18 THE CABIN. 



My cabin occupied the after-half of the "trunk." 

 (which extended two feet above the quarter-deck,) 

 and was six feet by ten. Two " bull's-eyes " gave me 

 a feeble light by day, and a kerosene lamp, which 

 creaked uneasily in its gimbals, by night. Two berths 

 let, one into either side, furnished commodious recep- 

 tacles for ship's stores. The carpenter, however, fixed 

 up a narrow bunk for me ; and when I had covered 

 this with a brilliant afghan, and enclosed it with a pair 

 of crimson curtains, I was astonished at the amount 

 of comfort which I had manufactured for myself 



The narrow space in front of my cabin contained 

 the companion ladder, the steward's pantry, the stove- 

 pipe, a barrel of flour, and a " room " for Mr. Sonntag. 

 Forward of this, two steps down in the hold, was the 

 officers' cabin, which was exactly twelve feet square 

 by six feet high. It was oak-panelled, and had eight 

 bunks, happily not all occupied. It was not a com- 

 modious apartment. The men's quarters were under 

 the forecastle deck, close against the " dead-wood " of 

 the " ship's eyes." They, too, were necessarily crowded 

 for room. 



Our course from Boston lay directly for the outer 

 capes of Newfoundland, inside of Sable Island. Every 

 one who has sailed down the coast of Nova Scotia 

 knows the nature of the fogs which hang over the 

 banks, especially during the warm season of the year ; 

 and we had our full measure of the embarrassing 

 fortune which usually befalls the navigator of those 

 waters. 



We ran into a fog bank on the second day out from 

 Boston, and for seven days thereafter were enveh 

 oped in an atmosphere so dense as completely to 

 obscure the sun and horizon. We could, of course, 



