CHAPTER68TheBlanket

ihavegivennosmallattentiontothatnotunvexedsubject,theskinofthewhale.ihavehadcontroversiesaboutitwithexperiencedwhalemenafloat,andlearnednaturalistsashore.myoriginalopinionremainsunchanged;butitisonlyanopinion.thequestionis,whatandwhereistheskinofthewhale?alreadyyouknowwhathisblubberis.thatblubberissomethingoftheconsistenceoffirm,closegrainedbeef,buttougher,moreelasticandcompact,andrangesfromeightortentotwelveandfifteeninchesinthickness.

now,howeverpreposterousitmayatfirstseemtotalkofanycreature'sskinasbeingofthatsortofconsistenceandthickness,yetinpointoffactthesearenoargumentsagainstsuchapresumption;becauseyoucannotraiseanyotherdenseenvelopinglayerfromthewhale'sbodybutthatsameblubber;andtheoutermostenvelopinglayerofanyanimal,ifreasonablydense,whatcanthatbebuttheskin?true,fromtheunmarreddeadbodyofthewhale,youmayscrapeoffwithyourhandaninfinitelythin,transparentsubstance,somewhatresemblingthethinnestshredsofisinglass,onlyitisalmostasflexibleandsoftassatin;thatis,previoustobeingdried,whenitnotonlycontractsandthickens,butbecomesratherhardandbrittle.ihaveseveralsuchdriedbits,whichiuseformarksinmywhale-books.itistransparent,asisaidbefore;andbeinglaidupontheprintedpage,ihavesometimespleasedmyselfwithfancyingitexertedamagnifyinginfluence.atanyrate,itispleasanttoreadaboutwhalesthroughtheirownspectacles,asyoumaysay.butwhatiamdrivingathereisthis.thatsameinfinitelythin,isinglasssubstance,which,iadmit,investstheentirebodyofthewhale,isnotsomuchtoberegardedastheskinofthecreature,astheskinoftheskin,sotospeak;foritweresimplyridiculoustosay,thattheproperskinofthetremendouswhaleisthinnerandmoretenderthantheskinofanew-bornchild.butnomoreofthis.

assumingtheblubbertobetheskinofthewhale;then,whenthisskin,asinthecaseofaverylargespermwhale,willyieldthebulkofonehundredbarrelsofoil;and,whenitisconsideredthat,inquantity,orratherweight,thatoil,initsexpressedstate,isonlythreefourths,andnottheentiresubstanceofthecoat;someideamayhencebehadoftheenormousnessofthatanimatedmass,amerepartofwhosemereintegumentyieldssuchalakeofliquidasthat.reckoningtenbarrelstotheton,youhavetentonsforthenetweightofonlythreequartersofthestuffofthewhale'sskin.

inlife,thevisiblesurfaceofthespermwhaleisnottheleastamongthemanymarvelshepresents.almostinvariablyitisalloverobliquelycrossedandre-crossedwithnumberlessstraightmarksinthickarray,somethinglikethoseinthefinestitalianlineengravings.butthesemarksdonotseemtobeimpressedupontheisinglasssubstanceabovementioned,butseemtobeseenthroughit,asiftheywereengraveduponthebodyitself.noristhisall.insomeinstances,tothequick,observanteye,thoselinearmarks,asinaveritableengraving,butaffordthegroundforfarotherdelineations.thesearehieroglyphical;thatis,ifyoucallthosemysteriouscyphersonthewallsofpyramidshieroglyphics,thenthatistheproperwordtouseinthepresentconnexion.bymyretentivememoryofthehieroglyphicsupononespermwhaleinparticular,iwasmuchstruckwithaplaterepresentingtheoldindiancharacterschiselledonthefamoushieroglyphicpalisadesonthebanksoftheuppermississippi.likethosemysticrocks,too,themystic-markedwhaleremainsundecipherable.thisallusiontotheindianrocksremindsmeofanotherthing.besidesalltheotherphenomenawhichtheexteriorofthespermwhalepresents,henotseldomdisplaystheback,andmoreespeciallyhisflanks,effacedingreatpartoftheregularlinearappearance,byreasonofnumerousrudescratches,altogetherofanirregular,randomaspect.ishouldsaythatthosenewenglandrocksonthesea-coast,whichagassizimaginestobearthemarksofviolentscrapingcontactwithvastfloatingicebergs—ishouldsay,thatthoserocksmustnotalittleresemblethespermwhaleinthisparticular.italsoseemstomethatsuchscratchesinthewhaleareprobablymadebyhostilecontactwithotherwhales;forihavemostremarkedtheminthelarge,full-grownbullsofthespecies.

awordortwomoreconcerningthismatteroftheskinorblubberofthewhale.ithasalreadybeensaid,thatitisstriptfromhiminlongpieces,calledblanket-pieces.likemostsea-terms,thisoneisveryhappyandsignificant.forthewhaleisindeedwraptupinhisblubberasinarealblanketorcounterpane;or,stillbetter,anindianponchosliptoverhishead,andskirtinghisextremity.itisbyreasonofthiscosyblanketingofhisbody,thatthewhaleisenabledtokeephimselfcomfortableinallweathers,inallseas,times,andtides.whatwouldbecomeofagreenlandwhale,say,inthoseshuddering,icyseasofthenorth,ifunsuppliedwithhiscosysurtout?true,otherfisharefoundexceedinglybriskinthosehyperboreanwaters;butthese,beitobserved,areyourcold-blooded,lunglessfish,whoseverybelliesarerefrigerators;creatures,thatwarmthemselvesundertheleeofaniceberg,asatravellerinwinterwouldbaskbeforeaninnfire;whereas,likeman,thewhalehaslungsandwarmblood.freezehisblood,andhedies.howwonderfulisitthen—exceptafterexplanation—thatthisgreatmonster,towhomcorporealwarmthisasindispensableasitistoman;howwonderfulthatheshouldbefoundathome,immersedtohislipsforlifeinthosearcticwaters!where,whenseamenfalloverboard,theyaresometimesfound,monthsafterwards,perpendicularlyfrozenintotheheartsoffieldsofice,asaflyisfoundgluedinamber.bumoresurprisingisittoknow,ashasbeenprovedbyexperiment,thatthebloodofapolarwhaleiswarmerthanthatofaborneonegroinsummer.

itdoesseemtome,thathereinweseetherarevirtueofastrongindividualvitality,andtherarevirtueofthickwalls,andtherarevirtueofinteriorspaciousness.oh,man!admireandmodelthyselfafterthewhale!dothou,too,remainwarmamongice.dothou,too,liveinthisworldwithoutbeingofit.becoolattheequator;keepthybloodfluidatthepole.likethegreatdomeofst.peter's,andlikethegreatwhale,retain,oman!inallseasonsatemperatureofthineown.

buthoweasyandhowhopelesstoteachthesefinethings!oferections,howfewaredomedlikest.peter's!ofcreatures,howfewvastasthewhale!