I asked the mate
if he had ever seen such creatures as this piece belonged to
alive and kicking. He answered, languidly, "Wall, I guess so;
but I don't take any stock in fish, 'cept for provisions er
ile--en that's a fact." It will be readily believed that I
vividly recalled this conversation when, many years after, I read
an account by the Prince of Monaco of HIS discovery of a gigantic
squid, to which his naturalist gave the name of LEPIDOTEUTHIS
GRIMALDII! Truly the indifference and apathy manifested by
whalers generally to everything except commercial matters is
wonderful--hardly to be credited. However, this was a mighty
revelation to me. For the first time, it was possible to
understand that, contrary to the usual notion of a whale's being
unable to swallow a herring, here was a kind of whale that could
swallow--well, a block four or five feet square apparently; who
lived upon creatures as large as himself, if one might judge of
their bulk by the sample to hand; but being unable, from only
possessing teeth in one jaw, to masticate his food, was compelled
to tear it in sizable pieces, bolt it whole, and leave his
commissariat department to do the rest.
While thus ruminating, the mate and Louis began a desultory
conversation concerning what they termed "ambergrease.
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