218 WHALING AND FISHING. 



thin clothing, which I more especially desired to 

 take with me. 1 judged, from what the boatsteer- 

 ers '.old me of the islands, that it would be almost 

 impossible to get safely away from a whaleship 

 there, unless some merchant vessel was just then 

 in port, in which to take passage. I trusted that 

 auch would be the case, but had determined to 

 try an escape into the country, if nothing better 

 offered. 



By dint of diligent inquiry, I had learned all 

 that was to be gathered from those who had before 

 visited the place, as to the manners of the inhab- 

 itants, their language, the peculiarities of the dif- 

 ferent islands, and the modes of transport from 

 one to the other. In fact, in the absence of all 

 other excitement for the mind, my projected 

 flight was the all-absorbing topic with me. I 

 thought and dreamt of nought else, and often 

 longed to take some one to my confidence, and 

 talk over my ideas with him. But this I dare not 

 risk. 



Meantime we were cruising along, keeping a 

 sharp lookout for whales, all hands being anxious 

 to fall in with and capture a whale or two, in order 

 that our contemplated stop at theSeychelle islands, 

 jvhich seemed somewhat dependent on this con- 

 tingency, might be secured beyond doubt. 



In fact, every circumstance in our lives was 

 henceforth viewed merely as it would affect or be 

 affected by the looked-for libert y at the Seychelles, 



