Imperial Valley press., 1937-01-17
By Lieutenant-C Commander
Romaldo Beast" Pacheco, r. N, Ret.,
and Whit Wellman

Chapter
~ lEY!" yelled Mr.. Larsen, "Cooky wants
to play games with you! Hustle, now!'
Cooky did More spuds, more onions, cab
bage to be cupped up mustard seed TO grino
and mix with vinegar Then the totlng process
again. first aft, then forward What does a
ten-year-old boy think of working aboard
whaler? Sometimes, / thought how hard II
was then suddenly-looking out to sea- now
wonderful. It was terrible, and glorious: potn
at once.
7 worked no more than 18 hours day. My
spare time was dedicated to the oil stone, and
the harpoons of "Bigs', the harpoon expert his
Iances, most important weapons on board
The Captains most important man was that
same boatheader-"Bigs," huge dark skinned
BASQUE whose language was recruited from all
parts of the globe, and I often thought from
places nowhere EARTH "Bigs' USED the ia
of Germany, the "pronto" of South America,
and about him was the smack OF the hoyai
Navv He thought more of his harpoon irons
darling gun and lance, than of anything else
in the world
pigs" lance warp was small nne-thread
line. some 12 fathoms long the one object seldom
touched by alien hands. To go near it was dan
gerous if "Bigs' was around He'd 'oii-stone
his harp iron and lance, keep tnem Tree ironh
rust and mildew.
deck. ON the port side opposite the paint locker
and chips stores. Nothing intrigued me SO
much as his gear, and his tales of white whales
Greenland sperms and hump backs MY
English was limited and missed the oetaleo
color of his stories but MS own khowieuse y.
"sn,cl" words rounded out my lack. he taugnt
me plenty, but never to be boatheader.
oro thing onlv was sure about. We were at
COO at last and though much of my time was
nassed in the galley, did see the san Clement
islands and the Farallones
hit north. somewhere off Fort Ross-we
SIGHTED our first whale
"a zHALE, ho!" called the lookout IN the
w crows nest. Whale, ho-o-o-o-o!
~ crew jumped to shorten the mizzen sheet
reef sails down haul on TWO Jlps. DisS iuoneu
to collect his gear, and the whale BOAT swung
out over the side. Mr.. Larsen roareo oroers'
boat crews were at their stations.
=. ,,,. NV first chance to see how whale
,,as caught and in spite of Cookys warnings
ignored him-as much as posspie' ;.
Mr. Larsen was angry, the whale ooat WASH
hoiro launched as he wanted it. He snooK MS
ests at a sailor, but didn't start TO peat tne mar,
IN He needed him to work tnat oay' Cne "a
Mr. Iarsen's hairy fists swung Out, pul ne re-
membered the job ahead, and hesila.eu. III a.n
he swung those enormous hairy fists towaro the
skv-as If daring God to come down ana ngnI
He fumed and cursed but God disdalned MIN
Eventually the whale boat was properly low
cred on the davits two men pulling long oars
that glistened on the copper-bue water.
"Bigs' stood in the bow the second mate was
in the stern Three points off starpoaro oui
,,,,eie u,as risinp-it blew cloud of vapor high
in the air.
There she blows!
The monstrous black hulk was outlined
against the sky I watched the whale boat rac'
after it, bouncing over the sea, drawing closer
1t ,ons the finest sight I'd ever seem' or eoe
hoped to see ~.
At that instant Cooky applied the tip OF
red hot poker to my spine. I almost 1umpe'
overheard.
"They'n catch him without you :" he In
formed me- "Come on" And I sadly returne
to the galley.
We cruised with just enough sail 10 noio Tn
eourse. and IN two hours something bumpe