A Hand Squeeze

That whale of Stubb’s, so dearly purchased, was duly brought to the Pequod’s side, where all those cutting and hoisting operations previously detailed, were regularly gone through, even to the baling of the Heidelburgh Tun, or Case.

Stubb’s whale, bought at such a high price, was brought alongside the Pequod. There, all the cutting and hoisting operations described earlier were carried out, including the baling of the Heidelburgh Tun, or Case.

While some were occupied with this latter duty, others were employed in dragging away the larger tubs, so soon as filled with the sperm; and when the proper time arrived, this same sperm was carefully manipulated ere going to the try-works, of which anon.

While some worked on this last task, others dragged away the larger tubs as soon as they were filled with sperm. When the time came, the sperm was carefully prepared before going to the try-works. More on the try-works later.

It had cooled and crystallized to such a degree, that when, with several others, I sat down before a large Constantine’s bath of it, I found it strangely concreted into lumps, here and there rolling about in the liquid part. It was our business to squeeze these lumps back into fluid. A sweet and unctuous duty! No wonder that in old times this sperm was such a favourite cosmetic. Such a clearer! such a sweetener! such a softener! such a delicious molifier! After having my hands in it for only a few minutes, my fingers felt like eels, and began, as it were, to serpentine and spiralise.

The sperm had cooled and crystallized so much that it had formed lumps. When I sat down with several others before a huge Constantine’s bath full of it, I found the lumps floating here and there in the liquid. Our job was to squeeze the lumps back into liquid. A sweet and oily task! No wonder sperm was such a favorite cosmetic in the old days. What a cleanser! What a sweetener! What a softener! What a delicious soothing lotion! After only a few minutes with my hands in it, my fingers felt like eels. They seemed to twist and coil.

As I sat there at my ease, cross-legged on the deck; after the bitter exertion at the windlass; under a blue tranquil sky; the ship under indolent sail, and gliding so serenely along; as I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of infiltrated tissues, woven almost within the hour; as they richly broke to my fingers, and discharged all their opulence, like fully ripe grapes their wine; as I snuffed up that uncontaminated aroma,—literally and truly, like the smell of spring violets; I declare to you, that for the time I lived as in a musky meadow; I forgot all about our horrible oath; in that inexpressible sperm, I washed my hands and my heart of it; I almost began to credit the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger; while bathing in that bath, I felt divinely free from all ill-will, or petulance, or malice, of any sort whatsoever.

I sat comfortably on the deck, cross-legged, after the bitter work at the windlass. The sky was blue and peaceful, and the ship glided serenely along under its leisurely sails. I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of tissue that had formed within the past hour. They burst richly between my fingers, releasing all their abundance, like fully ripe grapes releasing their wine. I breathed in that pure aroma, which truly and literally smelled like spring violets. I tell you, for the time being, I felt as if I lived in a fragrant meadow. I forgot all about our horrible oath. In that indescribable sperm, I washed both my hands and my heart clean of it. I almost began to believe the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm has a special power to cool anger. As I bathed in it, I felt divinely free from all ill will, irritation, or malice of any kind.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,—Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! All morning long, I squeezed that sperm until I nearly melted into it myself. I squeezed it until a strange kind of madness came over me. Without realizing it, I began squeezing my coworkers’ hands, mistaking them for the soft globules. The work inspired such overflowing affection, friendship, and love that I kept squeezing their hands. I gazed sentimentally into their eyes, as if to say: Oh, my dear fellow beings, why should we keep feeling bitterness toward one another? Why should we feel even the slightest bad temper or envy? Come, let us all squeeze hands. No, let us squeeze ourselves into each other. Let us all squeeze ourselves into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Would that I could keep squeezing that sperm for ever! For now, since by many prolonged, repeated experiences, I have perceived that in all cases man must eventually lower, or at least shift, his conceit of attainable felicity; not placing it anywhere in the intellect or the fancy; but in the wife, the heart, the bed, the table, the saddle, the fireside, the country; now that I have perceived all this, I am ready to squeeze case eternally. In thoughts of the visions of the night, I saw long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti.

I wish I could keep squeezing that spermaceti forever! After many long, repeated experiences, I have come to understand something. In all cases, a person must eventually lower or at least change their idea of the happiness they can achieve. They must not seek happiness in the intellect or imagination. Instead, they must seek it in a wife, the heart, a bed, a table, a saddle, the fireside, the country. Now that I understand all this, I am ready to squeeze spermaceti forever. In my thoughts of night visions, I saw long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti.

Now, while discoursing of sperm, it behooves to speak of other things akin to it, in the business of preparing the sperm whale for the try-works.

Now, while discussing sperm, we should also speak of related matters involved in preparing the sperm whale for the try-works.

First comes white-horse, so called, which is obtained from the tapering part of the fish, and also from the thicker portions of his flukes. It is tough with congealed tendons—a wad of muscle—but still contains some oil. After being severed from the whale, the white-horse is first cut into portable oblongs ere going to the mincer. They look much like blocks of Berkshire marble.

First comes what is called white-horse. It comes from the tapering part of the whale and the thicker parts of its tail flukes. It is a mass of muscle, tough with congealed tendons, but it still contains some oil. After being cut from the whale, the white-horse is cut into portable rectangular blocks before going to the mincer. The blocks look much like blocks of Berkshire marble.

Plum-pudding is the term bestowed upon certain fragmentary parts of the whale’s flesh, here and there adhering to the blanket of blubber, and often participating to a considerable degree in its unctuousness. It is a most refreshing, convivial, beautiful object to behold. As its name imports, it is of an exceedingly rich, mottled tint, with a bestreaked snowy and golden ground, dotted with spots of the deepest crimson and purple. It is plums of rubies, in pictures of citron. Spite of reason, it is hard to keep yourself from eating it. I confess, that once I stole behind the foremast to try it. It tasted something as I should conceive a royal cutlet from the thigh of Louis le Gros might have tasted, supposing him to have been killed the first day after the venison season, and that particular venison season contemporary with an unusually fine vintage of the vineyards of Champagne.

Plum-pudding is the name given to certain scraps of whale flesh that cling here and there to the blanket of blubber. They often share much of the blubber’s greasiness. Plum-pudding is a most refreshing, sociable, beautiful sight. As its name suggests, it has an exceedingly rich, mottled coloring. Streaks of snowy white and gold are dotted with spots of the deepest crimson and purple. It is like ruby plums in pictures of citron. Against all reason, you can hardly keep yourself from eating it. I confess that I once stole behind the foremast to try it. I imagine it tasted something like a royal cutlet from the thigh of Louis le Gros. That is, assuming he had been killed the day after venison season ended. And assuming that season had coincided with an unusually fine vintage from the vineyards of Champagne.

There is another substance, and a very singular one, which turns up in the course of this business, but which I feel it to be very puzzling adequately to describe. It is called slobgollion; an appellation original with the whalemen, and even so is the nature of the substance. It is an ineffably oozy, stringy affair, most frequently found in the tubs of sperm, after a prolonged squeezing, and subsequent decanting. I hold it to be the wondrously thin, ruptured membranes of the case, coalescing.

There is another very strange substance that turns up in this work, but I find it hard to describe adequately. It is called slobgollion. Whalemen invented the name, and the substance itself is just as original. It is indescribably oozy and stringy. It is most often found in tubs of sperm after prolonged squeezing and subsequent decanting. I believe it is made of the remarkably thin, ruptured membranes of the case, joined together.

Gurry, so called, is a term properly belonging to right whalemen, but sometimes incidentally used by the sperm fishermen. It designates the dark, glutinous substance which is scraped off the back of the Greenland or right whale, and much of which covers the decks of those inferior souls who hunt that ignoble Leviathan.

Gurry is properly a term used by right whalemen, but sperm whale hunters sometimes use it too. It means the dark, sticky substance scraped off the back of the Greenland or right whale. Much of this substance covers the decks of those inferior souls who hunt that ignoble Leviathan.

Nippers. Strictly this word is not indigenous to the whale’s vocabulary. But as applied by whalemen, it becomes so. A whaleman’s nipper is a short firm strip of tendinous stuff cut from the tapering part of Leviathan’s tail: it averages an inch in thickness, and for the rest, is about the size of the iron part of a hoe. Edgewise moved along the oily deck, it operates like a leathern squilgee; and by nameless blandishments, as of magic, allures along with it all impurities.

Nippers. Strictly speaking, this word does not belong to the whale’s vocabulary. But whalemen make it part of that vocabulary by using it. A whaleman’s nipper is a short, firm strip of sinewy material cut from the tapering part of Leviathan’s tail. It averages an inch thick and is otherwise about the size of the iron part of a hoe. Moved edgewise across the oily deck, it works like a leather squeegee. By some indescribable charm, as if by magic, it draws all impurities along with it.

But to learn all about these recondite matters, your best way is at once to descend into the blubber-room, and have a long talk with its inmates. This place has previously been mentioned as the receptacle for the blanket-pieces, when stript and hoisted from the whale. When the proper time arrives for cutting up its contents, this apartment is a scene of terror to all tyros, especially by night. On one side, lit by a dull lantern, a space has been left clear for the workmen. They generally go in pairs,—a pike-and-gaffman and a spade-man. The whaling-pike is similar to a frigate’s boarding-weapon of the same name. The gaff is something like a boat-hook. With his gaff, the gaffman hooks on to a sheet of blubber, and strives to hold it from slipping, as the ship pitches and lurches about. Meanwhile, the spade-man stands on the sheet itself, perpendicularly chopping it into the portable horse-pieces. This spade is sharp as hone can make it; the spademan’s feet are shoeless; the thing he stands on will sometimes irresistibly slide away from him, like a sledge. If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistants’, would you be very much astonished? Toes are scarce among veteran blubber-room men.

But to learn all about these obscure matters, your best course is to go straight down to the blubber-room. Have a long talk with the men there. As mentioned earlier, the blubber-room holds the blanket-pieces after they are stripped from the whale and hoisted aboard. When the time comes to cut up the blubber, the room is a terrifying sight for any beginner, especially at night. On one side, a dull lantern lights a space left clear for the workers. They generally work in pairs: a pike-and-gaffman and a spade-man. The whaling-pike resembles the boarding weapon of the same name used on a frigate. The gaff is something like a boat hook. The gaffman hooks a sheet of blubber and tries to keep it from slipping as the ship pitches and lurches. Meanwhile, the spade-man stands on the sheet, chopping straight down to cut it into portable horse-pieces. The spade is as sharp as a whetstone can make it, and the spade-man is barefoot. The sheet he stands on will sometimes slide away from him like a sled, and nothing can stop it. If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistant’s, would you be very surprised? Toes are scarce among veteran blubber-room men.