The next day is spent processing the whale blubber. The blubber must be boiled and then pressed in order to extract the oil. The smell is horrendous. Everyone is happy when the task is completed.

Afterward, the father attempts to devise a rowing machine. He places an iron bar across the top of his boat. The bar is long enough to extend a foot beyond each side of the boat. Onto each end of the bar, he then attaches paddles; he rigs a cogged wheel and winds it up. When he releases the spring, the wheel turns, and the paddles move the boat forward. His family is delighted with his invention.

The father and Fritz are the first ones to try out the new contraption. As the rest of the family cheers from the beach, the boat quickly glides through the water with only minimum effort by the father. When the boat turns back, the entire family wants to go for a ride.

The next day, the family takes the boat to Cape Disappointment. From there, they will be just a short walk from Prospect Hill, their pasture home. When they arrive at Prospect Hill, the animals they have left there react to them as if they were strangers. Some of the younger animals have never seen a human, having been born during the period when the family was living at other locations.

For dinner that night at Prospect Hill, the family has planned to eat the tongue of the whale. However, this proves to be a daunting task, as the tongue has a very foul taste, like that of very strong oil. Fortunately, Elizabeth has brought other provisions. In addition, the family gathers coconuts and also milks the goats for extra nourishment.

On their return trip to Tentholm, the father takes a side trip to the beach to plant some trees. When his sons tire of this task, the father allows them to explore. The boys are not gone long when Jack comes running back, exclaiming that they have discovered the bones of a huge monster. The father suspects that Jack has discovered the skeleton of the whale. However, Jack swears that the bones he has found look nothing like fish bones.

When they reach the site where the bones lie, the father announces that the rib and tail bones indeed belong to the whale. Never missing an opportunity to educate his children, the father shows his sons how the bones differ from those of other animals. Pointing out that they are hollow and filled with air, he explains that this feature adds buoyancy to the whale's body. In this way, he says, the whale's bones are similar to those of birds.

Fritz wants to take the bones back to Tentholm; they must be good for something, he says. The father does not want to undertake the difficult task, at least not then, as he can think of no worthy use for them. Not wanting to disappoint his son, he tells Fritz that perhaps they can come back later with a saw and cut pieces they might use to make furniture.