He always admitted,
though, that the weather he experienced was unprecedented.
Still, nothing could shake his belief in the wonderful numbers of
sperm whales to be found on the south coasts of New Zealand,
which faith was well warranted, since he had there won from the
waves, not only the value of his new ship, but a handsome profit
in addition, all in one season.
Hearing this kind of thing every day made me feel quite hungry to
reach the battle-field; but, for reasons which doubtless were
excellent, although I cannot pretend to explain them, we started
north about, which not only added nearly one hundred miles to the
distance we had to go, but involved us in a gale which
effectually stopped our progress for a week. It was our first
taste of the gentle zephyrs which waft their sweetness over New
Zealand, after sweeping over the vast, bleak, iceberg-studded
expanse of the Antarctic Ocean. Our poor Kanakas were terribly
frightened, for the weather of their experience, except on the
rare occasions when they are visited by the devastating
hurricane, is always fine, steady, and warm. For the first time
in their lives they saw hail, and their wonder was too great for
words. But the cold was very trying, not only to them, but to
us, who had been so long in the tropics that our blood was almost
turned to water.
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