The Cruise of the "Cachalot" Round the World After Sperm Whales. Frank Thomas Bullen
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Название: The Cruise of the "Cachalot" Round the World After Sperm Whales
Автор: Frank Thomas Bullen
Издательство: Bookwire
Жанр: Языкознание
isbn: 4057664601896
isbn:
CHAPTER XVI—"BOWHEAD" FISHING Difference between whales—Popular ideas
exploded—The gentle mysticetus—Very tame work—Fond of tongue—Goliath
confides in me—An awful affair—Captain Slocum's death—"Not Amurath an
Amurath succeeds"—I am promoted.
CHAPTER XVII—VISIT TO HONOLULU Towards Honolulu—Missionaries and their
critics—The happy Kanaka—Honolulu—A pleasant holiday.
CHAPTER XVIII—ON THE "LINE" GROUNDS I get my opportunity—A
new harpooner—Feats under the skipper's eye—Two whales on one
line—Compliments Heavy towage—A grand haul.
CHAPTER XIX—EDGING SOUTHWARD Monotony—A school of blackfish—A boat
ripped in half—A multitude of sharks—A curious backbone—Christmas
Day—A novel Christmas dinner—A find of ambergris.
CHAPTER XX—"HUMPBACKING" AT VAU VAU "Gamming" again—a
Whitechapel rover—arrive at Vau Vau—Valuable friends—a Sunday
ashore—"Hollingside"—The natives at church—Full-dress—Very
"mishnally"—Idyllic cruising—Wonderful mother-love—A mighty feast.
CHAPTER XXI—PROGRESS OF THE "HUMPBACK" SEASON A fruitless chase—Placid
times—a stirring adventure—a vast cave—Unforeseen company—A night
of terror—We provide a feast for the sharks—the death of Abner—An
impressive ceremony—an invitation to dinner—Kanaka cookery.
CHAPTER XXII—FAREWELL TO VAU VAU Ignorance of the habits of whales—A
terrific encounter—VAE VICTIS—Rewarding our "flems"—We leave Van
Vau—The Outward bounder—Sailors' "homes"—A night of horror—Sudden
death—Futuna.
CHAPTER XXIII—AT FUTUNA, RECRUITING A fleet of nondescripts—"Tui
Tongoa" otherwise Sam—Eager recruits—Devout Catholics—A visit to
Sunday Island—A Crusoe family—Their eviction—Maori cabbage—Fine
fishing—Away for New Zealand—Sight the "Three Kings"—The Bay of
Islands.
CHAPTER XXIV—THE BAY OF ISLANDS AND NEW ZEALAND COAST Sleepy
hollow—Wood and water—liberty day—A plea for the sailors'
recreation—Our picnic—A a whiff of "May"—A delightful excursion—To
the southward again—Wintry weather—Enter Foveaux Straits.
CHAPTER XXV—ON THE SOLANDER GROUNDS Firstfruits of the Solander—An
easy catch—Delights of the Solander—Port William—The
old CHANCE—"Paddy Gilroy"—Barbarians from the East
End—Barracouta-Fishing—Wind-bound—An enormous school of
cachalots—Misfortune—A bursting whale—Back on the Solander
again—Cutting-in at Port William—Studying anatomy—Badly battered
Yankees—Paddy in luck again.
CHAPTER XXVI—PADDY'S LATEST EXPLOIT We try Preservation Inlet—An
astounding feat of Paddy Gilroy's.
CHAPTER XXVII—PORT PEGASUS Port Pegasus—Among old
acquaintances—"Mutton birds"—Skilled auxiliaries—A gratifying
catch—Leave port again—Back to the Solander—A grim escape—Our last
whales—Into Port William again—Paddy's assistance—We part with our
Kanakas—Sam's plans of conquest.
CHAPTER XXVIII—TO THE BLUFF, AND HOME And last—In high-toned
company—Another picnic—Depart from the Bluff—Hey for the Horn!—Among
the icebergs—"Scudding"—Favouring trades—A narrow escape from
collision—Home at last.
INTRODUCTION
Without attempting the ambitious task of presenting a comprehensive sketch of the origin, rise, and fall of whale-fishing as a whole, it seems necessary to give a brief outline of that portion of the subject bearing upon the theme of the present book before plunging into the first chapter.
This preliminary is the more needed for the reason alluded to in the Preface—the want of knowledge of the subject that is apparent everywhere. The Greenland whale fishery has been so popularized that most people know something about it; the sperm whale fishery still awaits its Scoresby and a like train of imitators and borrowers.
Cachalots, or sperm whales, must have been captured on the coasts of Europe in a desultory way from a very early date, by the incidental allusions to the prime products spermaceti and ambergris which are found in so many ancient writers, Shakespeare's reference—"The sovereign'st thing on earth was parmaceti for an inward bruise"—will be familiar to most people, as well as Milton's mention of the delicacies at Satan's feast—"Grisamber steamed"—not to carry quotation any further.
But in the year 1690 the brave and hardy fishermen of the north-east coasts of North America established that systematic pursuit of the cachalot which has thriven so wonderfully ever since, although it must be confessed that the last few years have witnessed a serious decline in this great branch of trade.
For many years the American colonists completely engrossed this branch of the whale fishery, contentedly leaving to Great Britain and the continental nations the monopoly of the northern or Arctic fisheries, while they cruised the stormy, if milder, seas around their own shores.
For the resultant products, their best customer was the mother country, and a lucrative commerce steadily grew up between the two countries. But when the march of events brought the unfortunate and wholly unnecessary War of Independence, this flourishing trade was the first to suffer, and many of the daring fishermen became our fiercest foes on board their own men-of-war.
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