human
Stern all!
gpt
Stern all!
human
Boat stove! boat stove!
gpt
Silence,
human
all safe, my hearties! stern hard! stern! stern! before he gets his flukes to bear upon us.
gpt
Stern all!
human
turned flukes,
gpt
Hoorah!
human
It seems very cruel to catch these poor creatures.
gpt
They are tortured as little as possible; but they are so strong, that it requires immense skill and bravery to contend with them. Their usefulness justifies the act, for I know not what we should do without some of the comforts produced from these monsters of the deep.
human
What part does the oil come from?
gpt
First, from the blubber which is the outer covering, or, as whalers call it, the 'blanket-piece;' this is stripped off by means of an ingenious contrivance, cut into pieces, and the oil boiled out. Secondly, from the head, which is called the 'case,' and sometimes contains from ten to fifteen barrels of oil and spermaceti. A sperm whale frequently yields as much as 120 barrels of oil. Forty-five barrels is considered a medium size.
human
I hope, when we go to Jamaica, we shall see some whales.
gpt
No doubt we shall. I have often seen them rolling and spouting in the wide Atlantic: and you will also see the flying fish skimming in the hollows of the waves: they are very pretty.
human
Yes, they are, poor unfortunates! for, though possessing the qualifications of a bird as well as a fish, they are so persecuted by enemies in both elements, that, whether taking their temporary flight through the air, or gliding through the waters, their double faculty proves insufficient to defend or secure them from pursuit.
gpt
What creatures war against these innocent fish, madam?
human
While in the air the man-of-war bird pounces upon them; and they are chased in the water by the bonito and albacore: thus constantly persecuted, they do not become very numerous.
gpt
Icy Peak, in Greenland, is an enormous mass of ice near the mouth of a river: it diffuses such a brilliancy through the air, that it is distinctly perceived at a distance of more than ten leagues. Icicles, and an immense vault, give this edifice of crystal a most magic appearance.
human
Shall we now continue our voyage through Lancaster Sound?
gpt
I have been considering whether it would not be better to finish with these northern latitudes before we proceed on our voyage. In that case we will test the hospitality of the people of Spitzbergen, Iceland, Nova Zembla, Ferroe Isles, and sundry others in this part of the Atlantic and Frozen Ocean, and then descend to warmer climates.