The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-03-01
YARNS SPUN BY WHALERS.
QUEER STORIES TOLD BY ARCTIC
BLUBBER HUNTERS

whales Eyes-The Grew Usually
Humanity's odds and Ends.
" TORIES of the sea always have a
~ fascination for the landsman,
Z aud so 1t was that a group of
Arctic blubber hunters had a
lot Of interested auditors.
"How would you like TO have eight
or ten thousand dollars on a stringf
asked n Of them, knocking his pipe on
the edge Of the ssringer and addressing
the group of landsmcn collectively.
"Well, I've had that much many q
time," he went on without waiting for a
reply, ''and it makes a fellow rather
nervous guessing whether he's going to
land his fish or whether he'll get tipped
overheard. I've been to sea now thirty
four years and expect I've struck about
as many whales as the next one, but it's
pretty exciting business yet. Why, last
season one Of our boats struck abig sperm
whale and he started down. Our ship
had five boats and each boat carries $50
fathons OF line. That whale took down
the whole five Of 'em-1400 fathoms In
all. It began to look as we had lost the
whole thing, but he was too tired, and
when he came up we feathered into
him."
"You wouldn't believe that fish-at
least spouting fish-are influenced by the
moon3" said another of the GROUP.
"Well, they are. I've seen it time and
again, and I've called other peoples at
tention to it, too, but l never found any
n else who had noticed it. Sometimes
when you are at sea and whales are to BE-
seen frequently-it may be at the full
moon or at new moon-well, all at once
they will disappear and you won't see
n for two weeks. Then just as sud
denly the water will be full Of them.
I've compared notes with other vessels.
Maybe they were sixty miles or more
away at the time and the whales there
would be numerous just at the same time
they appeared near our vessel. Oh, you
fellows needn't laugh. There is some
thing IN it.
Sand then I've noticed another thing
about this same class Of fish. When you
catch them you will always find that
they have the pupil Of the eye the same
shape as the moon at that time. II the
moon is full the pupil will be round, and
if it is a half or a quarter the sight will
be like a crescent"
The Captain stopped to light a fresh
pipe aud another M Of the whalers
spoke up.
"Pve had some experience myself, v
said he, shut two years ago I came the
nearest taking after Jonah that a man
ever did. We had made a strike all
right and the whale went down, moi
very far, but when he came up he had
his mouth open, and some how or Other
he came up with one jaw on the port and
the other on the lea side of our boat,
Surprised9 Well, that whale looked
very much as if be was ready to receive
company, but 1 wasn't invited, so l made
a streak for another boat"
"You would be surprised, " said the
first speaker, changing the direction Of
the talk, ''what queer mixtures there
are in a whalers crew sometimes. WHY
I've had lawyers and doctors and any
number of young men with a degree oil
some kind. And Once l shipped a fel.
low that turned out to be a preacher,
and l wish l could get him again, fol
we got eight whales that season.. l be.
lieve he was a mascot. One poor fellow
who went overheard in agale, had in HI.
trunk a physicians diploma, and any
number of letters with high recommend.
a%tions, but / guess he had gone wrong
some how, and wanted to get out Of the
way for a while. He succeeded betteI
than he intended. l guess they won't
think of looking for him at the bottom
Of the Arctic.
ave get lots of men for a seasons
cruise that way. II a fellows wants to
hide himself for a while / don't know OF
any place he could do it better than on
board a whaler. Nobody would think
Of looking for such a man in this bust.
ness, aud then they couldn't look much
If they wanted to. That kind of a sea,
mar never makes you any trouble. It's
the shiftless fellow you pick up here on
the wharf that you've got to handle
pretty roughly before he learns how tc
keep a decent tongue in his head"
"On one Of my cruises l had a big,
black West Indian in the crew. said the
first speaker. "One day for some reason
he jumped overheard. The sea was a
little rough and it was quite a while be-
fore we got the boats lowered, aud we
lost sight CT him. But we pulled back
a little way aud l soon saw him, swim
ming with all his might, but in the op-
posite direction from the boat. / yelled
to him, and when he saw he was discov-
cred he made no further effort to get
away. And where he was going is more
than | know, for it all happened in mid
ocean. We hauled him into the boat,
aud made for the ship. It was four
months before we made port and yet in
all that time, Sandy, for that was his
name, never spoke a word. No one on
board could get a sound from him. Some
times he wonld lie down on the deck
and seem to be asleep snd some OF tho
crew would slip up and stick him with a
pin. At iTst he would twitch a little
aud then would not move at all. We
made a bed for him down below aud
kept him away from a knife or other
weapon. You could tell him 10 take the
wheel and he would steer right enough,
but if you asked him what course the
ship was making he was silent as the
grave. And when we made the first
port he went ashore and | never saw him