallow cheek, and hands tanned of a deep and enduring saffron color. He is very round-shoulder- ed, the effect possibly of much pulling at his oar. He has a singular air of shabbiness about him, as though he had bought his fit-out in Chatham street, of some dealer in second-hand garments. Neither does he look at all at home in the " shore ilothes " which he carries about. His shoes are rough and foxy, and the strings trail upon the ground, as he walks. His browsers fail to connect, joy several inches, showing a margin of coarse, grey woolen sock, intervening between their bot- toms, and his shoes. A portion of his red flannel drawers is visible, above the waistband of his pantaloons; while a rusty black handkerchief at the throat, fastened by a large ring, made of the tooth of a sperm whale, and inlaid with mother- of-pearl, keeps together a shirt bosom, which is in- nocent of a single button. A cutaway coat of sum- mer-cloth, and a little glazed cap complete his cos- tume. But that which strikes one as his most mark- ed peculiarity is .a certain uncertainty in his gaze, which seems to betoken a lack of self-confidence, He moves along with a spiritless dawdle, which is quite in unison with his general expression of list- lessness. He evidently feels but ill at ease in ABOATSTEERER. 17 and stockings. He speaks in an undertone, »& though not judging it worth while to talk louder. His appearance is thoroughly unprepos- sessing, and calculated to give one the impreesioi. that he is quite the reverse of " smart." This is a whaleman, ashore. "Who is he?" I asked of the shipper, as he lounged out of the office door, after receiving some money, evidently the object of his visit to the shipping-office. " That fellow," was the answer, spoken with Borne degree of pride ; " that's Ezekiel Wixon, a mighty smart man, I can tell you, and death on a sperm whale. I've got him a birth as third mate and boatsteerer in the finest ship that will sail from New Bedford this season, and I would not hesitate to bet money that he will be chief mate of her next voyage." I should never have guessed it, from his appear- ance ; but it was even so. And when I subse- quently came to New Bedford, I found this awk- ward looking fellow hand-in-glove with every out-fitter in the place — a sure sign that his smart- ness as a whale-man was beyond doubt. While I was talking to the shipper, my com- panion saw something in the street to attract his attention, and left me. Being thus w thout com- pany I continued my conversation with the talk- ative shipping-master, gaining from him some information in regard to a branch of the whaling business, of which I had hitherto learnt but little, 2 18 WHALING AND PISHINtt. He explained to me how and on what terms th« greenhands, or landsmen, as with a proper respect for the income they produced him he preferred to call them, were engaged, as well as many par- ticulars then heard by me for the first time, in regard to the manner in which " the hands " are fitted out for a whaling cruise. There are shipping-offices in all the piincipal American seaports, as well as in some of the cities bordering on the lakes. Each of these offices has its headquarters at New Bedford or some other of the whaling ports, and thither such men as they can pick up, are sent, at the risk and expense of the shipper. On their arrival, they are taken in charge by the resident agent, who provides them with boarding houses, and next proceeds to pro- cure for them places on board some outward bound vessel. The shipper charges ten dollars per man for his services, besides having his outlays refunded him. These expenses, as well as board bill for the time the prospective whaleman is obliged to re- main in port, are included in the seventy -five dollars outfit which figures so conspicuously on ciie posters before mentioned. As neither shippers nor outfitters receive a cent from the owners till the vessel is fairly at sea, it behooves them to pick out the steadiest looking men. Frequent loss has taught them to regard the fickle-minded sailor with a large degree of aversion, and to cherish a corresponding degree of good feeling toward every degree and kin<* AN OLD SHIPMATE. IS of verdancy, from that of the farmer boy, to that no less evident, of the "counter -jumper ' {i In fact," remarked the shipper to ne, "it would never do for us to bring sailors to a whaling port, for the owners will not take them in their ships. You old salts are an unquiet set, and never make good whalemen." "With a smile at his opinion of sailors, I took my leave of the shipper. His account of New Bedford, which was his chief scene of operations, had aroused my curiosity to see somewhat of a whaling port, and I began to think seriously of taking a trip thither in some little coaster, and spending some weeks there. I had still money enough — why not indulge this whim? As I walked along, ruminating upon my plan, an old acquaintance, a captain of a coaster, with whom I had made a voyage once before the mast, accosted me, and after shaking hands, and a hearty inquiry after my welfare, asked me if 1 would not go with him to New Bedford. " I'll only want a man to help me as far as there, where I have now one of my old hands, waiting for the vessel (a little schooner), and I'll give you five dollars for the run." "Agreed," said I, without stopping to take a •econd thought ; " when do you sail ? " " To-morrow morning, with the first flood." We walked down aboard the schooner, a neat little craft of some sixty tuns, and talked over old times for a while, when I returned to my 20 WHALING AND FISHING. boarding house, to pack up my luggage, and pre- pare myself for the morrow. On mature con- sideration, 1 determined to take all my effects along with me, so that should I make up my mind to ship for a cruise in a whaler, I should bo prepared. Accordingly on the following morning, I bade good-by to the few ship-mates whom I had met while in New York that time, (but without com- municating to any one of them my thoughts con- cerning making a cruise in a whaler), and took my chest and hammock aboard the schooner. The tide serving soon after I got on board, we cast off from the pier and stood up the river, amid a fleet of coasters, all bound through Hurlgate, and up " the Sound." It was a fair day, in midsum- mer, and as we sailed along with a pleasant breeze, my old shipmate, the captain, or skipper, as he was most generally addressed, sat himself down by me to have another talk over days past, when we were together inmates of a forecastle, and to hear somewhat of my adventures since. " But why did you bring with you all your things, Charley ?" said he, when at length I had bi ought my yarn to a close. " "Well," I answered, with some degree of hesi- tation, for I was half ashamed to disclose my thoughts even to an old friend, " I have half an idea cf shipping in a whaler." " I hope you won't make such a fool of your self, my dear fellow," was the answer to this, PASSAGE TO NEW BEDFORD. 2t •' At any rate." continued he, " there's but little danger of it, for no owner 9r captain in New Bed ford, would ship such an old salt as you." Now, I may as well own here, that this con* tinued assertion, that I would not be able to obtain a birth in any whaleship in New Bedford, had the effect of adding much strength to my at first but weakly entertained wish. The more insurmountable seemed the difficulties which hedged about my undertaking, the more earnestly it took hold of my mind, and the more desirable did its attainment appear to me. And thus it came about, that before we reached New Bedford, 1 was firmly resolved to leave no avenue un- tried, in my effort to obtain a place on a whaler. It must not be supposed however, that the wish to make a trial of whaling, and add this to my expe- riences of sea life, was altogether of so late a date as the previous day. On the contrary, I had long entertained the determination to make a whale cruise at some time or other, and every whaling yarn spun in a forecastle served to keep alivo this thought. But I had never before now set a time and place for the carrying into effect of this idea 22 WHALING AND FISHINO, CHAPTER II. BEDFORD— The Town— The Wharves— The Shipping Offion — Prospective Whalemen— Old Bill— The Outfitters— Tricks upon the Greenhorns — Hezekiah Ellsprett claims the Cap tain's Stateroom— Old Bill and the Ship-owner— The Trans- formation. WE arrived in New Bedford after a short and pleasant run of twenty hours through the Sound. As soon as the vessel was anchored opposite the wharves, I persuaded the cook to set me ashore, and proceeded to seek a boarding house, and take a preliminary survey of the town. I experienced no difficulty in securing a place where, for a very moderate sum per week, I was to be furnished with what the good lady called " lodging and victuals," and, after getting my lug- gage ashore, and receiving the five dollars due me for helping to work the schooner to this place, I »et out on a ramble over the town. This I found to differ in many particulars from any other American seaport I had ever been in, and, indeed from any conceptions I had formed in my own mind of its general appearance. For a place in which so large a business is car lied on as here, " Bedford" is remarkably still At the distance of three squares from NEW BEDFORD. 23 side, one would never guess thaifhe stood within the bounds of a city which ranks in commercial importance the seventh seaport in the Union, and whose ships float upon every ocean. A more quiet and rural looking place than that portion of the city beyond the immediate business limits, it would be difficult to imagine. And a more beau tifully laid out or better kept city I never saw. It was now mid-summer, and the spacious man- sions embowered in green foliage, which border the principal streets, looked really enchanting to my eyes, long wearied with monotonous salt watei views; while a walk up the well shaded streets was like a trip into the country. New Bedford well deserves the name of being one of the most beautiful cities in New England. The business portion of the town is confined within a comparatively limited space. One long street, running parallel with wharves, is almost exclusively devoted to the shops of the outfitters, who play a far from unimportant part in the drama of whaling, and of whom more particular mention will be made further on. On the littl branch streets by which this main street commu- nicates with the water side, the sailor boarding houses are mainly found. Many of these are kept by the widows of departed whalemen, who earn a scanty subsistence by providing the afore- mentioned " lodgeing and victuals" for numer- ous youthful aspirants to spouting honors, whc here do congregate. 24 WHALING AND PISHING. Passing by the boarding houses, we come to the wharves, along which, fronting the water side, are the warehouses and counting rooms of vari- DUS ship owners and dealers in oil, bone, and spermaceti. These are scattered along, without regular connection, the scene varied here and there by a blacksmith's or cooper's shop, which two branches of industry seem to be in a pecu- liarly nourishing condition hereabouts. Looking down to the water now, we see a fe^ straggling wharves, between which lie numerous vessels in various states of readiness and unreadi- ness for departure on their long voyages. Here lies a huge hull, careened over on the flat, her exposed side and bottom being thoroughly resheathed and new coppered, dozens of men crawling all over her vast bilge, sawing, fitting, and hammering. Yonder is an old hulk, whose topsides have been torn away, to make room for new ones, by which means she will become almost as strong as a new vessel. Here, at the wharf, is a craft in a more forward state; her masts are now being put in, and as we are looking at her, a general shout proclaims that the main -mast has just been stepped. And a little farther on we see a rusty -looking old tub, just being converted into a saucy clipper by the aid of a plentiful ap- plication of paint. All is life, and wherever the eye rests the scene is one of ceaseless activity. Yet there appears none of the hurrying, bustle, and in particular. THE WHARVES. 2C none of the noise which is a disagreeable attend- ant on all business about the wharves of other large cities. In this, more than aught else, New Bedford differs from any other American seaport. The stranger, placed on these wharves, in igno- rance of his locality, would not long be without the material on which to predicate a reasonable guess. At every few steps, all locomotion is hin- dered or obstructed by long tiers of huge, dirty casks, redolent of train oil, while ever and anon, one stumbles over a bundle of whalebone, or brings up against a pile of harpoons, lances, boatspades, and other implements for dealing death to leviathan — all of which proclaim "in language not to be mistaken," the calling of the place. With here and there a patched, weather- beaten whaleboat, turned bottom up upon the shore, and an occasional pile of oars, the view is tolerably complete. But I imagine the wharves of New Bedford would be incomplete without a due sprinkling of prospective whalemen, wandering listlessly about, looking up with silent wonder at the, to them, vast hight of the ships' masts, or perhaps sagely inquiring "when the apartments for the sailors will be ready for their reception ?" My first day in New Bedford was devoted to a lengthened stroll through the city, and over the wharves. I satisfied a curiosity long entertained, by a close examination of several whaling vessels, just come home, or being fitted for a cruise, an ci 3 26 WHALING AND FISHING. there remarking in what the general arrangements of the decks and rigging of a " blubber-hunter" differ from those of a merchant clipper. By the time I got my breakfast on the following morn- ing, I had fully determined to ship here for a whale cruise. My first object, therefore, was to make the acquaintance of some one of the ship- pers, and induce him to use his influence in procur- ing me a berth. Having obtained directions to the most extensive shipping establishments in town, I called in, in the course of the forenoon, to settle the preliminaries, and inquire as to the terms on which men were engaged. Turning down one of the little by -streets which lead from the main street to the water side, I came upon a large building, evidently once used as a factory, which I saw by a conspicuous sign over the principal entrance, was a " Shipping Office." Entering, I saw before me, in a very long room, about sixty young men, some lying down upon the bare floor, some lounging upon boxes, and a few, sitting in a corner apart, having a stealthy game at cards. A few were reading, but the greater number were whittling pine sticks, nud keeping up a running fire of low ribaldry, wherein the most vulgar was evidently the best liked. These were embryo whalemen, the pros- pective slayers of countless leviathans, the humble instruments of shedding no inconsiderable quan- tity of light upon their country. Some I noticed, had already donned portioni GREEN HANDS. 27 :>f their out-fit, and strutted about in linsey wool- sey shirts, ill-fitting pepper-and-salt trowsers, and glazed hats; evidently producing quite an im« pression upon themselves, as well as upon their less fortunate comrades, who not yet having shipped, were compelled to retain their now heartily despised " longtogs." Yery few among them had beards. Most of them were very young men, or rather, overgrown boys — already too large ever to become good sea- men— but just at that age when they would con- tract all the vices of the sailor, without gaining one of the good qualities which, in Jack Tar, sometimes go far to counterbalance and cover up his multitude of sins. I felt sorry for these strip- lings, thus sundering themselves from all the re- straints of civilized life. There were among them some intelligent faces, and a few, a very few — not more than two or three of the fifty or sixty present — who bore in their countenances and their manners the unmistakable evidences of careful and moral training. Most of those before me had already made a beginning upon the paths of vice, and for them the sea was pleasant only in so far as they thought to find in a sailor's life a larger license than the laws and customs of the shore permit. I was not long in the hall, ere I found my- self an object of very general attention, its in- mates evidently guessing at once that I was a sailor, the gei uine article which some of them 8 WHALING AND FISHIN&. were so ridiculously attempting to counterfeit. ll was comical to see how closely they watched my every movement, each endeavoring to copy some particular air or way, which, above all else, struck him as still necessary to render his own appear- ance that of a regular built Jack Tar. While I was yet watching their maneuvers, one of the crowd, hitching up his pantaloons, which threatened every moment to fall down over his hips, waddled up to me, and adjusting his hat as nearly after the sailor manner as he was able to at the moment, said : " I say, sir, you're a sailor, are you not?" " That's the best guess you've made since you cast loose from your mammy's apron-strings, greeney," said a jolly voice at my back, whose tones seemed somehow very familiar to my ear. I turned quickly in its direction, but had scarce faced the speaker, when I felt myself encircled in two huge arms, and the breath nearly squeezed out of my body, while a stentorian voice hallooed almost in my ears, "by the great hook -block, it's Charley." When I got myself out of the bear -like en-- brace of my huge friend, I found that he was an old shipmate — a topmate during the greater part of a three years cruise in a man-of-war. Of course, our meeting was deemed a fortunate one by both of us, and Bill at once proposed to cele- brate it by a glass of " the very best liquor you ever drank, Charley." MEETING A SHIPMATE. 29 t persuaded my old friend to postpone the drinking, and we locked arms and took a "walk along the wharves, during which we talkec over old times , compared notes as to our various adven- tures since we had parted, some three years before, and I finally learnt what had brought him to New Bedford, the very last place where I should have expected to see so staunch an old sailor as my former topmate. It was not lack of funds, as 1 had at first imagined, but simply a caprice of the old fellow, who had been a whaleman in his early youth, and had now a notion to refresh his memo- ries of auld lang syne by another cruise. "Besides," said he, "you know I can never make anything in a merchantman, and the Service is too strict for me ; so I think whaling is perhaps my best refuge. It's a lazy sort of life, and if one chooses aright, he need suffer from very little except the inevitable blubber." Poor fellow, he was now growing old, and his gray hairs and rheumatism warned him to choose for himself an easy berth. So he had come down to "Bedford" with the hope of securing a place in some sperm whaler, as boatsteerer. His arrival was a most fortunate circumstance for me, as he was able to post Tne up in all the mysteries of shipping, as well as give me much necessary advice concerning the kind of voyage I ought to make choice of. Bill and I spent the day very agreeably together, and parted at 30 WHALING AND FISHING. evemng, with the determination to go in one ship if possible. The presence of an old shipmate made my stay in ISTew Bedford much pleasanter than it would otherwise have been. He introduced me to an outfitter who had promised to get him a ship, and who readily engaged, for a consideration, to per- form the same office for me. He informed us, however, that there was not the slightest hope that we two would be able to go in the same ves- sel; "for," said he, "no ship owner in Bedford would be so silly as to take two such old salts as you in his vessel." And here I may as well explain what is the particular office of the outfitters, in a whaling port. The seventy -five dollars advance, or outfit, which is supposed to be given to each individual who sails before the mast in a whaleship, is divided among three persons: First, the shipper, whose bill is for forwarding to New Bedford, and his price for obtaining the new recruit a vessel ; next, the boarding house keeper, for boarding ai>d lodging during his stay in town ; and thirdly tne outfitter, for a complete stock of sea clothes, suf- ficient, were they of excellent quality (which they not unfrequently are), to last a careful man two years. In a place where so large a number of men are sent to sea annually, the business of fitting these out for their new life is, of course, of considerable importance. The outfitter* OUTFITTERS. 31 give employment to a large part of the laboring community, in preparing the articles which they find most necessary to whalemen, and in turn pockot no small share of the earnings of almost every man that sails out of the port. Not only the new beginners do business with these men, but boatsteerers and mates procure their outfits of them, (of course of a superior quality), and they not unfrequently also make considerable advances of money to such individuals as they think trustworthy and sufliciently smart to make a good voyage. The New Bedford outfitters are faithfully abused by most who have sailed from that port in the capacity of greenhorns, and it is currently believed that their roguery knows no end. But as a class this report of them is far from correct. So far as I ever had any dealings with them, they seemed to be honest enough. But it must be confessed that many of the poor fellows who make their first voyage from here, offer most tempting induce- ments to traders, to cheat them. Their ignorance is so glaring, and their gullibility so vast, that 1 fancy it requires a stronger virtue than dealers in ready made clothing are commonly possessed of, to withstand these combined temptations. If, therefore, occasionally, or perhaps oftener than that, a greenhorn is sent to sea, with a rag-fair outfit, and finds his calico trowsers melting away before the salt water, his dog's hair shirts falling 32 WHALING AND FISHING. to pieces, his boots made of brown paper, Ms hat of the same material, slightly glazed, and his pea- jacket, "like Jack Straw's house, neither wind' tight nor water-tight," I opine that an impartial consideration of all the circumstances in the case would lead him to the opinion that himself was at Jeast partly in fault. Old Bill and I enjoyed ourselves finely, for a lew days, during which we visited nearly every ship in the harbor, took several jaunts to Fair- haven, a village directly opposite and across the river from New Bedford, where, also, numbers of fine whaleships are fitted out, and acquainted our- selves with the destination and general character of all the best looking vessels in both ports. On consideration, I had determined to engage on board a sperm whaler. By doing this I should escape the exposure to cold weather necessarily incident to the pursuit of the right whale, which is found in the higher latitudes, while the cachalot, or sperm whale, is sought for chiefly within the tropics. Moreover, all the right whalers at that time fitting out, were bound around Cape Horn, and thither I had already been. I finally settled on the Indian Ocean, and the Japan cruising ground, as the places I should most like to visit in a whaleship, and determined to look out foi ao opportunity to go in that direction. But although the work of fitting out vessels was going on unusually briskly, it seemed to rat JOHNNY-COME-LATELY. 33 that "chances to ship" were, as yet, few and far between. Occasionally, when we could learn that a captain or owner was about to ship hands, Bill and I would present ourselves with the crowd, and wait patiently to be chosen or left, as his high mightiness should see fit ; and 1 must own that to be left was invariably our fate. We rather enjoyed our stay, nevertheless, as we found much to amuse us, particularly in watching the maneuvers of the new hands. The salt air seems to have the effect of increasing their bumps of credulity to an almost incredible size, and they "hoist in", without difficulty, stories of whales, or of sea life and adventure, which would hardly do even to tell to the "marines," those old time receptacles for all that requires an unusual amount of faith in the believer. Most astonishing yarns of the freaks of whales were daily spun to admiring circles of the verdant ones, by mischievous boatsteerers, who became afterward, in the eyes of their unsophisticated listeners, wrapped about with such a halo of glory as is commonly awarded to none but the greatest heroes. Moreover, the most laughable tricks were continually played off upon the ignorance of the new-comers. " Johnny-come-lately," is the butt for everybody's practical jokes, and some- times has his unlimited confidence in human nature severely shaken, by the conduct of his pre- tended friends. 34 WHALING AND FISHING. Boarding a vessel on the Fairhaven side of the river one day, Bill and I were surprised to see upon the newly painted door of one of the cabin state-rooms, the words "Hezekiah Ellsprett's berth," written in tolerably conspicuous letters, with chalk. The following day the joke leaked out. It is usual, when a crew has been shipped, for them to hurry on board their vessel, and make choice of their sleeping berths, the earliest comers securing of course the most desirable places. It appeared that Hezekiah had gone on board his ship for the purpose of making choice of a berth, and after a deliberate scrutiny of the prem- ises, fore and aft, had arrived at the sage conclu- sion, that a certain state-room contained more of the elements of comfort, than any other place which had met his eye. He therefore determined, after weighing all chances, that he would make choice of this room, as his. It is but justice to say that a faint glimmer of doubt as to the tenableness of his position did invade his cranium ; but on making inquiry of the ship-keeper, that worthy assured him that he had an indisputable right to choose whatever berth suited him best — and advised him for further se- curity to write his name upon the door, and place his bedding in the bunk or standing bed-place — which he immediately did. One can imagine the Captain's surprise, on com- ing on board next day, to find himself a trespasser OUTWITTING 1 SHIP OWNER 35 ID his own domain. But words would fail to des- cribe the unaffected look of astonishment dis- played in Hezekiah's sapient countenance, when he was informed that that was " not his end of the ship." The tricks were not all played upon the new comers, however, as the mannei in which my old friend Bill, shipped, sufficiently evinced. I had been in town nearly two weeks, when my worthy ship-mate met me one morning, and informed me that there was a chance that day, of which he in- tended to avail himself. A little barque, fitted for a short cruise in the South Atlantic, was about to ship hands, and in her, Bill had determined to se- cure a berth. Accordingly at ten o'clock A. M., the hour previously specified, a large number of •' hands " betook themselves to the office of the owner, located on one of the wharves. Here, at one end of a large room, on a raised platform, sat a portly, cross-looking gentleman, whose self- satisfied and important air sufficiently proclaimed that he was full well aware of the power he was that day to exercise, as well as of the importance of bringing all his perceptive faculties to bear up- on the matter in. hand, in order that he might make a fortunate selection of men. There was that in the gentleman's eye which told plain as eye can tell, that he was not on this occasion to be taken in. Up to this worthy's chair of state my poor friend was ushered, by the shipping-master, whc 36 WHALING AND FISHNG. had determined to secure him a berth that day — by hook or crook. '; Is this the man you mentioned to me, Mr Jones ?" asked the owner. " Yes sir, and a most excellent fellow you'll find him, sir — a good whale man and a quiet fellow." " Please go out my man please go out — you are too old a salt for me; I would 'nt allow you to pay your pas- sage in a vessel of mine," was the owner's answer, after closely scrutinizing poor Bill for the space of two or three minutes. " Mr. Jones, I'm aston ished that you can think of offering me such a man — why he's a regular mer- chant sailor, if my eye knows anything concern- ing the bearings of those vagabond fellows." Mr. Jones looked crestfallen ; seeing which, the added, " I promised to ship one of your men, and will keep a place vacant for one if you ean bring me down somebody that will suit." A bright flash from Mr. Jones' eyes would have told a close observer that a fortunate idea had in part relieved him of his embarrassment. With A TRANSFORMATION. 37 nimble steps he hurried from the hall, and over- taking Bill and myself, on our way to the office, whispered something in the former's ear. " By the great hook -block, I'll do it," said Bill, after a moment's consideration, and catching my arm he rushed into a barber Bhop, closely followed by the shipper. " Take off my whiskers as quick as you can, Yankee John," said Bill to the Por- tuguese barber, while Mr. Jones added "and a good portion of his hair too, my man." In a very few minutes Bill's face was denuded of an enormous pair of whiskers, his long flowing locks were trimmed closely all round, and looking in the glass he swore he hardly knew him- self. " Now come up to the store." Arrived there, Mr. Jones produced a pair of pan- taloons of yellow and light blue crossbarred stuff, a shirt which had evidently already been ii contact with whale oil, and one of those abomin able hats, whi;h, as Bill said, "would make ojd Jimmy Square-foot himself look like a horn." 48 WHALING AND FISHING. After donning this suit, I was myself, almost tempted to doubt the identity of my shipmate. All the gay, careless swagger of the sailor was gone, and he looked as much like a veritable clod- hopper, as though this had been his first intro- duction to salt water. " Come along now — no time to lose," said Mr. Jones — and he and Bill hurried off to make an- other attempt upon the wide-awake owner; I re- maining at the store, for fear of compromising by my presence, the success of Bill's plans. Arrived at the office, they found nearly all the former crowd gone — and the owner sitting upon the platform, complacently looking over some accounts. " Ah, Mr. Jones, this is your man, I presume?" " Yes, sir — I think you'll like him better." " He has not been at sea at all, I fear, Mr. Jones, and we wanted some one that would be of a little help." " He has made a short trip in a Provincetown whaling schooner, and I think captain Mayhew will find him a handy fellow — although to be sure he looks rather green." " How long were you out my man ? " " Six months, sir." "Do you drink?" "No sir." "Do you think you could strike a wnale? " Yes sir, if they will give me a chance." " That's the talk ; chance you shall have. I'll BILLISSHIPPED. 39 ship you — give you a seaman's lay, and if there is a vacancy among the boatsteerers during the cruise, you shall have it, provided you are smart." Expressing himself highly satisfied with this, Bill signed his name to the articles — as Ezekiel Nickerson — and hastened from the presence of the shipper, who felt highly elated at securing so elig- ible an individual — little thinking that scarce half an hour before he had sent him from his office. Said Bill when he came back " so good a joke as that ought to be washed down with some brandy" — and accordingly he got tipsy in honor of the event. 40 WHAJING AND FISHING CHAPTER III, THE Sag Harbor Whaleman — Shipped at Last — Arrangement of a Whaleship's Decks — The Try Works— The Boats — The Lower Deck — Sailing Day — Our Crew— Sea-Sickness — Train- ing the Greenhorns — Labors of an Outward Bound Whale- man — Drudgery. IT was on the third day after the shipment of my old friend, that my turn at length came. I had begun to despair of getting a ship — not hav- ing the resources at my command by which mj friend had circumvented the owner; but the ship- pers desired me to wait some few days longer, as a chance would soon turn up. Accordingly, one morning I was desired to step down on board a Sag Harbor ship, which had just come up for the purpose of engaging a crew, and completing her outfit. I was the bearer of a note to the captain ; who, having read it, looked at me a few moments, and then asked : "Have you ever been whaling?" "No sir." "How long have you been at sea?" I mentioned the number of years. " Do you intend to run away at the first port we make ?'' THE LAY. 41 I answered that such was not my intention at that time. "Well," said he, finally, "I think I'll ship you; I can give you the one hundred and twenty- fifth lay, whi(w is a better lay than we generally give men, and if you behave yourself I'll take care that you are advanced as fast as you yourself car. desire." Having declared my readiness to "sign the articles" there and then, we stepped into the cabin, where the contract was ratified, and I engaged to go upon a voyage "to the Indian Ocean, and such other seas and oceans as the captain might see fit to visit, in pursuit of his business of taking whales," etc., etc.; the voyage to be not completed until the return of the ship to a regular port of dis- charge in the United States. Whalemen do not work for wages — but for a proportionate share in the proceeds of the com- mon voyage. This share is called each man's lay, and varies greatly, according as a hand is more or less active and experienced. Thus, while my lay was the one hundred and twenty-fifth, (mean- ing that my share in the gross proceeds of the voyage was at the rate of one barrel in every one hundred and twenty -five), the lay of the green hands ranged from the one hundred and eighty- fifth to the two hundredth, giving them only at the rate of one barrel for every one hundred and eighty-five or two hundred. Boatsteerers, mates, and even captains, sail "on a lay;" receiving, as a 42 WHALING AND PISHING. matter of course, shares proportionate to their experience and the importance of their duties. Having signed the articles, I received a note from the captain to the shipper, to that effect, j*od svas informed that the ship would sail 041 the next day but one, and that it was desirable I should render myself and luggage on board on the even- ing previous. The first matter which claimed my attentior after returning to the shore, was the procuring of an outfit of clothing and other necessaries for the voyage. As before mentioned, on shipping in a whaler each man receives credit from the owners, for an amount sufficient to provide him with a certain necessary quantity of clothing, and to pay the bills for board and shipper's charges, which he has contracted while waiting for the vessel. Of clothing I needed but little, as my chest was well supplied. I took, however, a plen- tiful supply of blue dungaree (cotton drilling) of which I designed to make up my own clothes for warm weather, when we should have gotten to sea. A number of pounds of chewing tobacco and half a bolt of coarse calico, to trade among the natives, completed the items on my outfitter's I 11. This and other bills rendered, and signed by me, I betook myself on board, with chest and hammock, determined, as our voyage was to be a long one, to secure as good a berth as possible in the forecastle. This I succe3ded in doing, being, A WHALER'S DECKS. 43 with the exception of two men who had come in the vessel from Sag Harbor, the first on board. The forecastle was a large, roomy place, dis- playing the usual two tiers of berths on each side, and a locker at the bow, where could be stowed pots, pans, spoons, and other table utensils. The floor was encumbered with cleats, used by those who had last occupied the place, to fasten their c.hests. There was a disagreeable smell of train oil, and other sea abominations, pervading all—- but to smells of this kind my olfactories had long been accustomed, and they were therefore of no jonsequence to me. After securing my berth, and lashing my chest in its place, I proceeded on deck to make a more minute examination of the vessel which was to be my home, in all probability, for some years. The decks of a whaleship are fitted up in a manner greatly different from those of a mer- chant vessel. Amidships, where the merchant- man stows his longboat and spare spars, are the try -works — a frame built up of brick, with two, and sometimes three, large iron pots placed in the middle, beneath which is the furnace or fireplace. Stout iron knees, bolted to the deck, keep this mass of brick and mortar in its place. Over all is a large wooden cover to keep out the rain. The deck is sheathed fore and aft with thin pine lumber, to save the main planks from injury which nvist otherwise be done them, by the cut- ting and hacking of blubber, and the rolling of 44 WHALING AND FISHING. oil casks, incident to trying out and stowing down a whale. A portion of the starboard side, the waist, as it is technically called, is also thickly sheathed, as it is here that the blubber is taken in from the whale along side. The bulwark, or rail, at this portion of the side is moveable, and can be taken out entirely, which is done when "cutting in." On the starboard side a whaleship carries but one boat — the cranes for which are hung upon the quarter. As ours was a four boat ship, we had the remaining three upon the larboard side, occupying a space there from the quarter to the forerigging. It is a matter of much difficulty, at sea, while a vessel is under sail, to lower a stern boat, for which reason whalemen never carry a boat on stern-davits, as merchant vessels are accustomed to do. Two spare boats, stowed overhead, between the main and mizzen masts, and thus making a good shelter on the quarter deck during rainy weather, completed the fitting of the decks. Aloft our ship differed but little from most other vessels of her size — the little top-gallant-cross- jrees, the stations for look-out men, being the only peculiarity which would bespeak her business to a sailor. The lower deck was divided off into : forecastle, where the crew live; forehold, a place where all spare rigging, hawsers, and cutting-in gear are stowed, as also spare lumber for repairing boats, A WHALESHIP'S HOLD. 45 and a large assortment of spare oars, any vacant space left being filled with oil casks ; the blubber room, a large space, just below the main hatchway, into which the blanket pieces, just taken from the >vhale, are lowered, there to be cut up by the Dlubber-room men, into horse pieces; and lastly, the steerage — where the boatsteerers and cooper have their place of abode. The hold is filled with oil casks, most of the lower tier of which are at the commencement of the cruise filled with water, while in the upper tier are contained the bread, beef and provisions, as well as sails, dry goods for trade with the na- tives, and all ships stores whatever, everything being stowed away in casks to economise space, and get on board as many of the latter as possible. A forty gallon cask of Epsom salts — medicine for the sailors — figured conspicuously among the stores. It was on a fine morning in June, that we sailed. The crew had been all gathered on board the pre- ceding afternoon, and the vessel hauled into the lower bay, ready for a fair start ; and now having bidden good-by to all friends and acquaintances, we weighed anchor and set sail, taking a last, and I must confess, with me rather sorrowful look at the beauteous verdant shores of America, which ffen- eive people, sober and industrious, penurious, al- most to a fault, and I believe, invariably excellent whalemen. They are held in great esteem by ship owners and captains, but are often despised by their shipmates in the forecastle, who seeing them of such different habits to their own, choose to decry them as sneaks, and tale-bearers. 1 found them quite the reverse ; and with one or two exceptions, those with us were the only indi- viduals of the crew with whom I could associate with any degree of pleasure. Brought up in the most abject poverty, it is natural that they should be saving — and refuse to waste their hard earned money for trifles or in dissipation, as is the fashion with sailors in general. They have moreover an object in life, which is never lost sight of in all their wanderings and toils It is their hope some day to be able to set- tle down on their native islands, among their friends and ki idred, and with the savings of yeais of hard labor, to spend their latter years in peace- ful retirement. Yery many, I have been inform- ed, have lived to realize this day-dream, and DIVIDING THE SPOllS. 61 Baking the few hundreds of dollars, which is th« sum of thoir savings, have returned to live at ease in the home of their youth. It is not possible that men who cherish such recollections, and en- ter on life with such hopes and determinations, ehould fall to the depths of depravity and vice in which whalemen generally lose themselves. Early on the morning succeeding our arrival in [>ort, several large boatloads of fruit, with some potatoes, and half a dozen razor-backed pigs were brought along side and taken on board. Im- mediately thereafter we once more got under weigh, and departed on our long voyage. When the anchor was stowed and all snug for sea, the oranges which had been brought on board were divided among the crew, each one receiving a share to take care of, and eat as he saw fit. This is the usual manner of proceeding in such cases, on board a whaleship, and prevents all after quarrels, inasmuch as each one can make as much of his hoard as he pleases. My share amounted to nearly three hundred. They lasted three weeks, and it was with an anx- ious desire for more that I put the last and juciest one to my lips — well knowing that many month? would, in all probability, elapse before we should be favored with another run into port. Once more at sea, the old wearisome drudgery recommenced. Here a patch and there a mat, in one place a new rope, in another an old one refit- ted, tarring ar.d slushing, scraping and scrubbing 62 WHALING AND FISHING. day after day proceeded the labor of fitting the vessel's rigging, sails and deck for the endurance of a long season of neglect. Meanwhile we were keeping a stricter lookout for whales, hopeful that we might at this early part of our cruise fall in with and capture some "good fish." All the crew were now to some degree broken in to the sealife, and pretty soon the new hands began to claim for themselves great credit on the score of seamanship. With infinite pains they had been taught a few of the many splices, knots, and ties which all old tars have at their fingers' ends. With doleful groans they had prac- ticed running aloft, until the first emotions of fear and dizziness had worn off. By dint of steady per- severance they were now able to chew tobacco without being nauseated, and to spit about the decks without feeling that they were committing a dirty trick. As for swearing, I must own that that accomplishment they seemed to master without any apparent effort. They could hitch up their suspenderless trowsers, and cock their hats on "three hairs," in a manner faintly resembling that supposed to be peculiar to the genuine tar : and so they called themselves sailors. They had arrived at the summit of their tree of knowledge, and did not fail to congratulate themselves upon the pros- pect stretching out before them. Alas! they had one more mortification to un- dergo— one more difficulty to overcome, — yet an- other branch of the business to familiarize them INTHEBOATS. 63 selves with, before they would be even whalemen — and what old salt does not know that there is as much difference between a whaleman and a true sailor, as there is between a child's tin trum- pet and the bugle which calls to battle. To tell the truth, I, in virtue of being a real, genuine tar, despised these fellows from the bottom of my heart; and it must be owned, they hated me with a fervor which was only equaled by its powerlessness. But to return to my story. We were three days out from Fayal, and had by the aid of a favorable breeze, left the lofty Peak of Pico many miles be- hind us, when coming upon, deck one morning, we found a dead calm, a tolerably smooth sea, and a thin hazy atmosphere, which, to the old whalemen aft, looked like whaling ground. Shortly after breakfast word was passed to man the boats, to take some practice in pulling and maneuvering, in order that our crew might not be entirely un- prepared, should we be so fortunate as to fall in with whales. The various boats-crews had been chosen when we were but a few days out at sea, and each indi- vidual had received some general instructions as to his particular duties. And here it will be as well to initiate the reader into the manner in which a boat's crew is divided, and what is each one's duty. Each boat is manned by six hands in all; of these the officer or boat-header as he is styled, and the boatsteerer, or harpooneers- 64 WHALING AND FISHING. man are two. The four men at the cars are called beginning at the bow, the bow-oarsman, midship- •mrsman, tub-oarsman, and stroke-oarsman. It 's the duty of the first named, aside frcm his iaboi at the oar, to assist the boat-header in getting % than a boat could be comfortably pulled against. But at this time we would have " lowered " in a gale of wind. Moreover, a moderately rough day, such as this was, is considered a much better wha- ling time than when there is little wind and a smooth sea; as it has been found that whales will not run so fast, and oftentimes will not run at all, thus becoming an easy prey. The whales — three in number — were slowly drifting to leeward. They were discovered about ten o'clock, A. M. We worked the ship to wind- ward until one o'clock, keeping well ahead of them, and then, having gotten into what was con- sidered a favorable position, took advantage of their sounding, to " lower." " ]STow, my lads," said the mate to us, after we were some distance from the ship, " if we do not get fast and kill our whale to-day, I shall think we have not done our duty ; and if we do, you'll have a bunch of cigars each." He could not have spoken more to the point, and the crew looked a determination to " put him on " to the first fish that showed himself. The breeze was so strong when we left the ves del, that she could hardly carry her main top- gallant sail. Yet when we had pulled the boat to the spot near which the whales were ex- pected to rise, we set our little boat-sail, a mere ift WHALING AND FISHING. haL ikerchief, as it were, and the lively boal danoed merrily over the waves, taking in not a drop of water. Nothing can exceed the buoyancy of oire of these little cockle shells. From theii peculiar build and shape, they are especially calculated to withstand a seaway ; and there are instances on record which prove that a whale- boat, rightly managed, (which however, requires great Ekrll and unceasing vigilance) will live in a gale of wind in which many large ships shall make vory uncomfortable weather. "Thero he blows," sung out the boatsteerer, pointing U a white spout on our left, and nearest the second and third mates' boats, which were for this time cruising in company, the fourth mate being not fttr from us. "It's their chance," said the mate with some- thing of disappointment in his voice, and we prepared to look on at their maneuvers, trusting to fonune tor an opportunity for ourselves- after- ward. But by the time the other two boats had been pulled around so as to approach the whales from ahead —a matter requiring in such a seaway, some time — they had already sounded again. For some half-dozen risings we were thus held in suspense. Sometimes it was our chance, some- times that of the others, but at no time did the fish remain on the surface a sufficient length of time to give us a fair opportunity for getting fast. The ship had been worked to windward all the FAST A3AIN. 117 afternoon, under the direction of the captain, who had doubtless been watching our actions \\ith no little anxiety as to the result. The sun was now but about half an hour high, and a waif (a little white flag) had just been displayed from the peak of the ship, to bid us prepare to return OR board. "There's the waif, sir, and the captain's keeprng off to run down to us." "And there's the whale, by the hook block! and now we'll keep off. It's our chance, boys, hurrah!" " Take down your boat-sail, and pull the boat round."" It was done before the words were fairly uttered. The boat was pointed toward the whale, who was lazily wallowing in the trough of the sea, evi- dently unsuspicious of danger. We did not need to pull. Once fairly before the wind, the waves bore us on at the rate of some six or seven miles per hour. A few minutes brought us within fair sight of the whale; a few strokes of the oars placed the boat so far ahead of him as to enable us to approach him unobserved. "Stand up, you sir." "And now pull, you scamps — pull hard, ha f i dozen strokes — spring your oars, boys! " a So — let her run!" " Give it to him ! ! " Before a second iron could be darted, the whale had disappeared beneath the foaming surge; but t!8 WHALING AND FISHING. the lightning-like velocity with which the line was disappearing over the bow, told plainly enough that the first iron had hit him. Tie was sounding with a fearful speed. Before we could fairly realize that we were fast, JDO tub was emptied of its line, and now the mate, who had not yet had time to jump to the bow, (always the first evolution after the whale is struck), hurriedly bent a "drug" — a thick flat piece of light wood, about two feet square — to the inner end of the line, which is always left exposed for this purpose. This was scarcely done when it was snatched out of the mate's hand, and stri- king one of the crew a slight blow on the head, disappeared with the balance of the line, over- board. As the drug vanished from our sight, the sun was sinking beneath the waters. The poor mate tore his hair, in agony at our ill luck, while we sat silent, thinking of what seemed to be a perverse fate. There was scarcely a hope that the whale would rise again before dark, as the twilights in those latitudes are exceedingly short. Yet there was a hope, and every eye now scanned the water, trusting to catch some sign of the whale's reap- pearance " Don't loo.k for the drug — it's too dark to see that. You'll scarce see a whale now, more than three ship's lengths off." Minute after minute we lay there, every eye •trained, every heart beating with inxicty. It "THERE'S BLOOD." !19 was now too dark to distinguish even the boats, which were under sail at a quarter of a mile's distance, and with sinking hearts, we were one b^-f one abandoning the lookout, and turning our Cjyes toward the ship, when "There, by George, there's the whale — th third mate has fastened to him," shouted the mate, jumping up and down with joy. Giving vent to a shout of exultation, wo bent to our oars, and were soon within hail of the fast boat. "Don't you lance that whale — he's got our iron in him and I want to kill him — blast him," shouted the mate, hoarse with excitement. The fish lay quite still upon the water, and the third mate readily gave place to us. We took hold of his line. "Now pull me up to the beast." " Take the line to the bow cleat, and then take a turn about the bow thwart, and hold me to him till I churn him!" The boat was brought in contact with the whale's side, and while I held her there, by a turn of the line as directed, the mate set the long slender lance fairly over his life, and sent it home, repeating his thrust again and again. A tremen- dous quiver of the vast body, and the issue of a mass of clotted blood from his spout-holes, were the immediate consequences. " There's blood — hurrah ! " was exultingly shouted at the top of every voice. It is a cry ] 20 WHALING AND FISHING. which the whaleman at all times utters witn joy,1 but with us it was doubly joyful, because of the sudden transition from previous depression and hopelessness . to present certainty of victory. " There he rolls it out, ihick as coal tar," said he mate, as he heard a hoarse gurgling sound — it was too dark any longer to distinguish between blood and water. "Stern now, men, stern all — quick! "'as the whale rolled over in his flurry. The command was given none too soon. And now he beat the waters with his flukes, and darted hither and thither at immense speed, in his death struggle. From the distance to which we had removed for safety from an accidental stroke, we could not see his actions; and it was fearful to list to the swift blows of his flukes, and know that but a little way from us, in the thick darkness, a leviathan was parting from life. His flurry was short. The mate's lance had been too ^ ell pointed. • Meantime we had set our boat-lantern, and the ship now bore down toward us, with two lights in her rigging, glaring upon us as though she were some great monster come to the assistance of its brothei Two boats had returned on board, and we of the remaining two now prepared to take a line from the vessel, by which to pass a mooring chain about the dead whale's flukes. The sea was quite high, the night pitch dark, and altogether, T soon came to the conclusion thai MOORING A WHALE. 121 the worst part of our business was yet to be dono. IP order to keep the whale in a proper position for i ratting in, a chain is placed round that part called his small — the tapering extremity to whu n the flukes or tail is joined. This small, in a whale, is not small by any means, being about the circum- ference of a flour barrel, and deserving the name only by comparison with the balance of his body. When dead, a whale lies upon his side, with one fin out of water. He floats just upon a level with the water, the flukes and small being completely below the surface. It is, therefore, not a slight undertaking, particularly at night, and in a heavy sea, to pass the necessary line. The operation is performed by two boats, in the following manner : A light line is provided, weighed down at the middle by a six or ten pound shot. Each boat takes one end of this line, and one being stationed on either side of the whale, they pull slowly toward his head, with the intention of passing the bight, or middle of the rope, beneath the whale's body. Four times we tried this experiment, but each time the line was caught in the fork of the flukes, which, lying now perpendicularly in the water, reach to a considerable extent beneath the surface. The fifth time we were successful, and with a shout passed the ends of our line to the ship where the rest of the manipulation is gone through with ; it being the office of the boats now to preserve and hold tightly the middle of the 122 WHALING AND FISHING. rope, in order that it may not be again sw^pt from its place by the waves. To the small line is bent or fastened a stout rope; next conies a hawser, and at last the chain is slowly paid out overboard, one end being first passed through a ring in the other. The slip- noose or " running bight " thus formed is finally tightened about the whale's small, and he is secure. Additional irons were now put into the whale, and the lines passed on board, that we might not lose our fish, should an accident happen to the chain ; and then the carcass was slowly hauled up to the side, and secured for the night. It was nine o'clock before we of the mate's boat got on board, to change our wet clothing and obtain a bite of supper. The watch was then set, and orders given to those on deck to get up the cutting gear, and clean out the try- works, prepar- atory to the labors of the succeeding day. At early daylight all hands were called from their warm berths, and the bustle and labor of eutting- in began. Stages were slung over the side, where- on the officers stand with long-handled spades, to cut the blubber. Tackles were got up to the mast, wherewith to lift the ponderous blocks and ropes used for hoisting in the blubber; the blub- ber room was cleared of a mass of rubbish whicn had accumulated there during the outward pass- age, and then, breakfast being overj the real labor of the day was commenced. The whale lies with his head toward the stern CUTTING-IN. 123 of the vessel. The first thing to be done is to sep- arate the head from the body. To this purpose, a place being fixed upon where it is supposed the back bone can be separated, a deep incision is made with a spade. A strip of the adjoining blubber, about six feet wide, is now cut loose on both sides, and an in,cision being also made longi- tudinally in this strip, a boat-steerer goes down in a "bowline," to hook on the first "blanket-piece." This done — and this is about the most difficult and dangerous duty in cutting-in a whale — the crew heave away at the windlass, and the officers cut away on each side as necessary. The whale is thus rolled completely around, the thick blub- ber peeling off easily from the flesh beneath. The deep incision next to the head is continued, the spade being thrust down till it strikes the ver- tebra ; and thus by the time the carcass has made one entire revolution, the head hangs merely by the joints which connect it with the backbone. A stout oak post is now placed with one end resting against a plate prepared on the ship's side, and the other inserted in a hole cut in the head. The cutting and hoisting recommences, and as the whale's body is slowly turned, the head, which is kept stationary by the post, is gradually wrenched off. Previously to this, however, a head-chain has been passed through a hole made for the purpose, and by this the severed mass now hangs. When the head is loose, the body is hauled forward clear of the gangway. The lower jaw — 124 WHALING AND FISHING. or jaw j as it is called, the balance being the head proper — a long, slender bone, is severed and hoisted in. In this are contained the teeth, which are valued as ivory, and worked into various fanoj articles luring subsequent leisure hours. A sperm-whale's teeth are placed in such a manner as to hook back, and are moveable in their sockets. Now comes the head, the most important part of the whale, as it is a nearly solid mass of blub- ber and spermacetti. Where the whale is large, this is now again subdivided, the entire mass being far too heavy to hoist in at once. It was judged that our whale would make about sixty barrels. This is above the average, and the case, that part of the head which contains the pure spermacetti, was therefore separated from the rest, and hoisted in first. This safely landed, the head \vas swayed, and on reaching the deck, was shoved aft, on the quarter deck. It barely fitted under the beams which supported the spare boats, and formed a cube of nearly nine feet. How much it weighed, I would not attempt to guess. The case, which was placed against it — tackles being required to slide it along the well-greased decks — was nearly as large. The cutting-in now recommenced. As cne tackle reached the masthead, another was brought down and hooked, or rather, toggled in at the gang- way. The upper piece was then -jut loose, and lowered down into the blubber -room, where it lay, with the blackskin down. SHARKS. 126 Long before this time — in fact, with early day- light— an immense number of sharks had gath- ered around the ship, attracted thither by the blood and scent of our prize. As far as the eye oonld distinguish them, their dorsal fins could be aeon gliding over the water, all hurrying to the scenu of slaughter, eager to secure a share of the prize. The extraordinary number of these sea lawyers present, was equaled only by their rapa- city. Before we began cutting -in, they had already commenced their meal. Taking advan- tage of a heave of the swell, a shark would wrig- gle up on top of the whale, and setting his wide opened mouth against the solid blubber, would bite out a piece as round as and about the size of a man's head. The officers spent their leisure mo- ments in cutting at them with the spades, and one man was stationed abreast of the whale's head, with a long sharp spade, to keep them off that part. I saw one cut in such a manner that his entrails protruded into the water, and yet this animal, which it was to be supposed would almost immediately die, wriggled itself up on the whale, ind took out a huge mouthful, paying for its temerity by having the greater part of its tail rat off. It is almost impossible to kill a shark. They have as many lives as a cat. The amount of suf- fering they will undergo before death ensues, is really marvelous. I have seen all the entrails taken out of one, and yet after lying about on 126 WHALING AND FISHING. deck for an hour, he bit and crushed a stout ash pole between his teeth. They remain about the ship until the carcass is set adrift, when they divide the rich prize with the sea-birds. There are few instances on record of a shark having bitten a man while cutting-in. There is too great a superabundance of other food. Boatsteerers, whose business it is to go down upon the whale to hook on the first blanket -piece, an operation requiring sometimes fifteen or twenty minutes to execute, are scarce ever molested. The mate stands by, however, with a spade, ready to meet any advances on the part of the sharks. I have seen a man working on the whale, with a shark close beside him : he simply giving the fish a kick with his heavy sea-boot, when he became aware of its close proximity. Meantime the cutting-in proceeded; and, by dint of strenuous exertions, we finished this part of our labor at five o'clock, p. M. The gory car- cass was then set adrift, and floated off to leeward a huge bone of contention to innumerable sharks and sea-birds. The first thing now to be done was to start up the fires. The enormous blanket -pieces had beec piled into the blubber-room 'until it was full to tht brink, and now two men, stripping off their shirts, and enveloping their heads in cotton handker- chiefs, got on to this mass of grease to cut it up into horse-pieces, morsels about fourteen inches •qnare. These again were thrown upon deck, THE CASE AND JUNK. 127 and passed forward to the mincing-horse, where, with two men to turn and one to feed the machine, sufficient blubber to fill our two try-kettles was fcoon minced. This ready, the fires were started, first with wood, the dry " cracklings," or scrap*, as they are called, being afterward used for fuel. Numerous empty casks were now hoisted on deck, coopered, and lashed along the bulwarks. Into these the oil was bailed, after being allowed to cool in a copper tank adjoining the try -works, and there it remained until quite cool, when it was stowed below. Meantime the case was opened ; a man being placed in the large opening, the pure and beautifully white spermacetti was bailed out with a bucket constructed for that purpose. It is quite fluid when first taken out, but quickly con- geals on exposure to the air. It is at once placed in new casks, which are duly marked " case." The shell, when completely empty, was with much labor and by the united strength of the whole crew, hauled to the gangway, where, divest- ing it of tackles, we took advantage of a favorable lurch of the ship to launch it overboard. The case itself, although closely resembling blubber, is in fact a huge mass of tendons, muscles and fibres, so closely interwoven as to be almost impervious to the harpoon or spade. It yields no oil by try- ing out, and is therefore fitly thrown away. Next, the junk, the remaining portion of the head, was cut into horse-pieces and tried out sep- arately, the oil from this part of the whale being 128 WHALING AND PISHINO. regarded as greatly superior to the rest, the sperm- aeetti being, of course, the most valuable. It was not until I was set to work ipon this enormous mass of solid blubber, that 1 fairly realized the size of tka animal we had slain. This huge cube of nearly nine feet, was only a portion, perhaps a fair half of his head. What then, thought I, as I slashed away at it, my puny strokes seem- ing like those of an ant nibbling at an apple, what then must have been the size of his entire carcass. Our trying-out operations were in " full blast." The watch had been set at eight, one-half the crew being kept on deck for six hours, which is the duration of a trying-out watch. On such occasions each man has a particular duty assigned him. The mates and boatsteerers superintend the try -pots, feed the fires, and ladle out the seeth- ing oil into a copper cooler. Three men are con. stantly employed at the mincing machine ; some pitch horse-pieces from the blubber-room hatch to the machine ; while others have the care of the casks, rolling them up to be filled, and afterward securing them. One at the wheel and another on look-out, with a few to look on, and " spell " the rest, complete the list. At night, our ship presented a highly pictur- esque scene. The flames, darting high above the try- works, revealed the masts, rigging and decks, In an unearthly glare, among which the men jumping or sliding about decks on their various THE HORRORS OF "TRYING OUT." 129 duties, seemed like demons dancing about an incantation fire. But with this picture all the romance departs. The smell of the burning cracklings is too horribly nauseous for descrip- tion. It is as though all the ill odors in the world were gathered together and being shaken up. Walking upon deck has become an impossibility. The oil washes from one side to the other, as the ship lazily rolls in the seaway, and the safest mode of locomotion is sliding from place to place, on the seat of your pantaloons. Moreover, everything is drenched with oil. Shirts and trowsers are dripping with the loath- some stuff. The pores of the skin seem to be filled with it. Feet, hands and hair, all are full. The biscuit you eat glistens with oil, and tastes as though just out of the blubber room. The knife with which you cut your meat leaves upon the morsel, which nearly chokes you as you reluc- tantly swallow it, plain traces of the abomin- able blubber. Every few minutes it becomes necessary to work at something on the lee side of the vessel, and while there you are corn- filled to breath in the fetid smoke of the scrap fires, until you feel as though filth had struck into your blood, and suffused every vein in your body. From this smell and taste of blubber, raw, boiling and burning, there is no relief or place of refuge. Tho cabin, the forecastle, even the mastheads, all are filled with it, and were it possible to get for a 9 130 WHALING AND FISHING. moin nt to clean quarters, one would loath him- self—reeking as everybody is, with oil. It is horrible. Yet old whalemen delight ia it, The fetid smoke is incense to their nostrils. The filthy oil seems to them a glorious representative of prospective dollars and delights. They wallow in blubber, and take a horse -piece for their pillow when lying down. They bake doughnuts and biscuit in the seething oil, and portions of the whale's lean meat are prepared for their daily dinner. I was induced by curiosity to try a piece of nicely cooked whale. The raw meat is of a dark red color, nearly black, and somewhat resem- bling very coarse beef. It is generally minced fine, and fried, after the manner of forcemeat balls. I could not stomach it — although our captain declared, with his mouth crammed full, that it was the best thing he had tasted for a long time. Three days our trying out lasted. The closing scene was the worst. From the fact that the blubber is torn off the whale's sides, it unavoid- ably happens that occasionally a piece of meat is brought up with the blanket-pieces. This ig known as the "fat-lean," and is carefully stripped from the horse-pieces, and thrown into large open casks, where the heat of the sun and of the adjacent fires gradually drain it cf the oil it contains. This being of an inferior quality, is left to the last day, and by that time the meat .8 131 green and putrid. Men are now set to work to fish out those pieces not considered of sufficient value to try out, and pitch them overboard. For this purpose one has to lean with his head tjuite inside the open cask, and inhaling all the noisome stench arising from the decayed mass within, feel around with his hands, to grasp the slimy moiflela which are not fit for the try -kettles. The captain and I worked side by side at one cask for a half an hour, at the end of which time I was obliged to say that I could not stand it longer. I was deathly sick. " That's nothing, Charley," said he, "just fancy it's dollars you are groping among, and the matter will assume a very different odor." But I thought that too high a price for dollars. The third afternoon we tried out our last kettle full, and put out the fires. The blubber room was now cleaned out, the various utensils used for the past three days, stowed away, and the decks cleaned up a little. Two days longer the oil was kept upon deck, to give it time to cool thoroughly, and then the labor of " stowing down " began. Boiling huge oil casks across a slippery deck, while the ship is pitching and rolling in the sea- way, is a task of considerable labor. This, too, came to an end at last, and then ensued a grand cleaning up — decks, sides, bulwarks, forecastle and cabin, all received a thorough cleansing, and at the end of two or three days more, the ship again looked like the habitation of Christian men. and 132 WHALING AND FISHING. A^e, her crew, were again in good odor with our selves. It is a fortunate circumstance that sperm oil will wash off easily, not leaving any stain upon wood, and but little upon the rough clothing whalemen wear. The smoke and cinders make the chief dirt, penetrating as they do, every part of the vessel, and bearing with them that peculiarly sickening smell of burning meat, the remembrance of which, even to this day, disgusts me. Happy day it was for me, when I was once more permit- ted to put on clean clothes, and could eat biscuit without oil, and meat unaccompanied by the of blubber "GAUMING." 133 CHAPTER VIII. •GAMMING "— Sail ho !— The Betsy Ann— Her Crew— A " Mer- chant Sailor" — A Council— A school of Whales — A race between two Whale boats— The Offer to share the Chances refused — It is our Whale— The Bazaroota Islands— Procuring Wood — A strange Fish — Harpooning Hippopotami — We cause one to " spout blood " — Tow it Ashore — Hippopotamus Steak — A Night Visit to the Shore for the Purpose of Killing a few Hippopotami, with its Results. MEANTIME a sharp look-out was kept up for whales — although I believe the crew generally were quite willing to have no more trying out to do for some time— even if dollars were not gath- ered so fast in consequence. But we now daily expected to fall in with some other whaling yessels, which our captain supposed to be cruising in this latitude. Next to a run on shore, a " gamm," as H is called — that is, a social reunion of the crews of two ships, accidentally meeting on a cruise — forms the pleasantest incident in a whaling voyage. Then are old times talked over, old friends inquired after, past adventures related, and a mutual interchange of the good things of whaling life effected, all tending to make the few hours devoted to this social intercourse as pleasant as possible. *34 WHALING AND WISHING. It was about a week after we had stowed down our oil, and cleaned ship, that one morning the cry of " sail ho ! " brought all hands on deck, and caused the captain to run quickly aloft with his spy -glass, to recon noitre the stranger. The vessel's course was immediately altered so as to intersept the strange sail, and various speculations were haz- arded by officers and crew as to her name, business, and hailing place. "She1* a wha'er, that's settled," said the third mate confidently; "else she would not be here." " Then we'll have a gamm, boys, hurrah ! " cried a boatsteerer. Soon her top gallants were visible from the deck ; and now the mate, just returned from the masthead, declared his belief that she was not a " Natucketer ; " a very welcome piece of intelli- gence indeed, for such is the jealousy existing between rival whaling ports, that many Nantuck- etmen refuse to "gamm " with vessels hailing from "the Sound." " The skipper thinks its the Athenia, which left New London two weeks before we sailed," said the mate. " "We may bless our stars that we have got a whale on board, else we should be ashamed to look those fellows in the face." " There goes her burgee— oh for ten thousand f&py -glasses now." " She's the Betsy Ann, from New Bedford ; 1 OUR RECEPTION. 135 & \o.w her/' hails the captain, now descending from the masthead. We were soon informed that the Betsy Ann had oeen nearly three years from home, and that she had a smart crew, who were not to be beat in get- ting on to a whale, by any set of men in those seas. In a short time the strange vessel was within hail, when the usual salutations were ex- changed. And after duly informing them that wo were four months out and had taken one whale, a week or so ago, we were told in return that they had now nineteen hundred barrels on board, had seen no whales for three weeks, and thought of steering for the Isle of France, in hopes to fall in with some off the shores of that island. " Wont you come aboard, Captain Starkweather?' asked our captain. " Yes, I'll lower my boat ; let your mate come aboard of us." Filling our pockets with tobacco, and our shirt- bosoms with books, we of the mate's boat were soon ready, and lowering the boat, pulled on board the Betsy Ann, a rusty looking old tub as ever floated. We were received at the gangway by as motley an assemblage of tanned faces, long beards, and patched garments, as I ever saw. They spoke in low tones, automatically held out their hands to uu, and then, two of our fellows having hooked our boat on, she was hoisted to the davits of the captain's boat. Now filling the main-top-saii 1 36 WHALING AND FISHING. we stood on, thus losing no ground by oai enjoyment. Our first reception had seemed to us ccol. We were languidly asked down into the forecastle which smelt abominably of decayed roaches and oil soap, and here seats were given us on the chests. Once seated, all hands preserved a most decorous silence for nearly ten minutes, when one of the strangers at last ventured to ask how long we were from home, and what was the latest news. Being duly posted on this topic, they again relapsed into silence, and I was beginning to think that gamming was an unmitigated bore, when 1 was accosted by a tall fellow, whose patches, being of colors a little different from those of his ship- mates, had struck me from the first as not " native, to the manor born." He asked me, with a doubt- ing smile, whether I was not a merchant sailor. An earnest "yes," produced a hearty shaking of hands between us, and an immediate proposal on his part to adjourn to the deck, where we could talk matters over more at our leisure. Stowing ourselves snugly away on the topgal- lant forecastle, we took such a turn at yarning as probably neither of us had enjoyed for a long time. He was a Scotchman, and had shipped as carpenter of the vessel. This was his first whaling voyage, and he expressed an opinion, which 1 very emphatically indorsed, that whaling was an enormous, filthy humbug. CHIPS. 137 Ben — that was my new friend's name — was au old sailor, and had seen a good deal of the world. We had therefore a good deal to talk about, and a great many places to compare notes on. First, however, I laid before him my free-will offering of tobacco and books, requesting him to share the former with any other good fellows on board. This, together with the fact that I was a merchant sailor, procured me shortly an enlarged acquain- tance on board, all who were in the good graces of Chips seating themselves around us to listen to our yarns. The hardships to which the merchant sailor is exposed, beyond either the man-of-war's man or the whaleman, and the strange vicissitudes of his life, procure him, in a superior degree, the esteem of all other classes of seafaring people. Whether in the polished man-of-war, the dirty whaler, or the diminutive fisherman or coaster, a merchant sailor, as he is always first at the post of duty or danger, is allowed to place himself first at mess, or in the council. It was thus that I found Chips looked up to with respect not unmixed with fear, by the rest of his shipmates in the forecastle, while the officers valued him above any other half lozen of the crew. And it was thus that I, while cordially hated by the greater part of my verdant shipmates, was yet able to exact sufficient respect from them to make them defer to my opinions, and leave my property unmolested. 1 explained to Chips my position on board ship, 138 WHALING AND FISHING. and disagreement with the greenhorns, whom 1 could look upon only as speaking brutes — with several exceptions of course. "I'll tell you, Charley," said he, " the reason why they hate you. You assert for yourself the posi- Jon of a man, but have not the beard necessary to a tacit enforcement of your claims. If you've been in a lime -juicer, you know that there one is considered a boy till he can show a pair of whiskers, ind a man ever afterward, if he's as stupid as a donkey, and as lazy as a first class whaleman. This is sailor human nature. If it was not for the little whiskers I can raise about my face," — his features were barely discernible through a most enormous black beard — "I should have to fight these fellows every day of my life." " All except the Portuguese," added he, "they are a good sensible set of fellows, who mind their own business, and act upon the square in everything." "Wait till I have a beard," thought I, with an internal vow, that when that blessed epoch in my history arrived, I would assume and assert, at all hazards, all the dignity and prerogatives of mature manhood. " Meantime, Charley," said my new friend very coolly, "handspikes, applied about the shins of those who prove troublesome to you, will be found an excellent substitute for hair on your chin." In such talk we passed away very pleasantly a couple of hours, I meanwhile regaling myself upon the contents of a jar of most delicious tamarind*, •'THERE SHE WHITEWATERS!" 139 which Ben had brought up for my use. After the long and wearisome insipidity of salt junk and biscuit, bean soup and duff, the lively acid of the preserved tamarinds was most refreshing ; and during our conversation I "stowed away" a large proportion of the contents of the jar before me. It was only when one of our Portuguese friends set another jar beside me, expressing at the same time a desire that I should "eat heartily, and give the ship a good name," that I was made aware that I was gormandizing. Our enjoyment was very suddenly brought to a close by a cry of " there she Whitewaters," from the masthead of the Betsy Ann. While upon a gamm, both vessels' mastheads are manned as though no visiting was going on, and upon a discovery of whales, under such circumstances, there generally ensues some, hard racing, and not unfrequently hard feeling. Every one was upon the alert in a moment, as the cry reached the deck. It was followed by the regular intonations of "there blows," convincing us that a school of sperm whales was in sight. Our boat's-crew at once gathered together upon deck, to hold ourselves in readiness for lowering. The mate, after watching our ship keenly a mo- ment, and satisfying himself by the unusual bustle on board, that the whales were seen from there too, came to us, and warned us that this time we •hould have to contend against four of the smartest 140* WHALING AND FISHING. !ioats in those seas, and that it would not do to be beaten altogether. We had already talked the matter over among ourselves, and determined to do our best, and nol be beaten if we could prevent it. I think there was not one of our fellows that did not wish the whales in Tophet, or that did not already think of our crew as beaten. Nevertheless, "never say die while there is a shot in the locker," is a motto upon which we determined to act,. and so each man gathered up his strength for the encounter. The Betsy Ann's crew, meantime, had been busied in preparations for lowering, ever and anon casting a meaning half-smile toward the spot in the waist where we had gathered together. They evidently feared not the result — they made sure of an easy victory over the greenies. The whales were nearly ahead, and when we should lower, would be about half a mile nearer to the Betsy Ann than to our vessel. We had therefore the best chance, although the others had the weathergauge. When within a mile and a half of the school, the vessel was hove to. Every boat was instantly lowered and manned, and we at once stretched away for the whales. Our ship's boats had low- ered a little before us, and were coming down from the windward upon the whales, straining every nerve to get upon them before we should, We had scarcely pulled two hundred yards, how- ARRANGING A BATTLE FIELD. 141 ever, when the fish suddenly put a stop to our racing by turning flukes. This gave us time to pull leisurely down toward the spot where they had disappeared beneath the waves, and here each boat -header now brought his boat to in such a position as he judged most favorable for the pros- pective " rising." The chase was so exciting that our old captain, leaving his fourth mate on board to work ship, had come in the boat, sfnd was now urging us on to do our best, and " show these fellows that they had their match." All was now arranged. The eight boats lay in variods positions ; all in the circumference of two miles. Our mate, and the mate of the Betsy Ann, had chosen the same spot, and although, as cour- tesy demanded, each had removed his boat some distance lvom the place we had both at first in- tended to )ccupy, yet the two boats were in most unpleasar t proximity to each other, and we plainly saw that, did the whales rise in the vicinity, a des perate race would be the consequence. " Pull your best, boys — but (to the mate) be careful of your boat — I would rather lose a whale, than have a boat stove, and perhaps two or three u<,n hurt, Mr. Osborne," were the captain's final instructions, as he pulled off to take up a position in another part of the field. All was now silence. No one ventured to ;speak above a whisper, fearing that the sound of his f oico roight thrown the distant spouting of a whale 142 WHALING AND FISHING. In every face the most intense and anxious excite- ment shone forth. Oars in hand, sleeves and trowsers rolled up, feet firmly braced against the stretchers, and hats pushed down over our brows, we sat in grim silence, the compressed lips and flashing eyes of our crew plainly saying that we would not be beaten without at least a struggle. The fact is, the ironical smiles of our gamming acquaintances had stung us to the quick, and we were determined to show them that to beat us was not so easy as they chose to believe. Minute after minute, (and every minute seemed half an hour), passed away in anxious waiting, and yet no whales appeared. " So many boats in the water at once, gallied them, I guess," said Barnard, in a desponding tone of voice. He had wagered some tobacco against a lot of sperm whale's teeth, that if there were opportunity for a race, we would not be beaten. 11 There's a ripple," whispered the mate just then, and he gently laid the boat round. " And there blows, boys, pull your best ! " he said, yet speaking only in a hoarse whisper. The whales were beyond our rival's boat, and she had therefore the advantage of us by half a dozen boats' lengths. Part of this was, however, lost again, by their negligence in not seeing t>ie whales as soon as we did, and we had the boat fairly under headway, almost as soon as they were laid round in the proper direction. Now ensued a race, such as I never before 01 A RACE. 143 since witnessed. We were yet about A boat's length astern. Both crews were pulling with all the strength at their command. At the measured strokes of the oars, the slen- der boats seemed almost to leap clear of the wave, M*d fly through the air. Their dull roll in the rollocks, their regular dip in the water, the rush of the boat's bow, as it came in contact with the waves, the quick, loud breathing of the men at the oars, and the half smothered voices of the boatheaders urging their respective crews on to renewed exertions, all proclaimed a race in which not only a fish, but the honor of the two ships was thought to be at stake. The whales were yet unaware of our approach. They were going slowly round in a large circle, as is often their habit, and their present course was of material advantage to us, as it forced both boats so to alter their course as in a short time to bring us abreast of our opponents. A whispered shout testified onr appreciation of this advantage. But we had no breath to waste in shouting. Every bit was needed for the contest. " Will you halve the chances, Mr. Swain ? " asked our mate, seeing our present advantage, and yet feeling that withal, a new boat's crew might be beaten, and willing to make sure of half a whale, rather than run the risk of gaining none. "No," was the quick and somewhat haughty 144 WHALING AND FISHING. answer, " every ir an for himself, and the devil foi us all!" " Pull hard, boys — bend your ash ! — lay to her, you devils ! — strain your muscles ! " urged the mate, in earnest whisper, as he himself pushed with might and main against the after oar. The whales had risen about three-quarters of a mile from where we lay awaiting them, and -a much greater distance from any of the other boats, whose crews were now pulling after us, simply as witnesses to our race, arid to be at hand in case of accident. " Pull hard ! " said our mate, glaring with blood shot eyes upon the mate of the other boat. " Lay to your oars, men," urged that worthy as he anxiously watched our boat, and found him- self unable to drop us. Meantime the steady click of the oars, and the rush of the boats through the water, filled every ear. Now we fast neared the whales. Now a huge spout seems to be uttered not a boat's length ahead. A motion of the hand upward, tells the boatsteerer to stand up. He peaks his oar. The boatsteerer in the other boat does the same. "Give way now, men, for your lives," urges tne mate, still in a whisper. Both boats are aiming for the same whale, whose huge broadside lies exposed not three darts from us THfi RESULT. 146 Now he hears us. Will he sound ? No ; but gallied for the moment he increases his speed. Hurrah, this gives us an advantage ! But so little that it still seems as though both must fasten. " Pull hard, boys," shouted our mate, now at the top of his voice. " One more stroke ! " " Another ! ! " " And another ! ! " Each time intensifying his tones. Like shouts ring from the other boat. It is now plainly our " chance." " Will you halve the chances, Osborne ? " asks the Betsy Ann's mate. " Not if I know it," is the curt reply—" Pull, I tell yon." " Give it to him," he shouts in thunder-tones, as the boat brings up violently against the broadsidi of the whale, throwing nearly every man out of his seat with the shock. " Back water, quick — stern all, I tell you," is the cry, as the whale slowly settles a little in the water, and then rap- idly strikes out with his flukes. To pitch himself into the bow, to tear a lance from its rest, to aim it at the whale's breast, now exposed, as the wounded beast lashes the water itr his pain, and to send the slender rod to his life- all is the work of scarce a moment ; and when, a minute afterward, the whale rolls up to spout, the j">yf il shout of "there's blood," ringing ovei the sea, proclaims the end of the race and battle. 10 146 WHALING AND fISHINO. Meantime, the disappointed mate of the Betsy Ann had gone off after another whale, which, for- tui.e favoring him, he succeeded in killing a little before sun-set, after a tedious chase. " I'll beat you yet, on a fair race, Osborne, ' hailed he the next day, as cutting in, the two ship* drifted near together. "Never mind the racing; we got the whale," was all the answer vouchsafed to this taunt. When done cutting in wTe separated, and each steering his own way, we saw no more of the New Bedford man. Standing slowly along the African coast, we one day, nine or ten days after our rencontre with the Betsy Ann, sighted some low, thickly wooded islands, skirting the mainland, and forming with that a sort of rude road-stead. " Those are the Bazaroota islands," said the captain, as I stood at the wheel ; " I've heard them spoken of as a good place to obtain fire-wood, and as we shall need some before getting to any better place, I guess we'll drop in there." The glad tidings were soon known to all on board. The anchors were hurriedly loosened on the bows, the chains bent, and a few other prepa- rations made for bringing the ship to for a couple of days. In two hours we were in five fathoms water, about two and a half miles from the main- land, the islets lying at various distances, from half a mile to three miles from us. Her< the ship was brought to. THE BAZAROOTA ISLANDS. 14^ Tho Bazaroota isles are situated in the Mozam bique, at but short distances from the coast oi Africa, as before said, and in about latitude 21 c 20' south, and longitude 36° 12' east. They con- tain much wood, and but very few inhabitants, both which circumstances contributed in the present instance to making them a favorite place of resort for our captain. We sailed into the little bay about nine o'clock one morning, and after coming to anchor, furling sails, and clearing a place in the hold for the re- ception of the wood, placed axes in the mate'? boat, and in her proceeded to an inspection of the facilities for cutting and boating off fire-wood/ afforded by the different little islets. To cut a supply of wood for a whaling cruise, is a work requiring some days, and often even weeks, and it had been determined that the first, and if need be the next day likewise, should be devoted to a thorough inspection of the facilities of the place, in order that we might work at as little disadvantage as possible. Consequently we, the mate's boat's crew, had been ordered to prepare for a general cruise. We provided ourselves with a store of bread and beef, filled the boat's breaker with water, spread our sail to the light breeze, and pointed the boat's bow toward the nearest island. Landing here, we found nought but a wilderness of low jungle, which was scarcely penetrable, together with a poor landing We examined three or four o/ the 148 WHALING AND FISHING. islets, aud having at last fixed upon a suitable place where to commence operations, were about to return on board, when the mate said, " Trim aft, Tom, there's a good breeze, fair Doming and going, and we'll take a look at the mainland." Accordingly, the boat's head was laid shoreward, and we spread ourselves out at full length upon the thwarts, enjoying an unu- sual treat of some cigars which our chief officer had good naturedly brought with him. When within about a mile and a half of the main land, we found the water shoaling, being then not more than three fathoms — eighteen feet — deep. "I saw black skin glisten in the sun just then," said the boatsteerer, who was aft, the mate having stretched himself upon the bow thwart to take a nap. "It was nothing but a puffing pig," said he drowsily. " There it is again, and no puffing pig either — nor porpoise— nor — no," said he with some degree of animation — "nor anything else that wears black skin that / ever saw before." This had the effect of rousing us up, every one casting his eyes ahead to catch a sight, of the luestionable "black skin." " There he blows ! ' — " and there again ! " — " and over here too," said several voices in succession. "It ain't a spout at all, boys, let's puF. up and see what is " FASTENING TO A STRANGE FISH. 149 We took to our oars, and the boat was soon darting forward at good speed toward the place where we had last seen the objects of our curiosity. " Stern all !" suddenly shouted the mate, as the ooat brought up " all standing" against some object which we had not been able to see on account of the murkiness of the water, the collision nearly throwing us upon our backs into the bottom of the boat. As we backed off, an enormous beast slowly raised his head above the water, gave a loud snort, and incontinently dove down again, almost before we could get a fair look at it. v "What is it?" was now the question — which no one could answer. " Whatever it is," said the mate, whose whaling blood was up, "if it comes within reach of my iron, I'll make fast to it, lads — so pull ahead." We were again under headway, keeping a bright look out for the reappearance of the stranger. " There they are, a whole school," said the mate, eagerly, pointing in shore, where the glistening of white-water showed that a number of the nondescripts were evidently enjoying themselves. "Now boys, pull hard, and we'll soon try theli mettle." " There's something broke water, just ahead/ said the boatsteerer. "Pull easy lads — I see him — there — way enougl —there's his back ! " — " Stern all ! " shouted he, as he darted his iron into * back as broad as a small sperm whale's. 150 WHALING AND FISHING. " Stern all — back water — back water, every man ! " and the infuriated beast made desperate lunges in every direction, making the white-water fly almost equal to a whale. We could now see the whole shape of the croii- fcrire, as, in his agony and surprise, he raised him self high above the surface. We all recognized at once the Hippopotamus, as he is represented in books of natural history. Our subject soon got a little cooler, and giving a savage roar, bent his head round until he grasped, the shank of the iron between his teeth. With one jerk he drew it out of his bleeding quarter, and shaking it savagely, dove down to the bottom. The water was here but about two fathoms deep, and we could see the direction in which he was traveling along the bottom, by a line of blood, as well as by the air bubbles which rose to the sur- face as he breathed. " Give me another iron, Charley, and we'll not give him a chance to pull it out next time." The iron was handed up, and we slowly sailed in the direction which our prize was following along the bottom. " Here's two or three of them astern of as," said the boatsteerer. Just then two more rose, one on either side of the boat, and in rather unpleasant proximity, and before we had begun to realize our situation, the wounded beast, unable any longer to stay beneath the surface, came up tc breathe just ahead. A SNARL. 151 11 Pull ahead a little ; let's get out of thib snarl. Lay the boat around — so — now, stern all," and the iron was planted deep in the neck of our victim. WHh a roar louder than a dozen of the wild bulls of Madagascar, the now maddened beast made for the boat. Back water ! — back, I say ! Take down this boat- sail, and .item all ! Stern, for your lives, men ! " as two more appeared by the bows, evidently pre- pared to assist their comrade. He was making the water fly in all directions, and having failed to reach tl e boat, was now vainly essaying to grasp the iron, which the mate had purposely put into his short neck, so close to his head that he could not got it in his mouth. " Stick oat line till we get clear of the school, and then we'll pull up on the other side of this fellow, and soon settle him with a lance." This was done, and as we again hauled upon the still furious beast, the mate poised his bright lance for a moment, then sent it deep into his heart. With a tremendous roar, and a desperate final struggle, of scarcely a minute's duration, our prize gave up the ghost, and after sinking for a moment, rose again to the surface, lying upon hia ei'le, just as does the whale when dead. His companions had left us, and we now, giving three cheers for our victory, towed the carcass to the not far distant shore. It was luckily high tide, and we got the body up to high water mark, where the speedily receding waves left it ashore. 152 WHALING AND FISHING. When we here viewed the giant, and thought of the singular agility he had displayed in the water, we could not help acknowledging to one another that to get among a school of Hippopotami would bo rather a desperate game. On measuring, we found our prize to be a few inches less than fifteen feet long from his head to the commencement of his short, hairless tail. We could not measure his girth, but his bulk was enormous. His legs were disproportionately short, giving him, conjointly with his short neck and very large head, an awkward, stolid appear- ance, which the agility he displayed in the water by no means justified. His skin was very thick and very tough, and almost altogether devoid of hair. His head was shaped a little like that of an ox, but his mouth was very large, and furnished, aside from a set of stout grinders, with four tusks, two on each jaw, from ten to twelve inches long, which, together with a peculiarly dull, savage ex- pression of the eye, gave him a most wicked appearance. We had not been long on shore, when several natives made their appearance. They testified much joy at sight of our prize, and went through a most lively pantomime, from which we gathered that the beasts were a great plague to them, that the meat was good to eat, and that they would like a portion. The hint was not lost upon us, who had not tasted fresh beef for some six months. " What say you, boys, will you try a piece of HIPPOPOTAMUS STEAK. 153 II 15 popotamus steak ? " proposed the mate; and as uo one dissented, we got the axes, and after considerable chopping and hacking, cut off the lead, when we were enabled to cut ourselves about twenty -five pounds of what appeared to be toler- ably tender meat, off the fore quarter. With this supply, an_d some tusks which tht natives gave -us, we proceeded on board to relate our adventure. Our steaks were cooked for sup- per; and whether it was that we were blessed with an unusually good appetite, that the cook excelled himself on that occasion, or that the meat was actually well flavored, certain it is that the steaks were delicious. We paid some further visits to the shore, but at the captain's orders, kept out of the way of the river-horses, as he did not choose to risk a boat, and perhaps her crew, where no profit was to be gained. We gathered from the natives that the Hippopotami infested the country about there in great herds, and often in one night destroyed all the rice fields in the neighborhood. We were .shown two large pits, on the borders of a field, in which already several had been caught. These holes are dug by the natives with sticks and rough wooden spades. Sharp stakes are driven in the bottom ; the whole trap is covered over with boughs of trees and old wood, that it may took like part of the path which the beasts make in their daily peregrinations down to the water side, and it is complete. As the troop comes up fron 154 WHALING AND FISHlNQ. the water after night, on an incursion, the leader generally falls a victim to the ingenuity of the natives. But they, not having any weapons wherewith U despatch their huge prize, are obliged ;o let the poor beast starve to death in his narrow pit, securing thus naught but their revenge and the tusks, which last are valuable as ivory. Our curiosity had been aroused to see an entire herd comii g up out of the water to go inland, and at the instance of the captain, a party of us, including him, armed ourselves and took up a position the next evening about sunset, just on one side of what appeared to be their principal line of march, among a thicket of large trees. We remained at our stations, in the dark, until about nine o'clock, listening with astonishment to the gambols of the unwieldly monsters in the water close to us. It had been proposed, (before coming on shore), to fire at the herd as they came past our hiding place, and our muskets were loaded with ball for that purpose. But the first signs of their coming put all firing out of our heads, and each one shrank back behind his tree, only too glad to escape their notice. The noiso they made in coming on, was as though a tornado was sweeping through the woods. The roaring was terrific ; the very earth seeming to tremble at the sound. Three of us, who had concealed ourselves behind an enormous tree, where we bad been merrily boasting of how we woald "pop down the Hippopotami," now shrunk close A BACK OUT 155 together, each one laying down his musket, leady for instantaneous flight. The creatures were evidently aware of oui presence, for as they passed us they sniffed the air suspiciously, and breaking into a waddling trot, made the welkin ring with such deafening roars that for awhile it seemed as if all the beasts of the forest had joined in concert. When the troop was past and out of hearing, we crept out of our hiding places and hurried down to the boats, glad to escape without a battle, and per- fectly willing to leave hippopotamus hunting to those who were better provided for the sport than we. 156 WHALING AND F I S H I N « CHAPTER IX. No WHALES— Tediousness of the Life — Expedients tc L. . Tim* —The Habits of Sperm Whales— Their Food— The Sperm Whale Squid— Its Arms— The Whale's Teeth, and how it is supposed that he uses them — Means of Defense possessed by Whales— The right Whale— The Humpback— Quickness of Motion of a Sperm Whale — Lowering in a Calm — Difficulty of approaching a Whale at such a Time — He Listens — Sudden disappearance — Chasing a Gallied Whale — Rainy Weather — Bourbon — Determination to leave the Vessel at the first Op- portunity— The Coast of Madagascar — A Story of St. Mary's Shoal. IN four days we completed our supply of fuel, and on the morning of the fifth after our arrival, once more set sail for the middle of the channel. Our last whale made us forty barrels ; we had, therefore, one hundred barrels of oil on board, which at so early a period of our voyage (we were not seven months out), was considered highly encouraging. Yet the time was beginning to hang very heavily upon our hands, and our expe- rience for a month and a half after leaving the Bazarootas — during which time we never saw a sperm whale spout — entirely disgusted me with the business. The captain proposed to go into port for refre*h> HOW TO KILL TIME. 157 menls, when we had three hundred barrels of oil on board, or in our eleventh month out from home. Meantime, however, we were ever in the vicinity of some shore. Land was plainly in view for days at a time. Either the blue mountains of Mada gascar, 01 the flat, desert-like beach of the oppo Bite African coast, were ever in sight. And thus we drifted along, day after day, with nought but the semi-occasional trick at the helm or masthead to excite the sluggish blood, and relieve the con- stant dullness of our monotonous lives. By this time I had read all the books in the ship — many of them treatises on mathematics, political economy, and other dry and unenter- taining subjects. With the lassitude inspired by our lazy life, even the spirit for reading had left me, and my mind refused to arouse to the consider- ation of an author. Card-playing I was long ago disgusted with. Sing, I could not. Stand at the masthead when it was not my turn, I would not. And so I, in company with two boatsteerers, took to whittling as a last resort, and with the help of pieces of soft wood and sharp knives, we got through some weary days, and many feet of cedar plank. One resource the others had, of which I was deprived — they chewed tobacco ; and a quid engaged not only their jaws, but by sympathy their minds. I no longer wondered at the vacant stare and odd manners of the poor fellows on board the Betsy Ann. Their long confinement on board 158 WHALING AND 1SHINQ. ship, tne entire absence of objects by the consid* eration of which their minds would be kept in a healthful state of excitement, the wearsome monotony of their every day life- — were enough to crush any mind, however strong. I watched my . self with alarm, lest I too should be getting into that absent, awkward habit. And I determined that at the first port I would take my leave of whaling — not conceiving that I was bound to remain where I plainly saw that both mind and body would wilt away. Those of the crew who could sleep the greatest number of hours were, in these days, the happi- est. And as in all things else, so in sleeping, practice makes perfect : so that ere long some of my worthy shipmates thought no harm of devo- ting from thirteen to fifteen hours of the twenty- four to the god Morpheus. Meantime, I took advantage of the seasons of idle- ness, to gratify a desire, long entertained, to know all that is generally known of the habits of whales. Sitting upon the booby -hatch, whittling, I would ask questions of the boatsteerers, until they some- times declared me to be an arrant bore. The mates, too, were pressed into my service, and many a tough yarn, as well as many scraps of curious information, I gathered as the result of these random questionings. Sperm whales feed upon an animal know/s among whalemen as "squid," but which is, I te- lieve, a monster species of cuttle fish. These. SQUID. 159 like their smaller congeners, cling to the rocks, the larger species of course, having their haunts at the bottom of the sea, while the smaller fre- quent only the shores of bays. Yery few men have ever seen an entire squid or sperm whale cuttle-fish, and I incline to the belief that most of the few instances on record, of their appearance at the surface, are apocryphal. Whalemen believe them to be much larger than the largest whale, even exceeding in size the hull of a large vessel ; and those who pretend to have been favored with a sight of the body, describe it as a huge, shapeless, jelly-like mass, of a dirty yellow, and having on all sides of it long arms, or feelers, precisely like the common rock -squid. This animal is no doubt the "kraken," of which old histories speak as having often borne down entire ships in their grasp, and as able to annihil- ate a fleet. The animal seldom exhibits itself to man; but pieces of the feelers are often seen afloat, on good whaling ground. I have examined such from the boats, and found them to consist of a dirty yel- low surface, beneath which appeared a slimy, jelly-like flesh. Of several pieces which we fell in with at various times when in the boats, most had on them portions of the "sucker," or air exhauster with which the common cuttle-fish is famished, to enable him to hold the prey aboit which he has slung his snake-like arms. These floating pieces are supposed to have been bittep 160 , WHALING AND FISHING. or torn off by wkales, while feeding at the bottom Many of those we saw were of the circumference ^f u. flour barrel. If this be the size of the arms, of which they have probably hundreds, each furnished with air exhausters the size of a dinner plate; what must be the magnitude of the body which supports such an array ? The teeth of a sperm whale, which are found only in the lower jaw, are conical in shape, coming to a round dull point at the end. They set in the gum in such a position as to hook backward, and can be moved in their sockets by the hand. Nevertheless they are very firmly fixed, having ' to be drawn by means of tackle. Experienced whalemen suppose them to be used principally to tear loose their prey from the rocks. The sperm whale has a tolerably capacious gullet, which is evident from the fact that sometimes, when about to die, he vomits forth pieces of squid larger than a barrel. There is I think, no more beautiful exemplifica- tion of the wisdom and foresight of the Creator, than is seen in the instinct and means of defense given to each of the principal species of the whale. The sperm whale has the power of seeing any object which approaches him from any point on hi& side, his eye, to this purpose, being placed at the end of his mouth, and nearly one-third his length from the beginning of his head. He can not however, see the approach of an enemy from right astern or right ahead. But here, THE RIGHT WHALE. 161 Providence has placed his chief defenses. IVith his huge flukes, he strikes perpendicular blows upon the water, or at any object which may annoy him there, while with his tremendous head, or still more fearful jaw, he destroys all which comes within reach. He has likewise an acute sense of hearing, although his outward ear is no larger than a pin-hole. The right whale, on the other hand, can not, on account of the peculiar conformation of his head, see any object either ahead or abreast of him, but distinguishes best that which approaches him from behind. To protect himself, therefore, against assailants whom he can not see, he is enabled to sweep with his tail or flukes from one eye to the other, thus rendering any approach to his body, from abreast, impossible .or highly dangerous. The hump-back, who is but a poor mongrel, partaking of the nature of both sperm and right whale, invariably runs to windward on being attacked, and that with such velocity as to make pursuit almost useless. The only time when an attempt to take one of these fish is prudent, is therefore, in a cairns On such occasions the poor brute runs vainly round, snuffing for the breeze, and quickly falls a prey to his enemy — man. Sperm whales are no.w much scarcer than in years past, owing to the number of vessels which annually fit out from America and various parts of Europe, partly or entirely in pursuit of them, 11 162 WHALING AND FISHING. In times past, when they were not so continually worried and followed, they were much easier *o approach, although often giving battle wl en attacked. K'ow, however, the utmost care if required to " get on " as it is termed. The slightest noise causes them to disappear with marvelous celerity. Though so vast and apparently unwieldy, the motions of a sperm whale are sometimes almost inconceivably quick. We had left the Mozambique Channel, and slowly sailed down the eastern coast of Madagas- car, toward the Isles of Bourbon and Mauritius. It was on a beautiful calm Sunday morning, that the masthead-man raised a large sperm whale, about three miles off. An hour's close watching con- vinced the officers that he was feeding, and was entirely unsuspicious of our presence. At the end of that time he turned flukes, and we lowered, and pulled up to what we thought the most advantageous spots to await his rising. A nice little breeze had by this time sprung up, and we set our boat sail, determining to sail on to the whale, should he come up near us. The whale remained beneath the surface nearly an hour, an evidence that he was a large fish. We had begun to think he was gone off, when he spouted about quarter of a mile from us, and ir such a position that our boat, which was immedi- ately ahead of him, was the only one that conic' WHALING IN A CALM. 163 approach him unperceived. The others remained •till, while we pulled aft the sheet, and let the boat mn down toward him. The sea was quite smooth; there was just enough ripple to drown the noise of the boat, and icarcely sufficient breeze to fill our sail. The whale was slowly forging ahead, his hoarse deep toned spout sounding strangely over the quiet waters. We were over twenty minates making our way to him. In this time, having nothing to do, all eyes were directed to the motions of the fish. He came blindly on, that part of his head show- ing above the water, giving one the idea that he had been sawed square off in front. He did not advance in a direct line, but made a number of little alterations in his course, evidently for the purpose of guarding against an enemy in any direction. Every few minutes, too, he would stop altogether, and cautiously lift his head out of water, expressing the action of listening for a noise, just as plainly as it could be expressed. Hearing nothing, he would again advance on his course. The length of time we consumed in our ap- proach, as well as the extreme caution necessary on such a quiet, calm day, made it a scene and time of great excitement to us all. We were gradually but surely nearing him. Now the mate raised his hand, a signal to the? boatsteerer to seize his iron. We were sitting on our thwarts, 164 WHALING AND FISHING. but in the excitement of the moment, everything was forgotten in watching the motions of the fish. On he came, blindly and unsuspectingly rushing X) his death. Wswere already within two boats' lengths of him. But now he stops suddenly. He listens u moment, but again proceeds. We think ourselves already fast, when the boatsteer- er whispers, " Let them pull a good stroke— I fancy the whale knows we're here." The mate shook his head ; we were almost within dart, and. he would not risk it Now he heaves his head out of the water again. "Heave your iron into him!" shrieks the mate. The boatsteerer darts his best— but too late. Even as we looked, and without any motion other than that slight toss of the head, the whale disappeared from our sight. " That's magic," said one of the boat's crew. To me, so sudden was the act, it seemed just as though the vast mass had been suspended in space, and the suspensor had been suddenly cut asunder. Now came the labor of the day. The whale was gallied — that is to say, frightened. He was Aware of our presence, but with a perversity com- mon */o sperm whales under such circumstances, would not at once abdicate the ground. From the time of his lightning-like disappearance — about noon— till sunset, our four boats chased him; GALLIED WHALES 168 and never at any time, except when he was he more than three ship's lengths off His course was a huge circle, many miles in circumference. His speed was just such as to keep our boats at a safe distance. I could not help giving the wretched animal credit for gieal intelligence, for the ingenuity with which he kept up the ardor of our pursuit, without permitting himself to be caught. When he sounded, he kept up his usual headway, and on his regular course, so that by pulling as hard as we could for three quarters of an hour, in the hope to get fast the next rising, we would find ourselves, when he re- appeared, at just the same distance astern of him that we were when he was last seen. At sunset we were obliged to give up the chase, and returned on board, wearied and hungry. We had after- ward several long chases after gallied sperm- whales, always without effect, and invariably led by the nose, as it were, by the whales keeping but little ways ahead of the boats, holding out contin- ual hope that we might, in a moment of un wari- ness on their part, get fast, and gain a prize. The eastern coast of Madagascar is an unpleas- ant whaling ground, on account of the constant rains which prevail there. Part of the day ia generally fine ; but seldom an entire day passea without a rain squall, and not unfreque;. cly, when cruising near the land, the rain lasts day and night for a week. The weather, withal, ig un- comfortably cool, and on shipboard, where t ii 166 WHALING AND FISHING. sufficiently difficult to keep dry under the most favorable circumstances, great discomfort ensues. But rainy weather is made no account of in a "spouter." If whales are seen, the boats are lowered in the middle of the most violent sq'iall. Sundays and rainy days are no holidays in the whaling serv/'ce. "When our cruise, however, extended over toward Bourbon and the Isle of France, we had again delightful weather. One day we sighted Bour- bon, and sailed close into the land, in order to ex- amine thoroughly for whales. The island is very mountainous, and has, lying as it does in the track of the Trades, a weather and lee side. It was the lee side which we now approached. I never in my life saw a more enchanting country. In the distance were the blue mountain peaks, thrown in uncouth volcanic masses against the sky. In the foreground was a narrow strip of beach, dotted with white houses, peeping forth from umbrageous groves. And rising above these, was the hill side, every inch of which for miles, was in the highest state of cultivation. Here were the plantations of sugar, coffee, cloves, and tobacco. Each field was bordered by neat rows of coffee trees, be- tween which ran the streets. The whole appeared in the most perfect order, and the scene, viewed from a distance of a mile at sea, was enchanting beyond description. It was like the realization of a dream of Arcadie. The rsader can easily imagine the feelings with BOURBON. 167 which we sailed past so beauteous a land without being permitted to place our feet on its shores. For an entire week did we .ruise around this de- lightful isle, never more than five miles from its bold shores. It was a torture fit for Tantalis, And I vowed that let me once get my foot on shore, any where, I would bid good-bye to a ser- vice in which such treatment was considered le- gitimate. The balance of our crew were also dissatisfied, and longed to have a run over the beautiful land so long in view. Even the boat- steerers grumbled. But the captain gave us plainly to understand that before we had three hundred barrels of oil on board, we need not ex- pect a run ashore — " and even then," added he, coolly, "you need not expect to go ashore on Bourbon." Thought I, let me get ashore once, and Til take care of the balance. On standing over toward Madagascar again, after a fruitless search for whales, we one day fell in with ti New London vessel, the James Eodgers, the captain of which proposed to our captain that, as sperm whales seemed to be scarce, and it was hist the season for humpbacking, we should make i joint expedition to one of the bays in Madagas- car, " Where," said he, " from my former experi- ence, I know we'll get some fish." Our captain liked the idea, and it was agreed that we should cruise for a week in company, looking for speim whales, and if none wore in 168 WHALING VND F13HINO. that time seen, the two vessels should proceed into the bay of Antongil, on the north-east coast of the island, and try for humpbacks. The James Eodgers had been out a year, and had done tolerably well. She was now just froir the coast of New Holland, where they had " hump, backed and sperm-whaled it," so the crew said, "until all hands were worn out." They seemed to dread the bay whaling. But we, to whom it was something new — no one but our skipper having ever been at it before — thought it rather a good idea — particularly as by its means we should have an occasional run on shore. At the expiration of one week of trial, both ves- sels were headed to the north, and the crews were i nformed that we were now bound on a humpback cruise. Meantime we were again in the rainy climate. ESvery day it rained. For days the sky is leaden and gloomy, the clouds being apparently sur- charged with rain. The winds, too, are shifting and squally, while water-spouts are constantly in sight. Little harmless eddy winds, which cause the spouts, may be seen starting up and sailing along in all directions. Sometimes the ship is beset with them ; the foresails get the benefit of one breeze, while the after sails are filled with a quite different and contrary one. On the fore- castle a torrent of rain will be falling, whiJe the quarter-deck and poop are perfectly dry; and sometimes, the toj>-gallant-sails will be filled with MADAGASCAR. a strong breeze, while not a breath stirs the lower sails. The nights are dark as Erebus, even the full moon being able to send only occasionally a fitful gleam through the dull opaque clouds. The days are gloomy and dispiriting, being made up of alternate squalls of rain and wind. Such is the eastern coast of Madagascar — a most uninvi- ting cruising ground. It was while making our way toward Antongil Bay that, on one dark, gloomy day, the captain sent several men aloft, to look out for shoals. He was himself, at the same time, continually start- ing into the rigging, and peering anxiously about with his spy-glass. "We did not judge ourselves near the land, and had therefore some curiosity to learn whether any shoals could be seen. " It seems to me that there are some breakers on the lee bow, but I can see nothing for the sea to break against," sung out the mate, who had been sent aloft to look out. " That's it — where away on the lee bow is the surf?" " About four points." The vessel was kept away a little, and as there was quite a breeze, we were soon able to see from the deck a long line of white, where the sea broke upim the edge of a huge sand-bank. The bank itself, owing to its color, we could not see till we were closer in. It was a dreary and wo-begone place, and a sight of it prepared me to appreciate the tale of horrible cruelty which is con- 170 WHALING AND FISHING. nected with it. The bank is about two miles long, by half a mile wide, and apparently lies just above the water's edge. With a stiff top gallant breeze, mcl as we had, the surf did not break entirely over it, but it would have required but a slight increase of wind to force the breakers over the shallow barriers. The low, dull roar of the surf seemed a funeral dirge over the graves of many poor fellows who have here struggled for the last time with death. Not a tree or shrub, not even a blade of grass, could be seen on the entire bank; nothing but sand and breakers. As I thought how easily, even in broad day- light, a vessel might run upon this hidden dan- ger, lying, as it does, just in the track of ships bound to some of the ports of Madagascar, and as I thought further how hopeless would be the fate of those who should be shipwrecked here, an inward prayer arose that such might never be my fate. " That's a bad place to get on," said the old man to me. " Yes, sir." "There's a story told of this St. Mary's shoal, as it is called, that makes me shudder every time I see the cursed place. Some ten or a dozen years ago, slavers used occasionally to get a cargo on this east coast, all the vigilance of the French and English cruisers to the contrary notwithstanding. There was then a slave factory at Nos Beh, (now a French settlement on the northern extremity of ST. MARY'S SHOAL 171 Madagascar). A ship having on board seven hun« dred poor slaves, in making her way from Nos Beh to the southward, got upon this shoal. It was happily in the day time, and although the vessel was wrecked, they had time to release the poor blacks, and with their help to catch a supply of provisions and water from the various articles which floated ashore from the wreck. They built themselves rude huts upon the highest part of the bank, and here remained, waiting for a passing vessel. ^ "Day after day, however, passed away and no succoring ship hove in sight; and they saw with dismay their supply of provisions, and particu- larly their water, getting low. In this emergency, a new thought entered the minds of the whites. On the adjoining coast of Madagascar, at a dis- tance of about seventy-five or one hundred miles, is located the French settlement and fort of St. Mary's. They could make, a small raft Of the por- tions of their ship which had drifted ashore, and with this steer to the mainland, taking advantage of a favorable breeze. "To procure the assent and aid of their black victims to this plan, they promised them most solemnly to send a vessel to their help immedi- ately on their arrival in St. Mary's. But, scoun- drels as they were, the thought had already struck them that by informing the French author- ities of the presence, upon the shoals, of these slaves, they would get themselves into trouble 172 WHALING AND PISHING. and so they concluded to make tlioir own way safely, and leave the blacks to their fate. "The raft, after infinite trouble, was built. A large share of the remaining water and provis ions were placed on it, that th 3 whites might bft sure to reach the shore, and then, bidding the poor slaves " good-by," and assuring them of their speedy return with aid, they spread a sail to the breeze, and were soon out of sight. What long days of agonized expectation the poor blacks passed upon that bleak shoal; how, gradually, as it were hour by hour, hope died from their breasts ; how, as their little remnant of provisions failed, they began to die off, and how the survivors, brought to the last extremity of suffering, were obliged to subsist upon their deceased friends ; how anxiously they peered across the wild waste of water which surrounded and threatened to engulf them, and how each sun rose upon a fresl" accumulation of the dead and dying — all this was told by the one lone survivor of six hundred who had landed upon the bank. A St. Mary's coaster passing by the shoal, saw upon it some signs of a wreck, and approaching nearer, was able to dis- cover the forms of men lying about upon tho sand. Effecting a landing at the risk of their lives, they found but one poor Madagassy left ftlive, and took him with them. It was found, afterward, that the wretches of the raft, fearful that mention of their companions in misfortune would get them into a French prison, told a story ST. MARY'S SHOAL 173 of having been in a leaky vessel, ana abandoned her at sea, and stated that they were the last rem- nant of the sufferers. As the captain told me this story, the long, low ahoal was just astern of us, the surf was still boom- ".ng in our ears, and a shudder of horror ran through me at such wanton barbarity and heart leas selfishness. 174 WHALING AND FISHING. CHAPTER X. SOMETHING furtner concerning the habits of Whales — Tb« Humpback — Their liability to Sink when dead — Antongil Bay — Our Anchorage— The denizens of the Jungle — Our first Whaling day — A Word concerning the Weal/her — Actions of Whales — Close of the first Day — The Night — Another Del- uge—We get fast — The Whale spouts Blood — Tenacity of Life — Towing a dead Whale — Cutting-in — Trying out — A ** Cow and a Calf" — Strong affection of the Mother-Whale — How Whalemen take advantage of this — The Calf is killed— The Sharks eat up our Whale — Scaring a Humpback—Its Results. A FEW days after seeing the St. Mary's shoal, and hearing its story as related in the last chapter, we sailed into Antongil bay. This is a large inlet on the east coast of the island of Madagascar, in about latitude 16° south, and longitude 50° east. It is over fifty miles deep, and about twenty-five miles wide at the mouth. At the bottom of this extensive bay, and under lee of a small island, our two ships were brought to anchor, and here it was determined we should remain at least a month, to try for humpbacks. The females of these whales, as well as of the right whale, frequent bays and shallow waters yearly, when their time of calving comes on, to drop their young, remaining in the smooth wateri HUMPBACKS. 175 antil the young leviathan has gained strength sufficient to shift for himself on the broad ocean. These occasions are taken advantage of by whale- men, and great numbers of the old fish are slain annually in the many unfrequented bays of Africa and South America. Whalemen assert that the sperm whale mother also approaches the land to give birth to her young, but her haunts have, I believe, never been discovered, and this is, therefore, more a probability gathered from analogy, than an ascer- tained fact. The right whale mother is very care- ful to choose a retired and unfrequented roadstead for the scene of her maternal labors, and bays on the eastern coast of Africa which were formerly noted as the annual resort of great numbers of these animals, have been altogether deserted by them shortly after the whalemen got among them. The humpback, however, the most stupid of whales, clings obstinately to the place it has once chosen, and thus numbers of these fish are annu- ally taken in the great bays of New Holland, Madagascar and Africa. "When this species of whale is met with at sea, it is seldom thought worth lowering after, for the reason that it is exceedingly hard to kill, runs to windward at great speed on being struck, and generally sinks when killed. When a dead fish sinks at sea (and this sometimes occurs with right whales as well as hump backs), he is of course lost. In soundings however, the case is different. 176 WHALING AND FISHING. The whale is anchored, and a large buoy is left to mark his place under water. The progress of decay evolves certain gasses in his body, which being lighter than the water, raise the body to the surface; and once there, it is again taken possession of by its captors. A iPERM WHALE. As in the bays of tropical countries the strong sea breeze generally alternates with a mild and genial land breeze, the humpback in running to windward does not so often get beyond reach of his pursuers, and although hard to kill, generally falls a prey to a good whaleman, when struck during the prevalence of the land wind. As we sailed down the great bay, the waters OUR ANCHORAGE. 177 seemed alive with whales. It was evidently the hight of the season, and we congratulated ourselves in advance, upon the havoc we should make among the fish At the bpttom of the bay was a small island, about three miles in circumference. In a sheltered nook on the lee side of this island, we brought our ships to anchor, under the direction of the captain of the James Eodgers, who had been here before. Having safely moored the ves- sels, we unbent the light sails, and made other preparations for a lengthy stay. Having fixed upon a convenient landing place on the shore, we rolled up our empty water casks, to be filled before going away. Hore too, a tent was erected, in which the armorer and carpenter could work, and under shelter of which the crew could rest when ashore. The island, which consisted of a high mountain, bordered by a narrow strip of beach, was covered from the waterside up with a dense mass of trees and undergrowth, forming an impenetrable jungle. This jungle, so said the captain of the James Rodgers, was inhabited by a few wild cats, or leopards, and numerous monkeys and flying foxes. It was infested likewise, as we afterward found, with great numbers of serpents of various kinds, but chiefly by a species of anaconda, some of which> that we killed, were fourteen feet long. On the day after our arrival, our whaling duties began. We were called out at half past four o'clock in the morning. The cook having beep 12 178 WHALING AND FISHING. roused at four, had our breakfast in readiness, and after devoting fifteen minutes to this, " lower away " was shouted, and all hands were immedi- ately called into the boats. It was $»t with the same motion leaped over- board. If the whale was before paralyzed with terror, the fiist touch of the iron gave back to him all bis powers, and quick as a flash an immense pair of flukes carne down on the boat's bow, cutting off about three feet of it nearly as smoothly as though it had been sawed off. Had the boatsteerer not jumped overboard, he would have been instantly killed. I, who sat next him, was thrown overboard by the shock, the boat filled, and had not the iron fortunately drawn, we should have been in a mess of trouble. As it was, all hands quickly got into the stern, by which means the boat's bow was raised out of the water; and thus we were able to paddle stern- foremost to the ship, a distance of over two miles. That was the last time we tried the plan of scaring a humpback. Had there been time for the exercise of a litte prudence, we could have gone on easily without being stove. But our boatheader •vas an excitable man, and at this time as on a f< rmer occasion, lost all command over himself ind rushed the b)at to certain destruction. 13 194 WHALING AND FISHING. CHAPTER XI. ANTONGJL BAY, continued — Whaling near Desolation Island- Teddy — A Character — Sea-Lions — How they are Captured— Tannanarivou— A City on a hill top — The Natives — The Scurvy — Burying a Mac — Nearly a Ghost Story — The Cook'i opinion of Ghosts — Attempts at explanation, meet with no Favor — The Result — Preparing to leave the Bay — Our first and only Holiday in the Bay — A Tour of Exploration — Dis- turbing an Ant's nest — Flying Foxes — We proceed to Sea. To relieve the monotony of our rather dreary life in the bay, we frequently visited each other's vessels, /found much to amuse me on board the James Eodgers. They had been three years from home, cruising during that time mainly on the coasts of Ceylon and New Holland, and had some singular adventures to relate. One of the crew, moreover, had made a voyage to the Isle of Des- olation, a place of great resort for sea-lions and seals, as well as right whales, and as he had ? wonderful facility in spinning yarns, and was, wHhal, obliging enough to talk for us by the hour, several of our own crew spent all our -leisure timt on board the Eodgers. Teddy, so h< was called, was a genuine Yankee boy; and about is ugly and good natured a speci- TEDDY. 195 men of mortality as one could expect to meet with in so out of the way a place as a whale ship. He was the self-constituted hero of numberless adven- tures, which he could impart in a manner entirely his own, never thinking of concealing personal defects, and laughing as heartily at his own mis- haps as those of any one else. Teddy had served an apprenticeship to whaling in the cold regions of Desolation, and was not, therefore, remarkable for personal cleanliness or neatness. He gave it as his deliberate opinion, that too much washing was deleterious to the health, besides involving an unnecessary waste of time. His clothes, which were patched even beyond the mark of whalemen in general, pre- sented a variety of hues which reminded one of Joseph's coat of many colors j they fitted him with a studied awkwardness which could not fail to attract attention from the most casual observer, and excited in me most unbounded admiration. With his ill-fitting and well-patched shirt, his scraggy head of fiery red hair overhanging his face, and thin whiskers of the same color, which he was used to say required a drum and fife to marshal them together, Teddy put one very macb in mind of the little rough-haired Scotch terrier*,, so famous as ratters. So striking was this resem • Olance, that I was led one day to ask him if he had ever followed the business of rat-catching. With a huge grin, such as only Teddy ccnld 196 WHALING AND FISHING. assume, he answered, no ; that there was not enough oil to be gotten out of a rat to make sacft a business pay. Desolation, or Kerguelen's Land, by which last name it is most generally known, is an island in the Indian ocean, in about latitude 49° 30' south, and longitude 70° 10X east. It is a sterile, dreary spot, uninhabited, save by seals, sea-lions, and penguins. It lies entirely out of the track of merchant vessels, and is little visited even by whaleships, the ship in which Teddy had made a voyage thither being one of but two or three that had at that time made it their exclusive headquar- ters for a year or two at a time. From Teddy's yarns, I gathered that all the various species of seals abound there at certain seasons of the year, and that right whales had found here likewise a retreat in which they were comparatively little disturbed. It appears that on her arrival at the island, the vessel was securely anchored in a snug harbor on its leeward side. All the empty casks, and a great proportion of the stores, were now landed, and placed in huts constructed for the purpose. Try • works were also set up 011 shore, and all the ope- rations of killing, skinning and trying-out were rendered thus as little laborious as possible. The sea -lions at regular intervals during the day ascended the crags and steeps with which the •bore was lined for miles around, and were on HUNTING SEA-LIONS. 197 these occasions attacked and slain in great num- bers. The weapon of attack was a stout lance fixed to a short hickory pole. At early daylight, said Teddy, the labor of lilling cask? and cleaning fur-seal skins begar.. About nine o'clock the boating parties were started off for the appointed scene of labor. They pulled or sailed along shore until they discovered the weals, then moored their boats, and dividing them- selves in parties of two, proceeded to the slaughter, which it was necessary to accomplish as silently as possible. Teddy confessed that the first time he ap- proached an old lion, for the purpose of lancing him, he was in great bodily fear. " As I approached," said he, " the beast gave an awful roar, and lifting up its ugly head, snap- ped viciously with its jaws, plainly showing me that if I got into its clutches once, it would go hard with me. I had received due caution against approaching it from beneath, as in such cases the animals are wise enough to roll over on their at- tacker, and thus overcome him. " There was, however, no time for considera- tion. My lion was before me, and the mate wa% watching me from a distance, to see that I suf- fered no damage. So I ran up, man fashion, and plunged my lance into his breast, just as he was preparing to roll over the rocks into the sea. Luckily, the first stab settled him, and with a 198 WHALING AND FISHING. loud hurrah of suddenly gained confidence in my Dwn abilities, I jumped on to attack another." After killing as many as they could carry oil "hat day the work of skinning and lugging the blubber 'ined hide to the boats began. Here two worked together. As the beasts were duly di- vested of their hides, a hole was cut in the center of each. A hide being now lifted up, one's head was inserted through the opening, the mass of. blubber hanging about him something after the fashion of a Spaniard's poncho. In this guise, with the filthy oil dripping from every pore, he now scrambled over rocks and declivities, down to the boat, in which the load was deposited, while the bearer returned to repeat the operation. It was in this business that Teddy had contracted his aversion to water, taken externally, as a purifier. " As an internal remedy," said he, one day, in discussing its merits, " a very little water, mixed with good whisky, is not at all objectionable." Of relating his mishaps with sea-lions, Teddy never tired, and, to own the truth, neither did his auditory ever tire of him There might have been more intellectual amusement, but under the cir cumstances, there could have been none provided of a more enlivening nature. "When we first entered Antongil Bay, all hands congratulated themselves in advance upon the pleasure of ar occasional ramble ashore, neve* HOSTILITY OF THE MADAGASSY. 199 imagining that there could be such a totally inac- cessible place as proved the island under lee of which we were moored. When a ramble through the thick jung.e of the island was found -imprac- ticable from the impenetrability of the woods, as well as dangerous from the exceeding abundance of serpents, of which we killed some every day, although never advancing inland beyond the im- mediate beach, we began to cast longing eyes upon the shores which we every morning approached in pursuit of whales. In the far distance, at the top of a high hill, we could discern a city, seemingly, of considerable dimensions, while in the vicinity of the beach at various points, herds of the large hump-cattle of Madagascar grazed. Here, thought we, must cer- tainly be a fine country ; and I know not what wild plans flitted through my brain, of clandes- tinely leaving the vessel, and taking up my abode. \v ith the natives for a time. All these ideas were, however, scattered to the winds by the unmistakeable enmity exhibited toward us by the natives, upon an attempt on our part to effect a landing upon the mainland. It was from the first apparent that we were watched right jealously, parties of the natives, spear in hand, often following for h ashore at once disappointed. As yet there were not among our crew any §igns of scurvy. In fact, we had been but a shorl BURYING A SCURVY PATIENT. 201 without potatoes, the greatest anti scoi butic, the supply we obtained at Tristan de Acunha, having with proper management lasted us till we cr.tered Antongil Bay. But of the crew of the Jas. Rodgers, several were beginning to exhibit evidences of the disease, in their swollen limbs and dilatoiy movements, and one poor fellow was already confined to his berth. When it was found that there was no hope ot obtaining fresh provisions from the shore, it was determined to bury this man, a mode of cure which is practiced only in extreme cases, but which gen orally proves successful — having this disadvan- tage, however, that where it does not cure, it kills. A little shed was built on shore, beneath which a hole was dug in the ground sufficiently large to contain the sick man in a sitting posture. In this he was placed about ten o'clock one morning, when the rains had ceased unusually early. The ground was then loosely thrown about him, until he was covered up, leaving nothing but the head exposed. He remained here until sunset, when he was taken out and conveyed to his berth on board, in a state of great exhaustion. In a few days ho regained strength sufficient to walk about decks, a *d by dint of care in matters of diet, he TV as in a few weeks able to return to his duty. Not however, without bearing about him the marks of the disease, in several bunch-like gath- erings of the muscles on his legs and thighs, known among soamen as scurvy- marks. 202 WHALING AND FISHING. It was but a few days before we left the that a singular incident occurred, which, had the succeeding circumstances been only more favora- ble, would have given rise to a veritable and most andeniable ghost-story. Many such, I dare say, rest on a less plausible foundation. The humpback is in many regards a fish of very singular habits, differing in great measure from those of any other species of the whale. Among his oddities is one which those of us who daily labored in the boats had soon gotten used to, but of which the ship-keepers knew nothing. A whale would sometimes get under the boat, at such a depth below the surface that the crew were entirely unaware of his presence, and there utter the most doleful groans, interspersed with a gurg- ling sound such as a drowning man may be sup- posed to make. The first time I heard these sounds it was almost incomprehensible to me that they could proceed from a whale. But close watching of their motions convinced us all that they were the true authors. So little noteworthy had the matter been thought after its cause was explained, that it was not a topic of conversation on board, and so it came about that our ship-keepers were left in entire ignorance of the imitative powers of the hump back. One morning about eleven o'clock, when the buats were all on the daily cruise, and but half R dozen men on board each ship, onr steward A GHOST STORY. 203 happened into the forecastle, and was there star- tled by a most unearthly groan. Thinking that his ears were deceived, he listened intently for its repetition, and was soon gratified. A moan as of one in terrible agony, he said, issued from the berth of the present writer. Two jumps carried him safely to the deck, where he at once informed the cook of what he had heard, declaring hia firm belief that the ship was haunted. The cook laughed at the to him funny idea, and thought a ghost must have but poor taste, to come into this outlandish part of the world. The stew- ard, however, related his story to the ship-keepers, and asked them, to make assurance doubly sure, to step into the forecastle in person, and regale their ears with the mysterious noise. Accord- ingly, all hands (only three, the other three being at work ashore), descended to the haunted region. They had scarcely entered, when the groans were repeated with even more horrible emphasis than before. With hair erect, and elongated faces, they listened sufficiently long to vouch that the dread sounds proceeded from no where else but n} berth; and then, overcome with terror, rushed to Jie deck, seized the jolly boat, and took refuge on board our partner ship. The black cook alone remained on board. He Bcorned to run from anything that could only groan, and having satisfied himself that there was no tangible cause for the noises, in or about my berth, qiretly busied himself about his galley 204 WHALING AND FISHING. thinking, as he remarked to me afterward, that " if it was really a ghost, and it did the poor thing any good to groan, he had not the slightest objection/' In a short time the sounds could be heard upon deck, and then they gradually died away, until presently quiet was restored, and the affrighted fugitives returned to the vessel. " It is a ghost or spirit, that's certain," assevera- ted the steward, who had told the captain of it, already before the latter got out of his boat. " If you talk to me of ghosts again, stupid, I'll put your head in a bucket of water," was the reply. This threat put an effectual stop to the dissent - nation of spiritualism in the after part of the ship ; but meantime, our ship-keepers had laid their experience before the forecastle, the story of course gaining fresh horrors with every recital. The case was so plain — even the cook, who laughed at the whole matter, having to own that he heard the sounds, and that they were marvelously like human groans — that most of our greenhorns soon became devout believers in the immediate pres- ence of a spirit in our midst, and the poor Portu guese, whose nature it was to be superstitious, turned a sickly yellow, and began to shake in their boots. Having heard the matter duly discussed, I ven- tured to suggest that it was clearly a humpback that made the mysterious noise. This was treated, however, with that degree of scorn which is A VERITABLE uHOST. 205 usually bestowed upon any reasonable explanatioD of a ghost story. My scornful laugh was severely- frowned down, and I was informed by one of the wiseacres that the groans having evidently come from my berth, and no where else, portended some an heard of accident to myself. So eagerly does ignorant humanity swallow the most egregious humbug, if there is only something supernatural about it, that of the sixteen men who had proba- bly heard the same groans dozens of times in the boat, not one could now be convinced, by reason or ridicule, that those in question owed their ex- istence to a natural cause. I found myself regarded as a doomed man ; and certain of the more friendly disposed privately advised me to prepare my mind for the approach- ing calamity, and even offered to share their berths with me, not considering it prudent that I should sleep in the haunted bed. If my excellent ship- mates before cordially hated me for my unsocia- ble spirit, they were now doubly bitter against me on account of my present doubts; and one poor fellow went so far as to impugn my faith in the existence of a Deity, on the ground of my scepticism on the subject of ghosts. 1 joined with the cook in laughing at their fool- ish fears, (which, by the way, procured me the present of a huge piece of pie from that worthy, prho declared me to be a "good fellow"), and slept scundly as ever before in my haunted bed« place. 206 WHALING AND FI6HINO. The ghost was the staple of conversation .ext morning at breakfast, and prophesies were ft eely made that before sundown that day, our boat would be stove, and I would be severely injured, if not killed. Fortunately for my credit, not an accident occurred during the remainder of our stay in the bay. Had I been in the slightest degree injured, or even had our boat been stove, as was prophesied, this would have formed a well authenticated ghost story, and I should no doubt have been held up to future generations of whalemen as a melancholy example of stubborn unbelief. Having now captured six whales, and the sea- son not having proved nearly so propitious as had been hoped, there being comparatively few cows and calves in the bay, it was determined that we should divide the oil and proceed on our cruise. Our share of the proceeds amounted to one hun- dred and twenty-seven barrels. We finished stowing down and clearing up on a Saturday night, and as we had kept no Sunday for the past six weeks, the two captains determined that the following day should be a holiday. And never was one more needed. Day aftej day we had toiled at the oars, amid rain and wind and cold, until we were completely exhausted m body and spirit. It was given out on Saturday night that there would be no cail of " all hands " on the following morning. Accordingly, I arose *t nine o'clock, a much more comfortable houi A SABBATH IN MADAGASCAR. 207 than half past four, and after eating breakfast, began the day by a thorough wash and a shave, the latter more as a means of cultivating my dilatory and impatiently longed-for beard, than from any real benefit to be derived from the operation, in appearance or feelings. Having donned a clean suit, a real luxury, ai^d Bet fire to a cigar which I found in a corner of my" chest, I set out for the shore, in company with two Portuguese, determined on a tour of explo- ration. We had armed ourselves with boat-hooks and clubs, to kill the serpents which we should doubtless meet on the way, and now set out in high spirits. Unluckily, I was unable to wear boots, on account of sore feet, obtained by constant immersion in water, in the boats. So after pene- trating a few rods into the jungle, I was compelled rather unwillingly to return to the beach. My companions, who proceeded, did not fall in with anything during half a day's ramble, but half a dozen serpents, and a lemon tree. They brought down their hats full of cooling, delicious lemons, which were soon turned into lemonade. Meanwhile, the time hanging rather heavily upon my hands, I was tempted to a closer ex- amination of a large ant's nest, which was pen- dant from the bough of a tiee near the waterside, Climbing up this tree, I was shortly within reach of the nest, but had no sooner laid hands on it, with the design of plucking it off, (it was a mass a* large as half a barrel), than its irrascible tenants 208 WHALING AND FISHING. issued out against me in innumerable swarms, and beforo I could drop myself down from my eleva- tion, I was completely covered with the vicious creatures, all in a fever of rage, and stinging me to the best of their abilities. To pull off my loose shirt was the work of a moment. In the next I was in the water, and my assailants were swimming helplessly about me. This adventure, which procured me a few harm- less stings, satisfied any lingering desire I might have entertained, to examine the interior economy of an ant's nest. After walking about the beach, killing a water snake, picking up a few harp shells, and basking for a while in the genial sun, I returned on board, utterly disgusted with Mad- agascar. With the exception of the lemons found by the Portuguese, we saw nothing eatable on the smaller island. None of the fruit trees generally so plentiful in the tropics, wore here to bo seen, and I doubt if a day's journey through the dense jungle would have produced aught but snakes, of which there seemed a sufficiency to colonize all Ireland. A little party was made up, while I was engaged with the ants, to explore a huge, nearly barren rock, lying at a distance of about five inilos from onr mooring place, and between ourselves and the month of the bay. This in our daily whaling excursions we had noted to be the resort of innu- merable fly'ng foxes. I came back too late to join the expedition, bit learned from them that they FLYING FOXES. 201) found the birds (?) flown. They saw nothing therefore, but traces, in broken branches of trees, etc., of their nightly resort thither. The captain, however, shot one of the foxes before the day was over. It was a black animal, with a head more like a bat than a fox, very sharp teeth, and long claws, and of about the size of a small fox. At a regular hour each day, between ten o'clock and twelve, the whole flock which frequented the rock, took a flight over to the mainland, a distance of perhaps eight miles. They moved in a solid mass, like a flock of birds, and at a distance would certainly have been taken for birds. The following day, (Monday), to the joy of every one, we got under weigh and stood out of the bay, bidding it adieu with a hearty determin- ation never to return. 14 210 WHAI ING AND FISHING CHAPTER XII, ftr. MARY, Madagascar— Applying for Liberty — It is granted— Sickness Ashore — The Town and Fort — Two Men remain ovei night — They are taken sick and die — An Auction — Eeflec- tions — The Seychelles — Plans for leaving the Vessel— We raise a School of Whales — How a dead Whale makes headway against the Wind — Striking a Finback — "There blows" — The excitement of " going on to " a Whale — Fast and Loose — A Whale's Revenge— The Boat Stove. ON getting clear of the land once more, the ship was headed to the southward, and the ruinor soon got afloat that the captain intended running into St. Mary's, a French colony on the eastern coast •>f Madagascar, about two days sail from the mouth of Antongil Bay. The third day thereafter, hav- ing in the meantime seen no whales, both ships entered the harbor of St. Mary's. The town, or settlement, and fort lie upon an island separated by a narrow strait from the main island. This is known among whalemen as the most fatal place upon the entire coast, for whites ; but it is the only place on this part of the ..coast whore fruits and vegetables are obtainable, and is, there- fore, frequently resorted to by whaleships. On coining to an chor, all hands proceeded afV LIBERTY. 211 to ask the captain for a run ashore during our Btay. Hereupon he made us a ] ittle address, stating that he was quite willing to grant the required liberty, but telling us at the same time that while those who returned on board before sunset would run no risk of catching the fever, so surely would those die who remained on shore over night, that he should refuse to receive them on board the fol- lowing morning, considering them as certainly dead. This sounded like humbug to some of the crew. But I had been warned against going ashore in this place, by the carpenter of the Betsy Ann, which vessel had lost here three of her men at one visit. I detailed the information I had received, to the rest, after we had retired to the forecastle, and convinced them, as I thought, that the cap- tain's words were at least founded on fact. I could hardly blame the disbelief of some, for the shores past which we had been sailing during the day, were so beautiful, and everything ap- peared to our rain -accustomed eyes so resplendent in the genial sunlight, whose like we had not felt for two months, that it was hard to believe grim death to lurk in every glade and hummock of the shore. Yet so it is. St. Mary's is unhealthy even to the natives, and I was informed that the Euro- pean portion of the garrison, notwithstanding th« greatest precaution and skill, is annually decimated by the deadly coast fever. To seamen, used to take but iittle care, and 212 \VHALING AND FISHING. scorning, in thur robust health, all precautionary measures, one night's stay ashore is in nearly every case fatal, as was sadly proved by two of our crew, who were so fool-hardy as to overstay their time. Taking all things into consideration, although I very strongly desired to leave the vessel, I con- cluded not to expose my life here. Life, thought I, is about all I have at this time to lose, and this I had rather part with to better advantage and on a more inviting occasion. As our stay was to be short, we had but half a day's run ashore, one watch taking the forenoon, the other the afternoon. This gave us time only for an inspection of the barracks, a short ramble along the shell-strown beach, and a bargain with the natives for a quantity of cocoanuts and bananas. The privates of the garrison are all natives, sepoys, while the officers and musicians are Europeans. The town is separated from the gar rison by a little arm of the sea; and at the water- side here, on the garrison side, are some huge storehouses, containing naval stores for the French squadron stationed in those waters. St. Mary's is risited by but few vessels. It was formerly a place of call for French Indiamenx but we were told that it was no longer so. A few whalemen, and an occasional French or English cruiser, with hall a dozen bullock droghers, are the only sels that enliven its harbors, if AL ARIA 2liJ The French have made more persistent efforts than any other nation for the colonization and conquest of Madagascar, but their success has been marvelously inproportionate to their efforts. And their failure is not owing to the resistance of the inhabitants, although these have always hated and harrassed the foreigner; but almost entirely to the prevalence all along the seacoast of the island, of a deadly malaria, to which nearly every European resident sooner or later falls a prey. Grim death himself keeps guard at the portals of this fertile island. Those who had " liberty " in the forenoon, returned on board in due time, laden with shells and fruit. Directly after dinner we of the lar- board watch were set ashore, where we amused ourselves in various ways till half an hour before sunset, when all but two of our number rendered themselves on board. These two had determined to spend the night ashore, all our remonstrances to the contrary notwithstanding. The following morning, as we were getting under way, they came alongside in a shore boat. As they approached the vessel, the captain hailed them, asking what they wanted. They were now ready to come on board, said they. " I have marked ' deceased ! ' opposite yom names on the muster roll. I consider you dead men. I can not refuse to let you come cr board but would rather you would stay ashore." They protested that they were in excellent 214 WHALING AND FISHING. health, aud felt not the slightest ill effects from their night's exposure. " I will give you your clothing if you will sbay DE shore." But they had no desire to be left behind, hav ing learned how little chance there was to get away from the place, ancl harboring no wish to starve on shore. So they were permitted to come aboard, and turned to their work as though nothing had happened. " They'll die before three days are over," saia the captain to me, who had just then taken charge of the helm, the ship being now under weigh. They were living and in apparently good health all day. But in the course of the following night both were taken sick, their first symptoms being a violent diarrhea, with cold sweats ; and before forty-eight hours both were dead. Two others were meantime laid low with the same disease, and only recovered by the most faithful attend- ance, and the strictest care as to diet. This was our first burying of the dead, and as may be sup- posed from the suddenness of the affliction, it was a solemn occasion. A few days after the burial, in accordance with universal custom on ship board, the effects of the deceased were disposed of at auction. In the merchant service, where the proceeds of such a gale go with the wages of the deceased to his heirs, perhaps a widow and family of children, an auction is often made the occasion of a display of AN AUCTION. 215 generosity on the part of the surviving shipmates, who bid in the various articles at much more than their real value, and thus contribute '.heir mite to the support of the bereaved family. Thu men found in the forecastle of a whaleship are, however, generally castaways in the world- young fellows who have run away from the pater- nal home, and have no one depending upon them for support. The proceeds, if the deceased is out of debt at the time of his death, are of course reserved for the relatives; but these do not often know of the circumstances, and it is only by accident in many cases that they ever learn of the decease of the wanderer. Of the death of these men, I speak reluctantly, and with pain. Both were delirious during the greater part of their short illness, and senseless for some time before death, so that the grim monster did not come with many terrors. But ^o those who looked on, vainly wishing for powei to help, the spectacle was distressing. The sick men's minds were but little prepared for the great change; and although the captain endeavored to Ihe best of his ability to administer to them m their sane moments the consolations of reLgion, it is iruch A.o be feared' that they died " as the beasts tnat perish." The gloom which nangs over a forecastle, when some of its members have been suddenly taken away, lasted here a shorter time, and was less 216 WHALING AND gcnerali}r felt than is usual. Our crew were not seamen. They had not the many finer traits of character which distinguish the true sailor. They were selfish, and their many months of close intercourse with each other had not called out hose strong feelings of affectionate regard which obtain among merchant seamen under such cir- cumstances. We were now cruising off the beautiful shores of Bourbon again, but meeting with no whales there our captain determined to take a short cruise around the Seychelle Islands, and then pass on to the Sooloo sea. Several of our boatsteerers and officers had visited the Seychelles, and described them as most beautifully situated, fertile, and inhabited by a very innocent and quiet-lived people, the descendants of French settlers and the natives. We therefore looked forward to having at last a pleasant run ashore, when we should arrive there, as it was understood that the vessel would make a stay of at least a week at one or o*jher of the Islands. Our passage, which was made much in the marner of a continuous cruise, the vessel being hov-^ to under reefed sails every evening, and standing on under short canvas all day, was the pleasantest we had yet experienced. Foi part ol the way the south-east tradewinds wafted us softlj along through a climate which seemed that of ai\ eternal spring, filling us with joyous anticipations "HUNNING A WAI." 217 of the delights of a land which lies m the track of these genial breezes. For myself, I had determined that I would embrace the first opportunity to leave the vessel, as I was heartily tired of the' monotony and dirt of a whaleship, as well as of the ignorance and brutality of those whom I was compelled to own as shipmates in the forecastle. These fellows, who claimed to be sailors because they had contracted all the vices usually, but in many cases erroneously, attributed to seamen, were to me day by day growing more unendurable. I had on several occasions cut off all communications with them, keeping company only with the three Portuguese. It is exceedingly unpleasant to hold such relations to individuals with whom one is thrown in constant contact, and I had already before we sailed into Antcngil Bay, made up my mind that I would at the first favorable chance leave the ship. Of course this determination of mine was not hinted to any one else ; although, as is usual in whaleships, the subject of " running away " waa daily discussed in the forecastle. I had learned ere this voyage that " a still tongue makes a wise head," and justly thought that the best way to secure the success of my scheme was to eay nothing about it. I had some time since settled the preliminaries in my own mind, and now, as it became certain that we should visit the Seychelles, prepared some 218 WHALING AND FISHING. thin clothing, which I more especially desired to take with me. 1 judged, from what the boatsteer- ers '.old me of the islands, that it would be almost impossible to get safely away from a whaleship there, unless some merchant vessel was just then in port, in which to take passage. I trusted that auch would be the case, but had determined to try an escape into the country, if nothing better offered. By dint of diligent inquiry, I had learned all that was to be gathered from those who had before visited the place, as to the manners of the inhab- itants, their language, the peculiarities of the dif- ferent islands, and the modes of transport from one to the other. In fact, in the absence of all other excitement for the mind, my projected flight was the all-absorbing topic with me. I thought and dreamt of nought else, and often longed to take some one to my confidence, and talk over my ideas with him. But this I dare not risk. Meantime we were cruising along, keeping a sharp lookout for whales, all hands being anxious to fall in with and capture a whale or two, in order that our contemplated stop at theSeychelle islands, jvhich seemed somewhat dependent on this con- tingency, might be secured beyond doubt. In fact, every circumstance in our lives was henceforth viewed merely as it would affect or be affected by the looked-for libert y at the Seychelles, ANTICIPATION. 219 Was some one in trouble — " Never mind," mut- tered he to himself, " we'll be in the Seychelles soon." Did one have a nice shirt, or a pair of trow&ers loss patched than usual — " Those are intended for my go-ashore suit at the Seychelles." Was our diurnal duff raw, or rice badly cooked, " Wait till we get to the Seychelles," was the com- forting reflection. Even a quarrel in the forecastle was tempora- rily patched up, to be settled by due course of fisticuffs " on our arrival at the Seychelles." Our entire lives hinged upon that now delight ful name. It was when we were about half way between Bourbon and the Seychelles, that one morning whales were seen from the masthead. They were to windward of us, and were going along at steady rate, evidently making a passage. Hour after hour, as we stood after them, the musical cry of "there blows," was shouted from the masthead by the dozen men there gathered to watch the movements of the fish ; until finally, at twelve o'clock, it was judged a favorable time to lower. The whales had just turned flukes, and it wa* thought, as they were not under very great head- way, that by means of oars and sails we might place the boats in a favorable position for fasten- ing by the time they rose again. Luckily for us, while yet urging the boats ahead, the whales appeared at but very little distance from us, and 220 WHALING AN.D FISHING. the second mate at once pulled up and struck one We made for another fish, but the school immedi. ately disappeared, leaving the struck whale tc fight his own battles. He however did not seem disposed to fignt. The iron had been darted into one of his eyes, and he was evidently in great agony. He did not sound when struck, as is usual with sperm whales, but after giving two or three violent strokes on the water with his flukes, began rolling round and round, until he had a large part of one tub- full of the second mate's line wound about his body. In his agony he would occasionally dart wildly through the water, but in a short time re- sumed his rolling again, seeming, I thought, to be trying by this means to extract the dart. This rolling over of course gave a fair chance for a lance to be aimed at his breast, and in fifteen minutes after he was struck he was in his flurry, throwing his ponderous body about with the swift- ness and agility of a mackerel. When he was dead, and rolled over " fin out," we had an instance of how surely a dead whale will work to windward — that is, will drift against the force of both wind and sea. The vessel, by brisk working, had been brought to windward of our prize and hove to. While, however, the fluke chain and its adjuncts were being prepared, she drifted off again to leeward. It was to be ex- pected that so un wieldly a body as a whale, lying helpless upon the water, would have drifted off SULPHUR-BOTTOMS. 221 ft early as fast as the vessel; but on the contrary, we could plainly see that it moved, if at all, the other way, against the wind. "How do you account for that?" asked I of the mate, while we were trying out. " Whalemen say it is caused by the lower fin of the whale, which hangs loosely down in the water as he lies upon his side. As the sea sweeps under the body, this fin catches the water in a peculiar manner, and being yet bound by the muscles, at each sweep throws the whale's body slightly back, thus neutralizing the force of the wave." The next day we saw a huge finback of the kind called the sulphur -bottom. They are very large, and the blubber is reputed to make oil fully equal to sperm oil. Marvelous stories are told by whalemen, of the size of these sulphur-bottoms, some having been taken which turned out from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and sixty barrels of oil. They run, on being struck, just as does the real fin-back, and oftentimes sink when at the point of death, thus again disappointing the expectant whaleman. The mode most depended on for capturing them is to go on with a lance and an iron in the bows. The lance being darted first, if there is reasonable cause to suppose that it has struck his life, it 18 immediately followed by the iron. If it has not inflicted a mortal wound, the iron is withheld, aa in that case the fish would go off at top speed, 222 WHALING AND FISHING. and tne coat would only have to cut loose, with the loss of a harpoon and a portion of the line. Many whalemen will not lower for sulphur-bet* toms, considering t lem too troublesome. Oui captain was of this opinion, and the monster fieh used, therefore, to pass the vessel with perfect impunity. Their spout resembles a sperm whale's, but they differ in shape, having no hump, and being much longer. " Does any one ever try finbacks — or how is it known that they run ? " I asked, one evening as we stood by the try -fires, discussing the merits of sulphur-bottoms, and other running whales. " Yes," said the second mate, " most people have a desire to satisfy themselves upon the question, and generally do so before they *can rest easy while a fat finback is sailing lazily past them. Last voyage we were cruising in the Sooloo sea, where the skipper now talks of going, when one beautiful afternoon, as we were gently gliding over a sea almost as smooth as glass, a good sized finback hove his ridge out of water just ahead of the boat. We had lowered for a school of sperm whales, gallied them by some accident, and were now returning aboard empty-handed, to get a jawing from the skipper. As 1 sat in the bow, whither I had gone to get under shelter of the sail. which flapped lazily against the mast, the thought gtiuck me to fasten to this fish, and prove for my- self what the consequences of such an act would be STRIKING A FINBACK. 223 " I motioned to the boatsteerer to lay the boat i-ound, so that with the little headway she had she would glide on him and give me a fair dart. As he came within reach I put out my utmost (Strength and sent an iron deep into his bilge. " He never stopped to kick, but putting his head on a level with the water's edge, started off at such speed as I don't believe whale-boat ever went before. " Mast and sail were carried straight over the stern, and as the boatsteerer, in obedience to my cry, held in the line, before I could grasp the boat-hatchet and cut line, we were half full of water. With such force was the boat dragged through the water that she leaked like a sieve from the strain. This specimen of a finback's running powers satisfied me fully." It was on a calm and beautiful day, a week before we saw the long wished-for Seychelles, that the captain, who was taking a walk around the vessel, noticed the man at the foreroyal- masthead gazing placidly down upon deck, instead of keep ing his eyes on the waste of waters before him. " There are no whales down here, Henry," re marked he, by way of reminder of his duty. "Well, captain," drawled out Henry, who was »s good-natured and stupid a fellow as ever lived " there are none up here." The captain grinned, as did all who heard the reply. Scarce a minute had elapsed, however, 224 WHALING AND FISHING. before the mate, who was at the main roya; masthead, sang out lustily, " There she Whitewa- ters," a cry which roused all hands from a pleas- ant doze, and caused some of us to run up the rigging to examine for ourselves the "whito- ivater." " There blows," repeated the masthead's-man " One," said the captain. " There blows ! " from the masthead. {C Two," from the captain. u There blows!" " Three." " There blows ! " •< Four." " There blows ! " " Sperm whales, by all that's good ami bad,' now shouted the captain in ecstacy. "Get youi boats ready, while I £o .iloft and watch them." There was no necessity for backing the mam yard, for there was scarce a breath of air, and the ship had not steerage way on. The whales were about two miles off, and it was determined to lower as soon as they turned flukes, and try to get fast the next rising. " You may as well cast loose the paddles, Char. ley," said the boatsteerer, as I was making ready some of the boat-gear, " we shall not use the oars much to-day." " There goes flukes," was the signal for lower- ing the boats, and we set out merrily for the spot "GOING ON" IN A CALM. 225 where the fish were expected to make their next appearance. After pulling about a mile, the oars were peaked, and the balance of the distance was overcome by means of the paddles. To use these, the crew sit upon the gunwale of the boat, with their faces toward the bow. This is therefore a much pleas- anter way of approaching a whale than by pull- ing, or rowing, as landsmen would say. In fact, although much is said of the excitement of whal- ing, I doubt if much of this excitement is felt by those who, sitting with their backs to the fish, have no further share in his capture than placing the boat in a position to enable the harpooneers- man to " make fast." The boatheader, as commanding officer on the occasion, no doubt feels a pleasant degree of elevation, while the boatsteerer, if he has confi. dence in the " header " and in himself, is also under the influence of a pleasing excitement, and thinks it glorious sport. But to the men at the oars it is, I judge, a good deal as though they were being conveyed to the center of a field of battle, blindfolded, and seated on a car, with their backs to the enemy. It is only in fine weather, when sailing is feasible, or paddling becomes neces- sary, that I ever saw a whaleboat's crew entering into the spirit of the chase and capture. Then indeed, as on this occasion, it is glorious sport. The whales rose one by one, and at considera- ble distances from each other, thus giving several 15 226 WHALING AND FISHING. boats an opportunity for getting fast Out chance was, however, likely to be the best, as t_ie whale nearest us was approaching the boat, meet Lag her head and head. " Paddle silently, boys," whispered the mate. We dipped our paddles into the water 'Trill. long and easy sweeps, scarce breathing, for feui of startling the whale who, occasionally spouting, was surging slowly toward us. He was entirely unsuspicious of our presence, and acted as though half asleep. More than fifteen minutes elapsed before we were sufficiently near to lay aside our paddles — fifteen minutes of eager excitement to every one of us. The boat soo-n lost her headway, and now lay almost motionless upon the water. The boat- steerer, iron in hand, stood with his knee against the lubber-chock. "We had resumed our seats, but with one hand resting upon the oars, were engrossed in watching the whales. The mate, in the stern , having thrown the bight of the line about the loggerhead, was now slowly laying the bo.at around with his steering oar, to give Barnard a oetter chance. On came the whale — very slowly, I thought— every moment of delay increasing the excite- ment. Every breath was held ; no one dared move a jot. The dropping of a pin in the boat might almost have been heard, and if heard would certainly have excited numberless internal oaths, so fearfu) AN UGLY WHALE. 227 were we of disturbing the yet unconscious whale. Now we were within dart. Why don't you throw your iron ? is a question frowningly expressed upon every countenance. Giving the boat a last strong sweep around, so as to bring her bows at right angles with his body, the mate nods, us i sign to dart, and on the instant a startled splash of the whale's flukes proclaims that we are fast. Drawing a long breath, we grasped our oars and backed water. The whale darted under the boat, but did not sound to a great depth. All was now noise and activity. " Haul in, he's not going to sound," cried the mate. " Are those lances ready? " The lances were already out of their becket, and in another moment were on their rests. The whale, after lying for a few moments quite still at the depth to which he had sounded, as we could tell by our line, rose to the surface not far from the stern of the boat, and " throwing his jaw off," (as opening his mouth is called), darted about in a circle, evidently preparing himself for mischief. As he swept in a circle around the boat, we were compelled to follow him, turning the boat contin- ually to keep her head on. The mate kept a taut line on him, determined to lose no time before lancing. But his gyrations did not afford an opportunity. Twice he darted for the boat, but each time sounded to a little depth before 228 WHALING AND FISHING. coming within dart. This play continued half an hour or more, and our utmost efforts were required at times to keep the boat from being capsized, so iwiftly did he drag her around. " If we only had a loose boat here now, to lance him, or engage his attention for a moment," mut- tered Barnard, whose berth at the steering oaj was just now of the most unpleasant. " Blast the ugly beast, Barnard, we'll have to give a little more line • the boat came near being capsized that last round," said the mate. For a moment, indeed, this had been deemed inevitable, but by instinctively crowding over to the upper side, and by the activity of the boat steerer with his steering oar, we were saved from that mishap. "There, we're loose by all that's devilish!" was Barnard's exclamation as the boat suddenlv ceased to whirl round, and our line floated loosely on the water. The whale, as though knowing he was released, immediately started off at a speed which rendered all chase useless. He had gotten the line into his mouth which was wide open all the time, and with the constant strain it had chafed in two against the rough skin on his jaw. With disappointed looks we watched our whale. He made good headway from us, and at last turned flukes at the distance of a mile, still heading from as. "I did not know but he would come back, and give us another chance," remarked the mate. STOVE. 229 "He seemed to be an ugly tempered fellow, and they sometimes come back to have a little re- venge." "We laughed at this, and commenced pnEing down toward the other boats, which we saw about two miles off in a direction opposite to thai which our whale had taken. Some fifteen minutes had elapsed, and we were yet slowly pulling along, discussing our adventure, when the boatsteerer suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, — " Pull hard ! pull hard ! there's a whale under us!" Before this could be done— in fact, before he had fairly uttered his warning — we heard a crash, and felt the boat lifted up under us. In the next mo- ment all but the mate and myself were thrown into the water, and the boat was restored to her equi- librium, half filled and leaking fast at every seam. The whale, which had struck beneath the tub- oarsman's thwart, was now standing perpendicu- larly in the water, with his jaw thrown wide open, and his junk raised in the air. Thus he remained for the space of a minute, seemingly waiting for something to drop into his extended maw: then resuming his horizontal position he once more made off. Had the men been in the boat, the mate would have fastened to him again, wrecked as we were But there was no one to lay the boat's head roun^ awd to have struck him from the stern would have 230 WHALING AND FISHING. exposed all to almost certain destruction, without any reasonable prospect of getting the whale. We immediately commenced bailing the boat, each man as he crawled aboard over bow or stern (for so full of water was the boat, that a touch upon her side woiild have capsized her), going to work. Buckets, hats, shoes, and every thing else available were brought into requisition, and we soon got the water so far under that two men could be set to work with paddles ; and thus while the rest bailed we slowly reached the ship. Here the boat was wrapped round with mats and ropes, and hoisted in to be repaired. A few of her after timbers were broken ; nearly every plank was started, and her keel was splintered in two places. The whale, as we knew by our iron which was sticking in his back, was the same we had struck. After going down at the distance of a mile, his temper probably got the better of him, and he returned to wreak revenge on his assailants. Barnard^ who was the first to discover him, said he saw a huge body glistening as it rose rapidly under the boat, and at once guessed it to be a whale, not thinking however, till we all saw the iron in his back, that it was the whale. None of the other boats succeeded in getting fast. The crews said that although that portion of the school which they were pursuing, was at /east two miles from us, they knew the moment we got fast, by the sudden disappearance of every Whale. MA HE CHAPTER XIII. MAKE — A Newspaper — The Islands — Their Inhabitants — A l&ty man's Paradise — Plans for Escape — George Thompson's Yarn — A Cruise in a Whale-boat — The Escape — Sailing along Shore — The Arrival at Mozambique — Concerning Attempts to Desert from Whaleships — Some Reasons for the Frequency of such Attempts. WE cruised for about a week after the accident described in the preceding chapter, in hopes to see the school of whales again, and make prizes of some of them. Not meeting with whales however, at the end of that time, we stood in for the land, which was never during the week more than one day's sail oif, and in twenty hours were anchored in the harbor of Port Victoria, or Mahe*, as it is more generally called, that being the name of the Island upon which the town is located. We came to anchor at night, and at early dawn were boarded by the harbor master, (whose prin- cipal business seemed to be to receive and dispense news) and shortly after by a host of natives, who brought alongside all manner of fruits and vegetables, and — wonder of wonders — some copies of a newspaper, published on the Island. '« The Seychelle News Lettr-" so it was called, wai 232 WHALING AND PISHING. a diminutive specimen of newspaperdom, printed on very coarse, dark paper, and from what is known by printers as pica type. One-half was in English and the other half French, a great part of the latter being taken up with the never- failing feuilleton. I purchased a copy for a plug of tobacco, and read the news while discussing my breakfast, a compound luxury I had not enjoyed for a long time. Mahe, which is the principal, and I believe largest of the Seychelle group, is sixteen miles long, and about four miles broad. It is mountain- ous, as are all the islands in the Indian ocean, but is withal very fertile, and has a most enchanting climate. The natives, who use the French lan- guage, understanding but little English, are of various hues, from the light olive of the southern Frenchman to the coal black of the native Mada- These islands were first settled by Frenchmen and belonged to the French until 1794. They are now a dependency of the government of the Mau- ritius. But although the English flag flies there> and British colonial laws are administered, tho inhabitants yet cherish their love for " la belle Frame" and I never heard "vive la republique" shouted with more fervency than by one of our visitors when talking with the captain on the then recent great events in France. In days past, before the English abolished slavery, numbers of Madagassy were brought to A LAZY MAN'S PARADISE. 233 these islands as slaves. Their descendants still form in great part the laboring classes. They r where for ten dollars he could have a whole crew caught and delivered to him. "We were lying in Nos Beh, (an island off the the northwest coast of Madagascar)," said George Thompson, who spun us this yarn, one midwatch, A CRUISE IN A WHALEBOAT. 237 while snugly stowed away under the bulwarks of an old lime-juicer. " There is a French settle- ment there, and the captain had told us, on com- .ii£ to anchor, that this was our appointed liberty } hu-e, informing us at the same time with a tri- umphant grin, that he was well acquainted with the commandant, and that if any of us felt inclir ed for an excursion into the country, we might make sure of a safe escort back within forty-eight hom* after our departure from the ship. " Six of us, including one of the boatsteerers, had made up our minds to run away at all haz- ards ; but we now found our purpose completely frustrated, at least so far as taking refuge on shore was concerned. Upon consultation, we resolved upon the rather desperate measure of going off in one of the ship's boats. But where to ? Johanna and Zanzibar were suggested, as being the nearest poiits; but the first was a regular resort for whale- men, where we would no doubt be detained, and the last was too far off, while in addition there was an American Consul there, into whose clutches it would not do to fall. We finally concluded that Mozambique was the only safe ^)lace for us, and although this would be a long passage to make in an open boat, WQ determined to try it. " Three days and nights were consumed in preparation. A considerable stock of bread and oiolas&ee was provided, with a very little salt j-*rl£, this being too great an incentive to thirst to bo of mud use to us. The water breakers in the 238 WHALING A.ND PISHING. other boats were carefully filled, in readiness to be placed in the one destined to carry us. " On the third night, about two o'clock, we fas- tened the cabin doors as well as we could without noise, and then, all things being in readiness, clothing and provisions fairly stowed away, and oars ready for instant use, we rapidly lowered away the boat, and jumping in, put off from the ship. " The noise we made in lowering away roused the officers, and by the time we were half a dozen Bhips' lengths from the vessel, we were hailed by the captain, who called on us to return, threaten- ing all sorts of vengeance if we refused. " * Pull away, lads,' said one of our number, 1 we have no breath to waste.' " We were momentarily increasing our distance, and would soon be safe from all pursuit, should such be made in the boats j but now came a shot, tfhich struck the man at the steering-oar. On seeing the blood, one or two of our number grew scared, and proposed to return. " * Pull ahead,' said the wounded man, sternly. as he tied his neckhandkerchief about his wounded thigh. " A few strokes more and we were out of reach of tho shot which were still sent after us; and soon a projection of the land hid the ship from our view. We now set up the compass with which every whaleboat is furnished, and hoisting our •ail, put the boat on her course for the mainland A CRUISE IN A WHALEBOAT. 235 of Madagascar, which would be visible at day- light. But to make our escape doubly secure, we continued pulling for some hours longer, not knowing but that our captain would pursue us with the ship. " Daylight disclosed to us the land of Madagas- jur ahead, and as no pursuers appeared, we ship- ped in our oars, and stood along under sail pleasantly enough. The morning was bright a ad calm, with a good breeze, and as we skimm«»d along over the water, and began to realize that after two years of subjection we were once more our own masters, we felt light-hearted and equal to any emergency. The wound of our steersman proved to be slight, a mere scratch, which would not trouble him. " It now became necessary to take a cool survey of our position and resources. It had been deter- mined beforehand, that we should sail along the western shore of Madagascar until we judged our- selves abreast of Mozambique, and then bold'y stand across the channel, which is just there at the narrowest, being not more than two hundred miles wide. By actual count of our biscuits, we found that we had sufficient to last us, on a mode- rate allowance, for three weeks. Of water we had enough for ten days, we judged, but of this, as we were to sail along shore, we hoped to procure a supply before we were entirely destitute. "Two of our number could navigate, and we bad with us a quadrant, a Bowditch, and a sraaiJ 240 WHALING AND FISHIN3. chart of the coast of Madagascar, by the help s.f which we trusted to be able to find our way over the deep. We elected Long Tom Coffin, the man who was shot, our chief, and then divided our- selves off into watches, holding the helmsman for th e time being responsible for a correct reck- oning of the course and distance made during his trick, and putting upon Long Tom the labor of keeping a regular log. " A spare royal which one of us had thrown in, made a most excellent shelter for the watch at night, and for all hands that desired to sleep during the day. You can have no idea how well we got along. The weather remained very fine, and the wind was continually fair, while, sailing along shore as we were, at no greater distance than was necessary to skip, as it were, from headland to headland, the sea was always so smooth that our little craft got over it at a remarkable rate. We named her the Dancing Feather, Long Tom swearing that she danced better than the prettiest girl he had ever seen. " After all preliminaries were settled, and we were taking a quiet look around, Tom, who seemed to have thought of everything, produced a bun- dle of books. He had ransack .id every chest in the forecastle, and borrowed all he could of the boatsteerers. The two dozen volumes of tales and novels which he now pitched out to us as the result of his efforts, were most welcome access- ions to our email stock of amusements, and we A CRUISE IN A WHALEBOAT. 241 whiled away many pleasant hours in their peru- sal, and in talking over the characters found io them. " On the second day after our departure, a coun- cil was held to determine what course should bo pursued, should we fall in with vessels. After due consideration, it was decided that should we see a ship under sail, it would be prudent to keep out of reach, unless she were clearly a merchant ves- sel, when, if it was desirable, we might ask them to take us on board. Of the native boats and Arab coasters, we vot^d ourselves not afraid. We could at any time escape from such by means of our oars, and thought our six selves, armed with the irons and lances which the boat contained, a full match for any reasonable number of Arabs. " Our dead reckoning and observations proved that in the first thr e days out we made one hun- dred miles per day, which, although not a very fine run for a large vessel, was exceedingly good progress for a whaleboat. At this rate, we should not be more than eight or ten days under way. But the fourth day came a calm, and in the after- noon a heavy rain squall, which was very useful to us, as by means of our royal we caught suffi- cient water to fill up every vessel we had in the boat. Our biscuit we had stowed away safely in the stern sheets, and under the bow, where the rain could not injure them. " We were now prepared to make the entire trip without touching at any intermediate point, * 16 242 WHALING AND FISHING. circumstance of which we were very glad, inasmuch as it would have occupied valuable time to search about for water, as well as exposed us to an attack from the natives. As we became more and more at home in the boat, we grew bolder, and stood out from shore further. The weather remained delightful, and we now sailed just in view of the highest points of the land we were passing. " On the fifth day, we knew by the sharp east- erly curve the land took, that we were approaching the point where we would stand across. By the quadrant, we could ascertain the correct latitude each day at noon, and thus make sure that we did not overshoot the mark. " * As for longitude,' said Long Tom, l we can't miss it : once get in the right latitude and sail due east, and you will run against the town, if it is not sunk.' " On the eighth day, our navigators announced that we were now at that point of our journey where we must stand east. "We had been sailing east southeast some days, and the change in course was not therefore so great. " ' Look your last on Madagascar, boys ; I don't believe any of you want to soe the wretched hole again,' was the word of our chief, as he laid the boat off shore. " We watched the receding hills without regret, for they were connected in our minds with two long years of toil and drudgery, for which we were never to receive any recompense? A CRUISE IN A WHALEBOAT. 243 " Our passage was a pleasant one, and we were BO fortunate as to miss the port by only about twenty miles, which we soon retrieved when Long Tom had gotten a correct observation, and deter- mined on which side, north or south of the place we had gotten. As we neared our haven, the question was, how should we present ourselves, what yarn were we to spin to the Portuguese, and how account for our possession of the boat. " * For,' remarked Long Tom, who had gotten to be our oracle by this time, ' people don't com- monly navigate the ocean in whaleboats, and 1 dare say, we'll be looked upon as rather remark- able specimens of humanity, in this out of the way corner of the world.' " ' They are Portuguese,' said one, c and won't ask many questions.' " ' No, but they may put us in their dirty cala- boose, and poison us with garlic, in order to get possession of the boat.' " Long Tom, who was always listened to with attention, now proposed to sail boldly in, and if asked our business, and where we were from, state that we were lost from a whaleship cruising on the coast. We should undoubtedly gain time thus to look about us, and for the balance of our talk, let it be as little as possible. " < And as I am the only one of you that under- stands Portuguese, I don't believe you will com mit yourselves.' " We made the harbor about ten o'clock, on the 244 WHALING AND FISHING. fifteenth morning after our departure from the ship. As we sailed in toward what seemed to be a landing on one of the islands in the Bay, we passed a long, rakish looking brig, the officers of which hailed us, and after hearing our story from Long Tom, asked us to come alongside. She was a trader, bound to Goa, and had lost her hands on the coast. After some hesitation, we agreed with the captain to go in her as far as Goa, there to be regularly discharged. The whaleboat we sold to a rich old Portuguese, dividing the spoils, which amounted to nearly one hundred dollars. " ' That's all you'll ever get for .your two years hard work, boys, so make the most of it,' said Long Tom, as we shared it equally among us. We ail went to Goa, and thence Long Tom and I sailed for Pondicherry. But that's altogether an- other yarn, which I can't spin to-night." If the reatler will pardon this long digression, we will now return to the subject which caused it — deserting from whaleships. The most desper- ate expedients are sometimes adopted to get clear of an unlucky or unpleasant vessel. Thus it is on record that the greater part of a whaleship's crew once drifted on shore on the cover of the try- works, which they had launched overboard for >hat purpose. This cover is large, square and flat, with sides about one foot deep. While we were cruising in the Pacific, in the United Spates service, a more desperate case than even this occurred at Honolulu. A man who had WHALING LIFE. 246 vainly tried to desert from his vessel, having been several times retaken when making the attempt, deliberately laid his left wrist on a chopping block and cut off the hand, exclai%ming as he did so, " Now you'll have to let me go." There is but little done by the officers to make the life of the crew of a whaleship pleasant. OQ the cruising ground there is nothing to do. This adds another misery to the already sufficiently wretched existence of the whalemen, and thus makes it entirely unbearable. To be cruising about, far at sea, is monotonous enough, even if, as in the merchant vessel, the daily routine of labor is so arranged as to keep both hands and minds of the seamen employed. But when, as in the whale- ship, no attempt is made to relieve the tedium of the voyage, no expedient devised for making the time pass more lightly and pleasantly, a single cruise of six or eight months generally infuses into the new hands a strong desire to make their escape from the vessel. Thus it was with our crew. 246 WHALING AND f I S R I » ft CHAPTER XIV. » LIBERTY "—The Massowah Vessel— She wants a Hand— I go alongside— The Vessel is "searched— We sail— The trip to the Mauritius— The Crew— The Captain— Discipline— The Land — Port Louis Harbor — I gain an unexpected Friend — I take charge of the Captain's "Boat — A trip to Tombo Bay — Paul and Virginia— The Island— Its state under the French— Under British rule — Malabar Apprentices — Malabar Town— The Natives— Chinese. To return to our own ship. On the fourth day after our arrival in port we were allowed a run ashore. No one of the crew but myself was the possessor of a cent of money. But all had what is called " trade," such as calico, tobacco, beads, etc., which they could here readily barter for such purchases as they desired to make. When we first anchored in the harbor, 1 noticed a large vessel with French colors flying, also at anchor. On inquiry, one of the natives informed ne she was from Massowah, and had on board a sargo of horses. She hailed from Bourbon, but I was told was now bound to the Isle of Franco. She was to sail in a very few days, and I deter- mined to make an effort to sail in her, as this seemed to me the surest chance for effecting my I PREPARE TO LEAVE. 247 escape from bondage. During my ramble about the shore, and while considering as to the best method of getting on board to ask the captain for a passage, I was so fortunate as to meet him. A native of whom I had asked some particulars con- cerning the vessel, pointed him out to me. I a once addressed him, stating my wishes, and also the fact that I was a merchant sailor, and would endeavor to make myself of use to him. He answered me in tolerable English, that he wanted a hand, but that he feared I would not care to come with him, when I once knew the manner in which his crew lived. " We are used to our country fashion of having only two meals per day ; and bread is something entirely unknown to us." I answered, that I thought myself able to sub- sist on that which supported life in others, and would be very glad of a chance to try it at any rate. " Well," said he, " we shall sail to-night, and if you can get aboard during the night I will take you with me, although I fear I shall get myself in trouble with your captain by it." Much rejoiced at my unexpected success, I re- turned on board about noon to get my dinner, and took that occasion to put on two suits of clothing, and place my peajacket and some other little arti- cles in a bundle, and with this, as trade, had nrjr self set ashors again, determining to sttty, and go 248 WHALING AND FISHING. off to the "Hercule " — that was the French barquo'i name — in a native boat during the night. In the course of the afEernoon I engaged a na- tive, who for three dollars, more than half my fortune, which consisted at that time of five Mex- can pesos, engaged to convey me on board at any time during the night. Thinking that after sell- ing himself to me, he might, in hopes of a better price, betray me to the captain, I inserted a clause in our agreement, by which he was to remain with me until the time arrived to go on board, and to provide me until then with a shelter. We accord- ingly walked to the outskirts of the little town, where my man had a rude hut under shade of some banana bushes. Here we lay down to await the time when the click of the windlass should tell me that the barque was getting under way. The weary hours passed slowly by. I 'thought the surf was never going to set, and when it be- came dark, the suspense was yet more disagreea- bly prolonged by the close watch necessary to be kept upon the ship, lest she should be undei way before we were aware of it. At last, about twelve o'clock, we heard the windlass, and in a moment after saw the foretopsail drop. Running hastily down to the shore, we jumped into a canoe and paddled off at full speed. " There's a pirogue from your ship, master,'' said my boatman, when we were about midway be- tween the shore and the barque. AN ESCAPE. 241 Sure enough, we coul.i just discern throdgfc. the darkness one of our boats, apparently about to board the barque. I thought for a moment tha/, my hopes were nipped in the bud ; but after lying utill for a few minutes, I told the fellow to pad die on. We will go alongside on the other side, thought I, c«nd remain there until our boat leaves, when I can get on board in safety. When we got alongside, I could hear the voice of our mate talking to the captain, who denied stoutly that I was on board. " You can take lanterns and search the hold, sir," said he to the mate, as that worthy still seemed unconvinced. Lanterns were accordingly produced, and while I lay concealed in the canoe under the quarter, the mate, accompanied by some of the crew, walked through the half empty hold, (she was partly in ballast), closely examining every nook and cranny, sounding the water casks, turning over spare rigging, and looking among the horses. The search was vain, and with sundry curses, and threats as to what would befall me were I caught, the mate at length descended into his boat, and with joy I heard them pulling off toward the ship. Orders were now given, in French, to man the windlass and heave up the anchor. I waited till the ship was fairly under way, before I climbed 1.) the aeck. There the captain received mot 850 WHALING AND FISHING. assuring me that had I come on board sooner, I would certainly have been caught. With a light heart I bounded to the masthead to loose the topgallant and royal, and in a verj short time we were out of the harbor — and I was once more a free man. For the state of subjec- tion in which men are kept on a whaleship, when conti med for such a length of time, becomes nothi ig less than the most abject slavery. After the anchors were secured and all made ready for sea, I wrapped myself up in my pea- jacket, and stowing myself snugly away under the weather - bulwark slept till daylight. On waking up, I took the wheel, and steered from that time till eight o'clock. During this time the captain explained to me the internal economy of the vessel, which was certainly new to me. The crew, numbering fifteen, were of all shades of black, from charcoal to dark brown. They were natives of the Mauritius or the Seychelles, and were not sailors, but simply rope-haulers and horse- tenders. They received ten dollars per month, and for this kept watch at night, made and took in sail, steered the vessel, and tended the wants of the cargo of horses which was now on board. If the rigging required repairs, the mates were obliged to do this themselves, and as for sail-mend- ing, about that even they knew but little. The crew slept upon deck, each man having a mat and a jacket, the mild air rendering other BANIAN. 251 covering unnecessary. They were allowed two meals per day, the first at nine o'cicn k, consisting of a mxiicum of boiled rice with a little wretched cocoa ; the second at three o'clock, consisting of another portion of rice, and a small piece of salt beef. Neither bread njr any other preparation of flour was known on board, not even in the cabin. No one who has not experienced it, can know how exceedingly difficult it is for one used to a civilized diet, to make a satisfactory meal without bread. It was a hard school for me, here. But hunger makes a sauce for every food, and it was not long before I could relish my dinner or break- fast of boiled rice as well as any one of those who were bred to it. Of course on such slight diet men do not work very energetically. Our crew were as lazy a set as ever lived, and their diurnal task of feeding and watering the horses was spun out to last nearly the entire day. For two days I took share in this labor. By this time, however, the captain, who had seen some sail-maker's tools in my little bundle, and had ascertained that I could work with the needle, found some sail-mending for me to do, and hence- forth my work was under the quarter deck awn- ing, patching up old royals and top-gallant- saila, flying jibs and studding sails. I soon learned sufficient of the mongrel French spoken on board to make my wishes known, and understand or dcrs, and wher my rebellio is stomach was onco 25? WHALING AND FISHING. reconciled to the strange diet, I had a not uncom- fortable place on board. The only thing against me was my color. To my misfortune I was the whitest man on board, and with the exception of the captain and chief mate, the only one who \vas purely white. This caused me to be looked down upon by my black friends, who, when I would commit any little extravagance, such as making myself a wooden spoon wherewith to eat my rice, (they used their fingers, in the Adamic style) , or washing my hands and face at the close of a day's work, shrugged their shoulders in pitying con- tempt, and declared that nothing better was to be expected from a man of my color. Nevertheless, as they found me ready to take my share of what- ever work was going on, and always disposed to converse to the best of my ability, they voted me in the main a good fellow, much better than the common run of white folks. And as I entertained mj own opinion as to their merits, I could afford to be amused at their ideas of me. My ignorance of their barbarous jargon seemed to them, however, the oddest of my peculiarities, and they could never laugh enough at my nr's- takes. I had long ago learned the propriety in such cases, of laughing with the crowd, and prac- ticed largely upon this theory now ; not, however, without an occasional internal malediction on the gtapidity of these fellows, who could so easily ignore all knowledge not possessed by themselves With the captain 1 was shortly a favorite, CAPTAIN LEPELLETIER. 253 inasmuch as I was of service to him in vari- ous particulars where his natives were useless. He spoke to me often of his voyages, and of the life — a very lazy one it was, too — which he led, and in which he delighted. He was a man of some means, had a plantation in the Mauritius, where he managed to have a little sugar raised; owned the vessel of which he was now master, and made in her generally a voyage each yeai to Massowah, or some other of the ports on the Bed Sea, for horses, and a trip or two to Madagascar for cattle, making long stays on shore between these trips, and evidently enjoying his family life very highly. He was forty-five years of age, tall, portly, gray haired and good natured, and prided himself much on his purely French extrac- tion, and his name, Lepelletier, which he main- tained occupied a conspicuous place in the annals of la belle France. As in duty bound, he despised Johnny Bull, and thought that the greatest calamity which ever befell his native isle, was its com- ing into the possession of the British. Every- thing, he complained, was now taxed. The slave trade and slavery was abolished, but the wretched Hindoos who were yearly brought thither under the name of free laborers, were in a far more abject condition of slavery than ever were the Madagassy who were formerly held in an easy bondage under the French. "In former times there was some blood and dome good society to be found in Port Louis ; but 254 WHAL KG AND FISHING. DOW the shop keepers, a wretched set, had the sway, and the Acadian simplicity of the French regime was gone." He spoke tolerable English himself, but would not be complimented upon it, and strongly advised me to learn French, as the only language fit to be spoken by honest men. I delighted much in his talk ; and his descriptions of the indolent easy life which was formerly the fashion among the French planters and residents, were charming to me, who have myself a keen appreciation for " a bit of the dolcc." On board his ship, where he was Lord Paramount, all lived in this indolent, half dreamy state. To brace the yards or pull home a sheet was a labor requiring much deliberation. Half an hour gen- erally elapsed between any order and its fulfill- ment ; and no work not absolutely necessary was ever attempted. Studding sails were held as abominations, fit only for a restless hurrying Jean Bull, and even royals were not looked upon with favor. I, who had been trained in the hardworking merchant service, would have labored from eight till six, on my sails ; but this was not suffered. S~x hours per day was quite sufficient to woik, and even this time was in great part wasted in loung- ing and conversation : so that ere long I had got to be as inveterate an idler as any one on board. This kind of life would of course be impossible any where but in the tropics. Here however, the RETROSPECTIVE. 1558 climate, an eternal spring, enervates the most robust and active, and with its gentle breezes and beauteous skies, brings one into a half dreamy languor which is delicious. After I had ceased to long for bread, and my stomach became reconciled to boiled rice instead, I enjoyed the life exceed- ingly, and was not long in forming a resolution to make these latitudes my cruising ground, and in case I found it comfortable, the Mauritius my home. I was now approaching the Island under cir- cumstances very different from those in which I had visited it before. Then it was in an English ship, and as a British sailor, with all the helpless misery of a British tar cast ashore in a foreign port, where ships and victuals are alike scarce. Now, I had at length gotten into a French vessel, and among those who were natives of the place. And although, pecuniarily, I was worse off than before, I cherished a hope that the native vessels would be henceforth open to me, and reveled once more, in anticipation, in the glorious voyages to the out of the way nooks and corners of this part of the earth, which I should here have the opportunity to make. Meantime we were slowly sailing on toward our destined port. As the wind was steadily ahead, we had taken a long stretch to the East, and were now on the landward tack. After a forty days passage the high peaks of the Isle of France at length hove in sight in the blue distance ; and twt 256 WHALING AND FISHING. days sailing through water more limpid, and a sky more clear, and breezes more genial and soft than even those which had been vouchsafed ns during the passage, brought us to the narrow mouth of Port Louis harbor. Who shall attempt to describe the glories of $ landfall in the tropics? My pen is not adequate to a delineation of the beauteous boldness with which the outlines of the volcanic peaks are thrown in deep, deep blue against the distant horizon, or the glorious golden effulgence in which they are envel- oped as the sun sets behind them. And who can do justice to the serene purity of the air ; its genial mildness both night and day ; the absence of harsh- ness in every movement of the sea, as it sweeps in peaceful undulations toward the setting sun ? The breeze which fans the dreamer's brow comes as though some one laid his hand in kindness there. The waves which break under the bow, break softly. The spray which ever and anon falls upon deck, falls in refreshing showers. The wind which fills the sails blows gently; and the very ship seems, in unison with the scene, to glide along over the waves, no longer meeting and cleaving the waters with the stubborn shock of enemies in battle, but parting them asunder softly, as some good natured giant would make his way through a crowd of little children. The sabbath stillness is broken only by the harsh scream of the tropic bird as on snow white wing he sweeps past, landward, of darts beneath the wave in search of prey. PORT LOUIS HARBOR. 257 And now scarce has the last golden ray of the departing sun gone down behind the distant moun- tain tops, when night conceals the scene as with a huge black cloth, through which shine myriads of brilliant stars, brighter by far than ever rejoiced the vision of him who dwells in northern lands '•' The eyes of God," whispered the mate to me, at) I reclined upon the forecastle in silent contempla- tion of the change. The entrance of Port Louis harbor is quite nar- row, the ship channel being scarcely wide enough to sail up with a iair wind. And as the prevail- ing wind blows out of the harbor's mouth, steam- digs have been found necessary to tow vessels in. At early daylight one of these little boats, there fore, took us in tow, and we glided rapidly up through tiers of large vessels securely moored head and stern, and with their top-hamper on deck, to present as little resistance as might be to the hurricane winds which occasionally sweep this latitude. At the upper end of the harbor a basin, known as the canal, has been built for the accommoda- tion of the small traders and bullock droghers ; and among these we now anchored, sending our utein moorings ashore by large mooring boats, .vhich are held in readiness for this service by .ae captain of the port. Once moored, the topgallant and royal yards find masts were sent upon deck and the topmast* 17 258 WHALING AND FISHING. and topsail-yards made ready for a speedy descent Then the hands had time to greet old friends who were fast crowding alongside or standing upon the shore waving handkerchiefs, and hailing in barbarous French. Had we now had English 01 American officers, but little time would have been lost in such pleasures. Preparations would have been instantly begun for sending our cargo ashore. But here the balance of the day was given for communion with friends, and to-morrow was declared time enough to begin work. I alone had no friends to greet me, no one to rejoice in my return, no heart to beat quicker at sight of my bronzed face, by this time of nearly as dark a hue as many of my shipmates. And as joyful faces showed themselves over the gangway, and supplies of fruit from the shore proved the heartiness of the welcome which kind friends were giving the returned voyagers, I began in the selfishness of my heart mentally to find fault with all about me, and more than half wished I had not come to Port Louis. But I was not doomed to remain friendless. As I sat apart, upon the topgallant forecastle, feeling, and I dare say looking very dreary, a brown Hebe approaching me, inquired, in bro- ken English, " You got no friends, Jack ? " " Kot a friend," said I, in a gruff tone, as noi thinking it desirable to have my loneliness com menled upon by strangers. Watching rae rathf ANGELIQUE. 259 dubiously for a. noment, she held out her band, and said in a voice full of serious kindness, " Well, I be your friend, Jack." I did not put my arms round her neck and ki»» her, as I should have done had I followed tke im- pulse of my heart. But I thanked her deeply for all the sympathy which was expressed in her sim- ple words, and in her yet more child-like counte- nance. Hailing a boatman who was standing at the gangway, she bade him bring to us some fruit which she had in his boat, and over this and my dinner of boiled rice, Angelique and I sealed a friendship which lasted during my seven month's stay upon the island. She had come on board to see her brother, who had sailed as carpenter of the vessel six months before. He had been drowned on the outward passage ; to which untoward accident I owed my ready acceptance by the captain, at Mahe*, as well as, I suppose, the sudden friendship Angelique had contracted for myself. " Poor Charles," said she, while tears filled hor eyes, " somebody else will feel as sorry as I do, when she hears of his death. But Marie will not be long away from him." She was oveijoyed when she learned that my name was also Charles, and in the simplicity of her heart at once pronounced our meeting Provi- dential. While we were yet talking — she eagerly laying out plans for my stay on shore, as though we had known each other for years — the captain 260 WHALING AND FISHING. approached. He knew her, and had been the first to inform her of her brother's death. He smiled as ho listened to her prattle, but entered heartily aU her plans, and at once promised that if I j?OJLld stay on shore he would give me employ- ment, for a time, in sailing a boat between the town and his plantation, which was situated on a neighboring bay. This proposal met my views., and I hastened to express my gratification. It was therefore arranged that I should remain on board till the cargo was discharged, and then take up my residence ashore in a small cabin belonging to the captain. Having arranged these matters to our mutual satisfaction, she returned on shore to condole with Marie on their mutual loss, while I spent the bal- ance of the day in the re-perusal of Bernandin St. Pierre's delightful story of Paul and Virginia, the scene of which, he who has read it will remember, is laid in the Isle of France ; Tombo Bay, wherf Virginia, on her return from France, was ship- wrecked, being, singularly enough, the locality of my captain's plantation. On the morrow we commenced discharging our cargo of horses. They were noble little ponies, but rather wasted from a long passage in our ill- veixtilated lower deck. They were hoisted out by a strap fastened about their middle, and being becurely haltered, were made to swim ashore, a boat going with each to support and guide it. Arrived once more on dry land, the grateful PAID OFF. 261 Animals scarce j knew how sufficiently to express their joy. They capered and caracoled, neighed, and rolled upon the ground, in the exuberance of their joy. I was told they were of the Arabiar breed, although they were brought from * he Aby sinian side of the Eed Sea. They were fine, plump, lithe, and exceedingly high-spirited, as 3 had occasion to notice when they had again lecov- ered their strength and flesh. Horses are not raised on the Island, but are brought -hither from various parts of the East, principally from the ports on the Eed Sea. Neither is stock raising pursued as a business. I was told that the climate is unfavorable to its suc- cess. Cattle are brought from the adjoining island of Madagascar, and from the coast of Africa, These branches of trade give employment to a large number of vessels owned or sailing from here. On the third day I was paid off by the captain, who gave me forty rupees, ($20), in consideration, as he said, of my having been very useful to him. Arrived on shore, I was welcomed as though I was an old resident, and in a short time was estab- lished very comfortably, Angelique, who proved a dear good girl, providing as carefully for my wants as though I had been really her brother. In a few days I was placed in command of Cap- tain Lepelletier's boat, and with a little Malabar boy as crew and to sliow me the way, we sailed down the harbor As we glided slowly over the 262 W Hi. LING AND FISHING smooth waters of the outer roads, the steady breeze scarce filling our sail, I took out my "now never failing Paul and Virginia, and with the lofty peak called Peter Botta heaving its giant head into the air before me, read over again the story of that fatal shipwreck, the scene of which, the bay of Tombs, (Tombo Bay), as it is still called, now lay before me. The engraving on the page opposite this is an accurate representation of it. Here, when in the dark, stormy night Vir- ginia's vessel missed the entrance to Port Louis, her captain sought safe anchorage, but was thrown upon the breakers. It was to me a realization of romance. Every shoal in the bay, as we sailed past it, every palm tree on the shore, every peak, towering in the blue distance, all were part and parcel of the story, the most charming of all tales of true love. As we approached the landing, the white mar- ble monument erected in memory of the lorers, and over their supposed graves, was seen through the green thicket of bananas and palms. Soon I trod a ground sacred to all true lovers, and with book in hand, wandered about the beach endeav- oring to fix upon the spot whence Paul leaped into the flood to the rescue uf his Virginia. I found that although my little Malabar boy knew but little about the localities, the natives who had charge of the farm had all the particu- lars at their fingers' ends. They were delighted at the lively interest I took in the story, ard TOMBO BAY. 26d pointed out to me every part of the beach 01 shore that was connected with the untimely fate of the lovers. Having surveyed all, and talked the story over in broken English on their part, and worse French on my own, we adjourned to the house, an ancient wooden structure, looking as though it might have stood there at the time when the bay first received its present name. Here, while the Malabar servants of the farm were un- loading my boat, a repast of delicious pine apples, mangoes and bananas was served up for me, and the entertainment finished by the introduction of a huge bowl of eau sucre, (sugar and water), from which each in turn took a long draught. I wandered about the rocks on the shore until the turn of the tide, and then launching the boat, proceeded on my return. The wind was light, and the tide swept us some miles seaward before we arrived opposite the harbor's mouth. From there I had leisure, as I reclined under an awning in the boat, to view and admire the grand abrupt- ness with which the volcanic peaks seem thrown up. Peter Botta, although the most celebrated, is by no means the highest of these peaks. It ac- quires its celebrity from its singular shape, ter- minating at the top in a huge knob or ball, which has been ascended but twice since the island became known to Europeans. The first ascent was made by a Dutchman, from whom it derived its name, Peter Botta. He was seen standing on tb« 264 WHALING AND FISHING. summit, but was never heard of afterward, and probably perished in the descent. The natives believe that his spirit still haunts the peak and its immediate vicinity. A British naval officer made the second and last ascent, with the assist- ance of a company of seamen. The party passed the night upon the mountain, some upon the shoulder, and two or three sleeping uneasily upon the narrow top of the ball. They descended the next morning, after witnessing a most glorious sunrise, and planting the British flag upon the highest point of the ball, as a memorial of their visit. This flag and staff have long ago been blown down by the hurricanes. Mauritius, or the Isle of France, (it is equally well known by both names), was discovered by the Portuguese, in 1505. The Dutch took possess- ion of it in 1598. Few if any traces of their gov- ernment or settlement at present remain, with the exception of the name, Mauritius, which the}' bestowed upon the isle in honor of their prince, Maurice. It came under the French flag in 1721, and from that time till its capture by the British, in 1810, was in their possession. These were, from all accounts, the best days of the island. It seems during this period to have been a modern Arcadia, the abode of a peaceful, inoffensive and somewhat indolent people, who tilled the ground or "ended their flocks, unambitious of wealth or distinction, and unmoved by the quarrels which rent the civilized world. Under the British rule THE ISLE OF FRANCE. 265 it is gradually becoming a thriving business place, and its commercial importance is yearly increasing. The French used to procure their slaves from the neighboring island of Madagascar, and the present black natives of the island are the descend- ants of these slaves. The British emancipated these, and as their descendants will no longer til) the ground of others, but rather live contentedly on their own little patches of soil, eking out a scanty subsistence, with little labor, the govern ment now annually imports numbers of Hindoos principally from the Malabar coast, who take the place of the former slaves. These poor people engage themselves for five years. They labor for from four to ten rupees (two to five dollars) per month, and are treated much worse than slaves. In Port Louis, extensive grounds and buildings are set apart for their lodgings when first arrived. Here the planter or citizen in want of servants comes to engage them. They are chosen, and whether they desire it or not, must go with their new masters, on such terms as are customarily given on the island. Unused to the severe labor which is exacted of them on the sugar plantations they soon become low spirited, and not unfrequently commit suicide. Great numbers desert from the plantations and conceal themselves among the mountains or in the town. Policemen are constantly upon the watch for these runaways, and when a Malabar is 266 WHALING AND FISHING. seen on the streets of Port Louis, whom a police- man has reason to think a deserter, IK; is forced to produce either his free-papers or a permit or leave of absence from his master, and in default of both of these documents, is at once imprisoned and adrertised, in order that his master may claim him. On the plantations the lash is freely used, it having been found that without this the requisite amount of labor can not be extorted from these poorly paid, ill fed and naturally indolent people. It will be easily conceived, that their condition is not therefore any better than one of slavery, for the time being, and taking into consideration the false pretences under which they are allured to leave their native land, and the hopes held out to them of being able, at the end of their apprentice- ship, as it is called, to return home in easy circum- stances, their condition is much worse, and their treatment a greater wrong against humanity. Comparatively few ever return. Many die be- fore the expiration of their term of labor. Others engage in business, numbers of them keeping small stores for the sale of provisions and fruit? to the poorer classes of their countrymen who live In the city. And others yet labor about the town, or peddle vegetables and goods about tfc e streets, thus earning a scanty subsistence : part of which they are again forced to surrender to the govern- ment in tho shape of a license to pursue their calling THE MALABAES, AND NATIVES. 267 One of the suburbs of Port Louis is settled principally by these people, -who live contentedly on their small means when they once regain their liberty. A walk through Malabar town about sunset, when the heat of the day is relieved by the cool evening breezes, will give one a much more favorable idea of the Hindoos than will be gotten from the accounts of their English mas- ters. Here each family gathers about the door of its hut and listens to songs, or the music of the mandolin, the women talking, the men silently smoking their narghilly or hubble-bubble. Maid- ens dance upon the green sward, and little naked children play about the doors. All is a scene of quiet, peaceful enjoyment, which will convince any one that, indolent as these people doubtless are, and intractable as they are said to be on the plantation, when left to themselves they are inof- fensive, and have the elements for making of them good citizens. The black natives of the island do not bear so good a character. They are exceedingly lazy, and much inclined to rowdyism and thieving. They are not numerous, at least about Port Louis. The better class of them work as stevedores on board the vessels, or are engaged as porters and labor- ers on shore. An inconsiderable number sail in the country vessels. The Chinese, as mentioned in an account of my first visit to this place, are the most thrifty of the lower classes. They are seldom laborers, but 268 WHALING AND FISHING. keep the groceries and groggeries of the town and have a keen eye to all kinds of trade. Frugal, not too honest, and exceedingly clannish, they are to a man in comfortable circumstances. It is » common remark in the Mauritius, that a Chinese beggar was never seen there. If a poor China man comes to the colony, his countrymen give him employment, and place him above want. They do not intermarry with the other races, but procure for themselves wives from China. A singular story is told of their once entering lie vault beneath the bank building in Port Louis, by undermining the street leading to it. A large amount of bullion was abstracted ere the plot was discovered; and for some time no trace could be found of the robbers. The Chinese burying ground is below the barracks, in the lower part of the harbor. Thither, one morning, just at the break of day, a company of Celestials were seen conveying a coffin. A Chinese funeral was noth- ing strange ; but the sentry noticed that the body seemed to be remarkably heavy, causing a fre- quent stoppage and change of bearers. As the guard was relieved, the man on duly remarked, jokingly, that a fat Chinaman was being taken to his long home. To the~ serges it the movement seemed suspicious, and he at once pro- ceeded to the funeral cortege, who at his coming precipitately fled, leaving the suppositions corpse to its fate. Upon breaking open the coffin, instead of a dead Chinaman, it was found to contain the CHINESE. greater portion of the stolen bullion, which was thus being conveyed to a safe resting place. Besides the races already mentioned, Port Louis has samples of almost every Asiatic, and many European and African nations, all of whom find occupation in various departments of its now active commerce. This commerce is mainly in the hands of the English and the French Creoles. The French language is universally spoken — as much so indeed as though the island still belonged to France. The merchants mostly have their dwelling houses on the outskirts of the city, and many of them have built upon the sides of the mountains which surround Port Louis. There the white houses may be seen perched upon abrupt crags, and peeping through thick groves of beautiful tref a. 270 WHALING AND FISHING CHAPTER XV. Ceremony — A Sailor's Grave— I turn Boatman- Life in the Isle of France— Seeking Employment — Joo Rodg- era — A Bullock Drogher — Tamative Bay — The place of Sculls — Hump cattle — Our return Passage — Taming wild Cattle— Sancho— His docility— Meeting Ashore— Difficulty of leaving so warm a Friend — A Wedding. ON the first Sabbath after I came ashore I was witness, in my capacity of captain of a boat, to the performance of a very touching ceremony. I had been informed on the preceding day, by Ange- lique, that she and certain of her friends expected me to ferry them across the harbor to the city cemetery. Accordingly, at early dawn I was summoned, and repairing, in company with my little Malabar assistant, to the boat, found her already lad en with fourteen or fifteen young girls dressed in puie white, and each with an armfull of flowers. We hoisted our sail, and just as the sun rose glided gently across the smooth surface of the bay, toward the western headland. Several other boats, freighted like mine, were ahead and astern of us, bound on a like errand with us. Low, plaintive songs resounded from the boats across "BEING FLOWERS. 271 the still waters of the bay. The scene was very beautiful. Half an hour's slow sailing brought us to the opposite shore, where my passengers debarked. L ae/ompanied them to the burying-ground near by. Here the flowers each had brought were strewn over the graves of departed relatives and friends. The mounds and tombstones were nicely cleared of all rubbish, and their floral offerings were placed at the head and feet. As the maidens, in their white and flowing dra- pery, glided noiselessly yet cheerfully from grave to grave, doing kind offices to the resting places of their friends, and scattering beautiful flowers over their remains, they seemed like a chorus of blest spirits come down to summon loved ones to their homes. Occasionally a low sob or wail from some mourner for the recently departed, would break upon the ear, but otherwise all was silent as the graves we wandered amid. In looking among the mounds by which the whole surface of the old cemetery was broken, I came upon a rude wooden cross, worm eaten and weather beaten, fast mingling its dust with his who lay below. Upon the horizontal piece were ent in rude letters, probably done with a sailor'i jack-knife, the words, •• Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling." It was the last resting place of some poor weather-beaten sailor who had found here, far 272 WHALING AND FISHING. away from home and friends, the peace he had sought in vain during a hard and perilous life, He too was thought of by some kind flower dia« penser. The dead leaves and rubbish had been nicely swept away from the sod- covered grave, and two beautiful flower wreaths lay upon it. Poor fellow — in all his lonely seaman's life he had possibly never met with so much kindness. On inquiry I learned that it was customary every Sunday morning thus to decorate the graves of friends and acquaintances, the boatmen of the harbor on these occasions doing volunteer service, to aid the undertaking. My life was now for some time very much hap- pier than it had been for a long period past. 1 was free : and the remembrance of my slavery on board the whaleship was yet sufficiently vivid in my mind to make me appreciate very keenly the new liberty. I was, for a sailor, pleasantly situated. My work was light and pleasant, the pay regular and sufficient to support me ; and my associates, if not very intelligent, were yet good, and well- meaning toward me. Angelique, who proved a noble girl, seemed sin- gularly enough to have bestowed upon me all the affection she had entertained for her deceased bi other. She not only interested herself in my little affairs, but prevailed upon her lover, who was captain of a little coasting schooner, to introduce me to the captains of the French bul- lock droghers, in order that I might, when oiiee REFLECTIONS. 273 more ready for sea, have no difficulty in obtain- ing a berth on board a country ve»sel. She had resolved that I should become a settler in the country, never to return to Britain or America. My occupation as boatman continued four weeks. By this time I was able to make for myself another opening. I entered a stevedore's gang, and tugged manfully at sugar bags all day, content to return to my nicely fitted room at night, the richer by two rupees, and with a certainty that no storm, however severe, could disturb my sleep. But soon " the demon of unrest " again stirred within me. To be sure, the life I led pleased me to a certain extent. So well, indeed, that I too shortly began to entertain the idea of spending some years, if not the balance of my life, in the Mauritius and the Indian seas. Once in a while, however, the thought would arise, that I was not surrounded by just such society as was most con- genial to me, and that in the mode of life I thought of adopting, there was nothing improving or elevating. But eight years at sea had pretty effectually scotched any aspirations for a higher position which I might once have entertained. Life — the sailor's life, the only one of which I now had any \vell shaped idea — seemed at best but a trouble- some and tiresome struggle. And so I brought myself to think the vegetative existence of man upon an out of the way place like the Mauritius, at least better than a more toilsome life in more IS 274 WHALING AND FISHING. civilized parts. . Some indolence, some hopeless- ness, and a vehement desire for once to enjoy life, probably brought me to this conclusion. And to this will come every one who takes tc the sea for a livelihood. It is very well to th'io. rize on the ennobling and elevating character o* a perilous life like that of the seaman. It is true, beyond doubt, that in those scenes where he con- tends with and overcomes the powers of nature, his spirit, let it be sunk low as it will, is refreshed and elevated. But the excitement once over, the life is altogether too commonplace, too void of purpose to keep up a manful spirit. Its degrada- tion is too great, its associations too wretched to leave the aspiring soul room for a better hope. And so the sailor boy who has leaped into life with a trustful determination to do and dare, and deserve at least the good will of his fellow men, emerges into manhood with all of good within /iim, not killed^ but fearfully crushed beneath the ,veight of evil and down-dragging associations. And so — I began to look for a ship, content to do as others did, satisfied to accept the place appa- rently determined for me by fate, and willing to make the best of it. Wanting a ship, and getting one, seem to te or.tviely different things in Port Louis. My friends the French captains were, unfortunately for me, all gone on their voyages, the regular sea- son for starting on a long trip to the Ked Sea having arrived while I was still boating. "Work SEEKING A BERTH. 275 was iiO longer to be obtained in sufficiency to make me contented, and so-, rather than wait for better times, I essayed to procure myself a berth in some one of the British country ships which traded to the Mauritius. Day after day I dressed myself in my best, and presented myself to some captain or mate to ask for a chance. Day after day I walked the mole, looking longingly at the departing ves- sels, and listening with sinking heart to the cheer- ful songs of those who had what I wanted — employment. To be sure, there were ships for England. But thither I would not now go. The difficulties in the way of remaining in the Indies only endeared the prospect to me. And my determination in this regard was now strengthened by that of a friend whom I had found on shore ; a noble fel- low, between whom and myself there shortly ex- isted a bond warmer than is common even among sailors. Poor Joe Eodgers had already several years' experience of the Indies. He owned it to be a dog's life. "Hard work, poor pay, and you have almost to beg for a ship, when you once get adrift, Charley," eaid he to me. "But I dare not return home as I am." He too was an American. He too had set out to sea with romantic notions of a life which he was aow old enough to view in all its cheerless, hopelesf 276 WHALING AND FISHING. degradation. To return home was the strongest desire of his hearc. But to return home penni- less, after years of hard struggle — to be sneered at by those wiseacres whose advice he as a boy had scorned — to go back to his n'ative village not only having done nothing heretofore, but with the consciousness that he was now worthless for any other life than that which had grown to be a part of him — this he could not do. " And so I guess we'll have to rough it in the Indies as long as we can stand it, and when it grows unendurable, Charley, a trip to Batavia will finish poor Jack." At first, while yet the cheerful jingle of a few rupees in our pockets kept us in spirits, we could think of nothing but sailing together. But ere long it became evident that even this poor plea- sure would be denied us, and we would be com pelled to look for separate chances. One day I boarded a vessel bound to Arracan, at the head of the bay of Bengal. The captain wanted a sea- conny, and agreed to take me. There was no other chance. Joe and myself would have to part. With a rather heavy heart I returned to the shore, to tell him of my questionable luck. The voyage was good, but we did not want to part. We talked matters over. Joe had been some weeks longer on shore than I, and I felt that to him of rigM belonged the first chance, if we were to be parted . Accordingly, I proposed to him to TO TAMATAVE. 277 go to Arracan, while I looked for another vessel. And he, who was nearly at the end of the little money he had brought on shore with him, reluc- tantly accepted my offer. On the following day, the captain stating him- self willing to make the exchange, Joe took big things on board. The vessel sailed, and I saw his face no more. Two days afterward I procured a berth as sea- conny on board a Tamatave bullock trader. The news had just arrived at the Isle of France that die despotic queen of Madagascar, who had for a long time kept every trading port on the eastern side of her island hermetically sealed to foreign vessels, had at length been induced to open the harbor of Tamatave to trade. The Isle of France is entirely dependent on Madagascar and the African coast for beef-cattle. None are raised on the island, which is devoted almost entirely to the culture of sugar. The Madagascar coast is only three days' sail distant, while the nearest point on the African coast can not be reached under twelve days. Of course the Madagascar trade is of great advantage to the^ Mauritius. All was at once bustle and business among the bullock traders, on receiving the news cf a re- newal of trade. Our vessel was among the first to reach the newly opened port. The trade winds swept us down in three days and a half. We found cattle enough on the white beach before the 278 WHALING AND FISHING. town to load a dozen vessels. The natives were moderately civil, but evidently not at all cordial But it w'as their cattle and not themselves w« wanted ; and so, the business being conducted OD the cash and one price principle, there was but little difficulty in our intercourse with them. The large hump cattle were brought alongside, one at a time, in native canoes. We hoisted them in and bestowed them in the hold, in stalls pre- pared for them. On the second day after our arrival in port, I, with the other seaconnies, took a walk up to the town, which is situated, in Madagascar fashion, upon a hill, a quarter of a mile from the beach. It consisted of an assemblage of most wretched looking huts, dark and poorly fitted within, and unprepossessing without. A mud wall surrounded the place, and with a moat, formed its chief de- fense against an enemy. Over the gate at which we entered, twenty human sculls were ranged in a semi- circle. These, now bleached by several rainy seasons, were once the property of some English sailors, who fell into the hands of the natives while making an attack upon the town some years before When news reached the governor of the Mauri- tius that these barbarous trophies were yet dis- played before the eyes of British and French traders, a remonstrance and request for their deliverance into the handg of a British agent, for decent burial, was despatcted to the Madagascar OtT& CARGO. 2 the North of Ascension, the captain, waking up from his usual siesta, appeared on deck with two pistols. 1 wae at the wheel. It was a dead calm, ind the ship had scarcely a motion of any kind, so quiet ?vas the sea. " 1 need a little pistol practice," said the cap- tain, as he loaded his weapons — two large bell- mouthed instruments, holding an ounce ball each. After vainly looking along the smooth surface of the water, for some object at which to aim, he finally stepped to my side, standing about three feet from me, and aimed straight above his head. "We'll see how nearly perpendicular I can fire. That will be a good way to practice." His hand trembled as he fired, and presently we heard the ball drop into the water along side. " That was a bad shot; I must do better than that." The second ball dropped astern. The third went through the spanker, and so into the water astern again. A grin of satisfaction spread over his countenance, when he saw that he was improv- ing. In the course of half an hour's firing the balls drcpped in the water in all directions, possibly much surprising the fish with whom they came ia contact in their course bottomward. Fin ally, taking a particularly good aim, he fired, and the ball returned whizzing to the deck, mak- ~. '•": THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY