During the voyage I had made many entries in the logbook under the direction of Lakeum, and now I was to be intrusted with further authority. Lakeum observed:
“Bleechly, I’m going to let you keep the log now. You’d better first tell me what entries you are going to make, and after you’ve made them I’ll look them over in a general way to see that they are all right. I don’t know as you are given to poetry and such things. If you are I wouldn’t put any of your rhymes on the logbook. There is too much scribbling on some of them.”
Lakeum laughed heartily, the first sign of merriment on his part I had for a long time seen. However, I had a little artistic taste, and I proposed to indulge it. In a few days I had my first entry to make other than the usual formal matters, and here it is:
Remarks on Board of the _Seabird_, Captain Gamans. In the Arctic Ocean. Thursday, July 7, 1860.
First part light breezes from S. W. Middle part much the same. At 2 p.m. saw whales and put off. Boats among whales. One whale being towed to ship.
The imprints tell the story,—one whale making sixty barrels, and underneath the words, No. 12; another whale without any accompanying figures and the imprints of several flukes, above one of which was the word “missed”, and under another the words, “Drew the Iron.” Thus one whale was captured, the iron missed a second and drew out of a third. Such a method of description reminds one of the picture-writing of savages.
Of course there was surmise as to who would sight the largest bowhead which was captured. I think there was a general feeling that the gold watch ought to go to the Gay Head Indian. He had, so far, sighted more whales than any man on the ship. It was generally thought that the other prize would go to me, although it was possible that a sperm whale larger than the one I had announced might be captured. One of the men reasoned, “Fancy Chest didn’t really sight the whale; the whale sighted him. He happened to come up near the ship, and such luck might have happened to anyone. Now the Gay Header has got the best eyes of any man on board. Those Gay Head Indians have made the best mastheaders on the New Bedford whalers for years. But just as likely as not luck will be against the man, and some greenie will get the prize.”