Thanks so much, folks. "Waif" solved, if not "harpoon lance" I'm pretty sure that's what he says. I thought at first it was "harpoon lads" but another listen says it's "lance".
The whole CD is worth a listen, with many Cicely Fox Smith verses in music form. This song, however, was from a 1993 folk oratorio by Jonty and Colins about the whaling industry.
Blessings,
Barbara