Chapter 33: The Specksnyder

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌⁠Concerning the officers of the whale-craft, this seems as good a place as any to set down a little domestic peculiarity on ship-board, arising from the existence of the harpooneer class of officers, a class unknown of course in any other marine than the whale-fleet.

The large importance attached to the harpooneer’s vocation is evinced by the fact, that originally in the old Dutch Fishery, two centu