re put on
and the head hauled up alongside. Both tackles were secured to it and
all hands took to the windlass levers. This was a small cow whale of
about thirty barrels, that is, yielding that amount of oil, so it was
just possible to lift the entire head on board; but as it weighed as
much as three full-grown elephants, it was indeed a heavy lift for even
our united forces, trying our tackle to the utmost. The weather was very
fine, and the ship rolled but little; even then, the strain upon the
mast was terrific, and right glad was I when at last the immense cube of
fat, flesh, and bone was eased inboard and gently lowered on deck.

As soon as it was secured the work of dividing it began. From the snout
a triangular mass was cut, which was more than half pure spermaceti.
This substance was contained in spongy cells held together by layers
of dense white fibre, exceedingly tough and elastic, and called by the
whalers "white-horse." The whole mass, or "junk" as it is called, was
hauled away to the ship's side and firmly lashed to the bulwarks for the
time being, so that it might not "take charge" of the deck during the
rest of the operations.

The upper part of the head was now slit open lengthwise, disclosing an
oblong cistern or "case" full of liquid spermaceti, clear as water. This
was baled out with buckets into a tank, concreting as it cooled into a
wax-like substance, bland and tasteless. There being now nothing more
remaining about the skull of any value, the lashings were loosed, and
the first leeward roll sent the great mass plunging overboard with a
mighty splash. It sank like a stone, eagerly followed by a few small
sharks that were hovering near.

As may be imagined, much oil was running about the deck, for so
saturated was every part of the creature with it that it really gushed
like water during the cutting-up process. None of it was allowed to run
to waste, though, for the scupper-holes which drain the deck were all
carefully plugged, and as soon as the "junk" had been dissected all the
oil was carefully "squeegeed" up and poured into the try-pots.

Two men were now told off as "blubber-room men," whose duty it became
to go below, and squeezing themselves in as best they could between
the greasy masses of fat, cut it up into "horse-pieces" about eighteen
inches long and six inches square. Doing this they became perfectly
saturated with oil, as if they had taken a bath in a tank of it; for
as the vesse