Summary

As the Esther drifts in the doldrums, a black-headed seabird returns and circles the ship, gliding just above the water. The crew watches the bird’s effortless flight until a whale breaks the surface to stern, and the sighting jolts the ship into action. The men lower the boats, close on the whale, and strike him. After the whale is held through repeated dives, he finally tires and is killed, and the Esther draws him alongside. The ship becomes a factory as men slice and peel blubber, hoist strips of flesh, and feed the tryworks until oil can be barreled below. In the heat of the rendering, the crew forces the two cabin boys to swallow hot cracklings as a form of tradition and luck, leaving the boys burned, shaken, and humiliated. They are sent back to work, scrubbing the decks and helping with...