30 WHALING AND FISHING. 



evemng, with the determination to go in one ship 

 if possible. 



The presence of an old shipmate made my stay 

 in ISTew Bedford much pleasanter than it would 

 otherwise have been. He introduced me to an 

 outfitter who had promised to get him a ship, and 

 who readily engaged, for a consideration, to per- 

 form the same office for me. He informed us, 

 however, that there was not the slightest hope 

 that we two would be able to go in the same ves- 

 sel; "for," said he, "no ship owner in Bedford 

 would be so silly as to take two such old salts as 

 you in his vessel." 



And here I may as well explain what is the 

 particular office of the outfitters, in a whaling port. 

 The seventy -five dollars advance, or outfit, which 

 is supposed to be given to each individual who 

 sails before the mast in a whaleship, is divided 

 among three persons: First, the shipper, whose 

 bill is for forwarding to New Bedford, and his 

 price for obtaining the new recruit a vessel ; next, 

 the boarding house keeper, for boarding ai>d 

 lodging during his stay in town ; and thirdly tne 

 outfitter, for a complete stock of sea clothes, suf- 

 ficient, were they of excellent quality (which 

 they not unfrequently are), to last a careful man 

 two years. In a place where so large a number 

 of men are sent to sea annually, the business of 

 fitting these out for their new life is, of course, 

 of considerable importance. The outfitter* 



