The South Sea Whaler Read online

  CHAPTER THREE.

  THE "CHAMPION" IN THE PACIFIC--FIRST WHALES CAUGHT--CUTTING IN ANDTRYING OUT--VARIOUS PLACES VISITED--A CHASE AND BATTLE--A PRIZE TAKEN--THE PRIZE PARTS COMPANY--THE BOATS IN CHASE OF WHALES--WALTER'S BOATDESTROYED--THE MATE AND WALTER ON THE WRECKED BOAT--A FIRE SEEN.

  Walter had been rapidly gaining a knowledge of navigation andseamanship; he had now to learn something of the business ofwhale-catching. The _Champion_ carried six boats, which were so builtas to possess the greatest amount possible of buoyancy and stability aswell as to be able to move swiftly. They were about twenty-seven feetlong by four wide, and sharp at both ends, so that they could move bothways. At one end, considered the stem, was a strong, upright, roundedpiece of wood, called the loggerhead; at the other, or bow, a deepgroove for the purpose of allowing the harpoon-line to run through it.

  The most experienced hands among the crew were busy in preparing theboats for active work. In each boat were stowed two lines, two hundredfathoms in length, coiled away in their respective tubs ready for use;four harpoons, and as many lances; a keg, containing several articles,among which were a lantern and tinder-box; three small flags,denominated whifts, for the purpose of inserting into a dead whale, whenthe boats might have to leave it in chase of others; and two cirougues--pieces of board of a square form with a handle in the centre, so thatthey could be secured to the end of the harpoon-line, to check the speedof the whale when running or sounding. Six men formed the crew of eachboat: four for pulling, and two being officers; one called theboat-steerer, and the other the headsman.

  Hitherto not a whale had been caught; but they were in hourlyexpectation of falling in with some. A sharp lookout was kept for them;a man for the purpose being placed at each masthead, while one of theofficers took post on the fore-topgallant-yard. Day after day passedby, and still no whales were seen, till the men began to grumble attheir ill-luck. Still they could not blame the captain, for he wasdoing the utmost in his power to fall in with them. The boatswain,however, took the opportunity of urging the rest of the crew that, sincethey could not find whales, they should go in search of an enemy, andtry and pick up a prize. Tidy, as before, managed to hear what wasgoing forward, and informed the captain. Notwithstanding this, he keptto his resolution to search for whales, and not to attack any of theenemy's merchant-vessels, unless they should fall directly in his way,or come in chase of him. He trusted to the number of true men on board,and cared very little for the grumbling of the rest.

  At length, one forenoon--the ship being only a few degrees south of theline, off the coast of Peru, as she was standing on under easy sail, thecrew engaged in their various occupations, or moving listlessly aboutthe decks overcome by the heat of the sun, which was very great, somegrumbling, and nearly all out of spirits at the ill success of thevoyage--the voice of one of the lookouts was heard shouting--

  "There she spouts!"

  The words acted like a talisman. In one moment, from the extreme ofapathy, the crew were aroused into the utmost activity.

  "Where away?" asked the captain in an animated tone.

  "On the weather bow," was the answer. "There again! there again!" camethe cry from aloft, indicating that other whales were spouting in thesame direction.

  The crew were rushing with eager haste to the boats, each man to the oneto which he belonged. The captain went away in one; the whale-masterand two of the officers in the others,--for five only were lowered.

  Walter and Alice were on deck, as eager as any one. Walter was about toslip into one of the boats when the first mate saw him.

  "No, no, my lad; the danger is too great for you. The captain has notordered you not to go; but I am right sure he would not allow it."

  Walter felt much disappointed, as he was very anxious to see the sport.He would not have called it sport for the poor whales, had he witnessedthe mighty monsters writhing in agony as harpoons and spears wereplunged into their bodies.

  Away dashed the boats as fast as the hardy crews could lay their backsto the oars, the captain's boat leading, while the ship was heading uptowards them. All hands on deck watched their progress, till theylooked mere specks on the ocean, although the backs of the whales andtheir heads could be seen above the surface as they spouted up jets ofbreath and spray.

  Walter was surprised to see the third mate and surgeon with pistols intheir belts and cutlasses by their sides, while Nub and Tidy and severalother trustworthy men gathered aft, also with cutlasses, pistols, andmuskets in their hands.

  "Why are you all armed?" asked Walter. "I thought there was no fear ofthe mutineers playing any tricks."

  "We obey the captain's orders," answered Mr Lawrie.

  "I thought that as Hulk is dead, and the boatswain is away, none of therest would venture to mutiny."

  "The boatswain is cunning as well as daring, and while the captain andmost of the other officers are away, he might come back and induce thosehe has won over to take possession of the ship," answered the surgeon."Your father is right to take precautions, though there may be butlittle chance of anything of the sort happening."

  "We must not tell Alice, or she may be alarmed," observed Walter. "Ifshe observes that you are armed, I will tell her that our fatherdirected it should be so."

  The captain's boat had in the meantime reached one of the whales, justat the moment that the monster, rising above water, had begun to spout.Two of the boats remained with him, while two others went in search ofanother whale. The captain's boat dashing up rapidly towards thecreature, he stepped to the bows, harpoon in hand. Hurling it with allhis force, he fixed it deeply into the body of the whale; while one ofthe other boats coming up, a second harpoon was struck into its body.

  "Back off, all!" was the cry, and the crews pulled away with might andmain. The lines were run out to get to a distance from the nowinfuriated creature, which, seeing its foes, gave signs of making atthem with open mouth; but they, pulling round towards the tail, avoidedit; and the whale, no longer seeing them, lifting its flukes, dived fardown into the depths of the ocean. The first lines being nearly runout, others were added on, which also rapidly ran out--a few fathomsonly remaining. A third boat, which had been keeping pace with them,was now called up, that her lines might be added to those already out.Just then, however, the lines slackened, and the crews quickly hauledthem in. It was a sign that the whale was once more coming to thesurface. The mighty creature soon appeared, sending out from itsspout-holes jets of blood and foam, and dyeing the water around with aruddy hue. Again the boats approached, hauling themselves along by thelines made fast to its body, to inflict further wounds with the spearsready in the officers' hands, when the whale again made towards them.It soon stopped, and began to lash the water furiously with its flukes,writhing and rolling in agony. Once more it ceased struggling,apparently exhausted; and the boats dashing up, more spears were struckinto its body. The pain caused by the fresh wounds made it leap abovethe surface, and roll and lash the water with its flukes with greaterviolence than before, till the whole sea around was a mass of foamtinged with blood. The whale was in its "flurry." These mightyexertions could not last long, and at length it lay an inert mass on thesurface. Another whale was captured much in the same manner; when theboats, taking the creatures in tow, pulled towards the ship, the crewssinging in chorus a song of triumph.

  All on board had been eagerly looking out for their arrival. At lengthboth were towed up, one being firmly secured by lashings to one side ofthe ship, and one to the other side, preparatory to the work of cuttingin and trying out; that is, taking off the blubber or fat whichsurrounds the body, and boiling it in huge caldrons on deck.

  Walter eagerly examined the monsters which had been brought alongside.They were sperm whales, which produce the oil so much valued for makingcandles. The head, as it was lifted out of the water, looked very muchlike the bottom end of a gigantic black bottle. This, the mate toldhim, was called the snout, or nose, and formed one-third of the wholeleng
th of the animal. At its junction with the body was a hugeprotuberance, which the mate called the "bunch" of the neck; immediatelybehind this was the thickest part of the body, which, from this point,gradually tapered off to the tail, or "small." At this point wasanother protuberance, of a pyramidal form, called the "lump," withseveral other small elevations, denominated the "ridge." The end of thesmall was not thicker than the body of a man; it then expanded into theflukes, or, familiarly speaking, the tail,--the two flukes forming atriangular fin somewhat like the tail of a fish, but differing from itinasmuch as it was placed horizontally. The two flukes were abouttwelve feet or rather more in breadth, and six or seven in length. Thewhole animal was about eighty-four feet long, and the extreme breadth ofthe body between twelve and fourteen feet; thus the whole of thecircumference did not exceed thirty-six feet. The mate said he hadseldom seen whales larger. Though the upper part of the head was verybroad, it decreased greatly below, so that it resembled somewhat thecutwater of a ship; thus, as the animal when moving along the surfaceraises its head out of the water, it is enabled to go at a great speed,the sharp lower part of the jaw performing the service of the stem of aship. The mouth extended the whole length of the head, the lower jawbeing very narrow and pointed,--no thicker in proportion than the lid ofa box, supposing the box to be inverted. It had but a single blow-hole,about twelve inches in length, resembling a long S in shape. In theupper part of the head, the mate told him, there is a largetriangular-shaped cavity called the "case," which contains oil of greatlightness, thus giving buoyancy to the enormous head. This oil is thespermaceti; and from the whale alongside, the mate said that probably noless than a ton, or upwards of ten large barrels of spermaceti, would betaken out. The throat, he asserted, was large enough to swallow a man,though the tongue was very small. The mouth was lined throughout with apearly white membrane, which, when the whale lies below the surface withits lower jaw dropped down, attracts the unwary fish and othersea-creatures on which it feeds. When a number swim into the trap, itcloses its jaw, and swallows the whole at a gulp.

  "You see, Walter," observed the mate, "the sperm whale differs very muchin this respect from the Greenland whale, which has a remarkably smallgullet, and a quantity of whalebone in its gills, through which itstrains its food, so that nothing can get into its mouth which it cannotswallow. Now, the sperm whale has no whalebone in its jaws, and couldmanage to take in a fish of fifty pounds, or, for that matter, one of ahundred pounds, provided it had no sharp prickles on its back.

  "Now, look at the eyes, how small they are, compared to the size of theanimal. They have got eyelids, though; and they are placed in the mostconvenient spot, at the widest part of the head, so that it can seearound it in every direction. Just behind the eyes are the openings ofthe ears; but they are very small,--not big enough to put in the tip ofyour little finger. Just astern of the mouth are the swimming paws; notthat the whale makes much use of them, for it works itself on by itsflukes, but they serve to balance the body, and assist the female insupporting her young."

  While Walter had been looking at the whales, the crew had been busy inpreparing for the operation of "cutting in," or taking off the blubber.Huge caldrons, or "try-pots," had been got up on deck, with pans belowthem for holding the fire.

  The first operation was to cut off the head; which being done, it washauled astern and carefully secured with the snout downwards. Tacklesbeing secured to the maintop, were brought to the windlass, when one ofthe crew being lowered on to the body of the whale with a huge hook inhis hand, he fixed it into a hole cut for the purpose in the "blanket,"or outer covering, near the head. Others being lowered to assist him,they commenced cutting with sharp spades a strip between two and threefeet broad, in a spiral direction round the body. This strip, as it washoisted up by the tackles, caused the body to perform a rotatory motion,till the whole of the strip or "blanket-piece" was cut off to theflukes; which "blanket-piece," by-the-by, the mate told Walter, was socalled because it kept the whale warm. As soon as this was done, theshapeless mass, deprived of its fat, was allowed to float away, tobecome the prey of numberless seafowl and various fish. A hole beingnow cut into the case of the head, a bucket was fixed to a long pole andthrust down, and the valuable spermaceti bailed out till the case wasemptied, when the head was let go, and, deprived of its buoyantproperty, quickly sank from view.

  The next operation was to boil the spermaceti, and to stow it away incasks. The blanket-piece being cut up into small portions, they werethrown into the try-pots; the crisp pieces which remained after the oilwas extracted, called "scraps," serving for fuel. This last operationis called "trying out."

  Four days elapsed before both the carcasses were got rid of, and the oilstowed away in casks in the hold. Fortunately the weather remainedcalm, or the operation would have taken much longer. This wasconsidered a very good beginning, and the captain hoped he should hearno more grumbling.

  We must rapidly pass over the events of several weeks. Two ports in thenorthern part of Peru were visited, in order to dispose of to theinhabitants some of the goods brought out, and to obtain freshprovisions. It was a work of some risk, as the _Champion_ would have todefend herself against any Spanish men-of-war which might fall in withher. After this, she touched at the volcanic-formed Galapagos Islands,situated on the line, at some distance from the continent. Here anumber of huge tortoises were captured,--a welcome addition to theprovisions on board. The ship remained some time in port, that therigging might be set up, and that she might undergo several necessaryrepairs. From this place she sailed northward, touching at the SandwichIslands,--then in almost as barbarous a condition as when discovered byCaptain Cook. The inhabitants, however, had learned to respect theirwhite visitors, and willingly brought them an abundance of freshprovisions. Captain Tredeagle was too wise not to take precautionsagainst surprise. Some of the worst of the crew, however, grumbledgreatly at not being allowed to visit the shore, and showed signs ofmutinous intentions; their ringleader, as before, being the boatswain.By constant watchfulness and firmness the captain managed to prevent anactual outbreak; and having taken on board an ample supply of freshprovisions, and filled up with wood and water, he sailed for thesouth-west,--intending to try the fishing-grounds off the Kingsmill andEllis's groups, and thence to proceed to New Guinea and the adjacentislands.

  After the _Champion_ had been some weeks at sea, a sail was seen to thewestward: whether a friend or a foe, could not be discovered; but shewas apparently of no great size. The crew loudly insisted that chaseshould be given, and that she should be overhauled, many even of thebetter-disposed joining in the cry.

  "I warn you, my men, that if a foe, though small she may be stronglyarmed, and you may have to fight hard for victory--not probably to begained till several lives have been lost."

  "We want prize-money, and are ready to fight for it," shouted the crew.

  "I am willing to please you, though it is my belief that we shall bebetter off in the end if we keep to our proper calling. Even if we comeoff victorious, our crew will be weakened; and while we are repairingthe damage we receive we might be filling our casks with oil."

  "One rich prize will be worth all the whales we can catch," shouted thecrew.

  The captain yielded, and all sail was made in chase of the vessel insight. The stranger soon discovered that she was pursued, and set allthe canvas she could carry to escape.

  The _Champion_ sailed well, and carried a strong breeze with her, whilethe vessel ahead had but a light wind. The former soon came up with thechase, which hoisted French colours. She was a brig, and from herappearance many thought that she was a man-of-war. If so, though muchsmaller, she might prove a formidable antagonist, or turn out a Tartar.It was too late, however, to escape, and their best chance of gainingthe victory was to put a bold face on the matter. Shot and ammunitionwere got up from below, the guns were run out, and the crew went totheir quarters ready for battle. Many surmises were hazarded as to thecharac
ter of the vessel. It soon became evident that she was not aman-of-war; but she might be a privateer, and if so, would prove a toughcustomer. That such was the case was soon evident. She now got thebreeze; but instead of setting all sail to escape, she hauled her wind,and stood away on a bowline, manoeuvring to obtain the weather-gage.This Captain Tredeagle was too good a sailor to let her obtain; andseeing that she could not do so, she stood boldly towards herantagonist.

  Captain Tredeagle told Walter and Nub to carry Alice down below, toremain in the lower hold, the safest part of the ship. She was veryunwilling to go, and begged that she might stay on deck to share thedanger to which he might be exposed.

  "It is impossible," he answered. "I should have my thoughts fixed onyou instead of on the enemy; and should you be wounded, I should neverforgive myself."

  "Come, Miss Alice. Enemy soon begin to fire, and time you out of harm'sway," said Nub, taking her hand to lead her below.

  "May I return, father?" asked Walter. "I cannot bear the idea of hidingaway while there is fighting going forward."

  Captain Tredeagle hesitated. "I must not place my son out of the way ofdangers to which the rest of the crew are exposed. They will look downupon him if I did."

  "You may return," he answered.

  "Thank you, father, thank you," said Walter, springing after his sisterand Nub.

  He soon came back. "Alice is now all right," he said. "Nub has beentelling her that we probably shall not have much fighting, as the battlewill soon be over, and we shall no doubt take the enemy."

  The brig was soon within range of the whaler's guns, and showed herreadiness for the fight by firing the first shot, which came crashingthrough the bulwarks, and striking one man to the deck.

  "Give it to them, my lads!" cried Captain Tredeagle; and the whaler'sbroadside was fired at her opponent with an effect scarcely expected--one of the shot going right through the brig's foretopmast, sending itwith all its sail and rigging overboard. The English crew cheeredlustily. Captain Tredeagle ordered the helm to be put down, intendingto shoot ahead of the brig and rake her; but before he could do so, shefired her broadside, which came sweeping across the deck, killing twomen and wounding three others. It was her last effort, however; for thewhaler, passing ahead of her, poured in her broadside in return, rendingher mainmast, and killing several of her crew. Finding that allresistance was useless, the French colours were hauled down.

  Walter's first impulse was to rush below to Alice. "Good news! goodnews!" he exclaimed; "we have taken a prize! Hurrah! hurrah! You maycome up into the cabin; but you had better not go on deck, for there aresights there you would not wish to see."

  Walter was right, for the three men lately killed lay stark and stiff onthe deck, which was sprinkled in many places with blood; while threeothers severely wounded were under the doctor's hands. Besides this, aportion of the bulwarks was knocked away; and, what was of still moreconsequence, two of her boats were almost irretrievably damaged.

  A boat was lowered, and the first mate pulled away to board the prize.The damage she had received was severe; besides which, a number of hercrew had been killed and wounded. The captain and two of his officershad also lost their lives. The prize was of less value than wasexpected, as she had only a small assortment of articles on board, forthe purpose of trading with the natives. Captain Tredeagle's own crewwould of necessity be weakened to carry her into port; the nearest towhich he could send her being Sydney in New South Wales. Some time mustalso be spent in rigging jury-masts and refitting her for the voyage: sothat, whatever others might have thought, he very much regretted havingfallen in with the brig, the battle proving, as in most instances whennations or people fall out, a loss to both parties. He gave the commandto the third mate and six hands, all that could be spared; and theywould have, besides navigating the brig, to look after the prisoners,most of whom remained on board.

  Fortunately the weather remained calm, though even then it took threedays to prepare the brig for the voyage. A third of her crew werereceived on board the _Champion_, they having volunteered to join her.Both vessels then made sail, the _Champion_ accompanying the prize.They had not got far, however, when the lookout at the masthead gave thewelcome cry of "There they spout! there they spout!"

  "Where away?" asked the captain.

  "On the weather bow," was the answer.

  The captain made the signal for the brig to proceed on her voyage, andordered the _Champion's_ sails to be braced sharp up, to stand towardsthe whales which were seen to windward. There was a fresh breeze, whichseemed likely to increase. After making a couple of tacks the ship washove-to, and the captain ordered two boats to be lowered,--he going inone, and the second mate in the other. Away they pulled after thewhales, which, however, caught sight of them, and went off in alldirections. The captain made chase after one, which, taking severalturns, at length came towards him. Ordering his men to lie on theiroars, he stepped forward, waiting till the whale, a huge bull, came nearenough, when with unerring aim he struck his harpoon deep into its side.The whale, smarting with pain, turned round, almost upsetting the boat,and away it went dead to windward at a tremendous speed right againstthe sea, which flew from the bows, covering her with showers of foam.

  The second mate, who had gone away after another whale, observing thecourse the first was taking as it came by, dashed up and fixed hisharpoon into the other side of the monster. Away went both the boats,towed with undiminished speed, till in a short time neither could beseen from the _Champion's_ deck. Scarcely had they disappeared whenseveral more whales were seen spouting at no considerable distance towindward. The opportunity of catching them was not to be lost, and MrShobbrok ordered the two remaining boats to be lowered,--he going in oneand the fourth mate in the other, leaving the ship in charge of thesurgeon.

  Walter had long been anxious to see a whale actually caught; and notallowing the mate time to refuse him, he jumped into his boat.

  "Do let me go," he exclaimed. "The whales are not far off, and we shallsoon be back with a prize." The men in their eagerness had shoved offand were giving way. Walter sprang aft to the side of the mate, who wassteering. "You won't be angry with me, Mr Shobbrok," he said; "Ipromise not to come again, if you object."

  "I trust that no accident will happen, my boy," answered the mate. "Itwas for your own good alone that I wished you to remain on board,otherwise I should have been glad of your company, and given you theopportunity of seeing a whale caught."

  A whole school of whales was in sight, several of them spoutingtogether. The mates steered for them, making sure of getting hold of acouple at least. Some were spouting, others sounding, and others justcoming up again to breathe. Mr Shobbrok steered for one which had justmade its appearance above water; while the fourth mate's boat made waytowards another huge monster which had already been blowing for someseconds.

  The first mate's boat approached the whale he had selected. Stepping tothe bows, he plunged his harpoon into the creature's side; and thentaking one of the lances he thrust it deep into its body, singing out ashe did so, "Back off, all!"

  At that instant Walter heard a cry from the direction of the other boat.He looked round, when what was his horror to see that the boat had beenstruck by the whale and lifted into the air! The next instant down itcame, dashed into fragments, while those in it were sent flying in alldirections. The first mate, in his desire to go to the rescue of hisshipmates, was on the point of heaving his own line overboard with adrogue fastened to it, when the whale he had struck, lifting up its hugeflukes, sounded, nearly dragging him overboard as he let out the line.The men were backing out of its way, when suddenly it slewed round itstail. The men, well knowing their danger, made every effort to escape,and believing that they had got to a safe distance, and that the whalehad gone down, pulled back to the assistance of their drowningshipmates. Just then a tremendous blow was felt, and the boat, struckamidships, was thrown into the air as the other had been, and smashed tof
ragments. The two men in the centre of the boat must have been killedinstantaneously. Walter felt stunned for a moment, but, recovering hissenses, found himself struggling in the water, and close to the brokenstern of the boat, to which he clung fast. Only one person remainedfloating above the surface. Walter called to him; and Mr Shobbrok'svoice answered, "Hold on, my lad; I'll be with you anon."

  Walter saw that he was towing some of the fragments of the boat. Thewhale had disappeared, possibly having carried down some of the men inhis mighty jaws. The first mate, after considerable exertion, reachedWalter.

  "Thank Heaven, you have escaped!" he said, helping him up on to thewreck of the boat. Fortunately the second line remained attached to it.

  "We must put together a raft, Walter, and try to get back to the ship,"said the mate. By means of the line he set to work, and lashed togetherthe different pieces of the boat which he managed to pick up, till hehad formed a raft sufficient to support Walter. The fragments of theother boat still remained floating at no great distance. Pushing theraft before him, he shoved it on till he reached the spot, when,collecting them, with the assistance of four oars he had picked up heformed a still larger raft, on which he, as well as Walter, could sitsecurely. He had also got two other oars with which to urge on theraft. Thus a considerable time was occupied, and it was now evening;before long it would be quite dark, and the difficulty of finding theship much increased; they had less chance, also, of being picked up byeither of the two other boats on their return to the ship.

  Walter had not uttered a word of complaint, and had done his utmost toassist the mate. He could not help feeling how wrong he had been ingetting into the boat, knowing, as he did, that his father wouldcertainly have objected; and should he not find them, how grieved hewould be on getting on board the ship to discover that they had notreturned. The accident had occurred at too great a distance for thoseremaining on board to see what had happened, though they might, perhaps,conjecture that the boats had been destroyed.

  The sun soon set, and darkness rapidly coming on, shrouded thefar-distant ship from sight. The mate and Walter had done their utmostto impel the raft towards her; but gathering clouds obscured the sky,and they had no longer the means of directing their course.

  "It will be impossible to reach her during the night," said the mate atlength. "We are as likely to be pulling away from her as towards her;and I have a notion that the wind has shifted more than once. The bestthing we can do is to lie on our oars and to wait patiently till themorning. Take care, however, my boy, that you do not drop asleep andfall off. Here, make a couple of beckets, and slip your arms throughthem; they will awake you if you move in your sleep."

  "I have no wish to go to sleep," said Walter; "I feel too anxious to dothat."

  "You must not trust too much to that," said the mate. "Nature may betoo powerful for you; and you will be all the better for the rest."

  Still Walter insisted on endeavouring to keep awake. He was sitting uptrying to pass the time with talking, when suddenly he exclaimed, "Look!look, Mr Shobbrok! Where can that light come from?"

  The mate gazed for some time, and then said solemnly, "Walter, I amafraid the ship is on fire."