“When I was a young man, I went out on a whaling voyage. I suppose you don’t know much about whaling; so I will tell you. The oil which you burn in your lamps is the fat of the whale. It is ‘tried out,’ just as they do hog’s fat.
“A whale is a great big fish; some of them are a good deal longer than my barn there. Ships that go out to catch whales are often three or four years away from home, and go off thousands of miles.
“The ship has a great many boats, which are hoisted up at the sides. The men go out in the boats, and when they catch a whale, tow it to the ship.
“Almost up at the top of the mast, and more than a hundred feet from the water, there are two sticks, which are called the cross-trees. When the ship reaches any part of the ocean where whales are found, men are sent up to the cross-trees to look out.
“When a whale is seen, one of the men calls out, ‘There she blows!’ This great fish draws water into his mouth, and then blows it up in the air; and this is what they mean by ‘blowing.’
“When the men on deck hear this cry, they find out where the whale is, and then get out the boats and go after him. They row up to the huge monster of the deep with very little noise, and then throw one or two harpoons into him.
“A harpoon is a kind of iron spear, with a wooden handle, to which a long rope is fastened. When the whale feels the iron, he dives down into the deep, or runs away as fast as he can. Sometimes he drags the boat after him at a frightful speed, for many miles; and it often happens that the men in the boat have to cut the line, in order to saves their lives.
“When the whale is weak from loss of blood, and tired out, the boat again steals upon him, and a long lance is thrust into his body. This kills him, if it is well done.
“Very often, when the men attack the whale, he turns upon the boat, and breaks it all to pieces with a single slap of his tail, or crushes it all to bits in his monstrous mouth. The sailors always have a hard time, and are often killed, in their efforts to conquer the whale.
“When they get the whale alongside the ship, they cut out the fat, or ‘blubber,’ in long strips, and hoist it on board the vessel. It is then chopped up in small pieces, and tried out in great kettles. The oil is put in barrels, and stowed in the hold.