344 WHALING AND FISHING. 



"No, sir; the captain says all his hands ar 

 already engaged, elsewhere." 



He appeared surprised. After a moment's 

 silence, he asked, "Do you need any advance?" 



" No, sir, I don't owe any one a cent." 



"Would you work your passage, if the captain 

 consents to take you?" 



Now, to keep a man three weeks waiting for a 

 place, and then ask him coolly to take the place 

 and perform its duties, but without remuneration 

 I thought, looked a good deal like an imposition 

 on good nature. Nevertheless, as my case was 

 tolerably urgent, I expressed my willingness even 

 to work my passage. Hereupon the mate sought 

 out the captain, and after conferring with him for 

 a few minutes, returned to tell me that I might 

 bring my luggage on board. 



We sailed on the following day. To the surprise 

 of all the crew, one of the other new hands claimed 

 also to be working his passage. He had been 

 entrapped into this in the same way by which 1 

 had been victimized. Here should now have been 

 two extra hands. But there was just the regular 

 number of us ; so that by this operation, the cap- 

 tain was enabled to pocket the wages of two men 

 during the passage home. 



This passage lasted forty days. We had some 

 rough weather; but with a comfortable ship and 

 tolerably kind officers, sailors care little for the 

 weather. So we passed the time very contentedly ; 

 I daily wish ing for a succession of fair winds, to 



