THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. - 17 



bow-oar with divers others, including captain's mates and 

 harpooners, did "Ingage to. carry on a design of whale- 

 catching" in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and all other waters 

 to the uttermost ends of the earth, wheresoever whales did 

 swim ; and " some of the town of New London did ingage 

 with us in like manner, in proportions " as set forth in the 

 ship's articles of the good bark Chelsea, Major Thomas A. 

 Williams, owner. And -here, before I begin my narrative, 

 I wish to bespeak indulgence toward one of its features. 

 It is based on the well detailed journal of a foremast-hand, 

 who rose to boat-steerer ; therefore it is written from the 

 stand-point of the forecastle, and the quarter-deck is treated 

 of as an object of a laudable ambition. My journal is used 

 as a cord on which are strung the experiences and advent- 

 ures of others, such as I have been enabled to pick up in 

 the form of yarns on board the Chelsea. Omitting a date 

 to my voyage, I am thus enabled to give the experiences of 

 a quarter of a century. About the internal economy of our 

 ship I write as the boyish sailor ; and I ask you old captains, 

 in imagination, to sit barefooted on an old sea-chest as you 

 read my story as I sat to write it. 



Is it necessary that I should recount how complaisant the 

 major was before I signed the ship's articles? It appeared 

 that the major was anxious to fill up his crew, that the ves- 

 sel might not be detained when her fitting was completed; 

 and doubtless, as he regarded the tall, slender, and rather 

 weakly youth before him, he deemed it necessary to throw 

 in an encouraging word to strengthen good resolutions : 



"Ah ! you're from Pennsylvania. Very good place that: 

 a little too far from salt-water to be wholesome, I guess. 

 Salt air will soon put color in your cheeks. You think you'll 

 like the sea? of course you will. Nice life very, if you 

 take to it right. Been aboard the Chelsea yet ? Yes ; good 

 ship the Chelsea, and such a sailer ! A regular Baltimore 



