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Updated: May 10, 2025
Lopez nodded, but said nothing. They pulled up alongside, and the mate's boatsteerer stepped out on to the body of Leviathan and pulled out the whift pole, which was firmly embedded in the blubber. "There's a letter tied round the pole, sir," he said to his officer, as he got back to the boat again and passed the whift aft.
"You see, nigger," continued the sailor, "the presence o' them drogues indercates that the whale warn't dead when the boats left her." In coorse there must a' been a school o' the spermacetys; and the crew o' the whaler didn't want to lose time with this 'un, which they had wounded. For that reason they have struck her with this pair o' drogued harpoons; and stuck this whift into her back.
I kept an eye constantly towards the boats, and soon saw a whift planted on the back of the last whale attacked, which showed that it was dead. Our anxiety was relieved when, instead of returning, they made chase after another whale. It proved that although the boat had been destroyed, the men had escaped with their lives. "I do believe we shan't have the skipper aboard again," observed Horner.
On fust seein' that, I war inclined to think different. You see the whift be stickin' a'most straight up, an' how could that a' been done by them in the boats? If the whale hadn't a' been dead, nobody would a' dared to a clombed on to her an' fix the flag that way." "You are right dar," interrupted Snowball. "No," rejoined the sailor, "I ain't.
Then they lay alongside of the floating carcase, spelled half an hour, had something to eat, and then Cheyne, who had a sense of humour, wrote the scrawl to Keller and tied it round the whift pole. "Now, lads," cried Frewen, "up sail! It is a fine dark night, and we should be forty or fifty miles away by daylight."
The "letter" had been carefully wrapped in a strip of oilskin, and then tied around the whift pole by a piece of sail twine. It was a sheet of soiled paper with a few pencilled lines written on it. Lopez read it:
The tall flag, known among whalers by the name of "whift," was not the only evidence of the manner in which the cachalot had met its death.
Just before sundown we found that the captain and the second mate had made fast. It took some time before the whale was killed, and we could scarcely perceive the whift planted on its back before darkness came on. We had, in the meantime, lost sight of Mr Griffiths's boat, but we hoped that he would be equally successful.
Jack showed us a way up to the top of the cliff, and here Mr Griffiths erected a flagstaff with a whift, which we had in the boat, increased in size by a couple of handkerchiefs. This was large enough to attract the attention of any vessel passing near the island, but Mr Griffiths said that he believed, owing to the surrounding reefs, none would intentionally approach.
For I say as aforesaid, that it seems as if whereby, if it had not a bin for some folks, some folks would a now a bin in their salt water graves: always a savin and exceptin your ever exceptionable onnur, as in duty boundin. Whereby take me ritely, your onnurable onnur, I means nothink amiss. If thinks be a skew whift, why it be no fault of mine.
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