At eight bells there was a gathering of the men in front of the poop, and a summons for the captain.  When he appeared, the usual stereotyped invitation to “have a look at that, if you please, sir,” was uttered.  The skipper was, I think, prepared for a protest, for he began to bluster immediately.  “Look here!” he bawled, “I ain’t goin’ to ’ave any of your dam nonsense.  You want somethin’ to growl about, you do.”  “Well, Cap’n George,” said one of the men, “you shorely don’t think we k’n eat shells, do yer?” Just then I caught sight of the kid’s contents, and could hardly restrain my indignation.  For in a dirty heap, the sight of which might have pleased an Esquimaux, but was certainly enough to disgust any civilized man, lay the calipee, or under-shell of the turtle, hacked into irregular blocks.  It had been simply boiled, and flung into the kid, an unclean, disgusting heap of shell, with pieces of dirty flesh attached in ragged lumps.  But the skipper, red-faced and angry, answered, “W’y, yer so-and-so ijits, that’s wot the Lord Mayor of London gives about a guinea a hounce for w’en ‘e feeds lords n’ dooks.  Only the haristocracy at ’ome get a charnce to stick their teeth in such grub as that.  An’ ‘ere are you lot a-growlin’ at ‘avin’ it for a change!” “That’s all right, cap’n,” said the man; “bein’ brort up ter such lugsuries, of corse you kin appreshyate it.  So if yer keep it fer yer own eatin’, an’ giv us wot we signed for, we shall be werry much obliged.”  “Now, I ain’t a-goin’ to ’ave none o’ your cheek, so you’d better git forrard.  You can betcher life you won’t get no more fresh messes this voy’ge.”  So, with grumbling and ill-will on both sides, the conference came to an end.  But I thought, and still think, that the mess set before those men, who had been working hard since six a.m., was unfit for the food of a good dog.

Out of my own experience I might give many other instances of the kind, but I hope these will suffice to show that Jack’s growling is often justified, when both sides of the story are heard.

*

CHAPTER XVI

“Bowhead” Fishing

Day and night being now only distinguishable by the aid of the clock, a constant look-out aloft was kept all through the twenty-four hours, watch and watch, but whales were apparently very scarce.  We did a good deal of “pelagic” sealing; that is, catching seals swimming.  But the total number obtained was not great, for these creatures are only gregarious when at their rocky haunts during the breeding season, or among the ice just before that season begins.  Our sealing, therefore, was only a way of passing the time in the absence of nobler game, to be abandoned at once with whales in sight.

It was on the ninth or tenth morning after our arrival on the grounds that a bowhead was raised, And two boats sent after him.  It was my first sight of the great mysticetus, and I must confess to being much impressed by his gigantic bulk.  From the difference in shape, he looked much larger than the largest sperm whale we had yet seen, although we had come across some of the very biggest specimens of cachalot.