JONATHAN FINDS A BERTH 39 



and said, *I wish in some ways that I could have arranged 

 for you to sail in one of the other sloops but this was the 

 only one with a berth left for a cabin boy. She is the 

 biggest yet to sail out of here and is of sixty tons burden. 

 She is bound further north than the others on an exped- 

 ition to the Davis Straits. She will hunt whale but the 

 main purpose is to discover the possibilities of extending 

 the activities of our fleet in those waters. There may be 

 dangers and I would not be sorry if you changed your 

 minds. Do you still want to go?' 



'I do,' said the two lads with one voice. 



'Very well then, if you are set on it you must give me 

 your solemn promises that you keep the ship's destination 

 a secret. The vessel is called the Pilgrim.^ 



The boys murmured their promises. 



In the captain's cabin of the whaler Pilgrim the next 

 morning the members of the crew were assembled to sign 

 their articles. 



'Look, Joseph,' whispered Jonathan as they took their 

 places at the end of the line, 'is that not Chimoo, the 

 Indian harpooner from Master Jackson's camp?' 



'Indeed it is,' replied Joseph. 'We should be certain of 

 killing a few whale with him in the bow of a boat.' 



'I do not see Eb Small,' said Jonathan. 'Perhaps he has 

 signed with one of the other ships.' 



When all hands were present the captain, with Mr. 

 Mather and the two other men who held shares in the 

 vessel standing behind him, broke the news that the ship 

 was to visit the Davis Straits. He assured them of the 

 soundness of the enterprise and finished his brief address 

 with a warning that any man or boy who wished to 

 withdraw should do so at once. 



Two of the men left the cabin without a word but the 

 rest moved into line and each came singly to the table to 

 give his signature or mark as the case might be. 



According to the rank or trade each was allotted a lay or 



