DESEEIION. 235 



even understand their language. The rest found 

 their plans of escape so little conformable to the 

 existing state of things, that they were forced to 

 devise new wayt and means. 



Meantime, the captain was making preparations 

 to thwart any attempts at desertion, by putting 

 such of the natives as would serve him, on the 

 alert, preparing to use them as scouts who could 

 be quickly put upon the track of those who failed 

 to return on board in due season. Whaling cap- 

 tains, in general, are up to pretty much all the 

 tricks of their crews, and always chose a " lib- 

 erty " port with an eye to the facilities it affords 

 for retaking fugitives. Not one whaleship in fifty 

 brings home from a three years' cruise the crew 

 which took her out. Few young men are satis- 

 fied with the monotonous life of a whaleman, and 

 fewer yet are proof against the seductions of the 

 shore, when visiting it, as we were now, after 

 eleven months of hard fare and all manner of 

 privation. So that most of those who complete the 

 voyage, (here of course I speak of the forecastle 

 bands), do so not from choice, but because the 

 vigilance of the captain, or theii own ignorance 

 and poverty of resources, has rendered thii 

 escape impossible. Nothing is more common in 

 a whaleship's forecastle than to hear the crew, even 

 fct an advanced stage of the voyage, speak of their 

 hopes to escape at the next port. 



And here is shown the wisdom of captains and 

 owners in shipping i one but green hands. Sailori 



