The Whale's Anointing

Pitch polling is a technique used by whalers to make their boats run easily and swiftly. Weekweg believed strongly in anointing his boat, so he crawled under its bottom where it hung over the side,. rubbing in the unctuousness as though diligently seeking to insure a crop of hair from the craft's bald keel. Tashtigo at last succeeded in planting one iron but the stricken whale still continued his horizontal flight with added fleetness. It became imperative to lance the flying whale or be content to lose him. But to haul the boat up to his flank was impossible. What then remained? None exceed that fine manoeuvre with the lance called pitch