378 OCCUPATION A REMEDY FOR DISCONTENT. 



" Give it to her, old boy ! She is all oak. She 

 knows where she is bound to ; so, pack on your 

 tappa — she will bear it!" If some one remarked 

 that she was heeled down verj^ much, and sail was 

 being dragged instead of carried, he was hooted at 

 for a soldier, and sent to the cook to learn seaman- 

 ship. If the officer of the deck started away or took 

 in any sail, he was maligned for a milksop, and fated 

 to hear lots of grumbling, together with the advice, 

 given to him in an undertone, that he should stay at 

 home, when he got there, and send his big sister to 

 sea to carry sail for him. 



To obviate this uneasiness, many plans were re- 

 sorted to, and the true one was at length hit upon : 

 the infallible one of labor. All hands seemed sud- 

 denly transformed into a colony of curiosity-hunters. 

 One would be seen with a box of shells, cleaning 

 them ; another with a Madagascar spear, polishing 

 it, so as to be presentable; whilst others had articles 

 of ivory, bone, and wood, and were busily employed 

 in improving their appearance, so as to render them 

 more creditable to the donor. Every man in the 

 ship had more or less of this description of articles; 

 the greater part of which had been constructed aboard 

 from the jaws and teeth of the sperm whales. Our 

 occupation with these things continued not only for 

 hours, but for days, and in some instances whole 

 weeks. 



Thus the time glided on, until we found ourselves 

 hurried along by the northeast trades. These de- 

 lightful winds we encountered when but two degrees 

 to the northward of the line ; and during their con- 

 tinuance we had nothing to grumble at, as we had a 



