48 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OB, 



The dear old fellow stows his kit, kisses Dolly and the 

 little ones, and, leaving a kiss for the coming stranger, goes 

 . to sea for % four years' voyage. 



Katie, with a daughter's love, looks into the mother's 

 eyes, and says, 



"We're lonesome, now that father's gone." 



"Lonesome, dear? not a bit of it. We have a clean 

 hearth and a husband at sea. What more can woman de- 

 sire?" 



In such a severe atmosphere no school-boy love could 

 flourish, but Posey had heroic stufE in him. The idea never 

 entered his head to slip his cables and drift out of action. 

 He recalled the servitude of Jacob for the woman he loved, 

 and he said, " It is a little thing to serve one voyage for 



Kate ; and if I am only lucky enough to have Mr. F 



put me on a whale, I won't miss, be right sure." Such was 

 Posey, the banished school-master. 



The starboard watch was on deck one day, when Posey 

 gave us the following "key to Nantucket's success in the 

 whale-fishery :" ^ ^ 



" From the first, our people clubbed their means to build 

 or buy the vessel, and many of the necessary branches of la- 

 bor were conducted by those immediately interested in the 

 voyage. The young men of the island, with few exceptions, 

 were brought up to some trade necessary to the business. 

 The rope-maker, the cooper, the blacksmith, in brief, the 

 workmen, were either the owners of the vessels, or were con- 

 nected with the families of the capitalists. While the ship 

 and part of her owners were at sea, the remainder in intei'- 

 est were busily employed at home preparing an outfit for 

 the succeeding voyage. 'The cooper, while employed in 

 making the casks, took good care that they were of sound 

 and seasoned wood, lest they might leak his oil in the long 

 voyage; the blacksmith forged the choicest iron in the 



