62 WHALING AND FISHING. 



day after day proceeded the labor of fitting the 

 vessel's rigging, sails and deck for the endurance 

 of a long season of neglect. Meanwhile we were 

 keeping a stricter lookout for whales, hopeful that 

 we might at this early part of our cruise fall in 

 with and capture some "good fish." 



All the crew were now to some degree broken 

 in to the sealife, and pretty soon the new hands 

 began to claim for themselves great credit on 

 the score of seamanship. With infinite pains 

 they had been taught a few of the many splices, 

 knots, and ties which all old tars have at their 

 fingers' ends. With doleful groans they had prac- 

 ticed running aloft, until the first emotions of fear 

 and dizziness had worn off. By dint of steady per- 

 severance they were now able to chew tobacco 

 without being nauseated, and to spit about the decks 

 without feeling that they were committing a dirty 

 trick. As for swearing, I must own that that 

 accomplishment they seemed to master without 

 any apparent effort. They could hitch up their 

 suspenderless trowsers, and cock their hats on 

 "three hairs," in a manner faintly resembling that 

 supposed to be peculiar to the genuine tar : and so 

 they called themselves sailors. They had arrived 

 at the summit of their tree of knowledge, and did 

 not fail to congratulate themselves upon the pros- 

 pect stretching out before them. 



Alas! they had one more mortification to un- 

 dergo one more difficulty to overcome, yet an- 

 other branch of the business to familiarize them 



