He woke at first light, shook out the sleep and ambulated round the whale.  All the rousters were decked out under burnt yellow tarpaulins asleep, and a steady rain drizzled down.

Over at the rouster's camp the rain-cold cauldrons hung canted on their frames, damp fire-ash trickling black and white down to the tide beneath.  Some 50 barrels of oil sat in the wettening sand, spread out random through the camp. 

"Roustabout," he called, nudging the sleeping forms nearest.  He walked through the camp like that, nudging on shanks and tugging the rain out of pooled up lakes top the canvas shelters, calling for roustabouts.  "We got work to do.  Rise and be labourin', boys."

The boiler crew groaned, moaned, and slowly got up to work.  Jayne bullied them at it until the tarpaulins were hung up over the cauldrons, the fires were fizzing and spitting their way to the boil, and the fat was bubbling once again in the pots. 

      *

Elspeth came back with grey high noon, and the rain a downpour.  Jayne waded out into the ocean with a couple of boily rousters to haul the sea-tossed gully in. 

"Storm`s rollin' in a day early," she shouted through the hammering crash of rain on the waves.

"Talk up at the camp," he shouted back, pointing to the tarpaulin shelters over top of the cauldrons further up from the tide.

They towed the gully up through the foamy waves, affixed it to the anchor drive point, then made for the cauldrony warmth under the tarpaulins.  The rousters made room for them, as Elspeth and the rest of the gully crew stamped their feet and shook off the worst of the wet.

"Ye found it?" asked Jayne, lowering his voice around the men.

"Aye," said Elspeth.  "And bad news on the storm too.  S`rolling in at forty clips nor-Easterly, Dockhead reckoned.  Bound to drench up to the lambaste line."

Jayne shook his head.  "That`ll loft the whale and the barrels," he said. 

"Aye," said Elspeth.  "And it`s rolling in fast.  Come eventide and the beaches`ll be flumed, he reckoned.  Barely let us outta the dock as it was, only after I said was you and your crew out here did he let us ride in just a gully."

"We`ll have to move," said Jayne.

"And move now," said Elspeth.

Jayne nodded.  Then he stepped back, Elspeth hollered the men to silence, and Jayne gave out his orders.

      *