The account of the aftermath of the hunt continues as the crew uses blocks and tackles, harpoons, and other slicing devices to harvest the “blanket” of blubber from the whale. The whale’s head is removed because that is where the valuable spermaceti can be found. With a small whale, the head might be taken aboard; with one as large as this day’s kill, the head is only lifted partially out of the water and worked on from above, at the side of the ship. Ishmael compares the abandoning of the carcass to a funeral.
