232 THE CAPTAIN. 



" Kelley was about one-half the size of the 

 Englishman, who looked thoroughly ashamed. 

 He made a lame sort of an apology and left the 

 house. He got his supplies on board that very 

 afternoon and sailed that night, so we never saw 

 him again." 



"How did I happen to be in St. Helena?" 

 said the Captain. 



"It happened this way. We lay in the harbor 

 of Mauritius two months repairing damages, and 

 getting new masts, rigging and sails; but we 

 couldn't get a whaling boat. 



" My crew were deserting and good men were 

 hard to obtain in that quarter, so as soon as my 

 sails were ready, I put to sea and finished rigging 

 her. If any whales had come in sight we couldn't 

 have taken them, as we had only one boat. 



" After being a month at sea, we spoke the 

 Plover, another whaler, and got one old boat 

 from her. So, having now two boats, we suc- 

 ceeded in capturing two whales. 



" At the end of six months we put into Port 

 Louis and found four new whale-boats had been 

 sent us. But we were in as bad a condition as 

 before, for now we had plenty of boats and no 

 crew to man them. 



" We went to the Seychelle Islands and there I 

 shipped nine men. We cruised in the Indian 



