rity, four or five dozen
fowls (alive), four or five sacks of potatoes, eggs, etc., so that we
were heavily laden for the return journey to the ship. My friend had
kindly given me a large piece of splendid cheese, for which I was
unable to make him any return, being simply clad in a shirt and pair of
trousers, neither of which necessary garments could be spared.

With hearty cheers from the whole population, we shoved off and ploughed
through the kelp seaweed again. When we got clear of it, we found the
swell heavier than when we had come, and a rough journey back to the
ship was the result. But, to such boatmen as we were, that was a trifle
hardly worth mentioning, and after an hour's hard pull we got
alongside again, and transhipped our precious cargo. The weather being
threatening, we at once hauled off the land and out to sea, as night was
falling and we did not wish to be in so dangerous a vicinity any longer
than could be helped in stormy weather. Altogether, a most enjoyable
day, and one that I have ever since had a pleasant recollection of.

By daybreak next morning the islands were out of sight, for the wind had
risen to a gale, which, although we carried little sail, drove us along
before it some seven or eight knots an hour.

Two days afterwards we caught another whale of medium size, making us
fifty-four barrels of oil. As nothing out of the ordinary course marked
the capture, it is unnecessary to do more than allude to it in passing,
except to note that the honours were all with Goliath. He happened to be
close to the whale when it rose, and immediately got fast. So dexterous
and swift were his actions that before any of the other boats could
"chip in" he had his fish "fin out," the whole affair from start to
finish only occupying a couple of hours. We were now in the chosen
haunts of the great albatross, Cape pigeons, and Cape hens, but never in
my life had I imagined such a concourse of them as now gathered around
us. When we lowered there might have been perhaps a couple of dozen
birds in sight, but no sooner was the whale dead than from out of the
great void around they began to drift towards us. Before we had got him
fast alongside, the numbers of that feathered host were incalculable.
They surrounded us until the sea surface was like a plain of snow,
and their discordant cries were deafening. With the exception of one
peculiar-looking bird, which has received from whalemen the inelegant
name of "sti