TRAINING 1 J E NEW 1AND8. 63 



As one of our "professional me.i" said one day, 

 in arguing upon the justice of such conduct "It 

 is not Democratic." 



But to submit to obey orders, instantly and 

 unthinkingly is one of the first principles incul- 

 cated into the embryo sailor, heie as well as iu 

 other classes of vessels. It is the great secret of 

 success in all maneuvers at sea, and perfection in 

 the training it imparts is especially necessary on a 

 whaling cruise, where, in sudden emergencies, it 

 is often required that the mind of one man should 

 have perfect control over the will and strength of 

 many. 



Meantime the training went on : the daily prac- 

 tice of running aloft, speedily making even those 

 who were at first most timid, laugh at their former 

 fears. But now another difficulty was to be gotten 

 over -. The names of the various portions of the 

 rigging were to be learned. This seemed one of 

 the most insurmountable obstacles to the acquisi 

 tion of sailorship. 



Landsmen persistently adhere to a literal inter- 

 pretation of the names given to various parts of a 

 ship's rigging and masts. Thus by top they 

 understand the mast head, whereas it is 21 place 

 not half so high. They look for a head, and find 

 only a few^ough boards; they are told of stays arid 

 see only great ropes; they hear of yanh but find 

 them pendant from aloft, "like the hanging garderf 

 of Semiramis," said our school-boy. 



