The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-01-07
Monumental Advertiser,
BY \. P. WILLIS.

By y. p. WILLIS.
most interesting acquaintance at 'Sconset. was
encket " skipper" who had once been chewed
whale-his surviving to tell the story of
pezng SIMPLY because the dainty leviathan
kng the taste Of him, had dropped the unwilling
hcal out again upon the clean table-cloth of the
This was forty years ago and it Is a rare
lnce, You will allow, Of n morsel's proving pleas
company 50 long after being rejected by a reluc-
stomach at sea-
hould ask pardon, however, for speaking thus
Rriy of one of the best specimens of manhood
have ever had the happiness to meet-a sea-
n now in his seventy-third year, as tall, straight
bus and cheerful. at this advanced age, as when
ate' at twenty-hve-one Of the most respecta-
tizens of New Bedford, at present, and ENJOYING
Portable independence from the capture Of the
that wouldn't eat him and of other whales who
arly left him unswalowed But I must give
he particulars of the haif-mast-ication Of Capt
iner-who, by the way, IN addition to his singu-
Kperience a mouthful, has the peculiarity of
the son Of the first lrhife male child born ON
fucket-
WHY arrived at the honors of Captaincy our Nam
skipper was cruising along the coast of South
rica-just off Peru-when there was cry from
mast-head-"a whale no ~ The direction was
en. the sails trimmed for the overtaking of the
nster, and, when within mile, the boats we're
ered, each with its crew of six.
uietly ahoat lay the amphibious Shylock of the
1he feri-athan, take it, is of the tribe of Leri
> the swift boat came within harpooning dis
the inevitable iron. hurled by that strong arm
q 31Fated to his vitals. Not as usual, however. did
eck monster dive out of sight !; but turning
king straight for his enemies, he rolled over
9ge bulk to get fairer grip, and brought his
together upon the boats prox-the forward half
that slight structure, Captain ds1AU disappearing
- best part of apple-tart in the MUNICH of a
Rhool-boy- The remainder of .ne crew. the
. and four oarsmen had jumped overheard
111@he whale, with another roll, dived down to
J11u9X sight, he threw up the unswaIlowed Cap
relIefboat pulling instantly to the spot and
r. loH rnor md fho fvo cuvsrn
from the water
q as the chewed-up right hand Of the Captain, as
BY me at table, which had first excited my Gu
(stimulating the inquiries which drew froress
- at last, this thrilling story)-the stump, osl
was visible below the coat-sleeve, looking like a
ed ropes end. but still retaining clutch enough
rry the chowder-spoon to his mouth. Four Of
Fhae's teeth driven into him; entering
DDkull n second breaking his collar-bone, a third
ting his arm, and the fourth crushing his hand
me remainder of his body being simply squeezed
Int0 Jelly. The healing OF the wound in the head
- cavity like the inside of egg-shell and,
lDueh the hair has grown IT, Chair still brown
md thick, with the stubborn vitality of the un-kiIl-
.ble Nantueketer) It tells after forty years. the size
n the tooth that did IT. laid the ends of my three
dngers very comfortably in the hollow.
But the after-history of this perilous adventure
peenls to the most remarkable part of it. With
brew composed almost entirely of we'll grown boys,
md the ship lying becalmed in mid-ocean-six days.
'ail from any port, with fair wind-how was
his crushed and manged sufferer to be doctored and
cared for ?
Capt Gardiner, providentally, though SO nearly
,aten up, retained full possession of his His
irst mate young, but very smart lad, and POS
essed fortunately, of Yankee apttudegood at every
hing; and with the aid of the sufferers directions he
lid the work of n surgeon. The Captain ordered him
irst to make spnts, and then to set his broken
the collar-bone being left to heal ITSELF unset, Gas
i remains, to this day, without perceptiby affecting
his shape the action of his chest) and the
other wounds being bandaged in the usual way. He
then laid the cabin floor, and, with fans made
Of the leaves of the logbook he was kept as cool
possible-for it the hottest Of South
Sea weather. Feeling however, that his life depended
the exercise Of his strong WILL he gave orders that
he should, by possibility, be allowed to sleep over
five minutes at a time And, with this vigiant
watch kept up for six days. the ship, (navgated by
his directions, he lay the cabin oor,) entered
the port of Peru
boat sent Immediately on shore, brought off the |
Emperor's physician, vino, looking at the PROSTATE
man and examining his wounds, advised only that |
they should send f confessor. Other prescription,
the medical man thought, would be useless death
evidently close at hand. But the Captain was
Of different opinion. s' physician for the soul is.
very well proper time and place, aid he; s' but,
at present, want for the body-a'd happen
to know of one who viii cure me ~
II so happened, that-in o previous totrh at that |
.ame portECapt. Gardiner had heard of he sick
mate Of an American vessel who had been eftSehind
by his shpmates, and to whom, a charity to asuf
fering countryman, he then offered passage hoae.
The mani message of reply was, that he fortunate7
stood in no need of the kindness, he under the
care of Spanish doctor who lived at Pura, "a village
back in the Mountains and who had taken HIM to
his house and treated him ike his own child And'
for this kind old doctor, Capt. Gardiner now sent,
with all convenient haste-dispensng at once, with
any further attendance by the physician OF the En-
peror.
Early on the second morning arrived the " good
Samaritan - and there comfort in his hrst look
and announcement his first words He could cure
the crushed man If he only had him at his house IN
the mountains. But, how to get him there! Ihere
no road-only mule path, along the edges OF
precipiees climbing wild cliffs and scrambling through
tangled ravinesforty miles of footpath penetrating
the depths of wilderness
But the Captains Yankee ingenuity seconded the
gDOi will Of the DOCTOR lie constructed new vehl-
ee as he lay, Tin the other physicians opInion,)
dying the floor. couple of long 1.-the spars were
brought, by his orders, and hammock was rigged
to swing suspended from the center HIS friend nad
mules and with the spars fastened to their sides,
they were TO walk like the bearers Of a paanquin,
one before the other behind him-a tandem ham,
mock in which he could ride, he was sure, quite rs
comfortably could carry him.
And, Of the the two days journey which ne thus
made the mountains, Capt Gardiner's descrlp-
ton was one of glowing remembrance. by tne eias-
tcty Of the spars which supported him. ne was Dorne
without jong; and, part Of the time ne slept most
refreshingly- But the path was gIddy one' 10
sailors eye-aloug the edges Of cliffs where single
false step would have dashed him and his mules
into grease-pots,' and now and then turning where
his two spars formed bridge from mule to mule,
over chasrn-hundreis Of feetof jagged rocks nearly
Perpendicular, stretching away below, Che still thrill
ingiy remembers,) he looked occasionally over the
side Of his mattress.
They arrived safely at the mountain home os the
old Spaniard. however; and, here, all was comfort
and kind They only differed on one Point;
The doctor thought the broken colIar-bone should
still be set; but the Captain resisted He had fes
the broken ends knit where they were, he eaid, ana
Natures mending would do for him. And ne was
right; for, after forty years, he opened ms sn,r
bosom and showed me the ridgy projection OF tne
broken bone, strong and healthy, and doing as good