The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Cruise of the Cachalot, by Frank T. Bullen

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Title: The Cruise of the Cachalot
Round the World After Sperm Whales

Author: Frank T. Bullen

Posting Date: August 15, 2008 [EBook #1356]
Release Date: June, 1998

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CRUISE OF THE CACHALOT ***

Produced by An Anonymous Volunteer

THE CRUISE OF THE "CACHALOT"

ROUND THE WORLD AFTER SPERM WHALES

Frank T. Bullen, F.R.G.S.

First Mate

To

Miss Emily Hensley

In grateful remembrance of thirty years' constant friendship and
practical help this work is affectionately dedicated by her
humble pupil.

PREFACE

In the following pages an attempt has been made--it is believed for the
first time--to give an account of the cruise of a South Sea whaler from
the seaman's standpoint. Two very useful books have been published--both
of them over half a century ago--on the same subject; but, being written
by the surgeons of whale-ships for scientific purposes, neither of them
was interesting to the general reader. ["Narrative of a Whaling Voyage
round the Globe," by F Debell Bennett, F.R.C.S. (2 vols). Bentley,
London (1840). "The Sperm Whale Fishery," by Thomas Beale, M.R.C.S.
London (1835).] They have both been long out of print; but their value
to the student of natural history has been, and still is, very great,
Dr. Beale's book, in particular, being still the authority on the sperm
whale.

This book does not pretend to compete with either of the above valuable
works. Its aims is to present to the general reader a simple account of
the methods employed, and the dangers met with, in a calling about
which the great mass of the public knows absolutely nothing. Pending the
advent of some great writer who shall see the wonderful possibilities
for literature contained in the world-wide wanderings of the South Sea
whale-fishers, the author has endeavoured to summarize his experiences
so that they may be read without weariness, and, it is hoped, with
profit.

The manifold shortcomings of the work will not, it is trusted, be laid
to the acco