380 WHALING AND FISHING. 



salve, and liniment, and all the various piepa- 

 rations for ameliorating the condition of sor* 

 fingers, sore wrists, sore arms, sore feet, sore 

 ankles, and sore shins, are brought into requi- 

 sition ; the cook is flattered and cajoled out of 

 modicums of hot fresh water; and stockings are 

 taken oif, sleeves rolled up, bandages unrolled, 

 and groans and growls resound from every corner 

 of the cabin. 



Before retiring to rest I take a peep on deck. 

 The gale is roaring fiercely through the bare rig- 

 ging, and a blinding storm of hail and sleet, a 

 blast of which salutes my face as I put it out of 

 the companion-way, adds to the inclemency of the 

 night. The dark storm-clouds scud wildly across 

 the sky, and the wind fairly shrieks at times, 

 as though glorying in the strength to bear down 

 everything coming in its path. It is truly a wild 

 night, and as I descend again to my comfortable 

 place by the fire, I think anxiously of the poor 

 souls who are tossed about in such weather cold, 

 wet, and suffering at the mercy of the winds and 

 waters. I am not alone in my thoughts, for as 1 

 shake the sleet off my rough cap, I hear our gray- 

 headed old skipper mutter softly to himself, "God 

 pity poor sailors who are caught in Boston Bay in 

 this storm." 



We go to sleep early get up late next morning 

 get breakfast (the storm still raging) head 

 up, and strike down the mackerel caught the pre 

 ceding day; clear up decks, and then go ashore 01 



