across the deck, passing through a frame work of parallel bars, which retains every other one and allows the remainder to move freely between them. The person who works the frame, carries it down, and consequently, the spun yarns retained by the bars, are thrown down below the level of the other; the weaver stands ready with two balls of twine, which he passes across the yarns between the separate ranks, and the work is rendered compact by means of the sword, a long, thin piece of hard wood, playing between the ranks of spun yarn. The frame is now raised, and the same steps are repeated, until the mat is finished. To prevent the chafing of the rigging and spars, there are other kinds of mats made use of, as well as "scotchmen," of various descriptions. Upon different occasions during the voyage, the entire rigging is "set up" or tightened, and every few days some new rope is to be substituted for one which has become stranded. In the repairing of the sails, the sewing of rigging, knotting and splicing ropes in every variety of form, and the care of the boats, the officers find employment enough for the men while upon duty. Every Saturday afternoon, the masts are "slushed down" by the men in their turn, commencing with the royal masts and descending to the caps of the lower

masts.

During the hours of work, no trifling of any kind is allowed, and any one seen indulging in "skylarking," subjects himself to the danger of being sent aloft, or stationed at the wheel for many tedious hours, besides going without his usual allowance.

After supper, however, from six to eight o'clock, is the season for amusements of every variety. The officers are conversing together in the after part of the ship, while the men assembled around the windlass, are

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smoking their pipes, "spinning yarns," or listening to a song from Mr. Freeman, or dancing to the sound of his violin. It is sometimes supposed that but very little discipline is observed at sea, except aboard a man of war; a wrong impression however, for although our ship makes no higher pretensions than that of a whaler, yet obedience is as well understood here, as on the decks. of a line of battle ship. It is necessary that such should be the case; for in all stations of command over others, the forms of respect must be rigidly adhered to, or all authority ceases.

8*

CHAPTER VII

APPROACH TO CAPE HORN.

GALE OF WIND-GAME OF THESE SEAS-THE PORPOISE-TURTLE --PILOT FISH-SQUALLY WEATHER-PREPARATIONS FOR DOUBLING CAPE HORN-NOVEL ASPECT OF THE DIURNAL REVOLUTIONS, AND OF THE CELESTIAL BODIES IN THESE HIGH LATITUDES-CAPTURE OF AN ALBATROSS-PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAPE.

Monday, Dec. 30.-Yesterday morning after a rainy, uncomfortable night, the wind began to veer around to the southward, increasing until it blew up into a gale. The ship was "laid to" under a close reefed maintopsail, mizzen staysail, and foretopmast staysail with every prospect of a stormy night. A ship is said to "lay to" in a gale of wind, when all the sails are carefully furled with the exception of those that are necessary to enable her to present her head to the sea, in which case she surmounts the surges instead of being swept by them. It is always advisable to carry as much sail as prudence allows to prevent the ship from rolling to windward, a situation of particular exposure to the fury of the sea.

About midnight, the wind began to abate, and this morning we are enjoying a clear and cool atmosphere, reminding me of a lovely morning in September, at home, with the white clouds sailing along the pure depths of the sky.

Soon after breakfast, a school of porpoises was announced as playing around the bows of the ship. I watched them for some time indulging in their playful

י.

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gambols, now springing several feet out of water, then darting across the ship's path, and returning again with great velocity. Their sport was not long undisturbed. One of the boatsteerers stationed himself with a harpoon, upon the martingale guy under the bowsprit. The deadly weapon is poised and suddenly darted at two or three of them in quick succession, as they shoot across the bow of the ship. At the third plunge of the harpoon, the poor animal is pierced through the neck, and the barbed iron is bent completely around and caught upon the shaft, so that there is no chance for escape. In his agony he springs out of water, and throws himself wildly in every direction, while the blood is streaming out from the deep gashes in his neck. The moment he is struck, a dozen hands are hold of the line, and the poor animal is drawn upon deck respiring heavily from the open wound.

The porpoise belongs to the class cetacea, and of course is enveloped in blubber, usually about half an inch in thickness. He is also obliged to rise to the surface of the sea to breathe, a distinguishing characteristic of the cetaceous family.

The porpoise is a well known visitant of our harbors and bays, but this species is somewhat different from those we meet at sea, of which there are also several varieties. The specimen we took to-day was of the most common species. He was about five feet in length, with strong pectoral fins, thick dorsal fin, and with broad flukes, moving horizontally like those of the whale.

The Porpoise rarely descends to any great depth, and is said to manifest a strong aversion to the contentions of the angry waters in a gale of wind, which he avoids by an instinctive prescience of its approach. I have heard that when great numbers of them are seen moving

swiftly on a given course, a gale may be expected to blow up from the quarter from which they came.

"These fleetest coursers of the finny race

When threatening clouds th' etherial vault deface,
Their route to leeward still sagacious form,

To shun the fury of th' approaching storm.

FALCONER'S SHIPWRECK.

The blubber was very soon stripped off, and the carcass suspended near the cook's galley, to the great delight of those that have not tasted any fresh meat since we left America. Porpoise meat is of a dark color, resembling the liver of land animals, and is as tender as the tenderest beef steak. The lower jaw of the porpoise contains a quantity of very fine oil lodged in the cavities where it unites with the skull bone. It is used by watchmakers and others for lubricating delicate machinery. The oil extracted from the blubber is also of very superior quality, but a single porpoise rarely yields over a gallon and a half.

The flesh of the whale immediately investing the carcase, is of a dark purple color, with coarse fibres having numerous white tendons traversing the mass, and is hardly considered edible, although his tongue is esteemed a delicacy by those that have seen nothing but "salt junk" for a long time.

Specimens of the porpoise have been served up at table, a dish by no means contemptible. This evening we partook of rather a novel dish-"flippers" flavored with porpoise's brains! I made a very hearty supper, but was ignorant of the nature of my repast, until it was afterwards explained to me. Some persons doubt. less, would be disgusted at the idea of making porpoise meat an article of food; but there are many things we conceive a disrelish for from mere prejudice. One part of