The Harem and Its Lord
A male of full-grown but not old proportions accompanies female schools in a manner resembling a luxurious Ottoman. While the lord of the harem reaches the largest leviathanic proportions, the females at full growth are only about one-third the bulk of an average-sized male, with waists not exceeding half a dozen yards.
Harem Wanderings
The harem and its lord move perpetually in leisurely search of variety, traveling from Northern seas to the Equator for the feeding season, then onward to Oriental waters in anticipation of cooler temperatures.
Defense of Domestic Bliss
When a suspicious young Leviathan approaches the ladies, the Bashaw attacks with prodigious fury. These rival admirers sometimes engage in deadly battles, fighting with their long lower jaws and leaving deep scars, furrowed heads, broken teeth, and scolloped fins.
The Aging Schoolmaster
As the ardour of youth declines and reflection lends solemn pauses, the Ottoman enters an impotent, repentant stage. He forswears and disbands the harem, becoming an exemplary, sulky old whale traveling alone among the seas.
Technical Term Schoolmaster
The harem of whales is called a school, and the lord of that school is technically known as the schoolmaster.
Etymology of Schoolmaster
While the title schoolmaster might seem derived from the harem itself, some have suggested the fisherman who first used this term may have been informed about Vidocq’s days as a country-schoolmaster.
Solitary Old Whales
Almost universally, a lone whale proves to be ancient. Like Daniel Boone, he will have no companion but Nature herself, whom he takes to wife in the wilderness of waters.
Young Male Schools
Schools of young vigorous males, or forty-barrel-bulls, present a strong contrast to harem schools. These young males are the most pugnacious of all Leviathans, proverbially the most dangerous to encounter.
The Forty-barrel-bulls
Forty-barrel-bull schools are larger than harem schools and are compared to mobs of young collegians full of fight, fun, and wickedness. When about three-fourths grown, they break up and seek harems of their own.
Dissolution of the Schools
Male schools soon relinquish their turbulence and break apart as the bulls mature, each going separately in quest of settlements—meaning harems.
Reaction to Injury
A striking difference exists between male and female schools. If a Forty-barrel-bull is struck, all his comrades abandon him. However, if a member of a harem school is injured, her companions swim around with every token of concern, sometimes lingering so long that they themselves become prey.
CHAPITRE 89. Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish.
The chapter introduces the waif and waif-poles, which necessitate an account of the laws and regulations of the whale fishery, of which the waif is the grand symbol and badge. When several ships cruise together, a whale may be struck by one vessel, escape, and be killed by another, creating disputes that require established laws to resolve.
The Allusion to the Waif
The waif serves as the central symbol of whaling law. When ships hunt in company, a whale struck by one vessel may escape and be captured by another, creating complex contingencies. After a whale is captured, storms may dislodge the body, which then drifts away to be retaken by a second whaler. Without universal laws, violent disputes would arise between fishermen over contested catches.
Laws of the Whale Fishery
Without established rules governing whale possession, contentious disputes would frequently emerge among fishermen. The text explains that some universally accepted law—written or unwritten—is necessary to prevent violent conflicts over captured whales, establishing the need for a comprehensive legal framework in the fishery.
The Dutch Whaling Code
The only formal whaling code authorized by legislative enactment was decreed by Holland in 1695. While no other nation has enacted written whaling law, American fishermen have served as their own legislators, creating a system so concise it surpasses Justinian’s Pandects in terseness. These laws could be inscribed on a small surface, demonstrating their remarkable economy of language.
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