i 4 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



especially in a trip like ours, covering ground, or 

 rather water, charted indifferently well, rocky, diffi- 

 cult, and fog-bound. We selected the application of a 

 Scandinavian, who sailed his ship for a small com- 

 pany. A good many captains of sealers own their 

 own boats. We went in a body to inspect the 

 chosen. Ugly and massive-looking, she sat the 

 water like a tub of standing. Her deck planks were 

 filthy, every inch of her was smeared with seal-oil, 

 but her name was Lily. Her hatches had been white 

 once, but that was aeons ago. 



Down-stairs Cecily hints I must say " down the 

 companion," or I shall be taken for a landlubber 

 there was a large hold for the skins, which we meant 

 to use for stores and kit generally, and, some joyful 

 day, trophies, and a bare compartment we grandilo- 

 quently referred to as "the saloon," from which led 

 two insignificant smelling little cabins with two 

 berths apiece. The men all slept in a hideous fo'- 

 castle, where alas ! our food would have to be 

 cooked. 



After coming to an arrangement with the owner 

 by which we were to be allowed to spend a certain 

 sum improving the cabins, etc., we engaged the 

 Lily, her skipper, and all hands to take us whither- 

 soever we wished. We carefully inserted a clause 

 to this effect in our agreement, but the skipper 

 pointed out that the Lily had her limitations. 



The next scheme was for the thorough cleansing 

 of our ship, and the fitting her up so that she might 

 be at least endurable to live in, if not all that one 



