, 1923-02-11

ing the blank paper. he explains,
when he acted as though intoxicated
on meeting Blake en- route to the dive.
lchi, he said, had stolen the parch-
ment originally from him. Dabney,
violating a rule of the Russian gov
eminent in trading with natives for
seal skins in Boring Sea. was pur.
sued by a Russian gun.boat and es.
capped winding up at a volcanic island
where was found wreckage of the
ship Good Luck of New Beford. AT
this point of the story the bunch.
back produces "The Log of John
Winters, Bark Good Luck, 1882"
Little Billy explained tina he had
discovered the log while recovering
from a periodical spree" in a Chinese
resort in Honolulu. The first entry,
which he read TO Martin. told of the
caputre OF some whales by the crew
Of the Good Luck and in the last par
agr: phi read:
Costa picked up a lump of amber
grease near his kill. The amber
grease weighs twenty-five pounds. a
fine days work.
"Tell me Blake, do you know any
thing about ~ambergris7" asked Billy.
NO, eve heard of the stuff"
answered Martin.
Then We will have to disgress n
moment" said Little Billy. Because,
from tonight, you will think OF am
bergris by day. and dream of 1t by
night-ambergris in kegs coolies of
Ambergris, my friend. is the stuff
John Winters calls 'ambergrease.' 1t
is a waxy substance, very light
weight. forms inside of a sperm
whale. n which friend whale
belches forth when he gets the collie
from feasting too heartily upon squid.
Squid. otherwise cutie fish. is a hor.
rid monster. all arms and beak, which
the cachalot corsiders a most dainty
tldbit.
"Ambergris is the best perfume
base obtainable-it has the virtue of
making the odor superfine and en-.
during, The demand for it is insis.
tent. and unsatisfIed. Today there
is al almost unlimited market for
ambergris. We looked up prices in
Frisco inc found hal forty dollars
an ounce will be paid without bag.
Cling.
Meanwhile. let us to John Win.
ter's journal again. Here comes the
smashing denouement. the very mex
day. April l, 1890:
This day there did happen to us
the like which no whaleman aboard
can remember. l Will write II down
like it happened.
This morning, Mt dawn. we came
through the channel into the lagoon
of the north island. I was given
the task Of wooding, and Costa was
old off to water. We towed the
casks ashore. and landed on a fine,
white beach. that was Uttered with
driftago. While the men were roll
ing the casks up to the spring,
Costa and I took a walk along the
beach. We came upon n great
squid lying dead. He had been bit
ten in two by a cachalot, and had
only three arms left. but they were
of tremendous length. Then we
saw pieces Of other squid all along
III beach.
Suddenly Costa ran forward, and
gave n great shout. and bent over
what / had taken to be a big Jelly.
fish. by Gar-Grease!" says he.
1t was a big lump of ambergrls.
the biggest any man aboard mas
ever seen. 1t weighs 1913 pounds.
But this was not all. Costa and
/ looked along the beach, and we
found 1t vas dotted with the prec-
ious stuff.
1 sent Costa straightway aboard
to tell the captain. and he brought
everybody ashore. and we combed
h beach all the way around the
lagoon. By nightfall we had a big
boatload. n we went aboard. The
Old mar is dancing with joy. when
I get home, I will buy a farm, and
settle down ashore. 1 think Alice
will take me. and If she don't. there
are plenty of other girls in the
world.
you see. friend Winters is indulg.
ing in the time-honored pastime OF
spending his payday before he has Il:
and of vowing the usual sailor vow
to leave the sea n buy a farm.
NOV we will skip to the last reg