The cruise of the Cachalot around the world after sperm whales

Frank Bullen begins his account of hunting for sperm whales with a description of how one became a member of the crew on a whaler in the late 1800's - make sure that you're in a seaport and soon enough you'll be in luck: "Sailor Jack is always hankering for shore when he is at sea, but when he is "outward bound"-that is, when his money is all gone - he is like a cat in the rain there. So as MY money was all gone, I was hungry for a ship; and when a long, keen-looking man with a goat-like beard, and mouth stained with dry tobacco-juice, hailed me one afternoon at the street-corner, I answered very promptly, scenting a berth. "Lookin' fer a ship, stranger?" said he. "Yes; do you want a hand?" said I, anxiously. He made a funny little sound something like a pony's whinny, then answered, "Wall, I should surmise that I want between fifty and sixty hands, ef yew kin lay me onto 'em; but, kem along, every dreep's a drop, an' yew seem likely enough." With that he turned and led the way until we reached a building around which were gathered one of the most nondescript crowds I had ever seen. There certainly did not appear to be a sailor among them." Bullen was right about the lack of sailors among the would-be crew: farmers, bakers, and draymen ship out with the Portuguese Canary Islanders already aboard. Bullen was a sailor however, and soon won the approval of the black fourth-mate. The Cachalot (or "big head," another term for "sperm whale") got under way quickly so that the men could not jump ship and swim for shore - whalers were considered a "sailor's horror." Bullen would remain aboard for three years, never quite sure where the captain might be taking them in the chase. They ended up circumnavigating the globe. These would be the last days for this kind of whaling and Bullen was anxious to give a complete account of life aboard a whaling ship, with accurate and vivid descriptions of chasing, catching, and preparing a sperm whale: "In this optimistic mood, then, I gaily flung myself into my place in the mate's boat one morning, as we were departing in chase of a magnificent cachalot that had been raised just after breakfast...He had just settled down for a moment, when, glancing over the gunwale, I saw his tail, like a vast shadow, sweeping away from us towards the second mate, who was laying off the other side of him. Before I had time to think, the mighty mass of gristle leapt into the sunshine, curved back from us like a huge bow. Then with a roar it came

Year

1899

Language

English

Publisher

ReadHowYouWant.com

Editions

36

Pages

388

ISBN

9781425070083

Data source: Wikidata