Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-07-12

AN OLD wHALERS s YARN.

"Did like the life and if had the time to
live over again would make the same choice
Well, Miss Waven, its about this. It's just the
finest thing out--so long az you haye--no fut-
terings here and he laid hs hand on his
broad chest "But when q mans ship ceases
to be wife and child and all the world to him,
it is another thing altogether; my advice to
him is, he d better give up whaling"
So spoke Capt. Harding erst South Sea whal-
er, now these three years past gentleman OF
England, living at home at ease. Captain
Hardingis sitting in my brother Henrys draw
ing room after dinner and heavy day sport
among the turnips, the Captain commonly
uses on immense double barrelled gun which
has in old times brought down monkeys many
Captain Harding is not after our received
notion of a sailor; he is sufficiently broad but
much too tall with it pale-faced man with
full white beard he is rather bleached and
aged than bronzed by his foreign experiences
-ffty-hye, he looks sixty,-also, instead Of
the sailors roll, he has an erect military
carriage, partly to be accounted for by his five
years service in our local volunteers, Of whom
he is most eficien4officer only occasionally
he orders the piping Of all hands instead ol
the assembly. and III taunt in lieu Of dress.
ing up.
"lt is not to say there is any choice in the
matter" continued Capt. Harding LET a
49,, 49, L. ~ l.
sham thing, that months coasting voyage
will cure,-but the real thirst for The sea, for
foreign adventure, and he'd best be let 60. T.
for example, shouldn't have made half man
at home, now, however"
"You are man and half interposed my
brother, heartily.
'In size you mean y and the captain laugh,
enjoyabiy. "wcll, my father was in large
way of business, but he had little capital,-l
should have done nothing at tumdrum, mill.
wheel life must have been bound to- But he
consented that should go to sea, and iatter
myself did make n good whaler.'
'Self-reliance is the best lesson in the world
for boy, said Henry, sententiously.
SIT is, it is. Jack and I, Mrs. Waven, were
turned out Of the nest to make way for sec.
ond brood, and what way we have made has
been against wind and tide
But there are very many dangers attinline
whale-fshing, are there not?" l asked
sharks, and all sorts of things
'We got used to them, Miss Wayen. we ius,
got used to the them. have seen men sitting
with bare legs over the gunwalcs of the boats
and shark come sheer up, and make a snap
for them, times out of mind. He comes with
swift motion, as you have seen pike
Sharks don't often with intention attack ma n
When he is about whale they II occasionally
take neat piece out OF his leg by mistake for
the whales flank. In my thirty years expe.
riencc have not known many men killed by
them. And in every way fatal accidents arc
less frequent than you would imagine. 10,
of men about whale just remind me of LOT
of blubottle flies about joint of meat. You
strike here and there and everywherea as sharp
ly and as fiercely rs you like,-the chances
are they II all escape you. 1t is precisely thus
with the whales frantic strokes. Jack was
less fortunate in this respect than l. He los,
two Of his officers in one voyage. Farley
you know Farley of our town, Miss Waven ?
his brother was one. The whale brough
down its tail on the boat and he was crushed
to death as you would crush gnat. The Other
fellow lost his life two months after in mucl
the same way
"Now when you set out on voyage Henry
asked, ''what would be your particular desti'
nation 2"
'Just where my judgment took me. Yo,
see, was differently situated to most masters
was allowed more discretionary power, had
in fact, a sort of rowing commission. My
owners would say, thcrei your ship, Harding
everything we think, in her, that you II require
for four years. Now sail as soon as you like
and let us hear from you as often as you can
Whatever luck you have, good or i'll. don,
scruple to write,--we shall be glad to hear.
Then would be gone from three to four years
according to my degree of success. For the
months ofour own summer we would cruise in
the japan seas for the Antratic summer in
the Australian seas. For six years, through
coming home between whiles, entirely es.
capped winter
"And how do you find the whales, Captain
Harding?' inquired my sister.
"My wife thinks you fish for them with a
rod anu line laughed Henry, "and worm
at the end
ave find them. Mrs. Waven, by their spout
ing. With the first Of daylight lookout is
told of, and kept going relieved at due inter-
walls, until night. Sometimes we 60 two
months without even seeing . whale. Then
again. once killed eleven in one day. But
they were shoal whales, and the whole eleven
not worth so much as one good-sized male
whale. fair sized male whale is worth five
hundred pounds, and some large ones bring in
as much as thousand. When you have se-
cured large whale it saves great deal Of
trouble if you can get it close up by the ship.
This is done by jawboning him,-work often
falling to my share"
"Why to your sharc?"
because was always good in the water.
on take n rome suited to the purpose and