76 WHALING AND FISHING. 



to &ir them, while such as have them, look ovei 

 letters, and tokens from the " folks at home," and 

 luxuriate in the remembrance of past joye and 

 pleasures. Two of our mates were engaged to be 

 married on their return from the voyage we were 

 now upon, and these poor fellows used on pleasant 

 Sabbaths, to bring on deck the miniatures of their 

 sweethearts at home. Looking at them, they read 

 over their letters, and, carefully unwrapping them 

 from multitudinous envelopes, gloated over such 

 little love-tokens as they had received on their 

 departure. 



The captain and chief mate were both married 

 men. The former was a quiet, sad looking gentle- 

 manly man, much better fitted for the shore, than 

 for the rough life of exposure and privation in 

 which his lot had been cast. He had sailed in the 

 merchant service in his youth, and from this cir- 

 cumstance, I, who was a "merchant sailor," was 

 quite a favorite with him. 



On one quiet genial Sabbath day, when we had 

 been nearly three months from home, I was stand- 

 ing at the helm, with eyes half closed, little mind- 

 ing the ship, which was lazily swinging upon the 

 swell, the breeze being scarcely sufficient to give 

 her steerage way. The captain was lying upon *. 

 mattrass, near the taffrail, reading. Presently } 

 closing the book, he asked me how I thought 1 

 should like whaling. Not having as yet had any 

 practical trial of the business, I could not give 

 him a definite answer. 



