Fighting the Whales by Robert Michael Ballantyne

04 ‘Cutting-in the Blubber’ and ‘Trying out the Oil’.

A fatherless boy joins the crew of a whaling ship in order to earn a living for himself and his mother. Beyond being a fascinating depiction of a now-alien time, occupation, and culture, it’s also a rousing adventure story. One is left with the impression that hunting and catching a whale in a sailing ship was akin to you or me being stalked, ambushed, and killed by a shoebox full of mice.

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Fighting the Whales by Robert Michael Ballantyne