*34 WHALING AND WISHING. 



It was about a week after we had stowed down 

 our oil, and cleaned ship, that one morning the cry 

 of " sail ho ! " brought all hands on deck, and caused 

 the captain to run quickly aloft with his spy -glass, 

 to recon noitre the stranger. The vessel's course 

 was immediately altered so as to intersept the 

 strange sail, and various speculations were haz- 

 arded by officers and crew as to her name, business, 

 and hailing place. 



"She 1 * a wha'er, that's settled," said the third 

 mate confidently; "else she would not be here." 



" Then we'll have a gamm, boys, hurrah ! " cried 

 a boatsteerer. 



Soon her top gallants were visible from the 

 deck ; and now the mate, just returned from the 

 masthead, declared his belief that she was not a 

 " Natucketer ; " a very welcome piece of intelli- 

 gence indeed, for such is the jealousy existing 

 between rival whaling ports, that many Nantuck- 

 etmen refuse to "gamm " with vessels hailing from 

 "the Sound." 



" The skipper thinks its the Athenia, which left 

 New London two weeks before we sailed," said 

 the mate. 



" "We may bless our stars that we have got a 

 whale on board, else we should be ashamed to 

 look those fellows in the face." 



" There goes her burgee oh for ten thousand 

 f&py -glasses now." 



" She's the Betsy Ann, from New Bedford ; 1 



