32 GAMBLING. 



by smuggling it ashore, was readily disposable at a 

 good return. 



Gambling, too, soon developed itself, and after a 

 liard day's work, or when the gale Avas piping through 

 the rigging, and the waves surging and hissing in 

 ocean's cauldron, rendering the vessel's motion un- 

 steady, so that the participators in the game could 

 scarce retain their seats, I have seen a half-dozen, 

 seated around a chest (or, in sailor's parlance, donkej-), 

 a pile of tobacco in the centre, shuffling a pack of 

 dirty, greasy cards, pla^'ing bluff or all-fours, and 

 watching the game as if their very existence depended 

 on the winning or losing a few pounds of tobacco. 

 By this operation the green hands were the losers, 

 of course ; those who had been to sea before working 

 together, and alwaj-s making the game profitable to 

 themselves ; therefore, those who had not strength 

 of mind to refrain, were soon stripped of all their 

 tobacco ; and I remember, one evening, seeing a man, 

 after losing all his stock, pull his shirt oS his back 

 and sell it for tobacco to continue the game. This 

 being speedily dissipated, his under-shirt was disposed 

 of in the same way. We, who did not take part in 

 the game, stood it as long as we could, as the usual 

 attendants to a game of chance, high words and 

 quarrelling were rife; we finally began to complain, 

 when the captain, to avoid disturbance, offered a 

 pound of tobacco for every pack of cards that should 

 be brought to-him. This had the desired effect, and 

 we had the satisfaction of seeing the cards hove 

 overboard and lightly floating astern. We congratu- 

 lated ourselves on this amelioration of discomfort; 

 but an inventive genius from New Jersey, becoming, 



