MACKERELING. 351 



excitement. The coaster is the drudge among 

 seamen. He shares all the severe toil, and much 

 of the danger incident' to a sailor's life, without 

 any particle of romance to redeem HS common- 

 placeness. With him it is the same old story. New 

 York, Boston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, or whatever 

 maybe his trading points, they present no strange 

 scenes, no new life to his view. For a real pro- 

 saic, matter of fact, anti-poetic existence,'commend 

 me to a coaster. One voyage was ever quite suffi- 

 cient to last me a year. 



So, by the time we reached New York again, I 

 was quite ready to dive into some new phase of 

 life, and gladly availed myself of the offer of a 

 Cape captain to take me down home with him, 

 and procure me a berth in a " mackerel catcher." 



I sailed back to Harwich in a little schooner 

 bound that way. On the vessel's arrival, I pro- 

 ceeded ashore, in company with the crew. By the 

 kindness of one, I was introduced to a good widow 

 lady, who consented to board me while on shore, 

 and care somewhat for my effects while away. 

 Thus a kind of home was provided for me, where 

 at very little cost to myself, I could spend a few 

 days after each cruise, in comfortable though 

 rather solitary enjoyment. Solitary, because on 

 the Cape a " stranger" is looked upon with some 

 degree of distrust. The Ca,pe people are tolerably 

 clannish ; and although universally kind-hearted, 

 never fail to remind a n ew comer that he is not 

 one of them. In this, they are not indeed far 



