412 WHALING FOR THE SAKE OF ADVENTURE. 



most, make more than half as much as the day- 

 laborer ashore. 



These are facts, and are palpable enough to deter 

 any and all who wish to go whaling for the purpose 

 of making or saving money; but there is another 

 class who think whaling must be the most delightful 

 of all pursuits from its pleasant adventures, its perils, 

 and the facilities oflered by it for seeing foreign 

 lands. This is all extremely visionary, as any one 

 who has ever made such a voyage will tell you. 

 All its adventures, and all its perils are matter of 

 fact, stern realities ; for instance, you lower away in 

 the boat, get alongside of a whale, the boat is stoven 

 and you are obliged to remain in the water for an 

 hour or two, until you are almost frozen ; or if you 

 are in warm latitudes, with the pleasant reflection 

 that at any minute a shark may come along and snap 

 off one of your limbs, how much pleasure would 

 such an adventure yield you ? It would do to tell 

 after you got home, to be sure ; and whilst you are 

 telling it, ten chances to one, you will be more fully 

 reminded of it by a twinge of rheumatism, the sow- 

 ing of the seeds of which dates back to the very day 

 of your adventure. No ; there is no fun in going on 

 a whaling voyage ; nobody goes a second time but 

 those who are compelled to ; they see no adventure 

 in it — it is the mere perilling of life and limb to fill 

 ship owners' coffers. 



Then, again, if you go for adventure's sake, it does 

 not exempt you from other and more disagreeable 

 duties that your sense of manliness will revolt at. 

 Go and look at the scavengers at work in the streets 

 of your native city, and ask yourself how you would 



