346 WHALING AND FISHINO. 



circumstances to the worthy man who there kept a 

 boarding place for seamen. He knew me, and 

 received me kindly, " money or no money," as he 

 expressed it. I told him that I wished to go off 

 as soon as possible. 



" Better stay a week or two to recruit yourself. 

 Any money you want I will let you have fi eely 

 You can repay it at your convenience." 



I felt deeply grateful to him for the offer. Prob- 

 ably not another sailor boarding-house keeper in 

 1 New York, would have said as much to me. But 

 I was determined to lose no time in idleness, and 

 expressed a strong desire to go off on the following 

 day. 



That evening the captain of a schooner trading 

 between New York and Boston, came up to get a 

 hand. I offered myself, was accepted, and engaged 

 to render myself on board on the following morn- 

 ing, at six o'clock. So, having returned at four 

 o'clock, p. M., from a two years' absence from the 

 States, six o'clock the following morning found me 

 working at the windlass once more an " outward 

 bounder." 



Schooner sailing was somewhat strange to me. 

 But the people, Cape Cod men all, were kind to 

 me and bore with what must have seemed to them 

 the rather gruff and odd ways of an old salt. Our 

 orew consisted of five : captain, mate, two hands, 

 and the cook. The latter was a little boy of ten 

 years, the captain's son. All hands lived in the 

 cabin, and the officers, although a little icservei 



