262 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



pect of great worldly gain, was not the occasion 

 of either loss or disadvantage in the ultimate 

 result of our labours. Could, however, the con- 

 victions of those who accompanied me in the 

 voyages referred to consisting, probably, of one 

 hundred and fifty different men be conveyed to 

 their minds, an impression of a much more de- 

 cisive and satisfactory character, methinks, would 

 naturally and generally follow ; for, on occa- 

 sions when we refrained from fishing on the 

 Sunday, whilst others were successfully engaged 

 in that object, our subsequent labours, as has 

 been seen, often succeeded under circumstances 

 so peculiarly striking, that there was scarcely a 

 man in the amount of our crew who did not 

 seem to consider it as the effect of the Divine 

 blessing ! 



" Independently, indeed, of the positive duty 

 of sanctifying the Sabbath, and of the blessing 

 of Providence connected therewith, we ourselves 

 oft-times realized the wisdom of the institution, 

 in the mere physical benefits resulting from 

 its observance ; for when the preceding week 

 happened to have been laboriously employed, 



