made a
drop of water more than just sufficient to sweeten the limbers.

It was with great and genuine satisfaction that we saw it at last safely
lowered on deck and secured. But when we turned our attention to the
case, which, still attached to the skull, battered alongside, any chance
of saving it was at once seen to be hopeless. Indeed, as the old man
said, it was time for us to "up stick" and run for shelter. We had been
too fully occupied to notice the gradual increase of the wind; but when
we did, there was no gainsaying the fact that it was blowing a very
stiff breeze (ANGLICE, a violent gale). Fortunately for us, it was from
the westward, fair for the harbour of Port William, on the Stewart's
Island side of the Straits, so that we were free from the apprehension
of being blown out to sea or on a jagged lee shore.

While we were thus thinking during a brief pause to take breath, the old
packet herself solved our last difficulty in emphatic fashion. She
gave a tremendous lee lurch, which would inevitably have destroyed the
cutting stage if we had not hoisted it, driving right over the head,
which actually rose to the surface to windward, having passed under her
bottom. The weather roll immediately following was swift and sudden.
From the nature of things, it was evident that something must give way
this time. It did. For the first and only time in my experience,
the fluke-chain was actually torn through the piece to which it was
fast--two feet of solid gristle ripped asunder. Away went the head with
its L150 to L200 worth of pure spermaceti, disappearing from view almost
immediately.

It had no sooner gone than more sail was set, the yards were squared,
and the vessel kept away up the Straits for shelter. It was a big
improvement, for she certainly had begun to make dirty weather of
it, and no wonder. Now, however, running almost dead before the gale,
getting into smoother water at every fathom, she was steady as a rock,
allowing us to pursue our greasy avocation in comparative comfort. The
gale was still increasing, although now blowing with great fury; but, to
our satisfaction, it was dry and not too cold. Running before it,
too, lessened our appreciation of its force; besides which, we were
exceedingly busy clearing away the enormous mass of the junk, which,
draining continually, kept the decks running with oil.

We started to run up the Straits at about ten a.m. At two p.m. we
suddenly looked up from our to