mate coming forward with a glitter in his eye that boded no good
to laggards.

Before going any farther I must apologize for using so many
capital I's, but up till the present I had been the only
available white member of the crew forrard.

The decks were scrubbed spotlessly clean, and everything was
neat and tidy as on board a man-of-war, contrary to all usual
notions of the condition of a whaler. The mate was in a state of
high activity, so I soon found myself very busily engaged in
getting up whale-lines, harpoons, and all the varied equipment
for the pursuit of whales. The number of officers carried would
have been a good crew for the ship, the complete afterguard
comprising captain, four mates, four harpooners or boat-
steerers, carpenter, cooper, steward and cook. All these
worthies were on deck and working with might and main at the
preparations, so that the incompetence of the crowd forrard was
little hindrance. I was pounced upon by "Mistah" Jones, the
fourth mate, whom I heard addressed familiarly as "Goliath" and
"Anak" by his brother officers, and ordered to assist him in
rigging the "crow's-nest" at the main royal-mast head. It was a
simple affair. There were a pair of cross-trees fitted to the
mast, upon which was secured a tiny platform about a foot wide
on each side of the mast, while above this foothold a couple of
padded hoops like a pair of giant spectacles were secured at a
little higher than a man's waist. When all was fast one could
creep up on the platform, through the hoop, and, resting his
arms upon the latter, stand comfortably and gaze around, no
matter how vigorously the old barky plunged and kicked beneath