The Cruise of the Cachalot | Page 7

which made their sickness so much worse, while even that dreadful
place was preferable to what awaited them on deck. There was a
rainbow- coloured halo round the flame of the lamp, showing how very
bad the air was; but in spite of that I turned in and slept soundly till
seven bells (7.20 a.m.) roused us to breakfast.
American ships generally have an excellent name for the way they feed
their crews, but the whalers are a notable exception to that good rule.
The food was really worse than that on board any English ship I have
ever sailed in, so scanty also in quantity that it kept all the foremast
hands at starvation point. But grumbling was dangerous, so I gulped
down the dirty mixture mis-named coffee, ate a few fragments of
biscuit, and filled up (?) with a smoke, as many better men are doing
this morning. As the bell struck I hurried on deck--not one moment too
soon--for as I stepped out of the scuttle I saw the third mate coming
forward with a glitter in his eye that boded no good to laggards.
Before going any farther I must apologize for using so many capital I's,
but up till the present I had been the only available white member of
the crew forrard.
The decks were scrubbed spotlessly clean, and everything was neat and
tidy as on board a man-of-war, contrary to all usual notions of the
condition of a whaler. The mate was in a state of high activity, so I
soon found myself very busily engaged in getting up whale-lines,
harpoons, and all the varied equipment for the pursuit of whales. The
number of officers carried would have been a good crew for the ship,
the complete afterguard comprising captain, four mates, four
harpooners or boat- steerers, carpenter, cooper, steward and cook. All
these worthies were on deck and working with might and main at the
preparations, so that the incompetence of the crowd forrard was little

hindrance. I was pounced upon by "Mistah" Jones, the fourth mate,
whom I heard addressed familiarly as "Goliath" and "Anak" by his
brother officers, and ordered to assist him in rigging the "crow's-nest"
at the main royal-mast head. It was a simple affair. There were a pair of
cross-trees fitted to the mast, upon which was secured a tiny platform
about a foot wide on each side of the mast, while above this foothold a
couple of padded hoops like a pair of giant spectacles were secured at a
little higher than a man's waist. When all was fast one could creep up
on the platform, through the hoop, and, resting his arms upon the latter,
stand comfortably and gaze around, no matter how vigorously the old
barky plunged and kicked beneath him. From that lofty eyrie I had a
comprehensive view of the vessel. She was about 350 tons and full
ship-rigged, that is to say, she carried square sails on all three masts.
Her deck was flush fore and aft, the only obstructions being the
brick-built "try-works" in the waist, the galley, and cabin skylight right
aft by the taffrail. Her bulwarks were set thickly round with clumsy
looking wooden cranes, from which depended five boats. Two more
boats were secured bottom up upon a gallows aft, so she seemed to be
well supplied in that direction. Mistah Jones, finding I did not presume
upon his condescension, gradually unbent and furnished me with many
interesting facts about the officers. Captain Slocum, he said, was "de
debbil hisself, so jess yew keeps yer lamps trim' fer him, sonny, taint
helthy ter rile him." The first officer, or the mate as he is always called
PAR EXCELLENCE, was an older man than the captain, but a good
seaman, a good whaleman, and a gentleman. Which combination I
found to be a fact, although hard to believe possible at the time. The
second mate was a Portuguese about forty years of age, with a face like
one of Vandyke's cavaliers, but as I now learned, a perfect fiend when
angered. He also was a first- class whaleman, but an indifferent seaman.
The third mate was nothing much but bad temper--not much sailor, nor
much whaler, generally in hot water with the skipper, who hated him
because he was an "owner's man." "An de fourf mate," wound up the
narrator, straightening his huge bulk, "am de bes' man in de ship, and
de bigges'. Dey aint no whalemen in Noo Bedford caynt teach ME
nuffin, en ef it comes ter man-handlin'; w'y I jes' pick 'em two't a time
'n crack 'em togerrer like so, see!" and he smote the palms of his great
paws against each other, while I nodded complete assent.

The weather being fine, with a steady