The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-03-15
4 Crazy Whale.


Plum Duff was not his name, you under
stand but no mans aboard ship in the
merchant service without nickname In
the foksel of the Centaur we had not man
who did not rejoice in some ridiculous
nickname. Besides Plum Duff we had
"Marrowfat," 'Luke McGhke," "Euto-
mology," "Dutch," "Big Foot" and 'Rule
of Three" These ridiculous names were
given for some prominent Characteristic of
the owner-or the lack of it, as the case
might be. Marrowfat was thin as match;
Luke McGluke a saturnine Kanaka; Ento-
mology big darkey; Dutch was built like
Wouter Won Twiller; Big Foot had a num-
fifteen foot; and Rule of Three, your hum
BILE servant, knew how to ''fgger," gener-
ally strange accomplishment for man
before the mast. The darkey was the cook,
and the other six hands before the mast,
and the Centaur was whaler. rr
I spoke of Plum Duff. He was a tall,
strong man, harpooner in the captains
boat, with a face that would have been
handsome but for an accident when a young
blne-jacket. By the premature discharge
of cannon his face had been blown full of
powder, which appeared in spots all over
his face, and gave it a peculiar mottled ap-
pearance, from which came his name, be-
cause the sailors said the spots looked like
the plums in duff. But, be that as it may,
Plum Duff was an oracle on board the brig
Centaur.
I have only spoken of the seven men in
the starboard watch. We had seven others
in the port watch, now on deck, and when
we lowered for whales sent out two boats
the captains and first MATES. We had a
good captain, fair luck in taking whales,
and, take it all in all, were pretty well salts
fed with our station IN life
Plum Duff was holding forth on whales
as a class. For twenty years he had held
the iron-this was before the officer in
charge used the harpoon himself-and there
were few men upon earth who knew more
of the nature of the animal than he did
"And there's some whales, my boys" he
said, 'that, old harpooner as am, I'd give
wide berth to. And"
"All hands on deck !" roared voice at
the souttle. "Spouts, boys! There she
blows; there she breaches Tumble up,
tumble up there !"
We came rolling up the ladder and sprung
for the falls, and with the quickness which
only blubber-hunters know, we were afoat,
and with silent paddles were creeping up on
great cetacean lying upon the water per
haps mile away. We didn't need but one
look to know that he was big 'un, but
Plum Duff, looking over his shoulder,
shook his head as he saw the whale.
81 don't like him." he said. "Shall put
you in on that critter, capt'in ?"
"shall you! !" roared the captain, tough
old Nantucket man. 81 guess you'd better,
unless you want the old man TO light Oh
you, pretty heavy"
All at once the whale started into mex.
pressible fury He darted here and there,
lifted his square head high into the air,
closed his jaws with crashing sound, and
then plunged head downward, fourishing
his broad f1ukes in the air.
"Ours !" cried the captain. 'FNo use tc
creep up on him! Look out Plum Duff.
Do you see that Marrowfat trying to wealth
er on us? There he goes"
The whale had suddenly turned fukes
and was padding away, dead in the winds
eye, and a roar like that of mad bull broke
from our captains lips.
clay down to it, you devils! Pull, pull
We sons of Baalam! Let me see that
you have whalebones in your backs. Break
your backs, if it must be, but don't let up
If the mate gets first iron in that whale
wel-you know me J"
But the mate, persuasive, bland, waited
on his boat with such words as these:
"Ye sleepers, rouse. Look how tht
black dog heads away against the wind
Do you want to bring swift and sure de
struction on your guilty heads? If not
then beach me, oh! beach me on yor
whale: Pull, boys, pull"
| No need to tell us to go. There was no
man in either boat who was not pulling
his very arms out, for there is always rival