05 Whale Adventure by Willard Price Page B

into the fo’c’sle. The boards of his bunk felt like feathers. He promptly lost himself in beautiful, delicious, heavenly sleep.

Chapter 10
Cat-o’-nine-tails
    Captain Grindle turned upon Hal.
    ‘Well, if it ain’t the Gent!’ he sneered. ‘Your softie brother got his. Pretty soon I’ll be getting around to you.’
    ‘I hope you do,’ Hal answered. That would be better than taking it out on the boy.’
    Grindle glared. ‘Do you question my authority?’
    ‘I question your intelligence.’ Hal knew he was unwise to say it but he was too angry to guard his tongue.
    Grindle’s always prominent eyes now seemed to stand straight out from his head. He could not believe what he had heard. He pushed his face close to Hal’s and said in a low, rasping voice:
    ‘Do I understand you proper? You say that I don’t know how to handle my crew?’
    ‘Of course you don’t,’ Hal replied. He knew that he had waded in too far. He would have been glad to wade out again, but it was too late. He might as well go deeper. ‘A man who would do what you did last night to that boy is not fit to give orders to anyone.’
    The captain started back as if he had been struck. He
    stood like a man turned to stone. Then he came to life and bawled: ‘Mr Durkins!’ in a voice that made everybody jump.
    The mate came running.
    ‘String this fellow up,’ ordered the captain. ‘Strip him to the waist. We’ll put a pattern on his back that will stay there if he lives to be a hundred.’
    The order took the mate by surprise, but he did not dare object.
    ‘Aye aye, sir,’ he answered, ‘right now, if you say so. But perhaps you’ll be wanting us to get in the blubber first before the killers make off with it.’
    Grindle looked over the rail. The cannibals were still breakfasting on their companion, but soon they would be done with him and free to attack the big whale.
    ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Business first, then pleasure. And what a party we’ll have when the work is done! Something to look forward to, eh, Gent?’ He turned and strode aft.
    The mate scowled at Hal.
    ‘Now you’ve done it. Why in the devil’s name couldn’t you keep your mouth shut? Don’t expect me to get you out of this.’
    ‘I won’t,’ Hal said. T got myself into it.’
    He could not be sorry. The captain’s brutality towards Roger was enough to make anyone rebel. And yet perhaps he had only made things worse for Roger by speaking up. As for himself, he could already feel the cut of the cat-o’-nine-tails into his flesh.
    The cutting-stage was now lowered. This was a sort of platform that was lashed to the rail of the ship when not in use. When let down it projected about ten feet from the ship like a balcony. Directly under it was the whale.
    The cutters went out on the stage. Each was armed with one of the long-handled spades. With these sharp tools they cut a foot deep into the whale’s hide, making a lengthwise slit Then one man descended to the whale’s back and fixed a large ‘blubber-hook’ in the hide. A line ran from the blubber-hook up over a block in the rigging and down to the windlass.
    The man who had fixed the hook clambered back to safety and the mate shouted: ‘Haul! \ ||&
    Then men heaved on the windlass. The rope tightened. The strong pull of .the hook lifted the whale an inch or two higher in the water. It had a greater effect upon the ship. The weight of the monster made the vessel lean farther and farther to starboard until it was hard to keep a footing on the slippery deck.
    Then there was a tearing sound and the hook went up carrying a great strip of hide with it. As the whale rolled the hide peeled like the skin of an orange. Whalers called this the blanket. It was a good name. This hide, a foot thick, consisting mainly of oily blubber, wrapped the whale as in a blanket and kept it snug and warm when it sank into the chill depths of the sea.
    The piece of blanket was hauled inboard and dropped on the deck. The process