OUR CREW. 



the 41 repute in which she stood among seamen 

 in Port Louis, made it impossible to procure 

 more. 



Had these eight been able seamen, we would 

 liave gotten along tolerably well. But two of 

 them were runaway soldiers; one was an Irish 

 man-of-war's man, who had served three years in 

 the receiving-ship at Portsmouth, in England, in 

 the capacity of ship's tailor, and had afterward 

 somehow strayed out to the Isle of France ; and 

 another was a deserter from some outward-bound 

 American whaleship. None of these four could 

 steer our heavily-laden vessel, so that the entire 

 labor of steering, except in very fine weather, fell 

 upon the other four of us no slight addition to 

 duties already sufficiently onerous. 



Our runaway soldiers were the best of the 

 greenies. Eejoicing in their new liberty, they 

 were ready and willing to do all they could, and 

 quickly learned all the minor and less important 

 duties of seamen. 



The whaleman was sick nearly the entire pas- 

 sage. He was paying a fearful penalty for past 

 excesses. Aside from his illness, he was a spirit- 

 less creature, who permitted the officers to treat 

 him as they chose which was in a most rascally 

 way, to be sure. 



But our Paddy was a genius. He had been told 

 that "there is no such word as can't, at sea." 

 Accordingly, he took especial care never to utter 

 this forbidden monosyllable. 



