floating processing plant, and required a
physical prowess and an attention to detail which she imagined most
businessmen on land would be hard-pressed to match.
As she labored below in the blubber room sharpening the knives by
endlessly turning the handle on the whetstone, the smith shouted a
greeting to the Mate, whose boat was coming in with another whale.
Mate too went back out immediately with his crew, leaving the smith
and cooper in charge of the cutting in. Almira was sure it was
because he was determined not to be outdone by Jared in any way.
About an hour later, the second mate came in with his crew and a
whale, but his second attempt to secure a whale resulted in the
whale lobtailing, splashing his flukes down and swamping the boat.
It was smashed into splinters, and the smith jumped off the cutting
platform and began to run aft.
“All hands! All hands!”
Everyone downed tools and ran for the spare boat.
The smith shouted, “Who can swim?”
George and Al came forward instantly, and then the steward.
“Come on, then,” Smith urged.
They jumped into the boats, splashed down, and began to row like the
devil was after them.
Almira felt as though she couldn’t breathe, but told herself to be
calm. Second and his crew would know what to do. So long as the huge
tail had not landed directly on them, there was hope.
Within ten minutes they were at the site of the disaster. They found
Mr. Perkins holding up the head of one of the men in his crew, who
had a huge gash across his forehead.
Almira heaved a sigh of relief, and began to help haul each man into
the boat by a rope tied around each waist.
Kind-faced Mr. Perkins, with sandy hair and sea-blue eyes, insisted
on being last into the boat. It was only when he was safely on board
that she saw that his shirt was pink-red with blood. He saw her
looking at him in horror, and grunted, "Stabbed meself on an
oarlock."
Almira began to tear strips off of the hem of her own shirt to bind
him up, while the more burly men who were fit to row took over the
oars.
“Thanks, lad. You have a nice light touch. That didn’t hurt a bit.”
She went over to look at young Bill the greenhand, and carefully
removed the splinters which were protruding from his brow. She
patched him up with another strip from her long baggy shirt while
they headed back to the ship.
They rowed in relative silence, each man sighing every so often as
they neared the Trident . The whales were gone now, and so
was the whaleboat. They had spares, but it was a long journey to
have lost a boat on only their first day out.
“Not that the Captain will be mad,“ Second reassured them. “He'll
just be glad that we're all safe. You kept together well, and helped
each other when you needed it. Above all. you didn’t panic. Well
done. And to you, Smith, for coming out to get us so fast.”
“It was the least we could do. Besides, we sort of fancied an ocean
cruise, didn’t we, lads?”
That managed to rouse a general laugh from the grim-faced men.
Almira put her back into the rowing and tried not to think how close
the poor men had come to near-disaster.
When they got back to the ship, the crew went to get the spare
whaleboat down and put it into the brackets where the old one had
been. The ship’s boat was stowed back on the aft bracket, and then
the men all turned to cutting in, hoping to make up the lost boat to
the Captain by working like demons to get the whales stripped and
the blubber tried.
Smith patted her on the shoulder as he went passed. “You did well,
boy. I'll tell the Captain we’ll make a whaleman of you yet.”
Almira smiled wanly. “I doubt it somehow, but thanks for saying so.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
After another three hours, the Captain’s
physical prowess and an attention to detail which she imagined most
businessmen on land would be hard-pressed to match.
As she labored below in the blubber room sharpening the knives by
endlessly turning the handle on the whetstone, the smith shouted a
greeting to the Mate, whose boat was coming in with another whale.
Mate too went back out immediately with his crew, leaving the smith
and cooper in charge of the cutting in. Almira was sure it was
because he was determined not to be outdone by Jared in any way.
About an hour later, the second mate came in with his crew and a
whale, but his second attempt to secure a whale resulted in the
whale lobtailing, splashing his flukes down and swamping the boat.
It was smashed into splinters, and the smith jumped off the cutting
platform and began to run aft.
“All hands! All hands!”
Everyone downed tools and ran for the spare boat.
The smith shouted, “Who can swim?”
George and Al came forward instantly, and then the steward.
“Come on, then,” Smith urged.
They jumped into the boats, splashed down, and began to row like the
devil was after them.
Almira felt as though she couldn’t breathe, but told herself to be
calm. Second and his crew would know what to do. So long as the huge
tail had not landed directly on them, there was hope.
Within ten minutes they were at the site of the disaster. They found
Mr. Perkins holding up the head of one of the men in his crew, who
had a huge gash across his forehead.
Almira heaved a sigh of relief, and began to help haul each man into
the boat by a rope tied around each waist.
Kind-faced Mr. Perkins, with sandy hair and sea-blue eyes, insisted
on being last into the boat. It was only when he was safely on board
that she saw that his shirt was pink-red with blood. He saw her
looking at him in horror, and grunted, "Stabbed meself on an
oarlock."
Almira began to tear strips off of the hem of her own shirt to bind
him up, while the more burly men who were fit to row took over the
oars.
“Thanks, lad. You have a nice light touch. That didn’t hurt a bit.”
She went over to look at young Bill the greenhand, and carefully
removed the splinters which were protruding from his brow. She
patched him up with another strip from her long baggy shirt while
they headed back to the ship.
They rowed in relative silence, each man sighing every so often as
they neared the Trident . The whales were gone now, and so
was the whaleboat. They had spares, but it was a long journey to
have lost a boat on only their first day out.
“Not that the Captain will be mad,“ Second reassured them. “He'll
just be glad that we're all safe. You kept together well, and helped
each other when you needed it. Above all. you didn’t panic. Well
done. And to you, Smith, for coming out to get us so fast.”
“It was the least we could do. Besides, we sort of fancied an ocean
cruise, didn’t we, lads?”
That managed to rouse a general laugh from the grim-faced men.
Almira put her back into the rowing and tried not to think how close
the poor men had come to near-disaster.
When they got back to the ship, the crew went to get the spare
whaleboat down and put it into the brackets where the old one had
been. The ship’s boat was stowed back on the aft bracket, and then
the men all turned to cutting in, hoping to make up the lost boat to
the Captain by working like demons to get the whales stripped and
the blubber tried.
Smith patted her on the shoulder as he went passed. “You did well,
boy. I'll tell the Captain we’ll make a whaleman of you yet.”
Almira smiled wanly. “I doubt it somehow, but thanks for saying so.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
After another three hours, the Captain’s
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