“You ain’t discovered no diamond mine in the ocean, have ye?” asked a Sunrise man. His companions roared.
“No,” replied our spokesman; “we didn’t discover no diamond mine. We opened up a gold mine.”
“What d’ye open it up with—a pickaxe?” Another loud laugh.
“No, with a cutting spade; and the man on our ship who has the largest lay is goin’ to see more money than he ever see before, when his voyage is settled. A one-hundred-and-eightieth lay in seventy thousand dollars worth of ambergris ain’t to be sneezed at.”
As I recall the experience of that day I now regret that any allusion was made to the ambergris. Its introduction into the conversation seemed to disturb the pleasant relations, and the leave-takings were cold and formal.
Trade negotiations were renewed, and abundant supplies were taken on board. We now learned that we were to proceed to the Okhotsk Sea. Some bowheads remained in these waters during the summer, while many passed out to seek the Arctic Ocean. It was rumored that the captain had had such good luck the first season in the Arctic that he believed it policy to change to another whaling ground. There may have been a bit of superstition in this, but the change proved a good one. Word was passed round that we were going to stand well to the westward and go to the right of the Hawaiian Islands, and this because the captain hoped to sight some whaler bound home, and intrust a letter to her. Day followed day and only one small whale was taken. Finally a speck was seen at the horizon in line of the course we were taking. As we drew nearer the boats could be seen at the davits, so we knew she was a whaler. Both vessels hove to, one of our boats was lowered, and the captain went in her to visit the stranger. On his return I was near the gangway and heard him say, “The Hepworth of New Bedford, bound home.”
“Did you tell them about the ambergris?” asked Lakeum.
“No, that’s such a tender subject that I thought I’d spare them. But I learned something that was a great surprise. The captain said that they told him, not long ago, in Honolulu, that last November a man named Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.”
“Did you ask the captain who Lincoln was?”
“Yes, but he said he didn’t know.”