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1

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INCIDENTS

OF A.

WHALING VOYAGE.

TO WHICH ARE ADDED OBSERVATIONS ON THE

SCENERY, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, AND MIS- SIONARY STATIONS,

OF THE

Sattfctofcfi anto Socfctg Xslantos,

ACCOMPANIED BY NUMEROUS LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTS.

BY FRANCIS ALLYN OLMSTED.

NEW-YORK:

PUBLISHED BY D. APPLETON AND CO.

1841.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, iti the year 18-1], by

FRANCIS ALLYN OLMSTED,

In the Clerk's Oiliee of the District Court of Connecticut.

PREFACE.

During the latter part of my collegiate course, my health became very much impaired by a chronic debility of the nervous system, and soon after grad- uating, the cold air of Autumn admonished me to seek a milder clime for spending the winter. While deliberating upon what would be most desirable in accomplishing the purposes I had in view, a favora- ble opportunity was offered me to go out as pas- senger in the whale-ship "North America," which was fitting out at New-London for a voyage to the Pacific. From an erroneous prejudice against whalers, it was with great reluctance that I deter- mined upon embarking on this voyage, and many of my friends made sage predictions of the wretch- ed life to which I was consigning myself. A strong inclination for the sea, however, which had made

IV PREFACE.

ships and the ocean my admiration from boyhood, and a love of the adventurous, inclined me to a voyage in preference to any other plan for the re- covery of my health ; and its successful results have left me no reason to repent of my choice.

With the exception of the interesting work by Beale, entitled " The Sperm Whale Fishery," I am not aware that any representations of whaling life have been exhibited proportionate to its adventurous character and importance. Entertaining sketches of the capture of the whale, have been written at dif- ferent times ; but they are generally the productions of those who were not spectators of the scenes they attempt to delineate, and must, of course, be want- ing in accuracy. I have endeavored to represent sea-life as it is; and should the reader, impatient to enter in medias res, think me tedious in getting under way, I have only to plead that the facts were so; and similar delays and vexations are believed to consti- tute a very ordinary part of sea-life. It has also been my constant endeavor throughout the narrative, to make a candid representation of occurrences, al- though I do not aspire to infallibility.

Some parts of my narrative may appear to be wanting in exciting incident. My object has indeed been, to represent life in a somewhat novel aspect, but not by a sacrifice of truth or by an exaggerated picture. The common incidents of life, in their or-

PREFACE. V

dinary course, rarely exhibit much of the marvellous, and it is from the reality of their occurrence, in a great measure, that they excite permanent pleasure. A Marryatt, by weaving together the events of sev- eral voyages, and coloring the tissue with all the vividness of a lively imagination, gives to his sea sketches a brilliancy which a strict adherence to the common course of events would have denied him.

The pictorial illustrations are selections from fifty or sixty sketches representing objects of natural his- tory, and scenes that interested me, taken originally in the sketch book I always carried with me, and finished off afterwards, as soon as possible. The great expense of these illustrations, forbids the intro- duction of a larger number into the work ; for the size of a work gives it a determinate price, from which even the most expensive illustrations will not admit of very great deviation, although embellish- ments of this kind are often as essential in forming a correct idea of a scene, as the printed page itself. Frequently indeed, they are of greater importance ; for a single glance at a correct picture gives a far more vivid idea of a scene, than the most elaborate description.

Some of the statistics of the Whale Fishery, were gathered after my return, and have reference to a date subsequent to that of the journal where they are introduced. This arrangement, although censu-

VI PREFACE.

rable as an anachronism, is not deemed inconsistent with the nature of the work, and is thought prefera- ble to multiplied notes.

In conclusion, I have endeavored to represent the sailor in a favorable light, and to excite the kindness and sympathy of the benevolent in his behalf. If my efforts have been successful, and shall contribute to secure to the whaling business, that share of re- spectability which has been withheld from it through ignorance and prejudice, I shall esteem myself happy. New-Haven, August, 1841.

One so young, and so little known to the public as the author, may, it is hoped, be permitted to annex the following certificate from Messrs. Havens & Smith, Hon. Thomas W. Williams, M. C, and Francis Allyn, Esq., Mayor of the city of New-London, to whom he had submitted his manuscript. Captain Smith is an experienced whaler, and has often visited the regions described in this work.

New-London, Mat 5th, 1841. Mr. F. A. Olmsted having submitted to our examination parts of his manuscript journal of a voyage in our ship " North Ameri- ca," in 1839 and '40, we take pleasure in testifying to the correct- ness of his descriptions of the Sperm Whale Fishery and the ac- companying plates, and we think he has the materials for an interesting work.

HAVENS & SMITH.

We concur in the above opinion.

TH. W. WILLIAMS. FRANCIS ALLYN.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

Voyage to the Azores. — Embarkation — Man overboard — Super- stition of Seamen in respect to sailing on Friday — Discourage- ment at the commencement of the voyage — Description of a whale-boat and its appurtenances — Larboard and starboard watches — First aspect of the ocean — Gulf stream — A gale — Suf- ferings of an invalid on shipboard — Rainbows. - - Page 11

CHAPTER II. Fayal. — Arrival at Fayal — Appearance of the island — Situation of the town — Fortifications — Burdens carried by porters - Streets and buildings —Costumes of the different classes — Ladies of Fayal — Consul's gardens -Manufacture and exportation of wine —Casual- ties incident to the life of a whaler — Dinner at the Consul's — Supplies laid in at Fayal —Departure —Lunar bow. - 27

CHAPTER III. Ship and Shipmates. — Ship North America — Government aboard ship— Method of ascertaining the Latitude and Longitude — Ec- centricities of the cook — Amusementsof the fore-castle - Etiquette on board ship — Employments of the crew — Description of the several parts of the ship, and peculiarities in the construction of a whaler— Order and contentment of the crew — Library — Flying fish. 41

CHAPTER IV. Whaling Scenes. — Attack and capture of whales — General appear- ance of the sperm whale— Great size of the respiratory organs and vascular system —Sympathy of cetaceous animals for each other — Inaccurate representations of the whale — Nature of blub- ber— " Cutting in " — Perils attending the process — Spermaceti — "Trying out." 56

CHAPTER V. Crossing the Line. — Disagreeable and cruel tricks formerly prac- tised on the "Green Horn"- Ceremonies of initiation into the mysteries of Neptune — Novel and interesting aspect of the starry heavens in another hemisphere -Delightful weather — Phospho- rescence of the sea. ....... 69

Vlll CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI. Cruise in the South Atlantic— Fall in with the " Messenger" of New-Bedford— Sickness on board this ship — Medical practice of sea-captains— Fall in with the "William and Eliza"— Social habits of whalers— Whaling Scenes — Versatility of talent requi- site for an accomplished seaman— Dress and manners of the crew — Mr. Freeman's soirees— Annoyances on ship-board — Christmas — Mechanical employments of the men. - - - -74

CHAPTER VII. Approach to Cape Horn.— Gale of wind — Game of these seas — The porpoise— Turtle— Pilot fish— Squally weather— Preparations for doubling Cape Horn — Novel aspect of the diurnal revolutions, and of the celestial bodies in these high latitudes — Capture of Al- batrosses—Preparations for the Cape. 90

CHAPTER VIII. Cape Horn. — Terra del Fuego — Pa tagonians— Straits of Magellan — Geographical position of Cape Horn — Dangers and difficulties of doubling the Cape — Capricious state of the elements — Huge Sperm Whale— The carrier albatross— Perils of Whaling— Sail- or's songs. 106

CHAPTER IX. Hunting and fishing scenes. — Ambrose Island— Immense flocks of birds — Great fishing— Capture of a fur seal— Sea birds — Capture of a black fish — Boat carried down by a whale. - - - 117

CHAPTER X. The whale fishery. — Early history of the whale fishery — Original method of attacking whales — Modem improvements in whaling — Implements— Enterprise of our ancestors in this line— Intrepid- ity of whalers — Discoveries in distant regions — Benefits conferred by them on the Polynesian colonies and missionary establish- ments— Character of whalers, officers and crew. - - - 121

CHAPTER XI. Varieties of the whale. — The Sperm Whale— Spermaceti — Am- bergris—Right Whale — Size— Food — Fin-back Whale— Difficul- ty of capture— Hump-back Whale — Conflicts of Whales with one another— Loss of the Whaler "Essex." - 134

CHAPTER XII. Amusements and mode of life on shd?board. — Fishing — Mechani- cal employments — Bill of fare. 146

CHAPTER XIII. Cruise in the Pacific — Perilous incidents of a whaler's life — Black- fish, capture, description, and habits — Squid or cuttle fish — Large schools of sperm whales — Terrific approach to the ship— Laws of whaling among the craft — Turtles — Brilliant phosphorescence.

CONTENTS. IX

CHAPTER XIV.

Visit to Tacames. — Situation of Tacames— Interesting appearance

of the vegetable kingdom — Tropical fruits — Landing in the surf—

Density of the forests— An incident— Phosphorescence of fish after

death— Carousals on shore. »161

CHAPTER XV. Voyage to the Sandwich Islands. — The Gallapagos Islands — Narrow escape from shipwreck— Steer for the Society Islands — Capture of a large whale— Mother Carey's chickens — Peaked- nose shark — Leaky condition of the ship— Steer for the Sand- wich Islands— Trade winds— Arrival at Oahu. - - 175

CHAPTER XVI.

Sandwich Islands. — Seamen's chapel — Honolulu harbor — Fruits and vegetables — Appearance of the natives — Native dwellings — Police regulations — Fort — Governor Kekuanoa— Capt. Brown — Foreign residents — Horses and vehicles. * 189

CHAPTER XVII. Sandwich Islands. — Valley of Nuanu— Taro Poi — Natives at work — Aquatic feats — An affecting incident— Native canoes — Com- merce of the Hawaiian Islands — Moving a house — Treatment of a lunatic— Native salutation — Chinese — Annoyances — Scorpions —Centipedes. 202

CHAPTER XVIII. Excursion to Hawaii. — Brig " Clementine" — Romish priests — Accommodations on board — Kailua — Governor Adams — Style of his house — Cavern — Natives playing in the surf— Native church — Manufactory — lodgings — Escape from shipwreck — Shark catchers— To waihae — Walk to Waimea — Spanish bullock hunters — Mr. Lyons, missionary— Bullock hunting — Fate of Mr. Douglas—Spanish saddle— Return to Honolulu. - - 216

CHAPTER XIX. Sandwich Islands. — Farewell to the North America — Whaleship Catharine — Objects of a consulate — Kauikeaouli, the king — Mission families at Honolulu. ----- 237

CHAPTER XX. Sandwich Islands. — Geography — Fertility — Climate— Ancient Ta- bu system — Idolatry— Oppression of the chiefs— Arrival of mis- sionaries—Discouragements— Success — Churches at Honolulu — Schools— Hawaiian Institute — Supremacy of law — Depopula- tion. - - - 245

CHAPTER XXI. Voyage to Tahiti. — Embarkation — Passengers— An incident — Calm latitudes— Poisonous fish. 264

X CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXII. Tahiti.— Arrival at Tahiti— Papeete Bay— British Consulate- American whale ships — Natives— Capt. Upham — United States- Consul— Disaster at Tongatabu. 271

CHAPTER XXIII. Tahiti. — Difference of time— Natives— Tongatabu — Queen Pomare — Pomare-tane — Tahitian soldiers— Display —Church — Palace — Seamen's chapel. - - - - - - - 280

CHAPTER XXIV. Tahiti. — Police — Coral — Fishing by Torchlight — Diseases — An- noyances -Moonlight at Papeete - Shaving the head — Native costume — Novel engineering - Climbing the cocoa-nut tree. 291

CHAPTER XXV. Tahiti. — Fruits — Cocoa-nut oil— Sugar — Guava — Bread-fruit — Tide. 303

CHAPTER XXVI. The South Pacific — Retrospect of Tahiti — Additional passengers — Accident — Snow — Iceberg — Religion of sailors — Bird-catch- ing. • 312

CHAPTER XXVII. The South Atlantic. — A merchant ship — Long-boat — Crew — Gale — Porpoise — Pampero — Dolphin — Waterspout — Protract- ed head-winds — Ominous character of the Flora — Employment of time. 324

CHAPTER XXVIII. The South Atlantic — Stores of the Flora — Pernambuco — Harbor. 338

CHAPTER XXIX. Pernambuco. — Katamarans - Churches — Splendor — Appearance of the population Architecture — Fireworks — Supplies purchas- ed— Cross the equator. 344

CHAPTER XXX. Home. — Bathing — Sailor's fare— Cape Hatteras — "Land ho!" — Anchor at Sandy Hook. 356

INCIDENTS OF A WHALING VOYAGE,

CHAPTER I.

VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

Embarkation— Man overboard — Superstition of seamen in pect to sailing on friday — discouragements at the commence- ment of the voyage — description of a whale-boat and its appurtenances — larboard and starroard watches — flrst as- pect of the ocean — gulf stream — a gale — sufferings of an invalid on shipboard — rainbows.

Friday, Oct. 11, 1839.— Early this morning, the rat- tling of blocks and riggringf, and the animating cries of the seamen, announced that the North America was get- ting under way ; and soon the barque with her swel- ling sails distended by a gentle breeze, swung from her moorings. The wind was fair, and as we glided out of the beautiful harbor of New-London, the clear air of the morning, the favoring breeze, and the bright sun mir- rored in a thousand tiny waves, soon dispelled the gloom of parting from those 1 loved, and even inspired me with renovated spirits. The band of the Revenue Cutter was going through its morning exercises, and I listened to the national "airs it was performing, until growing fainter and fainter, they were lost in the distance. A new feeling of patriotism was awakened within me ; and these simple strains, that on ordinary occasions, would scarcely have been heeded, were now associated with many endearing recollections, and invested with a melody and sentiment I had never before discerned in

•

12 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

them. Month after month will perhaps have rolled over me, ere I shall again hear the inspiring strains of "Hail Columbia, happy land," in my own favored country to which I am now bidding adieu — it may be forever. But from these painful suggestions that now and then strug- gled to obtain possession of my mind, I turned with in- terest to the scenes as they opened before me in my new habitation, the first aspect of which was not the most fa- vorable.

The North America is a Temperance ship; that is, no ardent spirits are served out to the men on any occa- sion. This, however, does not preclude them from be- coming intoxicated whenever an opportunity presents itself, which two or three of them, judging from appear- ances, would not be very reluctant to embrace. The prospect of a voyage of three or four years in length is an incentive to greater excess, while intoxicating liquors can be purchased to drown the unpleasant anticipations incident to so long a separation from country and kin- dred.

Inebriety is by no means as prevalent among sea-far- ing people as was formerly the case, since the abandon- ment of the idea that intoxicating drinks were indispen- sable to the sailor. It has been within a few years only that the plan of sailing ships upon temperance principles, has come into extensive use ; before this, if a master of a ship, in visiting another, declined a glass of spirits, his refusal was regarded as an insult. Soon after the com- mencement of the temperance reform, Major Williams, of New-London, determined to lend the weight of his extensive influence in promoting temperance aboard the whale-ships sailing out of this port, in which he was interested. His exertions, although meeting with great opposition at first, were successful — other influential men

MAN OVERBOARD. 13

followed his example — and now, out of the thirty or forty whaling vessels belonging to the port of New-Lon- don, almost all are navigated upon temperance princi- ples. To the credit of the American Whale Fishery, it ought to be added, that the proportion of vessels of this character, is much greater in this service than in any other department of our marine.

This afternoon, as I was standing at the starboard gangway, watching the progress of the ship through the water, a sailor passed by me, and letting himself down the side of the ship by the chains, very deliberately threw himself overboard, and commenced swimming towards land, then distant three or four miles.

" Man overboard ! — man overboard !" resounded from every part of the ship — a boat was lowered, manned, and put oif to rescue him from a certain death. He swam very well, however, although encumbered with heavy woolen clothes, but was soon overtaken, hauled into the boat, and held down as he endeavored to plunge into the sea again. After a change of clothes, he was put into his berth, with some one to watch him, lest he should make another attempt to leave the ship. This man is a boat-steerer, (a grade of petty officers aboard a whaler, about whom I shall speak more partic- ularly by-and-by) and a first-rate seaman, who had been to sea all his life-time, and had seen all kinds of service. For a week or two before the sailing of the North America, he was constantly intoxicated, and this insane attempt to leave the ship, was owing to the mad- dening and stupefying effects of constant inebriety.*

* He afterwards became a very good friend of mine, and gave me a variety of information about ships, and "spun me many a yarn" of his adven- tures at sea.

ill

14 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES. ^ .

The wind, which during the day, hardly moved the ship through the water, as evening came on, veer- ed ahead. A head tide also, opposed our progress, and as the sky towards the south-east looked lowering, with some indications of a gale, it was thought advisa- ble to return. The ship's head was soon pointing to- wards New-London, distant about twelve miles, and we came to anchor two or three miles from the shore, where we lay during the night. Early on Saturday morning, as the wind continued to increase from the south-east, we hauled in opposite the light-house.

Sunday, Oct. 13. Soon after the ship was moored, yesterday, I went ashore with Captain Richards and the pilot, where we remained until this morning, when at an early hour we were summoned on board ship, as the weather seemed favorable for going to sea. But our ex- pectations are disappointed, and here we lie without breeze enough to carry us out, while a damp atmosphere and cloudy sky, render our situation extremely dismal. It is the Sabbath too, and while the solemn tones of the distant church-bell should awaken emotions befitting the day, our own unpleasant situation engrosses all our at- tention ; and instead of occupying our minds with the solemn duties of the Sabbath, we are watching the clouds for indications of fair weather.

Monday, Oct. 14. " Boat-ahoy," hailed the officer of the deck, as a boat was seen coming down to us, rowed by two boys, carrying a large bag in the bow of their tiny craft, intended for the ship. We were endeavoring to divine the contents of it, which were supposed to be of a highiy valuable character, from the important air exhib- ited by the boys. The bag was hoisted upon deck and opened, when out jumped an old cat and her numerous progeny, that ran squalling around the deck to our sur-

tm

UPERSTITION OF SEAMEN. 15

prise and diversion. Cats are consequential personages on board, as they protect us from the depredations of huge cock-roaches that swarm in every direction. I found one of these erratic black-legs the other day, up in the main-top, wandering about very much at his leisure. Capt. R., a few days ago, in speaking of the good quali- ties of the North America, said that " she was built en- tirely of live oak," which subsequent observations have fully verified !

Last evening, the clouds for a short time dispersed, and the stars and the moon beaming forth, seemed to promise a favorable change in the weather. Not long after, however, the sky was again overcast, and before morning, an easterly storm came pattering down upon deck, with the gloomy prospect of another dismal day. If I had not started with a good resolution to be discon- certed by nothing that might happen, I should by this time have been tempted to give up an enterprise so in- auspiciously begun. " So much for sailing on Friday," an old salt would say. There has been a singular super- stition prevalent among seamen about sailing on Friday; and in former times, to sail on this day, would have been regarded as a violation of the mysterious character of the day, which would be visited with disaster upon the of- fender. Even now it is not entirely abandoned ; and if a voyage, commenced on Friday, happens to be unfortu- nate, all the ill-luck of the voyage is ascribed to having sailed on this day. An intelligent ship-master told me, that although he had no faith in this superstition, yet so firmly were sailors formerly impressed with superstitious notions, respecting this day, that until within a few years, he should never have ventured to sail on Friday, for the men would be appalled by dangers which they would think, lightly of on common occasions, and their efforts

16 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES,

would be paralyzed by their imaginary fears of being under a mysterious and malignant influence. I have been told, that several years ago, a ship was built and sent to sea, to test this superstition, and convince the craft of its folly. The keel of the ship was laid on Friday ; on Friday her masts were set ; she was completed on Friday, and launched on this day. Her name was " Friday," and she was sent to sea on Friday ; but un- fortunately for the success of the experiment, was never heard of more.

i As knowledge advances, all opinions not consonant with reason must be abandoned, and this superstition is fast losing its hold on the minds of sea-faring men, espe- cially since the establishment of the packet lines, and the frequent necessity of sailing on Friday. It had its ori- gin, I am told, in the ancient custom of executing crimi- nals upon this day, which imparted to it an unlucky character. I have also heard it ascribed to a connection with some of the observances of the Roman Catholic Church, which entertains some peculiar notions with re- gard to this day.

Tuesday r, Oct. 15. Rain — rain — rain — with a raw wind from the north-east — cold and cheerless on deck — damp and dismal in the cabin. For our encouragement, the barometer, which for the last three days has been continually falling, is now rising, indicative of fair wea- ther.

This morning, hearing an unusual noise upon deck, I ran up the companion-way, and, at the distance of thirty or forty yards from the ship, saw one of the men making desperate efforts to reach the shore by swim- ming. One of the boats had just been lowered — pursuit was instantly made, and the man with but little resis- tance, was secured and brought on board, crest-fallen

DISCOURAGEMENTS. 17

enough, in his dripping clothes, with his shoes tied around his neck. " Come here," said the commanding officer, (the second mate) in an authoritative tone. " Well, you were going to leave us in the lurch, were

you?" "Why sir, Mr. L (the first mate, who was

on shore) told me I might go ashore with him, and he went off without me." "And so you thought you'd work to windward of us in this way, eh ?" " Why sir, 1 thought he didn't do what was right." " You thought ? Well, I'll tell you what / think, and I'll inform you in the most delicate manner, that if you show any more of such fandangos here, you'll be clapped down into the lower hold, sir, with some irons around your wrists, that don't look quite so pretty as ladies' bracelets neither — bear that in mind, and be off, sir."

The crew, though very quiet in general, are begin- ning to show signs of impatience, and if there are no in- dications of fair weather at sunset, an attempt will un- doubtedly be made to desert during the night. With the few exceptions I mentioned before, they are very temperate, and 1 have heard but little bad language or profanity on board, both of which are prohibited by the Captain.

Capt. R. left us last Sunday evening, and has not yet returned. I should have accompanied him up to town, were it not that I had already bidden my friends " good-bye" three times, and did not like to impair the virtue of the " Farewell " by repetition.

Wednesday ; Oct. 16. Yesterday afternoon the clouds began to break away, and the sun shone forth to glad- den us after a long absence of his cheering beams. The moon, too, favored us last evening with her kindly ra- diance, and long I paced the deck, musing on the real- ity of the enterprise in which I had* embarked. When

18 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

we are preparing for a long voyage, we talk of separation from home, kindred, and country with a kind of vague- ness as if it would never be realized ; but when we have actually embarked, and there is no return, then the reality comes vividly to mind, and impresses us with the mag- nitude of the enterprise ; while the uncertainties of the future forbid our anticipating its termination. The future to me is more than ordinarily uncertain. To picture to myself my various wanderings over the mighty ocean, in accommodating myself to the erratic life I have now chosen, and after leaving my present shipmates to trace out my circuitous course back to my native land, is beyond the reach of mortal ken and were a vain attempt. And there are solemn musings too. Ere I return, the irrevocable hand of death may invade the home of my youth and the circle of kindred friends, and consign one or more to the grave ! Ah ! these are the saddest thoughts, that press like an incubus upon the spirits of the voyager as he leaves his native shores.

Early this morning, the Captain came on board, and soon we " hove short" — the sails were loosed — the top- sails sheeted home — the anchor weighed and catted, and we were standing out of our anchorage. It was a lovely morning. The sun just emerging behind the long line of hills that bound the eastern side of New London harbor, was fringed with the light fog that floated down the river, tinged with his golden rays. With the light wind that fanned our sails, we glided slowly along over the smooth waters of the sound, and by noon, having passed through "the Race,"* were directing our course towards Montauk Point.

* That part of Long Island Sound between Fisher's Island and Gall Island, is called " the race," on account of the velocity of the tides between these islands.

WHALE-BOAT. 19

Thursday, Oct* 17. The wind has been light and baffling since yesterday. This noon there was a perfect calm, and upon the eighth day from the date of our first setting sail from New London, we find ourselves at anchor off' Montauk point, to prevent being drifted ashore, instead of tossing about upon the Atlantic one third of the way across*

All bands have been engaged in various duties about the ship, such as overhauling the spare canvass, and stowing away articles more compactly. The boats too, have been put in complete order, to be in readiness for the first opportunity that presents itself for using them, and although it may be a deviation from the plan I have adopted, I cannot do better, perhaps, than to describe the whaleboat and its various appurtenances.

The whaleboat is a narrow, light built boat of about twenty-five feet in length, sharp at both ends, with its sides gracefully curved and running up to a point fore and aft, and from its construction, is expressly adapted to great velocity of motion and safety among the swelling billows of the ocean. Unlike most ship's boats, it is clinker built, as this peculiar mode of construction is called, i. e. the thin boards that cover the ribs overlap one another, thus giving strength to the boat and ena- bling it to be made much lighter. Each boat is fitted with six oars of various lengths. The steering oar, usually from twenty to twenty two feet long, is confined to the boat by a strap passing around it and attached to the stern post. This gives the helmsman great power over the movement of the boat far superior to the steer- ing with a rudder.

The thole pins, between which the oars are plied, are covered with matting, so as to prevent any noise in the

20 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

motion of the oars. Of the offensive weapons, the har- poon is the most important.

t="

SPADE,

<a i -Q^tiv^-^-

HARPOON,

The harpoon is an iron instrument, about four feet in length, terminated at one end, in a sharp barbed head, and at the other, in a socket for receiving the "iron pole," a heavy wooden handle of about equal length, which gives to the instrument great momentum. A strap with a turn around the socket of the iron secures it upon the pole. To the strap is attached the line, a strong rope about two hundred fathoms long, which is carefully coiled up in a tub placed in the afterpart of the boat ; and going around the " loggerhead," a strong post projecting above the stern, passes through a "chock" or grove in the bow of the boat, and is " bent on " to the harpoon. Each boat usually carries four or five har- poons, two of which are always ready for immediate use when the boat is in pursuit of whales. Their barbed heads lie across the bow of the boat, with their shafts resting upon two * crotches," or spurs, standing out from a stick rising from the side of the boat. This position gives steadiness to the weapon, and it is close at hand whenever opportunity offers for using it.

MODE OP ATTACK. 21

The lance is two or three feet longer than the har- poon. Its head is of an oval shape, pointed with steel, and its shaft is long and slender, with the "warp" a small line about eight fathoms long, attached to the ex- tremity of it.

The spade is a short instrument, with a thin, wide blade set upon a light shaft of five or six feet in length.

These instruments are ground to a very keen edge, and kept constantly bright. Their sharp heads are en- closed in sheaths, to defend them from injury, as also to prevent their doing any mischief. A hatchet,' a couple of knives, a water-keg, a lantern, and a boat compass, together with one or more buckets, complete the equip- ment of a boat.

Six men constitute a boat's complement. Of these, the captain or one of his mates is one, who directs the attack upon the whale. There is also a subordinate of- ficer called boat-stecrer, who performs the duties of a cockswain, taking care of the boat with its appurtenan- ces. To each man is assigned an oar and a station in the boat, to avoid any confusion when starting in pur- suit of a whale.

In attacking the whale, the captain or one of his offi- cers takes the steering oar, and directs the boat in the onset. The boatsteerer pulls the short oar in the bow of the boat, and at a signal or command from the officer, draws in his oar, and taking his stand firmly in the bow, when the word is given, darts the harpoon with all his strength into the whale. Sometimes he is so successful as to fix both irons, which generally ensures the capture of the struggling monster. He now exchanges places with the officer, and takes the steering oar, while the latter comes forward to thrust the lance into the vitals of the whale whenever he comes up to blow, a feat re-

22 VOYAGE TOT HE AZORES.

quiring no ordinary dexterity. The moment the whale begins to slacken the line to which he is « fast," it is hauled in, and coiled up carefully in the tub, while the boat is drawn towards the whale, as he comes on top of water, when he receives several thrusts of the lance in succession, which often enters to the depth of several feet. When the animal is very violent in his move- ments, a few strokes of the spade across the sinews of his flukes, disable these his most powerful weapon of defence and motion. The line is confined to the grove in the bow of the boat by a wooden peg, which breaks in case the line becomes entangled, thus averting the ex- treme danger of being instantly carried down.

Thus much for the description of the whale-boat at present, which in grace and velocity of motion, is not excelled by any ship's boat.

On board of all vessels, the men are separated into two divisions, called the larboard and starboard watches. The first and third mates command the larboard watch, and the second mate commands the starboard watch. This morning, the crew were all summoned upon the quarter deck, and the first and second mate selected alter- nately, the members of their respective watches. The Captain and each of the officers, in a similar manner, in the order of rank, then made choice of the required number for the boat he commanded.

Friday, Oct. 18. Last evening the ship was again under way, and at sunrise this morning, land was no where visible. There was scarcely breeze enough to steady the ship, while as far as the eye could reach, not an object presented itself to break the monotony of the ocean with its ceaseless undulations, or to impair the emotions of sublimity with which vastness of extent im- pressed me, as I scanned with eager eye, the uninter-

ASaUALL. 23

rupted curve of the horizon. The open ocean is rarely calrcij such as we see in the waters of our lakes and riv- ers. Even in its stillest moments, when not a breath of air agitates it, its surface is perpetually heaving as if with some internal commotion. For the fathomless wa- ters of the ocean acquire such a momentum when the storm comes over their depths, that even when the winds are hushed, they do not soon subside.

Tuesday, Nov. 5. In resuming the thread of my nar- rative, which has been interrupted for more than two weeks, I cannot do better perhaps than to commence from my last date, and endeavor to give a slight sketch of what has befallen me in the meantime.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, towards evening, the rain began to fall in frequent showers from the South. About 11 o'clock that night, I was roused from my slumbers by the rolling of boxes in the cabin, and the crash of the steward's crockery in the pantry, the howling of the wind and the loud tone of command from the officer on deck. " Tumble aft — tumble aft here every one of you. Let go your top-gallant halliards fore and aft — clew up — mind your helm — keep her off before it — main-tack and sheet let go — clew him up, clew him up — jump, for your lives, men — top-sail halliards let go— one of you give 'em a call there in the forecastle and steerage." "All hands a-hoy," just heard above the roar of the winds, summoned the larboard watch on deck, as we sprang up the companion-way to ascertain the cause of the sudden alarm. We had been moving along under easy sail, when upon nearing the gulf stream, a heavy squall struck us from the west. The top-gallant sails and top-sails had been settled down, while the main course was flapping about with a noise like thunder.

In a short time, however, all the sails were snugly

24 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

furled, with the exception of a close-reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, under which we drove before the gale that pursued us across the gulf stream. The next day (Sun- day) a sea struck our larboard quarter boat, and dashed her to pieces, — a bad omen for the commencement of the voyage. We have since had another boat stove by the violence of the sea, which dashes in very frequently across the waist of the ship.

I had brought a thermometer with me for the particu- lar purpose of ascertaining the temperature of the water in the gulf stream ; but the violence of the sea put an end to all philosophical speculations. I was informed, however, by those that were drenched by the spray, that the water was very warm.*

The air, too, was mild, unlike the storms we have at home in the month of October, in this respect. Indeed, the temperature of the ocean air off soundings, is always much higher than that of the land in the same latitudes, out of the tropics in the cool season of the year. For the three weeks, during which we have been at sea, we have had no weather cold enough for an overcoat, ex- cept at night, although at home, I presume, anthracite fires are glowing to repel the first approaches of winter.

In a day or two we had crossed the gulf stream, and were promising ourselves a delightful run to the Azores, when the wind came around ahead from the eastward, where it continued for eleven days without alteration. At one time we ran down as far as the Bermudas, and were admonished to alter our course by the frequent squalls that assailed us.

During the stormy weather in the gulf stream, I con- fined myself to my berth, as the most comfortable place

* Its known temperature in this latitude is about 72 deg.

THE INVALID AT SEA. 25

I could find, and with bundles on each side of me, en- deavored to keep myself from rolling about. The mo- tion of the vessel, and the intolerable smell of bilge wa- ter which came steaming up from the hold through the crevices in my state room, brought on a disease, that for more than two weeks, completely disabled me. It was not sea-sickness under which I labored, but an extreme debility accompanied with fever. There can be no mistaking the former, and I considered myself well versed in it from an intimate acquaintance during several coasting voyages. A determination to rise supe- rior to my physical weakness, was the only thing that enabled me to counteract the extreme depression that as- sailed me ; and I have never been more convinced of the truth of a saying which has almost become a pro- verb— " that a resolute spirit has greater efficacy in com- batting our bodily ills, than medical prescriptions." No disrespect to the profession, however.

When we are sick on shore, we obtain good medical advice, kind attention, quiet rest, and a well ventilated room. The invalid at sea, can command but very few of these alleviations to his sufferings. The attentions he receives, have none of that soothing influence, which woman's tender sympathy alone can impart. Undisturb- ed repose is out of the question, where every thing is in motion and the bulkheads are dismally creaking. The air of the cabin of a ship is always close and uncomfort- able in bad weather. Let a man be sick any where else but on shipboard.

For the last three or four days, the wind has hauled around to the west and north-west, with frequent squalls. Hardly a day passes, but the wind comes whistling down upon us, and lashing us awhile in its fury, leaves us, to be soon succeeded by another, when the same scenes of

3

26 VOYAGE TO THE AZORES.

"letting go the halliards — clewing up and clewing down — " are enacted over and over again. During the intervals, the ship rolls heavily in the sea, and the deck is washed by the sea breaking in across her waist. Buckets, pieces of wood, and other loose articles run around the deck in wild disorder, to the serious annoy- ance and hazard of one's nether limbs. Shower baths provided gratis for those who are not on the look-out for themselves. We have seen no whales as yet, and even if we had, the sea has been too high for a boat to ven- ture out in pursuit.

During the frequent squalls of the few days past, I have been delighted with the beautiful rainbows that formed at all hours of the day — now spanning the hea- vens in a regular arch, then rising above the sea like two pillars of resplendent colors, and again but just ting- ing the clouds with their brilliant hues.

We are now about eighteen hundred miles from the United States, and expect to reach the Western Islands in six or eight days.

CHAPTER II.

FAYAL.

Arrival at Fayal — Appearance of the island — Situation of the town — Fortifications — Burdens carried by porters — Streets and buildings — Costumes of the different classes — Ladies of Fayal — Consul's gardens — Manufacture and ex- portation of wine — Casualties incident to the life of a wha- ler— Dinner at the Consul 's — Supplees laid in at Fayal — Departure — Lunar bow.

Tuesday, Nov. 12. This morning at seven bells (7± o'clock) " Land-ho !" was sounded from mast-head, and soon the high hills of Fayal, one of the Western Islands, were dimly seen through the mist that shrouded their summits.

The Azores, or Western Islands, as this group is usu- ally called, lie within the parallels of north latitude 39° 44', and 36° 59', and the meridians 31° T and 25° 10' west. They are nine in number, spreading over a considerable extent of ocean, and distant from the United States about two thousand seven hundred miles. Their names are Corvo, Flores, Fayal, Pico, St. Jorge, Graciosa, Terceira, St. Miguel, and Santa Maria.

To me the sight of land was very acceptable, after the report I had heard of the tropical fruits growing upon these islands ; and it was with great pleasure that I saw the beautifully verdant hills of Fayal rising rapidly be- fore us, as we neared them before a fair and fresh breeze from the westward.

Fayal presents a somewhat picturesque appearance ; its surface is very undulating, and high hills crowned

28 FAYAL.

with the richest verdure, complete its outline. We coasted along the south side of the island, where the shore is very bold, rising abruptly from the ocean, while the surf breaks incessantly in foam and spray upon the rocks that line the coast.

Each hill- side was covered with innumerable patches of the richest green, which, I believe, were fields of grain. On this part of the island, there are but few trees of any magnitude. Around the sparsely scattered houses, that we saw through the spy-glass, we observed, however, small clusters of shrubbery.

To the eastward of Fayal, separated by a narrow channel about five miles wide, is the island Pico, with its mountainous summit, called the Peak of Pico, tower- ing into the region of the clouds. Its height, I am told, is 7,016 feet or 1-J- miles above the level of the sea ; and for the greater part of the time, it is entirely obscured by the mists that rest upon its summit.

As we approached Fayal, just abreast of the ship rose up abruptly from the water's edge, a dark rock, which at a distance, looks like a yawning cavern in the side of the island. A little to the right is seen a cluster of buildings and a church, which with their white plastered walls, have a very pretty effect, contrasted with the ver- dure of the fields. Far to the right is seen the island of Pico, with its lofty conical summit. Between this and Fayal, as I have before said, is a narrow channel, on the left hand side of which, just after rounding the high bluff on the south-eastern side of the latter, the town of Fayal opens before you, built upon the sides of several hills that incline towards the sea. Upon this bluff is a small fortification, garrisoned by Portuguese soldiers ; and there is also another fort facing the harbor, which mounts nine or ten guns, of no very formidable charac-

TOWN OF FAYAL. 29

ter, as I should judge. The harbor of Fayal, the only one among these islands that offers any anchorage to ships, is but a mere indentation in the land, and is safe only with a westerly or northerly wind. These islands are subject to frequent and violent gales of wind, and during a storm from the south, the ocean comes rolling into the harbor in all its fury, oftentimes carrying away the stone wall that defends the town on the side of the harbor, constructed expressly to resist the violence of the sea. The harbor is very deep, and the ordinary chains of ships are insufficient to hold them in a gale of wind from the southward.

There were one or two small, rakish looking vessels lying at anchor near the shore, and a fine large ship, standing off and on, with the American ensign flying at her mizzen peak. She proved to be a whaler, from Wil- mington, Delaware, and soon came to anchor to repair her rudder, the head of which had been twisted off in a gale of wind.

When about a mile from the landing place, we round- ed to, and a boat was lowered to put the Captain and myself ashore. The wind was fresh and flawy, and by the time we reached the shore, we were all well sprink- led with salt-water.

Fayal, like many other places, presents the best ap- pearance at a considerable distance off. As you draw nearer and nearer, the beautiful white walls of the houses become more and more dingy, while the dark muddy looking wall rising up from the water's edge, gives to the town a peculiarly unprepossessing aspect. There are no docks, and but two or three landing places for boats. Articles of merchandize are transported to and from the shipping in lighters, which are small craft of ten or fifteen ton's burden. a*

30 FAYAL.

We pulled for the stone quay, which was crowded with a ragged, noisy multitude, all vociferating in a for- eign language, which sounded to me like another " con- fusion of tongues." It has a strange effect upon the mind, when we hear for the first time a language we cannot comprehend, while our own becomes a novelty. Then we feel that we are indeed in the land of stran- gers.

We were interrogated by the health officer, before we were permitted to land, as to " Where we were from V "How many days out?" &c. The answers were satis- factory and we were allowed to pass. Our men in the boat, however, underwent a more strictly personal exam- ination ; for immediately after the health officer signified his satisfaction of the health of the ship, one or two men jumped into the boat, and commenced searching the pockets of the crew, to see if they had secreted any contraband articles, such as tobacco and soap. Not much of the latter article was found, as sailors on duty, do not often manifest an intimate acquaintance with this article, and the appearance of the men might readily have testified to the contrary. Of the other interdicted commodity, many a choice bit was reluctantly surren- dered, although in each case a consolatory quid was cut off and given to the owner, for immediate use.

On landing, we were received by the brother of the American consul, Mr. Dabney, who invited us to walk up to his office, which is but a short distance from the landing place, and overlooks the harbor. After a short conversation with several American gentlemen about the news from the United States, Captain Richards and myself took a walk around the town.

Near the consul's office is the fortification, facing the harbor, and in the rear of it runs the principal street

BURDENS CARRIED BY PORTERS. 31

of the city. Before the gateway stood several soldiers of the garrison, and we saw several of them in our ram- ble ; they are tall, martial looking men, and their dark whiskers and moustaches have a very dashing appear- ance. Their uniform is blue, resembling that of many of our military companies at home. They wear upon their heads little blue caps, trimmed with red, and in shape resembling a truncated haystack. The entire number of soldiers upon the island, Mr. Dabney inform- ed me, does not exceed seventy.

Wherever we went, we were escorted before and be- hind by a troop of ragged boys of very questionable ap- pearance. The streets of Fayal are extremely narrow. They are paved with large, flat stones, and are kept as clean as could be expected, considering the appear- ance of the population. The sidewalks are so narrow, that two persons cannot walk side by side, without dan- ger of tripping one another.

I was astonished at the immense burdens the porters carried upon their shoulders. They occupied the mid- dle of the street, moving along under large casks or boxes, that seemed heavy enough to crush them. It took two men on board our ship to transport readily, a box of oranges, such as I saw individuals of them carry- ing upon their heads and shoulders.

The heaviest work is performed by the labor of oxen, yoked to short carts with strong wheels ; they are di- rected with a stout pole pointed with iron, which the driver, who walks just before them, thrusts against their ribs every few minutes, not appearing, however, to ex- ceed in cruelty, the teamsters of our own country, whose wanton application of the lash to the poor patient ox, has often roused my indignation.

We passed through one of the principal streets. The

32 FAYAL.

houses upon each side would be called three story build- ings, although their actual height was about that of our two story houses. Before each of the upper windows are latticed balconies, painted green, in the front of which are small doors ; some of these were opened a little, disclosing at one time, a fair female face, at ano- ther, the dirty phiz of some curious urchin. All the houses of Fayal are built of stone, and are whitewash- ed, which gives the city a very pretty appearance at a distance, as I before observed. The population is about five thousand, while that of the entire island is about twenty-eight thousand, as I was informed by Mr. Dab- ney. Our walk extended to the hospital, a large white building, fancifully ornamented with slate colored fig- ures of every variety of curve. It is a three story edi- fice flanked by two wings, one on each side, extending as far as any regard to symmetry would permit. This large structure, the finest by far in the city, and well located upon a gentle hill, was formerly a convent ; but during a popular insurrection a few years since, the priests were expelled, and the building appropriated as a hospital, and as barracks for soldiers. On that occasion, the numerous bells of the convent were all melted up for coin, with the exception of one which is suspended in one of the windows of the third story of the main building. I could hardly account for this singular taste, especially as the cupola of the convent stands close by, which one would suppose to be the most natural loca- tion for a bell. At the foot of the hill is a fountain, the waters of which rise into a cistern about four feet in height, supported by pilasters. The area of the cistern is about ten feet by four, I should judge ; it is built of red sandstone, and must have supplied the inhabitants with water for some time, as it bears the date of 1680>

LADIES OF FAYAL. 33

sculptured upon one of the sides. Near the fountain reposing upon the stones of the street in undisturbed quiet, lay a meditative donkey, a sine qua non in all Spanish and Portuguese places.

Many of the inhabitants were wrapped up in their cloaks, although the thermometer stood at 60°. The women almost universally, were seen dressed in large cloaks, some of them having capacious hoods attached. These cloaks were invariably of blue color, but of vari- ous materials, according to the rank of the owners ; the "ton" of the city, sported their broadcloth cloaks of very ample folds.

These garments, which with us usually indicate cold weather, are, I am told, worn also in the middle of sum- mer. But what struck me as particularly ludicrous, was the huge bell-topped hat, that the fashionable ladies had adopted, which had at least the merit of being more easily adjusted to the person than the head-dresses worn by my fair countrywomen. A large white handkerchief is first arranged upon the head, and upon this these heavy hats tower up to a height endangering the neck of the fair owner. She, however, seems sensible of this, and is careful to keep the hat nicely balanced upon her head, while her handkerchief waving to the breeze, com- pletes the costume of a Fayal lady. The motions of the ladies did not appear to me very graceful ; they came swinging along half way between a trot and a walk, reminding me of the daughters of Erin, I used to see in New-Haven going to church. There are said to be some very pretty ladies in Fayal ; but they did not, I am certain, make their appearance in the streets on the 12th of November.

The lower class of men wore upon their heads little blue conical caps of cloth, or straw hats of portly, bell-

34 PAYAL.

topped dimensions and shape. Those in a better condi- tion in life, were dressed similarly with people in the United States.

When we returned to the consul's office, an English gentleman connected with the office, politely invited us to visit the consul's gardens, a proposal we were glad to accept. We were admitted to the premises by a private entrance, which led to the front of the house through a passage way between two parallel walls of twelve or fif- teen feet in height, which were covered profusely with grapevines. It was in vain that I looked for the grapes I had been delighting my imagination with during our voyage ; since the grape season had passed, and the withered leaves were all that remained upon the vines. We were shown one or two rooms of the house, that in- dicated the style of affluence in which the consul is accustomed to live. Then passing into the gardens, beautiful flowers met our eyes in every direction, and those that had faded before we left the United States, were here exhibited in full bloom. Roses and Arteme- sias of various kinds, I recognized as old acquaintances ; while many varieties of flowers, that were quite new to me, perfumed the air. Many plants I noticed, were here growing in neglected luxuriance, that with us require the most careful treatment. Geraniums towered up- ward to the height of tall shrubs, while the hydrangea was scattered over the garden as one of the most com- mon flowers. The hydrangea, as well as several other flowers, which with us are of a pink color, when trans- planted to these islands, turns blue, and vice versa.

The method of rearing the orange tree from the slip, was exhibited to us. An enclosure of tali reeds woven together surrounds the tender orange slip to protect it from the violent winds that frequently sweep over these

CONSUL'S GARDENS. 35

islands. In a year or two the young tree is enabled to resist the ordinary blasts that assail it.

From this garden, itself of very ample dimensions, we were led through a tunnel under a street, into another of equal extent, rilled with many varieties of tropical fruits. Orange trees, bending under the weight of their rich yellow burdens, citron and lemon trees, grew up thickly together like the trees of our forests : while the ear was charmed with the warbling of birds. The grape vines are trained upon arbors formed of the tops of par- allel rows of young poplars entwined together. As I looked down the long arches, wreathed with prolific grape vines, and seeming to meet in the distance, and rambled on through shady arbors, with the coffee tree and the banana springing up around me, I could hardly believe myself sixteen degrees north of the tropic, in an inclement season of the year, and but about two hundred miles to the southward of New-England.

The bananas were growing in an excavated hollow, a necessary protection against the violent winds. The stalk which bears the fruit is three or four inches in diameter and rises to the height of ten or twelve feet. Immense leaves of a rich, apple green color put out from the stalk, which, near the top, give place to the fruit, a single bunch numbering from twelve to twenty bananas. The banana when ripe, is of a golden yellow color and in size and shape, it very closely resembles the pod of the plant with us commonly called milkweed (asclepias syriaca). The rind is pulled off very readily, and discloses a lus- cious and mealy pulp of a slightly acidulous and astrin- gent taste, with a few small seeds set thickly along in a longitudinal core.

These gardens are situated upon an inclined plane above the level of the town, and command a delightful

36 FAYAL.

view of the ocean, and of the neighboring island of Pico. They are surrounded by a high stone wall neatly white- washed, upon which vines of various kinds are trained.

Returning towards the house, we were conducted into the flower garden, where were flowers of every variety, and rare shrubs evincing the taste of the proprietor, under whose personal superintendance all these gardens were laid out. On our way to the consul's office, we passed through a quadrangular yard in the rear of the office, surrounded upon three sides by large storehouses for wine, and ship stores of various kinds. Under the hands of the cooper were several huge casks made of Brazil wood, whose great size is said to be important to the preservation of this wine. Very little if any wine is made in Fayal ; that consumed on the island, and exported to foreign countries is imported from Pico, upon the south side of which the grape vine is extremely prolific. It is called "Pico Madeira," and is very similar to that which with us bears the name of Madeira wine.

At the consul's office, we met the master of the whalei that lay at anchor in the harbor. He was from Wilming- ton, Delaware, and had been out only about as long as ourselves, but had already met with a sad accident. In an attack upon a whale, the line as it shot out of the boat, became entangled around one of the men, and instantly carried him down, and the poor man could not be rescued until life was extinct. This is one of the dreadful casualties to which the adventurous life of the whaler is exposed. Were I inclined to make a digres- sion, many a hair breath escape from death or mutila- tion might be related, of which I have heard from the mouth of those who have been active in these hazardous adventures.

In the afternoon we were invited by Mr. Dabney to

- APPEARANCE OF THE ISLAND. 37

dine with him at his mother's residence in the upper part of the town. The family of Dabney is the most promi- nent for wealth and respectability of any on the island ; and upon each side as we passed, hats and caps were raised in token of respect. As far as my observation extended, the people appeared to be very polite and respectful in their manners. Gentlemen in meeting or passing one another, raise their hats from their heads, and with a graceful wave restore them to their places. I was told by Mr. Dabney, that there is a prodigious wear of hats and caps among all classes, in the way of saluta- tion. Whether this remark is to be taken in jest or in earnest, I thought that my fellow countrymen, with all their notions of economy, might advantageously adopt the custom.

The elder Mr. D. is a graduate of Harvard University. It was delightful to meet with a man of his intelligence, especially one who had visited many places in America, with which I was familiar. Those that never move beyond the boundaries of their own country, do not know how welcome is the face of a countryman in a foreign land.

We ascended the hill upon which the Hospital stands, and beyond it at some distance above, entered a gate leading to the house, through an alley overshadowed by the Sycamore tree, a great rarity at these islands. The house faces the eastward, and commands a magnificent prospect. Directly before us, the towering Peak of Pico, then veiled in clouds, limits our view in that direction ; while between the two islands, the deep blue ocean is seen heaving its foam-capped billows, and extending to the horizon on the right. The grounds about the house are extensive, and still more beautiful than those of the consul. From the piazza, which reaches entirely across

4

38 FAYAL.

the- front of the house, the garden with its orange and lemon trees, whose fruits were lying neglected upon the ground, and its verdant shrubbery, is spread out before you.

We were soon ushered in to dinner, where we were introduced to Mrs. Dabney, mother of the consul, and to several other ladies, with whom we spent the hour very pleasantly. The dinner was excellent, and served up in good style, and it was peculiarly acceptable to me after my experience of sea fare during the past month. Im- mediately after dinner, we bade adieu to our very agree- able hosts, and hurried aboard the North America.

During our absence, the various articles ordered by the captain and myself, were sent on board in the con- sul's lighter. Potatoes, oranges, apples, wine, fowls, eggs &c, can be purchased here at a much cheaper rate than at home. Of potatoes, one hundred bushels were added to about an equal quantity we had on board. More than two thousand oranges were purchased at the rate of $3,00 per thousand, for the use of the ship. The Fayal oranges are small, and rather sour, while the apples are sweet and insipid.

I have been thus particular in enumerating our supplies, to exhibit the liberality with which whalers recruit wherever they stop for this purpose.

Late in the afternoon we left Fayal, and endeavored to beat out to sea, but failing in this attempt, as there was a strong current setting in between Fayal and Pico from the southward, we fell off before the wind, with the intention of circumnavigating the island. At sunset, we were driving along under a close reefed maintopsail and foresail, before a heavy squall off the land. The wind was fresh all night, but the next day, (Wednesday,) we were out of sight of land, very much to our satisfaction,

DEPARTURE. 39

lying to in a gale of wind, with the head of the ship pointing to the westward.

On Thursday, (Nov. 14,) with a fine breeze from the west, we altered our course for the south, and before night, we bade adieu to the hills of Fayal and the Peak of Pico, in sight of which we coasted during the day.

On Friday and Saturday, with the wind astern, we made rapid progress southward, enjoying the fruits and "fresh grub" we procured at the islands. On Sunday and to-day, (Monday,) the wind has continued to blow steadily from the N. E., and we are feeling the first impulses of the trade winds, regular breezes within the tropics, which blow generally from N. E. to S. W. on the north side of the Equator and from S. E. to N. W. on the south side.

This is the season of the year for the unusual display of shooting stars, which for several years past, since the grand exhibition of 1833, has excited so much attention among astronomers. Last Wednesday was the anniver- sary of this interesting event, and I had been looking forward to its recurrence with no ordinary feelings of interest, particularly as it had been enjoined upon me to make a careful record of what facts I might collect with reference to this phenomenon.

For several days previous, the officers of the watch told me that they had seen an unusual number of very brilliant meteors. It was not until Wednesday, that I felt myself well enough to look out for meteors, and at an early hour I was upon deck, in eager expectation. How great was my disappointment on finding the ship lying to in a gale of wind, and the sky overcast with heavy clouds.

On Thursday morning, I again made the attempt. It was a beautiful morning with a fine clear air ; but the

40 LUNAR BOW.

clouds that rose in quick succession and sailed across the sky, precluded all astronomical observation.*

Although an exhibition of this wonderful phenomenon has been denied me, I have often pictured to myself the scientific excitement that has undoubtedly occurred at New Haven ; and it has been to me a pleasing thought that though far away from home and friends, our minds are united in the same grand contemplations, and inter- ested in the recurrence of the same phenomenon.

Tuesday, Nov. 19. We are making rapid progress southward, and have arrived on the borders of the tropics. A fine, fresh breeze is impelling us forward tempered with the softness of a milder clime. Last evening, just after sunset, I saw a phenomenon of an entirely novel character to me. A bank of heavy clouds rested on the western horizon, and on its front a beauti- ful rainbow was set like a diadem. The moon was shining serenely in the eastern sky, which gave origin to this phenomenon. Captain Richards told me that he had very frequently seen these lunar rainbows, though not so often as the solar, but sometimes as brilliant even as the latter.

* The Meteoric Showers of November, are supposed by my father to have ceased after 1833. (" Letters on Astronomy," p. 350.)

CHAPTER III.

SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

Ship North America — Government aboard ship — Method of ascertaining the latitude and longitude — eccentricities of the cook — Amusements of the fore-castle — Etiquette on board ship — Employments of the crew — Description of the several parts of the ship, and peculiarities in the con- struction OF A WHALER — ORDER AND CONTENTMENT OF THE

crew — Library — Flying fish.

Before proceeding farther in my narrative, I will introduce the reader more particularly than I have yet done, to my ship and shipmates. It may be well also to explain the common maneuvres of a ship, and to de- scribe its several parts at once, rather than to interrupt the chain of my narrative by being obliged to stop fre- quently to render myself intelligible to the uninitiated.

The North America, was built by Stephen Girard, Esq., and was originally intended for a letter of marque during the last war with Great Britain. The war terminating before she was completed, she was applied to the merchant service and sent to the East Indies. About eight years since, she was purchased by her present owners, and converted into a whaler. She is an exceedingly strong vessel, with timbers of great size, and disposed rather more closely together than is custom- ary in most ships of her tonnage. Her frame work is entirely of live oak, the best material for shipbuilding in the world. She is a very fast sailer, particularly " on the wind," and in working to windward has always had the reputation of being surpassed by no square-rigged

42 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

vessel. Since leaving the United States, we have beaten every thing, although we have been under easy sail all the time.

Whalers are navigated by more than the usual number, of men for vessels of their tonnage. The North America measures 386 tons, and fifteen or sixteen men " all told," would be considered adequate for working her in the merchant service, whereas we carry thirty one men for our complement. Each boat has a crew of four men, besides the boatsteerer and the officer who commands her. As we carry four boats in service, the remainder of the crew work the ship, when the boats are in pursuit of whales. Some whale ships carry five boats in service, with a complement of forty men, and some but three, with a proportionate number.

The management of the ship rests with the captain and his officers. The supreme power is vested in the captain, and it is absolute, extending not only to the sailing of the ship and her internal economy, but also to the conduct of every one on board. He exacts the most scrupulous respect and deference from his officers and men, and quickly reprimands or punishes any infraction of the etiquette, which long usage has established. He has the power of turning an officer before the mast, and substituting one of the men in his place, if he is dissatis- fied with his conduct. The comfort of the men depends almost entirely upon the will of the captain. If he treats them with kindness, their lot is comparatively happy ; if he is tyrannical and abusive, the ship becomes a miniature purgatory. In case of mutiny, the captain would be justified at law, in shooting down any of the mutineers, or in using any coercive measures to compel them to return to their duty.

The captain and his officers take observations daily, if

SHIP NORTH AMERICA. 43

the weather permits, to ascertain the position of the ship, and it is the duty of the former to mark down her daily- progress upon the chart, a large scroll, upon which the shores of continents, islands, rocks, shoals &c, are accu- rately laid down in latitude and longitude. A ship's position on the globe, is known when her latitude and longitude are known. These are calculated by two methods, — by dead reckoning, which proceeds upon trigonometrical principles, and by observation of the heavenly bodies ; the latter is preferable, as it is the most exact in its calculations. Finding a ship's latitude by observation is a very simple problem. The Sun's alti- tude at noon is taken, and by a few calculations you have the latitude.

The longitude is obtained by taking an altitude of the Sun before noon or after noon, from which the exact time of day is ascertained, and then by comparing this time with the time at Greenwich, you have the longitude. That time is known from the chronometer, an extremely accurate timepiece adjusted to correspond to it, and carefully wound up so as to preserve the true Green- wich time. The necessity of extreme accuracy in the movement of these instruments will be readily seen, when it is recollected that an inaccuracy of four seconds will make an error of a mile in the supposed position of the ship. Hence it becomes very unsafe to rely upon a chronometer entirely, and the prudent navigator takes other observations every little while to rectify his chro- nometer j for if he can only ascertain its rate of going or amount of error, he can depend upon it without hazard. In this case, he resorts to the more careful and delicate observation of measuring the distance between the moon and the sun by the sextant, while his officers are taking altitudes of the Sun and Moon at the same instant, and

44 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

some one is noting the time by the chronometer. From these observations, the position of the ship is ascertained by two independent methods, and the correctness of the chronometer tested. The astronomical instruments made use of are the quadrant and sextant, the former used on common occasions for determining the latitude, and the latter when great delicacy of observation is requisite.

The captain stands no watch, but exercises a super- vision over all, to see that they do their duty. Several times during the night, the officers make report to him of the progress of the ship, the appearance of the weather, and any unusual occurrence. The captain also presides at table, and gives orders to the steward about every thing that comes upon the table, as well as about the distribution of provisions among the ship's company. He seldom has any conversation with the men ; all his commands are issued to them through his officers.

The most arduous duties aboard the ship, devolve upon the first mate. It is his duty to attend to the reception of all the stores that are put aboard the ship, and he also keeps the log-book, a kind of Journal ir> which are registered the progress of the ship every hour, her position in latitude and longitude, remarks on the weather, &c. When all hands are called, he takes his station with his watch upon the forecastle, and manages the head sails, lets go the anchor, and sees that every thing "alow and aloft," is "shipshape." The second mate with the starboard watch, is stationed in the waist of the ship to work the main and after sails, while the third mate belongs on the forecastle. The second mate of a merchantman is not usually respected very highly ; but the second and third mates of a whaler, having another grade of rank intervening between themselves

SHIP NORTH AMERICA. 45

and the foremost hands, are treated with much greater deference.

The next in rank are the boatsteerers, of whom one is attached to each boat, whose duty it is to keep the boat and all her appurtenances in complete order. They are also frequently sent off in charge of their boats to execute some command for the captain or officers, and are very ambitious to make a good appearance before the other men, or else they will not be respected. All whaleships carry a cooper, a carpenter, and a blacksmith, whose respective duties will be understood without my descend- ing to particulars.

Our crew is composed of representatives from a variety of nations. Besides the Americans, there are three Indians, one Englishman, six Portuguese, and several colored gentry, that claim to be Americans. One of the Indians bears the renowned name of John Uncas, and is a lineal descendent of the celebrated Sachem of the Mohegans. He is a very active intelligent boy, and will become a first rate seaman.

Our cook and steward belong to the ebony race ; the former, « Mr. Freeman," as he is often designated, is the most comical character I ever met with, and I cannot refrain from adding a tribute to his memory, as he is the fountain of all the fun and good humor aboard the ship. In this respect, he sustains a relation to the ship similar to that of the jester in a feudal establishment ; and although the captain and officers would consider it impairing their dignity to descend to any familiarity with the men, yet "Spot," is regarded as the privileged character on board, and the discipline is not relaxed by any amuse- ment at his expence, which the captain and officers choose to indulge in. He receives a serio-comic punish- ment from the captain and officers every day, when his

46 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

grimaces and exclamations are so ludicrous that I am sometimes almost faint with laughing. We call him down into the cabin now and then, and give him presents, to amuse ourselves with his elegant bows and expressive exclamations of satisfaction. He possesses all the negro accomplishments in full perfection, embellishing his conversation by the use of language in all the variations of which it is susceptible. He can sing a song, play upon the "fiddle," dance various jigs "on the light phantastic toe," and roll up the white of his eye — all in the genuine negro style. I have witnessed the exhibi- tions of many extravaganza performers, but I think they were surpassed by our cook with his various appella- tions of " Spot," " Jumbo," « Congo," « Skillet," " Kidney foot," &c. Among his other good qualities, he is extreme- ly polite, and bids me "good morning," with a very graceful bow ; and if I consult him about the weather, when the clouds indicate a favorable change, he takes a very wise look around in every direction, and predicts, that " we are going to have some very plausible weather, so far as the aspection of the sky would seem to elucidate" He is frequently summoned into the cabin, and soon makes his appearance on deck, with his capacious mouth distended to its utmost limits, with oranges, apples, and other things, which have been thrust into it.

The steward takes care of the ship's small stores, and distributes the provisions according to a bill of fare given to him by the captain. His appearance also partakes of the comical, especially when he waits upon table in the cabin, when his lank, ebony visage, and long limbs, remind me of the India Rubber men I have seen in shoe- maker's shops at home. He is a very important person- age among the men, however, especially with those who are looking anxiously for a stray bit from the cabin table.

SHIP NORTH AMERICA. 47

The cook with his " fiddle," and the steward with his tambourine, hold musical soirees on the forecastle every evening in pleasant weather. Whatever may be thought of the performances of these sable musicians, they are sufficient to excite the activity of all that are disposed to dance. There is a mysterious connection between the vibration of a fiddle string and the vibrations of the heels. For as soon as the sound of the violin is heard, then commences a general patter upon deck of all the excited. The dancing of sailors does not require a knowledge of the fashionable figures ; all that is neces- sary, is to keep time with the feet, and to beat the deck with a suitable degree of vehemence. Simple as this sport may appear, it serves happily to diversify a sea life, and I frequently go forward to amuse myself with the curious maneuvres exhibited, and the good humor that prevails. At eight bells, (eight o'clock,) all " sky- larking," or amusement instantly ceases, and all hands disperse, some to their berths, and others to their duties upon deck.

The men as I have before said, are divided into two watches, the larboard and the starboard, who keep watch upon deck alternately for four hours at a time. The watches are regulated by the bell, which is struck four times at every half watch, when the wheel is relieved as well as the look-outs at the mast-heads ; and eight times when the watch is out, and the other half of the crew come upon deck. In most ships I believe it is customary to strike the bell every half hour. There are certain forms of respect that are never deviated from aboard all vessels where discipline is observed. The foremost hands never come aft, unless they have busi- ness which calls them there, and then they always take the lee side of the ship, and any " sky-larking" upon the

48 SHIPAND SHIPMATES.

quarter deck, would be severely punished. If a sailor has occasion to go into the cabin upon any duty, he is careful to leave his hat upon deck.

It is an important object to keep the men always employed during their watch upon deck, and their duties are performed with regularity from day to day. At daylight, commences the scrubbing of decks and washing down fore and aft. This is done by the watch upon deck, who with their heavy " scrub brooms," and common brooms, wash and scrub the decks until they are perfectly clean. Sometimes soap and sand are used, as often as once every day or two. When this duty is completed, the mastheads are manned, and at half past seven o'clock, breakfast is served up, immediately after which, the carpenter, blacksmith and cooper, are engaged in their respective avocations, while the watch is em- ployed upon an old sail, picking oakum, making spun yarn, (fee. No one is allowed to be idle, and every thing proceeds with a regularity, which people in general, from a misconceived antipathy, are not willing to credit in a whaleman.

As was originally proposed, we will now describe the different parts of the ship, and the peculiar construction of a whaleship. In the accompanying diagram is a repre- sentation of the North America, on the wind, with her larboard tacks aboard,* and the reader is requested to compare the following description with the picture. From the bow of the vessel, projects the bowsprit, from the extremity of which extends the gibboom and flying

* The reason assigned by Jack, for giving the pronoun relating to a ship, the feminine gender, is rather amusing, and somewhat discourteous to the fairer portion of creation. Says Jack, " the reason why we call a ship a she, is because her rigging costs more than her hull ;" an opinion, to the truth of which, I hope I shall not be considered as certifying.

SHIP NORTH AMERICA. 49

gibboom in one stick. The foremast rises upon the bow, the mainmast in the middle, and the mizzenmast in the aftermost part of the vessel. The supports of the masts upon each side, are denominated swifters and shrouds, and unite in the tops, semicircular landing places, about nine feet wide, at right angles to the fore and mainmasts. That which corresponds to them on the mizzenmast is called the mizzen cross trees. The next upper divisions of the mast are called topmasts, as the foretopmast, &c. They are supported like the lower masts by headstays, shrouds and backstays. The next upper divisions are the top gallant masts, and the next the royal masts, terminating in a ball called the royal truck. The landing places above the tops are denomi- nated cross trees, and are named from the divisions of the mast to which they belong, as the foretopmast-crosstrees, the maintop -gallant crosstrees. The men sent aloft to look out for whales, are stationed in the top gallant- crosstrees. Upon the extremity of the flying gibboom rises the flying gib ; next to this, and nearer the vessel is the gib, and next comes the foretopmast- stay sail, a small triangular sail, used principally when the ship is " lying to" in a gale of wind. Upon the foremast are the foresail or forecourse, foretopsail, for etop gallant- sail, and some ships carry a foreroyal. Upon the mainmast, are the mainsail or maincourse, &c. Ships sometimes carry a sail above the royal, called the skysail, and sometimes, though rarely, a sail above this called a moonsail. These "light kites," however, are of but little use, and it would be much better to enlarge the royals and dispense with them altogether. Vessels, in going with the wind free, frequently carry temporary sails upon one or both sides of their topsails, topgallant-sails, and royals, called

50 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

studding sails. The largest sail upon the mizzenmast is the spanker ; above which is the gaft-topsail ; between the mizzenmast and mainmast, are seen two trian- gular sails, the lower one of which is named the mizzen staysail, and the upper the mizzen topmast-staysail. There are several other sails that ships sometimes spread, though rarely, which I will just enumerate, as, the gib of gibs ', gib topsail^ fore and main spenser, ringtail and water sail.

The yards, are the spars upon which the square rigging is distended, and receive their names from the sails " bent" upon them ; they are brought to any required angle with the length of the ship by means of the braces attached to the yard arm, and worked upon deck. The halliards, runners and ties, elevate the yards upon the upper masts. The sheets are those chains or ropes that draw down the ends of the sails to their proper places. The reef points are short ropes about two feet long, arranged in rows upon each side of the larger sails, and are used to dimin- ish their size. There are in the topsails three rows of reef points, and a ship is said to be under single, double or close reefed topsails, according as one or two or three reefs are taken in these sails. A sail is clewed up, when the extremities of its foot or lower edge are drawn up to the middle of the yard. There are many ropes used in working the sails, such as clewlines, buntlines, bowlines, and reef tackles, which it would be tedious to explain. A ship is said to be Hin stays," when the wind is ahead, in a line with the masts, when after receiving the wind on one side, she is. endeavoring to come around on the other. The wind is " abeam," when at right angles with the length of the vessel ; " upon the quarter," when it comes aft, but not in a line with the length of the ship.

SHIP NORTH AMERICA. 51

We will now come down from aloft upon deck.* Between the mainmast and foremast are the tryworks, large furnaces built of bricks, and containing two immense iron pots, for trying out the oil from the blub- ber. The flames and smoke escape through several openings in the top of the works. Between the main- mast and mizzenmast is the " galley," a little kennel large enough for the cook and his stove, but a mystery to all ambitious housekeepers with capacious kitchens, how so much, and such a variety can be cooked in so small a compass. There sits Jumbo, in sooty dignity, superin- tending the steaming coppers, and reflecting upon the responsibility of his station, while the hot liquids are scattered around, and perchance fly upon his unshod extremities, as the ship rolls heavily in a cross sea. In some ships, the galley is set forward of the foremast. Above the galley is a framework of spars, called " bearers," upon which the spare boats are turned bottom upwards.

In the aftermost part of the ship, are the ivheel and the binnacle, containing two compasses, by which the course of the ship is regulated.

Abaft the mizzenmast is the companion way leading into the cabin, appropriated exclusively for the captain and his officers. The cabin contains six staterooms, a storeroom and a pantry. A state-room aboard a ship, places a man in rather contracted quarters. One very soon becomes used to it, and I feel as contented in my little bandbox, measuring not more than six feet one way and four feet the other, and receiving light through thick ground glass set in the deck, as I should in a palace ; and I can sleep as comfortably in my berth with

* Looking towards the head of the ship, the right hand side is called the starboard, and the left hand the larboard.

52 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

its coffin-like dimensions, as upon the finest bed : much better too, for I am now prevented from rolling about in the pitching and tossing of the ship. Just forward of the mizzenmast is the steerage, covered over with a box having a slide upon it, called the " booby-hatch" a pecu- liar designation not applicable to those who live in the steerage, as they strenuously contend ; for here are loca- ted the boatsteerers, carpenter, cooper and blacksmith.

In some ships, all the steerage men take their meals in the cabin after the captain and officers have had theirs, but it is not the case with us.

Forward of the foremast, is the forecastle, a receptacle for sailors, where twenty- one men are stowed away, in a manner mysterious to those who have never visited this part of the ship. The forecastle of the North Amer- ica t aiUCh larger than those cf most ships of her ton- nage, and is scrubbed out regularly every morning. There is a table and a lamp, so that the men have con- veniences for reading and writing if they choose to avail themselves of them ; and many of them are practising writing every day or learning how to write. Their sta- tionery they purchase out of the ship's stores, and then come to one of the officers or myself for copies, or to have their pens mended. When not otherwise occupied, they draw books from the library in the cabin, and read; or if they do not know how, get some one to teach them. We have a good library on board, consisting of about two hundred volumes, and a good proportion of sperm whalers are also provided with them. Sailors, as a gen- eral thing, are ready to avail themselves of any opportu- nities for mental improvement ; and I have no doubt the efforts of the benevolent in supplying ships with good books and tracts, will be attended with great success. Notwithstanding the immorality that is to be so much

THE SLOP CHEST. 53

deplored among seamen, they have generally a respect for religion and its observances. It is very gratifying to take a look at the forecastle upon the Sabbath in pleasant weather. Perfect stillness prevails aboard the ship ; no loud talking is allowed, while the " people," after wash- ing and dressing themselves neatly, are seated around the forecastle, or upon the windlass, poring over the Bi- ble or some tract.*

We have a good medicine chest on board, which I believe to be the case with a majority of whale ships. To provide for wear and tear of clothes during the long voyage, a large assortment of garments of every kind is put on board, to be sold to the men as they may need, at a slight advance upon the original cost, after the expira- tion of one year from the time of sailing. These are denominated " slop chest " clothes. Were perfectly fair dealing observed in all cases towards the men in the management of the "slop chest," one of the most prolific sources of discontent aboard whale ships, would be en- tirely removed. The men as they ship for the voyage, are told that they need not trouble themselves about any preparations, as every thing they may require, can be purchased out of the "slop chest" after they get to sea. Upon applying for necessary clothing after they are sep- arated hundreds of miles from home, they find that eve- ry article they ask for, is indeed in the slop chest — but to have it, they are to be charged a most exorbitant profit on the first cost, so that all their hard earned wages are

* My situation as passenger, enables me to extend to the crew many acts of kindness which the stern discipline of the ship would hardly permit in an officer, and their gratitude is manifested by their avidity to oblige me when- ever any occasion presents itself, and to exhibit other marks of regard. Whenever in my rambles about the ship, I go forward, their looks indicate that I am no unwelcome visiter.

5*

m

54 SHIP AND SHIPMATES.

to be swallowed up to enrich those that have practised so pitiful a plan of fraud and oppression. Let me res- pectfully suggest to all those interested in fitting out whale ships, that upright dealing in the disposal of slop chest-goods, will ensure a far greater profit in the legit- imate results of the voyage, than any exorbitant gains which may be realized in taking advantage of the neces- sities of the sailor.

The boats are hoisted up by means of davits, (" da- vies ") curved timbers upon which the boat tackles are worked, and are supported by cranes swinging under- neath them. The ivindlass is a powerful apparatus in the forward part of a ship for hoisting the anchors or for any other purpose requiring the exertion of great power; it revolves horizontally, worked by long levers called handspikes, and is movable in one direction, but immovable in the other.

Thursday, Nov. 28. We are now within five degrees of the equator, a latitude all over the ocean visited with heavy squalls of deluging rain, with baffling winds, and oppressive heat. This region, known to the sailor, by the name of uthe doldrums" extends from five to eight degrees north latitude, the interval between the trade winds, and ships are sometimes detained here for twelve or fourteen days in the most disagreeable position imagi- nable. For a week past the weather has been most de- lightful with a fine fresh breeze from the eastward.

Flying fish are found upon the deck of the ship almost every morning, having flown aboard during the night. The flying fish is a beautiful silvery fish, having delicate, gauze-like wings, that appear like enlarged fins, with which he rises from the sea and skims along with a kind of tremulous vibration, to a distance of thirty or forty yards frequently, when his wings beginning to grow dry,

FLYING FISH. 55

compel him to fall into the ocean again. Flying fish in their flight near a ship, are often taken in a current of air, and drawn aboard, when they fall upon her deck, particularly during the night, and this is a more frequent occurrence in rough than in calm weather. They vary very much in size, from those which are not larger than insects, and hardly discernible, to those that measure twelve or fifteen inches in length. The larger kind are furnished with an additional pair of wings, located just above the ventral fin, but smaller than those towards the head.

For a long time flying fish were considered as fabu- lous animals by those who had not been over the blue waters, and there are some living " remote from cities," that are still incredulous about their existence.

CHAPTER IV.

WHALING SCENES.

Attack and capture of whales — General appearance of the

sperm whale great size of the respiratory organs and

vascular system — sympathy of cetaceous animals for each other — Inaccurate representations of the whale — Nature of blubber — " cutting in " — perils attending the process— Spermaceti — " Trying out."

Monday, Dec. 2. Yesterday was a great day aboard the North America, as it was our first initiation into the appropriate business of the voyage. With the excep- tion of a whale we saw a few days before reaching Fayalj which proved to be the Jin-back, a species very rarely taken by the whaler, we have not seen the spout of a whale since leaving the United States, a period of a month and a half. For the greater part of this time the look-outs have not been stationed at mast-head, owing to the rough weather we have constantly encountered.

About eight o'clock yesterday morning, the ship was thrown into confusion by the welcome cry " There she blo-o-o-ws," sounded several times from mast-head. " Where away?" was asked by the captain on deck. " Right ahead — a school of sperm whales." And indeed, about a mile off, a frequent succession of mist-like puffs, rising above the sea, to the height of five or six feet, indi- cated our proximity to a school of sperm whales. Every one hurried upon deck at the first sound, and every thing was in a state of commotion. " Come down from aloft — haul up the mainsail and spanker — helm down — back

'

ATTACK AND CAPTURE OF WHALES. 57

the maintopsail — clear away your boats — lower away starboard and larboard !" shouted the captain in a breath ; and in an instant the ship was lying motionless upon the sea. A rattling of boat-tackle-falls, several plunges in quick succession, and the fleet boats glided swiftly over the billows, with their long oars flashing in the morning sun. In a few moments, after surrounding the spot where the whales were last seen, they "hove up," to await their re-appearance, while those of us on board were watching with breathless interest for the whales to "come up." In fifteen or twenty minutes, "there she blows," " there she blows !" was quickly repeated by half a dozen eager spectators. Their re-appearance was soon perceived by the boats, and pursuit was instantly given by one or two of them in the most cautious manner, lest the whales becoming " gallied" or alarmed, should take to flight.

" Captain's boat's after them— there he stands ready to give it to him — don't miss, Tom, (the name of a boat-steer- er,) don't for gracious sake — oh dear, he's hove up — there goes flukes — white waters — Mr. Babcock's boat goes on to them — there he gives it to him, hurrah !" — Such were some of the exclamations from the forecastle. "One boat's fast !" shouted the ship-keeper who had gone aloft. As I watched the boats through the spyglass, I saw one of them running swiftly through the water with its oars " peaked," i. e., with their blades elevated high up upon each side — now darting in one direction, then in another — then stationary; until in a few minutes the poor animal exhausted with pain, and the violence "of his efforts, comes up to breathe, when he receives another harpoon, and several strokes of the lance, and goes down again, lashing the sea furiously in his agony. " Another boat's fast !" shouted the lookout from mast head, and

58 WHALING SCENES.

the welcome news was received with a shout of enthu- siasm by all on deck. "There he carts him!" as the boat was hurried over the waves with a long line of foam after her — "spade his flukes — touch him in the tender spot !"

Meanwhile, the whale that had been first struck, exhausted with pain and the loss of blood, which tinged the sea of a crimson hue in his wake, begins to exhibit signs of giving up the contest. He runs wildly around, lashing the sea with his flukes, and throwing himself out of water, while a crimson spray is blown into the air, telling that he is " in his flurry," or in the agonies of death. The boat to which he was fast, drew off to a respectful distance to await the fearful struggle, which terminated in a few minutes, and the huge animal " turned up" or rolled over on his side, now harmless, the spoil of his daring captors.

When there are other whales in sight, the captured whale is "waifed," i. e., a rod of four or five feet in length, bearing a little flag, is inserted into his carcass, which is now abandoned, and pursuit is given in another direction. As the whale is a dark object, and rises but little above the surface of the sea, he is not readily discerned without this precautionary measure.

In the course of half an hour, the second whale ft turned up," and the boats abandoning the chase after the others, returned to the ship, towing the captured whales.

The general appearance of the whale, is that of a huge flabby mass, rising but little above the surface of the sea, and bending in conformity with the undulations of the waves. The head and the back of the sperm whale are nearly in a line as far as the hump, a thick prominence, rising above the ridge of the back. The head, in bulk, is nearly one third of the entire animal,

i

i w "•"•i;

DESCRIPTION OF THE WHALE. 59

and is very angular in its outline with a small receding under jaw, set with firm short teeth, forty two in number, slightly curved inwards, at an interval of two or three inches apart, while there are no teeth in the upper jaw. At the upper angle of his head, is a cleft, closed at will, from which the confined air of the lungs is blown out whenever the animal comes upon top of water, con- densed in a white mist, that vanishes in an instant. From the hump, the ridge of the back descends in irregular curves frequently, until it reaches the flukes^ or tail. The flukes are the most formidable weapon of the whale. Unlike those of fish, which are set verti- cally, the flukes of all whales are horizontal: at their union with the main body of the animal, the juncture is very small, and whenever a whale is violent in his movements, a few strokes of the spade across the ten- dons of the flukes, passing along here, will very soon reduce him to submission. The outline of the lower part of the animal is slightly undulatory, terminating in the jaw, which runs to a point. There are two side fins or "swimming paws," short and thick, at a distance from the extremity of the head, of about one third the length of the animal. They are supposed by some to assist the animal in balancing himself, as they are too small to be of very material service in moving forwards; in many other species of the whale, the side fins are much longer than in the cachalot or sperm. The eye is exceedingly small, not larger than that of an ox, and is located in a prominence in the back part of the head. The ear* is a funnel shaped cavity situated between the eye and the lower jaw, of so minute a size, as hardly to admit one's little finger.

* Dr. Good in his " Book of Nature," gravely asserts that the whale has no external ear, but that sounds are conveyed to him through his mouth.

60 WHALING SCENES.

Between the eye and the hump, the body swells out to its largest dimensions, and is often deeply wrinkled.

The color of the sperm whale is usually of ash grey, with occasional dashes of whitish streaks, laid on irregu- larly over his exterior.

The Cetacea are warmblooded animals, and are provided with an internal organization, like that of land animals, which obliges them to come up to the surface of the water to breathe. The length of time elapsing before they require a fresh supply of air, differs with the size of the animal. A large sperm whale will sometimes stay down over an hour and a half; when he returns to the surface again, however, he sometimes remains up for more than half an hour, moving sluggishly about and blowing off every few moments.

When we contemplate the immense proportions exhi- bited by some varieties of Cetacea in their organization — the lungs expanding with the vast volume of air inhaled — and the heart impelling at each pulsation from ten to fifteen gallons of blood through an aorta, a foot in diam- eter, into the vascular system— the idea of their magni- tude must fill the mind with astonishment. "The diameter of the aorta, of a sperm whale that was thrown upon the coast of Yorkshire was 12£ inches ; thickness of the coat of the artery * inch. Length of the heart from the apex to the valves of the aorta, 3 feet 10 inches. On the left ventricle being laid open, its capa- city was guessed to contain from eight to ten gallons.-" (Camb. Phil. Trans.)

Since the order Cetacea does not derive oxygen by a separation of the atmosphere from the element in which they live, as is the case with all kinds offish, which are provided with a peculiar apparatus for this purpose, the length of time during which respiration is suspended in

SPERM WHALE. 61

many varieties of this order is most worfderful. " Respi- ration is in a great degree subservient to the circulation of the blood ; the stimulus to inspiration is the accumu- lation of this fluid in the lungs, which when purified, proceeds to the heart whence it is propelled through the frame for the purpose of secretion, &c; after which, it is again received into the veins, when it assumes its venous aspect, and is deprived of its arterial character. The circle thus described in man and the mammalia generally is, so to speak, continuous and simple. In the cetacea, however, it is not so ; for in them, the arterial portion, instead of being a simple and direct course to the venous, is complicated by the addition of a structure, which we believe is peculiar to this order, and which is nothing less than a grand reservoir for the reception of a great quantity of arterial blood, which as occasion requires, is emptied into the general circulation, and thus for a time supersedes the necessity of respiration." (Naturalist's Library, vol. vi. p. 50.)

Whales are also viviparous, and of course, the cow whale is provided with udders for suckling her young, in common with all mammalia.

In an attack upon a school of whales, it is very com- mon with whalers to strike a calf whale, for its dam will not readily desert her offspring, and in her extreme solicitude for her young, is a frequent victim. The taking of one of a school, almost always ensures the capture of another, for his comrades do not immediately abandon the victim, but swim around him, and appear to sympa- thise with him in his sufferings.

The appearance of the whale as represented in most works of natural history, is extremely inaccurate, and no one would suspect for what it was designed, unless it were labelled.

6

62

WHALING SCENES.

All cetaceous animals are enveloped in a thick cover- ing of fat called blubber, varying in thickness from four to fourteen inches, and very different in animals of the same size. It is a firm, hard substance of a fibrous tex- ture, infiltrated with oil, and surrounded upon the exte- rior with a strong skin, generally having a thick scurf adhering to it. There is also a thin semi-transparent skin adhering loosely to the surface of the animal, and not unfrequently hanging in tatters over his carcase.

After the whale has been secured alongside by a rope or chain passing around his flukes, and carried to the bowsprit bitts in the forward part of the ship, then comes the most laborious part of the whaling business. The cutting gear is rove, consisting of two very large and strong ropes passing through powerful blocks, hanging a few feet below the main-top, and through others upon deck, strapped with large thimbles, into which a bar of wood may be introduced, three or four inches in diame- ter, and about two feet in length. Two immense iron hooks, about two feet and a half in height, and provided with a shackle and toggle so as to " ship and unship," complete the cutting gear.

The implements used in " cutting in " the whale, are cutting spades with long " poles " or handles ; boarding knives, two edged knives, about two feet and a half long, sharp pointed, and fixed upon a handle about three feet long — pikes, bars of iron pointed with steel and fixed upon the ends of short poles — and gaff hooks, iron hooks pointed with steel, also fixed upon poles in a similar manner.

Having thus described the implements of a cutting in" the whale, I will now attempt to describe the process.

Upon each side of the gangway, a staging is let down, upon which those that wield the cutting spades, take

CUTTING IN. 63

their stand. A deep incision is made into the neck of the whale, through which the blood flows in a deluge, discoloring the sea, and almost hiding the animal from view. The ship with her foretopsail " hove a-back," moves slowly out of the " bloody water," and soon a large hole is cut in the blubber into which the blubber hook is in- serted, connected with the windlass by the powerful purchase which I have before described. To point the hook into the orifice made for it, one of the boatsteerers, having upon his feet a pair of woollen stockings to pre- vent his slipping, jumps overboard, guarded by a rope passing under his arms, and tended by one of the men upon deck. It is no very easy matter to introduce the hook into the proper place, while the sea is dashing the whale against the ship and the waves are breaking over him ; so that a man runs the risk of being strangled, or of being bruised by the concussion of the animal with the vessel. The danger of being horribly mutilated by the sharks that assemble in great numbers during the " cutting in," attracted by the scent of blood, is by no means inconsiderable. They are so voracious, that not- withstanding the deep gashes they receive from the cut- ting spades, they rush upon the whale, and tear off large masses of blubber with their formidable jaws. Several times I trembled for the safety of the man who was en- deavoring to fix the blubber hook into the proper place, as a large shark came up within a few inches of his leg, and once I thrilled with horror as one of those ravenous monsters turned over in the attitude of seizing one of his limbs m his terrible teeth ; but at this moment a pull upon the rope extricated the man from his perilous situ- ation. Sharks of this species (the blue, peaked nose va- riety) rarely bite any one ; yet in the bloody water around the whale, they snap at whatever they can lay

64 WHALING SCENES.

hold of, and the adventurous seaman is sometimes man- gled in the most horrible manner by their jaws, which are powerful enough to sever a limb instantly. — At one time the man had thrust the hook into the hole when his leg had struck, when he jumped upon the whale, and his limb would have been crushed, had not the hook slipped from the blubber at that instant.

After the hook has been properly adjusted in the ori- fice cut for its reception, a gash is cut obliquely upon each side ; a turn or two is given at the windlass, and the blubber, yielding to the tremendous strain, becomes detached, and is unwound, while the whale rolls over and over, until the entire exterior coat, about a yard in breadth is torn off down to the flukes. When the strip of blubber has been elevated to some distance above the deck, the second set of cutting gear is brought into ser- vice ; and the strap and thimble are thrust through an opening cut into the blubber, and secured by the wooden bar fixed into it, while the blubber above it is severed and dropped into the blubber room, a space appropriated for the reception of it under the main hatch. Both the blubber hooks are dispensed with for the present, and the thimbles succeed one another alternately, until the body of the whale has been disposed of. While this process has been going forward, the head has been cut off just behind the eyes, and secured to the main channels or by a rope passing on board and fastened to the maintopsail sheet bitts. The under jaw is then severed and hoisted in upon deck, and the remainder of the head after being divided into two triangular portions, is also taken aboard. The head of the sperm whale is the most valuable part of the animal, containing by far the richest proportion of spermaceti, although the oil made from any part of the animal yields a certain proportion. Hence, it is always

SPERM OIL

65

desirable to raise the head upon deck, if practicable ; if otherwise the " case," a cavity in the upper part of the head, is opened and bailed out, while the latter is firmly secured alongside the ship. The case is surrounded by a thick wall of a white, gristly substance, termed by the whalers u white horse ;" the cavity is lined with a yel- lowish fat, and is filled with oil of a very superior qual- ity, which, when warm, is perfectly limpid, but concretes in beautiful white masses, if allowed to become cold, or as it drips upon the water.

Above is a representation of the outline of the sperm whale, with the sections into which his exterior coat is divided. The position of the cavity of the case is indi- cated by the letter a ; b, the junk ; c, bunch of the neck ; d, hump ; e, flukes ; /, /, blanket pieces, — spiral bands in which the blubber is unwound from the carcase ; g9 orifice in the blubber for the reception of the blubber hook, attached to the cutting falls, h.

It is to be remarked, that fresh oil has but very lit- tle or none of that nauseous, disagreeable odor that belongs to it when it is put into our lamps at home after two or three years have elapsed since it was ob- tained, and it is a common thing aboard whale ships to treat their crews with a quantity of dough nuts fried in the oil dipped from the case. 1 have no doubt they have a fine relish, and I should be very glad to try

6*

66 WHALING SCENES.

some of them myself, although some time will probably elapse first, as the rule aboard the North America is not to have any dough nuts fried in head oil until there are a thousand barrels of oil on board.

The larger of the two whales we took this morning, must have measured about forty feet, and the smaller about twenty-five feet. The length of the head was not far from twelve feet in the larger, and contained a cavity large enough to hold two or three men after the oil (sev- enty or eighty gallons) had been dipped out.

Sperm whales have been captured of a length exceed- ing eighty feet, and a good estimate may be formed of the magnitude of the case, when it is known that over ten barrels of oil are frequently dipped from this cavity.

The head oil and fat are immediately committed to the try-pots, while the blubber in the blubber room is cut up into angular pieces of two feet in length perhaps, by one foot in breadth. Meanwhile a fire has been kindled in the furnace, which is kept up night and day, until the oil is tried out and put up in casks. The tubs for hold- ing the blubber, of various sizes, are also brought up from " between decks," as well as the mincing- horses, and mincing knives, sharp knives with a handle at each end, and used for cutting up the junks of blubber into small pieces. Some of the men are down among the blubber, others are engaged in sliding the tubs to the main hatch for the reception of blubber, and in pushing them back to the mincing horse upon the larboard side near the tryworks — others still, are employed about the mincing horse, while the officer of the watch with one or two boatsteerers, or the best men in his watch, superintend the tryworks. The fire is commenced with pieces of dry wood, and is afterwards supported with great intensity by the " scraps " or refuse pieces of blubber from which

SPERM OIL. 67

the oil has been tried out. The oil must be boiled in order to expel every thing of a watery nature. that might have been mingled with it in its natural state, otherwise it cannot be preserved from corruption. As the boiling point of oil is far above that of water, the heat required is of a very high temperature, as is strikingly illustrated by the melting of solder off from any tin vessel intro- duced into the fluid.

Great care is required in trying out, to prevent the oil from being burnt, and also to guard against the danger of water getting into the boiling cauldrons, which would immediately dash up in steam, and throw their contents around in every direction. Hence this process is very hazardous in boisterous weather, and appears to be dangerous enough at any time. When the oil has been boiled sufficiently, it will crepitate sharply if a little water is sprinkled upon it. The scraps are now taken out, and thrown into a tub with a perforated bottom to allow the oil to drain from them. They then look like pieces of fried pork, and taste very much like it, as I can testify from experience. Fresh pieces of blubber are now introduced into the pots, and the oil is bailed out into the cooler, a large rectangular, copper vessel, capable of holding from six to ten barrels, provided with a stopcock fixed into the side with a perforated plate before it to prevent the escape of fine scraps that may happen to be floating about. The oil is drawn off from the cooler into the deck pot, a large, spare iron pot, from which, while warm, it is poured into the casks, which shrink as the oil grows cold, thus allowing the hoops to be forced on farther than they could otherwise be driven.

In trying out a whale, the respective watches are upon duty six hours instead of four, and of course, have a watch below of six hours. The fatigues of this part of

68 WHALING SCENES. •

whaling are so great, that the ordinary rest of four hours duration, is insufficient to revive the men.

Tuesday, December 3. The process of trying out continued without cessation, until yesterday afternoon, when after this laborious business was completed, the tubs, knives &c, were removed below, and the ship received a thorough scouring fore and aft, with strong alkali and sand applied with the scrub brooms. And indeed she required it, for the muddy scurf from the exterior of the whale uniting with the oil, does not improve the appearance of anything with which it comes in contact. The " trying out," was not however, so disgusting an operation as I had anticipated, as the cutting up of blubber and handling it, is confined to the waist and forward parts of the ship.

The day after trying out is usually given to the crew of whalers, for the purpose of washing their clothes and cleaning themselves, and also as a period of rest after the fatigues they have just passed through. With the exception of manning the wheel and the mastheads therefore, no duty is required of the men.

CHAPTER V.

CROSSING THE LINE.

Disagreeable and cruel tricks formerly practised on the "Green Horn" — Ceremonies of initiation into the myste- ries of Neptune — Novel and interesting aspect of the starry heavens in another hemisphere — Delightful weather — Phosphorescence of the sea.

Wednesday, December 4. We crossed the Equator sometime this forenoon, in about thirty degrees West Longitude. We were expecting to do this, last Sunday, but the delay occasioned by the taking of whales &c., carried us so far from our course, that we have ever since been occupied in making the sixty or eighty miles that intervened before reaching the line.

The crossing of the line, is considered an important event in a " greenhorn's" life. It was formerly customary to compel him to pass through many disagreeable cere- monies in order to initiate him into the mysteries of Neptune, and to propitiate the favor of his godship upon his future career over the ocean. In some ships it is still allowable to play all manner of tricks upon the novice, whatever may be his station aboard the vessel. If he happens to be of a very susceptible character, his imagination is stimulated by vivid descriptions of Nep- tune, and his awful appearance to the uninitiated, while crossing the line. Marvellous tales are also told him of the wrath of the deity which has always been displayed towards those, who upon this occasion refused to do

70 CROSSING THE LINE.

homage to his resistless sovereignty over the ocean. If the aspirant is particularly ignorant and credulous, he is induced to go aloft and remain there all day to look out for the line, which he expects to find accurately drawn upon the face of the waters, by the hand of old father Neptune. The night before crossing, in particular, he is told to be on the watch for Neptune's light, which is always displayed near the Equator: and sure enough, during the evening, he discerns a bright light dancing upon the billows, not far from the ship, looking to his excited imagination like the lamp of some weird spirit.

This is but the commencement of the ceremonies. After undergoing a plentiful ablution in the briny ele- ment, administered by bucketsfull, he is blindfolded to await the awful presence of the king and queen of the ocean. Seated upon a board placed across the top of a large tub filled with salt water, he is presented with a huge tin trumpet, which he raises to his mouth and thunders forth, " Neptune a-hoy !" when a bucket of salt water is dashed into the mouth of the trumpet, accompanied by a push over backwards, which plunges him into the water underneath, headfirst, and he scram- bles out of the tub, almost strangled to death, with a most natural horror of the arcana of Neptune. As he recovers, his majesty makes his appearance over the side of the ship, arrayed in a fanciful costume, with long streamers of seaweed entwined in his hair, and bearing on high his mystic trident. He is accom- panied by Mrs. Neptime in the attire of the Queen of the Mermaids, and her presence is hailed with enthu- siastic devotion by all the genuine salts who have passed through the ordeal of initiation.

After their majesties have mounted upon their thrones, (the tryworks for instance,) the novice is brought before

INITIATION CEREMONIES. 71

them and compelled to answer a great variety of ques- tions, (for his majesty is extremely inquisitive,) and should he persist in keeping his mouth shut, his tacitur- nity is broken by a thump under the chin. If he opens his mouth and becomes communicative to too great a degree, a stopper is introduced by one of his majesty's attendants, consisting of the most disgusting materials that can be collected together. The candidate is also often subjected to the process of being shorn by the mis- chievous attendants of the irresistible sea god. A piece of an iron hoop is produced, together with a bucket of " slush " and tar, which is plentifully daubed over the face of the novice, and scraped off with the iron hoop ! He is now instructed in a few wholesome rules, such as not to smoke his pipe upon the quarter deck — when he goes aft to take the lee side of the deck, &c, each article of the code being pounded into his comprehension and re- membrance by a tremendous thump on the back. — As the grand finale which gives him an indisputable claim to the title of seaman, he is u keel-hauled ," i. e. a rope is « bent " around his body, and he is thrown overboard to be drawn under the ship and hauled up on the other side ! He is now considered as regularly inducted into the mysteries of Neptune, after having sworn " by the pumps, the chains, the channels, and all abaft the miz- zen rigging " to observe all the requisitions of the sea god.

These disagreeable and cruel ceremonies, which were formerly observed very generally, have for the most part become disused. On board the North America, nothing of the kind was tolerated. With the exception of Nep- tune's light, which was discovered upon the waters last Saturday night, as the handiwork of Mr. Freeman, no attempt was made to play tricks upon the green horns.

72 CROSSING THE LINE.

Thus we have crossed the line, and at this moment are fifteen or twenty leagues southward of it. I have just been upon deck to take a look at the stars. The north star, that has been slowly descending in the sky, evening after evening, has sunk below the horizon, and with it the remembrance of home brought so vividly to mind in the evening sky, and the fond associations the silent stars are calculated to inspire, have seemed to set.

Saturday ^ Dec. 7. We are now about seven degrees to the southward of the equator, and the mild air of the trade wind is impelling us forward over a smooth sea. The days are lengthening rapidly, and the temperature of the atmosphere is most delightful, the thermometer ranging at seventy-six or eighty degrees in the shade. It is most refreshing to sit in the shadow of the sails, and inhale the exhilarating breeze, and to view the ocean breaking into bright waves with snowy crests, and to trace the serene sky shading off into mellow light until it meets the deep blue waters, where it is reflected in their heaving undulations.

I have often at night, leaned over the ship's side and for a long time watched the phosphorescent spangles that seemed to dance upon the sea, as it has been agita- ted by our progress over the depths. Even in our lati- tude at home, sea water phosphoresces beautifully when agitated ; but this exhibition is faint in comparison with what we have in these tropical regions. Around the bow, along the side, and in the wake of the ship, the sea seems to be on fire. Countless spangles emerge from the troubled waters, while brilliant phosphorescent flashes and globes of light of great size, illuminate the ship's path. Occasionally a wave breaks at a distance from the vessel, and from its crest issues a ball of light

PHOSPHORESCENCE. 73

that seems to play upon the dark waters like the flicker- ing rays of the ignis fatuus. The porpoises and other animals that sport around the ship, leave a luminous train after them, winding frequently in serpentine curves. There is also in these latitudes a gelatinous substance, a species of the medusa?, called by the seamen the "sea cucumber" from a resemblance to the garden cucumber in size and shape. It exists in vast quantities within the tropics, and when disturbed by the ship, emits a brilliant phosphorescence. In rough weather it is often thrown upon deck, and rolls down to leeward like a fire-ball.

CHAPTER VI.

CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

Fall in with the " Messenger " of New-Bedford — Sickness on board this ship — medical practice of sea-captains — fall in with the " William and Eliza" — Social habits of whalers — Whaling Scenes — Versatility of talent requisite for an accomplished seaman — Dress and manners of the crew — Mr. Freeman's soirees — Annoyances on ship-board — Christmas — Mechanical employments of the men.

Tuesday, Dec. 10. Upon going on deck this morn- ing after breakfast, we saw a ship upon our weather quarter standing towards us, and from her taking in sail, concluded she was desirous of speaking us ; accordingly, we hauled our maintopsail aback, awaiting the approach of the stranger. She came down beautifully before the wind, and passing close astern, clewed up her main course, and backed her maintopsail within a short dis- tance to leeward. She proved to be the " Messenger of New-Bedford," and as she passed us, we were hailed by her captain, who requested Captain K. to come on board his ship and prescribe for the mate who was lying dan- gerously sick.

A boat was soon in readiness, and by Capt. Richards's invitation, I accompanied him on board the " Messen- ger." The neat exterior of this little ship (her tonnage is less than three hundred) corresponded with what we saw on board of her. The deck was white and clean, and every thing was in good order and nicely painted. We descended into a handsome, light, and airy cabin, with ranges of state rooms upon each side. The pantry

SICKMAN. 75

door stood open, displaying the culinary furniture taste- fully arranged upon the shelves.

In one of the state rooms lay the sick man. He had been laboring under a violent fever for a long time, which had affected his mind, so that it was with some difficulty we were able to ascertain his exact state of feeling. The fever appeared to have abated, owing to his having taken an emetic which reduced the febrile symptoms.

Capt. Kendrick, of the Messenger, said that he knew nothing of the treatment necessary, and requested Capt. R. to prescribe whatever he thought proper. It is a wonder indeed, that sailors escape the effects of disease as often as they do, since they are out of the reach of medical advice for so long a time. Every master of a vessel is the physician and surgeon aboard his ship ; his medicines are all numbered corresponding to certain numbers in a little pamphlet of directions accompanying them, and whenever necessary, he makes a selection ac- cording to the best of his judgment.

After prescribing what we thought his case required, and directing the invalid to be kept cool, we went down the ship's side into our boat, after agreeing with the master of the Messenger to sail in company with him for a few days. Soon after we regained the North America, the Messenger stood off until her hull sank below the horizon ; then hauling her wind, she contin- ued on the same course parallel with us all day.

Towards evening, she gradually drew up within a couple of miles of us, and hung out her signal lantern which was answered from the North America.

It is a very pleasant thing to sail in company in this way. A long voyage is relieved of its tedious monotony, and you feel that you are not alone upon the wide

76 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

waters, but that there are those near you who welcome you with an interest that nothing but a long seclusion from society can inspire. By the way, I have said nothing about my medical pursuits, since leaving the United States. Having always had a penchant for medical studies, I brought among my books for the voyage, several works upon medicine, which have been studied with great interest. In several cases of sickness that we have had, Capt. R., has had confidence enough in me to consult me, and very fortunately, in every instance my suggestions have proved successful ; so that I have become a sort of doctor on board ; and having a medicine chest of my own, containing some medicines not found in the ship's chest, I have had no small run of practice for a tyro.

Wednesday, Dec. 11. Our consort preserved her distance from us until about one o'clock this afternoon, when she luffed up towards us, for the purpose of speak- ing us. Upon nearing us, she hovp. to, and we went astern of her, communicating with Capt. Kendrick, who requested us to come on board his ship again, and take a look at his mate. Capt. Richards requested me to go ofT to the Messenger with the second mate. Just as we were leaving the North America, another ship, which had been in sight all the morning, astern of us, now came up and rounded to under our lee. The sea was very " rugged," and we mounted upon the ridges of the rolling billows, and descended again, while the huge waves threatened to engulf us, until we reached the Messenger. Mounting in a boat upon the surges of the open ocean, is a very different matter from gliding along on the smooth waters of our bays or sounds.

We found the invalid somewhat better, although having never been sick before, he was inclined to be

SHIP WILLIAM AND ELIZA. 77

despairing of recovery and faithless in the efficacy of medicines ; a moderate supply of faith would render his case altogether more encouraging, as a confident reliance* upon the efficacy of medicine is often, I have no doubt, of more avail than the medicine itself.

Returning to the North America, Capt. Richards invited me to accompany him on board the other ship, the " William and Eliza," of New Bedford ; her captain had some time previously broken his leg, and requested Capt. R., to give his advice respecting it. We boarded the stranger, and found the master sitting upon deck, looking much better than we had expected to see him. Both bones of the lower part of the leg near the ankle, had been fractured, but the fracture was healing in a very favorable manner. We were conducted into a very handsome cabin, where we had some conversation about the news from home. The captain of this ship had been out from thirty to thirty five days, but had taken no oil. The news he gave us, that all the banks were upon the eve of suspending specie payments, was of no very agreeable character, as may be easily imagined.

We were obliged to decline the very pressing invita- tion of the captain to take supper with him, as Capt. R., was unwilling to remain away from his ship in rough weather. We did so much against our will, as the promise of " fresh grub," was exceedingly tempting, after the liberal exercise we have had upon « salt junk " for some time before. A large pig was hanging up ready for cooking, while an abundance of goats, ducks &c, ren- dered it the more trying to resist the Captain's earnest solicitations to take supper with him.

Every thing looked neat and in excellent order aboard the « William and Eliza," and I left her with very favor- able impressions of the New Bedford whalers.

78 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

It is customary for the masters and officers of whalers, while cruising upon the same "grounds," to make frequent interchanges of visits. Towards evening the ships draw near to one another, to allow their officers an opportunity of having a "gam," which continues some- times to a late hour, when all their various whaling adventures are narrated over a good supper, got up in the best style the ship can exhibit.

With regard to my newly acquired title of " doctor," which was given me aboard these ships, I must say that I have been enabled to bear the honor with all becoming humility. It was, however, with some difficulty that I kept my countenance, when they invited the "doctor" down into the cabin to see the invalids. On board the " William and Eliza," the mate came up to me and said, "Well, doctor, what do you think of the mate of the Messenger ? Do you think there is any probability of his recovery?" Upon which, assuming a professional air, that would have been creditable to an old practitioner, I answered without hesitation — " Yes, certainly, he will be well enough before long, if nothing happens unfavor- ably ;" an opinion not far from the truth, and generally applicable in all cases of sickness.

Aboard the "William and Eliza," I was asked several questions about the Captain's leg, which would have puzzled me, were it not that I had picked up a little anatomy from the college lectures, and was master of a few facts and terms which passed, at such a distance from the faculty, for a profound knowledge of the healing art.

Thus much in vindication of my title of " doctor." In the enjoyment of this dignity, I am not alone, however, on board. Mr. Freeman, among his cognomens of "Spot," "Jumbo," "Congo," and "Skillet," receives the title of " Doctor," by virtue of his office, not from his

SOCIAL HABITS OF WHALERS. 79

medical abilities, but from his talent for uniting together marvellous ingredients in the compounds he prepares.

Friday, Dec. 13. Yesterday, about noon, a large school of Sperm Whales was seen directly ahead about four miles off, moving very rapidly to windward, having been "gallied"or alarmed by the " Messenger," which ran in among them before they were perceived. We set our maincourse, flying gib and spanker, and braced up sharp upon the wind, with the hope of having an opportunity of "going on to them." It was a very animating scene on board ; the men sprang to their stations with great alacrity, and "there she blows," " there she breeches," " there goes flukes," was echoed from thirty deeply interested spectators.

Early in the afternoon, a large whale was seen imme- diately under our lee beam, about half a mile off. The boats were soon in chase, but after an unsuccessful pursuit of an hour and a half, they returned, having rested upon their oars for nearly half an hour, while the whale was " down." He was a large animal, and would have made probably, sixty or severity barrels of oil.

This morning, our consort was observed to have backed her maintop-sail, an indication that something was seen, and accordingly we bore down for her. As we neared her, we saw that her boats had not been lowered, and seeing no whales, we luffed up into the wind and stood off in another direction. Just then, "There she blows," was sounded and repeated from the masthead; and within a couple of miles off our lee bow, a large school of sperm whales was seen blowing in frequent jets d'eau, and moving rapidly away from the ship. The boats were soon lowered, and came up with them just as they went down,

80 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

when they " hove up" to await their reappearance. In a short time a large whale is seen heading to windward of the school. The boats are shooting after him with bending oars — one of them takes the lead and by a desperate effort, ranges up alongside the whale — the boatsteerer darts his harpoon, but the weapon glances harmlessly across the back of the monster, which disap- pears in a long line of white foam.

After this failure, the whales were too shy to allow the boats to come near them, and they were recalled. The general disappointment in the prospect of capturing a whale that would make seventy barrels of oil, may be easily imagined. This is the second opportunity this boatsteerer has misimproved in a similar manner ; and if another failure like this should happen, he will incur the risk of being turned before the mast, and one of the foremost hands substituted in his place. A failure like this is a serious loss, since a sperm whale large enough to make seventy barrels of oil, is worth not far from two thousand three hundred dollars.

It is every man's interest to exert himself to the utmost ; for in the whaling business it is almost universally the custom to ship men upon shares. Each man, from Captain to green hand, ships for a certain " lay" or share in the profits of the voyage, which is calculated when the ship returns home. The Captain for instance, receives an eighteenth perhaps ; the mate a forty fifth, down to the green hand, who gets only a hundred and sixty fifth of all the oil obtained during the voyage. This stimulates all to do their best, and enables them to sustain the great fatigues they are called upon to encounter, without murmuring.

Monday, Dec. 16. — This morning, judging by the maneuvres of the " Messenger," that whales were in

WHALING SCENES. 81

sight, we bore down for her, and when about half a mile off, we saw several spouts, not a great distance from the ship. Immediately the ship was rounded to, and three of the boats were lowered. Upon reaching the place where the whales had made their appearance, the boats " hove up" to await their coming up to blow. In the mean time, the " Messenger's" boats passed by us and followed our boats in the chase. They had nearly reached the latter, when Capt. R., and myself, (who had stationed ourselves upon the foretopsail yard) discovered whales blowing about a mile off on our lee beam. A signal was instantly made to the boats, by the man at the main-top-gallant mast head, and they were springing at the oar, while Capt. R., put off in his boat. A man is stationed at the main-top-gallant mast head, with a " waif," a balloon about eighteen inches in diam- eter, fastened upon the end of a rod, with which he points in the direction of the whales.

The whales were not seen after this, and all the boats returned to their respective ships, to console themselves for their disappointments by hopes of future success.

As we came up from dinner, we found all the crew gathered upon the forecastle, and merrily singing out, " There she blows, There she blows," in a very musical chorus.

Again the boats were lowered, and in pursuit, with every prospect of success, as the whale or whales, were but a short distance off. But after a fruitless chace of two or three hours, they returned, the men almost exhausted from the severe labors of the day.

The Captain has determined to cruise for some time in this region. Upon three days out of five, we have seen schools of sperm whales, although we have taken nothing, a fair specimen of the alternate hopes and

S2 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

disappointments attendant on a whaler's life. Whales are rarely seen oftener than once a week, even in the best "cruising grounds" of the Pacific, and sometimes month after month intervenes, without discovering a single whale.

I have been thus minute in transcribing daily occur- rences, to exhibit the excitement and animation that pervade a whaleship, whenever whales are seen, and also to represent the toilsome duties connected with the whal- ing business. There is no mode of life, it appears to me, requiring so great a variety of talent, as the seafaring busi- ness. Every sailor must be a "jack of all trades ;" he must have mechanical talent sufficient for making all repairs upon the sails, rigging, iron and woodwork of the ship ; and as he is absent from port for months together, he must have a talent for shoemaking and tailoring. With regard to the mending of old clothes, the crew are indefatigable. Coats and pantaloons which a tailor in any christian country would pronounce to be » unsea- worthy," they work upon, and cover over with patches of various colors, until not a vestige of the original is left. Flannels are variegated in a wonderfully fanciful manner by the many gay colors with which they are darned. The performances of the men with their needles, are however by no means contemptible.

A genuine son of the ocean, can almost always be recognized by his costume and balancing gait. He disdains the confinement of a pair of suspenders which would impede the action of his arms in pulling and working about the rigging ; but his pantaloons of very ample dimensions, fit tight to the waist, and are secured by a leathern belt, buckled around him, attached to which is his inseparable companion, a " sheath-knife" with a blade about six inches long. This he constantly

HABITS OF SAILORS. 83

uses in his employment about the ship, and when his dinner is ready, it carves his meat.

The dialect on board would be very amusing to a landsman. For "ladling out soup from the turreen," they would say, "bailing out soup from the keeler." The sounding lead is called the "blue pigeon," and the signal flag for a pilot, displayed at the foremast head, goes by the name of "Blue Peter." A quadrant re- ceives the very undignified and unphilosophical name of a " hog-yoke." There are also numerous phrases ta- ken from the maneuvres of a ship, and nautical similes are introduced into conversation, some of which are ex- tremely forcible, if well understood. Living upon an element, every aspect of which is an object of solicitude to him, the sailor becomes a close observer of what takes place around him ; and accustomed to face danger in some of its most terrific forms, he acquires a hardihood of character, and an independence of mind, which the cir- cumstances in which he is placed are so well fitted to produce.

Sailors almost universally make use of tobacco in the forms of smoking or chewing. Their delicious junk is carried in their pockets along with a clasp knife, sundry bits of rope yarn, and a variety of other things. From the moment they " turn out," a large quid is introduced, to be renewed as often as occasion requires, until they " turn in " again. Some of the men have laid in from fifty to seventy pounds of tobacco as their solace for the voyage, and will probably have to obtain a fresh supply from the captain before they return home. It is em- phatically the sailor's solace in the watches of the stormy night. In the evening the sailor takes his pipe, and seated upon the windlass forgets the hardships he

84 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

constantly experiences in the exhilarating fumes of the narcotic.

There are over two thousand pounds of tobacco on board belonging to the ship's stores, all of which will be applied to the use of the crew, or bartered away with the natives of the places we happen to visit, in the Pa- cific, who are said to be exceedingly fond of it.

Thursday, Dec. 19. I have just been upon deck amusing myself with the performances of Mr. Freeman upon the violin, accompanied by his sable fellow-min- strel, the steward. It is a beautiful evening, although the " struggling moonbeams' misty light " is but dimly reflected from the waters.

The men were for the most part assembled between the tryworks and the mainmast, where some sand was sprinkled upon the deck for the convenience of the dan- cers. Mr. Freeman was perched upon an inverted bucket placed in the frame work of the blacksmith's forge — an apparatus looking very much like those portly old fashioned arm chairs, that have long since gone out of date. When every thing was ready, Mr. Freeman rose up, and with many bows, requested " the gentlemen to digest themselves into readiness to make a few moles- tions on the floor." Accompanying this invitation with sundry flourishes of his fiddle bow, he commenced saw- ing away in the most enthusiastic manner, but perceiv- ing that his exertions did not meet with corresponding effort, he suddenly stopped in the middle of one of his most brilliant strains, and indignantly enquired "What ails you there Tom and Dave ; why don't you dance ? A'nt you going to exasperate (exhibit) a little of the light fantastic?" This eloquent appeal was irresistible, and the dance proceeded to our great amusement until eight bells (eight o'clock) when the fiddle became silent,

ANNOYANCES ON BOARD. 85

and all hands dispersed, with the exception of those on duty. *

Monday, Dec. 23. For some time past the weather has been squally and unpleasant. The wind usually moderates towards night, but in the morning increases again, and blows fresh about the middle of the day. It comes from the eastward, and its regular increase and decrease is owing to the action of the sun's rays, which in the morning pouring down upon the continent of South America, rarities the air to such a degree that the sea air flows in with considerable force, extending two or three hundred miles beyond the coast ; and towards night the wind goes down as the sun recedes.

The air is cool and pleasant during the day, but at night to sleep in my hot and confined state-room, is al- most impossible. Add to this the annoying presence of the black-legged gentry about an inch and a quarter long, that we have taken some slight cognizance of be- fore. These rascals with their long antennae extending out upon each side of their eyes, and their wings folded up, have a truly formidable appearance. They are not peculiar to ships, however, but are well known, though unwelcome visiters, in many a kitchen, racing about in every direction, to the great annoyance of frugal house- wives. In warm weather they swarm about in prodi- gious numbers, and at their " gatherings " make a noise like a flock of quails among the dry leaves of the forest. They are extremely voracious, and destroy almost every thing they can find ; their teeth are so sharp, the sailors say, that they will eat off the edge of a razor.

Thursday, Dec. 26. Yesterday was Christmas, the commencement of the holidays, celebrated with such hearty good will by all our dear friends in America.

Early in the morning, Mr. Freeman made his appear-

8

86 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

ance in the cabin, wishing us all round " Merry Christ- mas, and that all subsequious occasions might be felici- tating."

Our dinner was very palatable, although limited to salt pork and mush, a truly temperate feast for Christ- mas. Nor were we wreathed with gay festoons of ever- greens, but around us the deep blue sea breaking in ma- ny a foaming crest, and sparkling at night with myriads of golden spangles, was our only drapery.

Owing to the squally weather we had a few days since, we left our cruising ground in latitude 17° south, and drove on in a south-westerly course before the wind. Although we are impelled by a powerful breeze, yet the heat, particularly at night, is very oppressive in the cabin. I have been so much incommoded by it for sev- eral nights past, that I determined to try sleeping upon deck. Accordingly, with a boat sail, I made a kind of tent near the stern of the ship, and with my cloak wrap- ped around me, stretched myself out upon deck to sleep. I have often before heard of the virtues of a hard bed, but have never tested them so fully before.

The deck of our ship usually presents a very busy scene. The blacksmith is plying his bellows and the cooper and the carpenter have each enough to do in their respective mechanical employments. No one is allow- ed to be idle, with one exception, and he often " lends a hand " whenever he may be of use ; and in studies or mechanical contrivances, leads a diligent life and makes the time pass away very pleasantly. » There is nothing I would urge upon the invalid go- ing to sea for his health, of so much importance as a va- riety of regular occupations which shall employ all his time, and avert the first approaches of ennui. It is the

EMPLOYMENTS OF THE MEN. 87

only way to relieve the otherwise insupportable monot- ony of a long voyage.

There is always a plenty of work to be done aboard a ship3 to employ the men in the watch upon deck. When there is nothing else to do, they pick to pieces old ropes, and splice together the separate yarns, which are then twisted together and form spu?i yarn. The apparatus made use of consists of a heavy wheel of about eighteen inches in diameter, giving momentum to an axle about three feet in length upon the end of which farthest from the wheel, is the spindle, to which motion is communicated by means of a rope wound around the axle two or three times, drawn tight, and relaxed alter- nately, until the required velocity is produced. The machine is set upon one of the windlass-bitts, and the yarns lead along the deck as far back as the mizzen mast. As the spindle revolves, the man who makes the spun yarn, commencing close to the spindle, moves back- wards from it, rubbing the yarns vigorously witri^a piece of cloth dipped in oil, so as to render the spun yarn fine and smooth. In this way, thousands of yards of spun yarn are made every voyage, an indispensable article aboard ship. Three yarns are also often spun together by means of three spindles to which motion is commu- nicated by large tooth wheels acting upon three smaller ones.

All the shrouds and stays of a ship are carefully protected from the friction of the running rigging, by being " served" or wound around with spun yarn. Some of them are covered with mats of spun yarn woven very neatly together. These are usually home- made, and the process of manufacture is as follows.

A number of spun yarns corresponding to the required breadth of the mat, are stretched parallel to one another

88 CRUISE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

across the deck, passing through a frame work of paral- lel bars, which retains every other one and allows the remainder to move freely between them. The person who works the frame, carries it down, and consequently, the spun yarns retained by the bars, are thrown down below the level of the other ; the weaver stands ready with two balls of twine, which he passes across the yarns between the separate ranks, and the work is rendered compact by means of the sioord, a long, thin piece of hard wood, playing between the ranks of spun yarn. The frame is now raised, and the same steps are repeated, until the mat is finished. To prevent the charing of the rigging and spars, there are other kinds of mats made use of, as well as " Scotchmen," of various descriptions. Upon different occasions during the voyage, the entire rigging is " set up" or tightened, and every few days some new rope is to be substituted for one which has become stranded. In the repairing of the sails, the sewing of rigging, knotting and splicing ropes in every variety of form, and the care of the boats, the officers find employment enough for the men while upon duty. Every Saturday afternoon, the masts are "slushed down" by the men in their turn, commencing with the royal masts and descending to the caps of the lower masts.

During the hours of work, no trifling of any kind is allowed, and any one seen indulging in " skylarking," subjects himself to the danger of being sent aloft, or stationed at the wheel for many tedious hours, besides going without his usual allowance. ,: After supper, however, from six to eight o'clock, is the season for amusements of every variety. The officers are conversing together in the after part of the ship, while the men assembled around the windlass, are

EMPLOYMENTS OF THE MEN. 89

smoking their pipes, " spinning yarns," or listening to a song from Mr. Freeman, or dancing to the sound of his violin. It is sometimes supposed that but very little discipline is observed at sea, except aboard a man of war ; a wrong impression however, for although our ship makes no higher pretensions than that of a whaler, yet obedience is as well understood here, as on the decks of a line of battle ship. It is necessary that such should be the case ; for in all stations of command over others, the forms of respect must be rigidly adhered to, or all authority ceases.

8*

CHAPTER VII.

APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

Gale of wind — Game of these seas — The porpoise — Turtle — Pilot fish — Squally weather — Preparations for doubling Cape Horn — Novel aspect of the dhjrnal revolutions, and of the celestial bodies in these high latitudes — Capture of an Albatross — Preparations for the cape.

Monday, Dec. 30. — Yesterday morning after a rainy, uncomfortable night, the wind began to veer around to the southward, increasing until it blew up into a gale. The ship was "laid to" under a close reefed maintopsail, mizzen staysail, and foretopmast staysail with every prospect of a stormy night. A ship is said to " lay to" in a gale of wind, when all the sails are carefully furled with the exception of those that are necessary to enable her to present her head to the sea, in which case she surmounts the surges instead of being swept by them. It is always advisable to carry as much sail as prudence allows to prevent the ship from rolling to windward, a situation of particular exposure to the fury of the sea.

About midnight, the wind began to abate, and this morning we are enjoying a clear and cool atmosphere, reminding me of a lovely morning in September, at home, with the white clouds sailing along the pure depths of the sky.

Soon after breakfast, a school of porpoises was an- nounced as playing around the bows of the ship. I watched them for some time indulging in their playful

SEA-GAME. 91

gambols, now springing several feet out of water, then darting across the ship's path, and returning again with great velocity. Their sport was not long undisturbed. One of the boatsteerers stationed himself with a harpoon, upon the martingale guy under the bowsprit. The deadly weapon is poised and suddenly darted at two or three of them in quick succession, as they shoot across the bow of the ship. At the third plunge of the harpoon, the poor animal is pierced through the neck, and the barbed iron is bent completely around and caught upon the shaft, so that there is no chance for escape. In his agony he springs out of water, and throws himself wildly in every direction, while the blood is streaming out from the deep gashes in his neck. The moment he is struck, a dozen hands are hold of the line, and the poor animal is drawn upon deck respiring heavily from the open wound.

The porpoise belongs to the class cetacea, and of course is enveloped in blubber, usually about half an inch in thickness. He is also obliged to rise to the surface of the sea to breathe, a distinguishing character- istic of the cetaceous family.

The porpoise is a well known visitant of our harbors and bays, but this species is somewhat different from those we meet at sea, of which there are also several varieties. The specimen we took to-day was of the most common species. He was about five feet in length, with strong pectoral fins, thick dorsal fin, and with broad flukes, moving horizontally like those of the whale.

The Porpoise rarely descends to any great depth, and is said to manifest a strong aversion to the contentions of the angry waters in a gale of wind, which he avoids by an instinctive prescience of its approach. I have heard that when great numbers of them are seen moving

92 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

swiftly on a given course, a gale may be expected to blow up from the quarter from which they came.

" These fleetest coursers of the finny race When threatening clouds th' etherial vault deface, Their route to leeward still sagacious form, To shun the fury of th' approaching storm.

Falconer's Shipwreck.

The blubber was very soon stripped off, and the car- cass suspended near the cook's galley, to the great de- light of those that have not tasted any fresh meat since we left America. Porpoise meat is of a dark color, re- sembling the liver of land animals, and is as tender as the tenderest beef steak. The lower jaw of the por- poise contains a quantity of very fine oil lodged in the cavities where it unites with the skull bone. It is used by watchmakers and others for lubricating delicate ma- chinery. The oil extracted from the blubber is also of very superior quality, but a single porpoise rarely yields over a gallon and a half.

The flesh of the whale immediately investing the car- case, is of a dark purple color, with coarse fibres having numerous white tendons traversing the mass, and is hardly considered edible, although his tongue is esteem- ed a delicacy by those that have seen nothing but "salt junk" for a long time.

Specimens of the porpoise have been served up at ta- ble, a dish by no means contemptible. This evening we partook of rather a novel dish — " flippers " flavored with porpoise's brains ! I made a very hearty supper, but was ignorant of the nature of my repast, until it was afterwards explained to me. Some persons doubt- less, would be disgusted at the idea of making porpoise meat an article of food ; but there are many things we con- ceive a disrelish for from mere prejudice. One part of

SEA GAME. 93

t

the world abhors swine's flesh, while the rest esteem it a particular delicacy. The natives of some of the Pacific Islands consider baked dog a great luxury, and a trick served upon the officers of a certain man-of-war at one of those islands, shows how far prejudice operates in produ- cing a preference for certain articles of food, and an an- tipathy to others. At dinner some of the officers were exclaiming against the fondness for baked dog exhibited by the natives at one of their grand leasts, while the por/c they were feasting upon, they pronounced to be the best flavored they had ever tasted. Unconsciously to them, however, a baked dog had been brought upon the table with a pig's head sewed on in place of his own ; a deception they did not discover until they had participated largely in the reprobated dish. Their dis- gust may be easily imagined.

Tuesday, Dec. 31. The wind this morning died away, and a calm succeeded with a smooth sea, the first we have had since we left America. The blue sky was serene, giving to the wide spreading waters its own beautiful tint. The air too was delightfully mild, in- stead of the chilly temperature of yesterday ; and we were silent and alone upon the mighty waters, save a distant sail upon our starboard quarter.

To diversify the occasion a turtle made his appearance on our starboard beam. A boat was lowered and was darting in pursuit, while I ran up into the mizzen rig- ging to get a sight of the animal — a glimpse of which I could just catch as the sunbeams glistened from his head. He was swimming indolently upon the surface of the water about half a mile off, and did not appear to be alarmed at the approach of the boat, until receiving a thrust of the lance through both shells, he was hauled on board the boat after some ineffectual struggles to escape.

94 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

This variety is called the " Logger Head " turtle by those on board, and I adopt the name from ignorance of his proper one. He was from eighteen to twenty inches in length, having a shell much arched, and soft, unfit therefore, for any use, although it resembled in color that used by the combmakers at home. He was very fat, and made a delicious soup for supper. The meat was white and very delicate like that of the breast of a fowl. We are living upon the fat of the ocean ! por- poise steaks, cutlets and fricassee, with turtle soup intro- duced very appropos by way of variety.

January 1, 1840. The weather has been calm like that of yesterday, and several other turtles have been seen basking upon the surface of the sea. A boat was lowered for one this afternoon, but he went down just as he was about to receive his death wound. Another came very near being run over by the ship this evening, as he lay motionless and apparently asleep upon the water.

This morning hearing from some one that a pilot fish had stationed himself under the bow of the ship, I made ready a fish line, and placed myself under the bowsprit to try my luck upon him. After many unsuccessful ef- forts, and when my patience was nearly exhausted, I had the pleasure of seeing him fairly hooked.

The pilot fish varies in length from eight to fifteen inches which was the length of the specimen I captur- ed. His dorsal and ventral fins are extended backwards to his tail, near which projects a narrow fin, set horizon- tally upon each side of his body. His lateral and pecto- ral fins are large, and the former, together with the ex- tremities of his tail, are beautifully tipped with white. The color upon his back is of a deep indigo blue, sha- ded off into a lighter tint in the lower part of his body,

SEA GAME. 95

having three or four broad bands of a deeper shade, ex- tending three-fourths of the way around. The pilot fish is almost always seen in company with the shark swimming along, side by side with his ferocious mate. He frequently accompanies ships also, for many hours, and sometimes, days together, hovering about the bow or stern, and every little while darting off upon his prey.

Thursday, Jan. 2. The wind has been increasing since morning, and now blows rather fresh. Towards the latter part of the afternoon, the welcome cry " There she bre-e-ches," brought every one upon deck — the ship was braced up sharp on the wind, and we were dashing forward to make out what kind of animal it was that was seen. We stood on for half an hour, and then gave up the chase, as the alarm was occasioned by a school of "killers," that were throwing themselves out of water. They are a species of cetacea considerably larger than the porpoise, and are so called by the whalers from their attacking the young of the sperm whale and eating them up by piece-meal. All marine animals that are not known to whalers by a particular name, receive the gen- eral appellation of " spirits."

Monday, Jan. 6. On Saturday last, rain fell at inter- vals all day. When I arose in the morning, I perceived an unusual color in the ocean ; it was of a greenish tint, unlike the deep blue over which we have been travers- ing, and I attributed it at first to the clouds which tint the sea with many a varied hue. Capt. R., however, in- formed me that the change in the color of the sea was owing to the comparative shallowness of the water, al- though we were still off soundings. Nearer in shore are extensive banks like the Newfoundland banks, which are frequented by right whales at certain seasons of the year to feed upon shrimp, blood-red animalculae that

96 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

sometimes spread for acres upon the surface of the sea.

Towards night, the wind hauled around to the south south west, and came in strong puffs, increasing into a gale before morning. The pitching and rolling of the ship, made my sleep very irregular, and as I held myself in my berth, the progress of the gale could be easily traced not only by the roar of the wind growing louder and louder, but also by the orders for taking in sail after sail. I was not fully aware of the violence of the gale however, until the command from the officer of the watch, " Take in the foresail," indicated that the wind was rising into a heavy blow, that began to savor of Cape Horn.

Between sleeping and waking however, the night passed away, and at an early hour I went upon deck. The sea was lashed into foam, and breaking in broad white crests, from which the spray was blown like sleet in winter on shore. There was a heavy swell also which occasionally threw the ship over on her side so far, that the sea came pouring in over the lee rail and dashing across the deck, when she righted again. The boats had all been raised up so as to touch the davits from which they are suspended, and then " turned down," with the keel outwards, which protects them from the sea in a storm. The watch upon deck were all collected together aft, as all the forward part of the ship was repeatedly flooded with the seas that broke over her. We were " lying to" under the mizzen staysail, close reefed main- topsail and fbretopmast staysail. About ten o'clock, wore ship around on the other tack with her head pointing towards the continent. The gale was at its height about noon, when it blew much harder than it has done since we left the United States. Towards

PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAPE. 97

evening, it moderated down, and to-day (Monday,) there has been a perfect calm, with not wind enough to steady the ship, and she has floated like a log upon the water, tossed about by the swell that still continues high.

The temperature of the atmosphere yesterday, was cold, and judging from my feelings, 1 presume the ther- mometer would have stood in the neighborhood of thirty two degrees, or the freezing point. The wind was very piercing, the more so from our sudden transition from a warm atmosphere. To day, however, the air has been mild, and this evening as the sun was setting behind the heaving ocean, in golden splendor, a light breeze sprang up from the north-east and wafted us on our course.

For several days past, many birds of various kinds, have followed in the wake of the ship, and during the gale of yesterday, a large flock hovered around us. They are about the size of wild ducks, and skim beautifully over the bursting wave, or rise swiftly upon the rushing storm. Often they alight and ride over the billows as if the ocean were their native realm. To-day, a couple of Albatrosses, a large bird, peculiar to the south seas, took a circuit around us, then sailed slowly away, until we lost sight of them in the distance.

A large school of porpoises passed us this afternoon, numbering forty or fifty, I should think. They ran under the ship, then darted off, frequently springing out of the water to the distance of fifteen or twenty feet, and exhibiting a dozen or more in the air at a time.

Tuesday, Jan. 7. Latitude at noon 40° 08'. It has been blowing hard from the north all day, with some indications of another gale, and we are now making active preparations for the weather we expect to contend with off Cape Horn. This morning the royal masts were sent down, the anchors brought in upon deck and

98 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

secured, and the spars and rigging were fully examined, and if defective, repaired. The waist and bow boats were also taken aboard and turned keel upwards upon the tryworks.

There are many ships, particularly merchantmen, that do not send down their lofty spars to insure them against the risk of being carried away off Cape Horn. But to the sperm whaler, who is to be absent for several years from home, and whose wanderings often lead him out of the reach of assistance, these precautionary mea- sures are the part of wisdom.

Wednesday, Jan. 8. Latitude at noon, 43° 39', exhibiting a difference of latitude of 3° 31' during the last twenty-four hours ; as our course has been oblique to a meridian, the distance sailed over since yesterday noon is somewhat greater than this.

Large flocks of birds are following in our wake, and seve- ral schools of porpoises have been sporting in merry gam- bols around our bow ; one of the latter was struck this morn- ing, but he made his escape, as the iron " drew" or tore out of the wound in his violent struggles. In such cases, it is said the wounded animal is immediately pursued and devoured by his voracious comrades. In allusion to this unnatural propensity of the porpoise, one of the officers in conversation with me, made use of a very striking simile ; " if a man's reputation is impaired," he observed, "the whole world turn upon him, like porpoises that instantly attack and devour a wounded mate."

Monday, Jan. 30. Cold and stormy weather. On Saturday morning last we were struck by a heavy squall from the south west which cam* upon us rather unexpectedly. All hands were called. " Let go the hal- liards— clew up the topgallant sails — run down the fly-

SUFFERINGS FROM THE COLD. 99

ing gib— brail up the spanker — maintack and sheet let go and clew up, haul out the reeftackles,— jump up there, jump up, put two reefs in the topsails, and furl every- thing snug." Such were the hurried orders that were issued j in a few moments, however, the squall passed over and a calm succeeded for a few hours, when the wind hauled more to the southward, and continued to increase, until a heavy gale brought us to under short sail. I have never seen such a sea as there was yester- day. In every direction, "Like mountains the billows tremendously swell," and as they came rolling on in accumulated masses careering with their surg- ing crests, it was an exhibition of sublimity that could not fail of impressing the beholder with awe of the mighty power of the contending elements. The good ship trembled in every timber at the shock of the surges that broke in foam from her weather side, and in one instance, dashed the spray high upon the main-topsail, a distance of fifty feet. Towards night, (last night,) wore ship, and headed in for the continent. In executing this maneuvre, the fore- topmast staysail sheet became unhooked, and in an instant the sail split in two with a loud report.

The damp air of the sea is exceedingly penetrating, f and one feels much colder with the thermometer indica- ting a given temperature, than he would on shore with the mercury ranging much lower upon the scale, the hu- midity impairing the non-conducting powers of his cloth- ing. Our latitude is about 49° south not far from one hundred miles to the northward of the Falkland Islands. The days are very long, and lengthening rapidly ; the sun now sets after eight o'clock, P. M., and twilight lingers until long after ten o'clock, when after an inter- val of a couple of hours, the first indications of dawn are

100 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

perceptible in the east. It seems very strange to see the sun rising in the south-east, and, reaching but a low alti- tude in the north at noon, descend into the sea to the south-west of us. The moon, too, has the appearance of having lost her place in the sky, to wander in the northern regions. The long shadows she casts, and her dismal light, give to every thing a peculiarly gloomy as- pect. The Magellan clouds which we saw soon after crossing the equator, have rapidly risen towards the ze- nith in our progress southward, and they are now nearly over head. They are two luminous nebulae, situated not very far from the southern pole, about 15° apart. The larger of the two is apparently about five feet, and the smaller about three feet square.

The nearer we approach Cape Hom, the more nume- rous are the sea birds that accompany the ship. Yester- day a speckled haglet or " Cape pigeon," as he is some- times called, continued near us for a long time, occasion- ally coming close up to the ship as she " lay to," and alighting upon the waves, or skimming along over the boisterous sea with his little web feet.

This morning, I had the good fortune to capture two albatrosses during the calm that succeeded yesterday's gale. A long cod line with a corresponding fish hook is procured, and a float attached to it about two feet from the end to prevent its sinking. To the hook is secured a piece of salt pork about the size of one's fist, which is well " slushed " or greased, to make it the more attractive, and then dropped astern. If the ship is moving too fast, the albatross feels a little suspicious of the appearance of things, and will not alight ; but if the bait just trails along upon the surface of the sea, after flying around it two or three times and looking at it carefully, with his large web feet spread out before him, he dashes down

ALBATROSS. 101

into the water and commences a furious attack upon the pork. A jerk is given upon the line, and the hook be- comes fixed in the extremity of his bill ; and then with a steady and careful pull he is hauled aboard ship. Con- siderable skill is requisite in order to succeed, for even after the hook fixes itself into the bill, it is easily detach- ed, unless a constant strain is kept upon the line.

The albatross, or " gony," as he is called by whale- men, is an immense bird, and if I mistake not, is found no where else except in the southern regions.* He is apparently about twice as large as a common goose, but this is owing to the dense coat of feathers and down with which he is invested, which, if taken off, disclose a body by no means as large as one would suppose from his ex- ternal appearance. His head and neck are very strong, and he is armed with a sharp, formidable bill, which he uses with great power ; sufficient, I have no doubt, to cut off a man's finger at a single bite. His wings are very large, and owing to their great extent cannot be folded up at the side of the bird with much compactness. His tail is very short and concealed by his immense wings when they are closed.

The largest specimen captured, measured ten and a half feet from tip to tip of his expanded wings. His legs are short, terminating in broad web feet, with which he moves gracefully about upon the waves. Like all the anser tribe, his walk is very awkward, and when aboard ship he is unable to rise from the deck. In ta- king flight from the surface of the sea, he runs clumsily along, spattering the water with his broad feet, exhibit- ing the most awkward efforts to rise. But when, with

* Some accounts I have read of the albatross (Diomedia Exulans) assert that vast flocks of these birds are to be seen upon the coast of Kamschatka. (See Encyclopedia Perthensis.)

9*

102 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

his wide pinions extended to the breeze he seems to sail along without any apparent exertion, or skims over the heaving" billows, the motions of the albatross are pecu- liarly graceful. If kept on board ship for a short time, the albatross becomes sea-sick, and displays his state of feeling upon deck, a rather singular circumstance, as he rides the waves so beautifully in a gale of wind.

Tuesday, Jan. 14. This morning we were all thrown into excitement by the welcome cry "There she blo-o-ws !?' several times repeated from masthead. The alarm was occasioned by two right whales, being in sight, three miles or more distant. Though at this dis- tance, yet the species to which they belong was readily made out by several characteristics known to the expe- rienced whaler, which will be noticed upon some future occasion.

Two of the boats were soon lowered, and the other two soon afterwards were launched from the try-works and sprang forward in the pursuit, while the ship was slowly drawing up towards the scene of action. At one time the whales came up within a short distance of one of the boats, which was " hove up " awaiting their* re- appearance upon top of water. The boat immediately wheeled around, and running up between them, ranged along side the larger. The harpoon was raised, but with the quickness of thought, the whale whirled around and instantly disappeared.

After continuing the chase for an hour or more to no purpose, the boat returned. At one time the whales ap- proached within a stone's throw of the ship : they float- ed sluggishly upon the water, blowing the spray several feet into the air, with a heavy respiration, while the waves of the sea dashed over them in foam.

FIN BACK WHALES. 103

The failure in capturing these whales is a serious dis- appointment. For although right whale oil is only one third as valuable as sperm, yet the capture of a right whale that would make one hundred barrels of oil, would furnish us with the means of supplying the ship abundantly with fruits and vegetables in exchange for it, at those places we expect to visit. What aggravates the disappointment is the calm and delightful weather we have had all day, which, though rather cool, is unu- sually serene for this latitude, and would be very favor- able for disposing of a " fare " of oil.

The ship has been receiving her Cape Horn sails ; new sails have been substituted for those that are old and weak. A main staysail has also been made ready for the stormy weather we must soon expect. It is a triangular sail extending from the main top down to the lower part of the foremast, and is very useful to steady the ship in a gale of wind with a heavy sea running, and in some degree supplies the place of the maintopsail in case it should give way.

Wednesday, Jan. 15. At an early hour this morn- ing, I was roused from my slumbers by the bustle upon deck, and by the cries from aloft " There she blo-o-ws — there she blo-o-ws !" My toilet was soon completed, and I hurried upon deck, when to my chagrin and dis- appointment I learned that the alarm was occasioned by a large number of fin back whales making their appear- ance three or four miles off, which as I have before men- tioned are very rarely attacked by the whaler, partly from the great difficulty of the capture, and partly from the inferior quality and quantity of the oil obtained from them. This evening, a whale of this species was seen within a quarter of a mile of the ship, but was passed by without farther notice.

104 APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

Our Cape Horn preparations are completed ; every thing has been brought up from the hold, that we shall require during our passage around the Cape, and the hatches barred down and caulked. We are all clad in our warmest dresses, for without any fire on board except what the cook keeps up in the galley, one re- quires a plentiful supply of warm clothing. The over- coats worn by sailors, are known by rather whimsical names. There are two kinds, the baboon jacket, a short coat without any skirts, and the monkey jacket, differ- ing from the other in having a kind of ruffle around the lower edge answering to skirts.

Friday, Jan. 17. In conversing with one of the men to-day, he informed me that he had been upon the Flo- rida Coast, in a brig chartered by the United States Government, for the purpose of carrying military stores to the army. Among other things, he told me that the brig was sent with a strong force to search for the bodies of a detachment of men supposed to have been cut off by the Indians. The detachment consisted of seventeen men ; they were bivouacked it seems, upon the bank of a small river, and were attacked during the night by a large body of Indians who killed them all to a man. Instead of scalping their victims, as is customary with North American Indians, they dug out their eyes, and abandoned them thus horridly mutilated !

Saturday, Jan. 18. Latitude at noon 51° 52'. Our progress for a day or two past has been very slow, owing to the prevalence of light baffling winds from the south- west, and south south-west. The air is very keen, and we have no fire on board to mitigate its severity. The only serious inconvenience I experience, is that my feet are constantly cold, a sensation I have seldom experienced, even in the coldest weather of a New England winter.

SUFFERINGS FROM COLD. 105

My fingers too are swollen with that annoying complaint the "chilblains," so common an occurrence at home, although usually confined to another part of the system. We should have had a stove set up in the cabin before this, were we not deterred by the fear of being overrun by the black legged gentry that have retreated to the lower hold during the cold weather.

CHAPTER VIII.

CAPE HORN.

Terra del Fuego — Patagonians— Straits of Magellan — Geo- graphical position of Cape Horn — Dangers and difficulties of doubling the Cape — Capricious state of the elements — Huge Sperm Whale — The carreer albatross — Perils of Whaling — Sailor's songs.

Monday ', Jan. 20. Land ho ! This morning, as the mists began to clear away, the bleak cliffs and highlands of Terra del Fuego and Staten Land, lay before us, not more than ten or twelve miles distant. Staten Land is separated from the " land of fire," by the straits De La Maire, about fifteen miles in width, which are often passed through by ships outward bound around Cape Horn. Although it is here the season corresponding to midsummer, yet the heights are crowned with tracts of snow, contrasted beautifully with the gloomy aspect of the cliffs as seen through the waving mists. Upon our right extended the outline of Terra del Fuego, until it vanished in the dense fog that rested upon the waters, while beyond the coast rose a tall, conical mountain, whose steep sides converged in a narrow, isolated peak.

Upon each side of the Straits of Magellan, live the far famed race of Patagonians, whose gigantic proportions, (if we are to believe the accounts of early navigators,) might rival the Goliahs of antiquity. The visits of recent voyagers, have stripped them of the marvelous, and they are now found to be no larger than other people. One

PAT AGO N I AN S. 107

of our boatsteerers was in a ship which passed through the straits several years since. I had a long conversa- tion with him about their appearance and manners, and he confirms the observations I have just made. What should have induced former voyagers to give such exag- gerated accounts of the Patagonians, I cannot imagine, unless it be to gratify the preference of human nature for the marvelous rather than for what bears the impress of truth.

This is the first land we have seen since leaving Fayal, a period of nine weeks. The sight, I need hardly say, was very acceptable to me at least. Those whose horizon the vast ocean has bounded week after week, are apt to feel that these restless waters are their only home.

There is a strong current setting into these straits, and there is also a tide about these islands ; but with a fair wind, (an occurrence however somewhat rare,) the passage may be made without any difficulty. Terra del Fuego is separated from the main land by the Straits of Magellan, through which ships occa- sionally make their way into the Pacific, although the attempt has been hitherto regarded as rather hazard- ous from the intricacy of the channel, as well as the inaccuracy of the surveys.*

We have been endeavoring all day long to pass through the Straits De La Maire, but have been becalm- ed until sunset, when the attempt at night was thought inadvisable, and we are now doubling Cape St. John, the eastern extremity of Staten Land.

Thursday^ Jan. 23. Light winds and a heavy head

* The United States Exploring Expedition, have made very careful surveys of the Straits of Magellan and the adjacent islands, which will probably facilitate the navigation through them, and induce most ships to adopt this route, instead of the circuitous and hazardous passage around Cape Horn.

108 CAPE HORN.

swell, have kept Terra del Fuego and Staten Land in sight until this morning, when they slowly disappeared behind the mists that enveloped them, and Cape Horn with its isolated Peak and neighboring islands, rose into view. We have been becalmed all day. a very different recep- tion from what we might expect from the boisterous character of the Cape. The clouds have a lowering aspect, however, and we may yet experience the fury of old Eolus in this his favorite region. We are unusually near the Cape, and have a fine view of it, which even those who have doubled it many times, cannot always boast of. Capt. R., told me that he had never before seen Cape Horn, although he had passed around it six or eight times.

Cape Horn is located upon Hermit Island, a small island two or three miles in length, rising up into a cone at the southernmost end, with a line of rocks extending behind it towards the north. Between this island and Terra del Fuego, several long and narrow islands are situated, upon which we observed large fields of snow, although at the distance of twenty miles.

The passage around Cape Horn, into the Pacific, is generally very trying and hazardous, owing to the violent westerly gales and sudden squalls that pre- vail in those regions. Ships are sometimes detained here for two or three weeks and even longer, con- tending against the fury of the elements. To the howling storm and the raging sea, the iceberg, a common exhibition, adds new terrors, which the most careful vigilance cannot always elude. Many a ship has been crushed between these moving mountains, or been dashed to pieces upon fields of floating ice, and every soul perished in these forlorn regions.

Hermit island is not the southernmost land upon the

SINGULAR ROC K — A SQUALL. 109

South American coast ; but the Diego Ramirez Islands, a cluster of islets, lie a little farther south, as will be seen by consulting the chart. Latitude of Cape Horn 55° 58' south, longitude 67° 21'. Latitude of the Diego Ramirez Islands 56° 32' south, longitude 68° 36'.

Friday, Jan. 24. To-day with a light breeze, we drew up within six miles of the cape, so near that the breakers dashing against its rocky sides were distinctly visible. Within a few miles of the cape, in a bay set- ting into one of the adjacent islands, stands a very sin- gular rock, which appeared so similar to a steamboat at anchor, that the resemblance struck every one on board, and through the glass the likeness was rendered still more apparent. Upon each side of the rock, a pro- jection represented the paddle boxes, while a tall, nar- row rock standing out in bold relief; would pass very well for the smoke-pipe and upright machinery, thus completing the fantastic appearance of this little island. Hermit island, and also the neighboring islands, appear to belong to the same variety of rock. Through the glass, they seem like huge masses of trap rock, traversed by numerous reddish veins.

This evening we had a sharp squall, which we antici- pated by taking in sail before it struck us. You see a light mist rising rapidly to windward of you, a signal to draw in your light sails, or in a few moments the blast will be down upon you, screaming wildly through the rigging, while your light spars will be seen flying to lee- ward, or a topsail be blown with the sound of thunder from its bolt-rope.

Saturday, Jan. 25. Becalmed all day, and drifting

to the eastward in the current setting around the Cape

from the Pacific. The rain has been falling all day

10

110 CA PE HORN.

with scarcely any intermission, and the cold damp air which prevails above and below, renders our situation extremely cheerless. Such a constant succession of calms in high latitudes, is usually the precursor of a storm, and we may be many weeks in gaining the few miles of westing that must be made, before we begin to point the ship's head to the north.

Sunday, Jan. 6. Saw a large school of sperm whales early this morning, within a mile or two of the ship ; there was too much wind and sea, however, to admit of sending the boats to attack them. Soon afterwards a sail was seen on our weather bow, coming down before the wind with fore-topmast and main-top -gallant stud- ding sails set on both sides, a most enviable sight to us who were opposed by the wind that was bearing her gallantly on her course.

Latitude at noon 57° 25' south, longitude 67° 35' west. The sky was clear this morning, but this afternoon the weather became thick and rainy, with some prospects of a gale.

Monday, Jan. 27. Calm weather with scarcely any wind, accompanied with a heavy swell and frequent showers of rain. Since yesterday, we have made sixty seven miles westing from noon till noon.

Tuesday, Jan. 28. Calm weather with showers of rain occasonally. Longitude 70° 37' west, indicating twelve miles westing from yesterday noon till to-day noon.

Wednesday, Jan. 29. Calm and beautiful day, with occasional " catpaws " or puffs of wind sweeping over the ocean in every direction. Average of the thermom- eter 60°. Observed the water teeming with innumera- ble sparkling flakes, from a size so minute as to be almost imperceptible to a size as large as a twenty five cent i

PASSAGE AROUND CAPE HORN. Ill

piece. This is a very common phenomenon in a long succession of calm weather, but is more particularly ob- servable in tropical regions.

A young albatross was captured this morning which made an excellent "sea pie," or fricassee for supper, re- sembling veal in taste, although one or two of the offi- cers refused to partake of the dish, inasmuch as this bird lias no gizzard. The less fastidious fared much better, and made a good supper.

Thursday, Jan. 30. Mild and beautiful day, with a fine, fresh breeze from the north-east, which has impell- ed us from sixty to eighty miles on our course in a north-westerly direction.

Saturday, Feb. 1. For the last forty-eight hours, strong and favorable breezes, with occasional calms. The rain has been falling almost all day, and we have been pursued by a gale of wind from the eastward under double reefed topsails. We are now twenty or thirty miles to the northward of Cape Horn, with a favorable prospect of soon emerging into warmer latitudes. Our progress westward has been most remarkable, and there is not a man on board, who has ever seen so favorable a time in passing around Cape Horn into the Pacific.

Monday, Feb. 3. For the last forty-eight hours, have had strong breezes from the south-east and south and south-west, which yesterday afternoon blew up into a gale, before which we ran under all the sail we dared to carry, with a heavy sea rolling after us.

The weather has been more moderate to-day, although squally. Latitude at noon to-day 51° 50', making about two hundred miles northing for the preceding twenty- four hours. Our course was in a northwesterly direc- tion, and the entire distance traversed during that time, | exceeded two hundred and fifty miles. #

112 CAPE HORN.

We may now consider ourselves fairly around this much dreaded cape, and launched into the vast Pacific ocean, with its mighty expanse of waters extending thousands and thousands of miles to the westward of us, and set with numerous islands that rise like gems from its profound depths.

It was regarded as an enterprise of great magnitude to double Cape Horn, in the times of Captain Cook and the adventurers that succeeded him. But the great number of ships, both whalemen and merchantmen, that annu- ally pass around in safety, have divested it of many of its terrors, and made it appear much less formidable than in days of yore. It is still, however, a fearful place.

During our passage around Cipp. Horn, T haw been constantly on the look-out for any unusual astronomical phenomenon, particularly with reference to the doubtful occurrence of an aurora australis. Nothing remarkable, however, has been seen, and no aurora has illumined the sky to the southward of us. The captain and offi- cers concur in saying that they have never noticed any thing ofnhe kind while in these regions.

Wednesday, Feb. 5. Latitude at noon 47° 51'. We were dashing along this afternoon with a fine breeze, when a large sperm whale was suddenly seen "close aboard of us," less than a quarter of a mile off. A do- zen men were instantly hold of the main-clew-garnets— the main course clewed up and the after sails laid aback, in a less time than I have been writing about it. Three boats were then lowered, but soon after seven o'clock, returned to the ship, as the gathering gloom of the eve- ning precluded all hope of success.

This whale was of extraordinary size, and displayed

PERILS OF WHALING. 113

the large hump upon his back repeatedly, and several times threw his broad flukes high out of water.

Friday ', Feb. 7. Latitude at noon 45°. This morn- ing, I amused myself for a long time in catching alba- trosses, and was so successful as to capture three^ making seven in all, that we have taken. The whalers that double Cape Horn, frequently amuse themselves by catching a number of these birds, and then letting them go, with an inscription upon a piece of leather tied around their necks. The inscription is an exaggerated account of their success in whaling. For instance, if we were desirous of imitating this vera- cious practice, we might send off one or two of the alba- trosses we took to-day with the label " North America, New London, at sea. Feb. 7, 1840, four months out — 350 bbls. Sp. Oil," whereas if the ship were to be search- ed, not more than fifty bbls. of oil could be found, of any kind.

Great numbers of these birds flock around a whale ship, when " cutting in " the whale, alighting upon the sea, and swimming around to pick up scraps of blubber that are floating loosely about. A favorite amusement of the crew at these times, is to tie a piece of blubber upon each end of a string, and then to throw it overboard. Each piece finds a voracious devourer, and then a ludicrous struggle ensues between them, which terminates in the weaker party being compelled to disgorge what he had swallowed.

Saturday, Feb. 8. Those whose home is upon " the trackless main," must of necessity, experience the many dangers of the capricious element upon which they are floating. But besides the ordinary dangers of the sea, the whaler is exposed to peculiar risks of life and limb in the various duties of his hazardous profession. The utmost caution is requisite in the attack upon a whale, to

10*

114 CAPE HORN.

guard against danger, and every man must be on the alert, or success is not only hopeless, but disastrous con- sequences are very likely to ensue. The line some- times becomes entangled as it darts from the boat, and must be instantly severed, or the boat will be carried down, if the " chock pin " is too strong to break. When the boats are among a school of whales, they are often stove by these huge animals; as the boats cannot be seen when in a line with them, they are frequently shattered by the powerful head of the whale, before he is aware of their proximity. The whale in coming up to blow after being down for some time, shoots up head- first with great velocity, and instant destruction awaits that unlucky boat that happens to be immediately over him. (See frontispiece.) In coming alongside in the boats, there is no inconsiderable danger, if there is a heavy swell running at the time ; when these frail structures are liable to be dashed to pieces against the ship's side, and their crews are often seriously injured by being caught between the boat and ship. In " cutting in" the whale too, lamentable casualties often occur. Large masses of blubber slide from side to side as the ship rolls heavily in the sea in rough weather. The heads of the sperm whales, which are always hoisted upon deck when practicable, sometimes get loose and cause great destruction before they are secured again. The numerous sharp instruments used in every depart- ment of whaling, are a source of considerable danger, and many persons annually, receive terrible wounds, either through their own carelessness or that of others. One of the officers told me that upon a certain occasion, while "cutting in" a whale, he was thrown from the staging, and fell upon the whale, while but a narrow strip of blubber prevented his sliding off upon the keen,

SONGS. 115

barbed head of a harpoon sticking into the side of the whale and pointing directly towards him. These are some of the dangers which the whaler encounters, and if there are any men worthy of commendation for their enterprise and intrepidity, he certainly deserves a promi- nent place among them.

Monday, Feb. 10. Saw this noon, a large school of black fish, a cetaceous animal resembling the Sperm Whale somewhat in shape, and varying in length from five or six feet to twenty two or three feet. Three boats were sent in among them, but were unsuccessful in cap- turing any. Latitude at noon, 41° 39'. Temperature of the air by the thermometer 60°.

Tuesday, Feb. 11. I have often been very much amused by the cries and songs of the men, when engaged in hauling away upon the rigging of the ship. The usual cry is " Ho ! Ho ! Hoi !" or " Ho ! Ho ! Heavo !" which is sung by some one of them, while the rest keep time. It has a rather dolorous cadence, and a wildness that sounds like a note of distress when rising above the roar of the gale at dead of night.

But there are many songs in common use among seamen, of a very lively character, which though bereft of all sentiment and sense in many instances, are per- formed with very good eifect when there is a long line of men hauling together. Mr. Freeman usually officiates as chorister, and with numerous demisemiquavers, strikes up the song, while all the rest join in the chorus. Sometimes they all sing together as I have endeavored to represent, although it must appear very tame without the attendant circumstances. One of the songs is as follows : —

116

CAPE HORN

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Ho ! Ho ! and up she ris • es. Ho ! Ho ! and up she ris - es.

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Ho! Ho! and up she ris - es, Ear-ly in the morn-iug.

And another song, accompanied with the chorus, which vies with the song of the troubadours in poetic sentiment.

Chorus

Nan - cy Fan - an - a, she mar - ried a bar - ber, Heave her a • way, and

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heave her a - way ! Hur • rah ! Hur - rah ! for Nan - cy Fa-

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na • na. Heave her a - way ! and Heave her a - way !

There are many other songs that might be very easily mentioned, which, however, like a good proportion of our parlor songs are rather insipid without the music. The songs of sailors, when sung with spirit and to the full extent of their fine sonorous voices, add new vigor to their exertions, as the heavy yards and sails are mounting upwards.

CHAPTER IX.

HUNTING AND FISHING SCENES,

Ambrose Island — Immense flocks of birds — Great fishing — Capture of a fur seal — Sea birds — Capture of a black fish — Boat carried down by a whale.

Wednesday, Feb. 19. Last evening the dim outline of Ambrose Island, was just discernible at sunset. During thp night nnrW easy sail, with a light wind, we drew up slowly towards the island, and were becalmed almost all the forenoon.

After dinner, Capt. R., invited me to accompany him on a fishing and hunting excursion. Accordingly, with our guns and fishing tackle, we jumped into his boat and pulled for the Island, then about six miles distant.

Ambrose Island belongs to the St. Felix group, situa- ted in latitude 26° 20' S., and is about 600 miles from the coast of Chili. It is a desolate rock with scarcely a sign of vegetation, rising abruptly with precipitous and craggy sides, to a height of five hundred feet or more, while the heaving billows of the ocean are continually roaring at its base. From the main body are detached several large rocks, forming fanciful arches, among which the surf was boiling and dashing the spray high up into the air. The incessant action of the sea, had worn deep cavities into the solid rocks and labarynthine passages, from which the mists spray puffed out in many beautiful jets d'eau. These solitary islands of the ocean

113 HUNTING AND FISHING SCENES.

are favorite places of resort to innumerable sea birds that rear their young upon the recesses of the projecting cliffs, and derive their food from the sea.

Great numbers of birds about the size of our pigeons came off to meet us, and hovered over us so near to the boat, that I knocked several of them down with a short stick I had in my hand. The most numerous variety was the "Booby," as he is called by the sailors, a bird about the size of a goose. We shot several of them ; there are two varieties, the white and the grey Booby, differing in color only. The grey Booby has an elonga- ted body, grey back, white breast, strong and sharp bill of a greenish yellow color. He measures from tip to tip of his expanded wings about five and a half feet, and from the extremity of his bill to the end of bis tail about two feet and a half. The Booby is a very sleepy bird, and frequently alights upon the yards and booms of a ship, when he becomes an easy captive. He is a very active fisher, however, darting from a great height with astonishing velocity into the water, and even diving for some distance beneath the surface to seize the fish upon which he preys.

We coasted along the shore of the island, stopping fre- quently to catch fish, which were very abundant, and some kinds were tinged with beautiful hues. The birds also, were very active, diving down into the water a few yards from us, and coming up with a fish in their mouths about the size and hue of the gold fish we have in our glass globes at home. As we were moving along the shore, we came to a deep grotto overhung with frown- ing rocks. Upon entering it, our attention was arrested by a large animal lying asleep upon the rocks close by us, which Capt. R. instantly recognized as a fur seal. The head of the boat was run up to the rock, while the old

BLACK Flsn. 110

seal and her cub began to exhibit signs of life by dis- playing their teeth and setting up a furious growl. With a blow upon the nose from the boat-hook, the dam was laid senseless upon the rock, while the cub took to the water and made off with himself, swimming farther into the grotto, but after considerable difficulty, we suc- ceeded in capturing him also. The old seal measured over five feet in length, and the cub about two feet and a half. The fur of seals taken in these latitudes is shorter than that of colder climates. These skins, how- ever, would be valued at eight or nine dollars at home.

We returned to the ship, shooting several birds on our passage, highly gratified with the varied amusements of the afternoon, and at supper feasted ourselves upon the fine fish we had taken, and the flesh of the young seal, which was tender and delicate like that of a pig.

Friday, Feb. 21. This afternoon the boats ran into a school of large black fish, and succeeded in " fasten- ing " to two of them. One of these made his escape, as the harpoon " drew " from the wound in his violent ef- forts to get loose, although he must have died subse- quently. The other after "sounding" for some time rose upon the surface of the water, apparently dead, at a short distance from the boat, which immediately ranged along side to use the lance. At that moment he com- menced his " flurry," and knocking the oars from the starboard side, he thrust his unwieldy head across the gunner of the boat, filling her half full of water, to the terror of the men, some of whom jumped overboard. In his agony and furious convulsions, the boat bucket was stove, and the boat somewhat injured ; but before she had become full of water, he darted off" in another direction, while the men and oars were picked up by one of the other boats. The black fish soon " turned up," and

120 HUNTING AND FISHING SCENES.

was secured by a rope fastened around his flukes. Unfortu- nately, however, the bowline slipped, and to the mortifi- cation of the boatsteerer, the animal was lost, as his spe- cific gravity is greater than that of the water. Several days since we lost a large black fish by the " drawing of the iron," the line passing too closely around the logger- head of the boat, while the animal was in his "flurry." Many whales are lost in this way, after being struck, and there are some kinds of whales that almost always sink after they are killed ; for instance, the hump back whale, and not unfrequently, the right whale. These whales are almost always found in comparatively shoal water, particularly the former variety. They generally remain beneath the surface for three days after they are killed, when they become buoyant enough to rise and are claimed by the ship that remains in the neighbor- hood, anxiously awaiting their re-appearance. The sperm whale, when captured, very rarely sinks, but when he does, he is never recovered.

Several very melancholy instances have been told me of the loss of boats with all their crews, by being taken down suddenly with the whale, along side of which it was lying during the night. The men perished misera- bly by drowning, or being devoured by the voracious sharks that gather in great numbers around the carcase of a dead whale.

CHAPTER X.

THE WHALE FISHERY.

Early history of the whale fishery — Original method of at- tacking whales — Modern improvements in whaling — Imple- ments— Enterprise of our ancestors in this line — Intrepidity of whalers — Discoveries in distant regions — Benefits confer- red by them on the Polynesian colonies and missionary estab- lishments— Character of whalers, officers and crew.

In the rise and progress of the whale fishery, a branch of commercial pursuit now swollen to snch a magnitude, we can remember with pride the activity and enterprise of our ancestors, who at a very early period of our his- tory were the first to traverse the mighty waters of the North and South Atlantic, and grapple with and subdue " the monster of the main " in his own realm. There may have been many daring enterprises of this kind at- tempted antecedently to this period ; but it was not until the American colonies, during the early part of the last cen- tury, in a spirit of adventure and of commercial enter- prise, began to fit out their little vessels and sally forth to gather spoils from the ocean, that we find any authentic ac- counts of the prosecution of the whale fishery as a reg- ular department of commercial industry. " But even before these adventurers commenced their career of sper- maceti hunting, we have it proved to us that the Indians who inhabited the shores of America, used to voyage out to sea and attack this animal from their canoes and pierce