290 WHALING AND FISHING. 



u Count me in," said I, knowing that a determi- 

 nation expressed in few words was best suited 

 to the minds of British tars. 



" That's right. If he's down on one, he's down 

 on ail; and if he attempts to curse ary one, curse 

 him back, from the word go. 



" The main thing," said another, " is to do oar 

 duty like men. Then if he growls, we shall be 

 in the right." 



I think if our captain, had known what was 

 going on in the forecastle, he would scarcely have 

 been willing to carry us as his crew. Meantime, 

 we made ourselves comfortable in our new home. 

 Owing to the sharpness of the vessel, the fore- 

 castle was an exceedingly narrow hole, in which 

 five men had just room to stand up together, but 

 certainly not enough to sit down. Fortunately 

 but two of us had chests. The balance were old 

 coast rangers, and kept their clothes in bags, 

 which served for pillows. 



Being the last one on board, I had a forward 

 berth left for my use. This was so narrow that I 

 found it, on trial, impossible to lie straight in it. 

 My shoulders were broader than the berth space, 

 and the only way in which I could rest was by 

 lying upon one side. 



" You'll have to get out to turn over, my fine 

 fellow," said one who had been watching me while 

 adjusting myself to the space. 



And this proved to be true. Whenever, during 

 my sleep, I got tired of lying upon one side, I was 



