"
I arose perfectly refreshed from my long nap, and followed my conductor.
We passed a large tank. "This is our water; we are obliged not to waste
it, although we have a sufficiency; the tank is coated by a cement,
formed of lime, obtained by the burning of the shells of fish. We make
all our vessels that are submitted to the fire, of the same substance,
mixed with pounded lava; it is burnt in the fire, and glazed with
sea-salt."
We arrived at the edge of the lake, where we came to a large shallow
dock, cut out of the lava in the side, in which were about two dozen
young whales, who followed my host as he walked round the edge.
These are my calves; we do not admit the mothers until we have first
drawn off what milk we require.
Several men now came down to the beach: one of them blew a horn, formed
out of a part of the horn of a sea unicorn, and immediately a herd of
whales collected at the sound, and swam towards the beach. They all
answered to their names; and when the men waded in the water up to
their knees, quietly grounded on their sides, so as to present one of
their udders to them, clear of the water. This was squeezed by four men,
and the contents received into a large pail, composed of the bones of a
whale, neatly hooped together by the same substance.
As soon as the breast of the animal was empty, with a lash of its tail
it recovered the deep water, and swam round and round in small circles,
near to the spot.
"We always leave one breast for the calf," observed my host; "when they
are all milked, I shall open the pen and let the mothers in.
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