land whaler at the termination of a cruise. For in those vessels,
the fishing-time at their disposal being so brief, they do not wait to
boil down the blubber, but, chopping it into small pieces, pass it below
as it is into tanks, to be rendered down by the oil-mills ashore on the
ship's return.

This first bowhead yielded us eighteen tuns of oil and a ton of baleen,
which made the catch about equal in value to that of a seven-tun
cachalot. But the amount of labour and care necessary in order to
thoroughly dry and cleanse the baleen was enormous; in fact, for months
after we began the bowhead fishery there was almost always something
being done with the wretched stuff--drying, scraping, etc.--which, as it
was kept below, also necessitated hoisting it up on deck and getting it
down again.

After this beginning, it was again a considerable time before we sighted
any more; but when we did, there were quite a number of them--enough
to employ all the boats with one each. I was out of the fun this time,
being almost incapable of moving by reason of several boils on my
legs--the result, I suppose, of a long abstinence from fresh vegetables,
or anything to supply their place.

As it happened, however, I lost no excitement by remaining on board;
for while all the boats were away a large bowhead rose near the ship,
evidently being harassed in some way by enemies, which I could not at
first see. He seemed quite unconscious of his proximity to the ship,
though, and at last came so near that the whole performance was as
visible as if it had been got up for my benefit. Three "killers" were
attacking him at once, like wolves worrying a bull, except that his
motions were far less lively than those of any bull would have been.

The "killer," or ORCA GLADIATOR, is a true whale, but, like the
cachalot, has teeth. He differs from that great cetacean, though, in a
most important particular; i.e. by having a complete set in both upper
and lower jaws, like any other carnivore. For a carnivore indeed is he,
the very wolf of the ocean, and enjoying, by reason of his extraordinary
agility as well as comparative worthlessness commercially, complete
immunity from attack by man. By some authorities he is thought to be
identical with the grampus, but whalers all consider the animals quite
distinct. Not having had very long acquaintance with them both, I cannot
speak emphatically upon this difference of opinion; so far as personal
observation goe