A sailor's speech — A JONAH ABOARD. 379 



fair wind and plenty of it. From the testimony of 

 former voyagers, who had run up and down these 

 trades, we expected that we would be favored with 

 their continuance until we should arrive in latitude 

 23 or 24° north ; but in this, like in most of 

 our other pleasant anticipations, we were disap- 

 pointed. When we reached the fourteenth parallel 

 of north latitude, they had almost ceased; and then, 

 forgetful of their benefits, we grumbled at their 

 scarce more than ephemeral existence. I well re- 

 member the expression of one of our crew, delivered 

 with approved bitterness of spirit. The occasion 

 of this was a mid watch at night, when all of the 

 starboard watch were grouped together by the wind- 

 lass, discussing onr experience of the variability of 

 the winds, while destined to some port or other in 

 the course of the voyage. The speaker, having 

 heard the opinions of several others, stepped into 

 the center of the little knot, and, with an emphatic 

 gesture of the hand, said : " Shipmates ! it is no use 

 talking : we are fated to meet with nothing but foul 

 winds and head-beat seas until we get home, and 

 then the bad luck that has kept us company for the 

 past forty-four months may leave us. But there is, 

 and has been, a Jonah in the ship the whole voyage, 

 from the time we left 'New Bedford. The first we 

 saw of it was in the Eliza Carrew's coming in con- 

 tact with us ; next, sperm whaling off New Holland. 

 "When bound to Balli we had a head wind ; bound 

 to the Australian Bight we had one of the dirtiest 

 of dirty passages. To New Zealand we made a first- 

 rate passage ; but, when there, what was our for- 

 tune ? To get scarce any oil, and lose one of our 



