Saturday 21st. this morning the wind being right aft, we lay the Yards right square and set another Topmast and Lower Stud Sail on the Stard side, having hauled Mainsail and Cross Jack up. The Carpenter and the Sailmaker still continue keeping watch and will until we get home now, on account of the ship Leaking so much, the pumps are attended so every hour, by the time we reach home, we shall be as fat as matches I think, it’s heavy work in a hot climate, sweating, and out of breath, but we must keep the ship afloat if possible, we cannot get much
Else done, so we no sooner get started of a job than its Pump Ship, and you have to leave it, and as long as we Pump there is not much fear of us having the scurvy. I was on the Forecastle, when the Second Mate sung out, There she spouts, I looked and saw a whale on our Stard beam about a quarter of a mile off, tearing and slashing the water, as if racing one of his Monster Brothers. The Second Mate, is what I call a Man, he was never in a Merchantman, untill this voyage. He served his time in a Whaler, and was Captain of one last voyage, having been in the Employ about 20 years. The owner died and all the vessels were sold and he thrown out of a situation, but by what I can hear he will soon have one of his own. He told me one day, he was once in the South Seas and the man at the Mast head (In a whaler there is always a man at the Mast head) obser
ved a whale, so they out Boats and after him, the ship was laying becalmed and they all went but the Captain, they got him lanced and harpooned, and he smashed their boats into matchwood for their kindness. the boats crews were pitched into the air and thrown about in all directions. Mr Whale retreated, carrying a few hundred fathoms of line with him, and three or four harpoons securely fastened in his huge body, I think they would make him scratch where he didn’t itch. - In the meantime the crews were swimming and making the best of their way to the ship. There was no boats left on board, there being no wind from the time they were thrown out of the boats, the Capt could not assist them. It occupied ten hours hard swimming before they reached the ship. if that wasn’t a swim I’ll pitch my duff overboard. the weegee not working the pumps properly.
