THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 133 



tudes of the Pacific. He was despised by every soul on 

 boai-d, and shut himself from our sympathy in his suffer- 

 ings by his obscenity and profanity — a gambler and cheat 

 by profession, a ruffian by nature, lazy as a terrapin, and, 

 to complete the ugly picture, a " sodger " every inch of him. 

 As soon as the boys had left me, I slipped into the forecas- 

 tle and stowed away beyond their finding my quadrant, pa- 

 per, pens, and ink, simple drawing materials, and a small 

 mariner's compass, lest their necessities might tempt them 

 to despoil me. 



