20 WHALING AND FISHING. 



boarding house, to pack up my luggage, and pre- 

 pare myself for the morrow. On mature con- 

 sideration, 1 determined to take all my effects 

 along with me, so that should I make up my mind 

 to ship for a cruise in a whaler, I should bo 

 prepared. 



Accordingly on the following morning, I bade 

 good-by to the few ship-mates whom I had met 

 while in New York that time, (but without com- 

 municating to any one of them my thoughts con- 

 cerning making a cruise in a whaler), and took 

 my chest and hammock aboard the schooner. 

 The tide serving soon after I got on board, we 

 cast off from the pier and stood up the river, amid 

 a fleet of coasters, all bound through Hurlgate, and 

 up " the Sound." It was a fair day, in midsum- 

 mer, and as we sailed along with a pleasant 

 breeze, my old shipmate, the captain, or skipper, as 

 he was most generally addressed, sat himself down 

 by me to have another talk over days past, when 

 we were together inmates of a forecastle, and to 

 hear somewhat of my adventures since. 



" But why did you bring with you all your 

 things, Charley ?" said he, when at length I had 

 bi ought my yarn to a close. 



" "Well," I answered, with some degree of hesi- 

 tation, for I was half ashamed to disclose my 

 thoughts even to an old friend, " I have half an 

 idea cf shipping in a whaler." 



" I hope you won't make such a fool of your 

 self, my dear fellow," was the answer to this, 



