There were
ten of them, fine stalwart fellows, able bodied and willing as
possible. They were cleanly in their habits, and devout members
of the Wesleyan body, so that their behaviour was quite a
reproach to some of our half-civilized crew. Berths were found
for them in the forecastle, and they took their places among us
quite naturally, being fairly well used to a whale-ship.
*
CHAPTER XVIII
ON THE "LINE" GROUNDS
We weighed at last, one morning, with a beautiful breeze, and,
bidding a long farewell to the lovely isles and their amiable
inhabitants, stood at sea, bound for the "line" or equatorial
grounds on our legitimate business of sperm whaling. It was now
a long while since we had been in contact with a cachalot, the
last one having been killed by us on the Coast of Japan some six
months before. But we all looked forward to the coming campaign
with considerable joy, for we were now a happy family, interested
in the work, and, best of all, even if the time was still
distant, we were, in a sense, homeward bound. At any rate, we
all chose so to think, from the circumstance that we were now
working to the southward, towards Cape Horn, the rounding of
which dreaded point would mark the final stage of our globe-
encircling voyage.
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