The National tribune., 1902-07-17

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thizer. He was a RaFinf5rean by birth.
anything by profession, ard re1robate
! by nature He had laSt ahipped Mt san
| Francisco. He now proposed after a lit
tie backing and filling. not ionly to cast in
his lot with us, but TO pilot the Shenan-
! doah to the spot where the whaling fleet.
which contained more than. one vessel
upon which he had served. was pursuing
its bold. labOrious calling.
1t is always unpleasant, though some
times necessary, to accept the services of
the most diSreputable of men, and as this
was an opportunity which was not likely
to occur again for securing II guide to the
prize we sought. his oyertures were re-
ceivcd. and Thomas s. Manning was en-
rolled as Ships Corporal, and Mt once en-
tered upon the discharge of his duties.
Having gone over to the COnfederacy,
ne did nothing by halves, but set resOlute-
ly to work to induce as many as possible
of his ShipmatcS to follow his example.
and several of them did SO. not knowing,
however that he intended TO conduct us
TO the ships that contained the friends and
acquantanccS with whom they had grown
up from boyhoud. Had they been aware
of il. | do not believe Il man of them
would have enlisted under our flag.
The remainder of the Abigairs crew
stood otu resolutely against all induce
ments held out to them. and earnestly be-
shore from whence they imagined they
could get off and join the Russian whaling
fleet, cruising in the vicinity.
To this however. Capt. Waddell would
not assent, and they took the disappOint-
mcnt philosophically, as they did the rest
of their misfortunes.
The more we learned of the Abigail's
crew the better we liked them, with the
exception of the Second Mate, who, though
he rendered us good service, we could not
help deSpiSing.
The old Captain developed some new
phase of Yankee eccentricity every day
that amused us, if it did not raise him in
our estimation. Little b. little it came
ont. partly from his own admissions and
partly from the casual remarks of his Off
GERS and crew. that he was a thorough
bred speculator in his own way: it was
his custom, on preparing for voyage, to
lay in quantity of cheap whisky and
secondhand clothing, which he retalled
out, as opportunity offered, to his ship S
company, or to the savages with whom he
came in contact i'll the course of his crulS-
ing. at such an advance on the first cost
as would have frightened Chatham
Street jew into serious apprehensions for
the future well-bcing Of his soul.
He remarked rather sleefully to me, a
day or two after the capture, that he
guessed, after all, the loss Of the old ship
Il
ready for him at San Francisco as soon
as he got out of our hands, and another
cruise would set him all right.
I strongly suspect the old sea turtle he
commanded was insured for about her full
value, and, as luck seemed to be rather
against him in the whaling line, that he
was more than half pleased that we had
furnished him with good market for the
vessel of which he was third owner, and
free passage back to the port where he
calculated on securing better one; but,
of course, | wish it understood that this is
merely conjecture.
We were now heading for the mainland
again. and soon saw it looming up in the
distance Large quantities of ice were
drifting in all directions, and to save the
copper from chatting, we we're compelled to
suspend mats made of ropes over the
bows. 9S' Il
While cruising in the vicinity we one
morning saw % or 80 boats coming
off to us from the 1shore. They
contained Esqnimaux, iwhd brought with
them a quantity OF furs and ivory which
they desired to barter for whisky and to-
bacco. sIf
Their boats were inseni6usly construct
ed affairs. The frame is something like
that of whale boat, over which is
stretched walrus hide, which renders them
completely impervious to water. They are
very lSHL anu HucU DetIeF CdlCulaleu "
traverse these icy seas than wood or even
metallic boats. II" bh
Few and simple as their implements are,
these nomadic sayages Succeed in captur-
ing a good many whales. They first blow
a walrus hide, previously prepared for the
purpose, full of air, and to this they fasten
one end of their harpoon line. Watching
their opportunity, they dart the harpoon
into the whale, and thus attach to him a
great buoy, which materially interferes
with his diving propensities. Another and
another is attached to him in the same
way, until the poor animal can no longer
get below the surface, and is, in the end,
fairly worried to death.
We did little trading with these ma
tiyes, and they left apparently satisfied.
Having cruised in the Ochotsk Sea from
May 81 until June Is, and only capturing
one prize. we determined to lay our
course for Behring's Straits, Manning act
ing as pilot, and evincing a thorough COM
potency for the position.
We passed out through the same pass
age by which we had entered, and stood
to the eastward with moderate breeze
from the southwark
CTo be continued.)
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