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- 1251
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:15.149Z
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- 1189
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- three more added to their number—the air of the island having disagreed
with the constitutions of several of the runaways. To crown all, the
captain again relapsed, and became quite ill.
The men fit for duty were divided into two small watches, headed
respectively by the mate and the Mowree; the latter by virtue of his
being a harpooner, succeeding to the place of the second mate, who had
absconded.
In this state of things whaling was out of the question; but in the
face of everything, Jermin maintained that the invalids would soon be
well. However that might be, with the same pale Hue sky overhead, we
kept running steadily to the westward. Forever advancing, we seemed
always in the same place, and every day was the former lived over
again. We saw no ships, expected to see none. No sign of life was
perceptible but the porpoises and other fish sporting under the bows
like pups ashore. But, at intervals, the gray albatross, peculiar to
these seas, came flapping his immense wings over us, and then skimmed
away silently as if from a plague-ship. Or flights of the tropic bird,
known among seamen as the “boatswain,” wheeled round and round us,
whistling shrilly as they flew.
The uncertainty hanging over our destination at this time, and the fact
that we were abroad upon waters comparatively little traversed, lent an
interest to this portion of the cruise which I shall never forget.
From obvious prudential considerations the Pacific has been principally
sailed over in known tracts, and this is the reason why new islands are
still occasionally discovered by exploring ships and adventurous
whalers notwithstanding the great number of vessels of all kinds of
late navigating this vast ocean. Indeed, considerable portions still
remain wholly unexplored; and there is doubt as to the actual existence
of certain shoals, and reefs, and small clusters of islands vaguely
laid down in the charts. The mere circumstance, therefore, of a ship
like ours penetrating into these regions, was sufficient to cause any
reflecting mind to feel at least a little uneasy. For my own part, the
many stories I had heard of ships striking at midnight upon unknown
rocks, with all sail set, and a slumbering crew, often recurred to me,
especially, as from the absence of discipline, and our being so
shorthanded, the watches at night were careless in the extreme.
But no thoughts like these were entertained by my reckless shipmates;
and along we went, the sun every evening setting right ahead of our jib
boom.
For what reason the mate was so reserved with regard to our precise
destination was never made known. The stories he told us, I, for one,
did not believe; deeming them all a mere device to lull the crew.
He said we were bound to a fine cruising ground, scarcely known to
other whalemen, which he had himself discovered when commanding a small
brig upon a former voyage. Here, the sea was alive with large whales,
so tame that all you had to do was to go up and kill them: they were
too frightened to resist. A little to leeward of this was a small
cluster of islands, where we were going to refit, abounding with
delicious fruits, and peopled by a race almost wholly unsophisticated
by intercourse with strangers.
In order, perhaps, to guard against the possibility of anyone finding
out the precise latitude and longitude of the spot we were going to,
Jermin never revealed to us the ship’s place at noon, though such is
the custom aboard of most vessels.
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