But I bin two year on er voy'ge and
doan hardly SEE a sparm while, much less catch one. But"--and
here he whispered mysteriously--"dish yer ole man's de bery
debbil's own chile, 'n his farder lookin' after him well--dat's
my 'pinion. Only yew keep yer head tight shut, an' nebber say er
word, but keep er lookin', 'n sure's death you'll see." This
conversation made a deep and lasting impression upon me, for I
had not before heard even so much as a murmur from an officer
against the tyranny of the skipper. Some of the harpooners were
fluent enough, too.
Yet I had often thought that his treatment of them, considering
the strenuous nature of their toil, and the willingness with
which they worked as long as they had an ounce of energy left,
was worth at least a little kindness and courtesy on his part.
What the period may have been during which whales were plentiful
here, I do not know, but it was now May, and for the last few
days we had not seen a solitary spout of any kind. Preparations,
very slight it is true, were made for departure; but before we
left those parts we made an interesting call for water at
Mohilla, one of the Comoro group, which brought out, in
unmistakable fashion, the wonderful fund of local knowledge
possessed by these men.
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