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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter the Whaler, by W.H.G. Kingston
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Peter the Whaler
+
+Author: W.H.G. Kingston
+
+Illustrator: Henry Austin
+
+Release Date: May 15, 2007 [EBook #21474]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER THE WHALER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+
+
+
+Peter the Whaler, by W.H.G. Kingston.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+Peter's father is a country vicar in Ireland, and Peter is a naughty
+teenager, who has got in with friends who encourage poaching, at that
+time a most serious offence. His father confiscates the gun, but one
+night Peter recovers the gun and has another coaching expedition, during
+which he is caught by the gamekeepers.  The magistrate releases him to
+his father, who travels with him to Liverpool.  For fifteen pounds
+Captain Swales of the BLACK SWAN agrees to take him and to teach him the
+rudiments of seamanship on a return voyage to Canada.  It turned out she
+was an ill-managed emigrant ship, and the emigrants were very badly
+treated.  Captain Swales and his officers are as nasty as they come.
+There is a fire on board, and the people are rescued by the MARY,
+Captain Dean, who is a very different kind of man than the despicable
+Captain Swales.  At Quebec Peter joins the FOAM, Captain Hawk.  There
+then follows a series of events, some good, and some bad, but all
+well-written.
+
+It must be remembered that Peter the Whaler was probably the first
+seafaring book by Kingston, although he had written several books during
+the previous twenty years or so,  The book was very well received by the
+public, and Kingston took up writing adventure novels for teenagers as a
+permanent occupation, until his death about thirty years later.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+PETER THE WHALER, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE.
+
+"Peter," said my father, with a stern look, though the tone of his voice
+had more of sorrow in it than anger, "this conduct, if you persist in
+it, will bring ruin on you, and grief and shame on my head and to your
+mother's heart.  Look there, boy, and answer me: Are not those
+presumptive evidences of your guilt?  Where did they come from?"  He
+pointed, as he spoke, to several head of game, pheasants, partridges,
+and hares, which lay on the ground, while I stood before him leaning on
+my gun, my eyes not daring to meet his, which I knew were fixed on me.
+My two dogs crouched at my feet, looking as if they also were culprits
+and fully comprehended the tenor of his words.
+
+My father was a clergyman, the vicar of a large parish in the south of
+Ireland, where the events I am now narrating took place.  He was a tall
+man, with silvery locks and well-formed features.  I think his hair was
+prematurely grey.  The expression of his countenance was grave, and
+betokened firmness and decision, though his general character was mild
+in the extreme.  He was a kind parent, in some respects too kind; and he
+was very indulgent towards the faults and errors of those not
+immediately connected with him.  He was on good terms with the Roman
+Catholics of the neighbourhood, of which faith were the large majority
+of the population, and even with the priests; so that our family had few
+enemies, and were never in any way molested by the peasantry.
+
+That, however, we had some foes, I shall have occasion presently to
+show.  But I must return to the scene I was describing.  I may be
+pardoned for first giving a slight sketch of myself.  I hope that I may
+escape being accused of vanity, as I shall not dwell on my personal
+appearance.  I believe that I inherited some of my parents' good looks;
+but the hardships I have endured have eradicated all traces of them.  I
+was well grown for my age (I was barely fifteen), but, dressed in my
+loose shooting-costume, my countenance ruddy with fresh air and
+exercise, I looked much older.
+
+"What do you suppose would be the lot of a poor man's son, if he were to
+be discovered acting as you are constantly doing in spite of my warnings
+and commands?" continued my father, his voice growing more serious and
+his look more grave.  "I tell you, boy, that the consequences may and
+will be lamentable; and do not believe, that because you are the son of
+a gentleman, you can escape the punishment due to the guilty.
+
+"You are a poacher.  You deserve the name; and on some occasion, when
+engaged in that lawless occupation, you will probably encounter the
+gamekeepers of the persons on whose estates you are trespassing, and
+whose property you are robbing.  Now hear me out.  They, as in duty
+bound, will attempt to capture you.  You and your companions may resist;
+your weapons may be discharged, and life may be sacrificed.  If you
+escape the fate of a murderer, you may be transported to distant lands,
+away from friends, home, and country, to work for long years; perhaps in
+chains among the outcasts of our race, fed on the coarsest food, subject
+to the tyranny of brutalised overseers, often themselves convicts; your
+ears forced to listen to the foulest language, your eyes to witness the
+grossest debauchery, till you yourself become as bad as those with whom
+you are compelled to herd; so that, when the time of your punishment is
+expired, you will be unfit for freedom; and if you venture to return
+home, you will find yourself, wherever you appear, branded with
+dishonour, and pointed at as the convict.
+
+"Think, Peter, of the grief and anguish it would cause your poor mother
+and me, to see you suffer so dreadful a disgrace--to feel that you
+merited it.  Think of the shame it would bring on the name of our
+family.  People would point at your sisters, and say, `Their brother is
+a convict!' they would shake their heads as I appeared in the pulpit,
+and whisper, `The vicar whose son was transported!'  But more than all
+(for men's censure matters not if we are guiltless), think how God will
+judge you, who have had opportunities of knowing better, who have been
+repeatedly warned that you are doing wrong, who are well aware that you
+are doing wrong: think how He will judge and condemn you.
+
+"Human laws, of necessity, are framed only to punish all alike, the rich
+and educated man as well as the poor and ignorant; but God, who sees
+what is in the heart of man, and his means of knowing right from wrong,
+will more severely punish those who sin, as you do, with their eyes
+open.  I am unwilling to employ threats; I would rather appeal to your
+better feelings, my boy; but I must, in the first place, take away your
+means of following your favourite pursuit; and should you persist in
+leading your present wild and idle life, I must adopt such measures as
+will effectually prevent you.  Give me your gun."
+
+I listened to all that was said in dogged silence.  I could not refuse
+to give up my dearly-beloved weapon; but I did so with a very bad grace;
+and I am sorry to say that my father's words had at that time little or
+no effect on my heart.  I say at the time, for afterwards, when it was
+too late, I thought of them over and over again, and deeply repented of
+my wilful obstinacy and folly.
+
+Alas! from how much suffering and grief I should have been saved had I
+attended to the precepts and warnings of my kind parent--how much of
+bitter self-reproach.  And I must warn my young friends, that although
+the adventures I went through may be found very interesting to read
+about, they would discover the reality to be very full of pain and
+wretchedness were they subjected to it; and yet I may tell them that the
+physical suffering I endured was as nothing when compared to the anguish
+of mind I felt, when, left for hours and days to my own bitter thoughts,
+I remembered that through my own perverseness I had brought it all upon
+myself.
+
+Often have I envied the light hearts of my fellow-sufferers, whose
+consciences did not blame them.  Let me urge you, then, in your course
+through life, on all occasions to act rightly, and to take counsel and
+advice from those on whose judgment you should rely; and then not only
+in the next world will you have your reward, but, in this, through the
+severest trials and bodily suffering you will enjoy a peace of mind and
+a happiness of which no man can deprive you.
+
+My parents had four sons and five daughters.  My eldest brother was
+studying for the bar in Dublin; and, as the family fortune was limited,
+we were somewhat cramped to afford him the requisite means for his
+education.  I was consequently kept at home, picking up, when I felt
+disposed, any crumbs of knowledge which came in my way, but seldom going
+out of my way to find them; nor had I, unfortunately, any plan fixed on
+for my future career.
+
+My mother, was constantly employed with my sisters, and my father with
+his clerical duties or his literary pursuits; so that I was forgotten,
+and allowed to look after myself.  I am unable to account for the
+neglect to which I was subjected, but such was the case; and
+consequently I ran wild, and contrived, to become acquainted with some
+scampish youths in the neighbourhood, in every way my inferiors except
+in age; and they gave me lessons which I was, I own, too willing to
+learn, in all that was bad.
+
+Sporting was my greatest amusement; and, for my age, I was perhaps one
+of the best shots in all the country round.  While I confined myself to
+my father's glebe, and to the grounds of two or three friends who had
+given me leave to shoot, he did not object to my indulging my
+propensity; but, not content with so narrow a sphere of action, I used
+frequently, in company of some of the youths I speak of, to wander over
+property where I not only had no right to kill game, but where I had
+positively been forbidden to trespass, and where I even knew people were
+on the look-out to detect me.
+
+I had just returned from one of these lawless expeditions, when I was
+encountered by my father, laden with game, and the scene I have
+described took place.  As I before said (and I repeat it with shame), I
+felt the loss of my gun more than I cared for the lecture, or the grief
+my conduct caused my father.  I can scarcely now account for the
+obstinacy and hardness of heart which made me shut my ears to all
+remonstrances.  I have since then grown wiser, and I hope better; and I
+feel that I ought at once to have asked my father's forgiveness, and to
+have cheerfully set to work on some occupation of which he approved.
+With me, as it will be with every one, idleness was the mother of all
+mischief.
+
+For two days I sulked, and would speak to no one.  On the third I set
+off to take a walk by myself, across the bogs, and over the hills in the
+far distance.  I had got into a better spirit from the fresh air and
+exercise; and I truly believe that I was beginning to see my error, and
+was resolving to do my best to make amends for it, and to give up my bad
+habits, when who should I encounter but Pat Doolan, one of the wildest
+of my wild acquaintances!
+
+Before a word of salutation had passed, he asked me why I had not got my
+gun with me; and after a weak and vain endeavour to avoid answering the
+question, I confessed all that had occurred.  He sneered at my fears and
+my fathers' warnings, and laughed away all my half-formed good
+resolutions,--telling me that I might just as well go and borrow one of
+my sister's petticoats at once, for to that I should come at last if I
+was going to give up all manly pursuits.  Unhappy, indeed, it was for me
+that I listened to the voice of the tempter, instead of keeping my good
+resolutions safely locked up in my own breast, and instantly hurrying
+away from him, as I ought to have done.  Or perhaps I might have
+answered him, "No; I must not, and will not, listen to you.  I know that
+what I have resolved to do is right, and that which you want to persuade
+me to do is wicked--an instigation of the evil one; so go away and leave
+me."  And if he persisted in remaining near me, I should have set off
+and run from him as hard as I could go.  This is the only way to treat
+temptation in whatever form it appears.  Fly from it as you would from
+the slippery edge of a precipice.
+
+Instead of acting thus, I sat down on the heather by his side, and,
+looking foolish and humbled, I began plucking off the crisp flowers and
+leaves, and throwing them to the winds.  He asked me if I knew where the
+gun was locked up.  When I told him that it was not locked up at all,
+but merely placed on the mantelpiece in my father's dressing-room, he
+laughed at me for fool because I had not before re-possessed myself of
+it.  Fool I was, in truth; but it was to yield to the bad advice my
+false and false-hearted friend tendered.  I own that I at first was
+rather shocked at what he said; but still I sat and listened, and made
+only weak objections, so that he very speedily overcame all my scruples;
+and I undertook to get back my gun at all cost, and to join him on the
+following morning on a shooting expedition on the property of a
+nobleman, some part of which was seen from the hill where we had posted
+ourselves.
+
+Doolan could make himself very entertaining by narrating a variety of
+wild adventures in which he or his companions had been engaged, or, I
+may say, in some of which he pretended to have been engaged; for I since
+have had reason to believe that he drew considerably more on his
+imagination than on truth for the subjects of his tales, for the purpose
+of raising himself in my estimation, thereby hoping to gain a greater
+influence over me.
+
+I have often since met such characters, who are very boastful and bold
+in the company of lads younger than themselves, or of persons whom they
+think will believe them, but cautious and silent in the presence of
+those whom they have sufficient discernment to perceive at once take
+them at their true value.  Observe one of those fellows the instant an
+educated gentleman appears in the circle of which he is the
+attraction,--how his eye will quail and his voice sink, and he will
+endeavour to sneak away before his true character is exposed.  I need
+scarcely advise my readers not to be misled by such pretenders.
+
+The property on which we had resolved to poach was owned by Lord
+Fetherston.  We knew that he maintained but few keepers, and that those
+were not very vigilant.  He also, we believed, was away from the
+country, so that we had no fears of being detected.
+
+I said that my father had few enemies.  For some reason or other,
+however, Lord Fetherston was one.  I did not know why; and this fact
+Doolan, who was well aware of it, took care to bring forward in
+justification of the attack we purposed to make on his property.  I
+should have known that it was no justification whatever; but when people
+want reasons for committing a bad act, they are obliged to make very bad
+ones serve their purpose.
+
+Pat Doolan was my senior by three years.  He was the son of a man who
+was nominally a small farmer, but in reality a smuggler, and the owner
+of an illicit distillery; indeed I do not know what other lawless
+avocations he carried on.
+
+Very inferior, therefore, as he was in position in life, though Pat
+Doolan was well supplied with money, he considered it of consequence to
+be intimate with me, and to gain an ascendency over my mind, which he
+might turn to account some time or other.  He kept me sitting on the
+heather, and listening to his good stories, and laughing at them, for
+upwards of two hours, till he felt sure that my good resolutions would
+not come back.  During this time he produced some bread and meat and
+whisky, of which latter he made me drink no small quantity, and he then
+accompanied me towards my home, in sight of which he left me, with a
+promise to meet him on the same spot at daybreak on the following
+morning.
+
+Even that very evening, as I sat with a book in my hand pretending to
+read, in the same room the family occupied, and listened to the cheerful
+voices of my light-hearted innocent sisters, I began to repent of my
+engagement to Doolan; but the fear of his laughing at me, and talking
+again about my sisters' petticoats, made me resolve to adhere to it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO.
+
+That night was far from a happy one, for I knew all the time that I was
+doing what was very wrong.  I waited till I thought that my father and
+all the household were asleep; and then, with the sensations I should
+think a thief experiences when about to commit a robbery, I crept along
+the dark passage towards his dressing-room.  I trembled very much, for I
+was afraid that something would awake him, and that he would discover
+what I was about.  I was aware that he would learn what I had done, the
+first thing in the morning; but then I should be far off, enjoying my
+sport, and I thought not of the consequences.  I felt my way along the
+passage, for it was quite dark.  I heard a noise--I trembled more and
+more--I expected every instant to be discovered, and I should have
+retreated to my room, but that the thought of Pat Doolan's laughter and
+sneers urged me on.  I held my breath while I stopped to listen.  There
+was again a dead silence, and I once more advanced.  Presently something
+brushed against me.  I was almost driven to cry out through terror,
+though I believe it was only the cat, whom I had disturbed from her
+slumbers on a rug at the door of the room occupied by my sisters.  I
+was, I may say, constitutionally brave, almost to fool-hardiness, and
+yet on this occasion I felt the veriest coward in existence.  Again I
+went on--the door of the dressing-room was ajar--I was afraid to push it
+lest it should creak on its hinges--I slowly moved it a little, and
+crept in.  The moonlight was streaming through an opening in the upper
+part of the shutter on the coveted weapon.  I grasped it eagerly, and
+slinging the shot-belt and powder-horn, which was by it, over my
+shoulder, I silently beat my retreat.
+
+Now that I had won my prize, I felt much bolder, and without accident I
+reached my room.  Sleep I could not; so, carefully closing the door, I
+spent the remainder of the night in cleaning my gun and getting ready
+for my excursion.  I got out of the house without being perceived, and,
+closing the door behind me, even before the time agreed on I reached the
+spot where I was to meet Doolan.  A hoar frost lay on the grass, the air
+was pure and bracing, my gun was in my hand, and plenty of powder and
+shot in my belt; and this, with the exercise and excitement, enabled me
+to cast away all regrets for my conduct, and all fear for the result.
+
+I anxiously watched for my companion as I walked up and down the road to
+keep myself warm, till at last I began to fancy that some accident must
+have happened to prevent his coming.  It never occurred to me that he
+could play me false.  I had not learned to be suspicious of any one.  At
+last I saw him trudging across a field towards me, and whistling as he
+came.
+
+I could not have whistled if I had tried; but then, bad as he was, he
+was not, like me, disobeying a kind parent.  When I remember the sort of
+person Doolan was (for his appearance was coarse and vulgar in the
+extreme), I wonder he could have gained such an influence over me.  I
+believe that it was the boastful way in which he talked made me fancy
+him so important.  I was very innocent and confiding, in spite of the
+bad company into which I had fallen; and I used to believe all the
+accounts he gave me of his own adventures, and those of his own
+particular friends.  I have, fortunately, seldom met a man who could
+tell a falsehood with such a bold, unblushing front.  I had a great
+horror of a falsehood, notwithstanding my numerous faults; I despised it
+as a mean, cowardly way of getting out of a difficulty, or of gaining
+some supposed advantage.  I did not believe that a person older than
+myself could possibly be guilty of telling one.  I fancied that only
+very little miserable children, or mean contemptible people, told
+stories; and I therefore could not fancy that such a person as Doolan
+would even condescend to say what was not true.  I honestly say that I
+always adhered to the truth myself; and to this circumstance I ascribe
+my not having irretrievably sunk into the grade of society to which my
+too frequent companions belonged.  I have mentioned Doolan, whose faults
+I would rather have forgotten; but I naturally wish to excuse myself as
+much as I can, and to account for the influence he had gained over me--
+an influence he never would have obtained had I known him to be what I
+now know he was.
+
+It would indeed be happy for the young if they always could learn the
+true characters of their companions; and it is in this point that the
+advice of their older friends is so valuable.  They, by their experience
+of others, are generally able to judge pretty correctly of persons, and
+often discern very dangerous qualities which young people cannot
+perceive.  Therefore I say to my young friends, Avoid the acquaintance
+of those against whom your relations, or those who take an interest in
+your welfare, warn you, although you may think them, in your blindness,
+very fine fellows, or even perfect heroes.  I wish that I, Peter--your
+friend, if you will so let me call myself--had thus followed the
+oft-repeated warnings of my kind father, and kept clear of Pat Doolan.
+
+Doolan's loud cheer, as we met, raised my spirits still more, and away
+we trudged gaily enough towards the scene of our intended sport.  He
+laughed and talked incessantly without giving me a moment for thought,
+so that when we reached the ground I was ready for anything.  A hare
+crossed my path.  It belonged, I knew, to Lord Fetherston.  I fired,
+knocked it over, and bagged it; and while Doolan was applauding me, a
+pheasant was put up, and in like manner transferred to my game-bag.
+Never before had we enjoyed such capital sport, till, weary with our
+exercise, we sat down to partake of the provisions, not forgetting a
+whisky bottle which my companion had brought with him.  While we were
+eating, he amused me with an account of an intended run of smuggled
+goods which was to be made on the coast two nights thence; and without
+much difficulty I agreed to join the party who were to assist in landing
+the things, and in carrying them up the country to the places where they
+were to be concealed.
+
+On these occasions, conflicts between the coastguard officers and the
+smugglers often take place, and lives are frequently lost.  This I well
+knew, though perhaps I did not think about it.  I was pleased with the
+idea of the danger, and flattered by having so much confidence placed in
+me.  I thought it was a very manly thing to assist the smugglers, while
+Doolan all the time wished to implicate me, to be able, should we be
+discovered, to shield himself by means of me.  After breakfast we
+resumed our sport.  Our game-bags were full and very heavy, and even we
+were content.  My companion at last proposed to return home.  "Home," I
+remarked unconsciously.  "How can I return home?  How can I face my
+father after having thus disobeyed him?"  I thought.  This feeling had
+not before occurred to me.  I already repented what I had done.  "I
+can't go home now," said I to Doolan aloud.
+
+"Why not?" said he; "you've a mighty fine faste to place before your
+dad; and, faith, if he's a sinsible man, he'll ax no questions how you
+came by it."  Such were my companion's notions of morality; and in this
+instance he spoke what he thought was the truth, for he had been taught
+no better, and he knew that thus his own father would have acted.
+
+"It won't do; I cannot look my father in the face, and must go to your
+house now; and I will creep home at night, when there's no one to see
+me."
+
+"Well, Pater, you must do as you like," he said, laughing; "you're
+mighty welcome to come to our house and to stay there as long as you
+plase; at the same time that I see no reason at all, at all, why your
+dad shouldn't be glad to see such an illigant stock of game for his
+dinner."
+
+"I know my father better than you do, Pat," said I, for the first time
+in my life asserting a little determination with him.  "Home I will not
+go this day."
+
+So it was settled; and we were bending our steps in the direction of
+Doolan's house, through Lord Fetherston's property, when another
+pheasant got up before me.  My gun was loaded, and I could not resist
+the temptation to fire.  The bird fell, and I was running forward to
+pick it up, when three persons appeared suddenly from a path through a
+copse close to me.  Doolan, who was a little in advance, ran off as fast
+as his legs could carry him, throwing away his game-bag in his fright,
+and leaving me to take care of myself as I best could.  Two of the
+strangers, whom I guessed to be keepers by their dress--indeed one I
+knew by sight--rushed forward and seized me roughly by the collar.
+
+"What are you doing here, you young scamp?" exclaimed one of them.
+"Killing our lord's game, and caught in the act," he added, picking up
+the still fluttering bird.  "Come along, and we'll see what he has to
+say to you."
+
+The other immediately made chase after my companion; but Doolan ran very
+fast, and was in good wind, which the keeper was not, so that the former
+soon distanced him.  The keeper gave up the chase, calculating that,
+having caught one of us, he should be able to lay hands on the other
+whenever he chose.
+
+On his return, with many a cuff he dragged me along towards the third
+person I spoke of, and whom I at once recognised as Lord Fetherston
+himself.  He did not remember me; but the keepers did, I suspect, from
+the first.
+
+"What is your name, youngster?" said his lordship in a severe tone.
+
+I told him, with the shame I felt strongly depicted on my countenance.
+
+"I am sorry to hear it," he replied.  "And that of your companion?"
+
+"Pat Doolan, my lord."  I said this with no vindictive feeling, or with
+any idea of excusing myself; but I was asked a question, and without
+considering what might be the result I answered it.
+
+"A pretty companion for the son of the vicar of ---.  Take away his gun,
+O'Rourke," he said to the keeper, "and the game: to that he has no
+right.  And now, young gentleman, I shall see your father on this matter
+shortly.  If he chooses to let his son commit depredations on my
+property, he must take the consequences."
+
+"I came out without my father's knowledge, and he is in no way to
+blame," I answered quickly; for I could not bear to have any reflection
+cast on my father through my fault.
+
+Lord Fetherston looked at me attentively, and I think I heard him
+muttering something like, "He is a brave lad, and must be rescued from
+such companionship;" but I am not quite certain.
+
+"Well, sir, you at all events must not escape punishment," he replied
+aloud.  "For the present, I leave you in the custody of my keepers.  You
+see the condition to which you have reduced yourself."
+
+He then gave some orders to one of the keepers, which I did not hear;
+and without further noticing me he walked on, while they led me away
+towards Fetherston Abbey, his lordship's residence.  I need scarcely say
+that my feelings were very wretched, and full of shame; and yet perhaps
+I would rather it should thus have happened, than that I should have
+been compelled to go back to my father.  It was perhaps somewhat of a
+consolation to feel that I was being justly punished, and yet not by my
+father's hand.  I don't know that I thought this at the time, but I know
+that I did afterwards.  And then, when days had passed, and many other
+events had occurred, I felt very grateful that Providence had thus
+disposed of me, and had preserved me from a fate which in all human
+probability would have been mine had I this time escaped with impunity.
+
+Lord Fetherston was a magistrate, and consequently in the Abbey there
+was a strong room, in which, on occasion, prisoners were locked up
+before they were carried off to jail.  Into this room I was led, and
+with a heavy heart I heard the key turned in the lock, and found myself
+alone.  If I had wished to escape I could not; and there were no books,
+or other means of amusement, so that I was left to my own reflections.
+A servant, who would not answer any questions, brought me in some
+dinner, which I could scarcely taste; and at night a small bed,
+ready-made, was brought in, and I was again left to myself.  Two days
+thus passed away: my obstinate spirit was completely broken, and I must
+say that I truly had repented of all my folly and idleness.  On the
+third day the door opened, and my father appeared.  He looked very sad,
+but not angry.  He took a chair and sat down, while I stood before him.
+For more than a minute he could not speak.
+
+"Peter," he at length said, "I do not come to reproach you: the grief I
+and your mother feel, and what you will have to endure henceforth, will
+be, I trust, sufficient punishment.  We must part with you, my son; we
+have no choice.  You must go to foreign lands, and there retrieve your
+name, and, I trust, improve and strengthen your character.  You have
+placed yourself and me in Lord Fetherston's power.  He insists on it,
+that you shall forthwith be sent to sea; and on that condition he
+promises to overlook all that has occurred.  He did not even speak
+harshly of you; and I am fain to believe that what he has decided is for
+the best.  At my earnest solicitation, he consented that you should take
+only a short voyage first to North America, provided that you sail
+without delay.  Accordingly, I have agreed to set off to-morrow with you
+for Liverpool, whence many ships sail for that part of the world, and I
+dare say that I shall find some captain to take charge of you.  Do you
+consent to abide by this arrangement?"
+
+"I think Lord Fetherston is right," I replied.  "The life of a sailor,
+if what I know of it is correct (little in truth did I know of it), will
+just suit me; and though I regret to go as I am going, and grieve to
+wound my mother's heart, yet I consider that I am very leniently dealt
+with, and will gladly accept the conditions."  So it was settled, and my
+father led me out of my prison.  Lord Fetherston met us as we left the
+mansion.
+
+"My son gratefully accepts your conditions, my lord," said my father,
+colouring.  His pride, I fear, was humbled to the dust (alas! through
+me) when he said so.  "I shall fulfil to the letter your lordship's
+commands."
+
+"I am glad to hear it, Mr Lefroy; depend on it, you act wisely," said
+Lord Fetherston.  "And I trust that we part without malice, young man,"
+addressing me.  "You have my well-wishes, I can assure you."  He held
+out his hand, and I shook it, I believe gratefully, though I said
+nothing; and without another word I jumped into the car which had
+brought my father, and we drove home.
+
+There was much grief and sorrow when we got there, and many a tear in
+the eyes of my mother and my sweet, ever kind, sisters as they packed up
+my little kit; but not a word of reproach.  Thus passed the last day for
+many a long year that I spent at home.
+
+Let me tell those who wish to quit their homes to go roaming round the
+world in search of what they know not, that though they chance to bring
+back shiploads of riches, they will find no jewels comparable in price
+to a another's fond love, a father's protecting affection, the sweet
+forbearing regard of tender sisters, a brother's hearty interest, or the
+calm tranquillity of the family roof.
+
+I write for the large and happy majority of my readers: some few are
+less fortunate, and they in truth deserve the sympathy of the rest.
+Cherish, I say, while you can, the affections of your home; and depend
+on it, when far away, the recollection alone will be like a refreshing
+spot in the weary desert through which your path in life may lead you;
+for be assured that there is no place like home.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE.
+
+I remember very little of my journey to Dublin, except that it was
+performed on the top of the mail.  My father went outside also, which
+was not his usual custom; but he did not like to expose me to the
+inclemency of the weather while he was comfortably ensconced within
+(another proof of his love), and he could not spare money to pay for my
+fare inside.
+
+We saw my eldest brother for an instant, just for me to wish him
+good-bye, and the same afternoon we went on board a steamer bound for
+Liverpool.
+
+She was very different to the superb vessels which now run twice a day
+from one place to the other, making the two capitals, for all intents
+and purposes, not so far off as London and Winchester were not a hundred
+years ago.  She was in every respect inferior; but I thought her, as she
+was indeed, a very wonderful vessel.  I was never tired of examining her
+machinery, and in wandering through every part of her.
+
+I had never before been on board a steamer; and as I was naturally of an
+inquiring disposition, I had numberless questions to ask to learn how it
+was the steam made the engines work, and the engine made the large
+paddle-wheels go round.  This occupation prevented me from thinking of
+what had occurred, and kept me in good spirits.
+
+Arrived at Liverpool, we went to an inn, and my father immediately set
+out with me to inquire among the ship-brokers what ships were sailing
+for British North America.
+
+"You shall go to an English colony, Peter," said my father.  "Wherever
+you wander, my son, remember you are a Briton, and cease not to love
+your native land."
+
+Liverpool was then, I thought, a very fine city.  I was particularly
+struck by the fine public buildings; the broad streets, full of
+richly-stocked shops; and more than all, by the docks, crowded with
+shipping.  Since then, several of the streets have been widened, the
+docks have been increased, and many fine buildings have been added; and
+as the wealth of Liverpool continues to increase, many more will be
+added, till it vies with some of the proudest cities in the world.  Such
+is the result of commerce, when guided by a wise and liberal policy.
+
+Had my father known more of the world, I am inclined to think that he
+would have waited till he could procure an introduction to some
+respectable ship-owner, who would have selected a good honest captain
+with whom to place me.  Instead of so doing, he walked into several
+offices by chance, over which he saw written "Shipping Agent and
+Broker."  Some had no ships going to the British North American ports,
+others did not know of any captains who would take charge of a raw
+youngster like me.  One said if I liked to go to the coast of Africa he
+could accommodate me, but that he could not say that I might not have to
+spend two or three months up some of the rivers, waiting for a return
+cargo of ivory and gold dust.  Another said he could secure me a trip to
+China if I would pay a premium; and three others offered me cruises to
+the West Indies and North America.  The fact was, that the navigation of
+the mighty river Saint Lawrence was scarcely open, and consequently few
+ships were ready to sail for Quebec.  At last a broker into whose office
+we entered, informed us that he was agent for one of the first emigrant
+ships which would sail that year; that her captain was a very superior
+man, a great friend of his; and that he doubted not for a small premium
+he would take charge of me.  Mr John Cruden, our new friend, insurance
+broker and general shipping agent, was a very polite man, and extremely
+soft-spoken; but he was of an extremely inquisitive disposition, I
+thought, for he asked my father numberless questions about himself and
+me, to all of which he returned the short monosyllable "H'm," which did
+not inform us whether he was satisfied or not.  I found all the time
+that he was merely trying to discover what amount of premium my father
+was likely to be able to pay, that he might ask accordingly.
+
+The office, in which we stood, was very small for the large amount of
+business Mr Cruden informed us he transacted in it, and very dark; and
+so dirty, that I thought it could never have been cleaned out since he
+commenced his avocations there.  There were sea-chests, and cases, and
+small casks of all sorts piled up in all the odd corners.  There were
+also coils of rope, and bottles, and rusty iron implements, the form of
+which I could not discern, and bundles of old clothes and canvas bags,
+and compass-boxes in and about the cases, and hanging from the ceiling;
+while a tarry, fishy, strong shippy odour pervaded the room.  I was
+particularly struck with the model of a ship fully rigged on a shelf
+over the mantelpiece; but she also was as much covered with dust as the
+ship in which the ancient mariner went to sea would have been, after he
+had shot the albatross, could any dust have reached her.  I observed all
+these things while our new friend was talking to my father.
+
+"You will doubtless like to make the acquaintance of Captain Elihu
+Swales, Mr Lefroy," said Mr Cruden.  "I expect him here every instant,
+and I shall then have the pleasure of introducing him to you, and we can
+arrange matters forthwith.  You will find him, sir, a very amiable,
+excellent man--indeed you will, sir--a very proper guardian for a young
+man."
+
+Whether this description was correct or not I had then no means of
+judging.  The subject of this eulogium appeared while it was being
+uttered; indeed I suspect he heard a portion of it, for, suddenly
+turning my head after growing weary of looking at the dusty ship, I saw
+a man, whom I instinctively suspected to be the captain, standing
+outside the little paddock in which we were enclosed, called by Mr
+Cruden his counting-house, with a very peculiar smile on his
+countenance.  Had I not turned, I think he would have burst forth
+outright into laughter.  I must remark that my father's back was towards
+him, and that Mr Cruden, unless he was very near-sighted, could
+scarcely have helped seeing when he came in.
+
+"Ah, there is at last my excellent friend," observed the agent when he
+perceived that I had discovered the captain.  "Mr Lefroy, allow me to
+introduce Captain Swales to you.  Captain Swales, this gentleman has a
+son whom he wishes to send to sea.  You will take charge of the lad.
+You will be a second father to him.  I can depend on you.  Say the word,
+and all parties will come to terms."
+
+"Day, sir," said Captain Swales, making as if he would take off his hat,
+which he did not.  He was a very respectable man, as far as dress went;
+that is to say, he was clothed in a suit of black cloth, with a black
+silk handkerchief--nothing very remarkable, certainly: most masters and
+mates of merchantmen wear such on shore.  His figure was short and
+square, there was nothing rounded about him; his features were all
+angular; and though there was a good deal of him, it was all bone and
+sinew.  His countenance was brown, with a deep tinge of red superadded;
+and as for his features, they were so battered and seamed with winds and
+weather, that it was difficult to discern their expression.  I remember,
+however, that the first glance I caught of his eye, as it looked
+inquiringly towards Mr Cruden, I did not like, even though at the time
+he was smiling.
+
+"You wish to send your son to sea, sir," he continued to my father.  "As
+Mr Cruden says, I'll look after him as if he was my own boy, sir.  I'll
+keep him from mischief, sir.  Lads always gets into mischief if they
+can; but with me, sir, they can't--I don't let 'em.  I look after them,
+sir; and when they knows my eye is on them, they behaves themselves.
+That's my principle, sir; and now you know me."
+
+He said this in an off-hand, bluff, hearty way, which made my father
+fully believe that he had fallen in with a prize--indeed, that he was
+supremely fortunate in having secured so kind a protector for me.  It
+was finally arranged that he was to pay Captain Elihu Swales the sum of
+fifteen pounds; in consideration of which, in addition to any service I
+could be of, I was to mess at his table, and to learn what I could of a
+seaman's duty, till the ship returned to Liverpool.
+
+The _Black Swan_, the name of Captain Elihu Swales' ship, would not be
+ready for sea for some days, he informed my father; and till she was so,
+as he was compelled to return home immediately, Mr Cruden kindly
+undertook to board and lodge me at the rate of twelve shillings a week.
+I was to go on board the _Black Swan_ every day, to see if I was wanted;
+and I was to return to Mr Cruden's in the afternoon, or when I was not
+wanted.  My father considered this a very admirable arrangement, and was
+perfectly confident that he had done the best circumstances would allow,
+and that he had left me in safe and honourable hands.
+
+On our way to our inn, we met one of the brokers to whom we had spoken
+in the morning.  He asked if we had found what we wanted.  "Oh yes,"
+replied my father, "an excellent man, Captain Swales, a friend of Mr
+Cruden's--very superior--very superior indeed."  The broker, I thought,
+looked odd at this, and was at first apparently going to speak; but on
+second thoughts he seemed to consider that it was no business of his,
+and he passed on with a cold "Oh, really--good-day, sir."  It was
+afterwards only, perhaps, that his manner struck me; at the time I
+supposed that it was usual to him.
+
+We spent most of the afternoon in purchasing a sea-chest and an outfit
+for me, according to a list furnished by Mr Cruden, to whose office my
+traps were transferred forthwith.  We did not go down to see the _Black
+Swan_, because Captain Swales said she was a long way off, and was not
+fit to receive visitors, but that she would be in a few days.  He then
+remarked that she was one of the finest and fastest craft out of
+Liverpool.  "Nothing could beat the _Black Swan_ when she had a mind to
+put her best foot foremost."  I was wondering whether ships really had
+feet.  I afterwards found that this was a figurative way of expressing
+that she sailed fast.  These observations were made when we returned
+with my chest to Mr Cruden's, where we again met my future captain; and
+when the sum agreed on for my voyage was paid into the hands of the
+first-named person, my father's heart was softened towards me; and after
+he had exhausted all the good advice he could think of, and had given me
+several useful books, and many little articles of his own property, he
+made me a present of six pounds as pocket-money, and to purchase
+anything I might wish to bring back from America.  He took his watch out
+of his fob, and would have given me that also, but I persuaded him to
+keep it, assuring him that I did not require it, and that I should
+certainly break it, or lose it overboard, as would have been the case
+probably the first time I went aloft.  The next morning my poor father
+returned by the steamer to Dublin.  He felt very much, I am sure, at
+parting from me, more than he would have done under other circumstances,
+though by a considerable effort he mastered himself so as not publicly
+to betray his emotions.  He was gone; and I was left alone in the big
+world to look after myself, with little more experience of its ways than
+a child.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR.
+
+When my father was gone, I went back to Mr Cruden's office and asked
+him to tell me where I could find his house, at which I understood I was
+to lodge.
+
+He looked up from the book in which he was writing, with an air of
+surprise, and replied, "You are mistaken, my lad, if you suppose that I
+am about to introduce into the bosom of my family one of whom I know
+nothing.  Your father is a very respectable man, I dare say, and you may
+be a very estimable youth, for what I know; but it is generally a
+different sort who are sent to sea as you are being sent; and therefore
+it is just possible you may be a wild young scamp, whose face his
+friends may never wish to behold again--hark you."
+
+I blushed as he said this, and looked confused; for my conscience told
+me that he spoke the truth.
+
+"Ah!  I guessed I was right," he continued.  "Now, to answer your
+question.  While you remain on shore, which won't be for long, you may
+swing your hammock in the loft over this office; and for cooking, you
+won't require much of that.  This will break you in by degrees for the
+life you've to lead, and will do you good, my lad.  So I hope you will
+be grateful."
+
+From the determined manner he had about him, I supposed that all was
+right; and had it been otherwise, my spirits at that time were too low
+to allow me to remonstrate.  I asked him next if I could not go on board
+the _Black Swan_, to make myself useful.
+
+He gave a peculiar smile, the meaning of which I did not comprehend at
+the time, as he replied, "By all means.  You will probably find Captain
+Swales on board--at all events his first mate; and you may offer your
+valuable services to them.  When they have done with you, you may come
+back here.  By keeping along the quays to the right, you cannot miss the
+ship if you ask for her."
+
+I had scarcely fancied that there were so many ships in the world as I
+saw crowded together in the Liverpool docks, as I passed through them
+for the first time in my life.  It gave me a great notion of the wealth
+and commerce of the place.  "And these will all be gone in a few weeks,"
+I thought, "scattered far and wide to all parts of the world, and their
+places will be filled by others now on their homeward voyage, which will
+have again to make way for a totally fresh set."  I inquired for the
+_Black Swan_ of the seamen and porters loitering about the quays, but I
+did not get very satisfactory answers.  Some told me that she was drunk
+last night, and had not got up yet.  Others said she had sailed
+yesterday, for they had seen her dropping down with the tide.  The
+boatmen invariably wanted me to take a boat to look for her, as the only
+chance I had of finding her; but I saw that they were trying to impose
+on me, and passed on.  At last, when I had got very near to the west end
+of the docks, I asked a man whom I saw standing in a meditative mood,
+with his hands in his pockets, if he would tell me where the _Black
+Swan_ was to be found.
+
+"Why, I calculate, if you look right before your nose, young one, you'll
+see her as big as life," he answered, pointing to a large ship lying
+along the quay, on board which a number of men were employed about the
+rigging; while others, with a peculiar song, were hoisting in the cargo.
+I found that the first were riggers, and that the others were dock
+porters, and that neither belonged to the ship; the regular crew, with
+the exception of two mates and the cook, not being engaged till just
+before the ship was ready for sea.
+
+I must notice here the very bad system which has long prevailed with
+regard to British merchant seamen.  The moment a ship arrives in
+harbour, the crew are paid their wages and discharged.  On this they are
+immediately set upon by Jews and harpies of every description.  I do
+them no wrong when I say that they are the very worst of the human race:
+the fiercest savages have some virtues--these wretches have none.
+
+The poor seamen are cajoled by them with every artful device; nor do the
+miscreants cease till they have plundered them of all their hard-earned
+gold.  Not content with this, these crimps--for such is the name by
+which these persons are known--encourage the seamen to get into their
+debt, chiefly for liquor; and they then go to the masters of merchantmen
+looking out for crews, and make any arrangements they please.  Part of
+the seamen's wages are paid in advance, and this goes into the pockets
+of the crimps.  I have known men put on board in a state of brutal
+intoxication, without knowing who were their officers, or where they
+were going to.  Thus the men were kept in a state of absolute slavery,
+without self-respect or a chance of improvement.
+
+I speak of the system as it was till lately.  I trust that a better
+state of affairs is now being introduced; at the same time, as there is
+a tendency in most things to let abuses creep in, I must entreat you, my
+young friends, in your several capacities when you grow up, not to
+forget the interests of our brave seamen.  On those seamen depend
+greatly the prosperity, the glory, the very existence of England; and,
+whether as legislators or as private gentlemen, I tell you it is your
+duty to inquire into their condition, and to endeavour to improve it by
+every means in your power.
+
+But to return to the _Black Swan_, and the man who had pointed her out
+to me.  There was something I remarked very peculiar about the said man,
+so I will speak of him first.  He wore a straw hat with a very broad
+brim, a nankeen jacket, though the weather was still cold, Flushing
+trousers, which did not near reach to his ankles, and a waistcoat of
+fur--of beaver, I believe, or of wild cat.  He had a very long face, and
+lantern jaws.  His nose was in proportion, and it curled down in a way
+which gave it a most facetious expression; while a very bright small
+pair of eyes had also a sort of constant laugh in them, though the rest
+of his features looked as if they could never smile.  His complexion had
+a very leathery look, and his figure was tall and lanky in the extreme.
+I could not have said whether he was an old or a young man by his
+appearance.
+
+"Well, there's the ship," he observed, seeing that I was looking at him
+instead of going on board.  "_Do_ you know me now?" with an emphasis on
+the _do_.  "That's kind now to acknowledge an old friend.  We was raised
+together, I guess; only you wasn't weaned till last summer, when the
+grass was dried up."
+
+I saw that he was laughing at me; but as I felt that I had been rude in
+staring at him, I said I begged his pardon, but that he made a mistake
+in supposing we were acquainted, unless he had visited the south of
+Ireland, seeing that I had never been out of that part of the country
+before.  This seemed to amuse him mightily, for he gave way to a quiet
+and very peculiar laugh, which I heard as I passed on towards the ship.
+
+There was a plank placed from the quay to the deck of the ship, and by
+means of it I stepped on board the _Black Swan_.  No one took any notice
+of me, so that I had time to look about me.  She was a ship of some
+eight hundred tons burthen, though she was advertised as of twelve
+hundred.  She had a raised poop aft, which I may describe as an
+additional house above the deck, the doors of which opened on the deck.
+There was a similar raised place forward, called the topgallant
+forecastle.  Under the latter the seamen and mate lived, while the
+captain and passengers inhabited the poop.  The space between decks was
+open fore and aft, and fitted up with standing bed-places.  This was for
+the abode of the poorer class of emigrants.  The hold, the remaining
+portion of the ship below the main deck, was filled with cargo and
+provisions.
+
+All this I discovered afterwards, for at first everything appeared to my
+sight an inextricable mass of confusion and disorder.  After watching
+for some time, I observed a man whom I concluded was the first mate, by
+the way he ordered the other people about and the air of authority which
+he assumed; so at last I mustered courage to go up to him.
+
+"Please, sir," said I in an unusually humble tone, "are you the first
+mate of the ship?"
+
+"Well, if I am, and what then?" was his not very courteous answer.
+
+"Why, it's settled that I'm to go in this ship to learn to be a sailor,
+so I've come on board at once to make myself useful," I replied.
+
+He eyed me curiously from head to foot as if I was some strange animal,
+and then burst into a loud laugh.  "You learn to be a sailor?--you make
+yourself useful?--you chaw-bacon.  Why, the hay-seed is still sticking
+in your hair, and the dust ain't off your shoes yet.  What can you do
+now?" he asked.
+
+I confessed that I knew nothing about a ship, except the machinery of a
+steamer, which I had examined in my passage across from Dublin; but that
+I would learn as fast as I could.
+
+"And so you are a young gentleman, are you?" he continued, without
+attending to my observations.  "Sent to sea to learn manners!  Well,
+we'll soon knock your gentility out of you, let me tell you.
+Howsomdever, we don't want no help here, so be off on shore again; and
+when you meet John Smith, just ask him to take you a walk through the
+town, and not to bring you back to make yourself useful till the ship's
+ready for sea, d'ye hear, or you'll wish you'd stayed away, that's all."
+
+I must say that even at that time I thought such a man was not fit to be
+placed in command of others, and yet I am sorry to say that I met many
+others no better fitted to act as officers.  I did not answer him; and
+though I did not understand what he meant about John Smith, I
+comprehended enough of his observations to judge that it would be more
+advantageous for me to keep out of his way; so I walked along the plank
+again to the quay.  There was the man I have described, standing as
+complacently as ever.  As smoking is not allowed in the docks, for fear
+of fire, he was chewing.
+
+"And so, young 'un, you've done your business on board; and what are you
+going to do next?" he asked, as he saw me sauntering along.  I felt that
+there was a kind tone in his voice, so I told him that I had nothing to
+do, as the mate of the _Black Swan_ did not require my services.
+
+One question led on to another, and he very soon wormed my whole history
+out of me.  "And your name is Peter Lefroy, is it?  Then mine's Silas
+Flint, at your service.  And now, as neither of us has anything to do,
+we'll go and help each other; so come along."  Saying this, he led the
+way out of the dock.
+
+I wondered who Mr Silas Flint could be, and yet I had no mistrust in
+him.  From his manner, and the tone of his voice, I thought he was
+honest, and meant me no harm; and my heart, I must own, yearned for
+companionship.  He did not leave me long in doubt; for after I had told
+him everything I had to tell about my previous life, he began to be
+equally communicative about himself.  "You see, Peter, I've secured my
+passage in the _Black Swan_, so we shall be fellow-voyagers; and as I've
+taken a sort of liking to you, I hope we shall be friends.  I come from
+'Merica, over there, though I don't belong to the parts she's going to;
+but you see I've got some business at Quebec, and so I'm going there
+first."  I cannot pretend to give his peculiar and quaint phraseology.
+
+I soon learned that he was raised, as he called it, in the Western
+States of America; that he had spent much of his life as a hunter and
+trapper, though he was a man of some little substance; that having
+accidentally seen an advertisement in the paper, stating that if the
+heirs of the late Josiah Flint, of Barnet, in the county of
+Hertfordshire, England, would apply to Messrs. Grub and Gull, Fleece
+Court, Chancery Lane, London, they would hear of something to their
+advantage, he, believing himself to be a descendant of the said Josiah,
+had come over to hear the welcome news.  He remarked, with his peculiar
+smile, that he had _heard_ a great deal which might be very advantageous
+to him, and which might or might not be true, but that he had got
+nothing--that he had established his undoubted claim to be one of the
+heirs of the said Josiah, but that he had fifty cousins, who had turned
+up in all directions, and whom he would never otherwise have had the
+happiness of knowing.  The gain in this case did not seem great, as they
+none of them showed any cousinly affection, but did their best to prove
+that he was an impostor.  Thus all the share of his grandfather's
+property went in law expenses; and he was going back to the land of his
+father's adoption considerably poorer than he came, and in no loving
+humour with England and his English cousins.
+
+Such is the brief outline Silas Flint gave me of his history, as we
+strolled together through the streets of Liverpool.  If, however, I
+continue describing all the characters I met, and all the strange things
+I saw, I shall never get on with my history.  Silas made a confession
+which much pleased me: it was, that although he had lived many years in
+the world, he still felt that he had much to learn, and was constantly
+doing things he wished to undo: the last was paying his money for his
+passage, before he had made any inquiries about the ship.  He hinted
+that Mr Cruden was not as honest as he might be; that he suspected
+Captain Swales was no better; and that the way the poor emigrants who
+had come to Liverpool from all parts to go by the ship were treated, was
+most shameful.
+
+He told me that, in the first place, they were attracted there by
+advertisements long before the ship was ready for sea, partly that the
+ship-brokers might make certain of having the ship filled, and not a
+little for the benefit of the inns and lodging-house keepers.  As soon
+as they arrived--most of them absurdly ignorant of what was to be done,
+and of the necessaries required for the voyage--they were pounced upon
+by a set of harpies, who misled them in every possible way, and fleeced
+them without mercy.  There existed--and, I am sorry to say, exist to the
+present day--a regular gang of these wretches, by profession
+lodging-house keepers, ship-chandlers, outfitters, and provision
+merchants.  So notorious have they become, that they now go by the name
+of the Forty Thieves, for to that number amount the worthy fraternity.
+
+Silas Flint took me round to a number of our intended fellow-voyagers;
+and we found them loud in their complaints of the treatment they had
+received, though, when he had discovered them, he had been able to
+preserve them from much further expense by describing the character of
+the country to which they were going, and the things they would most
+require.  Among them were a great many of my countrymen.  They were
+generally the most forlorn and heartbroken, though they had indeed
+little to leave behind; but then the slightest incident would make them
+forget their grief, and clap their hands with shouts of laughter.
+
+The sorrow of the English was less loud; but it took much more, I
+observed, to make them smile.  They were better dressed, and seemed to
+have made more provision for the voyage.  They had also been
+proportionably more fleeced by the Forty Thieves.  When so many of our
+poor countrymen are leaving our shores annually to lands where they can
+procure work and food, we should have a far better supervision and a
+more organised system of emigration than now exists.  And again I say to
+my young countrymen, when you grow up, make it your business to inquire
+into the subject; inquire with your own eyes, remember; do not trust to
+what is told you; and if you do not find such a system established,
+strive with heart and hand, and weary not till you have established it;
+at all events, correct the abuses which too probably by that time will
+have sprung up.  You will all have the power of aiding that or any other
+good work.  If you are not in influential positions, if you have not
+wealth at command, you at least have tongues to speak with, pens to
+write with; so talk about it in private, speak in public, write on the
+subject, and, depend on it, you will ultimately gain your object.
+
+It was very late in the day when I returned to the office.  Mr Cruden
+was about to go away.  He told me, that as I had chosen to be absent at
+the dinner hour, I must be content with what I could get; and he pointed
+to some musty bread and cheese, and a glass of sour, turbid-looking ale
+which stood on the desk.  I was, however, too hungry to refuse it; so I
+ate it as soon as he was gone.  An old porter had charge of the
+premises, and he now beckoned me to follow him to a sort of loft or
+lumber-room over the office, where he had slung a hammock, which he told
+me I might sleep in, or I might, if I liked, sleep on the bare boards
+outside.  "The hammock's more comfortable than it looks, young 'un, so
+I'd advise you to try it," he remarked; and I found his remark true.  As
+I was very tired, I was glad to turn in early and forget my sorrows in
+sleep.  The next day I fared no better than the first, and all the time
+I boarded with Mr Cruden the only variation in my food from bread and
+cheese was hard biscuits and very doubtful-looking pork and beef.  When
+I told Silas Flint of the treatment I had received, he shrugged his
+shoulders.
+
+"Can you mend it?" he asked.
+
+I told him that I could complain.
+
+"To whom?" he said.  "You have no one to complain to--no friend in the
+place.  Now let me advise you to do as I do.  When you can't cure a
+thing, grin and bear it; but if you see your way out of a fix, then go
+tooth and nail at it, and don't let anything stop you till you're clear.
+That's my maxim, youngster; but there's no use kicking against the
+pricks--it wears out one's shoes, and hurts the feet into the bargain.
+Now, soon after I took my passage in this here _Black Swan_, I guessed I
+had made a mistake; but what would have been the use of my going to law
+about it?  I knowed better.  I should only have sent my last dollar to
+look after the many which have gone to prove I was first cousin to a set
+of people, who would all rather have heard my father was drowned years
+ago than have set eyes on me.  I tell you, Peter, you must grin and bear
+it, as you'll have to do many things as you get through life."
+
+I found that my friend practised what he preached; for so completely
+were his finances exhausted by his law expenses, that he had to husband
+all his resources to enable him to return home.  In board and lodging he
+was worse off than I was; and, as he said, he was accustomed to camp out
+at night, to save the expense of a bed.  He used to amuse himself in the
+day by walking about to look out for a snug place to sleep in at night,
+either in the city or its neighbourhood, and he seldom occupied the same
+spot two nights running.  He assured me, and I believed him, that it was
+far pleasanter than sleeping in the close atmosphere of a crowded room;
+and it reminded him faintly of his beloved prairies, on which he had
+spent the greater part of his life.  The chief portion of every day, for
+a week before the ship was reported ready for sailing, I passed with my
+new-found friend; and, as may be supposed, I did not again offer my
+valuable services to the mate of the _Black Swan_, nor was any inquiry
+made after me by her worthy captain.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE.
+
+At last I was informed by Mr Cruden that I might transfer my chest and
+myself on board the _Black Swan_.  Accordingly, the old porter wheeled
+the former down to the docks, while I walked by its side.  I gave the
+old porter a shilling for his trouble: his eye brightened, and he
+blessed me, and muttered something about wishing that I had fallen into
+better hands; but he was afraid, apparently, of saying more, and casting
+another glance at me, I suspect of commiseration, he tottered off to his
+daily avocations.  My chest, which was a very small one, was stowed away
+by one of the seamen under a bunk in the forecastle.  I thought that I
+was to have a cabin under the poop, and to mess with the captain; but
+when I made inquiries, no one could give any information, and the
+captain was nowhere to be seen.  Everything on board appeared in the
+wildest confusion; and I must own that I got most unaccountably in
+everybody's way, and accordingly got kicked out of it without the
+slightest ceremony.
+
+Silas had not arrived, so I could not go to him for information.  I
+therefore climbed up out of the way, to the boat, placed amidships, on
+the top of the booms.  Soon afterwards the emigrants' bag and baggage
+began to arrive.  I was amused by observing the odd and mixed collection
+of things the poor people brought with them, some of the more bulky
+articles of which were not admitted on board.  The Jew harpies were on
+the quays ready to snap them up, giving little or nothing in return.  I
+thought that it was a great pity that there were no means to enable
+these poor people to obtain better information before they left home, to
+have saved them the expense of dragging so much useless lumber about
+with them.  I pitied them, not because they were going to another land
+where they could get food and employment, but for their helpless
+ignorance, and the want of any one fit to lead or direct them, as also
+for the treatment they were receiving at the hands of the countrymen
+they were leaving for ever.
+
+Many of them resented bitterly the impositions practised on them; and I
+saw some of them, with significant gestures, take off their shoes and
+shake the dust over the ship's side as they stepped on board, while they
+gave vent to their feelings in oaths not lowly muttered.  Henceforth,
+instead of friends and supporters, they were to be foes to England and
+the English--aliens of the country which should have cherished and
+protected them, but did not.  Such things were--such things are: when
+will they cease to be?  What a strange mixture of people there were,
+from all parts of the United Kingdom--aged men and women; young brides
+and their husbands; mothers with tribes of children, some with their
+infants still unweaned--talking many different dialects, weeping,
+laughing, shrieking, and shouting!  At last they got their berths
+allotted to them, and they began to stow away their provisions and
+baggage between decks.  Some kept going backwards and forwards from the
+ship to the shore, and no notice being given, many of them were left
+behind when the ship hauled out of dock, and had to come on board in
+boats, at a considerable expense, after being well frightened at the
+thoughts that we had sailed without them.
+
+We lay out in the stream for another whole day, with the Blue Peter
+flying, to show that we were ready for sea, and to summon any passengers
+who might yet remain on shore.  Silas Flint was one of the last to come
+on board, before we left the dock.  He appeared following a porter, who
+wheeled down his chest, containing all his property.  He did not even
+give me a look of recognition as he passed me; but he at once plunged
+below with his chest, and he studiously avoided coming near me.  This I
+thought odd and unkind, nor could I comprehend the cause of this
+behaviour.
+
+I was sitting very disconsolate by myself among the emigrants, and
+wondering when the captain would come on board, and when I should begin
+to learn to be a seaman, when I felt the no pleasing sensation of a
+rope's end laid smartly across my shoulders.  I turned quickly round to
+resent the indignity, when I encountered the stern glance of the first
+mate, Mr Stovin, fixed on me, while the "colt" in his hand showed that
+he was the aggressor.  "And so you are the youngster who wanted to make
+himself useful, are you?" he exclaimed in a sneering voice.
+
+"I am," I replied; "and I'll thank you in future not to take such
+liberties with my back."
+
+He burst into a loud laugh.  "O my young cock-a-hoop, you show fight, do
+you?" he exclaimed.  "Well, we'll see what you are made of before long."
+
+"I'm ready to do my duty when you show me the way," I answered in as
+calm a voice as I could command; and I believe this reply, and the
+having kept my temper, gave him a more favourable opinion of me than he
+was before inclined to form, and somewhat softened his savage nature.
+
+"A willing hand will have no want of masters," he observed.  "And mind,
+what I tell you to do you'll do as well as you can, and we shan't fall
+foul of each other."
+
+I will now describe the _Black Swan_.  She measured nearly eight hundred
+tons, was ship-rigged, and had been built many years.  She carried
+eighteen hands forward, with two cooks and a steward, besides the
+captain, four mates, and a doctor.
+
+There were about four hundred and forty steerage passengers, who, I may
+explain, are the poorer classes; and I think there were ten cabin
+passengers, who berthed in the cabin and messed with the captain.  The
+steerage passengers brought their own provisions, but the captain was
+obliged to provide them with water and biscuit, just to keep life in
+them; indeed, without it many of them would have died.  It was, I felt,
+like severing the last link which bound us to our native shores, when
+the pilot left us at the mouth of the Mersey, and with a fair wind we
+stood down the Irish Channel.
+
+I cannot say that before I quitted home I had any very definite idea of
+the life of a sailor; but I had some notion that his chief occupation
+was sitting with his messmates round a can of grog, and singing songs
+about his sweetheart: the reality I found was very different.
+
+The first time I had any practical experience of this was when, the
+pilot having left us, and the wind having veered round to the
+north-east, the captain ordered the ship to be kept away before it.  His
+eye happened to fall upon me for the first time, dressed in my sea
+toggery, and seated, with my hands in my pockets, on the booms.
+
+"Hillo, Jim--what's-your-name--we'll have none of your idling ways here
+if you belong to this ship, as I've a notion you do," he exclaimed.
+"Aloft there with you, then, and help furl the mizzen topsail.  Be smart
+about it, or I'll freshen your way with a rope's end, and we'll see if
+you give me an answer."
+
+By this last observation, I guessed that the mate had told him of the
+answer I had given him, and I felt that the wisest thing I could do was
+to obey him without making any reply.  What, however, he meant by
+"furling the mizzen topsail" I had not the slightest notion; but as I
+saw that he pointed to the mizzen-mast, and that several lads and men
+were ascending the mizzen rigging, I followed them.  I was a good
+climber, so I had no fear of going aloft; and while I was in the top,
+luckily one of my new messmates, who was already lying out on the yard,
+exclaimed, "Hillo, Peter, lend us a hand here, my lad."  On hearing
+this, I immediately threw myself on the yard, and following his
+directions I made a very fair furl of it.  I got no praise certainly for
+this, but I escaped blame; and I saw by the way the other mizzen-top men
+treated me, that they considered me a smart lad, and no flincher.
+
+From that moment I was never idle.  I followed a piece of advice honest
+Dick Derrick gave me on this occasion: "Never let go with one hand till
+you've got a good gripe with the other; and if you cannot hold on with
+your hands, make use of your teeth and legs; and mind, clutch fast till
+you've picked out a soft spot to fall on."  Dick Derrick taught me to
+hand, furl, and steer, to knot and splice, to make sinnet and spun-yarn,
+and the various other parts of a seaman's business.  I was ambitious to
+learn; and I found the work, when taught by him, both easy and pleasant.
+
+I was placed in the second mate's watch, and had to keep my watch
+regularly.  In this I was fortunate.  William Bell was his name.  He was
+a quiet, gentlemanly young man, who always kept his temper, however
+roughly spoken to by the captain.  It was through no want of spirit that
+he did not reply to the abuse thrown at him, as I afterwards discovered,
+but because it was the wisest and most dignified course to pursue.  As I
+said before, I expected to mess in the cabin, and to be a sort of
+midshipman; but when I went up to the captain and told him so, he
+laughed at me, and asked me if I would show him any written agreement on
+the subject, for that he knew nothing at all about it.  All he could say
+was, that I was entered as a ship's boy; that as such I must be berthed
+and messed, and do duty.  If I did not like it, he would see what Mr
+Stovin had to say to me.  I saw that there was no help for me; so,
+following Silas Flint's advice, I determined to grin and bear it.
+
+We sighted Cape Clear, the south-westernmost point of Ireland.  I longed
+to be able to swim on shore and return home.  I did not the less wish to
+see the world, but I did not much like the company with whom I was
+likely to see it; Mr Stovin and his rope's-ending were not agreeable
+companions.  From Cape Clear we took a fresh departure.  A ship is said
+to take her departure from a point, the distance and the bearing of the
+point being ascertained when her course is marked off from the spot
+where she then is.  At four p.m. Cape Clear bore five miles north-east
+of us, or rather we were five miles south-west of the Cape.  This spot
+was marked on the chart; and the distance run, and the course by
+compass, were each day afterwards pricked off in like manner on the
+charts.  The distance run is measured by the log, which is hove every
+two hours.
+
+The log is a small triangular piece of wood, secured to the end of a
+long line, on which divisions are marked, bearing the same proportion to
+a mile which a half-minute bears to an hour.  One man holds a
+half-minute glass in his hand--another a reel on which the line is
+rolled--a third, the mate, takes the log and heaves it overboard,
+drawing off the line with his left hand.  Thus, as the log remains
+stationary in the water, according to the number of divisions or knots
+run off while the sand in the glass is running, will be shown the number
+of miles the ship is going in the hour.  Instead of miles, the word
+knots is used, evidently from the knots marked on the line.
+
+The mode I have thus briefly described of finding the ship's course is
+called "dead reckoning."  This, of course, is liable to errors, as
+careless steering, the compasses being out of order, or a current, may
+carry her far from her supposed position; at the same time, when the sky
+is obscured, it is the only mode of finding the way across the ocean.
+It can be correctly ascertained by observation of the sun, moon, and
+stars, taken with a sextant and a chronometer; but I shall be led to
+give an epitome of the science of navigation if I attempt to explain the
+mode of using them.
+
+In shallow waters, where the bottom has been accurately surveyed, a
+clever pilot will find his way with the lead.  At the end of the lead a
+cavity is made, which is filled with grease; and according to the sort
+of mud, sand, or shells which adhere to it, he tells his position.
+This, and many other parts of navigation, Mr Bell, during our night
+watches, took great pains to explain to me; but it was not till I had
+been some time at sea that I comprehended them clearly.
+
+Mr Bell never spoke to me in the day-time; for if the captain saw him,
+he was certain to send me to perform some kind of drudgery or other.  I
+was set to do all the dirty work in the ship, to black down the rigging,
+to grease the masts, etcetera, etcetera; indeed, my hands were always in
+the tar-bucket; but it served the useful purpose of teaching me a
+seaman's duty, and of accustoming me to work.  The captain and first
+mate's abusive language, however, I could not stand; and my feelings
+resented it even more than the blows they were continually dealing me.
+
+I have said little about the emigrants.  If my lot was bad, theirs was
+much worse.  They were looked upon by the officers as so many sheep or
+pigs, and treated with no more consideration.  Crowded together below,
+allowed to accumulate filth and dirt of every description, their diet
+bad and scanty, and never encouraged to take the air on deck, disease
+soon broke out and spread among them.  Old and young, married and single
+of both sexes, were mingled indiscriminately together; and the scenes I
+witnessed when I was obliged to go below turned me sick with disgust, as
+they made my heart bleed with sorrow.
+
+The surgeon had little more knowledge of his profession than I had, and
+had not the slightest notion of what ought to be done to stop the
+ravages of disease.  He physicked indiscriminately, or bled or starved
+his patients, without paying the slightest regard to their ailments.
+When they died they were thrown overboard, with scant ceremony; but the
+men had the greatest difficulty in tearing the bodies of the Irish from
+their friends, or of children from their wretched parents; and it was
+heart-rending to listen to the shrieks and howls of grief as this was
+attempted to be done.
+
+However, I do not wish to dwell on these scenes, or to discourage
+emigration.  I fully believe that by thoroughly cleansing the ship, and
+by serving out good provisions, disease might then have been arrested.
+The object is to prevent the occurrence of such disorders for the
+future, by the introduction of a well-organised system.  In spite of all
+obstacles, emigration will go forward; but it depends on every one of
+us, whether it will prove a curse or a blessing to those who go forth,
+whether the emigrants are to be in future friends or deadly foes to the
+country they quit.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX.
+
+For ten days we had fine weather and light winds; but a southerly gale
+sprang up, and drove us to the northward, and I then found out what it
+was to be at sea.  Of course I had to do duty, as before, aloft; and
+following Derrick's advice was of service, or one night, while furling
+top-sails, and when the ship was pitching tremendously, I should
+certainly have been killed.  On a sudden I found myself jerked right off
+the yard; but I fortunately had hold of the gasket, which I was passing
+through the mizzen top-sail, and by it hauled myself up again and
+finished the work.  After the gale had lasted a week, the wind came
+round from the northward, and bitter cold it was.  We then stood on
+rather farther to the north than the usual track, I believe.
+
+It was night, and blowing fresh.  The sky was overcast, and there was no
+moon, so that darkness was on the face of the deep--not total darkness,
+it must be understood, for that is seldom known at sea.  I was in the
+middle watch, from midnight to four o'clock, and had been on deck about
+half-an-hour when the look-out forward sang out, "Ship ahead--
+starboard--hard a star-board!"
+
+These words made the second mate, who had the watch, jump into the
+weather rigging.  "A ship!" he exclaimed.  "An iceberg it is rather,
+and--All hands wear ship," he shouted in a tone which showed there was
+not a moment to lose.
+
+The watch sprang to the braces and bowlines, while the rest of the crew
+tumbled up from below, and the captain and other officers rushed out of
+their cabins: the helm was kept up, and the yards swung round, and the
+ships head turned towards the direction whence we had come.  The captain
+glanced his eye round, and then ordered the courses to be brailed up,
+and the main top-sail to be backed, so as to lay the ship to.  I soon
+discovered the cause of these manoeuvres; for before the ship had quite
+wore round, I perceived close to us a towering mass with a refulgent
+appearance, which the look-out man had taken for the white sails of a
+ship, but which proved in reality to be a vast iceberg; and attached to
+it and extending a considerable distance to leeward, was a field or very
+extensive floe of ice, against which the ship would have run had it not
+been discovered in time, and would in all probability instantly have
+gone down with every one on board.
+
+In consequence of the extreme darkness it was dangerous to sail either
+way, for it was impossible to say what other floes or smaller cakes of
+ice might be in the neighbourhood, and we might probably be on them
+before they could be seen.  We therefore remained hove to.  As it was, I
+could not see the floe till it was pointed out to me by Derrick.
+
+I was on deck, with my eyes trying to pierce the darkness to leeward,
+and fancying that I saw another iceberg rising close to the ship, and
+that I heard strange shrieks and cries, when I felt a hand placed on my
+shoulder: "Well, lad, what do you think of it?" said a voice which I
+recognised as that of Silas Flint.
+
+"I would rather be in a latitude where icebergs do not exist," I
+replied.  "But how is it, old friend, you seemed to have forgotten me
+altogether since we sailed?"  I added.
+
+"It is because I am your friend, lad, that I do not pretend to be one,"
+he answered in a low tone.  "I guessed from the first the sort of chap
+you've got for a skipper, and that you'd very likely want my aid; so I
+kept aloof; the better to be able to afford it without being suspected,
+d'ye see?  You lead but a dog's life on board here, Peter, I am afraid."
+
+"It is bad enough, I own," I answered; "but I don't forget your advice
+to `grin and bear what can't be cured'; and Mr Bell and some of my
+messmates seem inclined to be good-natured."
+
+"Maybe; but you, the son of a gentleman, and, for what I see, a
+gentleman yourself, should be better treated," he observed.  "If I was
+you, I wouldn't stand it a day longer than I could help."
+
+"I would not if I could help it; but I cannot quit the ship," I
+answered.
+
+"But you may when you get to Quebec," he remarked.  "I wouldn't go back
+in her on any account, for many a reason.  There's ill luck attends her,
+trust to that."  What the ill luck was, my friend did not say, nor how
+he had discovered it.
+
+Flint spent the night on deck, and during it he talked a good deal about
+America, and the independent wild life he led in the backwoods and
+prairies.  The conversation made a considerable impression on my mind,
+and I afterwards was constantly asking myself why I should go back in
+the _Black Swan_.
+
+When daylight broke the next morning, the dangerous position in which
+the ship was placed was seen.  On every side of us appeared large floes
+of ice, with several icebergs floating like mountains on a plain among
+them; while the only opening through which we could escape was a narrow
+passage to the north-east, through which we must have come.  What made
+our position the more perilous was, that the vast masses of ice were
+approaching nearer and nearer to each other, so that we had not a moment
+to lose if we would effect our escape.
+
+As the light increased, we saw, at the distance of three miles to the
+westward, another ship in a far worse predicament than we were, inasmuch
+as she was completely surrounded by ice, though she still floated in a
+sort of basin.  The wind held to the northward, so that we could stand
+clear out of the passage should it remain open long enough.  She by this
+time had discovered her own perilous condition, as we perceived that she
+had hoisted a signal of distress, and we heard the guns she was firing
+to call our attention to her; but regard to our own safety compelled us
+to disregard them till we had ourselves got clear of the ice.
+
+It was very dreadful to watch the stranger, and to feel that we could
+render her no assistance.  All hands were at the braces, ready to trim
+the sails should the wind head us; for in that case we should have to
+beat out of the channel, which was every instant growing narrower and
+narrower.  The captain stood at the weather gangway, conning the ship.
+When he saw the ice closing in on us, he ordered every stitch of canvas
+the ship could carry to be set on her, in hopes of carrying her out
+before this could occur.  It was a chance whether or not we should be
+nipped.  However, I was not so much occupied with our own danger as not
+to keep an eye on the stranger, and to feel a deep interest in her fate.
+
+I was in the mizzen-top, and as I possessed a spy-glass, I could see
+clearly all that occurred.  The water on which she floated was nearly
+smooth, though covered with foam, caused by the masses of ice as they
+approached each other.  I looked; she had but a few fathoms of water on
+either side of her.  As yet she floated unharmed.  The peril was great;
+but the direction of the ice might change, and she might yet be free.
+Still on it came with terrific force; and I fancied that I could hear
+the edges grinding and crushing together.
+
+The ice closed on the ill-fated ship.  She was probably as totally
+unprepared to resist its pressure as we were.  At first I thought that
+it lifted her bodily up; but it was not so, I suspect.  She was too deep
+in the water for that.  Her sides were crushed in--her stout timbers
+were rent into a thousand fragments--her tall masts tottered and fell,
+though still attached to the hull.  For an instant I concluded that the
+ice must have separated, or perhaps the edges broke with the force of
+the concussion; for, as I gazed, the wrecked mass of hull and spars and
+canvas seemed drawn suddenly downwards with irresistible force, and a
+few fragments, which had been hurled by the force of the concussion to a
+distance, were all that remained of the hapless vessel.  Not a soul of
+her crew could have had time to escape to the ice.
+
+I looked anxiously: not a speck could be seen stirring near the spot.
+Such, thought I, may be the fate of the four hundred and forty human
+beings on board this ship ere many minutes are over.
+
+I believe that I was the only person on board who witnessed the
+catastrophe.  Most of the emigrants were below, and the few who were on
+deck were with the crew watching our own progress.
+
+Still narrower grew the passage.  Some of the parts we had passed
+through were already closed.  The wind, fortunately, held fair; and
+though it contributed to drive the ice faster in on us, it yet favoured
+our escape.  The ship flew through the water at a great rate, heeling
+over to her ports; but though at times it seemed as if the masts would
+go over the sides, still the captain held on.  A minute's delay might
+prove our destruction.
+
+Every one held his breath as the width of the passage decreased, though
+we had but a short distance more to make good before we should be free.
+
+I must confess that all the time I did not myself feel any sense of
+fear.  I thought it was a danger more to be apprehended for others than
+for myself.  At length a shout from the deck reached my ears, and
+looking round, I saw that we were on the outside of the floe.  We were
+just in time, for, the instant after, the ice met, and the passage
+through which we had come was completely closed up.  The order was now
+given to keep the helm up and to square away the yards; and with a
+flowing sheet we ran down the edge of the ice for upwards of three miles
+before we were clear of it.
+
+Only then did people begin to inquire what had become of the ship we had
+lately seen.  I gave my account, but few expressed any great
+commiseration for the fate of those who were lost.  Our captain had had
+enough of ice, so he steered a course to get as fast as possible into
+more southern latitudes.  This I may consider the first adventure I met
+with in my nautical career.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN.
+
+I was every day improving my knowledge of seamanship, though my
+schooling was, it may be supposed, of the roughest kind.
+
+The feelings Captain Elihu Swales exhibited towards me did not grow more
+tender; but hitherto I had kept my temper, and had flown to obey his
+orders without answering his abuse.  At last, however, one day when the
+ship was caught in a heavy squall, we were somewhat slow in reefing the
+mizzen topsail; and as we descended on deck he laid a rope's end across
+the shoulders of several of us.  I could not stand this; for I and
+another of the topmen, generally the smartest, had hurt our hands, and
+ought not properly to have gone aloft at all.  "How dare you strike me,
+Captain Swales?"  I exclaimed.  "I paid you a sum for my passage, as
+also to learn seamanship, and not to be treated as a slave."
+
+It was the first time I had replied to him.  Perhaps speaking increased
+the anger I felt, perhaps it was that I saw his eye quail before mine;
+but, be that as it may, a handspike lay near, and almost unconsciously I
+grasped it, and made as if I would strike him in return.
+
+"A mutiny!" he exclaimed, with an oath.
+
+"A mutiny!--knock down the rascally mutineer."
+
+"A mutiny!" repeated Mr Stovin, the first mate; and suiting the action
+to the word, he dealt me a blow on the head with his fist, which sent me
+sprawling on the deck.
+
+Several of the crew, as well as the emigrants, who had seen what had
+occurred, cried out "Shame, shame!" but they were afraid of interfering,
+so that my enemies had it all their own way.
+
+I was forthwith dragged forward by Stovin and two or three of the men,
+who made up to him, and lashed down to the foot of the bowsprit, where I
+was most exposed to the spray which flew over the ship, and could be
+watched from every part.  "You'll cool your temper and your heels there,
+my lad, till I let you go," whispered my old enemy in a tone of voice
+which showed the vindictive triumph he felt.
+
+For the whole of that day I was kept there, watched by one of the mate's
+creatures, so that no one with friendly feelings could come near me.
+Some mouldy biscuits and a piece of hard junk were brought to me long
+after the dinner hour, and when I was almost too sick with hunger to
+eat.  When night drew on, I asked my guard if I was to be released.
+"Maybe not till the end of the voyage," was the satisfactory answer.
+"They hangs mutineers."
+
+Though I did not for a moment suppose such would be my fate, I yet
+bitterly repented having, by giving way to my temper, allowed my enemies
+to get an advantage over me.  The wind fell, and there was less sea; but
+still the night was a very dreary one to me, and, besides other physical
+discomforts, I was half-starved.  There has been seldom, however, a time
+when some ray of comfort has not shone from above, or some human
+sympathy has not been shown for my sufferings.  It had just gone two
+bells in the first watch, when I saw a figure creeping cautiously upon
+the forecastle to where I was sitting.  "Hush!" he whispered; and I knew
+by the voice it was Silas Flint.  "You've friends who'll help you when
+the time comes.  I've been watching an opportunity to bring you
+something more fit to eat than the horseflesh and beans I hear you've
+had.  Eat it while you can."  Saying this, he put into my hand some
+potted meat and fine biscuits, which I found very refreshing.  I must
+observe that my hands were only so far at liberty that I could get them
+to my mouth, but I could not move them to cast off my lashings.
+
+The brutality to which I was subject is only a specimen of what seamen
+are exposed to from ignorant and rude shipmasters.  In my time I have
+seen much of such conduct; and though I have known many very excellent
+and superior men commanding merchantmen, I have met as many totally
+unfit for the post.  This state of things will continue till higher
+qualifications are required from them--till they are better educated--
+till their social position is raised--till they have more power placed
+in their hands; also till the condition of the seamen under them is
+improved, and till both parties may feel that their interests are cared
+for and protected.  I do not mean to say that I thought thus at the
+time.  I felt only very angry, and a strong desire to be in my berth.
+
+After I had eaten the food I became very drowsy, and should have gone to
+sleep had I not continually been roused up by the showers of spray which
+came flying over me, as the ship, close hauled, ploughed her way through
+the waves.  The nights were long in reality, and I thought daylight
+would never come.  It was just at the end of the middle watch, and, in
+spite of the wet and my uncomfortable position, I had dropped off
+asleep, when I was aroused by loud shrieks and cries, and a rush of
+people on deck.  The awful words, "Fire! fire! fire!" resounded through
+the ship.  Several, in the first paroxysm of alarm, leaped overboard;
+and, no one regarding them or attempting to rescue them, they were
+drowned.  I was a witness of their fate, but could make no one attend to
+me.  The watch below and the officers were instantly on deck; but for
+some time nothing was done, and the ship continued her course in
+darkness over the deep.
+
+"Silence, fore and aft!" shouted the captain, who believed that it was a
+false alarm.  "Those who spread this report deserve to be hove
+overboard.  I'll take care to make inquiries about it--in the morning.
+What frightens you all so?"
+
+"Fire! fire! fire!" was the answer of others rushing up from below.
+
+For some minutes the shrieks and cries and confusion prevented me from
+hearing anything more; nor could the exertions of the officers serve to
+maintain order.  At last the captain, who had been incredulous, or
+pretended to be so, became convinced that there was some cause for the
+alarm, and on going round the lower deck a strong smell of fire was
+perceived, and smoke was found to be issuing from the fore-hatchway over
+the hold.  No flames were seen, so it was evident that the fire was
+among the cargo in the lower hold.  The hatchway was accordingly opened,
+and immediately dense volumes of smoke arose, and almost stifled me
+where I remained lashed.
+
+When it was discovered that the fire was forward, the ship was hove to,
+thus, under the idea that as fire works to windward, to prevent its
+being driven so rapidly aft as it would otherwise have been.  Buckets
+were now cried for; and the crew, and all the emigrants whose fears had
+not mastered their senses, were engaged in filling them with water and
+in heaving it down below.  A pump was also rigged and manned, which,
+with a hose attached to it, played down the hatchway.
+
+After some time this appeared to have effect; and Mr Bell, who, quiet
+as he generally seemed, was now the soul of everything, volunteered to
+go down in order to discover the exact position of the fire.  Securing a
+rope round his body, while some of the crew on whom he could depend held
+on, he boldly threw himself into the midst of the smoke.  Not a quarter
+of a minute had passed before he sang out to be hauled up again.  When
+he reappeared he was insensible, and it was some time before he
+recovered.  They brought him up to the forecastle close to me, and the
+first words I heard which he uttered were: "She's all on fire below, and
+I doubt if water will put it out."
+
+This was very dreadful; and I began to consider whether I was fated to
+be roasted and then drowned, when I saw my friend Silas Flint creeping
+cautiously up to me.  "Hillo, Peter, my lad, you seem to take it coolly
+enough; but you shan't, if I can help it, be roasted like a lark on a
+spit, so I've come to give you a chance for your life.  I did not come
+before, not because I had forgotten you, but because I knew that wicked
+captain of ours was watching me, and would have prevented me from
+setting you at liberty if he could: however, he's enough else, I guess,
+to think of just now."
+
+"Thank you, Flint--thank you for your kindness," I answered as he was
+cutting the lanyards which confined me.  "Do you think there is any
+danger, though?"
+
+"The ship may burn till she's too hot to hold us," he replied
+laconically; "and then it is not easy to say where five hundred people
+are to find standing-room.  There is danger, Peter; but a stout heart
+may face and overcome it."
+
+"What do you propose to do?"  I asked.
+
+"Get into a boat if I can, or else build a raft and float on that.  I'll
+not go down as long as I can find something to keep me up."
+
+Flint's calmness gave me courage; and after that, notwithstanding the
+dreadful scenes I witnessed, I did not feel any fear.  As soon as I was
+at liberty, I set to work with Flint to make myself useful; and though I
+was close to Captain Swales while we were working the pump, he did not
+observe me.  An event of the sort I am describing shows people in their
+true colours.  While some of the passengers threw off their jackets and
+set to with a will, several had cast themselves on the deck, weeping and
+groaning among the women; and Flint and one of the mates had actually to
+go and kick them up before they would attempt to perform their duty.
+
+It is difficult to describe the horrors of that night, or rather
+morning, before the day broke--the ship rolling and pitching on before a
+heavy sea (whither she went no one considered, provided she was kept
+before the wind)--the suffocating smoke which rose from the depths of
+the hold--the cries of despair heard on every side--the scenes of
+cowardly fear and intense selfishness which were exhibited.  Still we
+floated; but I expected every instant to see the ship plunge
+head-foremost down into the depths of the ocean; for I thought the fire
+must soon burn a hole through her planks.  I was not aware how long fire
+takes to burn downwards.  One of the greatest cowards of the crew, and a
+big bully he was, happened to be at the helm when the fire was first
+reported; and as soon as the captain and mates went forward to attend to
+rigging the pumps, his fears overcame him, and he dastardly deserted his
+post.
+
+Fortunately, one of the crew was aft, and went to the helm and kept it
+up, or the ship would have broached to, and, before she could have been
+put on her course, the sea would have swept over our decks, and the
+destruction of all would have been expedited.  At the same time a number
+of the passengers made a rush at the larboard-quarter boat, and, while
+some got into her, others lowered her down, intending to follow.  Going
+fast, as the ship was, through the water, of course she was immediately
+swamped, and every soul in her perished.  Three or four of those who
+were about to follow, so great was their eagerness, before they
+understood what had occurred, leaped where they expected to find her,
+and met the fate of the rest.
+
+This was reported to the captain, who at once set a guard over the other
+boats.  Indeed, as yet, there was no necessity for any one to quit the
+ship.  The boatswain, however, who had charge of the boats, followed by
+the fellow who had quitted the wheel, the cook, and one or two others,
+soon afterwards collecting some provisions, sails, compasses, tools, and
+other things they thought necessary, deliberately lowered her, and
+getting into her, veered her astern, where they remained, careless of
+what became of the rest of us.  Such was the state of things when the
+sun shone forth on the ocean world.
+
+The decks, covered with women and children, and even many men lying
+prostrate, looked as if just swept by the shots of an enemy.  Such
+countenances, too, of terror, agony, and despair as were exhibited, it
+is difficult to describe.  Many had fainted, and some had actually died
+through fear, and lay quiet enough.  Others rushed about the decks like
+madmen, impeding the exertions of the officers and crew, and crying out
+that the ship should be steered to the nearest land, and insisting on
+being set on shore immediately.  Had the captain been a man of firmness
+and moral courage, to whom his officers and crew had been accustomed to
+look up, much of the disorder would have been prevented, and perhaps the
+lives of all might have been saved; but they knew him to be a bully and
+a coward, and the first impulse of each was to think of his own
+individual safety, as they knew he would do of his.  Thus not one
+quarter of the necessary exertions were made to save the ship; indeed
+Mr Bell and his watch were the only part of the crew who really did any
+good.
+
+Most of the cabin passengers, and some of the second and steerage
+passengers of the English, at once came forward and offered their
+services to work the pumps and to hand down the water-buckets.  The
+poorer Irish, on the other hand, would do nothing to help themselves,
+but sat shrieking and bewailing their cruel fate till they could shriek
+and cry no longer.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT.
+
+It is my belief that, if proper measures had been taken the moment the
+fire was discovered, it might have been extinguished, and if not, its
+progress might have been retarded.  The ship had a large quantity of
+coals among her cargo, and there is no doubt it originated in it by
+spontaneous combustion.  Some said it had been smouldering away ever
+since we left Liverpool.  What would have been our sensations had we
+known that we had a volcano on board?  When some of the passengers saw
+that the object of our exertions was to fill the hold with water, they
+began to cry out that the quickest way would be to start the water-tanks
+on deck.  The captain, on hearing this, immediately exclaimed that if
+they did so they would repent it, for without water they could not live,
+and that this was the only fresh water at which they would shortly be
+able to get.  On learning their mad design, he should instantly have
+placed some of the crew on whom he could depend, with arms in their
+hands, to guard the tanks, and with orders to cut down any one who
+should attempt to touch the bungs.  Instead, he contented himself with
+pointing out the folly of the proceeding.
+
+His words were not heeded; and without any attempt to prevent them,
+several of the madmen started the water from the tanks.  "Hurrah!" they
+shouted as they performed this feat.  "The fire will now be put out, and
+we shall be saved."  The hidden fire laughed at their puny efforts, and
+the wreaths of smoke came forth as dense as ever.
+
+A consultation among the officers was now held; and it was their opinion
+that we were in as good a position as could be for being fallen in with
+by ships crossing the Atlantic, and that therefore we should continue as
+we were--hove to.  We all watched with deep anxiety the progressive
+increase of the smouldering furnace below us.  Fortunately the flames
+did not begin to burst forth.
+
+Dreadful as the day was, it passed more rapidly than I could have
+expected.  There was nothing to mark the time; there were no regular
+meals, no bells struck, no watches set.  The captain, on seeing the want
+of effect produced by the water thrown on the cargo, abandoned all hopes
+of saving the ship, and thought only how he might best secure his own
+safety.  The stern-boat was, as I have said, towing astern.  I now saw
+him go aft, and with the aid of some of the people, to whom he had
+spoken privately, he lowered down the starboard-quarter boat, having
+first put into her compasses, provisions, and water.  The first mate
+meantime baled out the other quarter boat, and in like manner
+provisioned and stored her.  Three hands being placed in each, they were
+veered astern.  The captain and mate knew that these men would not
+desert them, because without their assistance they would be unable to
+find their way to any port.
+
+I took my spell at the pumps, and on several occasions the captain
+passed me and gave me a scowl, by which I knew that he recognised me,
+and probably contemplated leaving me behind in the burning ship; at
+least so I thought at the time, and resolved to frustrate his kind
+intentions.  The captain next gave orders to the crew to hoist out the
+long-boat, as the sea had gone down sufficiently to enable this to be
+done without risk.  The long-boat is stowed on the booms amidships, and
+it requires tackles to the yard-arms, and considerable exertion, to
+launch her.  It was the first time I had ever observed Captain Swales
+and Mr Stovin really energetic in their exertions when they were
+getting this done; and I very soon found that they had a reason for it,
+as they intended to take possession of her for themselves, and those
+they most favoured.  She at length was launched and dropped astern; and,
+being hauled up under the cabin windows, the ladies and other cabin
+passengers were lowered into her.  She was likewise provisioned; and
+compasses, charts, sails, and oars were placed in her.
+
+I thought that the captain, as a precautionary measure, wished to place
+the passengers in comparative safety; but what was my surprise, to see
+him lower himself into the boat, and drop her astern, virtually
+abandoning all command of the ship!  This vile example was followed by
+Mr Stovin, who took possession of one of the quarter boats.  The
+greater part of the crew, and all the steerage and second-class
+passengers, still remained in the burning ship, of which Mr Bell now
+took the command.  When the people saw the captain deserting them, they
+rushed aft, some with piteous cries, exclaiming, "O captain dear, save
+us! save us!"  Others cursed him as a traitor for leaving them to their
+fate; and I believe, had they known what he was about to do, they would
+have torn him in pieces before they would have let him go.  [See Note
+1.] He shouted to them in return, that he was not going to desert them,
+but that his presence was required in the boat.  I have always held that
+the captain should be the last man to quit the deck of his ship; and
+every true seaman thinks the same, and would scorn to do otherwise.
+
+"A pretty job, this is," observed Dick Derrick, who was working away at
+the pumps close to me.  "We were nearly squeezed to death by the ice a
+few days ago, and now it seems we are to be roasted with fire.  Are you
+prepared for death, Peter?"
+
+I replied that I would rather live.
+
+"Then the sooner we begin to knock some sort of rafts together, to float
+a few of these poor people, the better," he observed.  "I'll just hint
+the same to Mr Bell."
+
+I saw him go up to Mr Bell, and, touching his hat, speak earnestly to
+him.
+
+"You are right, Derrick," remarked the second mate as he passed me.  "We
+must keep the passengers working at the pumps though, to the last, while
+the crew build the rafts."
+
+As soon as the plan was conceived, all hands set to work to collect
+spars, and to knock away the fittings of the lower deck, the bulkheads,
+and the bulwarks.  We thus very soon formed three small rafts, each
+capable of supporting thirty or forty people in calm weather--a very
+small portion of the poor wretches on board.
+
+Mr Bell urged the crew to continue their exertions, and not to launch
+the rafts till the last moment.  "We do not know where the rafts may
+drive to; and as we are now in the usual track of ships bound to
+America, our signal of distress may be seen, and we may be saved without
+more risk," he observed, addressing several who seemed about to launch
+one of the rafts.  His words, however, had not much effect; for a few
+minutes afterwards their fears overpowered their better judgment, and
+one of the rafts was launched overboard.  It was with some difficulty
+that it could be kept alongside.  They fitted it with a mast and sail,
+and a few casks of provisions, but no water was to be found, except in a
+small keg.
+
+While some of the people who intended to embark on it were looking for
+more, a fresh puff of smoke forced its way up near the mainmast; and
+this so frightened the emigrants, that a general rush was made to get on
+the raft.  About thirty were already on it, and so alarmed were they
+lest the number crowding on it might capsize it, that, ill-provisioned
+as they were, they cut it adrift.  What became of them I know not; for
+the night coming on, they were soon lost sight of, and we never saw them
+again.  That night was far more dreadful than the first; for, though the
+terror of the people was not so loud, their despair was more pitiable.
+The remainder of the crew still worked, spell and spell, at the pumps,
+but the fire gained upon us.  At length some of the steerage passengers
+broke into the cabins, which they rifled of everything on which they
+could lay their hands, and unfortunately discovered several cases of
+brandy and wine.
+
+Now began the most horrible orgies imaginable.  Men, women, and even
+children, became speedily intoxicated, and entirely forgetful of their
+fears and awful position.  They were, in fact, like the fiercest
+savages, and, like them, danced and shouted and sang, till some of them
+fell down in fits on the deck.  In the cabins they found several
+muskets, and, taking it into their heads that the crew had been the
+cause of the disaster, they set upon Mr Bell and those of us who
+remained, and, had we not struggled desperately, would have thrown us
+overboard.  They could, fortunately, find no powder and shot, or they
+would certainly have killed some of the people in the boats.  We
+retreated before them forward and then, aided by Flint, and some of the
+more reputable English who had kept sober, we made a rush at them and
+wrenched their arms from their grasp.  So infuriated had they become,
+that while some of us worked at the pumps and rafts, the rest had to
+stand guard and keep them at bay.  Fortunately the wind fell, and the
+sea went down with the sun, or it would have been still worse for us.
+
+In one respect the calm was bad, as no ship was likely to come to our
+rescue.  One might have passed within a very short distance of us, and
+would not have discovered us, as we had no guns on board, nor any
+blue-lights or rockets, to make signals.  We had four old rusty muskets,
+it is true, but there was scarcely powder enough found to fire them a
+dozen times.  For the best part of the night we were employed in
+defending our lives from the attacks of the drunken emigrants.  After
+being defeated they would return to the cabin to search for more liquor;
+and, not finding any, they would again make a rush upon us, declaring
+that we knew where it was hid, and that they would have it.  I must do
+the crew justice to say, that, with few exceptions, they all kept
+sober,--and those under Mr Bell behaved very well.  The second mate's
+conduct was above all praise; for, though repeatedly invited by those in
+the larboard-quarter boat to come off and to take command of her, he
+refused to quit the ship.
+
+At length, when the maddening effects of the spirits had worn off, the
+emigrants sank down exhausted on the deck, and, had the fire then
+reached where they lay, they would have been burnt, unconscious of their
+fate.  We were now left to consider what was next to be done.  Gradually
+the fire continued creeping aft, as we could tell by the increasing heat
+of the lower deck; and I can scarcely describe the feelings I
+experienced as, putting my hand down on the planks, I found them growing
+hotter and hotter.  The hatches over the hold were, however, wisely kept
+closed, to prevent the flames from bursting forth.  The ship was already
+so full of water, that it would have exposed us to the danger of
+drowning if we had pumped more into her.  A second day dawned on the
+same scene.
+
+We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear
+to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.  As
+the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water;
+but no water was to be procured.  They had uselessly squandered what
+might have preserved them.  "Water! water!" was repeated by parched
+mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.  Some stood
+aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern,
+and made gestures at him for water.  Some, in their madness, broke open
+the surgeon's dispensary, and rifled it of its contents, swallowing the
+drugs indiscriminately.  The effects on them were various, according to
+the nature of the drugs.  Some, overcome with opium, fell down speedily
+in a state of stupor; others were paralysed, and others died in dreadful
+agonies.
+
+Burning thirst drove some mad, and several leaped overboard in their
+delirium.  Many died where they lay, on the deck; women and several poor
+children quickly sunk for want of water.  No sooner had the breath
+departed from the body, than we were obliged to throw them overboard, as
+the corpses lay in our way as we hurried about the decks.  I forgot to
+mention that there was a Romish priest on board, Father Slattery by
+name.  He was a coarse, uneducated man, but the influence he exercised
+over the poor people was very great; and I must do him the justice to
+say, that in this instance he exercised it for a good purpose, in
+endeavouring to calm the fears of his followers, and in affording them
+the offices of their religion.  From the moment the danger became
+apparent, he went among them confessing them and absolving them from
+their sins, and giving them such other consolation as he had to offer;
+but this did not seem to have any great effect, for the moment he left
+them, they began to howl and shriek as loud as ever.  As to attempting
+to help themselves, that seemed far from their thoughts.  Few of them
+could be induced to work at the pumps, or to assist in building the
+rafts.  Yet, miserable as was their condition, the love of life appeared
+stronger in them than in the English.
+
+When the captain dropped astern in the long-boat, there was a general
+rush to follow him; and I remember seeing two girls lower themselves
+down by ropes over the taffrail, where they hung, their feet in the
+water, entreating to be taken in.  "Oh, captain, dear, sure you won't
+let us be drowned now!" they exclaimed in piteous accents.  For some
+time those in the long-boat were deaf to their entreaties, and I thought
+the girls would have lost their hold and have been drowned, for they had
+no strength left to haul themselves on board again.  Feeling that their
+destruction was inevitable if they were not rescued, I slipped a running
+bowline knot over the rope to which one of them was hanging, and then
+gliding down, I passed it over her shoulders.  I was up on deck again in
+a moment, and hauled her up, though I must own she did not like my
+interference.  The other girl let go her hold, and would have been
+drowned, had she not been caught as she floated past the boat, when she
+was taken in.
+
+But I could scarcely have believed that human nature could become so
+depraved, as an instance I witnessed with my own eyes convinced me it
+might be.  I saw two Irishmen, who had their wives and families on
+board, slip over the ship's side, and drop down towards the boat, with
+ropes in their hands.  Little as they deserved it, they were not
+prevented from climbing on board; and there they remained, in spite of
+the bitter cries of those they had so basely deserted.
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Note 1.  I regret to say that the whole account of the burning ship is
+perfectly true.  Incredible as it may seem, the fire continued
+smouldering for nearly a week before the flames burst forth.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE.
+
+The unhappy people were more quiet the second day than during the first;
+for they were worn out with fatigue, terror, and hunger.  Our ensign,
+reversed, was flying, as a signal of distress, but to little purpose;
+for there was no one who could see it to help us.  Two more rafts were
+constructed; and the carpenters set to work to raise the gunwales of the
+boats, and they also nailed canvas round their sides, so as to be able
+to cover them completely in.
+
+Those in the boats appeared very uncomfortable; and certainly they were
+much worse off than we were, if it had not been for the uncertainty when
+the fire might break forth from beneath our feet.  Every instant I
+expected that to take place; and I certainly felt it difficult to say by
+what means I should make my escape.
+
+A few jars of fresh water were found in the cabin; and, among other
+provisions, a cask of flour, with which the cook instantly set to work
+to make bread, and the whole of the day he was engaged in making and in
+baking it in the caboose.  This very seasonable supply of wholesome food
+kept many on board from dying.
+
+Mr Bell took off, in the dingy, a fair proportion to the boats.  The
+people in them begged him to remain, telling him that the ship might
+suddenly go down, and that he would be lost; but he replied that he
+would not desert her and the people, and he instantly returned.
+
+The day passed away without a sail appearing in sight; and darkness,
+with its attendant horrors, again drew on.  Dreadful, indeed, was that
+night; but it was very different to the last.  There was then excitement
+and activity.  Now there was a calmness--at times almost a total
+silence; but it would speedily be broken by the groans of the dying, and
+the wails of those who mourned for them.
+
+All attempts to stop the progress of the fire were abandoned as useless.
+The officers and crew who remained faithful to their trust, took such
+rest watch and watch, as the state of the case would allow; but we were
+wet through, and our bed was the hard deck.
+
+Somewhere towards the morning, as I was still asleep, I felt my shoulder
+touched, and the voice of Flint whispered in my ear, "Peter, my lad,
+rouse up, and come with us.  The ship won't much longer give us any
+footing; and it's as well to leave her when we can."
+
+"What do you mean, Flint?"  I asked, in the same low tone.  "You would
+not have me quit my shipmates?"
+
+"What I mean is, that some thirty of us--some of the crew and some
+emigrants--have resolved to trust ourselves to a raft, rather than to
+these burning planks; and that, if we wait till daylight, so many will
+be attempting to get on it, that we shall be all lost together.  I don't
+ask you to desert your shipmates, Peter; but self-preservation, you
+know, is the first law of nature."
+
+I considered a moment before I spoke.  "I am grateful to you, Flint, for
+your kindness; but I cannot desert Mr Bell," I replied.  "I don't blame
+you, remember, for going; but I am differently situated.  I am in the
+second mate's watch--under his command, as it were; and while he sticks
+to the ship, so must I."
+
+While I was speaking, I saw a party of people cautiously engaged in
+launching the raft.  After no slight exertions, they succeeded in
+getting into the water, though the noise they made disturbed a number of
+the emigrants.
+
+"I understand your motive, my lad, and I suppose you are right," replied
+Flint.  "I wish you could come with us; and I am half inclined to stay
+by you--that I am."
+
+"I should be very unhappy if you were the sufferer in consequence of so
+doing," I answered; "so pray go, if you think the raft affords the
+greatest safety."
+
+"No, lad, I care little for my own safety; but I promised these people
+to go with them, and to act as their captain.  I did so, thinking you
+would be certain to go too."
+
+I again assured him that nothing would induce me to desert Mr Bell.
+So, expressing his sorrow, he shook me warmly by the hand, and slid down
+the side of the ship on to the raft.  I assisted in casting it off,
+before the rest of the emigrants, who were awake, discovered what they
+were about, or else they would senselessly, as before, have attempted to
+get on it, to the almost certain destruction of them all.  Flint and his
+companions hurriedly shoved off, and then hoisted their sail.  I watched
+the raft as long as it could be seen, standing directly before the wind
+to the northward; and I remember at the time my heart misgave me, and I
+feared that I should never again see my kind but eccentric friend.  If a
+sea should get up, I thought they in all probability would be drowned.
+I felt very grateful, also, that I had decided to remain.  However, I
+was too weary to think much about any subject, and I was very shortly
+again fast asleep on the deck.
+
+As suffering and misery will, after a time, come to an end, and it would
+be well if we could always remember this when we ourselves are in that
+condition, so did this night of dark horror, and another morning dawned
+on the burning wreck.  Clouds, streaked with bright red edges, were
+gathering on the eastern horizon, as I went aloft to look out for a
+sail, though with little expectation of seeing one.  I had just reached
+the main-topgallant-mast head, and was sweeping my eyes round the
+horizon, when I saw, just under the brightest part of the glow caused by
+the rising sun, a dark spot, which I thought must be the topsail of some
+square-rigged craft.  I looked again; I felt that I could not be
+mistaken.  I shouted out the joyful intelligence--
+
+"Sail ho!--ho!--over the larboard quarter."
+
+Instantly the second mate, followed by several others, who had strength
+remaining, ran aloft to ascertain the fact.  They also all clearly saw
+the ship.  The people in the boats understood what we were pointing at,
+and a feeble shout, indicative of their joy, rose from all hands.  The
+question now was, which way she was steering.  If to the westward, we
+had a good chance of being seen by her; but if not, she might pass us by
+unheeded.  This uncertainty was, perhaps, still more painful to endure
+than our previous hopelessness.
+
+While we were watching the stranger, the clouds gathered thicker in the
+sky, and the sea began perceptibly to get up, though as yet there was no
+increase of wind.  "I don't altogether like the look of things,"
+observed Derrick to me.  "The sea getting up before the wind comes is a
+pretty sure sign of a heavy gale; and if it does come on to blow, Lord
+help us, my boy!"
+
+"Amen," said a deep voice near us, which startled me.  It seemed not
+like that of a mortal; it was, however, that of Father Slattery, who was
+at that instant passing us.  "And so, my son, you think there is more
+danger than before?" he asked.
+
+"If it comes on to blow, and keeps blowing with a heavy sea, I say it
+will be no easy matter to carry women and children from one ship to
+another, even if that sail yonder should come any way nigh us; that's
+what I say, your honour," answered Derrick.
+
+"I understand you, my son," said the priest; "we'll be in a worse
+position with regard to affairs temporal than we are at present."
+
+"Yes, your honour; it looks brewing up for a regular tempest, as you
+say, and no mistake," observed Derrick.
+
+Even while they were talking, we heard the wind whistle in the rigging,
+and the ship began to surge heavily through the rising waves.
+
+The people in the boats at this were evidently alarmed, and one of the
+gigs hauled alongside, several persons in her preferring to trust
+themselves to the burning ship rather than to her.  I must remark that a
+feeling almost of security had come over many of us, and that for my
+part I could not help fancying that it was nothing unusual to live on
+board a ship full of fire.  Of course I knew that some time or other the
+flames must burst forth; but I looked upon this event as likely to
+happen only in some remote period, with which I had little to do.  Our
+sufferings were greatest from want of water, and on that account we were
+most anxious for the coming of the stranger.  Mr Bell, Derrick, and I
+were again aloft looking out for the ship.  The captain hauled up under
+the stern, and hailed to know which way we made her out to be still
+standing.  "Right down for us, sir," answered the mate.  "She's a
+barque, and seems to be coming up with a strong breeze."
+
+It is difficult to describe how anxiously we watched for her.  On she
+came for perhaps half-an-hour, though to us it seemed much longer, when
+suddenly we saw her, to our dismay, haul her wind and stand away to the
+north-east.  I felt almost as if I should fall from aloft, as our hopes
+of being rescued were thus cruelly blasted.  Few of the emigrants
+understood the change, but the seamen did, and gave way to their
+feelings in abuse of the stranger, who could not probably have seen our
+signal of distress.  With heavy hearts we descended to the smoking deck.
+
+The wretched emigrants, on discovering the state of the case, gave fresh
+vent to their despair; some, who had hitherto held up more manfully than
+the rest, lay down without hope, and others actually yielded up their
+spirits to the hands of death.  Meantime the sea increased, clouds
+covered the sky, and it came on to blow harder and harder.  I had
+returned aloft, when, to my delight, I saw the stranger again bear away
+and stand for us.  I shouted out the joyful information, and once more
+the drooping spirits of my companions in misfortune were aroused.  The
+sound of a gun was heard booming along the waters.  It was a sign from
+her that she saw our signal of distress.  Now she crowded all the sail
+she could venture to carry in the increasing breeze.  Her captain was
+evidently a humane man anxious to relieve his fellow-creatures, though
+he could scarcely have guessed at our frightful condition.  There was no
+mistake now, and on she came, and proved to be a large barque, as Mr
+Bell had supposed.
+
+"We have a good chance of escaping a roasting this time," I observed to
+Derrick, as we watched the stranger.
+
+"But not quite of drowning, lad," he answered.  "Before one quarter of
+the people about us can placed on her deck, the gale will be upon us,
+and then as I said before, how are we the better for her being near us?
+Howsomdever, we'll do our best, lad; and if the old ship goes down, mind
+you look out for a plank to stick to, and don't let any one gripe hold
+of your legs."
+
+I promised to do my best; but I confess I did not like the prospect he
+held out.
+
+The barque approached and hove to.  A shout of joy escaped from the lips
+of most of those on board, who had still strength to utter it.  On this,
+immediately Captain Swales cast off his boat, his example being followed
+by the others; and without attempting to take any of the people out of
+the ship, he pulled on board the stranger.  There was little time to
+lose; for scarcely had they got alongside than down came the gale upon
+us.
+
+In the condition our ship was, the only course was to run before the
+wind; so we once again kept away.  The stranger soon followed; and as
+she carried more sail than we could, we saw she would soon pass us.
+Hope once more deserted us; for it was possible that the master, finding
+that there were so many of us on board, might think himself justified,
+for the safety of his own people, to leave us to our fate.  I confess
+that on this I regretted that I had not gone off with Silas Flint on the
+raft; but then I remembered that I had done my duty in sticking to my
+ship to the last.  It seemed dreadful, indeed, to be thus left to
+perish.  However, just as the stranger was about to pass us, a man in
+the rigging held up a board on which was written the cheering words, "We
+will keep near you, and take you off when the weather moderates."
+
+Suppose, I thought, the weather does not moderate till the flames burst
+forth, at any moment they may break through the deck!
+
+I am afraid of wearying my readers with an account of our sufferings.
+
+Our greatest want was water.  We fancied that, if we could have had a
+few drops to cool our lips, we could have borne anything else.  Some
+drank salt water, against the warning of the mate, and in consequence
+increased their sufferings.
+
+Worn out with fatigue, the crew every hour grew weaker, so that there
+was scarcely a man left with strength to steer, much more to go aloft.
+Night came on to increase our difficulties.  The stranger proved to be
+the _Mary_, bound from Bristol also to Quebec.  She at first kept a
+short distance ahead, showing a light over her stern by which we might
+steer.
+
+I ought to have said that the captain had taken the sextant,
+chronometer, and charts with him, and that in their mad outbreak the
+emigrants had destroyed the binnacle and the compasses in it, so that we
+had the _Mary's_ light alone to depend on.  Mr Bell had divided those
+who remained of the crew, and some of the emigrants willing to exert
+themselves, into two watches.
+
+I was to keep the middle watch.  I lay down on the deck aft to sleep on
+one of the only few dry or clean spots I could find.  I was roused up at
+midnight, and just as I had got on my feet, I heard a voice sing out,
+"Where's the _Mary's_ light?"  I ran forward.  It was nowhere to be
+seen.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN.
+
+Fortunately a star had appeared in a break of the clouds, and by that we
+continued steering the same course as before.  Once more we were alone
+on the world of waters, and in a worse condition than ever; for we had
+now no boats, and the sea was too high to permit us to hope for safety
+on a raft.  Weary and sad were the hours till dawn returned.  Often did
+I wish that I had followed my father's counsels, and could have remained
+at home.  With aching eyes, as the pale light of the dull grey morning
+appeared, we looked out ahead for the _Mary_.  Not a sail was to be seen
+from the deck.  The lead-coloured ocean, heaving with foam-topped waves,
+was around us bounded by the horizon.  On flew our burning ship before
+the gale, and we would have set more sail to try and overtake the
+_Mary_, but we had not strength for it.  We steered as near as we could
+the same course as before.
+
+The ship plunged heavily; and as she tore her way through the waves, she
+rolled her yardarms almost into the water, so that it was difficult to
+keep the deck without holding on.  Nearly at every roll the sea came
+washing over the deck, and sweeping everything away into the scuppers.
+One might have supposed that the water would have put out the fire, but
+it had no effect on it; and it was evident that the coals in the hold
+were ignited, and that they would go on burning till the ship was under
+the waves.  I had sunk into a sort of stupor, when I heard Mr Bell from
+aloft hail the deck.  I looked up and tried to comprehend what he was
+saying.  It was the joyful intelligence that the _Mary_ was ahead, lying
+to for us; but I was too much worn out to care much about the matter.
+We again came up with her; but though the wind had somewhat fallen, the
+sea was too high to allow a boat to carry us off the wreck.
+
+We acquitted the kind master of the _Mary_ of any intention of deserting
+us.  The officer of the watch had fancied that he saw us following, and
+had not, consequently, shortened sail.  Oh that day of horrors, and the
+still more dreadful night which followed!  The fire was gaining on us:
+every part of the deck was hot, and thick choking smoke issued from
+numberless crevices.  With dismay, too, we saw the boats on which our
+safety so much depended dragged to pieces, as they towed astern of the
+_Mary_, as they could not be hoisted on board, and their wrecks were cut
+adrift.  Even the crew, who, more inured to hardships, kept up their
+spirits the best, could but arouse themselves to take a short trick at
+the helm.  What would we have given, I repeat, for a drop of water!  A
+thousand guineas would willingly have been exchanged for it.  The value
+of riches, and all else for which men toil and toil on while health and
+strength remain, were becoming as nothing in our sight.  One thing alone
+called any of us to exertion.  It was when some wretch, happier,
+perhaps, than we were, breathed his last, and the shrieks and wails of
+his relations or friends summoned us to commit his body to the
+ocean-grave, yawning to receive us all, the living as well as the dead.
+I must pass over that night.  It was far more full of horrors than the
+last, except that the _Mary_, our only ark of safety, was still in
+sight.
+
+Another dawn came.  The gale began to lull.  I was near Derrick.  I
+asked him if he thought we had a chance of escape.  He lifted his weary
+head above the bulwarks.  "I scarce know, lad," he replied.  "The wind
+may be falling, or it may be gathering strength for a harder blow.  It
+matters little, I guess, to most of us."  And he again sunk down wearily
+on the deck.  How anxiously we listened to the wind in the rigging!
+Again it breezed up.  A loud clap was heard.  I thought one of the masts
+had gone by the board; but it was the fore-topsail blown to ribbons.
+What next might follow we could not tell.  The very masts began to
+shake; and it was evident that the fire had begun to burn their heels.
+Their working loosened the deck, and allowed more vent for the escape of
+smoke.  There was again a lull.  The foam no longer flew from the
+white-crested waves; gradually they subsided in height.  The motion of
+the ship was less violent, though she still rolled heavily, as if unable
+to steady herself.
+
+We at length began to hope that the final effort of the gale was made.
+The day wore on--more persons died--the smoke grew thicker, and was seen
+streaming forth from the cabin windows.  Towards evening there was a
+decided change for the better in the weather, and we saw the people in
+the _Mary_ making preparations to lower a boat, and to heave the ship
+to.  Another difficulty arose: to enable the boat to come on board, we
+must likewise stop the way of our ship, but we had not strength to heave
+her to.
+
+We were too far gone to feel even satisfaction as we saw a boat pulling
+from the _Mary_ towards us.  We put down the helm as she came near us,
+and the ship rounded to.  The fresh crew scrambled on board, and,
+backing our main-topsail, our ship remained steady, a short distance to
+leeward of the _Mary_.  A few of the emigrants were lowered into the
+boat; some of the crew remained to take care of us, and the remainder
+returned on board in safety.  This experiment having been successful,
+another boat was lowered, and more of our people taken off.  They
+brought us also a keg of water; and so eager were we for it, that we
+could scarcely refrain from snatching it from each other, and spilling
+the contents.  It occupied a long time to transfer the emigrants from
+one ship to the other.  They were so utterly unable to help themselves,
+that they had to be lowered like bales of goods into the boats, and even
+the seamen were scarcely more active.
+
+It was thus dark before all the emigrants were rescued; and, what was
+worse, the wind again got up, as did the sea, and prevented any
+communication between the ships.  In one respect during that night the
+condition of those who remained was improved; for we had water to quench
+our burning thirst, and food to quell our hunger; besides which, a
+boat's crew of seamen belonging to the _Mary_ gallantly remained by us
+and navigated the ship, so that we were able to take a sounder rest than
+we had enjoyed for many days past.  Still the flames did not burst
+forth, and another night and day we continued in that floating furnace.
+Towards the evening the wind suddenly dropped; and, while the remaining
+emigrants were being taken off the wreck, it fell a dead calm.
+
+The last man to leave the deck of the _Black Swan_ was Mr Bell.  He
+made me and Derrick go down the ship's side just before him.  I trust
+that we felt grateful to Heaven for our deliverance.  Scarcely had we
+left the deck of the _Black Swan_ than the flames burst forth from her
+hold.  They first appeared streaming out of the cabin windows, curling
+upwards round the taffrail.  By this time it was quite dark; and the
+bright light from the burning wreck cast a ruddy glow on the sails and
+hull of the _Mary_, and topped the far surrounding waves with a bright
+tinge of the same hue.  Soon the whole poop was on fire, and the
+triumphant flames began to climb up the mizzen-mast.  As the ship lay
+head to wind, their progress was slow forward, nor did they ascend very
+rapidly; consequently the mizzen-mast fell before the main-mast was on
+fire.  That shortly, however, followed with a loud crash before they
+even reached the main-topgallant-yard.  Next down came the fore-mast,
+and the whole hull was a mass of flame.  I felt sick at heart as I saw
+the noble ship thus for ever lost to the use of man.  The fire was still
+raging when, overcome with fatigue and sickness, I sunk on the deck.  As
+the _Mary_ sailed away from her, she was seen like a beacon blazing
+fiercely in mid-ocean.  Long those on deck gazed till the speck of
+bright light was on a sudden lost to view, and the glow in the sky
+overhead disappeared.  It was when her charred fragments sunk beneath
+the wave.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN.
+
+We were kindly welcomed and cared for on board the _Mary_, though we
+subjected her passengers and crew to much inconvenience, and to no
+little risk of starving, should her voyage be prolonged.
+
+There were ladies who attended with gentle care to the women and
+children, and aided also in nursing the men.  Many of the passengers and
+crew gave up their berths to the sick; but the greater number of our
+people were compelled to remain on deck, sheltered, however, by every
+means the kindness of our hosts could devise.  There was one fair,
+blue-eyed girl--can I ever forget her?  What a pure, light-hearted young
+creature she was!  I felt at once that I could place the same confidence
+in her that I could in my own sisters, and that she was a being superior
+both to me and to any of those by whom I had been lately surrounded.
+Her name was Mary Dean.  She was the daughter of the master of the
+_Mary_, and the ship was named after her.  Mr Bell told the master of
+my behaviour, which he was pleased to praise, and of my refusing to quit
+the ship till he did; and Mary heard the tale.  The mate also told him
+that I was the son of a gentleman, and how I had been treated by Captain
+Swales.
+
+Captain Dean was a very different character to Captain Swales, with
+whose conduct he was so thoroughly disgusted, that he refused to hold
+any further communication with him than business actually required.  I
+had held out till I was in safety, and a severe attack of illness then
+came on.  Captain Dean had me removed to a berth in his own cabin, and
+Mary became my nurse.  Where there is sickness and misery, there will
+the ministering hand of gentle woman be found.  Mary Dean watched over
+me as the ship which bore us steered her course for the mouth of the
+Saint Lawrence.  To her gentle care, under Providence, I owed my life.
+Several of the emigrants died after they came on board the _Mary_, and
+such would probably have been my fate under less watchful treatment.
+
+I was in a low fever and unconscious.  How long I remained so, I
+scarcely know.  I awoke one afternoon, and found Mary Dean sitting by my
+side working with her needle.  I fancied that I was dead, and that she
+was an angel watching over me.  Although I discovered that the first
+part of the notion was a hallucination, I was every day more convinced
+of the truth of the second.  When I got rather better, she used to read
+to me interesting and instructive works; and every morning she read some
+portion of the Bible, and explained it to me in a manner which made me
+comprehend it better than I had ever done before.
+
+Ten days thus passed rapidly away before I was able to go on deck.
+Captain Dean was very kind to me, and often came and spoke to me, and
+gave me much useful instruction in seamanship, and also in navigation.
+I then thought Mary Dean very beautiful, and I now know that she was so.
+She was a child, it must be remembered, or little more than one; but
+though very small, she was very graceful.  She was beautifully fair,
+with blue, truthful eyes, in which it was impossible guile could ever
+find a dwelling-place.  I have no doubt that my readers will picture her
+to themselves as she sat in the cabin with a book on her lap, gravely
+conning its contents, or skipped along the deck, a being of light and
+life, the fair spirit of the summer sea.  Such was Mary Dean as I first
+saw her.  Every one loved her.  Her father's heart was wrapped up in
+her.  His crew would, to a man, have died rather than that harm should
+have happened to her.  On sailed the ship.  There was much sickness, for
+all hands were put on the smallest allowance of water and provisions it
+was possible to subsist on; and we, unfortunately, fell in with no other
+ship able to furnish us with a supply.
+
+At length the welcome sound was heard of "Land ahead!"  It was Cape
+Breton, at the entrance of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.  Rounding the
+cape, we stood towards the mouth of the river Saint Lawrence, that vast
+stream, fed by those inland seas the lakes of Upper Canada, and
+innumerable rivers and streams.  On the north side of the gulf is the
+large island of Newfoundland, celebrated for its cod fisheries.  A
+glance at the map will show our course far better than any description
+of mine.  I could scarcely believe that we were actually in the river
+when we had already proceeded a hundred miles up it, so distant were the
+opposite shores, and, till told of it, I fancied that we were still in
+the open sea.  I was much struck with the grand spectacle which Quebec
+and its environs presented, as, the ship emerging from the narrow
+channel of the river formed by the island of Orleans, the city first met
+my view.  It is at this point that the Saint Lawrence, taking a sudden
+turn, expands, so as to assume the appearance of a broad lake.
+
+The sun had just risen, and all nature looked fresh and green, rejoicing
+in the genial warmth of a Canadian spring.  On the left was the town,
+the bright tin steeples and housetops of which, crowning the summit of
+Cape Diamond, glittered in the rays of the glorious luminary.  Ships of
+all rigs and sizes lay close under the cliffs, and from their diminutive
+appearance I calculated the great height of the promontory.  About eight
+miles off, on the right, I could see the falls of Montmorency,
+descending in a sheet of milk-white foam over a lofty precipitous bank
+into the stream, which, winding through a plain interspersed with
+villages and studded with vegetation, finds its way into the Saint
+Lawrence.  Quebec is divided into two distinct parts.
+
+The lower town, occupies a narrow strip of land between the precipitous
+heights of Cape Diamond and the river.  It is connected with the upper
+town by means of a steep street, built in a ravine, which is commanded
+by the guns of a strongly fortified gateway.
+
+The lower town is principally inhabited by merchants; and so much
+straitened are they for room, that many of their houses are built upon
+wharfs, and other artificial ground.  The streets of Quebec are very
+narrow, and there is a general appearance of antiquity, not often to be
+met with in an American town.  The suburbs are situated on the shores of
+the Saint Charles, without the fortifications.  But I afterwards found
+that the most magnificent prospect was from the summit of the Citadel on
+Cape Diamond, whence one may look over the celebrated Plains of Abraham,
+on which the gallant Wolfe gained the victory which gave Canada to
+England, and where, fighting nobly, he fell in the hour of triumph.  But
+my object is rather to describe a few of the events of my early days
+than the scenes I visited.  It was a happy moment when we at length
+dropped our anchor, and water was brought off to quench the thirst from
+which all had more or less suffered.  As soon as the necessary forms
+were gone through, the emigrants went on shore, and, with few
+exceptions, I saw them no more.
+
+I was the only person on board who regretted that the voyage was over.
+I wished to see the country, and the Indians, and the vast lakes and
+boundless prairies; but far rather would I have remained with Mary and
+her father--at least I thought so, as the time for quitting them,
+probably for ever, arrived.  I regretted much leaving Captain Dean, for
+he had been very kind to me; indeed, he had treated me almost like a
+son, and I felt grateful to him.  It was evening.  The ship was to haul
+in the next morning alongside the quay to discharge her cargo.  The
+captain was on shore and all the emigrants.  Except the anchor-watch on
+deck, the crew were below.  Mary and I were the only persons on the
+quarter-deck.
+
+"Mary," I said, as I took her hand--the words almost choked me while I
+spoke--"to-morrow I must leave you to look out for a berth on board some
+homeward-bound ship.  You have been very, very kind to me, Mary; and I
+am grateful, I am indeed, to you and to your father."
+
+"But I do not see why you should leave us, Peter," answered Mary,
+looking gravely up with a somewhat surprised air.  "Has not my father
+told you that he thinks of asking you to remain with him?  And then,
+some day, when you know more of seamanship, you will become his mate.
+Think of that, Peter, how pleasant it will be!  So you must not think of
+leaving us."
+
+"I have no wish to go, I can assure you, except that I am expected at
+home," I replied.  "But if I stay, what office are you to hold on board,
+Mary?"  I could not help asking.
+
+"Oh, I suppose that I shall be another of the mates," she replied,
+laughing.  "Do you know, Peter, that if I have you to study with, I
+think that I shall make a very good sailor in a short time.  I can put
+the ship about now in a very good style, let me tell you."
+
+"That's more than I can do, I am afraid," I observed.  "But then I can
+go aloft, and hand and reef; so there I beat you."
+
+"I should not be a bit afraid of going aloft, if I was dressed like you,
+and papa would let me," she answered naively.  "I often envy the men as
+I see them lying out on the yards or at the mast-head when the ship is
+rolling and pitching; and I fancy that next to the sensations of a bird
+on the wing, theirs must be the most enjoyable."
+
+"You are a true sailor's daughter, Mary," I answered, with more
+enthusiasm than I had ever before felt.  "But I don't think your father
+would quite like to see you aloft; and, let me tell you, when there's
+much sea on, and it's blowing hard, it's much more difficult to keep
+there than it looks."
+
+Thus we talked on, and touched on other topics; but they chiefly had
+references to ourselves.  Nearly the last words Mary uttered were, "Then
+you will sail with father, if he asks you, Peter?"
+
+I promised, and afterwards added, "For the sake of sailing with him,
+Mary, my dear young sister, if you are on board, I would give up
+kindred, home, and country.  I would sail with you round and round the
+world, and never wish again to see the shore, except you were there."
+She was satisfied at having gained her point.  We were very young, and
+little knew the dangerous sea on which we were proposing to sail.  I
+called her sister, for I felt as if she were indeed my sister.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE.
+
+The next morning the _Mary_ commenced discharging her cargo.  Captain
+Dean then told me that he hoped I would sail with him, but that, as the
+ship required a thorough repair, it would be some weeks before she could
+be at sea again, and that in the meantime he would advise me to employ
+myself usefully; and he recommended me to take a trip in a trader to
+Halifax or Saint John's, for the sake of gaining information regarding
+the navigation of those seas.
+
+"A person who wishes to be a thorough sailor (and if a man is not a
+thorough sailor he has no business to be an officer)," he observed,
+"will seek every opportunity of making himself well acquainted with the
+navigation of every sea he visits, the appearance of the coasts, the set
+of the currents, the rise and fall of the tides, the prevailing winds,
+and the weather to be expected at different seasons.  He will go afloat
+in every sort of craft, and be constantly considering how he would act
+under all possible circumstances.  He should never weary of making
+inquiries of other seamen how they have acted, and the result of what
+they have done.  As navigation was not brought to the perfection it has
+now attained under many centuries, so no man will become a perfect
+seaman unless he diligently gathers together the information possessed
+by all whom he meets, at the same time weighing well their opinions, and
+adopting them after duly comparing them with others."
+
+I have always remembered Captain Dean's advice, and I advise all young
+sailors to follow it; indeed, it strikes me that it is applicable to
+most relations in life.
+
+I looked about for a vessel, but could not find one.  Meantime, by the
+captain's kindness, I remained on board, though he and Mary went to live
+in lodgings on shore, as, of course, in the state the ship was in, she
+could have no comfort even in her own cabin.  About three or four days
+after our arrival, I saw a ship ascend the river and come to an anchor
+not far from where we were lying.  Prompted by curiosity, I was looking
+at her through a telescope, when I observed a group of people on the
+deck who were gazing apparently with the curiosity of strangers at the
+shore.  A little apart from them stood a form I thought I recognised.  I
+pointed my glass steadily at him.  I felt certain that I could not be
+mistaken.  It was Silas Flint.  Then all on the raft, instead of
+perishing, as it was supposed they would, might have been saved, as he
+had escaped.  I was truly glad, and, borrowing the dinghy from the mate,
+I pulled on board the newly-arrived ship.
+
+Silas--for I was right in my conjectures--was looking over the side as I
+climbed up it.  He almost wrung my hand off as he took it in his grasp.
+"I am glad to see ye, I am, Peter!" he exclaimed.  "Why, lad, I thought
+you had gone to the bottom with all who remained on board."
+
+I told him that we had in like manner fancied that all on the raft had
+perished; and I was glad to find that, with the exception of two, all
+had been picked up by the ship on board of which they then were.  He
+then asked me what my plans were, and I told him what Captain Dean
+advised.  He next inquired if I had seen Captain Swales.  I replied that
+I had met him twice in the streets of Quebec, and that he had eyed me
+with no very friendly glance.
+
+"Then depend on it, Peter, he means you some mischief," he observed.
+"If he gets another ship here, which is likely enough he will, he will
+want hands; and if he can lay hold of you, he will claim you as put
+under his charge by your father; and I don't know how you are to get
+off."
+
+"By keeping out of his way, I should think," I replied.
+
+"That's just what I was going to advise you to do, Peter," observed
+Silas.  "And I'll tell you what, lad, instead of your kicking your heels
+doing nothing in this place, you and I will start off up the country
+with our guns as soon as I have done my business here, which won't take
+long, and we'll see if we can't pick up a few skins which will be worth
+something."
+
+This proposition, as may be supposed, was much to my taste; but I did
+not much like the thoughts of leaving Captain Dean and Mary, though I
+did not tell him so.  He, however, very soon discovered what was running
+in my mind, and set himself to work to overcome the wish I had to remain
+with them.  I had found so few friends of late, that I had learned to
+value them properly.  But Silas Flint wanted a companion, and, liking
+me, was resolved that I should accompany him.  We went on shore
+together; and before the day was over, he had so worked up my
+imagination by his descriptions of the sport and scenery of the
+backwoods, that I became most eager to set off.
+
+I next day told Captain Dean; and as I assured him that it was my
+father's wish that I should see something of the country, he did not
+oppose the plan, provided I should return in time to sail with him.
+This I promised to do; and I then went below to tell Mary, who was in
+the cabin packing up some things to take on shore.  To my surprise, she
+burst into tears when I gave her the information; and this very nearly
+made me abandon my project.  When, however, I told her of my promise to
+return, she was comforted; and I added, that I would bring her back
+plenty of skins to make her tippets and muffs for the winter, to last
+her for years.
+
+Three days after his arrival at Quebec, Flint was ready to set out.  I
+had preserved intact the money my kind father had given me, and with it
+I purchased, at Flint's suggestion, a rifle, and powder, and a
+shot-belt, a tinder-box, a pipe, some tobacco, a tin cup, and a few
+other small articles.  "Now you've laid in your stock in trade, my lad,"
+he observed, as he announced my outfit to be complete.  "With a quick
+eye and a steady hand you've the means, by my help, of making your
+fortune; so the sooner we camp out and begin the better."
+
+I told him I was ready, and asked him where we were to go.
+
+"Oh, never you mind that, lad," he replied.  "It's a long way from here;
+but a man, with his eyes open, can always find his way there and back.
+All you've to do is to follow the setting sun going, and to look out for
+him rising when coming back."
+
+"Then I suppose you mean to go to the westward?"  I observed.
+
+"Ay, lad, to the far west," he answered; but I confess that at the time
+I had no idea how far off that "far west" was.
+
+We set off the next morning by a steamer to Montreal, and on from
+thence, past Kingston, to Toronto on Lake Ontario, in Upper Canada.
+Flint lent me money to pay my way.  He said that I should soon be able
+to reimburse him.  I need not say how delighted I was with the fine
+scenery and the superb inland seas on which I floated.  I could scarcely
+persuade myself that I was not on the ocean, till I tasted the water
+alongside.  Flint told me with a chuckle, that once upon a time the
+English Government sent some ships of war in frame out to the lakes, and
+also a supply of water-tanks, forgetting that they would have a very
+ample one outside.  A little forethought would have saved the ridicule
+they gained for this mistake, and the expense to which they put the
+country.  As my intention is to describe my adventures afloat rather
+than those on shore, I shall be very brief with my account of the life
+we led in the backwoods.
+
+From Toronto we crossed the country to Goodrich, a town on the shores of
+Lake Huron.  Here we took a passage in a sailing vessel, trading to the
+factories on the northern shore of the lake, and at the nearest we
+landed and prepared for our expedition.  Flint observed, that as we were
+short of funds, we must proceed on an economical principle.  He
+therefore purchased only a small though strong pony, to carry our
+provisions and the skins of the animals we might kill, while we were to
+proceed humbly on foot.
+
+We were now in a land teeming with every description of game; and I was
+able to prove to Flint that I was not a worse shot than I had sometimes
+boasted to him of being.  The weather was generally fine, so that a bark
+hut afforded us ample shelter at night, and our rifles gave us as much
+food as we could require.  Our greatest enemies were mosquitoes and
+other flies, and it was only by smearing our faces over with fat that we
+could free ourselves from their attacks.
+
+We constantly encountered the Indian inhabitants of that territory; but
+they were invariably friendly, and willing to trade with us.  Silas
+understood their language a little, so that with the aid of signs we
+could carry on sufficient conversation for our purpose.  Six weeks thus
+passed rapidly away, and I calculated that it would be time for me to
+return to Quebec; so I told Silas I must wish him good-bye.  He seemed
+very much vexed at this; for I believe that he both liked my society,
+and found me very useful to him.  He had, indeed, formed the intention
+of keeping me by him, and converting me into a regular trapper and
+hunter; but, fond as I was of sport, for this I had no fancy, and I
+therefore persisted in my purpose of returning.  Seeing that he could
+not prevail on me to remain, he accompanied me back to the fort, where
+he made over to me my fair share of the skins.
+
+After the delay of a week, I found a vessel returning to the lower
+lakes, and in her I set sail for Quebec.  My readers must excuse me for
+being thus brief in my description of my doings on shore; but it must be
+remembered that I am writing an account of my sea adventures, and I must
+defer the former to another opportunity.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
+
+At length I reached Quebec, and hurried to the quay, where I had left
+the _Mary_.  She was not there.  I hastened to the dockyard where she
+was to be repaired; I made inquiries for her of everybody I met.  "What,
+the _Mary_, Captain Dean?" replied a shipwright to whom I spoke; "why,
+she sailed three weeks ago and better, for the West Indies, or some of
+them ports to the southward--she's pretty well there by this time."
+
+I felt that he was speaking the truth, and my heart sunk within me; but
+to make sure, I ran on to the house at which Captain Dean and Mary had
+lodged.  The woman, who was a French Canadian, received me very kindly,
+and seemed to enter into my feelings when she corroborated the account I
+had heard.  She did not know exactly where the ship had gone; but she
+said that my friends were very sorry when I did not come back at the
+time appointed.  At last Monsieur the captain grew angry, and said he
+was afraid I was an idle fellow, and preferred the vagabond life of a
+hunter to the hardier though nobler work of a seaman; but "_ma pauvre
+petite_," as she called Mary, took my part, and said she was certain
+some accident had happened to me, or I should have been back when I
+promised.  "Sweet Mary, I knew that she would defend me," I muttered;
+"and yet how little do I deserve her confidence!"
+
+"Ah, she is indeed a sweet child," observed Madame Durand, divining my
+thoughts; "she cried very much indeed when the ship had to sail away
+without you, and nothing would comfort the poor dear."
+
+This information, though very flattering to me, added to my regret.  I
+was now obliged to consider what I should next do.  After the free wild
+life I had been leading, the idea of returning to Ireland was odious to
+me.  I can scarcely now account for my conduct in this respect, but I
+had but once written home on my arrival at Quebec; and during my long
+excursions to the backwoods, I never had time.  I was now ashamed to
+write--I seldom ever thought of those at home.  I had sunk, I felt, from
+their grade, whenever I recollected them.  My whole attention had been
+for so long occupied with the present, that the past was, as it were, a
+blank, or as a story which I had read in some book, and had almost
+forgotten.  I therefore hardly for a moment thought of going back, if I
+did so at all; but I was anxious to fall in again with Captain Dean.  I
+fancied the pleasures of a sea life more than those of a hunter, but I
+was not yet altogether tired of the backwoods.  I had still a hankering
+to trap a few more beavers, and to shoot some more raccoons and deer.
+
+On making further inquiries of the ship-broker, I discovered that there
+was a possibility of Captain Dean's going to New Orleans, and I at once
+formed the idea of finding my way, by land and river, to that city.  I
+knew a little more of the geography of the country than I did on my
+arrival, but the immense distance no way daunted me.  I wanted to visit
+the States, and I was certain that my gun would always afford me the
+means of proceeding by any public conveyance, when I required it.  I had
+a good sum remaining from the sale of the peltries I had saved; and with
+this in my pockets I once more started for the lakes of Upper Canada,
+purposing from thence to work my way through the western States down the
+Mississippi to New Orleans.
+
+An American vessel, which I found at Goodrich, conveyed me, through Lake
+Huron, to a fort at the southern extremity of Lake Michigan, called, if
+I recollect rightly, Fort Dearborn.  The voyage was long and tiresome.
+The feeling that one is in a fresh-water lake, and at the same time
+being out of sight of land for days together, is very curious.  It gives
+one a more perfect notion than anything else can of the vastness of the
+country in which such inland seas exist.  I must be excused from giving
+any minute account of my adventures at this period, as I made no notes,
+and I do not recur to them with much satisfaction.  In fact, I was weary
+of the solitary life of a hunter and trapper, and longed once more to be
+among people with whom I could have some thoughts and feelings in
+common.
+
+Till I got into the settled districts, I shot and trapped as before.  My
+rifle always supplied me with abundance of food; and, whenever I reached
+a trading-post, I was able to exchange my peltries for a fresh store of
+powder and shot.  When passing through the more inhabited districts, I
+was invariably hospitably received by the settlers, whatever was the
+nation to which they before belonged.  Travelling through a large
+portion of the State of Indiana, I entered that of Illinois, and at
+length I embarked with a party of hunters in a canoe on the river of the
+same name, which runs through its centre.  With these people I proceeded
+to Saint Louis, a city situated on the spot where the mighty streams of
+the Mississippi and Missouri join their waters.
+
+Saint Louis was founded by the French, and is still very French in its
+general aspect.  I here easily disposed of my remaining skins for a good
+sum of money, which I secured in a band round my waist.  I remained here
+only two days, for I was anxious to proceed to the south; and, finding a
+steamer starting down the Mississippi, I went on board, and for about
+eight dollars engaged a passage on deck to New Orleans.  The passage
+occupied ten days.  By my usual way of proceeding, on foot, I should
+have been as many months, with a constant probability of dying of fever
+on the way.
+
+I must make a remark for the benefit of Englishmen who may contemplate
+settling in the United States.  They expect to find land cheap, no
+taxes, and few laws to hamper their will.  In this they will not be
+disappointed; but there will be a considerable expense incurred in
+reaching those settlements where land is cheap.  They will probably be a
+very great distance from a market for their produce; and, though they
+have no taxes and few laws, neither will they have the advantages which
+taxes and laws afford.  They will be far removed from the ordinances of
+their Church, and the opportunities of education; there will neither be
+the where to buy nor to sell.  In fact, they must be deprived of many of
+the advantages of civilisation; added to which, many parts of the
+western States are unhealthy in the greatest degree, of which the
+wretched, sallow, ague-stricken beings inhabiting them afforded
+melancholy proof; and these people, I found, were once stout, healthy
+peasants in England, and would have continued healthy, and gained what
+they hoped for besides, had they emigrated to Canada or to any other
+British colony, or even had they possessed more knowledge of the
+territory of the United States.  I do not say that many British
+emigrants who give up their country, and become aliens in the States, do
+not succeed, and thus the accounts they send home encourage others to go
+out; but I do say that thousands of others die miserably of sickness and
+disappointment, without a friendly hand to help or cheer them, or any
+one to afford them the consolations of religion, and of their fate we
+never hear a word.
+
+People talk a great deal of the advantages of liberty and equality, and
+the freedom of a wild life; but let me assure them that the liberty of
+having one's eye gouged out, the equality which every ruffian claims,
+and the freedom which allows a man to die without any one to assist him,
+are practically far from desirable; and yet such are the false phantoms
+by which many are allured to a land of strangers, away from the home of
+their countrymen and friends.  However, I am not writing a lecture on
+colonisation.  I will finish the subject, by urging my readers to study
+it, and to become the advocates of British colonisation.
+
+New Orleans is justly called the wet grave of the white man, for yearly
+pestilence sweeps off thousands of its inhabitants; and as water is
+found but two feet below the surface, it fills each last receptacle of
+the dead as soon as dug.  Yet pestilential as is the clime, the scenery
+is very beautiful.  The stream, which is here a mile broad, rolls its
+immense volume of water with calm dignity, in a bed above two hundred
+feet deep, past this great commercial mart of the south.  The banks on
+either side are covered with sugar plantations, from the midst of which
+rise numberless airy mansions of the wealthy owners, surrounded with
+orange, banana, lime, and fig trees, with numberless other productions
+of the tropics; while behind them can be seen the sugar-houses and the
+cabins of the negroes, to remind one of the curse which hangs over the
+land.
+
+The city itself stands in the form of a half-moon on the banks of this
+mighty stream, and before it are moored craft of every description--
+backwood boats, keel boats, steamers and ships, brigs and schooners,
+from every part of the world.  I may remark that directly behind the
+city is an impenetrable swamp, into which all the filth from the houses
+is led, for the ground is lower than the surface of the Mississippi; and
+then we cannot be surprised that plague and fever prevail to a terrific
+extent.
+
+As soon as I landed I set to work to try and discover the _Mary_, if she
+was there, or to gain tidings of her should she have sailed, as, from
+the length of time I had occupied in my journey, I was afraid might be
+the case.  I walked along the quays, examining every ship in the river,
+and, after a long search, I was convinced that the _Mary_ was not there.
+I next had recourse to the ship-brokers and ship-chandlers, but from
+none of them could I gain any information.  I then began to make
+inquiries of the people I found lounging about the quays smoking, and
+otherwise killing the time.  At last I saw a man who stood lounging
+against a post, with a cigar in his mouth and his arms folded, and who,
+by the glance he cast at me, seemed to court inquiry.
+
+He was, I remember well, a sallow-faced, gaunt fellow, with large
+expressive eyes and black hair, which hung down from under his Panama
+hat in ringlets, while a pair of gold rings adorned his ears.  He had on
+a nankeen jacket and large white trousers, with a rich silk sash round
+his waist, in which was ostentatiously stuck a dagger, or rather a
+Spanish knife, with a handsome silver hilt.  I took him for a Spaniard
+by his appearance; but when I accosted him in English, he replied in the
+same language, with scarcely a foreign accent, "And so you are looking
+for the _Mary_, Captain Dean, are you?  Very curious," he observed: "I
+left her three weeks ago at the Havanah waiting for a cargo; and she
+won't be off again for another three weeks or more."
+
+"Then I may reach her in time!"  I ejaculated.
+
+"Do you belong to her?" he continued.  "You have not much the look of a
+seaman."
+
+He was right; for I was still dressed in my mocassins and hunting
+costume, with my rifle in my hand, and my other worldly property slung
+about me, so I must have cut rather a curious figure.
+
+I replied that I was to have belonged to her, and explained how it had
+happened that she had sailed without me.  By degrees I told him more of
+my history; and finally, without my intending it, he drew the whole of
+it from me.
+
+"You are a likely lad," he observed, with an approving nod.  "The fact
+is, I sail to-morrow for the Havanah, in the schooner you see out
+yonder; and if you like to ship on board, you may, that's all."  He
+pointed, as he spoke, to a large square-topsail schooner which lay out
+in the stream, at a single anchor.
+
+She will not take long to get under weigh, I thought, as I looked at
+her.  Eager as I was to reach the Havannah, I jumped at his offer.  "I
+have not been accustomed to a craft like yours," I replied, "but I will
+do my duty on board her, to the best of my power."
+
+"That's all we require; and perhaps, if you find your friend gone, you
+will like us well enough to remain with us," he observed, with a laugh.
+"We are constantly on the wing, so you will have no time to get weary of
+any place where we touch, as is the case in those big ships, which lie
+in harbour for months together.  If you want to become a seaman, go to
+sea in a small craft, say I."
+
+I told him that I did wish to become a seaman; but I did not say that it
+was for the sake of sailing with Captain Dean, nor did I mention his
+daughter.  Indeed, I had kept her name altogether out of my narrative.
+
+The arrangement being concluded, he advised me to go and get a sea-rig,
+remarking that my present costume was not exactly suited for going aloft
+in.  There were several outfitting shops, such as are to be found in all
+seaports, and towards one of them of the most inviting appearance I bent
+my steps.  Before going, however, I inquired of my new friend his name,
+and that of the schooner.
+
+"The English and Americans call me John Hawk, and my craft the _Foam_,"
+he answered.  "Captain John Hawk, remember.  The name is not amiss; so
+you may use it, for want of a better."
+
+"Are you neither an Englishman nor an American?"  I asked.
+
+"No, youngster, I belong to no nation," he replied; and I observed a
+deep frown on his brow as he spoke.  "Neither Spain, France, Portugal,
+England, nor even this free and enlightened country, owns me.  Are you
+afraid of sailing with me, in consequence of my telling you this?  If
+you are, you may be off your bargain."
+
+"No," I answered, "no; I merely asked for curiosity, and I hope you
+won't consider me impertinent."
+
+"Not if you don't insist on an answer," he replied.  "And now go and get
+your outfit."
+
+As I walked along, I meditated on his odd expressions; but I had no
+misgivings on the subject.  I did not like the first shop I reached, so
+I went on to another, with the master of which I was more pleased.  I
+there, at a fair price, very soon got the things I wanted, and, going
+into a back room, rigged myself out in them; while my hunting costume I
+did up in a bundle, to carry with me, for I was unwilling to part from
+so old and tried a friend.
+
+As I was paying for the things, the whole of which cost somewhere about
+fifteen dollars, a stout, good-looking, elderly man came into the shop.
+I at once recognised him as the master of an American brig on board of
+which I had been in the Liverpool docks.  I felt as if he was an old
+friend, and could not help speaking to him.  He was very good-natured,
+though he did not remember me, which was not surprising.  I asked him if
+he had met the _Mary_.
+
+"I left her at the Havanah, for which place I sail to-morrow," he
+answered.
+
+"So does Captain Hawk, of the _Foam_," I observed.  "I have just shipped
+on board her."
+
+"Youngster," he said, looking grave, "you do not know the character of
+that vessel, I am sure, or you would not willingly set foot on her deck.
+She is a noted slaver, if not something worse; and as you put
+confidence in me, I will return the compliment, and would strongly
+advise you to have nothing to do with her."
+
+"But I have engaged to sail with Captain Hawk, and he seems a
+fair-spoken man," I urged.
+
+"If you choose to trust to his fair speeches more than to my blunt
+warnings, I cannot help it," he answered.  "I have done my best to open
+your eyes for you to his true character.  If you persist in following
+your own counsel, you will soon have to open them yourself very wide,
+when it is too late."
+
+I liked the tone of the master's voice, as well as the expression of his
+countenance; and I therefore felt inclined to believe him.  At the same
+time I did not like to be moved, as it were, from my purpose by every
+breath of wind.
+
+"I promised to sail with Captain Hawk, or whatever may be his name; and
+though I cannot doubt but that you have good reason for what you say,
+sir, yet I don't like to desert him, without some proof that he is the
+character you describe him," I replied.
+
+"Did he tell you what trade he was in?" asked the captain.
+
+"No, sir," I replied; "he said nothing about it."
+
+"Then be guided by me, youngster, and don't ship with him," he said,
+speaking most earnestly.  "You may make every inquiry about my brig--the
+_Susannah_, Captain Samuel Searle.  You will find all is clear and
+above-board with me.  I want hands, I own, and I should be glad to have
+you, but that does not influence me in what I say."
+
+The shopkeeper corroborated all Captain Searle had told me, and added so
+many other stories of the character of Captain Hawk and his schooner,
+that I felt truly glad there was yet time to escape from him.  Bad as he
+might be, there was something in his manner which made me wish not to
+desert him altogether, without offering him some excuse for my conduct.
+I accordingly, leaving my bundle in the shop, went back to the quay,
+where I found him lounging as before.  He at first did not know me in my
+change of dress when I accosted him.
+
+"You are a likely lad for a sailor," he remarked, as he ran his eye over
+me approvingly.
+
+"I am glad you think so," I answered; and I then told him I had met the
+master of a vessel whom I had known in Liverpool, and that I wished to
+sail with him.
+
+"And he has been telling you that I am a slaver, I suppose, or something
+worse, eh?" he exclaimed in a sneering tone, and with an angry flash of
+the eye I did not like.  I looked conscious, I suppose; for he
+continued, "And you believed him, and were afraid to sail with so
+desperate a character, eh?  Well, lad, go your own ways, I don't want to
+lead you.  But I know of whom you speak, for I saw him go into the shop
+where you have been, and tell him _to look out for himself that's all_."
+Saying this, he turned on his heel, and I went back to the shop.
+
+I told Captain Searle what Captain Hawk had said.
+
+"That does not matter," he answered.  "He cannot do me more harm than he
+already seeks to do; so I do not fear him."
+
+I was now pretty well convinced of the honesty of Captain Searle; but to
+assure myself still further, I called on two or three ship-brokers, who
+all assured me that his ship was a regular trader, and gave a favourable
+report of him.  When I inquired about Captain Hawk, they screwed up
+their mouths, or made some other sign expressive of disapprobation, but
+were evidently unwilling to say anything about him.  In the evening I
+went on board the _Susannah_; and I must say that I was very glad to
+find myself once more afloat.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
+
+The _Susannah_ was a fine brig, of about three hundred tons burden.  She
+had a raised poop, but no topgallant forecastle; so the crew were
+berthed in the fore-peak, in the very nose, as it were, of the vessel.
+I had engaged to serve as a boy before the mast.  Indeed, perfectly
+unknown as I was, with slight pretensions to a knowledge of seamanship,
+I could not hope to obtain any other berth.
+
+The crew were composed of about equal numbers of Americans--that is,
+subjects of the United States--and of Englishmen, with two blacks and a
+mulatto, a Spaniard, and a Portuguese.  The first officer, Mr Dobree,
+was a great dandy, and evidently considered himself much too good for
+his post; while the second mate, Mr Jones, was a rough-and-ready
+seaman, thoroughly up to his work.
+
+I was welcomed by my new shipmates in the fore-peak with many rough but
+no unkind jokes; and as I had many stories to tell of my adventures in
+the backwoods, before we turned in for the night I had made myself quite
+at home with them.
+
+At daybreak on the next morning all hands were roused out to weigh
+anchor.  The second mate's rough voice had scarcely done sounding in my
+ear before I was on deck, and with the rest was running round between
+the capstan-bars.  "Loose the topsails," next sung out the captain.  I
+sprung aloft to aid in executing the order.  Though a young seaman may
+not have knowledge, he may at all events exhibit activity in obeying
+orders, and thus gain his superior's approbation.  The anchor was
+quickly run up to the bows, the topsails were sheeted home, and, with a
+light breeze from the northward, we stood towards the mouth of the
+Mississippi.
+
+As we passed close to the spot where, on the previous day, the _Foam_
+lay at anchor, I looked for her.  She was nowhere to be seen.  She must
+have got under weigh and put to sea at night.  "She's gone, Peter, you
+observe," remarked Captain Searle, as some piece of duty called me near
+him.  "I'm glad you are not on board her; and I hope neither you nor I
+may ever fall in with her again."
+
+From New Orleans to Belize, at the mouth of the Mississippi, is about
+one hundred miles; and this distance, with the aid of the current and a
+favourable breeze, we accomplished by dusk, when we prepared once more
+to breast old ocean's waves.  These last hundred miles of the father of
+rivers were very uninteresting, the banks being low, swampy, and dismal
+in the extreme, pregnant with ague and fevers.  Although I rejoiced to
+be on the free ocean, I yet could scarcely help feeling regret at
+leaving, probably for ever, the noble stream on whose bosom I had so
+long floated; on whose swelling and forest-shaded banks I had travelled
+so far; whom I had seen in its infancy--if an infant it may ever be
+considered--in its proud manhood, and now at the termination of its
+mighty course.
+
+These thoughts quickly vanished, however, as I felt the lively vessel
+lift to the swelling wave, and smelt the salt pure breeze from off the
+sea.  Though the sea-breeze was very reviving after the hot pestilential
+air of New Orleans, yet as it came directly in our teeth, our captain
+wished it from some other quarter.  We were enabled, however, to work
+off the shore; and as during the night the land-breeze came pretty
+strong, by day-break the next morning we were fairly at sea.
+
+Before the sun had got up, the wind had gone down, and it soon became
+what seamen call a flat calm.  The sea, as the hot rays of the sun shone
+on it, was, as it were, like molten lead; the sails flapped lazily
+against the mast; the brig's sides, as she every now and then gave an
+unwilling roll, threw off with a loud splash the bright drops of water
+which they lapped up from the imperceptibly heaving bosom of the deep.
+The hot sun struck down on our heads with terrific force, while the
+pitch bubbled up out of the seams of the deck; and Bill Tasker, the wit
+of the crew, declared he could hear it squeak into the bargain.  An
+awning was spread over the deck in some way to shelter us, or we should
+have been roasted alive.  Bill, to prove the excess of the heat, fried a
+slice of salt junk on a piece of tin, and, peppering it well, declared
+it was delicious.  The only person who seemed not only not to suffer
+from the heat, but to enjoy it, was the black cook; and he, while not
+employed in his culinary operations, spent the best part of the day
+basking on the bowsprit-end.
+
+The crew were engaged in their usual occupations of knotting yarns,
+making sinnet, etcetera, while the aforesaid Bill Tasker was instructing
+me--for whom he had taken an especial fancy--in the mysteries of
+knotting and splicing; but we all of us, in spite of ourselves, went
+about our work in a listless, careless way, nor had the officers even
+sufficient energy to make us more lively.  Certainly it was hot.  There
+had been no sail in sight that I know of all the day, when, as I by
+chance happened to cast my eyes over the bulwarks, they fell on the
+topsails of a schooner, just rising above the line of the horizon.
+
+"A sail on the starboard bow!"  I sung out to the man who was nominally
+keeping a look-out forward.  He reported the same to the first mate.
+
+"Where away is she?"  I heard the captain inquire, as he came directly
+afterwards on deck.
+
+"To the southward, sir; she seems to be creeping up towards us with a
+breeze of some sort or other," answered Mr Dobree.  "Here, lad," he
+continued, beckoning to me, "go aloft, and see what you can make of her.
+Your eyes are as sharp as any on board, if I mistake not, and a little
+running will do you no harm."
+
+I was soon at the mast-head, and in two minutes returned, and reported
+her to be a large topsail schooner, heading north-north-east with the
+wind about south-east.
+
+"I can't help thinking, sir, from her look, that this is the same craft
+that was lying off New Orleans two days ago," I added, touching my hat
+to the captain.  I don't remember exactly what made me suppose this, but
+such I know was my idea at the time.
+
+"What, your friend Captain Hawk's craft, the _Foam_, you mean, I
+suppose?" he observed.  "But how can that be?  She was bound to the
+Havanah, and this vessel is standing away from it."
+
+"I can't say positively, sir; but if you would take the glass and have a
+look at her, I don't think you would say she is very unlike her, at all
+events," I replied.
+
+"It's very extraordinary if such is the case," said the captain, looking
+rather more as if he thought I might be right than before.
+
+"Give me the glass, and I'll judge for myself, though it's impossible to
+say for a certainty what she may be at this distance."  Saying this he
+took the telescope, and in spite of the heat went aloft.
+
+When he came down again, I observed that he looked graver than usual.
+He instantly gave orders to furl the awning, and to be ready to make
+sail as soon as the breeze should reach us.  "The youngster is right,
+Mr Dobree," he said, turning to the mate, and probably not aware that I
+overheard him.
+
+"It's that piccarooning craft the _Foam_; and Mr Hawk, as he calls
+himself, is after some of his old tricks.  I had my suspicions of him
+when I saw him off New Orleans; but I did not think he would venture to
+attack us."
+
+"He's bold enough to attack any one, sir," said the mate; "but we
+flatter ourselves that we shall be able to give a very good account of
+him, if he begins to play off any of his tricks on us."
+
+"We'll do our best, Mr Dobree," said the captain; "for if we do not, we
+shall have but a Flemish account to render of our cargo, let alone our
+lives."
+
+I do not know if I before stated that the _Susannah_ carried four guns--
+two long and two carronades; and as we had a supply of small arms and
+cutlasses, we were tolerably able to defend ourselves.
+
+The captain walked the deck for some time in silence, during which
+period the stranger had perceptibly approached to us.  He then again
+went aloft, and scrutinised her attentively.  On coming down he stopped
+at the break of the poop, and, waving his hand, let us know that he
+wished to address us.  "My lads," he began, "I don't altogether like the
+look of that fellow out yonder, who has been taking so much pains to get
+up to us.  He may be honest, but I tell you I don't think so; and if he
+attempts to molest us, I'm sure you'll one and all do your duty in
+defending the brig and the property on board her entrusted to you.  I
+need not tell you that pirates generally trust to the saying, that dead
+men tell no tales; and that, if that fellow is one, and gets the better
+of us, our lives won't be worth much to any of us."
+
+"Don't fear for us, sir; we're ready for him whatever he may be," sung
+out the whole crew with one voice.
+
+The stranger brought along the breeze with him, but as yet our sails had
+not felt a particle of its influence.  At length, when he was little
+more than a mile off, a few cat's-paws were seen playing on the water;
+they came, and vanished again as rapidly, and the sea was as smooth as
+before.  In time they came oftener and with more power; and at length
+our topsails and topgallant-sails were seen slowly to bulge out as the
+steadier breeze filled them.
+
+The wind came, as I have said, from the south-east, which was directly
+in our teeth in our proper course to the Havanah.  The stranger had thus
+the weather-gauge of us; and a glance at the map will show that we were
+completely embayed, as, had we stood to the eastward, we should have run
+on the Florida coast, while on the other tack we must have run right
+down to meet him.  We might possibly reach some port; but the
+probabilities were that he would overtake us before we could do so, and
+the appearance of fear would encourage him to follow us.  We had
+therefore only the choice of running back to Belize, or fighting our way
+onward.  Captain Searle decided on the latter alternative; and, bracing
+the yards sharply up on the starboard tack, we stood to the eastward,
+intending, whatever course the stranger pursued, to go about again at
+the proper time.
+
+The schooner, on seeing this, also closely hugged the wind and stood
+after us.  There could now be no longer any doubt about his intentions.
+We, however, showed the stars and stripes of the United States, but he
+hoisted no ensign in return.  It was soon very evident that he sailed
+faster than we did, and he was then rapidly coming within range of our
+guns.  Our captain ordered us, however, on no account to fire unless we
+were struck, as he was unwilling to sacrifice the lives of any one
+unnecessarily, even of our enemies.
+
+Every stitch of canvas the brig could carry was cracked on her: all
+would not do.  The stranger walked up to us hand over hand.  Seeing that
+there was not the slightest chance of escaping by flight, Captain Searle
+ordered the foresail and topgallant-sails to be clewed up, and, under
+our topsails and fore-and-aft sails, resolved to wait the coming up of
+the enemy, if such the stranger might prove.
+
+On came the schooner, without firing or showing any unfriendly
+disposition.  As she drew near, I felt more and more convinced that she
+must be the _Foam_.  She had a peculiarly long cutwater and a very
+straight sheer, which, as she came up to the windward of us, and
+presented nearly her broadside, was discernible.  As she heeled over to
+the now freshening breeze, I fancied that I could even discern, through
+the glass, Captain Hawk walking the quarter-deck.  When she got about a
+quarter of a mile to windward of us, she hove to and lowered a boat,
+into which several people jumped and pulled towards us.  At the same
+time up went the Spanish ensign at her peak.
+
+Captain Searle looked puzzled.  "I cannot make it out, Dobree," he
+observed.  "I still doubt if that fellow is honest, and am half inclined
+to make sail again, and while he bears down to pick up his boat, we may
+get to windward of him."
+
+"If he isn't honest he'll not trouble himself about his boat, but will
+try to run alongside us, and let her come up when she can," answered the
+mate.  "There is no trusting to what such craft as that fellow may do."
+
+"Oh, we'll take care he does not play off any tricks upon us," said the
+captain; and we waited the approach of the boat.
+
+As she drew near, she was seen to contain eight men.  Four were pulling,
+one sat in the bows, and the other three in the stern-sheets.  If they
+were armed, it could not be discovered.  When they got within hail, the
+captain asked them what they wanted.
+
+They pointed to their mouths, and one answered in Spanish, "Aqua, aqua,
+por amor de Dios."
+
+"They want water, sir, they say," observed the first mate, who prided
+himself on his knowledge of Spanish.
+
+"That's the reason, then, that they were in such a hurry to speak to
+us," said the captain.  "But still, does it not strike you as odd that a
+vessel should be in want of water in these seas?"
+
+"Her water-butts might have leaked out; and some of these Spanish
+gentry, sir, are very careless about taking enough water to sea,"
+replied the mate, who was biassed by the pleasure he anticipated of
+being able to sport his Spanish.
+
+"Get a water-cask up on deck, and we'll have it ready to give these
+fellows, whatever they may be," said our humane captain.  "Have some
+pannikins ready to serve it out to them.  Thirst is a dreadful thing,
+and one would not keep a fellow-creature in that state a moment longer
+than one could help."
+
+I do not know what the second mate thought of the strangers, but I
+remember several of the crew saying that they did not like their looks;
+and I saw him place a cutlass close to the gun nearest the starboard
+gangway, while he kept eyeing them in no very affectionate manner.
+Notwithstanding the heat of the weather, the men in the stern-sheets
+wore cloaks.  On observing this, Bill Tasker said he supposed it was to
+hide the shabby jackets they wore under them.  The other men were
+dressed in blue shirts, and their sleeves rolled up to the shoulder,
+with the red sash usually worn by Spaniards round their waist, in which
+was stuck the deadly _cuchillo_, or cut-and-thrust knife, in a sheath,
+carried by most Lusitanian and Iberian seamen and their descendants of
+the New World.
+
+They pulled up at once alongside, and before any one attempted to stop
+them they had hooked on, the man in the bows climbing up on deck,
+followed by his companions in cloaks, and two of the seamen.  The other
+two remained in the boat, pointing at their mouths, as a sign that they
+wanted water.
+
+Seamen, from the sufferings and dangers to which they are exposed, are
+proverbially kind to those in distress.  Our men, therefore, seemed to
+vie with each other who should first hold the pannikins of water to the
+mouths of the strangers, while a tub, with the fluid, was also lowered
+into the boat alongside.  They eagerly rushed at the water, and drank up
+all that was offered them; but I could not help remarking that they did
+not look like men suffering from thirst.  However, a most extraordinary
+effect was produced on two of them, for they fell down on the deck, and
+rolled about as if in intense agony.  This drew the attention of all
+hands on them; and as we had no surgeon on board, the captain began to
+ransack his medical knowledge to find remedies for them.
+
+While he was turning over the pages of his medical guide to find some
+similar case of illness and its remedy described, the schooner was
+edging down towards us.  As she approached, I observed only a few men on
+board; and they, as the people in the boat had done, were pointing at
+their mouths, as if they were suffering from want of water.  The boat
+was on the lee side.
+
+I think I said that there were some sails, and two or three cloaks,
+apparently thrown by chance at the bottom of the boat.  While all hands
+were engaged in attending to the strangers, and for some minutes no one
+had looked towards the schooner, on a sudden I heard a loud grating
+sound--there was the wild triumphant cry of a hundred fierce voices.
+The seemingly exhausted men leaped to their feet; the helmsman and our
+captain lay prostrate by blows dealt by our treacherous foes; the second
+mate and several of the men were knocked down; and before any of us had
+time to attempt even any defence of the brig, a set of desperadoes, of
+all colours and nations, were swarming down on her decks from the
+rigging of the schooner, while others, who had been concealed in the
+boat, sprang on board on the lee side.  Never was a surprise more
+complete, or treachery more vile.  In an instant we were helplessly in
+the power of as lawless a band of pirates as ever infested those seas.
+The captain and mates were first pinioned; the men were sharing the same
+treatment.  I was at the time forward, when, on looking aft, who should
+I see but Captain Hawk himself walking the deck of the brig as if he
+were her rightful commander!  He took off his hat with mock courtesy to
+poor Captain Searle, as he passed him.  "Ah, my dear sir, the fortune of
+war makes you my prisoner to-day," he said, in a sneering tone.
+"Another day, if my people do not insist on your walking the plank, you
+may hope, perhaps, to have the satisfaction of beholding me dangling at
+a yardarm.  By the bye, I owe you this turn, for you shipped on board
+your craft a lad who had engaged to sail with me; and I must have him
+forthwith back again, with a few other articles of your cargo which I
+happen to require."  As he said this, his eye fell on me, and he
+beckoned me towards him.  I saw that there was no use hanging back, so I
+boldly advanced.  "You are a pretty fellow, to desert your colours," he
+continued, laughing.  "You deserve to be treated as a deserter.
+However, I will have compassion on your youth, if you will swear to be
+faithful to me in future."
+
+"I never joined your vessel, so I am not a deserter.  I cannot swear to
+serve a man of whose character I know nothing, except that he has taken
+forcible possession of a peaceable trader."  I said this without
+hesitation or the least sign of fear.  The truth is, I felt too
+desperate to allow myself to consider what I said or did.
+
+"You are a brave young bantam," he answered laughingly.  "And though all
+the rest may hang or walk the plank, we will save you to afford us
+sport; so set your mind at rest on that point."
+
+"Thank you for my life, for I have no wish to lose it, I can assure
+you," I replied; "but don't suppose I am going to spend it in your
+service.  I shall do my best to get away from you as soon as possible."
+
+"Then we must tie you by a lanyard to the leg," he answered, without at
+all appearing angry.  "Here, Mark Anthony,"--he beckoned to a tall,
+ill-looking black who had been busy in securing the rest of the
+crew,--"take charge of this youngster, and render an account of him to
+me by and by, without a hair of his head injured, mind you."
+
+"Yes, sare," said the Roman general, who I afterwards found was a
+runaway slave from Kentucky.  "I'll not singe his whiskers even.  Come
+here, massa;" and seizing me by the shoulder, he dragged me forward away
+from the rest of the people.  "What's your name?" asked my black keeper,
+as he made me sit down on the bits of the bowsprit.
+
+"Peter, at your service, Mr Mark Anthony," said I in as fearless a
+voice as I could command; for having once taken a line of conduct which
+seemed to answer well, I determined to persevere in it.
+
+"Den, Massa Peter, you sit dere quiet," he said with a grin.  "I no
+break your skull, because Captain Hawk break mine if I do.  I no let
+anybody else hurt you for same reason."
+
+From his look and voice I certainly did not flatter myself that he
+refrained from throwing me overboard from any love he bore me; but, on
+the contrary, that he would have been much more gratefully employed in
+making me walk the plank, or in tricing me up to the foreyard.
+
+Meantime the pirates were busily employed in ransacking the vessel, and
+in transferring everything of value to them which they could find from
+her to their own schooner.  The captain and mates were threatened with
+instant death if they did not deliver up all the money they had on
+board; and even the crew were compelled to hand over to our captors the
+small sums they possessed.  To make them do this, they were knocked
+about and beaten unmercifully.  And even those who possessed watches and
+rings were deprived of them, as well as of any clothes which appeared
+worth taking.
+
+I had often read the history of pirates and of their bold exploits, till
+I almost fancied that I should like to become one, or, at all events,
+that I should like to encounter them.  But I can assure my friends that
+the reality was very different to the fiction; and as the hideous black
+was standing over me, ready every moment to knock out my brains, and my
+companions were suffering all sorts of ill-treatment, I most heartily
+wished that such gentry as pirates had not been allowed to exist.
+
+Though I tried to look as indifferent as possible, the black would have
+observed me trembling, had he not been watching to see what his friends
+were about, no doubt eager to obtain his share of the plunder.  The work
+the pirates were engaged in went on for some time, till even they had
+tolerably satiated their eagerness for booty; and then I fully expected
+to see them either heave my shipmates overboard as food for the sharks
+alongside, or hang them at the yardarms, and then set the ship on fire,
+as Mark Anthony insinuated, for my satisfaction, that they would do.
+Instead of this, to my surprise Captain Hawk went up to Captain Searle,
+and said, "I sent a message by that youngster there to you to look out
+for yourself, and I never threaten in vain.  He goes with me.  I want a
+good navigator; and as your second mate seems a likely sort of person, I
+shall take him also.  The rest of you may go free; but remember, that if
+any of you attempt to betray me, or to appear as witnesses against me,
+you will dearly pay for it."
+
+Our poor captain, who was almost ruined and heart-broken by the pillage
+of his ship, said nothing, but bowed his head on his breast, looking as
+if he would as soon have been killed outright.  The unfortunate mate,
+Abraham Jones, seemed horrified at hearing what his fate was to be; but
+he knew enough about the pirates to be aware that it would have been
+worse than useless to attempt to escape accompanying them.  He, however,
+took the precaution of calling on the crew of the _Susannah_ to bear
+witness that he was compelled through bodily fear and by force to join
+the pirates; and he made the best show of resistance that under the
+circumstances he could venture to do.
+
+From what I saw of him, I do not think that he had so great an objection
+to joining them as some men might have had.  Indeed, I confess that I
+was very wrong in doing so; and I feel that a person ought rather to
+sacrifice his life than consent to commit a crime, even though driven to
+it with a dagger at his throat.  However, both Jones and I fancied that
+the only chance of saving our own lives, and those of our shipmates, was
+by our going on board the schooner.
+
+"Remember, Captain Searle, if we get into any misfortune through you,
+these two will be the first to suffer, and then again I say, look out
+for yourself," exclaimed the chief pirate, as he quitted the deck of the
+_Susannah_.
+
+His people then hove her guns overboard, and removed the small arms on
+board their own craft, to which the mate and I were also transferred.
+They also cut the standing and running rigging, which would effectually
+prevent her from making sail for a long time to come.
+
+The first mate was next released, and was ordered to stand on the poop,
+on pain of being shot down if he attempted to move while the schooner
+was near.  Her boat was then hoisted in, she was cast off from the brig,
+and with a cheer of triumph from her crew, she stood away from the
+_Susannah_.
+
+The first mate wisely did as he was ordered; and it was not till we had
+got to such a distance that there was little fear of his being hit, that
+I saw him jump down to release his companions.  It was with a sense of
+misery and degradation I have never before experienced, that I watched
+till we lost sight of the unfortunate _Susannah_.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
+
+A week passed away on board the _Foam_.  Whereabouts we were I had no
+means of telling; for the captain kept me in his cabin, and would not
+allow me to go on deck without first asking his leave, nor would he
+permit me to communicate with Mr Jones.  He treated me very kindly, and
+even gave me books with which to amuse myself; but I was very far from
+happy.  I felt that the schooner might some day be captured by a ship of
+war, and that I might probably be hung as a pirate before I had an
+opportunity of establishing my innocence.  I also did not like to be a
+prisoner, even though I was kindly treated; and I thought that most
+probably, when Hawk found I would not join in any piratical acts, and I
+had resolved that nothing should compel me to do so, his behaviour would
+change, and that if I escaped with my life, I should no longer be
+treated as before.
+
+Abraham Jones had, I am sorry to say, as far as I was able to judge from
+appearances, taken readily enough to the office imposed on him, and on
+two occasions when I went on deck, I saw him doing duty as the officer
+of the watch.  My opinion of him was, that he would not have sought to
+become a pirate, but that, having no nice sense of right and wrong--
+finding himself thrust, as it were, into the life--he did not think it
+worth making any exertion to escape from it.
+
+Whether we went to the Havanah or not I did not know.  We certainly were
+once at anchor, and three times we either chased vessels or were chased
+by a superior force, from the eager tone in which the captain ordered
+sail to be made.  Once we fired several shots, and were fired at in
+return; and I suspect it must have been at some vessel on our beam
+chasing us, and that some of her rigging or her masts must have been cut
+away, from the loud cheers the pirates gave, perhaps they sunk the
+enemy.
+
+An hour afterwards, Hawk came down into the cabin, looking as cool and
+unconcerned as if nothing had happened.  I tried to gain some
+information from him, but he would answer none of my questions.  He only
+gave a ghastly smile when I asked if the vessel at which he had fired
+had sunk; and he then took up a book, in which he soon seemed to be
+deeply absorbed.  After some time the book dropped from his hand, and he
+sat for half-an-hour in a state of abstraction, unconscious of where he
+was, or who was present.
+
+He was roused by the black, Mark Anthony, putting his head in at the
+door and saying, "A sail on the lee bow."
+
+He sprang on deck in a moment, all life and activity.  Instantly all
+sail the schooner could carry was packed on her, and we were bowling
+along with a fine breeze in chase of the stranger.  This I could only
+surmise, however, by the way the vessel heeled over to the breeze, for I
+was still kept in the cabin.
+
+Presently Hawk came down again.  "Peter," he observed, "you have
+disappointed me.  I thought you would not be content to lead the idle
+life you do; I fancied you would like the excitement of the chase and
+the fight better than sitting alone in the cabin all day, like a young
+girl."
+
+"I am not content, Captain Hawk," I replied; "but a prisoner has no
+choice."
+
+"No one is allowed freedom on board here, unless he has taken the oaths
+of allegiance to the captain and our laws," he answered, looking
+steadfastly at me.
+
+"Nothing could induce me to take one or the other," I exclaimed; "so I
+suppose I shall remain a prisoner till you release me, or I die."
+
+He seemed to take my answer very calmly; and this encouraged me to
+proceed and to make an effort to obtain my freedom.
+
+"Captain Hawk," I said, "you have been very kind to me; and though I
+should have been willing to sail with you before I knew the character of
+your vessel, I am now most anxious to be put on shore; and if you will
+liberate me, I will swear most solemnly not to betray you, or any of
+those who sail with you."
+
+"We do not trust to the oaths of those who do not join us," he answered.
+"For your own sake, I must make you take part in the next capture we
+attempt, or else my people will begin to suspect that you are a mere
+coward, and even I shall be unable to protect you."
+
+"I am no coward, Captain Hawk, and that I will prove any time that I
+have an opportunity; but I do not choose to commit murder or robbery," I
+answered, in the same bold tone in which I usually spoke.
+
+"You use harsh terms, youngster, to one who could any moment order you
+to be hove to the sharks," exclaimed the pirate.  "However, I do not
+quarrel with you for speaking your mind.  I once thought as you do, but
+custom has altered my ideas."
+
+"Then why do you wish me to do what you know I must consider wrong?"  I
+asked.
+
+"Because I have a liking for you, and want a lad of spirit and education
+to be my companion," he replied.  "The old hands I cannot trust--they
+are as likely to turn against me as to serve me--while you, I know, will
+be faithful for awhile, till you get hardened like the rest, and then--"
+
+"And then," interrupting him, I said, "what would you do with me?  Give
+me as food for the sharks, I suppose?"
+
+"No, lad; I should let you live to fight your own way in the world, with
+a charge to keep out of my path," he replied.  "But that is not what I
+wanted to talk to you about.  You must come on deck and join in
+capturing the vessel we are in chase of, for we think she is likely to
+prove a prize of value."
+
+I am sorry to say that so heartily tired was I of remaining shut up in
+the cabin, that I was glad of being allowed, on any terms, to see what
+was going forward on deck.
+
+On this, I suspect, the pirate had calculated.  He well knew the force
+of the French proverb, "It is but the first step to crime which is
+difficult."  He wished me to take that first step, being assured that I
+should then be his.
+
+I thought when I went on deck that nothing would tempt me to take any
+part in the acts of the pirates, even as far as in assisting to navigate
+the vessel; but there is something so exciting in the chase of a vessel,
+that it is difficult not to wish to come up with her.  At first I stood
+merely looking on; but the breeze freshened and rather headed us, and
+Hawk issued an order to flatten in the fore-and-aft sails, and to brace
+up the yards.  I flew instinctively to the sheets, and found myself
+pulling and hauling with the rest.
+
+The captain made no remark, nor did he appear even to notice what I had
+done.  The wind was about south, and the chase was to the eastward of
+us, standing on a bowline she was a brig of some size, and at the first
+glance I thought she was a man-of-war; but Hawk pronounced her to be a
+Spaniard, and homeward bound from Cuba.  On hearing this, of course I
+knew that we must be somewhere to the eastward of that place, and this
+was the first intimation I had had of our whereabouts.
+
+The chase had not observed us, or if he had, seemed not to be at all
+suspicious of our character; for he was standing on under easy sail, as
+if in no way in a hurry to escape from us.
+
+Hawk, who was usually so calm and almost apathetic, walked the deck full
+of energy and excitement.  Every order he gave was uttered in a sharp,
+quick tone, which demanded instant obedience.  Every one partook of the
+same spirit; and there appeared to be as much discipline and regularity
+as on board a man-of-war.  Even the most lawless vagabonds find this
+necessary for the attainment of their ends and their own preservation.
+
+We rapidly came up with the chase, and were within about three miles of
+her, when she began, it seemed, to suspect that all was not right, for
+sail after sail was set on her till she could carry no more, while she
+edged away a little from her course, so as to allow every one of them to
+draw properly.  This threw us soon completely to windward, for we held
+on the same course as before, and she appeared at first to be recovering
+her lost ground.  In a short time we also kept away with the wind almost
+abeam, a point on which the _Foam_ sailed her best.
+
+"Huzza, my lads!" exclaimed Hawk; "in a short time the chase will be
+ours, and, if I mistake not, plenty of gold doubloons into the bargain,
+if you can but make our craft walk along faster."
+
+"Huzza!" shouted the English and American part of the crew, in which the
+people of other nations joined in their peculiar cries.
+
+The brig once more hauled her wind, and this brought us soon nearer
+again to her.
+
+Hawk thought it was because the captain saw indications of a shift of
+wind, and hoped to be placed well to windward.  He was scrutinising her
+narrowly through a telescope.  "She does not show any guns," he
+remarked; "but it is no reason that she has not got them.  Get all ready
+for action, in case she should prove a Tartar."
+
+I scarcely knew what I was about; but I confess that I not only assisted
+to hand up the powder and shot, but to load and run out the guns.
+
+Neither of us made any further variation in our course; but the chase
+was, it appeared, a very slow sailer, for we so rapidly came up with
+her, that five hours after she was seen she was within range of our
+guns.  She did not fire, nor did we; for supposing her to be unarmed,
+Hawk was anxious to capture her without in any way injuring her hull or
+cargo.  We sailed on, therefore, as if we were engaged in a friendly
+race; and no one, by looking at us, could have supposed that we were
+deadly enemies.
+
+We were getting very near to the chase, and with our telescopes could
+almost distinguish the faces of those on board, when I observed Abraham
+Jones, the new second mate of the _Foam_, hurry aft to the captain with
+a face pale as a ghost.  Hawk laughed and shook his head incredulously.
+Jones seemed from his manner to be insisting that he was right, for I
+did not hear what he said.  Still we stood on till the chase was within
+the distance of half the range of our guns.  I was again aft.  "Hoist
+our bunting to make him show his colours," I heard Hawk say; "and give
+him a shot from our bow-chaser to hurry him."
+
+Directly afterwards a broad red flag, without any device, was run up at
+our peak, and with a spout of smoke a shot went flying over the water,
+and with a crash which made the splinters fly it struck the dark sides
+of the brig.  The effect was instantaneous, and such as was little
+expected by the pirates.
+
+A flag was run up to the gaff of the brig; but instead of the Spanish
+ensign, the stars and stripes of the United States were displayed; and
+the ports being opened as if by magic, eight guns were run out, and
+luffing up, she let fly her broadside right into our bows.  The shot
+tore up our decks, and knocked away part of our starboard bulwarks,
+killing two of the people, and wounding three more, but without injuring
+our rigging.  Then I saw what sort of men I was mingling with.  I cannot
+describe the fierce rage which took possession of them, the oaths and
+execrations to which they gave vent.  The bodies of the two men who were
+killed, while yet warm, were thrown overboard directly they were found
+to be dead, and the wounded were dragged below, and left without a
+surgeon or anyone to attend on them.  Instead of the timid Spanish
+merchantman we expected to get alongside, we found that this vessel was
+no other than a United States man-of-war sent to look out for the
+_Foam_--in fact, that we had caught a Tartar.  Hawk, to do him justice,
+stood undaunted, his energies rising with the occasion, keeping away a
+little, so as to get our broadside to bear, we fired in return, and the
+guns being planted high, some of the running rigging was cut away, and
+her fore-topmast was struck, and must have been badly wounded, for some
+hands instantly were seen going aloft to fish it.
+
+"About ship, my lads--down with the helm; and while she's in stays, give
+Uncle Sam our larboard broadside."
+
+The sails of the schooner were well full; she quickly came round, and
+before the brig could follow our example, we sent the shot from our
+whole broadside flying among her rigging.  A loud shout of exultation
+from our pirate crew showed their satisfaction at the damage they had
+done; for several spars and sails, with blocks and ropes, were seen
+coming down by the run on deck.
+
+"Now, my lads, let's up stick and away," cried Hawk.  "They thought,
+doubtless, that they were sure of us; but we'll show them that the
+_Foam_ is not to be caught so easily."
+
+All hands who could be spared from the guns, and I among the rest, flew
+to their stations to trim sails; the yards were braced sharp up, and
+with her head to the south-west, the _Foam_ stood away on a bowline from
+her powerful antagonist.  We were not to escape, however, with impunity;
+for as soon as the brig's crew had somewhat recovered from the confusion
+into which the damage done by our shot had thrown them, such guns as
+could be brought to bear were fired at us with no bad aim.  One struck
+our taffrail, and another killed a man on the forecastle; but our
+rigging escaped.  Twice the brig missed stays in attempting to come
+about, from so much of her head-sail having been cut away; and this, as
+she all the time was sailing one way and we the other, contributed much
+to increase our distance.  The breeze also favoured us further by
+freshening, making it more difficult to the enemy to repair damages,
+while, as we were unhurt, it sent us along all the more rapidly.  The
+Americans are not the people to take the treatment we had given them
+with calmness, especially as we were so much the smaller, and had less
+force.  At last, at a third trial, the brig came about, while she
+continued without cessation firing at us.  Not much damage was done,
+though our sails had daylight made through them several times by her
+shot, and another man was killed; but this casualty the pirates seemed
+to make light of--it was the fortune of war, and might happen every
+instant to any of us.  The bodies, with scant examination, except to
+discover whether there was money in their pockets, or rings in their
+ears or on their fingers, were thrown overboard without a prayer or a
+sigh.  As the shot came whistling over us, they laughed when they saw me
+bobbing down my head in the hope of avoiding them.  I had no fancy, I
+own, to be shot by people with whom I had not the slightest enmity, nor
+whom I in any way wished to injure.
+
+We soon found that the brig-of-war, instead of being a slow sailer, was
+remarkably fast, and that, while we were in chase of her, she must, by
+towing a sail overboard, or by some other manoeuvre, have deadened her
+way, on purpose to allow us to come up with her.  We had now, therefore,
+to put the schooner's best leg foremost to get away from her, even
+before she had got all her gear aloft again.  To try and do her further
+damage, a gun was got over the taffrail, and a constant fire was kept up
+from it as fast as it could be loaded.
+
+I was standing in the waist with the black, Mark Anthony, near me.
+"Well, Massa Peter, if de brig catch we, we all be hung; how you like
+dat?" he asked, with a broad grin, which made him look far from
+pleasing.
+
+"I should be sorry to see any of those who have treated me with kindness
+hung, or otherwise injured," I replied.
+
+"See!  Ha, ha! but how you like feel being hung, Massa Peter?" he said,
+again grinning more horribly than before.
+
+"Why, I have no fear of that sort, Mr Mark, I can assure you," I
+replied; though I confess the disagreeable idea did come across me, that
+I might possibly not be able to prove that I was not a pirate should we
+be captured.  "I have had nothing to do with any of the acts committed
+by the crew of this vessel."
+
+"Ho, ho, ho!" he exclaimed, "den you no pull and haul, and help work de
+guns which fire at de sip of war? me swear me saw you myself.  Ho, ho,
+ho!"
+
+The black's laughter sounded almost demoniacal in my ears.  He spoke the
+truth, too: I had indeed helped to work the guns; and on the strength of
+it, like a tempter to evil, he was endeavouring to persuade me, in his
+rough way, to join the pirates.  I did not think it prudent to show him
+that I clearly saw his aim; but I resolved still to remain firm.
+
+The evening was now drawing on, and fortunately the breeze did not drop.
+I confess that I was just as anxious to escape from our pursuer as any
+pirate on board; scarcely more so, perhaps, than the new mate, who had
+guessed the character of the brig, and had no fancy for having his
+career cut short so soon.
+
+The brig did not fire at us, as to do so she would have had to yaw and
+thus lose ground, while we continued to ply her with our long gun.  Her
+fore-topsail could not be set while the mast was being fished.  An
+attempt was now made to hoist it; but the breeze at that instant
+strengthening, away went the mast, rigging and sail together.  A loud
+cheer arose from our decks: a parting shot was given her from our gun,
+and in two hours darkness hid her from our sight.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
+
+I dreamed all night that I was in the hands of the Americans, with a
+rope round my neck and about to be run up at the yardarm.  I felt the
+practical inconvenience of associating with bad company.  As soon as I
+awoke I went on deck, for Hawk no longer placed any restriction on my
+movements.  I fully expected to see the brig-of-war in chase of us.  I
+own I felt somewhat relieved when, on looking round, not a sail of any
+description was to be seen, and the schooner was still bowling along
+with a brisk breeze on a westerly course.
+
+Towards evening we sighted land, towards which our course was altered.
+We ran on, and by marks, which I could not distinguish, steered between
+coral banks, till on a sudden I found that we were entering a lagoon,
+with trees towering on either side high above our top mast heads.  The
+wind dropped completely as we got within the passage, and the boats were
+sent ahead to tow.  Hawk ordered me into one of them, and I saw no
+reason to disobey; indeed, I felt that it would be very foolish not to
+do my best to please him in matters unconnected with piracy.
+
+The sky was clear overhead, and the stars shone down and were reflected,
+as in a mirror, on the otherwise ink-black water of the lagoon.  As we
+pulled ahead, we appeared to be passing through a narrow canal, with
+lofty impenetrable walls on either side, while in the centre rose before
+our eyes the phantom-like outline of the schooner, her topmast heads and
+rigging alone being seen against the sky above the dark shadows of the
+trees.  The splash of our oars was the only sound which broke the dead
+silence which reigned in this sequestered spot; while the only light,
+except from the glittering stars above us, was from the phosphorescent
+flashes as the blades entered the water, and the golden drops again fell
+into their parent element.  On looking on that gloomy surface, it seemed
+as improbable that anything so bright should come from it as that sparks
+of real fire should be emitted from the hard flint-stone.  Mat Hagan, an
+Irishman, who pulled the bow oar in my boat, declared that our oars were
+throwing up to the sky again the reflection of the stars, which had no
+business to be there at all.
+
+We pulled on for about half-an-hour, and then a sort of bay or bight
+appearing on one side, we brought the vessel into it, and moored her
+stem and stern fast to the trees.  There she lay so completely
+concealed, that any one passing up the canal could not by any
+possibility have seen her, even in broad daylight.
+
+Here we lay for several days, repairing damages and refitting the ship.
+Where we were I could not learn from any one on board; but I suspected
+that we were in one of the numberless keys among the Bahama or Lucaya
+Islands; and I had afterward reason to know that I was right.
+
+Some of the booty taken by the pirates was landed, as, on account of the
+marks on the bales and other signs, it was likely to lead to their
+detection should they attempt to dispose of it in its present form.
+Some of the things were hid away; the others, after undergoing various
+operations, were re-shipped with such perfectly different marks, that it
+would have been impossible to detect them.  Cunning and trickery seemed
+to be now the means taken by the pirates to carry on their operations,
+instead of the bold, daring way in which, as I had read, their
+predecessors formerly plundered the honest trader.
+
+Hawk ordered me to lend a hand in refitting the schooner, so I made
+myself as useful as my knowledge would allow.  I had begun, to entertain
+a hope of escaping when the pirates were off their guard and fancied
+that I had become reconciled to my lot.  It was against my nature to be
+in any way treacherous, and I most certainly would not have injured
+Hawk, on account of the kindness with which he had treated me; but, at
+the same time, I did not feel that I was acting wrongly in concealing
+from him my wish to regain the liberty of which he had deprived me.
+
+One morning, while the yards were still on deck and the sails unbent,
+notice was given from our look-out at the mouth of the lagoon that a
+sail was in sight, about two miles in the offing.
+
+"What is she?" asked Hawk of the messenger.
+
+"A barque, deeply laden, captain," replied the man, who was an old
+pirate.  "To my mind she looks as if she would not make a bad prize, if
+we could get hold of her; and, as the wind is dropping, and it will be
+some time before the sea-breeze sets in, I think there will not be much
+difficulty in doing that."
+
+The captain was pleased at his follower's suggestion; indeed, he would
+have risked the loss of his authority had he refused to attend to it.
+The men were ordered to knock off work, and to get the boats ready,
+while, those who were away in the interior of the little island were
+recalled to lend their assistance.  Every one was instantly all life and
+animation: with the prospect of making a prize, even the most sluggish
+were aroused.
+
+There were three boats, which were soon launched, and oars, arms, and
+provisions were placed in them.  To my surprise, Hawk gave the command
+of them to Abraham Jones, he himself remaining to take charge of the
+schooner.  From what I heard, I found that the pirates expected no
+difficulty or danger in making the capture.
+
+I, of course, hoped that I should have nothing to do in the matter.
+What was my horror, then, when Hawk ordered me into the boats, and my
+old enemy--for I cannot call him my friend--Mark Anthony, was told to
+keep me company!  I do not know whether this was Hawk's wish, or the
+desire of the men, who did not like to trust me till I had been guilty
+of some piratical act.  At first I hesitated about obeying; but I soon
+saw, by the angry looks which were cast at me, that I was doing so at
+the peril of my life; and at the same instant it struck me, that if I
+went, I might by some means or other obtain my liberty.
+
+The boats were one long-boat, which pulled eight oars, and carried in
+all sixteen men, and two large swift-rowing gigs.  Jones took command of
+the long-boat, and I was in one of the gigs.  In silence we left the
+vessel on our nefarious errand--in silence we pulled down the canal with
+steady and slow strokes, for while the wind held there was no hurry.
+When we got close to the mouth of the harbour, the boat I was in was
+sent out to reconnoitre.
+
+The stranger was apparently beating up along shore, towards which her
+head was now pointed, those who directed her movements little aware of
+the danger which threatened them.  After waiting a short time, during
+which she had drawn nearer to us, her sails began to flap against the
+masts, and the ripple which had been playing on the water disappeared
+altogether.  With the last breath of wind she was put about, and
+attempted to stand off shore; but she was very soon left in what is
+called the "doldrums," namely, without steerage-way.
+
+I had been watching her attentively.  I thought from the first I knew
+her; and I now felt certain that she was no other than the ship of which
+I was in search, the _Mary_.  With bitter grief I came to this
+conclusion; for I could not but fear that my friends were on board her,
+and that Captain Dean and his sweet child would be thrown into the hands
+of the pirates.  What, too, would they think of me?  Would they believe
+me innocent when they saw me in such company?  A thought came cross my
+mind at that instant; I would pretend not to recognise them.  At all
+risks, I would make the pirates suppose that I joined willingly in this
+expedition, and perhaps I might be the means of preserving their lives,
+at all events, if not their property.  Perhaps, I thought, my steps
+might have been led providentially through the various adventures in
+which I had engaged for this very purpose.  The very idea made my heart
+beat quick with a sensation almost of joy.  I did not see how it was to
+be accomplished; but I felt assured that the Power which had hitherto
+guided me would point out the way.
+
+When the officer of the boat I was in saw the barque becalmed, he gave
+the signal to our consort, and without further delay we three pulled out
+together towards her.
+
+For some time no one on board appeared to have observed us.  At last
+some one saw us, and two or three glasses were directed towards us; but
+we did not seem to have created any alarm or even suspicion among them.
+Thus we were enabled to approach without any preparation having been
+made to prevent our getting on board.  When it was too late, probably
+from the eagerness with which they saw us dash alongside, they suspected
+that all was not right, and a few of the hands ran to the arm-chest,
+while others attempted to slue round one of the two guns the barque
+carried, and to point it down at the boats.  Before they could do so, we
+were scrambling up her sides.
+
+"Oh, oh, Massa Peter, you hurry enough now to turn pirate, when you tink
+someting to be got!" shouted Mark Anthony, as he saw my eagerness to be
+one of the first on deck.
+
+The cutter boarded on one side, the two gigs on the other--one at the
+fore-rigging, the other at the mizzen-chains; so that the crew had to
+separate into three divisions to oppose us.  The crew thus weakened, the
+people from the long-boat gained easily a footing on deck.  They drove
+the crew aft, who were now attacked in the rear by the party from one of
+the gigs.  I was in the foremost gig, and we had no one to oppose us.
+The only defence made was by the master, his mates, and two of the crew,
+who had secured cutlasses.  They stood together on the larboard side of
+the poop, and boldly refused to yield up the ship, till they knew the
+authority of those attacking her.
+
+I saw at a glance that my fears were well founded.  There stood my kind
+friend, Captain Dean, and, in the centre of the group, his sweet little
+daughter, Mary.  Oh, how I wished to have the strength of a hundred men,
+to drive all the pirates into their boats, and to release my friends!
+
+No sooner had I appeared above the bulwarks than Mary saw me.  She
+uttered a cry of surprise, for she recognised me at once.  It attracted
+her father's attention.  His cutlass was struck from his grasp by Jones,
+the two mates were knocked down, and all further resistance was at an
+end.
+
+This easy victory prevented the pirates from being as bloodthirsty as
+they might otherwise have proved; but, as a precautionary measure, Jones
+ordered both the officers and crew to be bound to the masts and rigging
+while the ship was being searched.
+
+I had rushed aft, in the hopes of being of some assistance to Captain
+Dean should he have required it--how, I scarcely knew.  I thought I
+would have interposed my body, should a sword have been raised to strike
+him: When I saw him no longer making any defence and uninjured, I
+stopped, and was endeavouring to turn away to consider what I should do;
+but Mary's eye had followed me, and, as she saw me approaching, she
+uttered my name in his ear.  On losing his sword, he had thrown himself
+on one of the hen-coops placed against the bulwarks, where he lay,
+clasping his child in his arms; and even the pirates seemed to respect
+him, for no one molested him.
+
+Most of the pirates were engaged in dragging the prisoners to the masts
+to bind them.  Jones had gone into the cabin.  I saw that no one was
+observing me.  I hurried past my old friends.  "Hush," I whispered, in a
+voice they could just hear; "I am honest still.  Do not recognise me--I
+will save you if I can!"
+
+"I knew he was true and good," said Mary, kissing her father, and trying
+to turn her eyes from me.
+
+What courage did her words give me!  That sweet child's trusting
+friendship was a reward for all I had suffered.  I resolved to abstain
+still from the evil courses to which my companions were endeavouring to
+lead me.  I gave a glance over the stern, as if I had been looking to
+see what had become of the gig which had boarded at that end of the
+ship, and I again passed my friends without noticing them.  I guessed
+that Mark Anthony would have been watching me, and I was right.
+
+"What, you like pirating, Massa Peter!  You run about like little dog,
+quite frisky--not know what to do," he remarked, with a grin.  He was
+fond of giving things their proper names.  Jones would have been
+horrified at being called a pirate; and even Hawk did not like the term,
+though in his bitter moments he used it.
+
+"I have no help for it," I answered, with, I hope, excusable duplicity.
+"The fact is, Mark, I had formed a wrong opinion of you gentlemen; and
+in future I hope to make as bold a robber as the best of you."
+
+"Berry good, berry good, my boy!" said the black, grasping my fist with
+his huge rough hand.  "Me tell Captain Hawk, Massa Peter now take oath."
+I had not thought of that dreadful ceremony when I boasted of being
+ready to turn pirate; and, as I had a true idea of the sacredness of an
+oath, I knew that I must be betrayed if I was asked to take it, by
+refusing, as I must, to do so.
+
+Jones now came out of the cabin, and went up to the captain.  "Captain
+Dean," he said, "for such, I find, is your name, you must order your
+people into the boats, to tow this vessel close in shore, where you must
+anchor, to discharge some of your cargo."
+
+"I have no longer command of this vessel," replied the captain; "if the
+people choose to obey you, I have no power to prevent them."
+
+"We have the means of making them do what we please, though," exclaimed
+Abraham Jones.  "Here, you, get your boats into the water, and tow us
+ahead."  He pointed to several of the Mary's crew, who were released,
+and compelled by the pirates to do as he ordered.  The pirates'
+long-boat also went ahead, to assist in towing; while four men were
+stationed at the bows with muskets in their hands, to fire on the boats
+should they attempt to escape.  The rest who remained, I zealously
+assisting them, cleaved and brailed up the sails.  When ordered by
+Jones, I, without hesitation, seized a musket and pointed it at the
+boats.
+
+Captain Dean, still holding Mary in his arms, sat aft, without moving.
+He seemed completely stunned with the blow which had fallen on him, for
+the cruel robbery would prove his ruin.
+
+It was an arduous operation, towing the vessel in; for a current set
+along shore, it seemed, and drifted her to the southward of the entrance
+to the lagoon.  I have before described the heat of a tropical sun; and
+very hot work indeed was this towing.  But more particularly
+disagreeable was it for the crew of the barque, who could not tell but,
+at the end of it, their lives might be sacrificed by their captors;
+while the pirates, on the contrary, had the satisfaction of having a
+rich booty in store.  At last, after five hours' incessant labour, we
+got, as near as the depth of water would allow, to the mouth of the
+harbour, and the anchor was dropped to the bottom.
+
+Overcome by the heat, the pirates now came out of the boats, and,
+rushing below, brought a spirit cask on deck, which they forthwith
+broached.  I trembled for the consequences.  Jones did all he could to
+prevent their becoming intoxicated; but they only laughed and jeered at
+him, and asked who made him an officer over them.
+
+I ought to have said that, as soon as the barque had anchored, those of
+her crew who were in their boats were turned adrift without oars or
+masts or sails, or anything to guide them, and allowed to float wherever
+the current might carry them.  As it happened, there was but little
+current there, and consequently they remained but a short distance off,
+afraid to attempt either to regain the ship or to reach the shore.
+
+Louder and louder grew the mirth of the pirates, and wilder their looks
+and gestures, as the powerful liquor they were swallowing took effect on
+their brains.  I saw Mary cling closer to her father in fear and
+trembling, all the time watching me with furtive glances, lest she
+should be observed by her captors.  I kept my musket in my hand,
+pretending to be watching the boats; and as they were now astern, I came
+aft for that purpose.  What might have been the result of the prolonged
+orgies of the pirates it is impossible to say; but just as two or three
+had begun to stagger on their feet, and, with their knives in their
+hands, to cast their bloodshot eyes round as if looking for some victim
+for their insane fury, a small boat shot out of the harbour and rapidly
+approached the ship.
+
+In a few minutes Captain Hawk stood on the deck of the prize, just in
+time to prevent one of his men from killing the first mate of the
+vessel, who remained all the time bound to the mast.  He then turned
+fiercely on Jones, and reprimanded him for not having restrained the
+people more effectually.  With a blow of his fist he knocked down the
+three most drunken of his followers, and the rest appeared instantly
+sobered.  Without a murmur they threw the remainder of the spirits
+over-board, and under his directions commenced hoisting out such part of
+the cargo as he considered most valuable.
+
+Captain Dean was not molested; nor was any notice taken of the boats
+which were drifting in shore, and would, I hoped, reach it, and thus
+enable the crews to find means by which to return to the ship, and
+perhaps to escape.  On a sudden it seemed to strike some of the pirates
+that there was no use working while there were people they could compel
+to work for them; and to my sorrow two armed boats were instantly sent
+off to tow back the two which were drifting away.  Resistance was vain,
+so the poor fellows were compelled to work in hoisting the cargo out of
+their own ship, and afterwards in pulling up the lagoon to the schooner.
+When I saw that the pirates allowed the strangers to see their place of
+concealment, I trembled for the fate of the latter, and feared greatly
+that the result would be their destruction, to prevent their discovering
+it to others.
+
+The boats were all away, and six of the pirates, with Captain Hawk and
+myself, were the only persons besides the prisoners who remained on
+board.  Hawk had observed my apparent zeal, I suspect, for he said to
+me, "I am glad to see that you are overcoming your foolish scruples,
+Peter; and to show the confidence I place in you, I will give you charge
+of the old master and his daughter.  Take care they do not communicate
+with any of the other prisoners or assist, to release them."
+
+My heart leaped within me at the chance thus offered of assisting my
+friends; at the same time I considered whether I ought to betray the
+confidence placed in me.
+
+"I'll keep an eye on them, sir," I answered evasively, and at the same
+time I took my post opposite to them, with my musket in my hand.  I
+observed that Mary turned her head away from me, lest Hawk should
+observe the satisfaction she felt at this arrangement.  Hawk afterwards,
+with all his followers, went below to make a more minute examination of
+the nature of the cargo.
+
+As soon as they had disappeared, I ran up to Mary and her father.  I
+knelt down; I kissed their hands, and with tears in my eyes assured them
+that I had been long looking for them, and was guiltless of willingly
+joining the pirates.  "I will risk my life to liberate you," I added.
+"Be constantly on the watch for whatever may occur.  Perhaps to-night
+something may favour our projects; perhaps it may be weeks before I find
+the means of aiding you."
+
+"I knew you would, I knew you would," exclaimed Mary.  "Father, Peter
+will help us to escape."  Captain Dean, by a strong effort, roused
+himself from the state of stupor into which he was near falling.  He
+took my hand and grasped it tightly.
+
+"Peter," he said, "I will trust you, though appearances are solely
+against you.  For the sake of humanity--for this sweet child's sake--I
+pray that you will not deceive us."
+
+I again assured him that I was true, and that, when I had time, I would
+explain how it all had happened; and then, fearful of being seen, I
+retired to my post to act sentinel as before.
+
+On Hawk's returning on deck, he ordered Captain Dean and Mary into the
+cabin below, and told them that they must remain there till he had
+determined what should be done with the ship.  My poor friend obeyed
+without a murmur, and, taking Mary by the hand, conducted her to his
+state-room, into which he entered and closed the door.  I heard him say,
+while I was still close to it, "Kneel, my child, kneel, and pray to God
+to protect us."
+
+The boats had made only two trips to the shore before it was dark, and
+still very much of the property the pirates wished to appropriate
+remained on board.  When they returned for the last time, there were
+various discussions as to what should be done with the vessel.  Some
+were for landing everything of value, and then burning her; others
+proposed scuttling her, with her people on board; a few suggested that
+they might be allowed to escape in their boats, as there was little
+probability of their ever reaching land; while the most humane voted for
+allowing the ship to depart when they had taken all they required out of
+her.
+
+Most of the pirates returned to the schooner for the night, leaving the
+prisoners, with the third mate and a small guard, including me, in
+charge of them.  Just before he left the vessel, Hawk called me aside.
+
+"I leave you on board of the prize, Peter," he said, "because, though
+you are young and untried, yet you have more of humanity about you than
+the rest of my followers, and I can place more confidence in you.  I
+must, however, have you take the oath of our band, to the effect that
+you will not desert the ship, betray a comrade, or separate from the
+rest till our compact is dissolved by mutual agreement."
+
+I thought, as seriously and as rapidly as I could, whether such an oath
+would not only preclude my own escape, but prevent me from assisting my
+friends.  "It must effectually bind me to the pirates, and probably
+cause my death; but if I refuse to take it, I shall lose all chance of
+aiding Captain Dean and Mary, so for their sakes I will do as I am
+asked."  I told Hawk I would no longer refuse to take the oath he
+proposed.
+
+"Then swear," he said, repeating it, while a number of the pirates
+gathered round.
+
+"I swear," I said, in a voice which must, I thought, betray my emotion.
+The pirates cheered and welcomed me as a brother among them.  At that
+instant a peal of thunder echoed along the rocks of the shore, and vivid
+lightning darted from the sky.
+
+I presumptuously thought at the time that the anger of Heaven was thus
+shown for the crime I had committed.  I trembled violently; and had it
+not been dark, my confusion would have been discovered.  The pirates
+were, however, in a hurry to depart, and, stepping into their boats,
+which were again deeply laden, they pulled up the harbour, leaving me
+and my companions in charge of the ship and twice as many prisoners as
+we ourselves numbered.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
+
+I did not go to sleep, it may be supposed, but walked the deck,
+considering what I should do.  I had never spoken much with the third
+mate, who was now commanding officer; and I felt less inclination than
+ever to enter into conversation with him, so I only went near him when I
+was obliged to do so, to report that all was right.
+
+He was a surly ruffian, in no way superior to the rest of the people,
+except that, from having been at sea all his life, he was a tolerable
+seaman.  It was with some difficulty that I gained permission from him
+to carry some food and water to the prisoners, or I believe he would
+have allowed them to starve.  I dared not tell them that I was a friend,
+lest some might incautiously betray me.  Wherever I went, also, Mark
+Anthony followed, and narrowly watched my proceedings.  I observed him,
+though I pretended not to do so, and was trying to devise some means of
+lulling the suspicions he evidently still entertained of me.
+
+The mate's name was John Pinto, a Portuguese by birth, though he said he
+was an American, and he spoke English well.  I knew that he was addicted
+to liquor, when he could indulge in it without fear of the consequences.
+I had found several bottles of fine old Jamaica rum in the cabin, so I
+brought one up on deck, with a monkey full of cool water, and saying
+that I was very thirsty after the day's work, and must have a glass,
+asked him if he would have one also.  He consented, and I poured him out
+a stiff tumblerful, the strength of which was concealed by the coolness
+of the water.
+
+"Very good indeed," he growled out.  "Peter, you understand these
+things; give me another."  I did so, and made it even stronger than the
+first.  He liked it accordingly even better, and took several others in
+quick succession.  I was not afraid of his growing furious, for, from
+the nature of the man, I knew that he would only become stupid, and
+finally would fall asleep.  With much satisfaction I saw this effect
+take place.
+
+"Now I am commanding officer," I thought, "and I will see what is next
+to be done."  Just as I had thought this, and had stood up to look
+around me, I felt the hot breeze coming off the land.  An idea struck
+me, if I could but liberate the prisoners, they might run the vessel far
+away to sea before the morning, and out of the reach of the pirates.
+
+How to accomplish this was the next thought.  Go with them I could not,
+on account of my oath, and I was also bound to the rest.  There was a
+sentry placed before Captain Dean's cabin.  I determined to make him
+tipsy also, I had recourse to the old rum, and with the same effect it
+had on the mate.  Two men walked the deck near the main hatchway, the
+other four were forward.  The prisoners were in the hold, and my great
+difficulty was to get to them.
+
+I went on deck to watch the two men.  They were sitting down, and I had
+hopes were asleep.  Mark Anthony, whom I most feared, was forward.  The
+night had become very dark, so I went close to them without being
+perceived, and I could distinguish by the tones of their voices that all
+four were talking together.  On this I crept back to the cabin.  The
+sentry was snoring in complete insensibility, so I dragged him on one
+side, and tapped softly at the door of the state-cabin.
+
+"It is Peter," I whispered.  "Open the door, I have something to say."
+Mary knew my voice, and opened it before I had done speaking, for I had
+unlocked it from the outside.
+
+"Captain Dean," I said, in a hurried tone, "the wind is off the shore;
+two of your guards are unconscious from drink; and if I can but make the
+rest so, or you can manage to overpower them, you may regain possession
+of your vessel.  I can neither assist you further, nor can I accompany
+you, for at all risks I must return to the schooner."
+
+"Oh no, no," exclaimed Mary, "you must go with us; we cannot leave you
+behind with those dreadful men."
+
+"I have taken an oath, Mary, and I must remain," I replied.  "But have
+no fears for me.  I shall, I trust, finally escape from the toils which
+surround me, and we may meet again."  For some time I continued in the
+same strain, and finally succeeded in winning her over to my view of the
+case.  I had less difficulty in persuading her father that there was no
+other chance of escape; and I urged on him the duty he owed to his
+owners as well as to his child, if not to himself.
+
+With several bottles of old rum I returned on deck, and with one in my
+hand I sat myself down near the two men guarding the hatchway.
+
+"The mate finds this stuff very good," said I; "will you take a glass?"
+They did not say no, but pronounced it excellent.
+
+"The rest should not be kept out of their share," I remarked; "I'll take
+them some."  To this they would not agree; and wishing to keep it all to
+themselves, drank it down much faster than they would otherwise have
+done.  I took the empty bottle away, and put a full one in its place,
+much to their surprise, for they did not suspect my trick.  Favouring my
+design, the others heard them praising the rum, and asked them what they
+were about.  I instantly ran forward with two bottles.
+
+"They have got some spirits which they think very good, and I have
+brought you some bottles.  There are several more stowed away somewhere
+on deck, and if I can find them I will bring them to you."
+
+"Bear a hand and bring them to us, but do not let Pinto see you, or he
+will be laying an embargo on them," said one of the men in a low voice,
+thinking the mate might hear him.
+
+In a short time all the pirates, including even Mark Anthony, were lying
+about the decks in a state of helpless intoxication.
+
+With my knees trembling with agitation, I hurried aft, and told Captain
+Dean what had occurred.  Leaving Mary in the cabin, he accompanied me on
+deck, and we instantly set to work to get the hatches off.  We
+succeeded, and, going below, found the mates and crew, most of them
+overcome with fatigue, fast asleep.  It was the work of a minute to
+rouse them up, to explain what had happened, and to cut loose the
+lanyards with which they were secured.
+
+I told them that they must make a simultaneous rush on deck; that they
+must bind me with the rest of the pirates; that they must put us into a
+boat with a couple of small sculls, just to enable us to reach the
+shore; and that they must then cut their cable, and get to sea as fast
+as possible.
+
+"I do not see what should prevent us from carrying all hands off
+prisoners," said the first mate.  The idea that they might do so had not
+occurred to me.  I wished most cordially that they would, but my oath
+made it incumbent on me to return if I had the power.
+
+"We must do as this young man requires," said Captain Dean.  "We will
+abide by his decision."
+
+"Then I must beg that you will without delay put me and my companions
+into a boat, and be off yourselves," I answered, with a sinking heart.
+
+I crept first on deck, and lay down among the men forward.  Presently
+the crew rushed on deck, and in a few minutes the previous order of
+things was completely reversed, and the pirates were bound and floating
+helplessly in a boat by themselves.  The black, who was near me, was the
+only one who was aroused, and he saw me being bound like himself.  He
+would have cried out, but a gag thrust into his mouth effectually
+prevented him.
+
+With mingled feelings of pain and joy I saw, through the gloom, the
+sails of the _Mary_ drop from their yards, and her cable being cut, she
+glided away into the obscurity of the distance.  I uttered a prayer for
+the safety of those on board.  I had no fears for myself; but I confess
+I wished that, notwithstanding my protestations, Captain Dean had
+forcibly detained me, though I, of course, was compelled to insist on
+being treated like the rest of the pirates, and he, not knowing my real
+wish, thought he was bound to do as I desired.  Mary was all the time
+below, or her keen perception would have saved me, as she would have
+insisted on keeping me, in spite of myself.  I repeated the oath I had
+taken over and over again, and I did not find that it in any way
+prevented me from liberating the prize.  That any one would dream of
+doing such a thing had, I suppose, never occurred to its framers.
+
+It was broad daylight before any of the people came to their senses.
+The black had been all the time, in a degree, awake, though his
+intellects were not very bright; he, however, had been too tightly bound
+hand and foot to move, while his mouth was too securely gagged to allow
+him to cry out.  I arose with pretended difficulty; I saw his keen eye
+glaring on me.  I looked over the gunwale: the _Mary_ was nowhere to be
+seen.  She had then escaped, and I returned thanks to Heaven for her
+safety.
+
+The boat had been driven by the wind some way out to sea, and it
+occurred to me that there was a great probability of our being starved
+before we could regain the shore, should we not be seen by the
+schooner's crew.  This idea gave way to the picture which presented
+itself of the rage and disappointment of the pirates when they found
+that their prize had escaped.
+
+"They will wreak their vengeance on us all, perhaps--on my head
+especially, if it is suspected that I had a hand in liberating the
+prisoners.  How can I avoid being suspected?  The mate will recollect
+that I brought the rum to him; so will the others.  They will compare
+notes, and I shall be accused of having plotted with the crew of the
+_Mary_.  It will be asserted that I intended to accompany them, and to
+claim a reward--perhaps to bring a ship of war to the spot--and that
+they had played me false in placing me in the boat.  It will not be
+supposed that I might have escaped, but would not break my oath.  My
+condition is indeed perilous."
+
+I was right in that respect.  Never, perhaps, had I been in such
+imminent danger; but I forgot at the time that there is a higher Power
+ever watchful over men, and that it will assuredly protect those who act
+rightly.
+
+Oh, let me urge my young friends, in their course through life, always
+to do what they know is right, fearless of consequences: let no
+consideration whatever induce them to act otherwise.  They may not--
+probably do not--see the way by which they are to be preserved, but God,
+in His good time, will show it to them; or if they are exposed in
+consequence to suffering, will not fail, beyond all measure, to reward
+them.
+
+I must explain that I do not feel quite certain that I was right in
+taking the oath.  Even now that years have passed since that time, I am
+undecided as to that point; and therefore I trust that I may be pardoned
+if I was wrong in doing so, when I had no time for reflection.
+
+When the black saw me move, he made various strange noises, to call my
+attention to his condition.  I showed him that my hands were bound, but
+I contrived to crawl towards him; and though his hands were behind his
+back, he contrived so far to loosen the cords which bound mine (they
+were, in truth, but slightly secured, and I could have released them
+without aid), that I got them perfectly free.  The first thing I did was
+to take the gag from his mouth; and oh, what a torrent of abuse flowed
+instantly out of it!  He did not, however, suspect me, as I thought he
+would.  We next released the rest, but they were still too overcome with
+the liquor to comprehend what had happened.
+
+The wind was still off the shore, and the boat continued drifting out to
+sea, her speed increased by a current which set to the southward.  The
+black recognised the mouth of the lagoon, which he knew well, but I
+could not make it out.  The two sculls were found, and, bestowing many
+maledictions on his companions for not being able to drink with
+impunity, he made me take one of them, and attempt to pull towards the
+shore.
+
+With the prospects I had in view, I had no particular wish to exert
+myself, and I saw that, even if I did so to the utmost, we could make no
+way against the breeze and the current setting in an opposite direction.
+
+The sun rose, and struck down with burning fury on our heads; and I
+knew, when the wind fell, it would be hotter still.  At length I began
+to feel the pangs of hunger, and, to my satisfaction, I found that some
+considerate friend had put a few biscuits and a keg of water into the
+boat.  With this I refreshed myself, and so did the black; and I began
+to hope that he was grateful to me for releasing him from the gag, and
+that he would bear witness to having seen me bound like the rest.
+
+When we found that we could make no way with the paddles, we gave it up,
+and set to work to try and revive our companions.  We unlashed their
+arms and legs, and by degrees they came to themselves.  They were very
+much surprised at what had happened, and could not account for it.
+
+"Well, no use talking here," observed Mark Anthony, whose wits being
+brighter than theirs, was for active measures.  "If we no get on shore,
+we all die togeder."
+
+I suggested that we might manufacture some more paddles out of the
+bottom-boards; and that by bending our handkerchiefs and jackets
+together we might form a sail, which, when the sea-breeze set in, might
+enable us to reach some part of the coast.  No one having any better
+advice to offer, mine was adopted: two more pairs of paddles were
+formed; but though they enabled us to make some little headway, it was
+very slowly.
+
+My companions now grew weary; and the looked-for breeze not arriving,
+they began to lose their tempers, as people are apt to do, even without
+so much reason, after a debauch.
+
+"It was all your fault, youngster," suddenly exclaimed the mate, turning
+to me; "you brought me the stuff which capsized me."
+
+"And he brought it to us," said one of the men who had been guarding the
+main-hatchway.
+
+"And to us also," cried those who had been forward.
+
+"Den," exclaimed the black, giving a most diabolical grin from ear to
+ear, which made my blood run cold, "he done it on purpose: dere was
+someting in it, no doubt."
+
+Oh, now my heart sunk within me; for their suspicions once being set on
+the right scent, I feared they would discover the truth.  However, I put
+a bold face on the matter, and answered, "I found the spirit--I tasted
+it, and thought it very good, so I brought it to you.  I am in as bad a
+condition as any of you; so I gained nothing by treachery, if I was
+guilty of it."
+
+"Ah, but you hoped to do so!" exclaimed the mate.  "It wasn't your wish
+to remain with us, but you could not help yourself."  Thus the
+discussion went on, till they arrived very nearly at the truth.  I said
+nothing, but listened, expecting every moment to be my last.  Some
+proposed throwing me overboard at once; but the black suggested that the
+captain would be angry at such a proceeding, and that it would be far
+better to carry me in alive, and to torment me before they put me to
+death.
+
+I told them that they had no proof of my guilt, and that I denied the
+accusation of having put anything into the liquor, and that I was
+certain that Captain Hawk would acquit me.
+
+They were still threatening me, when the black, who was standing up, on
+looking towards the mouth of the harbour, espied two boats pulling out
+towards us.  Our comrades must have seen us with their glasses from the
+shore, and were coming to our assistance.  They could not possibly be
+more than four miles off.  Scarcely had the rest time to discover the
+specks they seemed on the water, when I observed a sail just rounding
+the west side of the island, and standing, with a fresh breeze, directly
+for us.  It was not long before she was discovered by the rest.
+
+She was a large brig, and, from the squareness of her yards, she looked
+like a man-of-war.  Down she came rapidly on us, as yet unperceived by
+the people in the boats, as a point of high land, covered with trees,
+hid her completely from them.  The black jumped up, and watched her,
+with lips apart and staring eyeballs, for some time.
+
+"De brig we fought de oder day!" he exclaimed.  "If he see we, den we
+all hang."  And he sunk down at the bottom of the boat, intimating to
+the rest to follow his example.
+
+I scarcely knew whether to wish that the American brig-of-war--for such
+I felt convinced she was--should discover us, or whether we might get
+into the harbour unperceived.
+
+In the latter case, the probabilities were that the pirates would put me
+to death.  In the former, I ran a great risk of being hung because I was
+a pirate; or the boat might drift out to sea, and a lingering death
+would be our portion.  Neither alternative afforded a pleasant subject
+of contemplation.
+
+The boats from the shore were all this time approaching us.  At last
+they saw the topgallant-mast's heads of the brig over the point; but I
+suppose they fancied they were those of the _Mary_, for they continued
+their course.  In a short time, however, they perceived their mistake;
+but the brig had got clear of the land, and they were full in view of
+any sharp eyes stationed on her tops.  They directly pulled back, and we
+lost sight of them almost immediately.
+
+The brig came on, and at first, after rounding the point, stood on a
+course which would have carried her inside of us, but, on discovering
+the boat, she again stood towards us.  The fright of all hands in the
+boat was excessive, and the bold blustering pirates proved themselves
+cowards indeed.  The African was the bravest, for the death he expected
+had few terrors for him.  He even had presence of mind sufficient to
+suggest that we should invent a plausible tale of having been cast
+adrift by the rest of the crew of a ship who had run off with her: All
+eagerly grasped at the idea; but before the tale was thoroughly
+concocted, the brig was alongside of us, and we were very
+unceremoniously hauled on board.
+
+We were immediately taken before the captain and his officers in full
+uniform, who stood round him on the quarter-deck.
+
+"What brought you out here?" he demanded of the mate, who from his dress
+seemed to be the officer.  Pinto told the tale which had just been
+invented.
+
+"And what are those boats doing inshore of us?" was the next question.
+
+"I know nothing of the boats," was Pinto's answer; but the appearance
+and dogged manner of my companions had raised suspicions in the minds of
+the American officers which were not easily allayed.
+
+Meantime the brig had hauled her wind, and was standing inshore with the
+lead going, in the direction the boats had taken.  Officers with sharp
+eyes were also stationed at each fore-yardarm to look out for coral
+reefs.  The _Foam's_ boats reached the entrance to the lagoon just as
+the brig dropped her anchor, it being considered dangerous to approach
+nearer the shore.
+
+The brig, I found, was the _Neptune_, Captain Faith.  She was a
+remarkably fine vessel, carrying nineteen guns, and had been sent out
+expressly to look for the _Foam_.  Captain Faith and his officers were
+burning to revenge the insult offered them shortly before by the
+schooner.  It appeared that they had, by some means, notice of her
+whereabouts, and when they saw the retreating boats, they had little
+doubt of the true state of the case.
+
+We were all kept separate from each other, and were questioned one by
+one.  What the others said I do not exactly know, but I have reason to
+believe that not one of them told the same story, I was the last
+interrogated.  "And what have you got to say for yourself?" asked the
+lieutenant.
+
+"That I was last night put into this boat with the rest, with my hands
+bound behind my back," I replied.
+
+"And you believe that the people who so treated you have run off with
+the ship to turn pirates?"
+
+"I do not believe it," I answered.  "I knew the captain, who was a kind
+friend of mine, and the ship was his own.  If you ever meet Captain Dean
+of the _Mary_, he will corroborate what I say."
+
+"This is a new version of the story," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"It is the true one; of that you may be assured," I replied.  "I would
+willingly tell you more, but I cannot, so there is no use questioning
+me."
+
+"We shall soon see that," he observed.  "Those who will not speak when
+they can, must be made to speak."
+
+I was silent; for if I said more, I was afraid of running the risk of
+breaking my oath, by betraying Hawk and his followers.
+
+The attention of all on board was now taken up by the manning of the
+boats, which were, I found, to be sent up forthwith, on an expedition in
+search of the pirates.  Oh, how I longed to warn the brave men I saw
+with such joyful alacrity getting ready, of the great risk they were
+about to run!  The schooner, I knew, had ten guns on board, and the
+pirates would be able so to place her as to offer a stout resistance, if
+not to defeat the man-of-war's boats completely.
+
+Four of the brig's boats were sent away, to which was added the one in
+which I had been taken; so that there was a pretty strong flotilla
+engaged in the expedition.  Remembering, however, the extreme narrowness
+of the passage, I felt that if the pirates landed, and simply fired down
+upon their assailants, they might pick every one of them off, without
+the slightest risk to themselves.  I was very much afraid of being
+compelled to accompany the boats--not that I feared the danger, but I
+thought that Hawk would fancy that I did so willingly; and though he
+might be defeated and killed, I did not like the idea of his dying with
+the impression on his mind that I had betrayed him; or, on the contrary,
+if the boats were destroyed, of course I could expect no mercy at his
+hands.  With aching eyes I saw them enter the mouth of the lagoon; and
+perhaps no one on board felt a greater interest in their proceedings
+than I did.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
+
+I was allowed to remain on deck, under charge of a sentry, but was in no
+other way treated as a prisoner.  Half-an-hour elapsed, during which the
+boats were probably looking for the pirate vessel, without a shot being
+heard.  It was a time of the most intense anxiety.  At length, as if to
+make amends for the previous silence, the roar of big guns and musketry
+was heard reverberating in quick succession among the rocks.  One
+fancied that one could distinguish as each boat came up to the contest,
+and the schooner fired at her in return.  The wreaths of smoke could be
+perceived in the atmosphere, rising above the trees.  Once there was a
+cessation; and it appeared that the boats were driven back.  One thing
+was certain, the pirates had not attempted to stop them at the narrow
+passage, as they might have done; or, if they had, they had successfully
+passed it.
+
+Five minutes elapsed--they seemed an hour.  Then again the hubbub
+recommenced, with greater fury than before.  So excited did many of the
+men, and even the officers, become, that I almost thought they would
+leap into the water, and try to swim to shore, to join in the combat.  I
+fancied that I could even hear the cries and shrieks of the combatants--
+that I could see the whole scene before me, through the trees; the boats
+at the mouth of the bight, firing away at the schooner, their officers
+cheering the men on; the pirates, stripped to the waist, working the
+guns of the schooner, some on board, and others on either point on
+shore, with small-armed men scattered in every direction around.  The
+prolonged fight made me feel very doubtful of the result of the contest.
+There was a pause, and then a loud, fearful explosion, and the masts
+and spars and fragments of the pirate schooner could be seen rising in
+the air.  She had blown up; but still it might be questioned who were
+the victors.
+
+There was another interval of the most intense anxiety.  In vain we
+waited for the reappearance of the boats, till the _Neptune's_ people
+began to fear that their brave shipmates had been all destroyed.  There
+was only one small boat, the dinghy, remaining on board.  The master,
+the only gun-room officer left besides the surgeon and purser,
+volunteered to go in and look for them.  I was on the very point of
+offering to accompany him as pilot, when I remembered that I was
+supposed to know nothing of the place.  The commander gave an unwilling
+consent, for he did not like to risk more of his people.  He was just
+shoving off, when first one boat was seen to emerge from among the
+trees, then another, and lastly four appeared--thus one only was
+missing.  They pulled slowly on board, and were seen to be heavily
+laden.
+
+With a shout of joy and hearty congratulation, they were received
+alongside; but the entire satisfaction at the success of the expedition
+was somewhat mitigated when it was found that several of their numbers
+were missing.  They had brought off ten prisoners, most of whom were
+wounded.  Some of the packages which had been taken from the _Mary_ were
+also brought on board.  Neither Hawk nor Abraham Jones were among the
+prisoners: I therefore concluded that they were killed or had escaped.
+The prisoners, to my horror, at once recognised me and the rest of their
+comrades, addressing us familiarly by our names, and thus completely
+identified us with themselves.  I suppose they did this from a feeling
+of revenge, from fancying that we had been the cause of their disaster.
+The captain, on this, ordered us all to be secured and treated as
+prisoners alike, till he had time to investigate the matter fully.
+
+I heard an account of the expedition from one of the seamen who had been
+engaged in it, as he described it to a messmate.  It appeared that the
+pirates had at once gone on board the schooner, which they had placed,
+just as I supposed they would, directly across the entrance of the
+bight.  Here Hawk fought her most bravely, once compelling the boats to
+retreat.
+
+On a second attempt to board, she was discovered to be on fire,
+notwithstanding which Hawk had remained in the vessel till the last
+moment, when, leaping into the boats, he and some of his crew escaped to
+the shore.  Many of them, who could not, were blown up.  Fortunately,
+one boat's crew only of the Americans had got on board by the stern.
+Several of these poor fellows were lost; but, wonderful to relate,
+others, by leaping over the taffrail at the moment they felt it lifting
+under their feet, were saved and picked up by their friends.  It was
+considered useless to pursue the fugitives.  The prisoners taken were
+those picked up in the water, and a few found wounded on shore.
+Securing them, and attending to the wounded of both parties, as well as
+collecting some of the booty, had caused the delay.  The guns, also,
+planted by the pirates at the two points of land on either side of the
+bight, were spiked and thrown into the water, and all arms found about
+were carried off.
+
+Such was the end of the _Foam_; and such will, in every ease, probably
+be the concluding scene of piratical craft and their crews now-a-days.
+They certainly deserve no better; and although their captains, to rise
+to that unenviable post, must possess some of those fiercer qualities
+which people are apt to admire, I have no fancy for making them
+interesting characters, or heroes of romance.
+
+On hearing that there was a considerable amount of booty on shore, the
+captain despatched fresh hands to bring it off.  I longed to caution
+them that Hawk, if he was alive, was a man very likely to play them a
+trick, but I had no opportunity of doing so till they had gone.  The
+boats were sent away, and I was afterwards had up for examination.  I
+then, as the schooner was destroyed, no longer felt myself bound by my
+oath to keep silence; I therefore gave a rapid sketch of my adventures
+as the best way of accounting for being found in such bad company.  The
+captain laughed at my statements, which, he said, were altogether
+incredible, and assured me that he fully believed that I deserved
+hanging as much as the rest.
+
+I assured him that I had not deceived him, and requested him to confront
+the negro, Mark Anthony, with me, and that he would corroborate all my
+assertions.  Had I known more of the worst part of human nature, I might
+not have made this request.  When the black was brought up, he gave a
+malicious grin at me, and, putting his hand on his heart, assured the
+captain and officers that, as he spoke the truth, I was the most wicked,
+vicious youngster on board the schooner, to which he knew that it was
+useless to deny that he belonged--that he was perfectly innocent of any
+piratical act, having been carried off to act as cook--that he had at
+first taken an interest in me, and had done his best to reform me, but
+in vain, and that lately he had given my case up as hopeless.
+
+"What do you mean by lately?"  I asked.
+
+"Just de last six months or so," he answered, with the greatest
+effrontery.
+
+"I beg, gentlemen, that his answer may be noted; for I hope to be able
+to prove that I have not been on board the schooner as many weeks," I
+said, with a calm voice, which had, I think, some effect on my hearers.
+
+There was such a mass of false swearing and contradictory evidence taken
+during the examination, that the naval officers were compelled to
+reserve any judgment on the case till they should arrive in port, when
+it might be handed over to the lawyers to sift to the bottom.  Greatly
+to my satisfaction, the boats returned laden with further goods taken
+from the _Mary_; but it required two more trips before they could all be
+brought off.  The task was at last accomplished, without any of the
+pirates having made their appearance, and sail was then made to the
+northward.
+
+I found that our destination was Charleston, to which port the brig
+belonged, and where my trial and that of the other prisoners would take
+place.  Had it been New Orleans, I thought I might have been able to
+prove that I had gone to sea in the _Susannah_, and Captain Searle might
+be found, who would give a favourable account of me.  While I was
+thinking of this, I suddenly began to reflect that perhaps Captain
+Searle might turn upon me as the African had done, though for a
+different reason.  He would be able to prove that I was at New Orleans,
+certainly, but then the _Foam_ was there at the same time.  She had
+watched, attacked, and robbed him, and taken out of his vessel me and
+another person, who, without any unwillingness, had turned pirate, so
+that I had perhaps all along been in league with the freebooters, and my
+pretended ignorance of Hawk and his craft might have been all sham.  I
+might indeed be considered, as the negro declared I was, worse than all
+the rest.
+
+As I reflected on these things, I remembered that my destiny was in the
+hands of a higher Power; that I had acted rightly according to the best
+of my belief; and that He would direct all things for my future good.
+This feeling gave me strength to endure the present and confidence in
+the future.  I have thus invariably found it in all the affairs of life.
+When I have conscientiously done my duty, though inconveniences and
+annoyances may have apparently happened in consequence, the end has
+always been fortunate when I have been able to arrive at the result.
+The consequence of many of our acts, we must remember, is yet in the
+eternal future, unfathomed by mortal ken.  To that time we must look
+forward for the reward of any of our acts which may be considered by our
+beneficent Father worthy of reward; and also to that time (we must not
+conceal from ourselves) for punishment for our misdeeds, unless our
+Saviour mercifully intercede for us.
+
+Our voyage to Charleston was very rapid.  I certainly was in no hurry to
+have it over, when I had so disagreeable a prospect before me as a
+trial, and not impossibly an execution.  I was treated with less
+harshness than the rest of the prisoners--perhaps on account of my
+youth--perhaps because some believed me innocent.  I fain hoped on the
+latter account.
+
+At length we arrived.  I will not stop to describe Charleston.  It is a
+fine, flourishing city, with a dock-yard, where many of the ships of the
+American navy are built.  I saw little of it, for soon after the
+_Neptune_ had dropped her anchor I was conveyed with the other prisoners
+on shore to jail.
+
+The Americans are as fond, fortunately, of the go-ahead system in law as
+they are in everything else.  In the settlements founded by Spain and
+Portugal, we might have been kept six months without being brought into
+court; here, before as many days were over, our trial commenced.  The
+fate of those taken in the schooner was easily settled.  Several
+robberies were proved against them; and she was sworn to as the same
+vessel which had fired into the brig off the coast of Cuba, and had
+there carried the pirate flag, besides having also killed and wounded
+several officers and men in the United States navy.
+
+The trial of the people in the boat next came on.  The others swore that
+we belonged to the schooner and the negro, in the bitterness of his
+feelings against me, had acknowledged the same.  I told my history as my
+best defence.
+
+"Ask him if he can swear he no fire de big guns--he no pull and haul--
+when we fight de brig," exclaimed the malignant black, perfectly
+indifferent to his own fate.  I held my peace.
+
+"Prisoner at the bar, can you swear that you did not aid and abet those
+engaged in making unlawful war against the United States brig
+_Neptune_?"
+
+"I cannot swear to that, because, in a fatal fit of forgetfulness,
+seeing every one excited around me, I might have pulled and hauled at
+the ropes of the schooner."
+
+"An acknowledgment of his guilt?" exclaimed the counsel for the
+Government; and I, with all the rest, was adjudged to be hung at the end
+of the week at the yardarm of the brig which had captured us.  Never was
+a nest of more atrocious pirates broken up, said the public papers,
+commenting on the trial, and never were men adjudged to meet a more
+deserved doom.
+
+Now the reader will almost be prepared to know how I was saved.  I must
+own that I never expected to be hung.  I felt that I was innocent, and I
+trusted that some means would be offered for my escape.
+
+Just as I was being led out of court, there was a cry of "Witnesses!
+witnesses for the trial of the pirates!"  Looking up, I saw several
+seafaring men entering the court, and among them two persons whose
+appearance at that juncture made my heart leap into my mouth with joy
+and gratitude, and proved that the finger of God had directed their
+coming.  Need I say that they were Captain Dean and Mary, and that the
+other people were the crew of the barque, released from the power of the
+pirates by my means?
+
+Their story created a great sensation in court; and Captain Dean was
+ready to swear, from his knowledge of me, that I had no willing
+participation in any of the acts of the pirates.  My story was now
+believed; but I had acknowledged having worked the guns in the action
+with the brig, and I had, by the evidence of all present, willingly, and
+of my own accord, rejoined the pirates, though every opportunity had
+been offered me of escaping.
+
+I urged my oath in extenuation of my conduct, and that I was bound to
+return.  This was not held in law to be any excuse.  I had no business
+to take an oath of that nature, it was asserted by the counsel for the
+Government.  The sentence of death against me was, however, rescinded,
+on account of the many extenuating circumstances brought forward in my
+favour; but still I could not be set at liberty.
+
+The sentence of the people who had been found with me in the boat was
+afterwards commuted to imprisonment for fourteen years; and I was
+offered a conditional pardon, provided I would volunteer to serve for
+two years on board a ship of war just then about to sail, and short of
+hands.
+
+I was sorry to be again thus separated from Captain Dean and Mary; but
+as I had no dread of the service, I, without much hesitation, accepted
+the offer.  "I will do my duty and retrieve my character," I thought;
+"and as, I trust, there is no chance of a war with England, I see no
+reason to prevent me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINETEEN.
+
+The next day I found myself transferred on board the United States
+corvette _Pocahuntas_, of twenty guns, and one hundred and fifty men,
+including officers, marines, and petty officers.  I found that she was
+bound to the North Seas; to look after the interests of the United
+States fisheries.  She was strongly built and strengthened, so as to
+contend with the bad weather she might expect to meet, and the loose ice
+she was also likely to encounter.  I shall describe her more
+particularly by and by.
+
+The day after I had become one of the crew, while I was below, I was
+informed that a person was alongside inquiring for me.  I looked over
+the side, and there I saw, as I expected, Captain Dean and Mary.  They
+came on deck, and Mary was very nearly throwing her arms about my neck
+and kissing me, while her father took both my hands and held them in
+his.
+
+"I owe everything to you, Peter," he said, and the tears stood in his
+eyes--"my life and property, and more, the safety of this dear child;
+and I do feel most cruelly not being able to make you any return.  In
+England the sovereign would have given you a free pardon to a certainty;
+here, in such a case as yours, we have no one to appeal to.  I have
+introduced myself to your captain, and, as he seems a kind man, I trust
+he will interest himself in you.  I beg to offer you an outfit, which I
+have brought on board; and I fear that there is little else I can do for
+you.  When you come back I shall be on the look-out for you, and then
+you must fulfil your promise of sailing with me.  Make yourself a
+thorough seaman in the meantime, and I think I can promise you very soon
+the command of a ship."
+
+Mary joined in, and entreated me first to take care of myself, and then
+to come back to Charleston to rejoin them.
+
+"You know, Peter, I shall be nearly grown up by that time," she said, in
+her sweet, innocent, and lively manner, though she was half crying at
+the time.  "Then, you know, if you become first mate, I shall be able to
+act as father's second mate; so we shall have quite a family party on
+board the dear old ship."
+
+Thus we talked on, joking often through our sorrows, till it was time
+for my friends to go on shore.  With heavy hearts we parted.  Had we
+been able to see the future, haw much heavier would they have been!  I
+found in the chest which they had brought me numberless little things,
+which all told of sweet Mary's care and forethought.  I had just time to
+write a few hasty lines to my family, but the letter never reached home.
+While I was in prison, and my fate uncertain, I dared not write.
+
+The next morning, at break of day, the boatswain's whistle roused me
+from my slumbers, and his gruff voice was heard bawling out, "All hands
+up anchor," followed with another pipe of "Man the capstan."
+
+To a person accustomed to the merchant service, where, from the few
+hands which can be employed, the duty must be carried on slowly and
+cautiously, the work on board a man-of-war appears as if done almost by
+magic.  The rapidity and certainty of action is gained only by great
+arrangement, method, and practice.  Every man on board has his proper
+post and particular duties; and all are accustomed to listen for and
+obey the signal of command, be it the human voice, the boatswain's pipe,
+a peculiar flag, or the report of a great gun or musket.  The crew are
+separated into two divisions, with their respective officers: these
+divisions are called watches--the starboard and larboard--because one
+does duty, or watches, while the other rests below.
+
+On important occasions, when greater strength is required, or it is
+necessary to shorten sail in a hurry, or danger is apprehended, both
+watches, or all hands, are called.  Thus, getting under weigh, or going
+into harbour, or at divisions and quarters, all hands are at their
+proper posts at the same time.  Each top has its proper crew, who are
+known as fore-top men, main-top men, and mizzen-top men, whose duty is
+to tend the sails above them.  On deck there are the sheet-anchor men
+stationed on the forecastle, whose duty is to tend the head-sails,
+anchors, etcetera, and consequently the most trustworthy veterans are
+selected for the office.  In what is called the waist, or the centre of
+the ship, the landsmen and least skilful of the crew are placed.  They
+have to pull and haul with the marines, and to clean the decks, and to
+do various ignoble duties below.  From the part of the ship where they
+are stationed, they are called waisters.  The after-guards are stationed
+on the quarter-deck, and have to tend the spanker and other after-sails,
+and to haul the main brace.
+
+The officers are divided into commissioned officers, namely, the captain
+and the lieutenants, the master, surgeon, and purser; the warrant
+officers, who are boatswain, gunner, and carpenter, and the midshipmen;
+and, lastly, the petty officers, who have their rating given them on
+board ship by the captain or first lieutenant, and may be equally
+disrated by them.
+
+There are slight variations in the British and United States navies; but
+the latter has adhered very closely to the customs of the former; and
+however republican our well-beloved cousins may be on shore, afloat they
+wisely carry out the principles of an absolute monarchy in the most
+perfect manner.
+
+There are certain general duties in which all hands are engaged, and in
+which each has a number.  Thus a man has one number at mess, another at
+quarters, and another at divisions.  Discipline is everything on board a
+man-of-war.  Without it such a mass of people could not possibly be
+moved together, and all would be confusion and constant disaster.  There
+must be a head to command, either worn by the captain or first
+lieutenant.  If the latter is a good seaman, all may go well in spite of
+the incapacity of his superior; but a clever captain will never submit
+to have a stupid first, so that it is seldom that the office of first
+lieutenant is held by other than a good seaman.  It would take up too
+much space were I to attempt to describe all the grades and offices on
+board a man-of-war.  It will suffice when I state that every man has his
+proper place, and that one follows the other in rank, down to the lowest
+rated officer.  I was rated as an able seaman, which I considered a high
+honour, considering the little knowledge I felt myself to possess, and
+was placed in the after-guard.  I had to take my trick at the helm,
+which I was also glad of, as it enabled me to perfect myself in
+steering.
+
+The commander, Captain Gierstien, was a man who had seen much of the
+world, and was, I have reason to believe, a very good seaman; so was Mr
+Stunt, the first lieutenant, who was a disciplinarian of the most rigid
+school; and certainly the ship was in very good order as a man-of-war.
+But there was a sad want of any of the milder influences which govern
+human beings.  Kind words and considerate treatment were not to be
+found.  This I soon discovered; and it seemed as if a leaden weight were
+attached to my heart.  Strict regulations, the cat, and fear did
+everything.  How the second lieutenant, Mr Dunning, contrived to gain
+his rank I do not know, for he was nothing at all of a practical seaman
+but then he spouted poetry, and wrote verses in praise of freedom; and
+this talent, I conclude, had gained him his appointment, though, by the
+bye, the verses appeared to be very bad.
+
+There were several of my own messmates with whom I became intimate.
+Though rough in manner, they were kind of heart; and I will say of two
+or three of them, that all their sentiments were such as no gentleman
+need have been ashamed of possessing.  I found them both agreeable and
+instructive companions; and I was glad to enjoy their friendship, the
+more from the very want of kindly feelings which prevailed generally
+throughout the ship.  Andrew Thompson was my greatest chum.  He was a
+true-hearted seaman, every inch of him.  He had been all his life at
+sea, and had had his eyes open, as the saying is, all the time.  He used
+to take great delight in describing the countries he had visited, and
+the ports and harbours in which he had brought up, as also in giving me
+instruction in all branches of seamanship.
+
+My other friend was called Terence O'Connor, an Irishman, as his name
+betokens, with all the good qualities generally ascribed to the natives
+of that country.  He liked me, as being a countryman, in the first
+place; and secondly, because I liked him.  He was still young, and had
+nothing of the Mentor about him, like Thompson.  He was brave, and true
+as steel.  I should not say that he was a first-rate seaman; but he was
+active and energetic, and he knew how to obey--indeed, he was a capital
+hand to have as a mate.
+
+There was also an English lad I liked much, Tom Stokes by name.  He was
+not very bright, and he used to be sadly bullied by the crew; but as I
+was strong, could and did protect him, and his gratitude won my regard.
+He had been tolerably well educated; and being fond of reading, with a
+retentive memory, he possessed a good deal of information.  Left an
+orphan, without a friend in the world, he had come to sea; and quitting
+his ship at Charleston, he had entered on board the Pocahuntas.  I
+mention these three of my shipmates for reasons which will hereafter be
+seen.  I had several other friends, whom I liked more perhaps than Tom
+Stokes, and as much as O'Connor, but I need not describe them.
+
+We had fine weather on first putting to sea, and had thus time to let
+everything shake into its place before a gale came on.  It was early in
+the year, but for some reason or other we were ordered to get northward
+as fast as we could.  For the first week we had calms, and then the wind
+came ahead, so that our progress was very slow.  Instead of running
+through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, we were to keep on the eastern coast
+of Newfoundland, and to approach the northern shore of Labrador.
+
+"You'll want your Flushing jacket and trousers, not forgetting worsted
+socks and gloves, my boy, when you get there," said Thompson, who gave
+me this information.  "You've never felt anything like the cold, nor
+seen anything like the fogs, to be found in those parts."
+
+He told me that few Europeans had settled on the coast of Labrador; but
+that some Moravian missionaries were stationed at four or five spots,
+for the purpose of converting the Esquimaux to Christianity.  "Those
+must be Christians, indeed, to my mind, who will go and live in such a
+climate, for the sake of teaching their religion to the ignorant
+heathen, who would not otherwise have a chance of having the truths of
+the gospel preached to them," he observed; and I agreed with him.  "I've
+been told," he continued, "that during the winter the thermometer often
+falls 30 degrees below the freezing point; and though the houses of the
+missionaries are heated by stoves, the windows and walls are covered all
+the time with ice, and the bed-clothes freeze to the walls.  Rum is
+frozen in the air as rapidly as water, and rectified spirits soon become
+thick like oil.  From December to June the sea is so completely frozen
+over that no open water is to be seen.  Once some of the missionaries
+ventured, in February, to visit some Esquimaux forty miles distant, and
+although wrapped in furs, they were nearly destroyed.  Their eyelids
+froze together, so that they were continually obliged to pull them
+asunder, and, by constantly rubbing, prevent their closing; while one of
+them had his hands frozen and swollen up like bladders.  During their
+short summer, however, the heat is excessive; and mosquitoes, in swarms,
+infest the air."
+
+"I hope we shall not have long to remain in those regions," I remarked.
+
+"I hope not," said Thompson; "but who can tell?  Ships, when they get
+into the ice, cannot always get out again, and some have been frozen up
+for several years together; yet, by proper precautions, few of the
+people on board have died, and at length have returned to their friends
+and country."
+
+"It must be very dreary work, Andrew, having nothing but the ice and
+snow to look at for such a length of time together," I remarked.
+
+"I'll tell you what, Peter, when you have lived as long as I have, you
+will discover, I hope, that it is not what one sees on the outside, so
+much as what is in the inside of a man, which makes him happy and
+contented, or the contrary," said Andrew.  "Now I have met several men,
+who have passed two winters running in those regions, when the sun was
+not to be seen for months together, and ice and snow was all around
+them; but the captain and officers being kind, and doing everything to
+amuse them and to take care of their health, they assured me they never
+enjoyed themselves more in their lives."
+
+"I would rather not try it in our present ship."
+
+"Nor would I, Peter," said Andrew; and the subject dropped.
+
+"What an odd name they have given to our ship!"  I remarked one day,
+when Tom Stokes was near; "I cannot think where it comes from."
+
+"Oh, I can tell you, Peter," said Tom, sitting down close to me.  "I
+read some time ago a history of North America, and I remember meeting
+with the name of Pocahuntas.  You must know that she was an Indian
+princess, that is to say, she was the daughter of a powerful chief
+inhabiting that part of the country which is now the State of Virginia.
+A small body of English, had settled there, with a governor, a handsome
+young man, placed over them.  They were cultivating the ground and
+building houses in fancied security, when the Indians attacked them,
+killed some, and carried off others, among whom was the governor, as
+prisoners.  It was the custom of the Indians to torture their prisoners
+in the most dreadful way before killing them.  Such was to be the lot of
+the governor; but, fortunately for him, he was seen by Pocahuntas, who
+instantly fell in love with him, and interceded for his life with her
+father.  The prayer was granted, on condition that he would become her
+husband.  He was too glad to accept his life on such terms; for the
+young lady was very beautiful, and he would thereby form an alliance
+with a very powerful tribe, and secure his countrymen from further
+molestation.  He became much attached to his beautiful and faithful
+bride; and, having succeeded in converting her to Christianity, he
+married her according to the rites of the Church.  From this union
+sprung some of the most respectable and wealthy families of the State."
+
+I thanked Tom for his story, and agreed that the Princess Pocahuntas
+ought to be held in reverence by all true Virginians.  Our conversation
+was interrupted by the cry of "All hands, shorten sail!"  We sprung on
+deck.  A heavy gale had come on, and the ship was heeling over to her
+scuppers under it.  I was aloft in an instant, helping to reef the
+mizzen-topsail; the topgallant-sails and courses had been clewed up.
+
+The wind was about north-west, and blew very cold.  The leaden waves
+rose sullenly on every side, topped with hissing foam, and every instant
+they leaped higher and higher, as if lashing themselves into fury.  The
+twilight of evening was just giving way to the gloom of night.  I never
+remember a more dismal-looking close to a day.
+
+We had managed to close-reef the mizzen-topsail; but the main-topsail,
+which was more difficult to manage, was still bulging out above the
+yard, the hands on which it threatened every instant to strike off, as
+the ship, with desperate force, kept plunging her bows into the opposing
+seas.
+
+"Come, bear a hand with that main-topsail there," exclaimed Mr Stunt
+through his speaking-trumpet, "or--"
+
+What he was going to say I know not, for at that instant there arose the
+fearful cry of "A man overboard!--a man overboard!"
+
+It sounded like the knell of a fellow-being.  Captain Gierstien was on
+deck.  I was near him.
+
+"If I lower a boat I shall lose some other brave fellows," he exclaimed
+aloud, though he was speaking to himself.
+
+"We'll gladly risk our lives to save him, sir," cried two or three who
+were near him; "it's O'Connor--it's Terry O'Connor!"
+
+"So would I," escaped from my lips.  I had at all events intended to
+have volunteered to go in the boat.
+
+"Down with the helm!  Back the main-topsail!" exclaimed the captain in
+the same breath.  "Stand by to lower a boat; but hold fast.  Can any of
+you see or hear him?"  The ship was hove to, and all hands stood peering
+into the loom and trying to catch a sound of a voice.  O'Connor was a
+first-rate swimmer, and he was not a man to yield to death without a
+struggle--that we knew.
+
+It must be understood that, though several sentences were spoken, not
+thirty seconds had elapsed after he had struck the water before the
+order to heave the ship to was given.  She was also going but slowly
+through the water, though, from the way she was tumbling about, a
+landsman might have supposed she was moving at a great rate.
+
+"Does any one see him?" asked the captain.  Alas in that dark night even
+the sharpest eyes on board could not discern so small an object as a
+man's head floating amid those troubled waters.
+
+"Does any one see him?"  There was a dead silence.  The hopelessness of
+the case struck a chill through all our hearts.  Two minutes--three--
+passed away.  We continued from all parts of the ship peering into the
+darkness--some to windward, others to leeward, and others a stern.  Now
+I thought I saw something, but it was the dark top of a wave under the
+glistening foam.  Five minutes had elapsed since the accident.  Long
+before this the ship must have left him far astern, and he must have
+sunk beneath those heavy waves.  Such was the feeling gaining possession
+of many.
+
+Again the captain made the final inquiry, "Does any one yet see him?"
+An ominous silence gave the sad response.  "Then it is hopeless waiting
+longer.  Fill the main-topsail.  Up with the helm."
+
+Scarcely had the captain uttered these words in a loud voice, than a
+hand in the main-top hailed the deck with the words, "I hear a voice
+from down to leeward, sir."
+
+I had heard it also, I was certain.  It was O'Connor's manly voice.  It
+was not a shriek, the death-wail of a struggling wretch, but a bold,
+nervous hail.
+
+"Hold fast then with the main-topsail braces," cried the captain.  There
+was no need of that order, by the bye.  "Keep the helm down.  Stand by
+to lower the starboard quarter boat."  It was the lee one.
+
+"Volunteers, away!"  Several sprung to the falls.  I was among the
+first; so was Tom Derrick, an active young topman.  He leaped into the
+bow as the boat was being lowered; I into the stern to unhook the after
+falls; the rest of the volunteer crew followed.  The boat was lifting
+and pitching with fearful violence alongside, to the great risk of being
+swamped.  Poor Derrick stood up to clear the falls, I believe, or to
+fend off the bow of the boat from the ship's side.  I saw his figure in
+an erect position for an instant--the boat's bow pitched into the sea--
+the next instant he was gone.  In vain the man close to him tried to
+grasp him--he went down like a shot; not a cry was heard, not a sign of
+him was again seen.
+
+There was no time to be lost, if we would save O'Connor.  Every moment
+the fury of the gale was increasing.  Our oars were out, and over the
+foaming sea we pulled in the direction whence the voice had come.  The
+ship rose towering astern of us, her dark masts lifting and falling
+against the leaden sky.  By her we guided our course.  We thought we
+must have reached the spot where O'Connor should have been.
+
+"Be alive, shipmates," said a voice close to us.  "In bow oar, and lend
+us a hand."  It was O'Connor's voice.  He was swimming with perfect
+composure close to us on the top of a wave, and striking out toward the
+bows, so as to avoid the stern.  He was with some little difficulty
+hauled on board, for he had not a stitch of clothing on with which we
+could catch hold of him.
+
+"Thank ye, shipmates all," he exclaimed, as he sprung into the
+stern-sheets.  "But lend us a jacket, some one, will ye? for it's bitter
+cold out of the water, and I've left all mine, do ye see, for Daddy
+Neptune, when he wants a new rig-out."
+
+A seaman will joke in the midst of a furious engagement, or at other
+moments of the greatest peril; and I believe Terence was truly grateful
+to the merciful Providence who had so wonderfully preserved him.  We
+threw our jackets over him, to shelter him as well as we could, and
+pulled back as fast as we were able to the ship.  There was a short time
+for talking and hearing how it had happened, as may be supposed.  We had
+great difficulty in getting on board again, and it required extreme
+caution to prevent the boat being swamped alongside.  At last we reached
+the deck, and the boat was hoisted in.
+
+"Why, you haven't got him," said the captain, seeing the same number
+come back as had gone away in the boat.
+
+"Yes, sir," we answered; "but poor Derrick has gone;" and we explained
+how our other shipmate had been lost.  So there was a sigh and a tear
+for poor Derrick; and a cheer and congratulations for O'Connor's
+preservation.
+
+Our captain ordered O'Connor at once to his hammock, observing that his
+nervous system must have received a great shock, and that he need not do
+duty for some days, while the surgeon was directed to see to him.
+O'Connor very gladly turned in; and the surgeon feeling his pulse,
+prescribed a stiff glass of grog, a style of medicine of which sailors
+most approve.  After he was made comfortable, I went and sat by him, and
+congratulated him heartily on his preservation.
+
+"Why, you see, Peter, there's an old saying about a man not being able
+to drown who is born to finish his career in another way, in which a
+rope plays a prominent part; but I hope that's not true in my case.  You
+must know, indeed, that when I first struck the water, as I was hove off
+the yard, I thought I should escape.  When I came to the top again,
+after I had sunk some way down, thinks I to myself, there's no use
+trying to swim with all this hamper of clothing about me; so the first
+thing I did was to cast it all adrift, and to kick off my shoes.  I had
+some difficulty in getting out of my jacket, but I succeeded by treading
+the water with my feet the while.  Remember, Peter, always have your
+sea-going clothes made loose, so as to be able to throw them off in a
+moment.  You never know when you may require to be rid of them.  When I
+was free of my clothes, I thought there would be no use striking out and
+wearying myself, to try and regain the ship, because I saw that all I
+could do would not bring me up alongside her again; so I threw myself on
+my back, with my arms folded on my breast, and lay as quiet as a turtle
+basking in the sun of Ascension.  You know singing out in the water
+tires a man almost as much as struggling with his arms and legs, so I
+kept my voice also for when it was wanted.  There was no use, you see,
+singing out at that time, because I knew that there would be a noise on
+board, and people asking who had gone, and where was.  I heard a cry of
+`A man overboard!' just as I came to the surface.  I could see the ship
+all the time, and I was glad to find she did not leave me.  I don't mean
+to say, Peter, but what my feelings were very awful, for I knew the
+difficulty and danger of lowering a boat; but I did not think my
+shipmates would ever desert me, without trying to pick me up.  There I
+lay, then, tossing on the seas, and looking at the ship.  I hoped I
+should be observed, for I heard the captain ask, `Does any one see him?'
+I being to leeward of the ship, his voice reached me; but I did not
+expect to make any one hear on board.  How long the time appeared!  At
+last I heard the order given to fill the main-topsail.  `Now or never,'
+I thought; and just as I rose on the summit of a wave, I leaped as high
+as I could, and sung out at the very top of my voice.  Never did I shout
+louder, for it mattered nothing if I burst my lungs, if I was not heard.
+How thankful I felt when I heard the order given to lower a boat!  My
+advice to you, Peter, is, `Always keep your presence of mind, and, while
+life remains, never despair.'"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY.
+
+The _Pocahuntas_ continued on her course to the northward, with variable
+weather.  I believe we had got a considerable way to the eastward of
+where we should have been; but of that I have no certain knowledge, as a
+foremast man has no means of ascertaining the ship's position, except
+when she makes the land, unless the officers choose to tell him.  At
+last a fine westerly breeze sprung up, and we went gaily along.
+
+Now, however incredible what I am going to relate may appear especially
+as happening to O'Connor, yet it is, I can assure my readers, perfectly
+true.  Terence had been sent on the fore-topgallant-yard--what to do I
+do not recollect, for I was aft at the time--when by some means or other
+he lost his hold and fell over the yard.  Another man, who was on the
+yard and saw him fall, ejaculated, "Poor Terence, this time it's all
+over with him!"
+
+Falling from that height on the deck, his brains would inevitably have
+been dashed out of his head; but, as he fell, the hitherto sluggish wind
+filled the foresail, on the bulge of which, at the very instant his body
+striking, it was thrown with considerable force forward right into the
+sea.  As before, Terence preserved his consciousness, or, at all events,
+recovered it as he struck the water.  He struck out bravely alongside
+the ship.
+
+"Heave us a rope, shipmates," he sung out.  I ran to the side, and was
+just in time to throw him a rope as he dropped past.  He caught hold of
+it, and hand over hand he hauled himself on board into the
+mizzen-chains.  From thence jumping into the waist, he shook himself
+dry, like a Newfoundland dog, and went forward again to his duty, as if
+nothing had happened.
+
+"Peter," he observed afterwards to me, when we were together, "if I
+never had any religion before, I think I should have some now.  You see,
+when I felt myself going, I thought it was all up with me, and never was
+so surprised in my life as when I found myself in the water.  Tell me,
+Peter, do you think it was God who made the foresail belly out at the
+moment it did?"
+
+"I think it was by His will it so happened," I answered.  "I don't think
+chance did it."
+
+"But do you think He would take the trouble to look after such a poor
+fellow as I am?" he asked.
+
+"A sparrow, we are told by the Bible, falls not to the ground that He
+knows not of," observed Andrew Thompson, who had sat himself down near
+us.  "Then don't you think, messmate, He would look after a human being,
+with a soul to be saved?"
+
+"I feel that He preserved my life; but I don't understand it," replied
+Terence.
+
+"No, messmate, none of us can understand His mysteries.  We see the
+earth and the sky and sea--the sun and moon rise and set--we feel the
+wind blow, and the snow and the rain fall.  But we cannot comprehend how
+all this is ordered, though we must acknowledge that it is for our good;
+and we feel that the power of the Ruler of all is so much greater than
+we can understand, that it is hope less to attempt it.  But I say,
+messmate, that is no reason why we should not believe that all these
+things are; but, on the contrary, that God, who creates and cares for
+the smallest birds, watches over us also."
+
+We both acknowledged the truth of Andrew's creed; and let me assure my
+young friends that a blessed comfort it was to us afterwards, when
+dangers, such as few have surmounted, surrounded us.
+
+We continued standing to the northward; and, as far as we could learn,
+we were considerably to the eastward of Newfoundland.  The change of
+temperature made us glad of warm clothing; but as yet there was no cold
+to be complained of.  We might have guessed that we were approaching the
+arctic regions, by the character of the numberless sea-fowl which at
+times surrounded us.  We were now, I believe, in latitude 54 degrees or
+55 degrees; but I am uncertain, from the reasons I before stated.
+
+Our officers had their guns on deck, and amused themselves by shooting
+as many of the birds which came in their way as they could; but my
+messmates called them by the various names of shearwaters, boatswains,
+kittiwakes, dovekies, Mollymokes or Mollies, gulls, buntings, and many
+others, whose names I forget.  Those the officers did not want were
+given to the crew, who were in no ways particular as to the nature of
+the fresh meat they could procure.  The shearwaters especially we found
+very good, particularly when made into pies.  For the purpose of
+enabling us to make crust, a greater quantity of flour than usual was
+served out.  At first our pies had a very oily and fishy taste; but
+Andrew showed us that this fishy flavour is confined to the fat, the
+whole of which is under the skin, and chiefly near the thighs.  By
+carefully skinning the birds, they tasted like ordinary land-fowl; and
+before the officers found out the secret, we had a capital pie every day
+for dinner.
+
+Our most constant companions were the Mollies; for which bird the North
+Sea men have as great an affection and veneration as sailors round the
+Cape of Good Hope have for Mother Carey's chickens or the superb
+albatross: They have an idea that the spirits of the brave old Greenland
+skippers, the successors of the fierce sea-kings, have, when quitting
+their mortal frames, entered these fleet denizens of the air, still
+desirous to wander over the scenes of their former exploits.  They are
+very strong and graceful on the wing and though they scarcely seem to
+move their gracefully-rounded pinions, they can fly in the teeth almost
+of the fiercest gale--now swooping into the dark troughs of the sea--now
+skimming over the white foaming crests.  They seldom, except during calm
+and moderate weather, alight on the water, being ever constant on the
+wing; and they will fly so close to the ship, that I have fancied I
+could catch them with my hand.
+
+One calm evening, as I was stationed on the poop, one of these birds,
+with noiseless wing, came flying so close to me that he almost brushed
+my nose; but before I could lift my hand to catch him, he was gone.
+Several times some of the pretty little snow-buntings attempted to
+alight on our rigging; but, like thistle-downs, before they could reach
+it, they were blown to leeward, and, exhausted and weary, were soon
+overwhelmed by the waves.
+
+We had fishing-lines on board; and one day, the wind being light, we
+were told we might try them, when, to our no small satisfaction, we
+caught some excellent cod and halibut.  We were, in fact, passing over a
+fishing-bank.
+
+The weather now altered for the worse.  Sleet, fog, and rain succeeded
+each other with unvarying rapidity, with an addition generally of a
+strong gale, coming from the north round to the north-west.  For two
+days it was impossible to lay our course, so we remained hove to, hoping
+for an abatement of the storm.
+
+I am now coming to one of the most perilous incidents of my life.  I
+think I said that Thompson, O'Connor, Stokes, and I were in the same
+watch, though we were stationed in different parts of the ship.  It had
+been blowing very hard from the northward during the day; but towards
+the evening it moderated a little, and the ship was carrying her three
+whole topsails close-hauled, and looking up to the north-east.  No moon
+or stars were visible, for heavy masses of clouds covered the sky, and
+seemed to descend till they filled, as it were, the whole space between
+sky and ocean.
+
+There were look-outs stationed forward, though, as we were supposed to
+be in the open sea, no danger of any sort was apprehended.  Other ships
+might, by possibility, be crossing our course, but that was not likely;
+and if, by any wonderful chance, we came near each other, we should
+probably see and be seen in time to prevent a collision.  The larboard
+watch, to which I belonged, and of which Mr Dunning, the second
+lieutenant, was officer, had the first watch, namely, from eight o'clock
+till midnight.  At four bells, or ten o'clock, it came to my turn to
+take my trick at the helm.  The weather had become bitterly cold; so I,
+with the rest, had donned all the warm clothing we could command.  I had
+on a flannel shirt and drawers, with worsted hose and comforter, and
+over all a thick Flushing jacket and trousers; a Welsh wig, under a
+south-wester, covered my head, and a thick pair of lined boots my feet,
+while my hands were encased in woollen mittens--so that I little cared
+for the inclemency of the weather, provided I had not to face it.  This
+I had to do while at the helm; and I remembered Andrew's account of the
+Moravian missionaries having their eyelids frozen together, and thought
+mine would suffer in the same manner.
+
+To say that the night was very dark would not give an idea of the inky
+obscurity in which we appeared to be sailing.  One could scarcely see
+one's hand with one's arm held out at full length; and as for discerning
+anything ahead, that appeared impossible.  I say appeared, because there
+is much difference having something to look at and nothing.  In the
+latter case you fancy, because you see nothing, that nothing could be
+seen if it were there.  I heard Mr Dunning, as he passed me,
+apostrophising the night as dark as Erebus.
+
+The quarter-master, who was conning the ship, was continually
+exclaiming, "No higher," as I kept her luffing up into the wind, unable
+to see the shaking of her canvas, which rose dark and towering above me,
+till it seemed to be lost in the clouds.  Indeed, as we sailed on, we
+seemed literally to be sweeping the sky with our mast-heads.  Thus we
+ploughed our way, ignorant of what was ahead, through the boiling seas
+during the whole time I had the wheel.
+
+I had just been relieved, and was finding my way forward, knocking my
+hands against my sides to warm them, when there was a loud cry from the
+look-out men of "A ship ahead, standing right for us under all sail."
+
+"Under all sail--impossible, in a night like this!" exclaimed the
+officer of the watch, rousing himself from a reverie.
+
+"Luff all you can luff, and we may weather her," cried the voice from
+forward, in a tone which showed the emergency of the case; but the
+lieutenant had seen what he thought was a sail, and exclaimed, "Keep her
+away--hard up with the helm--hard up."  The commands of the officer were
+obeyed; the spokes of the wheel were turned a-weather; the ship, falling
+off, felt the full force of the gale, and flew with redoubled speed
+through the water.
+
+Andrew Thompson, who was standing next to me, had been peering into the
+gloom ahead.  "A sail!" he exclaimed: "that's no sail, but an iceberg--I
+see its light.  We might have weathered it; but now we are on it--and
+Heaven have mercy on our souls!"
+
+As he spoke, a loud, fearful crash was heard--the stout ship shook and
+trembled in every timber.  I was thrown, as were all near me, to the
+deck with stunning force.  Shrieks and cries arose from every part of
+the ship; and the watch below, in their consternation, came hurrying up
+on deck, many without their clothes, others with them in their hands.
+All was dismay and confusion; while the terrific noise of the wind, and
+the sea dashing over the ship, and the ship striking against the iceberg
+(for an iceberg it was in truth against which we had struck), added to
+the cries of the people, the groans of the ship, and the creaking and
+crashing of the masts, almost drowned the voices of the officers, who
+were rushing here and there as they came from their cabins, in a vain
+endeavour to restore order.  Many of the people in their fright sprung
+overboard, and were instantly swallowed up by the waves.  The ship rose
+and fell with tremendous force as the sea lifted her, and the loud
+crashing forward showed that her strong bows had been stove in.  The
+fore-mast went by the board, the heel probably lifted right out of its
+step.  Then a terrific cry arose that the ship was sinking, and that all
+was lost.
+
+The sergeant of marines, a rigid disciplinarian, had at the first alarm
+collected his men, and by the command of the captain brought them, with
+their arms in their hands, on the quarter-deck, ready to enforce his
+orders.  No sooner was the cry raised that all was lost, than many
+rushed forward, with the intention of getting on the iceberg.
+
+"Let no man quit the ship," shouted the captain through his
+speaking-trumpet.  "Beat to quarters, marines; fire on any who attempt
+to leave the deck."
+
+Andrew Thompson, O'Connor, and Stokes were close to me, just abreast of
+the fore-mast.  Andrew looked round when he heard the bows of the ship
+being stove in.  "My lads," he exclaimed to us three, "the ship won't be
+many minutes more above water; so if you'd have a chance for your lives,
+follow me."
+
+This he said just as the captain had ordered the marines to fire on any
+who should quit the ship.  We did not stop to see whether they would
+obey or not, but, jumping on the forecastle, ran along the bowsprit and
+down by the dolphin-striker--a spar which hangs perpendicularly under
+the bowsprit--from whence we dropped down one by one on to a part of the
+iceberg which the waves did not reach.  The ice was very rough, and we
+were thus enabled to scramble up perfectly clear of the sea.
+
+Several others attempted to follow our example; and the marines, even at
+that awful moment, obedient to their orders, commenced firing on them.
+By the flashes of their muskets, as well as from three or four guns,
+which the gunner and his crew had time to discharge, the whole dreadful
+scene was disclosed for an instant, never to be erased from my memory:
+The ship, with her bow run high upon the berg; her tall masts, with
+their yards and sails going by the board; the dark ocean and the
+white-crested seas dashing over her stern, amid which stood a mass of
+human beings, in all the attitudes of agonised despair and dismay,
+except those few drilled to obedience, who knew not the danger.  Then,
+again, above our heads, rising to the clouds, the white shining iceberg,
+which at every flash seemed to glow with flames of fire--the bright
+light reflected from pinnacle to pinnacle, and far into the caverned
+recesses of its stupendous sides.
+
+Can I ever forget the dreadful despairing shriek which rent the skies,
+as the bow lifting high in the air, it seemed, the stern sank down, even
+at the instant the marines fired their last volley: it was a volley over
+their own graves!  Slowly the proud ship glided from the icy rock, on
+which she had been wrecked, down into the far depths of the ocean.  Soon
+all were engulfed beneath the greedy waves.  No helping hand could we
+offer to any of our shipmates.  The taller masts and spars followed,
+dragged down by the sinking hull; and in another instant, as we gazed
+where our ship had just been, a black obscurity was alone before us.  I
+say we, for I saw that others were near me; but who they were I could
+not at the time tell.  I called out, and Andrew's voice answered, "Is
+that you, Peter?  I am glad you've escaped, lad.  Who is there besides?"
+
+"I'm here, Andrew, thanks to Providence and your advice," cried Terence.
+
+"And so am I; but I don't think I can hold on much longer," exclaimed
+poor Tom Stokes, who had fallen on his side and hurt himself.  Terence
+and I, who were near him, on this grasped hold of him, and dragged him
+up to the broad ledge on which we were seated, from the rough points of
+ice--to which he had been clinging.  We then all huddled together as
+close as we could, to keep ourselves warm.
+
+"Perhaps there may be some one else saved," observed Andrew; so we
+shouted at the top of our voices, "Shipmates, ahoy! are any of you
+there?"  We listened.  The only answering sound was the lashing of the
+waves against the base of the iceberg; and we were convinced that, out
+of that gallant crew, who lately trod the deck of the beautiful ship
+which was now, fathoms down beneath our feet, we four were the only
+beings left alive.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
+
+I can scarcely picture the horrors of that night.  I would fain, indeed,
+forget them, but that is impossible.  We had preserved our lives for the
+present moment; but what could we expect beyond, but starvation in its
+worst form?  We had also read and heard enough of icebergs to know that,
+as they are driven to the southern latitudes, their bases, immersed in
+water much above the freezing-point, rapidly melt, and huge fragments
+being dislodged, they are suddenly reversed, creating a tumult as if a
+huge mountain were plunged into the ocean.
+
+"If we have to stay here long, we shall be frozen to death," said poor
+Stokes, his teeth chattering with cold and fear.  He was the only one of
+us who had got wet.  "Trust in Providence, lad," said Andrew solemnly.
+"He has wonderfully preserved us thus far.  He will not desert us,
+unless it be His good pleasure that we should die; and then we must:
+meet our fate like reasoning men, thanking Him for His especial mercy
+that He has given us time to repent of our sins, and has not hurried us,
+as He has our shipmates, into eternity without a moment's warning."
+
+"Should I never have another opportunity, I thank you now, Andrew, for
+making me think of such things in the way you have done," exclaimed
+Terence, from the fulness of his heart.  "Had it not been for you,
+shipmate, I should not have seen the finger of God in the various ways
+in which He has been pleased to preserve me, and I should have died the
+ungrateful, unthinking wretch I had hitherto lived."
+
+"I have been but an humble instrument in His hand, Terence," answered
+Andrew, in his usual calm, humble tone.  "You see, I should be very
+wrong, and very wicked indeed, if, knowing what is right, I did not take
+every opportunity, when there was no fear of discrediting religion, to
+teach my shipmates."
+
+"You spoke to me at a proper time, Andrew; and your words had, I hope, a
+right effect," I observed.
+
+"And to me also," said Tom; "and I thank you."
+
+"Well, shipmates, bad as we are off, and worse as we may be, I don't
+feel unhappy when I hear you say those words; that I can tell you,"
+exclaimed Andrew.  "It's a joyful thing for a man, when he has seen the
+sun rise for the last time, to feel that there is a chance of some few
+things being scored in his favour in the world to which he's bound.  But
+mind you, I don't say it's what I would pride myself on, for I know that
+the most one can do may count as nothing; but still it's pleasant, and
+nothing can make it otherwise."
+
+Strange as it may seem, thus we talked on.  Indeed, what other subject
+could we talk on but religion? for every moment we felt that we might be
+in the presence of our Maker.  As Andrew warned us, the shock the
+iceberg had received by the ship striking against it might have detached
+what are called calves, great lumps from the bottom, and, should the
+gale increase, it might capsize in an instant.
+
+We had many hours to wait for daylight.  We were so well clothed, from
+its having been our watch on deck, that we did not feel the cold
+particularly; but poor Tom continued to suffer.  Fortunately Andrew
+discovered in his pocket his pipe with some tobacco, and a flint and
+steel.  He lighted the pipe, and let Tom have a smoke, which revived and
+warmed him, and we then all took a few whiffs round.  This little luxury
+seemed to do us much good.  We sheltered Tom as much as we could from
+the wind with our bodies; and we wrung out his wet jacket, and chafed
+his hands and feet till the circulation was restored.  The night,
+however, seemed interminable.  To favour us still further, the wind
+fell, and shifted further to the south, which made it much warmer.  The
+sea also went down, for it did not seem to lash with such fury as before
+our floating resting-place.
+
+"What chance have we of escaping?"  I asked of Andrew, after a
+lengthened silence.
+
+"There may be some of the wreck cast up on the berg, and with it we may
+make a raft, and reach the coast of Newfoundland or Labrador; or the
+berg itself may be driven ashore, but that I do not think at all likely;
+or we may be seen by some ship and taken off.  I know of no other
+possible chance of escape."
+
+"Then I trust we may be seen by some ship," I ejaculated.  "There must
+be many whalers in these parts."
+
+"They keep farther to the eastward, generally," replied Andrew.  "They
+are also not fond of icebergs, and try to avoid them."
+
+I own that, seeing him so calm and collected, I fancied he must have
+some hopes of deliverance, by means of which we were ignorant; so I
+asked him whether he thought we should find any food to support us.
+
+"I have often heard of people finding means of subsistence when in as
+bad a condition as we are," he replied.  "Providence has decreed that
+man should require food to support life; and therefore the air and the
+sea, as well as the earth, afford him food.  Even in the cold regions of
+the north there is an abundance; and the very food which we could
+scarcely manage to digest in the south is there wholesome and palatable.
+In the plains of Asia, for instance, where the earth affords the
+greatest produce, the people care to eat little besides fruit and corn;
+while in the land of the Esquimaux, where neither fruit nor corn can
+grow, they thrive on whale's blubber, the flesh of bears and wild-fowl."
+
+"Perhaps we may catch some wild-fowl in the morning," I observed.
+
+"Perhaps we may; but I think we should hear them if there were any
+perched about the berg, and I have been listening for some time for them
+without hearing a sound."
+
+By this remark of Andrew's I knew that he had been considering how we
+should support life, though he was prepared for the worst; and also,
+probably, how we had best act under all the circumstances which might
+occur.  I might have sailed with Andrew for a long time, in calm
+weather, without discovering the real heroic qualities which, under his
+rough exterior, he possessed.
+
+Morning at last dawned; and what a change from the previous day!  Then,
+all had been storm and gloom; now, all around was calm, beautiful, and
+bright.  Before the sun rose, the whole eastern sky was glowing with an
+orange tinge; while every fleecy cloud around was tinted with gold and
+red, orange, or pink, and every conceivable intermediate hue; while the
+clear portions of the sky itself were of the purest and most ethereal
+blue--the whole sea glowing with the same varied and beautiful colours.
+But still more beautiful and wonderful seemed the vast mountain of ice
+on which we floated, as in every fantastic form it appeared, towering
+above us.  The pinnacles and turrets of the summit were tinted with the
+glowing hues of the east; while, lower down, the columns and arches
+which supported them seemed formed of the purest alabaster of almost a
+cerulean tint; and a round us, on either side, appeared vast caverns and
+grottoes, carved, one might almost suppose, by the hands of fairies, for
+their summer abode, out of Parian marble, their entrances fringed with
+dropping icicles, glittering brilliantly.
+
+It is not to be wondered at, if we did not admire the enchanting
+spectacle as much as it deserved, for we could not forget that we were
+floating on an iceberg, in the middle of the North Sea; but still the
+scene made an impression on my mind which I shall not forget.  We had
+struck on the lowest and least precipitous side of the iceberg, there
+being a wide flat space some distance above the water, with one ledge
+rising above the other, for some way up,--so that we had ample room to
+walk about; nor was the ice so slippery as to cause us much fear of
+tumbling into the water.  I had heard a rippling noise during the night,
+and could not conceive whence it came; but now, on looking around, I
+perceived that it was caused by a small cascade, which, from the ice at
+the top continually melting, came trickling down the side.
+
+"We shall have fresh water, at all events, in abundance," I observed to
+Andrew, who had awoke from a sleep into which he, with our other
+companions, had fallen.
+
+"Yes, Peter; and from what I see not far off, if I mistake not, we shall
+have food also," he added, pointing to a dark object which lay on a
+ledge below us, a little way to the left.
+
+"If looks like an animal of some sort," I exclaimed.  "But I am afraid
+it will be off before we can catch it.  Shall we run down and secure
+it?"
+
+"I have no fear on that score," he replied; "it is a seal, and from the
+way it is lying, it is, I suspect, dead.  Indeed, a live animal would
+not have got on the ice so early in the morning.  They are now feeding,
+and love to come out of the water to bask at noon in the sun.  We will
+wake up Terence and Tom, and get them to help to drag it up out of the
+reach of the sea.  It will probably not be very palatable, though it
+will doubtless serve to keep us alive.  But before we commence the work
+of the day, let us return thanks to Heaven for having preserved us
+through the great perils of the past night."
+
+We roused up our companions; and I believe did most sincerely offer up
+our thanksgiving for the mercy which had been shown us in saving us out
+of so many from destruction.  We then, with care to avoid falling into
+the sea, descended to where the body of the seal had been thrown.  The
+animal was dead, but it was quite fresh, and had probably been cast up
+that very night; at all events, it could not have been there long.
+
+"I doubted not that God would send us food.  This did not happen by
+chance," said Andrew.  We found that we could not drag the entire body
+of the seal up to the higher ledge, so we cut thin slices out of it,
+hoping by drying them in the sun to preserve them longer.  We first
+skinned it carefully, as Andrew showed us that by stretching out the
+skin it would afford us some little shelter at night.  Having collected
+a supply of food to last us for many days, we dragged the remainder of
+the carcase out of the reach of the waves, and carried the meat to the
+upper ledge.
+
+"Now, my lads," said Andrew, who took the lead in everything, we
+willingly obeying him, "it is very right to secure some food for
+ourselves in the first place; but as we shall none of us have a fancy
+for spending the rest of our days here, we'll look out to see if there's
+a ship in the offing, and if so, to make some signal to attract her
+notice."
+
+We all agreed; and before attempting to eat some of the seal, for which,
+indeed, we had little fancy, we set to work to climb to one of the
+highest pinnacles of the berg.  We found it impossible to reach the
+highest, but we got some way up; and not a sail was to be seen as far as
+the eye could reach on the part of the horizon visible to us.  Our climb
+had shown us, however, a considerable portion of the lower part of the
+berg, and we observed several things lying about, evidently cast there
+by the waves.  We immediately descended to secure them.
+
+There was a hen-coop with some chickens in it, and though they were
+drowned, they were very acceptable; there were two boarding-pikes, a
+boat-sail, and several spars and bits of rope, which had been lying in
+the boats or on the booms.  These were all treasures, and, collecting
+them, we carried them up to our ledge.  There were also fragments of
+wood and chips washed from the cook's galley, and bits of quarter-boat
+which had gone to pieces with the first sea.  These latter we dried in
+the sun, and afterwards kindled with them a small fire, over which we
+cooked two of our fowls, and dried the seal's flesh for future use.  We
+without difficulty ate the fowls, but had not yet got up an appetite for
+seal-flesh.
+
+"We might be worse off, there's no doubt about it," observed Terence;
+"and it strikes me, Andrew, that what with the hen-coop and the spars,
+we might build a sort of a raft which would keep us afloat a short time,
+should the berg take to making a somerset?"
+
+"I was thinking of the same thing," was Andrew's reply.  "They will form
+but a small raft; but if the berg drives anywhere near shore, it will,
+at least, enable us to reach it.  The sooner we set about making it the
+better.  It will keep us off the cold ice in the meantime, and by
+rigging the boat's sails on the pikes, we shall be sheltered from the
+wind; and, my lads, let me tell you, we might be much worse off, so let
+us be thankful."
+
+This conversation took place while we were making our breakfast.
+Instead of tea, we knocked off, with the boarding-pikes, lumps of ice,
+which we ate, and found perfectly fresh.  This, Andrew explained, arose
+either from the iceberg having been formed of the accumulation of the
+snow of many winters on the coast of Greenland, and thus having been
+always fresh; or if formed out of salt water, from the ice, when
+freezing, having ejected the saline particles.  He told us that water,
+when freezing, has the property of purifying itself, and of squeezing
+out, as it were, all extraneous or coarse matter.
+
+Our not over-luxurious repast being finished, Andrew proposed our
+attempting again to ascend the berg to plant a signal-post and flag to
+attract the notice of any passing ship.  Terence was for spreading out
+the boat's sail; but Andrew reminded him that on the white iceberg that
+would not be readily seen, and advised our fastening our coloured
+handkerchiefs together instead.
+
+"We must first, however, get to the top of the berg," said Terence;
+"and, to my mind, these boarding-pikes will serve us a good turn."
+
+No sooner thought of than tried.  With the boarding-pikes we chopped
+steps out of the side, where it was too precipitous to surmount without
+such aid; and by fixing the pikes below us, we shoved ourselves up with
+them.  In this manner, after considerable labour, we reached a high
+pinnacle of the berg.  It was not broad enough for us to stand on
+without fear of falling off, so we sat astride on it while we chopped a
+hole deep enough to fix one of the spars in, which we had hauled up for
+the purpose.  At the top we secured four red cotton handkerchiefs,
+which, as they blew out, might be seen at a considerable distance.  We
+beat the ice tightly round the heel of the spar, and it appeared to
+stand firmly and well.
+
+"Now, on whatever side of the berg a ship approaches, it will be seen
+that some human beings are on it," observed Andrew, as we prepared to
+descend, having first carefully surveyed the horizon on every side.
+
+At this juncture we had a loss, which caused us great dismay, and, we
+thought, would prove a very serious inconvenience.  After lighting the
+fire, Andrew had put the flint and steel into his jacket pocket, along
+with his handkerchief, on drawing out which they were jerked out also,
+and before we could catch them, they had fallen over the steep side of
+the berg.  Away they bounded, from ledge to ledge, till they fell into
+the sea.  Had they lodged in any crevice, one of us might probably have
+attempted to recover them, and should very likely have fallen into the
+sea in so doing; so, as Andrew observed, all was for the best.  It was
+fortunate, we observed, that we had dried some of our seal's flesh, or
+we should have had to eat it quite raw.
+
+We now descended, and commenced at once to form our raft.  We had few
+materials, and our only tools were the knives and the heads of the
+boarding-pikes.  We first made a framework of the spars; and then,
+knocking the hen-coop to pieces, we nailed the planks on to the top,
+securing the whole fabric more firmly with ropes.  When completed, as we
+looked at it, we agreed that it was a very small ark to support four
+people on the stormy ocean.
+
+"I don't think it will have to float me, shipmates," said poor Tom, who
+had not recovered his hurt.  "I feel as if I could not weather out
+another night like the last."
+
+"On you'll do well enough, lad," answered Andrew, in a kind voice.
+"Your clothes will be dry, you'll have a dry plank to lie on, and a roof
+over your head.  You'll do yet, trust to me."  These encouraging words
+had an immediate effect on Tom's spirits, and we heard no more of his
+complaints.
+
+We had observed, as we sat on the top of the berg, several articles
+floating round the base, and some lodged in crevices which we had not
+before discovered.  Our raft being completed as far as our materials
+would go, I volunteered to try and get hold of some of the things.  To
+do this with safety, I begged my shipmates to hold one end of a line,
+which we had formed out of the various pieces collected, while the other
+I secured round my body.  By keeping the line always tight, I was able
+to lean over the edge and pick up several things in the water.  The
+first was a bucket, in sound condition.  This was valuable, as it would
+contain fresh water, and prevent the necessity of our chewing the cold
+ice, which chilled us extremely.  Then I found some more spars, and the
+fragments of one of the boats, which must have been stove in and got
+adrift before the ship went down.  These enabled us to increase our raft
+to a size which afforded us hope that it might support us in our
+necessity.
+
+When I was tired, Terence followed my example, and also added to our
+store of valuables.  As he was hunting about, almost out of sight, among
+the rougher parts of the berg, we heard him sing out, "A prize! a
+prize!" and, standing up, he held aloft an iron pot with the cover on.
+The cover had been jammed tightly down, so that it had floated like a
+buoy.
+
+"There is something in it, though," he observed, shaking it; and, on
+getting off the cover, we discovered a piece of beef ready for cooking.
+It had evidently floated out of the cook's galley.
+
+"I quite forgot, though, that we had no means of lighting a fire; so,
+after all, it won't be of any use," sighed Terence, after we had all
+four collected again on our raft.
+
+"Don't be so sure of that," said Andrew.  "I have seen a fire kindled by
+means which few people would think of, but I am not quite certain that I
+can manage it; however, I'll try.  It's worth the experiment; for if we
+can light a fire, we may make some soup, which will do us all good."
+
+Saying this, he climbed some way up the berg, where he knocked off a
+pure piece of ice from one of its sparkling pinnacles.  We all sat
+round, wondering what he was going to do.  With the boarding-pike he
+carefully chopped the lump, till he had made it into a thick circular
+cake; then he pared away the edges, and afterwards commenced operations
+with his knife, scraping away, till he had formed both sides into a
+perfect convex shape.  Lastly, he took it between his mittens, and
+rubbed it round and round till he turned it out with a fine polish.
+
+"There," he said, "there is a fine burning-glass for you."
+
+"A burning-glass!"  I answered, laughing.  "A piece of ice shaped like a
+burning-glass; but you will never get anything like fire out of that, I
+should think!"
+
+"I should think not," said Terence, but not in the same positive way
+that I had spoken; for he had, justly, a great respect for everything
+Andrew did.
+
+"Give me your hand here, then," said Andrew to me.  I took off my mitten
+and gave it him willingly.  He looked at the sun, which was shining
+brightly, and held the ice between it and my hand.  I saw a little
+bright spot appear on my hand; but I thought nothing of that, till,
+feeling an acute sensation of burning, I snatched my hand away in a
+hurry, to the amusement of my companions.
+
+"I thought it would answer," exclaimed Andrew triumphantly.  "I saw the
+master of a whaler I was once on board make several like this, and play
+the same trick to his people I played you; and he afterwards explained
+that any perfectly transparent substance in a convex shape--that is,
+bulging out like this--will collect the rays of the sun, and form a
+burning-glass.  But now, while the sun is out, and before our
+burning-glass melts, let us light a fire and boil our soup."
+
+The chips we had collected very rapidly dried; so we soon had a fire
+kindled by this unexpected means.  The soup refreshed us wonderfully;
+but we were very sparing of it, by Andrew's advice; for we could not
+tell how long we might have to remain without means of obtaining more
+food.
+
+Thus passed away our first day on the iceberg, without a sail appearing
+in the horizon to afford us a hope of rescue.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
+
+That night, overcome by fatigue, strange as it may seem, we all slept
+soundly.  The sun again rose, and discovered us still floating in safety
+on our unstable resting-place.  The day passed much as the former one
+had done.
+
+We had been actively employed during the greater part of it, and
+therefore, in spite of our extraordinary position and the deep anxiety
+we felt for our future fate, we were all able to sleep, if not very
+soundly, at least for some hours, when the third night closed in upon
+us.  I need not say that Andrew offered up our prayers aloud for
+deliverance to the Great Being who had hitherto so mercifully preserved
+us.
+
+I dreamed, it seemed to me, all night long.  Sometimes I was at home
+with my father and mother and sweet sisters, and they were all laughing
+and talking, while we stood at the window of the dining-hall and looked
+out at the beautiful and familiar prospect before it.  Someone was
+describing to them some adventures very similar to mine; but I felt that
+I could have nothing to do with them, for I was still, I knew, on an
+iceberg in the Northern Ocean, likely any moment to be overwhelmed
+beneath it.  Then I thought a ship appeared, and Captain Dean was at the
+helm, and that sweet Mary, dressed in white, and looking like a seraph,
+stood on the forecastle waving to me to come off to them.  I, of course,
+could not move, for my feet were jammed into a hole in the ice, and I
+struggled in vain to drag them out.  On a sudden a storm arose, and Mary
+shrieked; and even her father turned pale, as the ship rose on the tops
+of the angry billows, and rolled over and over, bow foremost, till she
+was lost to my sight in the distance.  I cried out with terror, and my
+own voice awoke me, when I found that my feet were projecting beyond the
+shelter of the sail, and were bitterly cold.
+
+I got up to warm them by stamping them up and down, and the noise awoke
+my companions.  They naturally told me to lie down and be quiet; but the
+night was so fine and calm, that I said I would go a little way from
+them not to disturb them, and would walk up and down for an hour or so.
+I had no fancy for any more of those dreadful dreams, and I felt that
+the exercise would do me good.  As I looked out on the tranquil,
+dark-shining sea, in which the glittering stars floating, so it seemed,
+in the blue ether above me were reflected as in a mirror, all sorts of
+strange fancies came into my head.  I remembered all I had read or heard
+of mermen and mermaids, of ocean monsters and sea-spirits, and I could
+scarcely persuade myself that I did not see some gliding before me.
+Certainly I could hear them: now there was a distant roar, now a loud
+snorting noise near me; there were voices wandering through the air, and
+strains of sweet music seemed to come up from the deep.  I was almost
+positive I could hear music: sweet and faint and soft as a seraph's
+sigh, it came down to my ear on the gentle wind.  I would on no account
+have missed listening to that enchanting melody.
+
+For a long time I continued gazing on the sea without feeling any
+inclination to sleep, when I fancied that I saw the dark sails of a ship
+about a mile off, and directly to windward of us.  I peered into the
+darkness to assure myself, for I did not like causelessly to arouse my
+companions.  How eagerly I looked may be supposed.  If there was a ship
+where I supposed, the music I had heard must have come from her.  At
+last I was almost confident that there was a ship; but as I had my
+doubts, I went back to Andrew and touched his arm.
+
+"Andrew," I said, trembling all over in my eagerness, "I do not wish to
+raise false hopes, but look out there and tell me what you see."
+
+"See, lad!--why, a sail; there's no doubt of it," he exclaimed
+hurriedly.  "A barque-rigged vessel standing on a bowline to the
+north-west.  She's a whaler, I suspect; but how to make the keenest ears
+on board hear us, is a puzzle."
+
+We called Terence and Tom, who instantly sprung to their feet and joined
+us in looking out for the stranger.
+
+"Could not we make a fire as a signal?"  I asked, "that would attract
+her."
+
+"You forget that our flint and steel went overboard, and the ice without
+the sun won't light a fire," he answered; "but we will see what our
+voices can do.  Now, my lads, let's hail together."
+
+On that, standing up, throwing out our chests, and putting our hands to
+our mouths, we gave a shout which none but strong lungs could have
+uttered.  It must have been carried a good mile to windward over the
+calm sea, but no responding cry came down to our anxious ears.
+
+"There is no use wearing out our lungs with hallooing," said Terence.
+"They wouldn't hear us, up to windward there, even if they were much
+nearer.  We must have patience, shipmates!--it's no use."
+
+"God's will be done," ejaculated Andrew.  "He may yet think fit to send
+us help."
+
+The tone Andrew gave to our minds prevented us from despairing or
+sinking into despondency.  I do not mean to say that we did not, at
+first, feel the most bitter disappointment as the ship receded into the
+darkness which surrounded us, but this feeling did not endure.  We, as
+our wise companion advised us, "trusted in God that He would save us;"
+and we all along felt that He would do so.
+
+We earnestly watched the ship as long as she was visible, and long
+after, though we scarcely expected her to tack, or to repass near.  At
+length we returned to our raft, and endeavoured to forget our
+disappointment in sleep.  We lay down, under our sealskin and sail, and
+after an hour's trial, I once more closed my eyes.  How long I had slept
+I do not know, when I was again awoke by a loud noise and a violent
+movement of the iceberg.
+
+Andrew suddenly started up, exclaiming, "The time has come!  Hold on to
+the raft, my lads; hold on."
+
+He meantime seized a boarding-pike, ready to steady the raft.  His
+impression was that the iceberg was in the act of rolling over, and that
+now was the time our raft would be of service, if it could survive the
+waves caused by the submersion of the snow-formed mountain on which we
+rested.
+
+We waited in awful suspense, believing that our last moment had indeed
+arrived.  It is difficult to calculate time on such occasions.
+Gradually the rocking movement of the berg ceased, and we found that the
+ledge on which we were posted had sloped rather more towards the water
+than before, so that it was necessary to continue holding on by the
+boarding-pike to prevent its gliding off.
+
+"What has happened?"  I exclaimed, as I first again drew breath freely.
+"I thought it was all over with us."
+
+"So did I, lad, at first, before I had time to think.  I now suspect the
+cause of the commotion; and it is a mercy that the consequences have not
+been more terrible.  When the circumstance which has just taken place
+happens, the whalers say that an iceberg has calved--that is, a huge
+lump of ice has broken away from the base of the berg, and has floated
+up to the top of the water.  The noise we heard was when it struck
+against other parts, and first came to the surface.  The loss of a large
+mass, of course, makes the berg lop-sided; and should another lump break
+away, it may go right over.  Should we survive till the morning, we
+shall probably see the calf floating near us.  I have known large ships
+overwhelmed by bergs falling on them.  You know that it is the custom to
+moor ships to the lee side of a berg, to prevent their drifting to
+leeward with a contrary wind.  A friend of mine, who gave me the
+account, belonged to a whaler, the _Thomas_, of Hull, Captain Taylor,
+fishing in Davis's Straits.  Well, one day they lay moored to an
+iceberg, with a long scope of warp out, and thought themselves quite
+secure.  On a sudden, without any notice, as they were sitting at
+dinner, a tremendous noise was heard and a blow was felt, just as if the
+ship had struck on a rock.  Up went the bow in the air, till the keel
+showed above water, and the taffrail was almost under it.  All thought
+the ship must go down; but still she floated, not much the worse for the
+blow.  It was found, what all the old whale-men knew well enough, that a
+calf had broken away from the bottom of the berg, but fortunately had
+struck the keel fairly, without injuring the ship's bottom.  Sometimes a
+calf falls from the top of a berg; but I hope one will not come down on
+our heads, for if it does, it will settle us outright."
+
+Andrew said this quite calmly, though he felt that what he was
+describing might any moment happen.  He afterwards reminded us that
+pieces were more likely to fall from the summit in the day-time, when
+the sun was shining on it, than at night, and that therefore we should
+not let the thought oppress us.
+
+It may be supposed that we did not sleep, nor attempt to sleep, any more
+that night.  As there was no moon, we had not any means of ascertaining
+how the time passed; but we calculated that it was about two o'clock in
+the morning when the last occurrence I have described took place.  The
+air had been very light when I first looked out; now it was a perfect
+calm, so that not even a ripple was heard against the side of the berg.
+We were therefore not uncomfortable, as far as our feelings went, could
+we have divested ourselves of the recollection of the peril to which we
+were momentarily exposed.
+
+Oh how long that night seemed!  I fancied, that it would never have an
+end: each minute seemed prolonged to an hour--each hour to a winter's
+night.  Sometimes we talked, and listened to Andrew's description of the
+events which had occurred to him when he before visited the Polar Sea.
+At other times we were all silent together; but Andrew took care this
+should not last long; and never did man so exert himself to keep up the
+spirits of his companions.  He was actuated by a true Christian spirit;
+and nothing else would have enabled him, I am confident, to forget
+himself and watch over us in the way he did.
+
+There had been a spell of silence, when Terence exclaimed, "What say
+you, Andrew, if we were to launch our raft, and try to reach the coast
+of Newfoundland while the calm lasts?  It might be done, might it not?"
+
+"I think not," was Andrew's reply.  "While we remain on the iceberg, we
+have a chance of being seen; but, on a raft, a ship may pass close to us
+and not heed us, while, if a gale should come on, the raft would not
+live an instant.  Even should we near the coast, which I do not think
+likely, we should probably be knocked to pieces on the rocks; so I say
+stay to the last extremity.  If the iceberg won't hold us, then take to
+the raft."
+
+Of course we determined to follow Andrew's advice; indeed, we all looked
+up to him as our guide and captain.  With no little thankfulness did we
+welcome the first streaks of dawn on the eastern horizon.  Again we
+knelt down and offered our prayers to Heaven.  We had scarcely risen to
+our feet when a shout of joy escaped from our lips; for there, in the
+grey misty dawn, with her canvas hanging against her masts, lay
+motionless on the calm water a ship--the same, doubtless, which we
+fancied had passed far away from us in the night.  Was that calm sent by
+Providence to effect, our salvation?  The result will prove it, or when
+His now inscrutable ways are made manifest.  How our hearts beat with
+hope and fear!  My first impulse was to scream out to her.  I checked
+myself, and asked Andrew what he would advise.  He did not answer for
+some time.
+
+Eagerly we watched the stranger.  She was a barque--a whaler, no doubt.
+"Will she see us?" we asked one another.  "Will she near the iceberg
+again, or will she sail off in an opposite direction?"
+
+Those who have been placed in a similar position to the one in which we
+were, can alone truly comprehend to the full the intensity of our
+feelings.  We could scarcely breathe--we could scarcely speak.  All our
+thoughts were concentrated in that one point; our very being seemed
+wrapped up, as it were, in it.  The night had passed slowly away; but
+still more slow did the light of day seem to creep over the world.
+
+I said we were for some time silent.  At last Andrew answered my
+question by saying, "The first thing we must do, shipmates, is to climb
+up to the top of the berg, and spread out our red handkerchiefs; so as
+to show a broad face to those on board yonder vessel.  As soon as the
+sun is high enough, we'll try and light a fire, and the smoke may be
+seen by them; but if not, then we must trust ourselves to the raft, and
+try to paddle up to her.  Perhaps we may reach her before a breeze
+springs up; but perhaps not.  Yet I don't think it will get up till
+noon."
+
+"But why not get on the raft at once?"  I urged; for I had more
+confidence in it than he had.
+
+"Because if we do, we may not be able to return to the iceberg, which we
+should wish to do if we miss the ship," he answered.  "But on that point
+I will agree to what you all wish.  What do you say, Tom?--you are the
+youngest, and should speak first."
+
+"I say, then, let us try the raft," said Tom, who fancied even that he
+could swim to the ship.
+
+"And so do I," I added.
+
+"And I," exclaimed Terence, eagerly.  "We'll drive her up to the ship in
+no time."
+
+"Then, shipmates, the sooner we are off the better," we all cried out
+together.
+
+Terence and I climbed up to the top of the berg, and spread out our
+handkerchiefs between two upright spars, and we thought they could not
+fail of being seen.  Andrew and Tom, meantime, were filling the iron pot
+with water, collecting some of our seal flesh, and otherwise getting our
+raft ready.  Securing one end of our rope to a point of ice, we eased
+the raft carefully down into the sea.  To our satisfaction it floated
+well alongside, but it required great caution not to upset it as we
+stepped upon it.  We at once saw that Andrew had good reason for not
+wishing to trust to it; for no sooner were we on it, than, calm as the
+sea was, the water washed completely over it, and, had we not placed two
+planks across it to sit on, we should have been wet through directly.
+We each of us held a small piece of the boat's planking in our hands to
+serve as paddles.
+
+"Away we go, my lads," exclaimed Terence, as he gave a strong shove
+against the iceberg with a boarding-pike; and with a cheer, which,
+perilous as was our adventure, we could not repress, we began vigorously
+to ply our paddles.  It was a matter of life and death, we saw.  If we
+missed the ship, our chance of returning to the iceberg was small
+indeed.  Our progress was very slow.  We might have made a mile an
+hour--perhaps not so much--and we had three miles to go at least.  Still
+we did not flag in our exertions.  We each of us chewed a piece of
+seal's flesh to stay our hunger, though we had no inclination or power
+to swallow anything.  We scarcely spoke a word all the time, but every
+now and then we turned a glance back, to judge how far we had got from
+our late abode.
+
+One mile was passed, and we were not seen.  Indeed, so small a speck as
+we were on the ocean, we could not expect to be observed till the sun
+had risen.  Our great anxiety was respecting the wind--still the sea
+continued calm as a mirror.  On we went--our eyes were on the ship's
+sails.  Alas! a light cat's-paw skimmed across the ocean--the
+topgallant-sails of the barque blew out; but before they had any
+influence in impelling her through the water, they again drooped as
+before.  Another cat's-paw came stronger than the first, and rippled the
+whole surrounding surface.
+
+Oh with what agony we saw the topsails bulge out, and the barque's head
+turn from us!  We simultaneously shouted, or rather shrieked out in our
+eagerness.  It was of no avail.  We strove to drive the raft on faster
+than before.  What could our utmost efforts accomplish in overtaking a
+ship, her sails filled even with the light air then blowing?  No longer
+were cat's-paws playing on the surface of the sea, but a well-defined
+ripple, almost small waves, were covering every part of it; and, as we
+worked our way among them, they washed around our feet.  Every sail on
+board the barque began to draw; she had got steerage way, and was
+standing from us.  We were not seen; and hope, which had hitherto
+sustained us, fled.  Our hearts sunk, and scarcely could we longer ply
+our useless paddles.
+
+"Andrew, what say you to this?" asked Terence at length.
+
+"Persevere to the last, like men," replied Andrew.  "We may have to
+return to the iceberg; but even then we must not lose courage, or our
+trust in Providence."
+
+Just then the sun rose from his watery bed with glorious refulgence in
+an unclouded sky.  I looked back, to judge how far we had got from the
+iceberg.  Truly if it had appeared beautiful when we were on it, doubly
+so it did appear now, glittering in the beams of the sun; some parts of
+alabaster whiteness, and the rest tinged with hues of gold and pink and
+most transparent blue.  It was an object well calculated to attract the
+eyes of a stranger.
+
+A cry from my companions made me turn my head.  The barque's sails were
+shivering, as she luffed up to the wind.  Directly after a boat was seen
+to be lowered, and quickly being manned, it pulled towards us.  Then
+indeed our hearts rose to our bosoms, and we shouted with joy.  Poor
+Tom, from the great revulsion of feeling, was nearly fainting and
+falling off the raft, had we not supported him.  Still we paddled on,
+and the boat seemed to fly towards us.  She was quite close to us, when,
+in our joy we waved our paddles above our heads, and gave way to another
+shout.
+
+"Hillo, who have we here?" exclaimed a voice from the boat.  "What,
+mates, we didn't see you!"
+
+Such was the case; they had seen our signal, but had overlooked us.  The
+surgeon of the ship, never having before seen an iceberg, was gazing at
+it with his glass, and was the first to remark our handkerchiefs; and
+not being able to make out what they were, he had directed to them the
+captain's attention.  He was in the boat, and assisted to help us off
+our raft.
+
+Once on board and safe, the strength which had hitherto supported us,
+gave way, and we sunk down to the bottom of the boat, overpowered with
+various emotions.  I trust and believe that we were all of us grateful
+to Heaven for our wonderful preservation.
+
+The boat towed our raft alongside, as it was too valuable for firewood
+to be lost.  We were hoisted on board, unable to help ourselves, and
+were received by the master, officers, and crew with the greatest
+kindness and attention.  The surgeon ordered us at once to be put into
+warm hammocks, while some warm liquid was poured down our throats, which
+soon restored us.  However, no one questioned us about our adventures
+till we were more completely recovered.
+
+Two events occurred which ought to have increased, if they did not, our
+sense of gratitude for our preservation.  Scarcely had our feet touched
+the deck of the barque than a strong breeze sprang up, which sent her at
+the rate of some seven knots an hour through the water, far away from
+the iceberg.  Before, however, she had run out of sight of that floating
+island, its glittering summits were seen to lean forward, and, with a
+sound which could be heard at that distance, to fall prostrate in the
+water, while the waves created by its submersion reached so far as
+perceptibly to lift the ship as they passed.  Thus was I, with my
+companions, preserved from the most awful and perilous position in which
+I was ever placed.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
+
+The vessel on board which we so happily found ourselves was called _The
+Shetland Maid_,--her master, Captain John Rendall.  She measured three
+hundred and fifty tons, was barque-rigged, and perfectly fitted as a
+whaler, being also strengthened by every means which science could
+devise, to enable her to resist the pressure of the ice to which such
+vessels must inevitably be exposed in their progress through the arctic
+seas.  She had forty-two souls on board, including officers, being some
+few short of her complement, as two fell sick in Orkney before leaving,
+and two were unhappily lost overboard in a furious gale she encountered
+soon after sailing.
+
+Andrew, Terence, and I remained two days below under the doctor's care,
+and by the third had completely recovered our usual strength.  Tom
+Stokes, who had suffered most, and was not naturally so strong, took a
+week before he came round.
+
+As soon as we appeared on deck, the captain called us aft, and desired
+to know our adventures.  Andrew was the spokesman, and the captain
+expressed himself much pleased with our messmate's mode of narrating
+them.
+
+"Well, my men," he said, "I have lost some of my crew, and I suppose
+you'll have no objection to entering regularly for the voyage in their
+place.  You'll share with the other able seamen eighteenpence for each
+tun of oil, you know, besides monthly wages."
+
+We told him that we should be glad to enter, and would sign articles
+when he pleased; and that we would answer for Tom Stokes, that he would
+do the same.
+
+Behold me at last, then, as I have styled myself, PETER THE WHALER.  We
+were now standing to the northward, and rapidly approaching the ice.
+Before, however, I proceed with an account of my adventures, I will
+describe the ship, her officers and crew, and the peculiar arrangements
+made to fit her for the service in which she was employed.
+
+Captain Rendall was a well-educated, intelligent, brave, and, I feel
+sure, a truly religious man.  I may say, without more than justice, that
+he was the father of his crew.  His father had been in the same service
+before him for many years; and he had the advantage of his experience,
+to which he added the knowledge he himself had gained.  I do not give
+him as a specimen of the masters of all whalers, for I fear there are
+few like him, though they must of necessity be intelligent and superior
+men.  There were three mates.  The chief mate, Mr Todd, was also chief
+harpooner or specksioneer.  Then there were the other harpooners,
+boat-steerers, line-managers, and coopers, beside foremast-men,
+landsmen, and apprentices.
+
+It is not the custom to pay simply monthly wages; but, as an inducement
+to all hands to exert themselves in their several capacities in
+capturing fish, they receive a gratuity for every size fish caught
+during the voyage, or a certain sum for every tun of oil which the cargo
+produces.  The master gets scarcely any pay if he has no success in his
+voyage; but for every whale killed he gets three guineas, from ten to
+twenty shillings for each tun of oil, and a thirtieth to a twentieth on
+the value of the cargo; so that he may make as much as five hundred
+pounds by a single voyage.  The chief mate may get nearly a hundred, and
+the seamen twenty-five pounds each.  Many of the ships belong to Hull
+and other northern ports of England and Scotland; but it is usual to
+touch at the Orkneys or Shetland, to complete the complement of the crew
+with the hardy islanders who inhabit them.
+
+A whaler, in order to withstand the shock of the ice, is strengthened
+inside, both at the stem and stern, by stout timbers placed in various
+directions, and fastened securely together; while on the outside she is
+in parts covered with a double, and even a treble planking, besides
+other thick pieces, which serve to ward off the blows from the parts
+most likely to receive them.  How little all the strengthening which the
+art and ingenuity of man can devise is of avail against the mighty power
+of the ice, I shall have hereafter to describe.  The masts of a whaler
+are lower than in a common merchantman, and her sails are smaller, and
+cut in a different shape, the courses or lower sails decreasing towards
+the foot, so as to be worked with slight strength.  Sometimes this is of
+importance, as, when all the boats are away together in chase of whales,
+three or four men alone remain on board to take care of the ship.
+
+A whale-ship, therefore, though she has great care and expense bestowed
+on her, has not, in port, the graceful and elegant appearance possessed
+by some other ships, bound to more genial climes.  The crew do not sleep
+in hammocks, as on board men-of-war, but in berths or standing
+bed-places, erected on the half-deck forward.  It is a dark retreat, and
+not scented with sweet odours, especially after a ship has begun to take
+in her cargo; but the weary seaman cares little where he lays his head,
+provided it is in a dry and warm place.
+
+We next come to the boats--a very important part of the outfit.  The bow
+and stern of a whale-boat are both sharp, rise considerably, and are
+nearly alike.  It has great beam, or breadth, to prevent its being
+dragged, when towed by a whale, completely under the water.  The keel is
+convex in the centre, to enable it to be turned more easily; and for the
+same reason it is steered by an oar instead of a rudder.  The oar can
+also turn a boat when she is at rest, and can scull her in calm weather
+up to a whale without noise.  A large-size boat is pulled by five oars,
+and one to steer, and a small one by four oars; the first being from
+twenty-six to twenty-eight feet long, and the last from twenty-three to
+twenty-four.  A large one is five feet five inches in breadth; and a
+small one five feet three inches.
+
+The rowers include the harpooner and the line-manager.  They are
+carvel-built--that is, the planks are placed as in a ship.  Boats in
+general are clinker-built--that is, the planks overlap each other; but
+as they are difficult to repair, the other simpler method is employed.
+A ship generally carries seven boats--two or more large, and the rest
+small.  They are suspended by cranes, or davits, in a row outside the
+rigging, on either side of the ship, and another astern, so that they
+can be directly lowered into the water.  A smart crew will man and lower
+a boat in the space of a minute, and be away in chase of a whale.
+
+When we got on board, the boats' crews were busily employed in getting
+their respective boats and gear ready for action.  Each boat had a
+harpooner, who pulled the bow oar, a steersman, next to him in rank, who
+steered, and a line-manager, who pulled the after or stroke oar; and
+besides them were two or three seamen who pulled the other oars.
+
+The first operation, after cleansing the boats, was to get the lines
+spliced and coiled away; and when it is remembered that each whale may
+be worth from five hundred to eight hundred pounds, and that, if the
+lines are in any way damaged, the fish may be lost, it will be
+acknowledged that they have good reason to be careful.  Each line is
+about one hundred and twenty fathoms long; so that when the six lines,
+with which each boat is supplied, are spliced together, the united
+length is seven hundred and twenty fathoms, or four thousand three
+hundred and twenty feet.
+
+A few fathoms of the line is left uncovered, with an eye at the end, in
+order to connect the lines of another boat to it; for sometimes, when a
+whale swims far, or dives deep, the lines of several boats are joined
+together.  The rest of the line is neatly and carefully coiled away in
+the stern of the boat.
+
+To the upper end of the line is spliced the "fore-ganger" of a "spanned
+harpoon," thus connecting the harpoon with all the lines in the boat.  A
+"fore-ganger" is a piece of rope a few fathoms long, made of white or
+untanned hemp, so as to be more flexible and easily extended when the
+harpoon is projected from the hand.
+
+As the crew of each boat accomplished the work of coiling away their
+lines, they gave three hearty cheers, to which we all responded; so we
+had as much cheering as at a sailing match.
+
+I must try to describe a harpoon, for the benefit of those who have
+never seen one.  It is the whaler's especial weapon--the important
+instrument of his success.  It consists of a "socket," "shank," and
+"mouth."  The shank, which is made of the most pliable iron, is about
+two feet long; the socket is about six inches long, and swells from the
+shank to nearly two inches in diameter; and the mouth is of a barbed
+shape, each barb or wither being eight inches long and six broad, with a
+smaller barb reversed in the inside.  The object of the barb, of course,
+is to prevent the harpoon being drawn out of the whale after it has been
+fixed.
+
+The hand harpoon is projected by aid of a stock or handle of wood, seven
+feet in length, fixed in the socket.  After the whale is struck, this
+handle falls out; but it is not lost, as it is secured to the line by a
+loop.  The line, it must be remembered, is fastened to the iron part of
+the harpoon.
+
+Harpoon-guns are now frequently used for projecting harpoons.  The
+harpoon for this purpose is made with two shanks, side by side, one of
+which goes into the bore of the gun; to the other on the outside the
+line is attached.
+
+On every harpoon is stamped the name of the ship, so that it is at once
+easy to ascertain, from the weapon in the whale, by whom it was struck.
+Lances are also used, with long handles and sharp heads, to assist in
+killing the whale.
+
+Each boat is furnished with two harpoons, eight lances, and some spare
+oars; a flag, with its staff, to serve as a signal; a "mik," as a rest
+for the harpoon, when ready for instant service; an axe, ready for
+cutting the line when necessary; a "pigging," a small bucket for baling
+out the boat; two boat-hooks, and many other things which I need
+scarcely name.
+
+A most important contrivance belonging to a whaler is the crow's-nest,
+which I may describe as a sentry-box at the mast-head.  It is, perhaps,
+more like a deep tub, formed of laths and canvas, with a seat in it, and
+a movable screen, which traverses on an iron rod, so that it can
+instantly be brought round on the weather side.  In the bottom is a
+trap-door, by which it is entered.  Here the master takes up his post,
+to pilot his ship among the ice; and here, also, a look-out is kept,
+when whales are expected to appear in the distance.
+
+Just consider how necessary it is to have a good shelter, when
+frequently the temperature of the air is from 10 degrees to 20 degrees
+below the freezing-point.
+
+I must not forget to mention the means taken for preserving the cargo of
+blubber.  This is done in casks, in which the blubber is placed after it
+has been cut up into very small portions.  The casks are stowed in the
+hold, and some are placed between decks; and when there has been unusual
+success, so that there are not casks enough, the blubber is stowed away
+in bulk among them.
+
+The mode of fishing, and the remainder of the operations, will be
+described in the course of my narrative.
+
+In three more days we were all ready.  The harpoon-guns were cleaned,
+oiled, and fastened, with their swivels, on the "billet-heads," in the
+bows of the boats.  Each harpooner got a supply of gunpowder and
+percussion-caps; and all other requisites were put into the boats.
+
+The crow's-nest had been got up to the main-topgallant mast-head; and in
+the afternoon we were ready, and eager to attack the first whale which
+should appear.  In the evening the harpooners were invited down into the
+cabin, to receive their instructions for the season; and afterwards the
+steward served out a glass of grog to all hands, to drink "a good voyage
+and a full ship."
+
+I had fully expected to see whales in such numbers, that we should have
+nothing to do but to chase and capture them; but in this I was
+disappointed, for not a whale did we meet; indeed, with the heavy sea
+then running, had we got hold of one, we could not have secured it.  It
+was, I ought to say, towards the end of April, and we were in hourly
+expectation of being among the ice, through which, at that time of the
+year, it was expected a passage would easily be found to the northward.
+
+We had seen several icebergs, which like their companion on which the
+corvette was wrecked, had early broken away from the main body, as also
+washing pieces and several large floes; but we had yet to learn what a
+field of ice was like.
+
+It was night, and blowing very hard from the south-west.  It was my
+watch on deck, and Mr Todd, the first mate, was officer of the watch.
+We were standing on a bowline under our topsails, a sharp look-out being
+kept ahead for danger.  O'Connor and I were together, leaning against
+the bulwarks and talking.  "Well, Terence," I said, "I would rather find
+myself homeward bound, after all that has occurred, than be obliged to
+be running into a sea in which we shall all the time be obliged to be
+cruising among ice."
+
+"Oh, I don't consider much of that," he answered.  "It's only a summer
+cruise, you know; and when we get back, we shall have our pockets
+stuffed with gold, and be able to talk of all the wonders we have seen."
+
+"I hope we may get back.  I have no fancy to spend a winter on the ice,"
+I said.
+
+"There are pleasanter places to live in, no doubt, Peter; but people
+have lived not only one year, but several years running in those
+regions, and have not been the worse for it," replied Terence.
+
+Just then we were startled by the loud cry of "Breakers ahead!"  Mr
+Todd in a moment saw what was to be done.  "Wear ship!" he exclaimed.
+"Up with the helm.  Gaff-topsail-sheets let fly.  Drop the peak.  Square
+away the after-yards."
+
+While these and other orders were given and executed, in order to take
+the pressure of the wind off the after part of the ship, and to make her
+head turn from it, I glanced in the direction towards which we were
+running.  A pale light seemed to be playing over it; and I could
+distinguish, amid the foaming breakers, huge masses of ice dashing about
+and heaving one upon another, any one of which, I thought, would be
+sufficient to stave in the sides of the ship, if not to overwhelm her
+completely.
+
+At the same time a loud, crashing, grinding noise was heard, sufficient
+to strike terror into the stoutest hearts.  But it must be remembered
+that we were all so busily engaged in flying here and there in the
+performance of our duty, that we had no time for fear.  This is a great
+secret to enable men to go through dangers unappalled.  Had we been
+compelled to stand inactive, our feelings might have been very
+different.
+
+The ship wore slowly round; but still she seemed approaching the
+threatening mass.  She plunged more violently than before amid the
+raging sea, and in another moment I felt certain we must be among the
+upheaving masses.  Just then her head seemed to turn from them; but a
+sea struck her on the quarter and came rolling on board; a tremendous
+blow was felt forward, another followed.  Cries arose from some of the
+men that all was lost, and I expected to find the ship instantly dashed
+to pieces.
+
+Our good captain rushed on deck.  He cast one glance aloft, and another
+at the ice.  "She's clear, my lads," he shouted.  The ship came round,
+and in another instant we were on the eastern or lee side of the floe,
+and gliding smoothly on in calm water through a broad passage, leading
+amid the main body of the polar ice.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
+
+Our ship made good progress, considering the impediments in her way,
+towards the fishing grounds in the north, to which she was bound.
+Sometimes we had a clear sea; at other times we were sailing among
+patches of ice and icebergs, or through lanes penetrating into packs of
+many miles in extent, and from which it seemed impossible we should ever
+again be extricated.  Our captain, or one of his mates, was always at
+this time in the crow's-nest, directing the course of the ship amid the
+dangers which surrounded her.
+
+I shall not soon forget the first day of May, which I spent in the icy
+sea.  It was as unlike May-day at home as any day could well be as far
+as the temperature went, though we were sailing through a sea tolerably
+free from ice.
+
+"All play to-day and no work, my boy, for we are going to have a visit
+from a king and queen," said an old whaler, David McGee by name, as he
+gave me a slap on the shoulder which would have warmed up my blood not a
+little, if anything could in that biting weather.
+
+"He must be King Frost, then," I answered, laughing; "for we have plenty
+of his subjects around us already."
+
+"No; I mean a regular-built king," said old McGee, winking at some of
+his chums standing around, who had made many a voyage before.  "He
+boards every ship as comes into these parts, to ask them for tribute;
+and then he makes them free of the country, and welcome to come back as
+often as they like."
+
+"Thank him for nothing for that same," I answered, determined not to be
+quizzed by them.  "But don't suppose, David, I'm so jolly green as to
+believe what you're telling me; no offence to you, though."
+
+"You'll see, youngster, that what I say is true; so look out for him,"
+was old McGee's answer, as he turned on his heel.
+
+I had observed that for a few days past the old hands were busy about
+some work, which they kept concealed from the youngsters, or the green
+hands, to which class I belonged.  Everything went on as usual till
+eight bells had been struck at noon, when an immense garland, formed of
+ribbons of all colours, bits of calico, bunting, and artificial flowers,
+or what were intended for them, was run up at the mizzen-peak.  On the
+top of the garland was the model of a ship, full-rigged, with sails set
+and colours flying.  Scarcely had it gone aloft, when I was startled by
+a loud bellowing sound, which seemed to come from a piece of ice
+floating ahead of the ship.
+
+"What's that?"  I asked of old David, who persevered in keeping close to
+me all the morning.  "Is that a walrus blowing?"  I thought it might be,
+for I could not make it out.
+
+"A walrus! no, I should think not," he answered, in an indignant tone.
+"My lad, that's King Neptune's trumpeter, come to give notice that the
+old boy's coming aboard us directly.  I've heard him scores of times; so
+I'm not likely to be wrong."
+
+The answer I gave my shipmate was not very polite.  One never likes to
+be quizzed; and I, of course, thought he was quizzing me.
+
+"You'll see, lad," he answered, giving me no gentle tap on the head, in
+return for my remark.  "I'm not one to impose on a bright green youth
+like you."
+
+Again the bellow was heard.  "That's not a bit like the sound of a
+trumpet," I remarked.
+
+"Not like your shore-going trumpets, maybe," said old David, with a
+grin.  "But don't you know, youngster, the water gets into these
+trumpets, and makes them sound different?"
+
+A third bellow was followed by a loud hail, in a gruff, voice, "What
+ship is that, ahoy?"
+
+Old David ran forward, and answered, "_The Shetland Maid_, Captain
+Rendall, of Hull."
+
+"Heave to, while I come aboard, then; for you've got some green hands
+among you, I'm pretty sure, by the way your gaff-topsail stands."
+
+"Ay, ay, your majesty.  Down with your helm--back the main-topsail,"
+sung out old David, with as much authority as if he was captain of the
+ship.
+
+His orders were not obeyed; for before they were so, the gruff voice
+sung out, "Hold fast!" and a very curious group made their appearance
+over the bows, and stepped down on deck.
+
+I was not left long in doubt as to whether or not there was anything
+supernatural about them.  "There," exclaimed David, pointing with great
+satisfaction at them, "that big one, with the thing on his head which
+looks for all the world like a tin kettle, is King Neptune, and the
+thing is his helmet.  T'other, with the crown and the necklace of spikes
+under her chin, is Mrs Neptune, his lawful wife; and the little chap
+with the big razor and shaving-dish is his wally-de-sham and trumpeter
+extraordinary.  He's plenty more people belonging to him, but they
+haven't come on board this time."
+
+Neptune's costume was certainly not what my father's school-books had
+taught me to expect his majesty to wear, and I had always supposed his
+wife to be Amphitrite; but I concluded that in those cold regions he
+found it convenient to alter his dress, while it might be expected the
+seamen should make some slight mistake about names.
+
+Neptune himself had very large whiskers, and a red nightcap showed under
+his helmet.  In one hand he held a speaking-trumpet, in the other a
+trident surmounted by a red herring.  A piece of canvas, covered with
+bits of coloured cloth, made him a superb cloak, and a flag wound round
+his waist served him as a scarf.  A huge pair of sea-boots encased his
+feet, and a pair of sealskin trousers the upper part of his legs.  Mrs
+Neptune, to show her feminine nature, had a frill round her face, a
+canvas petticoat, and what looked very like a pair of Flushing trousers
+round her neck, with the legs brought in front to serve as a tippet.
+The valet had on a paper cocked-hat, a long pig-tail, and a pair of
+spectacles on a nose of unusual proportions.  I had read descriptions of
+Tritons, the supposed attendants on Neptune, and I must say his valet
+was very unlike one.  I might have been prejudiced, for I had no reason
+to feel any warm affection for him.
+
+"Come here, youngster, and make your bow to King Neptune," exclaimed
+David, seizing me; and, with number of other green hands, I was dragged
+forward and obliged to bob my head several times to the deck before his
+marine majesty.
+
+"Take 'em below.  I'll speak to 'em when I wants 'em," said the king in
+his gruff voice.  And forthwith we were hauled off together, and shut
+down in the cable tier.
+
+One by one we were picked out, just as the ogre Fi-fo-fum in the
+story-book picked out his prisoners to eat them.  There was a
+considerable noise of shouting and laughing and thumping on the decks,
+all of which I understood when it came to my turn.
+
+After three others had disappeared, I was dragged out of our dark prison
+and brought into the presence of Neptune, who was seated on a throne
+composed of a coil of ropes, with his court, a very motley assemblage,
+arranged round him.  In front of him his valet sat on a bucket with two
+assistants on either side, who, the moment I appeared, jumped up and
+pinioned my arms, and made me sit down on another bucket in front of
+their chief.
+
+"Now, young 'un, you haven't got a beard, but you may have one some day
+or other, so it's as well to begin to shave in time," exclaimed Neptune,
+nodding his head significantly to his valet.
+
+The valet on this jumping up, seized my head between his knees, and
+began, in spite of my struggles, covering my face with tar.  If I
+attempted to cry out, the tar-brush was instantly shoved into my mouth,
+to the great amusement of all hands.  When he had done what he called
+lathering my face, he began to scrape it unmercifully with his notched
+iron hoop; and if I struggled, he would saw it backwards and forwards
+over my face.
+
+When this process had continued for some time, Neptune offered me a box
+of infallible ointment, to cure all the diseases of life.  It was a lump
+of grease; and his valet, seizing it, rubbed my face all over with it.
+He then scrubbed me with a handful of oakum, which effectually took off
+the tar.  Being now pronounced shaved and clean, to my great horror Mrs
+Neptune cried out in a voice so gruff, that one might have supposed she
+had attempted to swallow the best-bower anchor, and that it had stuck in
+her throat, "Now my pretty Master Green, let me give you a buss, to
+welcome you to the Polar Seas.  Don't be coy now, and run off."
+
+This I was attempting to do, and with good reason, for Mrs Neptune's
+cap-frill was stuck so full of iron spikes, that I should have had a
+good chance of having my eyes put out if she had succeeded in her
+intentions; so off I set, running round the deck, to the great amusement
+of the crew, with Mrs Neptune after me.  Luckily for me she tripped up,
+and I was declared duly initiated as a North Sea whaler.  The rest of my
+young shipmates had to undergo the same process; and as it was now my
+turn to look on and laugh, I thought it very good fun, and heartily
+joined in the shouts to which the rest gave way.
+
+If any one got angry, he was soon made to cut so ridiculous a figure,
+and to feel his perfect helplessness, that he was compelled, for his own
+sake, to get back his good-humour again without delay.  We had an
+additional allowance of grog served out, and what with dancing and
+singing, the fun was kept up till long after dark.
+
+I need scarcely say that the representative of his marine majesty was no
+less a person than the red-whiskered cooper's mate, that his spouse was
+our boatswain, and the valet his mate.  I had often heard of a similar
+ceremony being practised on crossing the line, but I had no idea that it
+was general on board all whale ships.
+
+The fourth day of the month was a memorable one for me and the other
+green hands on board.  The wind was from the westward, and we were
+sailing along to the eastward of a piece of ice, about two miles
+distant, the water as smooth as in a harbour.  Daylight had just broke,
+but the watch below were still in their berths.  The sky was cloudy,
+though the lower atmosphere was clear; and Andrew, who was walking the
+deck with me, observed it was first-rate weather for fishing, if fish
+would but show themselves.
+
+Not ten minutes after this, the first mate, who had gone aloft into the
+crow's-nest to take a look-out round, eagerly shouted, "A fish! a fish!
+See, she spouts!" and down on deck he hurried with all despatch.
+
+The words were scarcely out of his mouth before the crews of two boats
+had jumped into them, and were lowering them down, with their harpoons,
+lances, and everything else ready, not forgetting some provisions, for
+it was impossible to say how long they might be away.  The chief mate
+jumped into one, and the second harpooner into the other, in which my
+friend Andrew went as line-manager.
+
+Away they pulled.  I looked over the side, and saw the whale a mile off,
+floating, thoughtless of danger, on the surface of the ocean, and
+spouting out a fountain of water high into the air.  I fancied that I
+could even hear the deep "roust" she made as she respired the air,
+without which she cannot exist any more than animals of the land or air.
+Every one on deck follows the boats with eager eyes.  The boat makes a
+circuit, so as to approach the monster in the rear; for if he sees them,
+he will be off far down into the ocean, and may not rise for a long
+distance away.  With rapid strokes they pull on, but as noiselessly as
+possible.  The headmost boat is within ten fathoms of the fish--I am
+sure it will be ours.  The harpooner stands up in the bows with harpoon
+in hand.  Suddenly, with tail in air, down dives the monster; and the
+faces of all around me assume an expression of black disappointment.  It
+must be remembered that, as all on board benefit by every fish which is
+caught, all are interested in the capture of one.
+
+"It's a loose fall, after all," said old David, who was near me.  "I
+thought so.  I shouldn't be surprised if we went home with a clean ship
+after all."
+
+However, the boats did not return.  Mr Todd was not a man to lose a
+chance.  Far too experienced ever to take his eye off a fish while it is
+in sight, he marks the way she headed, and is off after her to the
+eastward.  With his strong arm he bends to the oar, and urges his men to
+put forth all their strength, till the boat seems truly to fly over the
+water.  On they steadily pull, neither turning to the right hand nor to
+the left for nearly half-an-hour.  Were it not for the ice, their toil
+would be useless; but the boat-steerer looks out, and points eagerly
+ahead.
+
+On they pull.  Then on a sudden appears the mighty monster.  She has
+risen to the surface to breathe, a "fair start" from the boat.  The
+harpooner stands up, with his unerring weapon in his hand: when was it
+ever known to miss its aim?  The new-fangled gun he disdains.  A few
+strong and steady strokes, and the boat is close to the whale.  The
+harpoon is launched from his hank, and sinks deep into the oily flesh.
+
+The boat is enveloped in a cloud of spray--the whole sea around is one
+mass of foam.  Has the monster struck her, and hurled her gallant crew
+to destruction?  No; drawn rapidly along, her broad bow ploughing up the
+sea, the boat is seen to emerge from the mist with a jack flying as a
+signal that she is fast, while the mighty fish is diving far below it,
+in a vain effort to escape.
+
+Now arose from the mouth of every seaman on deck the joyful cry of "A
+fall, a fall!" at the same time that every one jumped and stamped on
+deck, to arouse the sleepers below to hasten to the assistance of their
+comrades.  We all then rushed to the boat-falls.
+
+Never, apparently, were a set of men in such a desperate hurry.  Had the
+ship been sinking, or even about to blow up, we could scarcely have made
+more haste.
+
+The falls were let go, and the boats in the water, as the watch below
+rushed on deck.  Many of the people were dressed only in their drawers,
+stockings, and shirts, while the rest of their clothes were in their
+hands, fastened together by a lanyard; but without stopping to put them
+on, they tumbled into the boats, and seized their oars ready to shove
+off.  Among them, pale with terror, appeared poor Tom Stokes and another
+youngster in their shirts.  They hurried distractedly from boat to boat.
+At each they were saluted by, "We don't want you here, lads.  Off with
+you--this isn't your boat."
+
+I belonged to the after or smallest boat, which was most quickly manned,
+and most easily shoved off; so that I was already at a distance when he
+ran aft and saw me going.  "O Peter, Peter!" he exclaimed in a tone to
+excite our commiseration, though I am sorry to say it only caused loud
+shouts of laughter, "you who have gone through so many dangers with me,
+to desert me at last in a sinking ship!"
+
+Poor fellow, aroused out of a deep sleep by the unusual sounds, he not
+unnaturally thought the ship was going down.  I heard the gruff voice of
+the cooper's mate scolding him; but what he said I don't know.  The
+scolding must have brought him and the other back to their senses; and
+they of course went below to get their clothes, and to return to assist
+in working the ship.  On such occasions, when all the boats are away,
+the ship is frequently left with only the master, one or two seamen, and
+the rest landsmen on board.
+
+The moment the fast-boat displayed her jack, up went the jack on board
+the ship at the mizzen-peak, to show that assistance was coming.  Away
+pulled the five boats as fast as we could lay back to our oars.  The
+whale had dived to an immense depth, and the second boat had fastened
+her line to that of the first, and had consequently now become the
+fast-boat; but her progress was not so rapid but that we had every
+prospect of overtaking her.  To retard the progress of the whale, and to
+weary it as much as possible, the line had been passed round the
+"bollard," a piece of timber near the stern of the boat.  We knew that
+the first boat wanted more line by seeing an oar elevated, and then a
+second, when the second boat pulled rapidly up to her.  The language of
+signs for such work is very necessary, and every whaler comprehends
+them.
+
+We now came up and arranged ourselves on either side of the fast-boat, a
+little ahead, and at some distance, so as to be ready to pull in
+directly the whale should reappear at the surface.  Away we all went,
+every nerve strained to the utmost, excitement and eagerness on every
+countenance, the water bubbling and hissing round the bows of the boats,
+as we clove our way onward.
+
+"Hurra, boys! see, she rises!" was the general shout.  Up came the
+whale, more suddenly than we expected.  A general dash was made at her
+by all the boats.  "'Stern for your lives; 'stern of all!" cried some of
+the more experienced harpooners.  "See, she's in a flurry."
+
+First the monster flapped the water violently with its fins; then its
+tail was elevated aloft, lashing the ocean around into a mass of foam.
+This was not its death-flurry; for, gaining strength before any more
+harpoons or lances could be struck into it, away it went again, heading
+towards the ice.  Its course was now clearly discerned by a small
+whirling eddy, which showed that it was at no great distance under the
+surface, while in its wake was seen a thin line of oil and blood, which
+had exuded from its wound.
+
+Wearied, however, by its exertions and its former deep dive, it was
+again obliged to come to the surface to breathe.  Again the eager boats
+dashed in, almost running on its back, and from every side it was plied
+with lances, while another harpoon was driven deeply into it, to make it
+doubly secure.  Our boat was the most incautious, for we were right over
+the tail of the whale.  The chief harpooner warned us--"Back, my lads;
+back of all," he shouted out, his own boat pulling away.  "Now she's in
+her death-flurry truly."
+
+The words were not out of his mouth when I saw our harpooner leap from
+the boat, and swim as fast as he could towards one of the others.  I was
+thinking of following his example, knowing he had good reasons for it,
+for I had seen the fins of the animal flap furiously, and which had
+warned him, when a violent blow, which I fancied must have not only
+dashed the boat to pieces, but have broken every bone in our bodies, was
+struck on the keel of the boat.
+
+Up flew the boat in the air, some six or eight feet at least, with the
+remaining crew in her.  Then down we came, one flying on one side, one
+on the other, but none of us hurt even, all spluttering and striking out
+together; while the boat came down keel uppermost, not much the worse
+either.  Fortunately we all got clear of the furious blows the monster
+continued dealing with its tail.
+
+"Never saw a whale in such a flurry," said old David, into whose boat I
+was taken.  For upwards of two minutes the flurry continued, we all the
+while looking on, and no one daring to approach it; at the same time a
+spout of blood and mucus and oil ascended into the air from its
+blow-holes, and sprinkled us all over.
+
+"Hurra, my lads, she spouts blood!" we shouted out to each other, though
+we all saw and felt it plain enough.  There was a last lash of that
+tail, now faint and scarce rising above the water, but which, a few
+minutes ago, would have sent every boat round it flying into splinters.
+Then all was quiet.  The mighty mass, now almost inanimate, turned
+slowly round upon its side, and then it floated belly up and dead.
+
+Our triumph was complete.  Loud shouts rent the air.  "Hurra, my lads,
+hurra! we've killed our first fish well," shouted the excited chief
+mate, who had likewise had the honour of being the first to strike the
+first fish.  "She's above eleven feet if she's an inch," (speaking of
+the length of the longest lamina of whalebone); "she'll prove a good
+prize, that she will."  He was right.  I believe that one fish filled
+forty-seven butts with blubber--enough, in days of yore, I have heard,
+to have repaid the whole expense of the voyage.
+
+Our ship was some way to leeward; and as the wind was light, she could
+not work up to us, so we had to tow the prize down to her.  Our first
+operation was to free it from the lines.  This was done by first lashing
+the tail, by means of holes cut through it, to the bows of a boat, and
+then two boats swept round it, each with the end of a line, the centre
+of which was allowed to sink under the fish.  As the lines hung down
+perpendicularly, they were thus brought up and cut as close as possible
+down to the harpoons, which were left sticking in the back of the fish.
+Meantime the men of the other boats were engaged in lashing the fins
+together across the belly of the whale.  This being done, we all formed
+in line, towing the fish by the tail; and never have I heard or given a
+more joyous shout than ours, as we pulled cheerily away, at the rate of
+a mile an hour, towards the ship with our first fish.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
+
+A cookery-book, in the possession of my good mother, advises one to
+catch one's hare before cooking it.  On the same principle I deferred
+describing how a whale is disposed of till I had seen one caught; for I
+have heard that it is possible for a ship to return clean, or without
+having caught a single whale; and this might possibly, I feared, be our
+case.  Every one on board, from the captain downwards, was now in good
+spirits.
+
+We had got a fish; but it was necessary to secure it carefully
+alongside, lest it might sink even there, and be lost after all our
+trouble--such misfortunes having occurred to careless fishers.  The
+first thing we did was to secure at the stern of the ship, on the
+larboard side, a tackle, which is called a nose tackle, from its being
+fastened to the nose or head of the fish.  A tail tackle was secured to
+the tail of the fish, and this was brought on board at the fore-chains.
+Thus the head of the fish was towards the stern of the ship, and the
+tail towards the bows, the body being extended as much as possible.  The
+right side fin, which was next the ship (it being remembered that the
+whale was on its back), was then lashed upwards towards the gunwale.
+
+To "cant" or "kent," in nautical phraseology, is to turn over or on one
+side.  The tackle, therefore, composed of many turns of ropes and
+blocks, which turns the whale over as the blubber is cut off, is called
+the "kent purchase" or tackle.  One part was fastened to the neck of the
+whale, or rather the part of the body next the head--for a whale, even
+in courtesy, cannot be said to have a neck--and the other was tied to
+the head of the main-mast, the fall being passed round the windlass.
+The neck, or rather the part which would be the neck if it had one, is
+called the "kent."
+
+From the size of the whale, it was impossible to lift it more than
+one-fifth part out of the water; and this was only done after heaving
+away at the windlass.  Till this operation was performed, not one of us
+had rested from our labours.
+
+"Knock off, my lads, and turn-to to breakfast," sung out the master in a
+cheerful tone.  The order was obeyed with right good-will; and perhaps
+never did a more hungry crew of fishermen sit down to a more jovial
+meal.  Breakfast was soon over, and, strengthened and refreshed, we
+prepared to turn-to at our task.
+
+On going on deck again, I found that our booty had attracted round us
+many birds and fish of all descriptions, ready to prey on what we should
+leave.  There were fulmars in thousands, eager to pounce down upon the
+morsels which they knew would be their share.  They were of a dirty grey
+colour, with white breasts and strong crooked bills, formed to tear
+flesh easily, and able to give a very severe bite.  Then there were
+numbers of the arctic gull, who may be considered the pirate of the icy
+regions, as he robs most other birds, not only of their prey, but of
+their eggs and young.  The sea-swallow, or great tern, however, like an
+armed ship of size, bravely defends himself, and often beats off his
+antagonist; while the burgomaster a large and powerful bird, may be
+looked upon as a ship of war, before whom even the sea-swallow flies
+away, or is compelled to deliver up his prize.  There were a few also of
+the ivory gull, a beautiful bird of immaculate whiteness.  They are so
+timid that they dare not rest on the whale, but fly down, and while
+fluttering over it, tear off small bits, and are off again before the
+dreaded burgomaster can come near them.
+
+But now to our prize.  First, the harpooners secured to their feet what
+we called spurs, that is, spikes of iron, to prevent them from slipping
+off the back of the whale, on which they now descended.  I and three
+other youngsters were meantime ordered to get into two of the boats,
+into which were thrown the blubber-knives and spades, bone-knives, and
+other instruments used in the operation in which they were about to
+engage.
+
+Our duty was to keep alongside the whale, to hand them what they
+required, and to pick any one up who should by chance fall into the
+water.  The specksioneer, or chief harpooner, took post in the centre of
+the rest to direct them.  The fat is, as it were, a casing on the
+outside of the whale, so that it can easily be got at.  With their
+blubber-knives the men then cut it into oblong pieces, just as a fish is
+cut across at table; and with their spades they lifted it from the flesh
+and bones, performing the same work on a larger scale that the
+fish-knife does.  To the end thus first lifted a strap and tackle is
+fastened, called the "speck-tackle," by which those on deck haul it up.
+This operation is called "flensing."
+
+As the huge mass is turned round and round by the kent-tackle, the
+harpooners continue cutting off the slips, till the whole coat of fat is
+removed.  The fins and tail are also cut off; and, lastly, the
+whale-bone is cut out of the mouth.  The whale-bone is placed in two
+rows in the mouth, and is used instead of teeth, to masticate the food,
+and to catch the minute animals floating in the water on which it feeds.
+Each side of bone consists of upwards of three hundred laminae, the
+interior edges of which are covered with a fringe of hair.  Ten or
+twelve feet is the average size.  In young whales, called "suckers," it
+is only a few inches long.  When it is above six feet, the whale is said
+to be of _size_, a term I have before used.
+
+The tongue of the whale is very large; it has a beard, and a very narrow
+throat.  While I was handing a blubber-spade to old David, as I looked
+over the side of the boat, I saw a pair of bright green eyes glancing up
+at me with such a knowing, wicked look, that I drew back with a shudder,
+thinking it was some uncommon monster of the deep, who was watching for
+an opportunity to carry one of us off.
+
+"What is it now, youngster?  Have you bit your nose?" asked David,
+laughing.
+
+"No," I replied breathlessly.  "Look there--what is that?"  I pointed
+out the eyes, which were still glaring up at me.
+
+"That--why that, my green lad, is only a blind shark.  Have not you ever
+seen one of them before?"
+
+"Only a shark!"  I exclaimed with horror, remembering all I had heard
+about sharks.  "Won't he eat one?"
+
+"No, not he; but just run a boat-hook into him, and try and drive him
+away, for he's drawing five shillings' worth of oil out of the fish
+every mouthful he takes, the glutton," said David.
+
+I did as I was desired; but though the point ran right into his body, he
+only shifted his post a little, and made a fresh attack directly under
+the stern of the boat.  I again wounded him; but he was either so
+engaged with gorging himself, or so insensible to pain, that he
+continued with his nose against the side of the whale, eating away as
+before.
+
+I afterwards learned that this Greenland shark is not really blind,
+though the sailors think so because it shows no fear at the sight of
+man.  The pupil of the eye is emerald green; the rest of it is blue,
+with a white worm-shaped substance on the outside.  This one was upwards
+of ten feet in length, and in form like a dog-fish.  It is a great foe
+to the whale, biting and annoying him even when alive; and by means of
+its peculiarly-shaped mouth and teeth it can scoop out of its body
+pieces as large as a man's head.
+
+But the most persevering visitors during the operation of flensing were
+the sailors' little friends the Mollies.  The moment the fish was struck
+they had begun to assemble, and they were now pecking and tearing away
+at the flesh with the greatest impudence, even among the men's long
+knives.  One at last got between David's legs, which so tried his
+patience, that he took it up and flung it from him with a hearty shake,
+abusing it for running the risk of being hurt; just as a cab-driver does
+a child for getting into the road, without the slightest idea of
+injuring it.  But the Molly would not take the hint, and with the
+greatest coolness returned to its repast, thinking, probably, that it
+had as much right to its share as we had to ours.
+
+The Mollies do not evince an amiable disposition towards each other; and
+as the "krang" (such is the name given to the refuse parts of the whale)
+is cut off, they were to be seen sitting on the water by thousands
+tearing at the floating pieces, and when one morsel seemed more tempting
+than another, driving their weaker brethren away from it, and fighting
+over it as if the sea was not covered with other bits equally good.  All
+the time the noise they made "poultering" down in the water, and
+quacking or cackling--I do not know which to call it--was most
+deafening.
+
+My good friend Andrew pointed them out to me.  He never lost an
+opportunity of giving me a useful lesson.  "There," he said, "that's the
+way of the world.  We are never content with what we have got, but must
+fight to gain something else.  Now take my advice, Peter.  Do your duty
+as a man; and when you light upon a piece of krang, stick to it, and be
+thankful that you've found it."  I have never since been in a noisy,
+quarrelsome crowd, that I did not think of the Mollies and the krang.
+
+I must not forget the green-eyed monster which had so startled me.  The
+surgeon had got a hook ready, covered by a piece of blubber; and letting
+it fall quietly over the stern before its nose, the bait was instantly
+gorged.  To hook a fish of ten feet long, and to get him on board, are
+two different things; and our good _medico_ was very nearly drawn
+overboard in a vain attempt to do the latter without assistance, which,
+just then, all hands on board were too much engaged to afford.  The line
+was very strong, or the shark would have broken it, as now, finding
+himself hooked, he had sense enough to struggle violently in order to
+get free.
+
+I must confess that, when I came on deck after the krang had been cast
+adrift, I was not sorry to see my friend in that condition.  After some
+trouble we got the bight of a rope over his head, and another round his
+tail, and hoisted him on deck.  If a cat has nine lives, a Greenland
+shark may be said to have ninety.  We cut him on the head and tail with
+hatchets, and knocked out any brains he might have possessed, and still
+he would not die.  At last the surgeon cut him up, and hours after each
+individual piece seemed to have life remaining in it.
+
+Sometimes when the tackles are removed the carcase of the whale sinks,
+and the fish at the bottom are alone the better for it; but at other
+times, as in this case, it floats, and not only the birds and sharks,
+but the bears find a hearty meal off it.  This krang floated away; and
+afterwards, as I shall have presently to relate, was the source of much
+amusement.  I ought to have said, that while the harpooners were
+flensing the whale, another division of the crew were employed in
+receiving it on deck, in pieces of half a ton each, while others cut it
+into portable pieces of about a foot square; and a third set passed it
+down a hole in the main hatches to between decks, where it was received
+by two men, styled kings, who stowed it away in a receptacle called the
+"flense gut."  Here it remained till there was time for "making off."
+
+Having now got our prize on board, the owners being probably 500 pounds
+richer, should we reach home in safety, than they were a few hours
+before, we set to work to make off the blubber, that is, to stow it away
+in the casks in the hold.  For this purpose we ran out some miles from
+the ice, in smooth water, and hove to, with just sufficient sail set to
+steady the ship.  While the skee-man--the officer who has charge of the
+hold--the cooper, and a few others, were breaking out the hold, that is,
+getting at the ground or lowest tier of casks, we on deck were arranging
+the speck-trough, and other apparatus required for preparing the
+blubber.
+
+The speck-trough is an oblong box, with a lid, about twelve feet in
+length.  The lid, when thrown back, forms a chopping-table; and it is
+covered with bits of whale's tail from end to end, which, being elastic,
+though hard, prevents the knives being blunted.  In the middle of the
+trough is a square hole, which is placed over the hatchway; and to the
+hole is attached a hose or pipe of canvas, leading into the hold, and
+movable, so as to be placed over the bungs of each cask.  A pair of
+nippers embrace it, so as to stop the blubber from running down when no
+cask is under.
+
+The krang is the refuse, as I have said, and the men who separate the
+oily part from it are called "krangers."  The "kings" throw the blubber
+in rough out of the "flense gut" to the "krangers" on deck; from them it
+is passed to the harpooners, who are the skinners.  After the skin has
+been sliced off, it is placed on the chopping-block, before which stand
+in a row the boat-steerers, who with their long knives cut it up into
+oblong pieces not larger than four inches in diameter, and then push it
+into the speck-trough.
+
+The line-managers are stationed in the hold, and guide the tube or lull
+to the casks they desire to fill.  Finally, when no more can fall in,
+piece after piece is jambed in by a pricker, and the cask is bunged up.
+Sometimes not only are all the casks on board filled, but the blubber is
+stowed away in bulk in the hold, and even between decks; but this good
+fortune does not often occur.
+
+It will be seen by any one who has read an account, that the process of
+preparing the cargo by the whalers in the southern seas is very
+different.  Andrew Thompson had once been in a South Sea whaler, and he
+told me he never wished to go in another; for a wilder, more mutinous
+set of fellows it was never his ill-luck, before or since, to meet.
+This was, of course, owing partly to the captain, who was a rough,
+uncultivated savage, and totally unfit to gain any moral restraint over
+his men.
+
+"I'll tell you what it is, Peter," said Andrew, as I sat by him in the
+forecastle that evening, listening to his yarns, "till the masters are
+properly educated, and know how to behave like officers and gentlemen,
+the men will be mutinous and ill-conducted.  When I say like gentlemen,
+I don't mean that they should eat with silver forks off china, drink
+claret, and use white pocket-handkerchiefs.  Those things don't make the
+gentleman afloat more than on shore.  But what I like to see, is a man
+who treats his crew with proper gentleness, who looks after their
+interest in this world and the next, and tries to improve them to the
+best of his power--who acts, indeed, as a true Christian will act--that
+man is, I say, a gentleman.  I say, put him where you will, ask him to
+do what you will, he will look and act like a gentleman.  Who would dare
+to say that our good captain is not one?  He looks like one, and acts
+like one, at all times and occasions; and if we had many more like him
+in the merchant service generally, we should soon have an improvement in
+the condition of our seamen.
+
+"But I have got adrift from what I was going to tell you about the South
+Sea whalers.  You see, the whales in those seas are generally
+sperm-whales, with blunt bottle-noses, altogether unlike the fish about
+here.  There is not much difference in the way of killing them, except
+that one has not to go among the ice for them, in the way we have here,
+as they are met with in `schools' in the open sea.  What we call
+`making-off' is there called `trying-out.'
+
+"You see, on account of the hot climates they have to come through to
+return home, and partly from the value of the blubber, they have to boil
+it to get out the oil; and for this object they have to build large
+stoves or fire-places with brick on deck, between the fore-mast and main
+hatchway; and above them are three or four large pots.  The blubber is
+then, you see, minced up, and pitched into the pots with long forks.
+Just fancy what a curious scene there must be while the trying-out is
+going on at night--the red glare of the fires, and the thick lurid smoke
+ascending in dense columns round the masts!  Any one, not knowing what
+was going forward, would think, to a certainty, the ship was on fire;
+and then the stench of the boiling oil, hissing and bubbling in the
+pots--the suffocating feel of the smoke--the fierce-looking, greasy,
+unwashed men--I say, those who have been in a South Sea whaler will
+never wish to go again."
+
+I told him that I had no wish, after his description, ever to belong to
+one, though I liked the life, as far as I had seen of it, where I was.
+
+"I have not a word to say against it, mate," replied Andrew.  "But wait
+a bit till we come to boring and cutting through the ice, in case we are
+beset, and then you'll say that there is something like hard work to be
+done."
+
+It took us two hours to kill our first whale, and four to flense it.  We
+afterwards performed the last operation in less time, when all hands
+were more expert.
+
+The next morning we again stood in towards the ice, to see if there was
+any opening through which we might force the ship, but none appeared.
+What was curious, we hit the spot to which the krang of the fish we had
+killed the day before had floated.  We saw something moving on the ice,
+as we approached, besides the clouds of wild-fowl which hovered over it,
+and on the sea around.
+
+We pointed it out to the second mate.  He took his glass, and, putting
+it to his eye, exclaimed, "There's a big white bear has just been
+breakfasting, and has hauled up some of the krang on the ice, to serve
+him for dinner; but we'll try what we can do to spoil his sport."
+
+In accordance with this resolution, he went to the captain and asked
+leave to take a boat to try and bring back Bruin, dead or alive.
+
+"You may bring him back dead, but alive you'll never get him into that
+boat, depend on it," answered Captain Rendall, laughing.  "However, take
+care he is not too much for you; for those bears are cunning fellows,
+remember; and I should advise you to take a couple of muskets, and some
+tough lances."
+
+"Never fear, sir," answered the mate, preparing to lower a boat.  "I
+don't think a boat's crew need, any day, be afraid of a single bear."
+
+Volunteers being asked for, Terence and I, old David and Stokes, and
+three others, jumped into the boat, and pulled off towards where the
+bear was seated quietly licking his paws after his meal.  The mate had a
+great idea of noosing him; and for this purpose he and David were each
+armed with a coil of rope, with a bight to throw over his head, like a
+lasso, while Terence and I were to take charge of the guns.  The mate
+first made us put him on the ice some few hundred yards on one side of
+the bear, and then we pulled round to the same distance on the other.
+Each had a lance besides his lasso, and the mate had a pistol in his
+belt.
+
+In case of extreme necessity, Terence and I were to fire, and then to
+land and come to their rescue.  As soon as the two had landed, they
+began to move away from the edge, hoping thereby to cut Bruin off should
+he attempt to escape.  He had, however, no inclination to leave his
+dinner; though, perhaps, had he not already eaten to repletion, he would
+not have sat so quiet while we approached.
+
+We meantime pulled close up to the krang, among all the ducks and gulls.
+This Bruin did not mind, but sat still, looking quietly on.  Of course
+I could then easily have shot him; but that was not the mate's object.
+All he did was to growl and show his teeth, as if he longed to have us
+all within his paws.  This made us bolder and less cautious, so we got
+close up to him.
+
+"We are still too far for me to heave the bight over his shoulders,"
+cried Terence.  "Just see if you can't get hold of his dinner with the
+boat-hook, and that will bring him nearer."
+
+I luckily held my gun in my left hand, while with my right, as I sprang
+on the ice, I attempted to catch hold of the whale's flesh with the
+boat-hook.  This was too much for the equanimity even of Bruin, and with
+a loud growl he sprang towards the boat, happily thinking me too
+insignificant for punishment.  I immediately ran off towards the mate;
+while so great was the impetus which the bear had gained, that he went
+head-foremost into the water, just catching the gunwale of the boat as
+the men in her tried to shove off to avoid him.
+
+Terence seized his musket, but it missed fire; and before either of the
+others could get their lances ready, Bruin had actually scrambled on
+board.  No one can be surprised at their fright, nor that, as the bear
+came in on one side, they should jump out on the other.  They were all
+good swimmers, so they struck out for the ice, on to which the mate and
+I hauled them, while Bruin floated away in our boat.
+
+We thought he would have jumped out again, and attacked us: but he
+seemed perfectly content with his victory, and inclined for a cruise, as
+he sat, with the greatest composure, examining the different articles in
+the boat.  How long he might have sat there I do not know, had not the
+mate ordered me to try my skill as a shot.  It was a long time since I
+had had a gun in my hand, and my ambition was roused.  I took a steady
+aim at poor Bruin's eye, and he sunk down in the bottom of the boat.
+
+The whole occurrence had been seen from the ship by our captain, who
+despatched a boat to our assistance.  We stood meantime, looking very
+foolish, on the ice; and those who had been in the water shivering not a
+little with the cold.  After the boat had taken us on board, we pulled
+towards ours, with the bear in it.  We half-expected to see him jump up,
+and, seizing the oars, pull away from us.  Terence declared that he knew
+a man who said that such a thing had once happened, and that the bear,
+after a chase of many miles, got clean off with the boat; and that next
+year, about the same latitude, he was seen cruising about by himself,
+fishing for seals.
+
+However, we got cautiously up to our boat; and there lay Bruin,
+breathing out his last.  By the time we got alongside, he was quite
+dead.  We all, especially the mate, got well laughed at for having had
+our boat captured by a bear.
+
+"And so, Mr Derrick," said the captain, "a boat's crew can possibly be
+beaten by a bear, I see."
+
+"They can, sir," answered the mate; "I own it; but if you'll remember,
+you said I should never get that bear into the boat, alive or dead, and
+I've done both."
+
+"Not that," replied the captain.  "He got himself in, and he got you
+out; so I don't see that you've fulfilled your promise."
+
+However, Bruin was hoisted on board, and the mate secured his skin,
+which was what he wanted.  Of course the adventure caused much joking
+afterwards, and the boat was ever afterwards called "the bear's boat."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
+
+For several days, during which we captured another whale, we were
+cruising about, in the hopes of finding a passage through the ice.  We
+were now joined by a squadron of six other ships, all bent on the same
+object that we were, to find our way across Baffin's Bay to a spot
+called Pond's Bay, which has been found, of late years, to be frequented
+by a large number of whales.
+
+I have before forgot to mention the great length of the days; indeed,
+for some time past there had scarcely been any night.  Now, for the
+first time in my life, I saw the sun set and rise at midnight.  It was
+my first watch; and, as eight bells were struck, the sun, floating
+majestically on the horizon, began again its upward course through the
+sky.  On the other side the whole sky was tinged with a rich pink glow,
+while the sky above was of a deep clear blue.  I could scarcely tear
+myself from the spectacle, till old David laughed heartily at me for
+remaining on deck when it was my watch below.  Now was the time to push
+onward, if we could once penetrate the ice.  We had worked our way to
+the east, in the hopes of there finding a passage.
+
+"Land on the starboard bow!" shouted the second mate from the
+crow's-nest.  Still on we sailed, till we saw it clearly from the deck.
+Lofty black rocks were peeping out from amid snow-capped heights, and
+eternal glaciers glittering in the sunbeams.  In the foreground were
+icebergs tinged with many varied hues.  Deep valleys appeared running up
+far inland; and above all, in the distance, were a succession of
+towering mountain ranges, reaching to the sky.  Still on we sailed.
+
+"Well, lad, how long do you think it would take you to pull on shore
+now?" asked old David.
+
+"Better than half-an-hour, in a whale-boat, with a good crew," I
+answered, thinking the distance was about four or five miles.
+
+The old whaler chuckled, in the way he always did when he had got, what
+he called, the weather-gauge of me.
+
+"Now I tell you it would take you three good hours, with the best crew
+that ever laid hand on oar, and the fastest boat, too, to get from this
+ship to that shore."
+
+"Come now, David, you are passing your jokes off on a greenhorn," I
+replied.  "Why, if the water was not cold, I don't think I should find
+much difficulty in swimming there, when we got a little closer in."
+
+This answer produced a fresh succession of chuckles.  Still on we
+sailed; and I confess that at the end of an hour we appeared no nearer
+than before.
+
+"Well, what do you think of it now?" asked old David.
+
+"Why, that there must be a strong current against us, setting off
+shore," I answered, wishing to show my knowledge.
+
+He replied that there was no current, and that I was wrong.  Another
+half-hour passed, and still we did not seem to have gained ground.
+
+"What do you think of our being off Cape Flyaway, youngster?" asked
+David, pretending to be alarmed.  "Did you never hear speak of that?
+The longer you sail after it the farther off it goes, till it takes you
+right round the world.  If that's it, and I don't say it isn't, it will
+be long enough before we get back to old England again."  Having thus
+delivered himself, he walked away, to avoid being questioned.
+
+Tom Stokes, who was near me, and, as I have said, was very fond of
+reading, heard his remark.
+
+"Do you know, Peter, I am not certain that what David says is altogether
+wrong," he remarked, in a mysterious manner.  "I have just been reading
+in a book an account of a voyage made many centuries ago by a Danish
+captain to these seas.  His name was Rink, but I forget the name of the
+ship.  His crew consisted of eighty stout brave fellows; but when they
+got up here, some of the bravest were frightened with the wonders they
+beheld--the monsters of the deep, the fogs, the snows, and the mountains
+of ice--and at last they saw at no great distance a high picturesque
+land on which they wished to land, but though they sailed rapidly on, or
+appeared to sail, they got no nearer to it.  This increased the alarm
+they already felt.  One-half of the crew were of opinion that the land
+itself moved away from them; the others that there were some powerful
+loadstone rocks somewhere astern, which kept the ship back.  At last
+Captain Rink finding a northerly breeze spring up, and being somewhat
+short of provisions, put up the helm and ran home, every one on board
+giving a different account of the wonders they had seen, but all
+agreeing that it was a region of ice-demons and snow-spirits, and that
+they would never, if they could help it, venture there again."
+
+For some hours we continued much of Captain Rink's opinion, till at last
+I had an opportunity of asking Andrew what he thought about the matter.
+He then told me that, on account of the clearness of the atmosphere, and
+the brightness of the snow-covered hills or icy plains, they appear to a
+person unaccustomed to look on them to be very much nearer than they
+really are.  He assured me that it would be a long time before I should
+be able to judge of distances; and that he had known a person mistake a
+few stunted shrubs appearing above the snow a few yards off for a forest
+in the distance, while land many miles off appeared, as it had to me,
+close at hand.
+
+It was evening, or I should rather say near midnight, when we really got
+close in, when we found that the valleys were magnificent fiords, or
+gulfs running far inland, and that the rocks and icebergs were of vast
+height.  As we sailed along the coast, nothing could be more beautiful
+than the different effects of light and shade--the summits of the
+distant inland ranges shining in the sunlight like masses of gold, and
+the icebergs in the foreground tinged with the most beautiful and
+dazzling colours.
+
+Beautiful as was the scene, I had no idea that any civilised beings
+dwelt in such a region of eternal snows.  What was my surprise, then, to
+find the ship brought to an anchor off a small town called Leifly,
+belonging to the Danes!  They have several small colonies along the
+coast, at each of which are stationed missionaries engaged in the pious
+work of converting the Esquimaux to Christianity.
+
+I thought that where we lay at anchor was directly under the overhanging
+cliffs; but I found, from the time the boat took reaching the shore,
+that we were several miles off.  Several Esquimaux canoes came off to
+the ship to barter with us.  One man sits in each boat, which is so long
+and narrow, that one is surprised it should be able to encounter the
+slightest sea.  The whole is decked over, except a round opening, in
+which they seat themselves.
+
+All these people were Christians; and in each canoe was a strip of paper
+stuck in a thong under the deck, on which were written, in Danish,
+passages from the Scriptures.  They were comfortably dressed in sealskin
+coats, trousers, and boots, with a sealskin helmet.  Their heads were
+large, with a narrow, retreating forehead; strong, coarse black hair,
+flat nose, full lips, almost beardless chin, and full lustrous black
+eyes--not beauties, certainly, but the expression was very amiable, and
+so was their conduct.
+
+We had to lower a boat to assist them on deck when they came alongside,
+for otherwise they would not have been able to get out of their crank
+barks without capsizing.  The way they manage is as follows:--Two canoes
+bring up alongside each other, the man in the outer one passing his
+paddle through a thong which stretches across the deck of the inner one,
+which it thus steadies till the owner can get out.  The inner canoe is
+then hauled out of the way, and another pulls up on the outside.  The
+last canoe is held by the gunwale till the occupant steps out.  They all
+appeared ready to render each other this assistance.  The canoe is
+called a "kajack."
+
+The kajacks being hauled on deck, we began our barter.  We had to give
+old clothes, red and yellow cotton handkerchiefs, biscuits, coffee,
+earthenware bowls, needles, and many other little things; for which they
+exchanged sealskins, sealskin trousers, caps, slippers, gloves, and
+tobacco-bags.  These articles were very neatly sewed with sinew thread.
+Our negotiations being completed in the most amicable manner, they took
+their departure much in the way in which they had arrived.
+
+I afterwards went ashore in the boat, and saw their huts, which were
+better, I am ashamed to say, than many I had seen in Ireland.  Many of
+them were nearly built of the bones of the whale, which had an odd
+appearance.  There were heaps of filth in front, and troops of
+ill-favoured dogs were prowling about them.
+
+I saw some of their women, the elder ones being the most hideous-looking
+of the human race I ever beheld.  They wore their hair gathered in a
+large knot at the top of the head; but in other respects they were
+dressed exactly like the men, in sealskin garments.  Whatever business
+took us there was soon completed; and once more, in company with several
+other ships, we commenced our struggle with the ice-monsters of the
+deep.  Our course was still northerly, as what is called the "middle
+ice" fills up the centre of the bay in impenetrable masses; and it is
+only by working round it to the north, where it has drifted away from
+the coast, that a passage to the west side can be effected.
+
+Soon after sailing, we were frozen into a sheet of bay ice for some
+days.  It was slight, and in many places could scarcely bear the weight
+of a man.  Indeed, there were in every direction pools of water, which
+for some reason or other did not freeze.  Our captain had been for some
+time in the crow's-nest, looking out for a sign of the breaking up of
+the ice, when he observed several whales rising in the pools.  He
+instantly ordered the smaller boats to be lowered, and worked through
+and over the ice to the pools, with harpooners ready to strike any whale
+which might rise in them.  Meantime he armed himself with a harpoon, and
+ordered others to follow with lances, each with ice-shoes on his feet.
+
+The first man carried the end of a line, and the rest laid hold of it at
+intervals; so that, should any fall in, they might be able to draw
+themselves out again.  We had not long to wait before a whale was
+struck, and out flew the line from the boat.  So thin was the ice, that
+we could see the monster through it, as he swam along close under it.
+Away he went; but, losing breath, he knocked a hole in the ice with his
+head, to get some fresh air.  We followed, but at first he was too quick
+for us, and had dived again before we came up with him.
+
+We had to look out to avoid the place he had broken as we made chase
+after him.  Our captain took the lead without a rope, going at a great
+rate in his snow-shoes.  He saw the whale close under him, and had just
+got his harpoon ready to strike through the ice, when up came the fish
+under the very spot where he stood, and we saw him skip off in a
+tremendous hurry, or he to a certainty would have gone in, and perhaps
+have been drawn down when the whale started off again.
+
+Instead of this, he boldly went to the very edge of the ice, and while
+the whale was blowing, he darted his harpoon deep into his neck.  The
+whale continued his course, but so much slower than before, that we got
+up to him, and striking our lances through the ice whenever he touched
+it, we soon despatched him.  As he had no means of breathing under the
+ice, he died quietly, and was dragged up by the line of the first
+harpoon which struck him; and, by breaking the ice so as to let the line
+pass, he was hauled up to the ship.
+
+Scarcely was the first secured than a second one was struck, and away we
+went after him, hallooing, shouting, and laughing.  The first man was a
+little fellow, though, I believe, he cracked the ice.  At all events, we
+had not gone a hundred yards when in fell three men, one after the
+other; but they did not mind, and by means of the rope they were soon
+out again, and in chase of our prey.
+
+Poor Stokes got in twice, and I once, to the great amusement of the
+rest; however, very few escaped without a wetting, so that the laugh was
+not entirely against us.  We succeeded in killing the fish, and I do not
+know whether it was not as exciting as chasing him in the water; at all
+events there was more fun and novelty, and that is what a sailor likes.
+
+A fair breeze at length sprung up, which, bringing warmer weather, and
+enabling us to spread our canvas with effect, we cut away the ice round
+the ship, and then she, with her strong bows, forced a passage through
+it.  While the wind lasted, with every yard of canvas alow and aloft the
+ship could carry, we pressed our onward way--sometimes among floes,
+threatening every instant to close in and nip us; at other times with
+drift and brash-ice surrounding us; and at others amid open ice, with
+here and there floating icebergs appearing near us.
+
+To one of these we had to moor, on account of a shift of wind, which
+blew strong in our teeth; and at first, when I turned into my berth, I
+did not sleep as securely as usual, from remembering Andrew's account of
+one toppling over and crushing a ship beneath it.  However, I need
+scarcely say that that feeling very soon wore off.  The objects gained
+by mooring to an iceberg are several.  In the first place, from so large
+a proportion of the mass being below the water, the wind has little
+effect on it, and therefore the ship loses no ground; then it shields
+her from the drift-ice as it passes by, and she has also smooth water
+under its lee.  Casting off from the iceberg, as did our consorts from
+those to which they had been moored, when the wind again became
+favourable, we continued our course.
+
+We were now approaching the most dangerous part of our voyage, the
+passage across Melville Bay, which may be considered the north-eastern
+corner of Baffin's Bay.  Ships may be sailing among open ice, when, a
+south-westerly wind springing up, it may suddenly be pressed down upon
+them with irresistible force, and they may be nipped or totally
+destroyed.
+
+All this I learned from old David, who was once here when upwards of
+twelve ships were lost in sight of each other, though the crews escaped
+by leaping on the ice.
+
+"Remember, youngster, such may be our fate one of these days; and we
+shall be fortunate if we have another ship at hand to take us on board,"
+he remarked.
+
+I never knew whether he uttered this not over-consolatory observation
+for my benefit, to remind me how, at any moment, the lives of us all
+might be brought to an end, or to amuse himself by watching its effect
+on me.
+
+For a week we threaded our way among the open floes, when a solid field
+seemed to stop our further progress.  This had been seen hours before,
+from the unbroken ice-blink playing over it.  Our captain was in the
+crow's-nest, looking out for a lane through which the ship might pass
+till clear water was gained.  After waiting, and sailing along the edge
+of the field for some time, some clear water was discovered at the
+distance of three or four miles, and to it our captain determined that
+we should cut our way.  The ice-saws were accordingly ordered, to be got
+ready, with a party to work them, on the ice.  I was one of them; and,
+while we cut the canal, the ship was warped up, ready to enter the space
+we formed.
+
+The ice-saw is a very long iron saw, and has a weight attached to the
+lower end.  A triangle of spars is formed, with a block in the centre,
+through which a rope, attached to the upper part of the saw, is rove.
+The slack end of the rope is held by a party of men.  When they run away
+from the triangle, the saw rises, and when they slack the rope, the
+weight draws it down, as the sawyer in a sawpit would do.  As the saw
+performs its work, the triangles are moved from the edge of the ice.  As
+the pieces were cut, they were towed away, and shoved along to the mouth
+of the canal.
+
+All the time we were at work, some of the men with good voices led a
+song, in the chorus of which we all joined; and I must say we worked
+away with a will.  It was harder work when we had to haul out the bits
+of ice, the ship being towed into the canal.  With a cheerful shout we
+completed our canal, and got the ships into a natural lane; and the rest
+following close upon our track, we worked our way along for many miles,
+by what is called tracking.
+
+This operation is very similar to the way a canal-boat is dragged along
+a canal through the green fields of England, only that men have, in the
+case I am describing, to do the work of horses.  A tow-rope was made
+fast to the fore-mast, and about a third of each ship's company were
+ordered to drag their respective ship ahead.  Away we went, as usual,
+with song and laughter, tramping along the ice for miles together, and
+towing our homes, like snails, after us.
+
+For several days we continued the same work; and afterwards, when we got
+out of the lanes, and the ice was found broken, or so irregular that it
+was impossible to walk over it, we had to carry out ice-claws, or what
+may be called ice-kedges, to warp the ship ahead.  The ice-claws
+grappled hold of the ice, and the warp being then carried round the
+capstan, or windlass, we hove in on it, just as if we were heaving up an
+anchor, only that this work continued for hour after hour, and days and
+nights in succession, without intermission.
+
+Ten days passed away much in the manner I have described.  We then got
+into comparatively clear water for a few hours, during which time the
+other ships joined us.  As there was no wind, we had to tow the ship
+ahead in the boats, so that there was no cessation of our labours.
+
+"Well," I exclaimed to old David, "I suppose after all this we shall
+soon get into an open sea again."
+
+"Don't be too sure of that, or of anything else, lad," he answered.  "We
+have not yet got into the thick of it, let me tell you."
+
+I found that his words were too true.  The boats had been hoisted in,
+for a breeze had sprung up, and we were progressing favourably, when we
+came to some large floes.  The openings between them were wide, and
+without hesitation we proceeded through them.  On a sudden these vast
+masses were seen in motion, slowly moving round and round, without any
+apparent cause.  The captain hailed from the crow's-nest, ordering the
+ice-saws to be got ready, and the ship to be steered towards one of the
+largest floes close on the larboard bow.  The sails were clewed up, and
+the ice-claws being carried out, the ship was hauled close up to it; and
+while the captain and carpenters were measuring out a dock, a party, of
+which I was one, set to work with the saws.
+
+There was no time to be lost.  A moment too late, and our stout ship
+might be cracked like a walnut, and we might all be cast homeless on the
+bleak expanse of ice to perish miserably.  The floes were approaching
+rapidly, grinding and crushing against one another, now overlapping each
+other; or, like wild horses fighting desperately, rearing up against
+each other, and with terrific roar breaking into huge fragments.
+
+"Bear a hand, my lads; bear a hand, that's good fellows.  We'll not be
+nipped this time if we can help it," sung out the officers in a cheering
+tone to encourage us, though the anxious looks they cast towards the
+approaching masses showed that their confidence was more assumed than
+real.
+
+Whatever we thought, we worked and sung away as if we were engaged in
+one of the ordinary occupations of life, and that, though we were in a
+hurry, there was no danger to be apprehended.  The dock was cut
+long-wise into the ice the length of the ship, which was to be hauled in
+stern first.  As there was every appearance of a heavy pressure, the ice
+at the inner part of the dock was cut into diamond-shaped pieces, so
+that, when the approaching floe should press on the bows, the vessel
+might sustain the pressure with greater ease, by either driving the
+pieces on to the ice, or rising over them.
+
+The crews of all the other ships were engaged in the same way, but, as
+may be supposed, we had little time to attend to them.  Our captain was
+engaged in superintending our operations; but I saw him cast many an
+anxious glance towards our advancing foes.
+
+For an instant, he ran to the side of the ship and hailed the deck.
+"Mr Todd," he said, "it will be as well to get some casks of
+provisions, the men's clothes, and a few spare sails for tents, and
+such-like things, you know, ready on deck, in case the nip should come
+before we can get into dock."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate, not a bit disconcerted; and with the
+few hands remaining on board he set about obeying our commander's
+somewhat ominous directions.
+
+I ought to have said that the rudder had at the first been unshipped and
+slung across the stern, as it stands to reason that when pressed against
+by the ice it should be the first thing injured.  Still we worked away.
+We had begun to saw the loose pieces at the head of the dock.
+
+"Hurra, my lads! knock off, and bear a hand to haul her in," shouted out
+the captain; "no time to be lost."
+
+With a right good will we laid hold of the warps, and towing and fending
+off the ship's bows from the outer edge of the ice, we got her safely
+into the dock.  We then set to work to cut up the pieces.  We completed
+our labours not a moment too soon; for before we had got on board again,
+the tumult, which had been long raging in the distance, came with
+increased fury around us, and we had reason to be grateful to Heaven
+that we were placed in a situation of comparative safety.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
+
+We were safe--so the old hands said; but it required some time before
+one could fully persuade one's self of the fact.  Not only were the
+neighbouring floes in motion, but even the one in which we were fixed.
+Rushing together with irresistible force, they were crushing and
+grinding in every direction, with a noise far more terrific than that of
+thunder.
+
+The ship meantime, notwithstanding all our precautions, was driven back
+before the force opposed to her; and had it not been for the loose
+pieces under her stern, she might have been nipped in the most dangerous
+manner.  One might fancy that the floes were pitted to try their
+strength against each other, though it would have been difficult to
+decide which was the victor.
+
+I had read descriptions of earthquakes, and the commotion reminded me of
+them.  Those who have crossed a large frozen pond or lake will remember
+the peculiar noise which even stout ice makes when trod on for the first
+time.  Fancy this noise increased a thousand-fold, thundering under
+one's feet, and then booming away till the sound is lost in the almost
+interminable distance!  Then the field began to tremble, and slowly
+rise, and then to rend and rift with a sullen roar, and mighty blocks
+were hove up, one upon another, till a rampart, bristling with huge
+fragments, was formed close around the ship, threatening her with
+destruction.
+
+It seemed like the work of magic; for where lately there was a wide
+expanse of ice, intersected with lanes of clear water, there was now a
+country, as it were, covered with hills and rocks, rising in every
+fantastic shape, and valleys full of stones scattered in every
+direction.
+
+In several places large misshapen masses had been forced up in a
+perpendicular position, while others had been balanced on their summits
+so evenly, that the slightest touch was sufficient to send them
+thundering down on either side.
+
+Our own safety being provided for, we had time to look after our
+consorts.  Most of them had managed, as we had done, to get into docks;
+but one, which had taken a more southerly course, appeared to heel over
+on one side, and to be in a most perilous condition.
+
+The weather, which during the commotion had been very thick, now for an
+instant clearing in the direction where she lay, the first mate ascended
+with his glass to the crow's-nest, and on coming on deck he reported
+that the _Arctic Swan_ seemed a complete wreck, and that the boats and
+the men's chests were scattered about round her, as if thrown on the ice
+in a great hurry.
+
+"I fear it's a very bad case, sir; and if you'll give me leave, I'll
+take a party and see what help we can afford them," said Mr Todd to the
+captain.
+
+Seamen are always anxious to render assistance to those in peril; and
+Captain Rendall having given his permission, plenty of volunteers were
+found ready for the somewhat hazardous expedition.  I was one of them.
+The risk was, that during our absence the ice might begin to take off;
+and that we should be separated from the ship, and be left among the
+heaving and tumbling masses of ice.  Of this probably the captain had
+not much fear, or he would not have allowed us to go.
+
+To assist our return, and also to enable us to rescue any of the crew of
+the wreck who might be injured, the stern boat was lowered that we might
+track her up to them.  Mr Todd, three other men, and I, formed the
+party.  Away we went towards the ship, dragging our boat with no little
+difficulty among the hummocks and masses, with some risk of the blocks
+toppling down on our heads and crushing us.
+
+As we drew nearer the _Arctic Swan_, an exclamation from the mate made
+us look up at her.  "There they go," he cried; "I feared so--she'll
+never see old England again."
+
+One mast fell while he was speaking, and the others followed directly
+after; and one fancied one could hear the crushing in of the ship's
+sides even at that distance.  That, however, was not the case, for the
+ice had taken but a short time to perform its work of destruction.
+
+When at length we got up to the ship, a scene of ruin presented itself,
+which, before I saw what ice was, I could scarcely have believed could
+have been wrought so speedily.  Stout as were her timbers, the ice had
+crushed them at the bows and stern completely in, and grinding them to
+powder, the floes had actually met through her.  Part of her keel and
+lower works had sunk, but the rest had been forced upwards, and lay a
+mass of wreck on the summit of the hummocks which had been formed under
+it.
+
+The stern, by the concussion, incredible as it may seem, had been
+carried full fifty yards from the rest of the wreck.  Two boats only had
+been saved, the rest had been crushed by the ice before they could be
+lowered and carried free.  A few casks of provisions had been got up on
+deck beforehand, in case of such an accident happening, and they, with
+the two boats, were upon the ice.
+
+The crew had escaped with the greatest difficulty--some having gone
+below to get their bags being nearly caught in the nip and crushed to
+death.  At first their faculties were paralysed with the disaster; for
+the thick weather prevented them from seeing that any help was near, and
+they feared that they should have to attempt to escape in the two boats,
+which, even without provisions, would not have held them all.
+
+British seamen are not addicted to giving way to despair, and their
+officers soon succeeded in rousing them, and in inducing them to set to
+work to take measures for their safety.  Having stowed away the most
+portable and nutritious of their provisions in the boats, they began to
+make a strong raft, to carry those whom the boats could not contain,
+purposing afterwards, should the ice not break up before, to build a
+barge out of the fragments of the wreck.
+
+They were so busily employed that they did not see our approach, and a
+loud shout we gave was the first intimation they had of it.  They all
+started up to see who was so unexpectedly coming to their relief; and
+then responded to our cheer with a hearty good-will.  They at once began
+lightening the boats, so as to be able to drag them over the ice to our
+ship; and some of the provisions we took into ours, as well as their
+clothes.
+
+The master gave a last glance at the wreck of the ship with which he had
+been entrusted, and with a heavy heart, I doubt not, turned away from
+her for ever.  After taking some food, in the shape of salt pork and
+biscuit, which we much needed, we commenced our return to the ship.
+Delay, we all felt, was dangerous; for, should the commotion of the ice
+recommence before we could regain the ship, we ran a great chance of
+destruction.
+
+At length, however, after four hours' toil, we accomplished our journey
+in safety, and the shipwrecked crew were welcomed on board the _Shetland
+Maid_.  Some persons might say that, after all, they had little to
+congratulate themselves on, for that the same accident which had
+happened to them might occur to-morrow to us.  Though we were, of
+course, aware of this, I must say that I do not believe the idea ever
+troubled any one of us; and we all fully expected to return home in the
+autumn, notwithstanding the destruction which was, we saw, the lot of so
+many.
+
+That night in the forecastle there was as much fun and laughter as if we
+had all come off some pleasant excursion, and our light-hearted guests
+seemed entirely to have forgotten their losses.
+
+"Well, mates, it is to be hoped none of the other ships has met with the
+same ill-luck that yours has," said old David.  "It will be a wonder if
+they have not.  I mind the time, for it's not long ago, that nineteen
+fine ships were lost altogether, about here.  It was a bad year for the
+underwriters, and for the owners too, let me tell you.  I was on board
+the _Rattler_, a fine new ship, when, in company with many others, we
+were beset, not far from Cape York, by the ice driven in by a strong
+south-wester.
+
+"Our best chance was to form a line under the lee of the heaviest floe
+we could pick out; and there, stem and stern touching each other, we
+waited for what was to come.  The gale increased, and forced the floes
+one over the other, till the heaviest in sight came driving down upon
+us.  The first ship it lifted completely on to the ice; the next was
+nearly stove in, and many of her timbers were broken; and then, getting
+more in earnest, it regularly dashed to pieces the four next it got foul
+of, sending them flying over the ice in every direction.
+
+"We were glad enough to escape with our lives, which we had hard work to
+do; and then some hundreds of us were turned adrift, not knowing what to
+do with ourselves.  We thought ourselves badly off, but we were many
+times better than the people of another ship near us.  They had made
+fast to an iceberg, when it toppled right over, and crushed them and the
+ship to atoms.  We were not alone; for not far from us another fleet was
+destroyed, and altogether we mustered nearly a thousand strong--
+Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Danes.  We built huts, and put up tents; and
+as we had saved plenty of provisions, and had liquor in abundance, we
+had a very jolly time of it.
+
+"The Frenchmen had music, you may be sure; so we had dancing and singing
+to our hearts' content, and were quite sorry when the wind shifted, and,
+the ice breaking up, we had to separate on board the few ships which
+escaped wreck."
+
+"I remember that time well," said Alec Garrock, a Shetlander, belonging
+to our ship.  "It was a mercy no lives were lost, either escaping from
+the ships, or afterwards, when we were living on the ice, and travelling
+from one station to the other.  It seems wonderful to me that I'm alive
+here, to talk about what once happened to me.  The boat I was in had
+killed a whale in good style; and when we had lashed the fins together,
+and made it fast to the stern of the boat, we saw that a number of
+whales were blowing not far off--I ought to say we were close under an
+iceberg.  We, of course, were eager to be among them; and as, you must
+know, the stern-boat had just before been sent to us with one hand in
+her with another line, we wanted him to stay by the dead fish.  He said
+he would not--if we liked to go, so would he; but stay there by himself;
+while sport was going on, he would not.
+
+"At last we resolved to leave the small boat empty, and to take him in
+ours.  To this he agreed.  So, making the whale fast to his boat, and
+securing the boat to the berg, away we pulled, as fast as we could lay
+our backs to the oars, after a fish we saw blowing near us.  Now what I
+tell you is true, mates.  Not thirty fathoms had we pulled, when over
+toppled the iceberg right down on the boat, and we were nearly swamped
+with the sea it made.  When we pulled back to look for the whale,
+neither it nor the boat was to be seen.  You may fancy what would have
+become of us if we had been there!"
+
+"There are none of us, to my belief; but have often, if we would but
+acknowledge it, been mercifully preserved by Providence," observed my
+friend Andrew.
+
+"I won't speak of what has happened to myself; and Terence, and Peter
+here.  No one will doubt, I hope, but that it was the finger of God
+directed you to take us off the iceberg; but every day some less
+remarkable case occurs.  A block falls from aloft on the deck, where a
+moment before we were standing; a musket-ball passes close to one's ear;
+a topmast is carried away just as we have come off the yard; and fifty
+other things occur of like nature, and we never think of being grateful
+for our preservation.  Talking of escapes, I once saw a man carried
+overboard by a line round his ankle as a fish was diving.  We all gave
+him up for lost; but he had a sharp knife in the right-hand pocket of
+his jacket, and he kept his thoughts about him so well, that before he
+had got many fathoms down, he managed to stoop and cut the line below
+his foot, then striking with all his might, he rose to the surface."
+
+"Did you ever hear tell of the Dutchman who had a ride on the back of a
+whale?" asked David.  "He had just struck his harpoon into a fish, when,
+lifting up her tail, she drove the boat into shatters.  He fell on his
+back, and got hold of his harpoon, his foot at the same time being
+entangled in the line.  Away swam the fish on the top of the water,
+fortunately for him never thinking of diving.  He stood upright all the
+time, holding on by his right hand, while his left tried in vain to find
+his knife to cut himself clear.  Another boat followed, for the chance
+of rescuing him; but there appeared but little hope of his being saved,
+unless he could free himself.  Just as the fish was going down, the
+harpoon shook out, and, jumping off its back, to which he gave a hearty
+kick, he struck out for the boat, and was picked up when he could swim
+no more.  He is the only man I ever heard of who really has ridden on a
+whale's back, though there's many a tale told by those who have, which
+is not true."
+
+"I've been on the back of a live whale more than once," said Garrock.
+"I mean when we've been fishing among bay ice, and the fish have come up
+through the holes to breathe.  But I was going to say how last season we
+had a chase after a fish, which gave us more trouble than I ever saw
+before.  It led us a chase for the best part of the day, after it had
+been struck.  It dragged one boat, with twenty lines fast, right under a
+floe, and then broke away; and when we killed it at last, it had taken
+out thirty lines, which, as you know, is close upon six miles of line."
+
+Thus yarn after yarn was spun.  I do not attempt to give the peculiar
+phraseology of the speakers; but their stories, which I believe to be
+perfectly true, may prove interesting.  For a whole week we were beset,
+and some of the green hands began to fancy that we should be blocked up
+for the winter; but the old ones knew better.
+
+Every day the surface of the ice, where the nip had taken place, was
+examined with anxious eyes, in the hopes that some sign of its taking
+off or breaking up might be given.  At length the pressure became less,
+the sound under the ice shrill and sharp, instead of the sullen roar
+which had before been heard; the fragments which had been cast above
+others began to glide down and disappear in the chasms which were
+opening around, and water was seen in a long thin line extending to the
+northward.
+
+A lane was formed, with a wall of fragments on either side; the lane
+widened, the fragments rushed into the water, and the captain, from the
+crow's-nest, ordered the ship to be towed out of dock.  The order was
+cheering to our hearts; and as we had plenty of hands, it was soon
+executed.  All sail was made, and away we flew through the passage, in a
+hurry to take advantage of it, lest it should again close upon us.  We
+succeeded in getting clear, and soon after were joined by our consorts,
+which had escaped the nip.
+
+We made the land again to the northward of Cape York, and, when close
+in, were completely becalmed.  The boats of each ship were ordered ahead
+to tow; and thus we slowly progressed along one of the most picturesque
+scenes it has ever been my fortune to witness in the arctic regions.
+The water was of glassy smoothness, the sky of brightest blue, and the
+atmosphere of perfect transparency; while around floated numberless
+icebergs of the most beautiful forms, and of dazzling hues, while all
+around was glancing and glittering beneath a bright and glowing sun.
+
+One berg, I remember, was of enormous size.  On the north side it was
+perpendicular, as if just severed from another; but, as we rounded it on
+the west, ledge above ledge appeared, each fringed with icicles reaching
+to the one below, thus forming lines of graceful columns, with a gallery
+within, appearing as if tinged with emerald-green.  The summit was
+peaked and turreted, and broken into many fantastic forms.  On the
+eastern side a clear arch was seen; and several small cascades fell from
+ledge to ledge with a trickling sound, and into the water with a gentle
+splash, which could distinctly be heard as we passed.
+
+It must be remembered that in every direction arose bergs of equal
+beauty; while in the background were lofty hills covered with snow,
+tinted of a pinkish hue, and above them, of dazzling whiteness, ranges
+of eternal glaciers, towering to the sky.  I could scarcely have
+believed that a scene of such enchanting beauty could have existed in
+the arctic regions, and was inclined to fancy, as I pulled at the oar,
+that they were rocks of Parian marble and alabaster, and that the
+galleries and caverns they contained were the abodes of fairies and the
+guardian spirits of those realms.  But avast! what has Peter the Whaler
+to do with such poetical ideas?
+
+On we worked our way northward.  In clear weather, when a good look-out
+was to be had from the crow's-nest, we were able to make our way among
+the streams of ice; but in thick weather, when our course could not be
+marked out, we were sadly delayed.
+
+At last, after keeping a westerly course for a few hours, we broke
+through all intervening barriers, and once more felt our gallant ship
+lifting to the buoyant wave of the open sea, or rather what is called
+the "north water."
+
+The ice, by the warm weather, the currents, and the northerly winds,
+being driven out of Lancaster Sound and the head of Baffin's Bay to the
+southward, leaves this part, for most of the summer, free from
+impediments.  In five days after leaving the eastern land, having passed
+the north of Lancaster Sound, we came off the famous fishing-station of
+Pond's Bay.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
+
+The whole coast, in most places, was lined with a sheet of ice some ten
+or fifteen miles wide, to the edge of which, in perfectly smooth water,
+our ship, with many others at various distances, was made fast.
+
+Fancy a day, warm to our feelings as one at the same time of year in
+England, and an atmosphere of a brilliancy rarely or never seen at home,
+not a breath of air stirring the glassy surface of the shining ocean;
+while on the land side lofty mountains stretched away on either side,
+with the opening of the bay in the centre, the rocks of numberless
+tints, from the many-coloured lichens growing on them, rising as it were
+out of a bed of snow still filling the valleys even in midsummer; while
+mid-way, along the dark frowning crags which formed the coast, hung a
+wavy line of semi-transparent mist, now tinged with a crimson hue, from
+the almost horizontal rays of the sun, verging towards midnight.
+
+These objects also, it must be understood, appeared so close at hand,
+that I could scarcely persuade myself that an easy run across the level
+ice would not carry me up to them; and yet all the while they were
+upwards of a dozen miles off.
+
+Most of the watch were "on the bran," that is, were in the boats
+stationed along the edge of the ice, on the look-out for whales.  A few
+hands only, besides myself, were on deck, taking our fisherman's walk,
+with our fingers in our pockets, and the watch below were sound asleep
+in their berths, when Captain Rendall, as was his custom, went aloft
+before turning in, to take a look-out for fish from his crow's-nest.  We
+watched him eagerly.  In a few minutes he hailed the deck, with the
+joyful news that at about ten miles off there was a whole run of whales,
+spouting away as fast as they could blow.
+
+On the instant, instead of the silence and tranquillity which had before
+prevailed, all was now noise, excitement, and hurry.  The sleepers
+tumbled up from below; the harpooners got ready their gear and received
+their orders from the master; the boats on the bran came alongside, to
+have their kegs replenished with water, and their tubs with bread, beef,
+and pork; while the more eager mates ran aloft, to assure themselves of
+the best direction to take.
+
+In a few minutes five boats were pulling out towards the run, as if the
+lives of a ship's company depended on our exertions.  "Hurra, my lads,
+hurra! give way," shouted our boat-steerers; and give way we did indeed.
+
+Frequently, as we pulled on, we heard the loud blasts of the narwhals,
+or sea-unicorns, as they came towards the bay in shoals; and each time I
+fancied we must be close upon a whale, and that the sport was about to
+begin, so loud a sound did they make.
+
+The sea-unicorn is, when full grown, from thirteen to sixteen feet long,
+and has a long spiral horn or tusk growing rather on one side of its
+upper jaw, of from eight to ten feet in length.  The eyes are very
+small, the blow-hole is directly over them, and the head is small,
+blunt, and round, and the mouth cannot be opened wide.  The colour, when
+young, is grey, with darker spots on it, and when full grown, of a
+yellowish-white.  It is a very inoffensive animal.  It is said to use
+its horn for the purpose of breaking through the ice to breathe, and
+neither to destroy its prey nor to defend itself.  It swims very fast;
+when struck, dives rapidly, but soon returns to the surface, and is
+easily killed.  We passed several shoals of them on our pull, before we
+got up to the run, near a small floe.
+
+"There she blows!" exclaimed our boat-steerer, almost in a whisper, so
+great was his eagerness and fear of disturbing the fish, as a large fish
+appeared close to us.  We had a fine burst; the harpooner was on his
+feet, and, his weapon glancing from his hand, struck the monster.
+
+Instead, however, of diving, up he rose, clear almost from the water,
+his head first, seeming, as his immense bulk appeared against the sky,
+like some giant of the deep.  We thought he was going to leap on to the
+floe; but, suddenly plunging his head beneath the water, his tremendous
+tail was lifted above us.  I thought all was over.  One blow from it
+would have annihilated us, and dashed our boat into a thousand
+fragments; but the fish, instead, dived directly down under the floe,
+his tail only splashing the water over us, and we were safe.
+
+Then arose the exciting shout of "A fall, a fall!"  Other boats came
+hurrying to our aid; but, alas, the line on a sudden slackened, and,
+with a blank face, the harpooner began to haul it in.
+
+The fish had shaken himself clear of the harpoon, and escaped.  Mighty
+must have been the force used, for the massive iron shaft was twisted
+and turned as a thin piece of wire might have been bent by a turn of the
+hand.
+
+But, hurra! there are plenty more fish near; and with a will, little
+disconcerted, we gave way after them.  One was seen at some distance
+from a floe, in which there was a crack.  Now it is known that a whale
+generally rises close to the nearest floe; and if there is a crack in
+it, that part is selected instead of the outer edge.  We got up to it
+before the fish appeared; our oars were out of the water; our harpooner
+standing up and watching eagerly every sign of the approach of our
+expected prey, guiding by signs the boat-steerer, who, with his oar, was
+silently impelling on the boat by sculling.
+
+"Gently, boys--there's her eddy--two strokes more--now avast pulling!"
+
+I could just see the head, and the large black mass of the monster's
+back, rising slowly from the water as he spoke, forming a strong
+contrast to the clear blue and white of the ice, and pure glittering
+sea.  Then was heard the peculiar snorting blast, as she sent up in the
+air two watery jets; but in an instant we were upon her.
+
+"Harden up, my lads!" shouted the harpooner; and a lusty stroke sent us
+almost on to the monster's back; then flew forth his unerring harpoon.
+For a few moments, but for a few only, the whale seemed prepared to die
+without a struggle: a convulsive quiver passed through its frame; then,
+lifting up its flukes, it dived down, like its predecessor, beneath the
+floe.  The iron had sunk in, and, raising our Blue Jack, with a loud
+shout we proclaimed a fall.  Out flew the line with tremendous rapidity.
+Now the harpooner, sitting on his thwart, attempted to check the fish
+by turning the line round the bollard; but so quickly did it pass
+through his hands, shielded by mitts, that, almost in spite of the water
+thrown on it, smoke ascended from the burning wood, while the bows of
+the boat were drawn through the underwash to the solid floe beyond.
+
+At times we thought the boat's bow would have been drawn under the floe;
+again the line-manager let the line run out, and she rose once more, to
+be drawn down directly it was checked.  But it was all-important to tire
+the fish, or otherwise all our line might be taken out before any
+assistance could come.  Should this be the case, we might, after all,
+lose the fish.  First one oar was elevated, to show our need of aid;
+then a second, a third, and a fourth, as the line drew near what is
+called the "bitter end."
+
+"Hold on, Darby, hold on!" we shouted in our eagerness; for we feared we
+might have to cut, or that the boat might be drawn under.  Our shipmates
+tugged away at their oars with all their might; the boats from every
+direction dashing through the water to the point where they thought the
+fish might rise.  Our line at the very edge began to slacken--a sign
+that she had ceased diving.  She appeared about a quarter of a mile off
+or more, at the edge of the floe.
+
+The quick-sighted eye of the first mate was on her almost before she had
+reached the surface; and before she could again seek safety in the
+ocean's depths, another harpoon was plunged into her.  We instantly
+began hauling in our lines; but before long she was off again, swimming
+away some depth below the surface, at a great rate, while we and the
+other boat were towed after her.  Again the strain slackened, and she
+rose once more; but this time her foes were close to her.  Another
+harpoon was struck, but it was needless.  Without mercy lances were
+thrust into her on every side, till the shouts which reached our ears,
+as we slowly approached, hauling in our lines, proclaimed that our
+victory was complete.  The fish was now secured, as I have before
+described, and made fast to a floe, while all but one boat made chase
+after another fish which blew temptingly near.
+
+I ought to have said that, after securing the whale, all hands turned to
+with a right good-will to attack the bread and meat we had with us; for
+though whale-hunting beats hollow any other style of hunting, whether of
+deer, elephants, or tigers, yet it cannot by any manner of means be
+carried on without sustenance to the frame.
+
+Away we went, then, the boat of the first mate leading.  He, too, was
+successful in striking the fish.  Three times she dived; but each time
+one or other of her enemies were upon her with harpoon and lances, while
+her eddying wake was dyed with blood, and a thick pellicle of oil, which
+attracted crowds of persevering Mollies to feast on it, marked her
+course.
+
+She at last rose close to a floe, when we all rushed in upon her.  The
+cry of "Stern all!" was given.  Her death-flurry had come on.  High up
+in the air she sent a stream of blood and oil, which fell thick upon us
+in showers of spray, and on a hummock which was near; and the edges of
+the ice were dyed of a crimson tint.
+
+The weariness which began to oppress even the strongest, told us that we
+had had work enough, and that a second night was approaching.  With
+shouts of satisfaction, we now began the task of towing our prizes to
+the ship.  It was slow and wearying work; but every fish we took brought
+us nearer home, so we set cheerfully about it.
+
+When we at length reached the ship, we found that we had been full
+thirty-six hours away, nearly all the time in active exertion; and yet,
+from the excitement of the work, neither did we feel unusually weary,
+nor were we aware of the time which had passed.
+
+I must remind my readers that this could only happen in a latitude and
+at a period where there is little or no difference between night and
+day.  Our fishing was most successful, partly owing to our good fortune
+in meeting with the fish, but owing also much to the sagacity of our
+captain and his officers.
+
+Similar scenes were occurring every day; but though they were all nearly
+as exciting, and the interest of the sport was never decreased, but
+rather grew on us, yet, if I were to attempt to describe each chase, and
+how each fish was killed, my readers would weary with the account.
+
+For the greater part of a month we remained in the bay; and now the fish
+becoming scarce, and the summer drawing to a conclusion, with a fair
+breeze we made sail to the southward.
+
+I spoke of our having passed Lancaster Sound, a short way to the south
+of which Pond's Bay is situated.  I did not mention at the time the
+interest with which I regarded that vast inlet--the mouth, one cannot
+help fancying, to the unknown sea which bounds the northern shores of
+the American continent.  I certainly think more of it now, while I am
+writing, than I did then, because I have since become aware of the many
+gallant exploits which have been there performed, and the bold attempts
+which have been made to pierce through it to the seas beyond.
+
+I need scarcely remind my readers that up that passage the veteran
+arctic explorer, Sir John Franklin, and his brave companions, are
+supposed to have proceeded.  Under his command, the _Erebus_ and
+_Terror_ sailed from the Thames on the 26th May, 1845, to proceed up
+Davis's Straits, then into Lancaster Sound, and from thence, without
+stopping, to examine the coast, to push westward as fast as they could
+towards Behring's Straits.
+
+Captain Crozier had command of the _Terror_; and the expedition was
+accompanied by the transport _Bonetto Junior_, commanded by Lieutenant
+Griffith, and laden with provisions, clothing, etcetera, to be put on
+board the ships in Davis's Straits.  Both vessels were fitted with
+steam-engines and screw-propellers; but they did not go ahead with them
+more than three knots an hour.  Lieutenant Griffith reports "that he
+left them with every species of provisions for three entire years,
+independently of five bullocks; they had also stores for the same time,
+and fuel in abundance."
+
+The expedition was last seen by the _Prince of Wales_ whaler, on the
+26th July, in latitude 74 degrees 48 minutes north, longitude 66 degrees
+13 minutes west, moored to an iceberg, and waiting for an opening in the
+great body of ice, which I described as filling the middle of Baffin's
+Bay, in order to reach the entrance of Lancaster Sound.  All hands were
+well and in high spirits, and determined to succeed, if success were
+possible; but since that day they have never been heard of.
+
+Year after year have those gallant men in vain been looked for, but not
+without hope of their return, nor without attempts made to discover and
+rescue them.
+
+When the year 1848 arrived, and no tidings had been received of the lost
+voyagers, it was determined to send out three expeditions to look for
+them.  One under Captain Kellett, who commanded the _Herald_ and Captain
+Moore, who commanded the _Plover_; proceeded to Behring's Straits, and
+after continuing along the American coast as far as they could go, they
+were to despatch some whale-boats, to meet a second expedition under Sir
+John Richardson and Dr Rae, who were to descend the Mackenzie River,
+and there to examine the coast; while Sir James Ross, commanding the
+_Enterprise_, and Captain Bird, the _Investigator_, were to proceed at
+once to Lancaster Sound, and there to examine the coast as they
+proceeded.
+
+After leaving deposits of food and directions in several places, these
+expeditions returned, without having discovered any traces of our
+missing countrymen.
+
+Notwithstanding the ill-success of the first set of expeditions, others
+were without delay determined on.  Captain Collinson was appointed to
+command the _Enterprise_, having under him Commander McClure in the
+_Investigator_; and on the 20th of January, 1850, they sailed from
+Plymouth for Behring's Straits, where they were to be joined by the
+_Plover_.  They were to endeavour to reach Melville Island.
+
+In the meantime, Dr Rae, who had remained in America, was ordered to
+continue his search along the northern coast; while the Government of
+the United States prepared an expedition for the same purpose.  The
+British Government likewise fitted out four ships, under the command of
+Captain Austin, in the _Resolute_; the _Assistance_, Captain Ommanney;
+the _Pioneer_; Lieutenant Osborn; and the _Free Trader_--the two latter
+screw-propeller steam-vessels.
+
+Two private expeditions have also started.  The _Lady Franklin_ is
+commanded by Mr Penny, a veteran whaling captain, who has with him a
+fine brig as a tender, called the _Sophia_.  Captain Penny was to be
+guided by circumstances, in following the course he judged expedient.
+Besides this, the veteran explorer, Sir John Ross, has taken command of
+another private expedition.  He is on board the _Felix_, a large
+schooner, and has the _Mary_, a tender of twelve tons, with him.  They
+also are to proceed to Barrow Straits, and to examine various headlands
+on their way.  The _Mary_ is to be left at Banks' Land, as a vessel of
+retreat, and the _Felix_ will proceed for another year as far as she can
+to the westward, examining the coast on the way.
+
+These last expeditions have been fitted out in consequence of the
+energetic and persevering efforts of Lady Franklin, and the niece of Sir
+John Franklin, Miss Sophia Cracroft; and those who have seen them, month
+after month, indefatigably labouring in that, to them, holy cause,
+hoping almost at times against hope, yet still undaunted, persevering
+unweariedly, must feel and heartily pray that they may have their reward
+in the happy return of the long-missing ones.
+
+I was unable to refrain from giving this brief sketch of a subject in
+which every man worthy of the name of Briton must feel the deepest and
+warmest interest; and I now resume the thread of my more humble
+narrative.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
+
+The return of darkness during the night gave us notice that we were
+advancing towards the south, and that the short arctic summer was
+drawing to a close.  We could no longer continue our course, hour after
+hour without intermission, as before, the officers relieving each other
+in the crow's-nest, and one watch following the other through one
+long-protracted day.
+
+It was impossible with any safety to proceed through that icy sea when
+darkness came on, and therefore each night we were obliged to make the
+ship fast to a floe till the return of daylight.  But those nights were
+sometimes such as are not to be found in another realm.  The bright moon
+floated in an atmosphere the most clear and brilliant that can be
+conceived, while the silvery masses of ice lay sparkling beneath it, as
+they floated on the calm and majestic ocean.
+
+Then the sun at setting bathed the sea, the sky, the rugged mountains,
+the pinnacles of the icebergs, and the lower floes with colours and
+tints more beautiful and varied than the imagination can picture, far
+more than words can describe.  But I should not dwell on such scenes,
+except that I wish to observe that God distributes His bounties
+throughout the globe with an equal hand; and that, barren and
+inhospitable as is that land, no less than in southern realms are His
+power and goodness displayed.
+
+For about four days we had proceeded south, our course interrupted
+whenever we met with a whale; and if she was killed, we made fast to a
+floe till we had flensed and made off.  Some of the smaller whalers had
+got full ships, and, with joyous shouts and light hearts on board, they
+passed us on their way home; and others, unwilling to wait, returned not
+full, so that we were nearly the last ship.
+
+The weather continued beautifully fine, though now growing cold and
+chilly.  We also had nearly a full ship, and were congratulating
+ourselves on soon being able to follow those which had preceded us; but,
+till we were quite full, we could not think of doing so while the ice
+continued open, and there was a chance of a fish.  Consequently we were
+all on the look-out, and more eager than ever to secure our prey.
+
+One afternoon, while we were under weigh, the cheering sound of "A fish,
+a fish! see, she blows!" from the crow's-nest, roused us all to
+activity.  Two boats were immediately equipped and sent in chase.  I was
+in one of them.  While we were yet close to the ship, another whale was
+espied to the southward, at a very great distance.  The prospect of
+getting two fish at a fall was more than could be resisted; and, while
+we were killing our fish, the master made sail to come up with the
+other.  We were successful; and, with less difficulty than usual, killed
+the whale at the edge of a floe connected with the land, towards which
+it had gone for shelter.  The whale was killed, and made fast to the
+floe, waiting for the return of the ship.
+
+While we were all engaged in the chase and capture, no one had noticed
+the change in the weather.  From a fresh breeze, sufficiently to the
+eastward to enable the ship to stand back towards us, it had fallen a
+flat calm: the sea lay stretched out before us like a dark shining
+glass, while an ominous stillness reigned through the air.
+
+Andrew, who was line-manager in the boat to which I belonged, was the
+first to observe it, as we were assembled on the floe busily engaged in
+hauling in the lines.  He said nothing; but I saw him look up, and,
+after glancing around for some moments, put his hand over his brow, and
+gaze earnestly forth in the direction the ship had gone.  The anxious
+expression his countenance instantly assumed alarmed me; and, though he
+at once resumed his task of coiling away the lines, I saw that all was
+not right.  I then cast my eyes seaward, to see whereabouts the ship
+was.  I need scarcely say that I felt a very natural alarm, when I
+discovered that she was almost hull down.
+
+Andrew again looked up.  The anxious expression on his face had in no
+way diminished; but he was not a man to alarm or unnerve his companions
+by any unnecessary exclamation.
+
+"Bear a hand, lads," he at length said.  "The sooner we get in our
+lines, and tow the fish alongside, the better."
+
+"I was thinking the same," said old David.  "And I say the sooner the
+ship stands back to pick us up, the better for us.  We couldn't get the
+fish alongside till long after dark, if she comes no nearer to us; and
+how she's to do that, without a breeze springs up, I don't know."
+
+These few remarks scarcely interrupted the task in hand.  When it was
+accomplished, however, and we had time to look round us, we all began to
+consider more about the difficulty of our position.  I must explain that
+there were two boats, with a crew of five men each, so that we were ten
+in all.  We had with us a few provisions and a cooking apparatus, with
+our pea-jackets to put on while waiting after our heating exercise.
+
+The harpooners and the elder men now began to consult what was best to
+be done.  David gave it as his opinion that the other boats had been led
+a long chase after a fish, and that the ship had followed thus far to
+the southward to pick them up, with the intention of returning
+immediately to us, when the calm so unexpectedly came on.
+
+"There's no doubt about what has happened, mates; but I want to know
+what those who have had experience in these seas think is about to
+happen," said Andrew.  "There's something in the look of the sky and
+sea, and the feel of the air, which makes me think a change is about to
+take place.  I therefore ask whether we shall stay by the fish, or leave
+her secured to the floe, and get aboard as fast as we can."
+
+In answer to this proposal, which was certainly wise, and perfectly
+justifiable, several opinions were given.  Some were for getting on
+board without delay, others were for towing the fish towards the ship,
+and several were for remaining by till the ship should return, though
+the majority were for going back in the boats alone.
+
+A more mighty Power than ours decided what was to be done; for, while we
+were still speaking, a sudden gust of wind came blowing along the edge
+of the ice from the northward, and throwing up the sea in so
+extraordinary a manner, that, had the boats been exposed to it, they
+could scarcely have lived.  Then the wind as suddenly fell, and again
+all was calm as before.
+
+"Now's your time, lads; we must get on board as quick as we can,"
+shouted old David.  While, accordingly, we were with additional care
+securing the whale to the floe, the sky, which was already overclouded,
+began to send down dense showers of snow, which so obscured the
+atmosphere, that the sharpest eye amongst us could no longer distinguish
+the ship.  To attempt to get on board under these circumstances, would
+be more dangerous than remaining where we were; so, putting on our
+Flushing jackets, we got into the boats, and drew a sail over our
+shoulders, to shelter ourselves as much as possible from the storm.
+
+The snow, which had begun to fall in flakes, now changed to a powder, so
+dense that it appeared as if night had already come on.
+
+"It's very dark, Andrew," I remarked; "what can be going to happen?"
+
+"Why, I'll tell you, Peter," answered David, who heard my question.
+"There's going to be a harder gale of wind than we've had since you came
+on board; and if the old ship don't stand up to her canvas, and fetch us
+before night, there are few who would wish to change places with us,
+that's all."
+
+I did not by any means like this announcement, for I felt that this time
+old David was not joking with me.  However, our only course was to
+remain where we were.  If the gale did come on, we were safer on the ice
+than on the sea; and if it passed off, the ship would not fail to come
+and take us on board.
+
+In the meantime, we were continually putting our heads from under our
+shelter, to cast anxious glances towards where we supposed the ship to
+be, and in every other direction, to discover if there was any opening
+in the thick cloud of snow which dropped around us.  I say dropped, for
+I never before saw snow fall so perpendicularly, and in such minute
+powdery particles.  The peculiar and oppressive gloominess which filled
+the air, made one feel that something unusual was approaching, otherwise
+I could scarcely fancy that in so perfect a calm any danger could be at
+hand.
+
+For two hours we sat cramped up in the boat, and, in spite of our warm
+clothing, suffering not a little from the cold, which was greater than
+for some time past we had experienced.  Suddenly the snow ceased, and
+with eager haste, Andrew, David, and some others jumped out of the boat
+and climbed to the top of the nearest hummock, from whence they could
+get a wider look-out than on the flat ice.
+
+With feelings which it were vain to attempt to describe, we looked for
+the ship, and could nowhere see her.  To the southward there was a thick
+mist, caused by the snow falling in that direction, and in this she was
+probably shrouded.
+
+On looking to the north, we perceived in the horizon a bright luminous
+appearance, something like the ice-blink, but brighter, and which seemed
+to increase in height.  David looked at it for an instant, and then
+shouted out, "Bear a hand, my lads, and haul up the boats--the gale is
+upon us!"
+
+Suiting the action to the word, he rushed down from the hummock,
+accompanied by the rest of us, and we commenced hauling one of the boats
+up on the ice.  While all hands were engaged at this work, and before it
+was completely accomplished, down came the gale upon us with terrific
+violence, almost lifting us off our legs, and hurling us into the now
+foaming and hissing sea.  The snow, which lay thick on the ice, was
+lifted up and blown in clouds over us; the ocean, which before lay so
+tranquil, was now lashed into fury.
+
+"Haul away, my lads, and run the boat up," shouted Andrew, his voice
+scarcely heard amid the tumult.  We had taken out most of the things
+from the other boat, and, having secured the first, were about to haul
+her up, when a heavy sea, striking the ice, broke off a piece to which
+she was secured, and carried her and the harpooner belonging to her, who
+was standing near her, far beyond our reach.  To have attempted to
+launch the boat to go to his rescue would have been madness.  One loud,
+hopeless shriek was heard, and he sunk for ever.
+
+We had little time to mourn for our poor messmate--our own condition
+occupied all our thoughts.  At the same moment that the boat was carried
+away, the sea broke the whale from the lashings which secured her to the
+ice, and, without our having any power to preserve our prize, it was
+driven down along the edge of the floe, from which it gradually floated
+away.
+
+"What's to be done now?"  I asked, with several others, in a voice of
+despair.
+
+"Trust in God," answered Andrew in a solemn voice.  "Peter, remember we
+have been in a worse position before, and He saved us.  He may, if He
+wills it, save us again."
+
+"But how are we ever to get back to the ship, with only one boat to
+carry us?" asked some one.
+
+"Captain Rendall is not a man likely to desert his people," observed
+David.  "The ship will come back and take us off, when the gale is
+over--no fear of that, mates."
+
+Notwithstanding the tone of confidence with which he spoke, I suspected
+that he did not feel quite as much at his ease as he pretended to be.
+Our position was indeed, I felt, most critical, though I did not express
+my fears.  The gale might continue for days, and our ship, if she
+escaped shipwreck, which too probably would be her lot, would be at all
+events driven so far to the south, that she would find it utterly
+impossible to return.  The ice, even, on which we stood, might any
+instant break up from the force of the waves; and if we could not
+retreat farther back in time, our destruction would be almost certain.
+We had a boat; but even in smooth water she could scarcely do more than
+contain us all, and in such a sea as was likely to be running for some
+time she could not live ten minutes.  We could have no hope, therefore,
+of regaining the ship in her; and should we be compelled, therefore, to
+quit the ice, she could afford us no refuge.
+
+We had a small quantity of provisions,--enough, with economy, to sustain
+life for two or three days, though not more than was intended to supply
+a couple of good meals, should we have been kept away from the ship a
+sufficient time to require them.  We had some boats' sails, a cooking
+apparatus, two harpoons, spears, and two fowling-pieces, brought by the
+harpooners to kill a few dovekies for our messes.  Several things, with
+a set of lines and harpoons, had been lost in the other boat.
+
+For some time after the fatal catastrophe I have described, we stood
+looking out seaward, undecided what steps to take.  The wrenching
+asunder of some huge masses of the ice, which the sea drove up close to
+the boat, and the violent heaving to which the whole body was subjected,
+showed us that we must rouse ourselves to further exertion.  We had no
+need of consultation to judge that we must without delay get farther
+away from the sea; and, having laden our boat with all our stores, we
+began to work her along the ice towards the shore, which lay bleak and
+frowning some ten miles or so from us.
+
+Our progress was slow; for the ice, though thick, was much rotted from
+the heat of the whole summer, and in some places it was very rough,
+while shallow pools of water constantly appeared in our path, and
+compelled us to make a circuit round them.  When we had accomplished
+nearly two miles, it was proposed that we should wait there to see if
+any change took place in the weather.  There was no longer a motion in
+the ice, and Andrew and David gave it as their opinion that there was
+consequently no danger of its breaking up so far from the edge, and that
+we might remain there in safety.  Night was now fast approaching; and
+the gale, instead of abating, blew with greater fury than at first.
+
+The exertion had somewhat warmed us; but the moment we stopped, the cold
+wind whistled through our clothing, and showed us that we must prepare
+some shelter for the night, if we would avoid being frozen to death.
+
+Another point we also discovered was, that we required some one to take
+the lead, and to act as chief officer among us.  The remaining harpooner
+would, by right, have taken command; but, though expert in the use of
+his weapon, he was not a man by character or knowledge well fitted to
+command the respect of the rest of us.  This we all felt, as he probably
+did also, as he raised no objection when David proposed that we should
+elect an officer whom we should be bound to obey, till we could regain
+our ship, should we ever be so fortunate so to do.
+
+Three were first proposed, but Andrew Thompson was finally selected;
+for, though he was known not to have so much practical experience as
+several of the others, his firmness, sagacity, and high moral character
+were acknowledged by all.
+
+"And now, my lads," he said, when he had modestly accepted the office,
+"the first thing we must do is to build a snow-wall, to shelter us from
+the wind; and as soon as the wind moderates, we'll have up a flagstaff
+on the top of the highest hummock, to show our friends where to look for
+us."
+
+According to this advice, we set to work to collect the snow, which did
+not lay more than three inches thick on the ice.  We first made it into
+cakes, about four times the size of an ordinary brick, and then piled
+them up in a semicircular form, the convex side being turned to the
+wind.  Over the top we spread a boat's sail, which was kept down by
+lumps of snow being placed on the top of it.  The canvas was also
+allowed to hang over a couple of lances lashed together in front, so
+that we had a very tolerable shelter.  The snow was scraped away from
+the interior; and such spars and planks as we could get out of the boat
+were spread at the bottom, with a sail over them, to form our bed.
+
+These arrangements were accomplished as the long twilight turned into
+total darkness.  We lay down, and prepared to pass the dreary hours till
+the sun rose again as best we could.  I thought of the time I had spent
+on the iceberg, and, remembering Andrew's words, I did not despair.  I
+slept, as did my companions, many of them with the careless indifference
+to danger which has become the characteristic of most British seamen.
+
+I was awoke by the excessive cold, though we kept as close together
+within our shelter as we could, for the sake of the warmth.  My
+companions were still asleep, and I was afraid if I moved of arousing
+them.  The storm still raged furiously without, and I could not again
+compose myself to sleep for the noise it made.
+
+I lay awake, listening to its whistling sound as it blew over the ice,
+when I fancied that I heard a low grumbling noise, like a person with a
+gruff voice talking to himself.  At last this idea grew so strong on me,
+that I crept quietly to the curtain in front of our hut, and, lifting up
+a corner, looked out.  The stars were shining forth from the sky, and
+there was a thin crescent moon, by the light of which I saw a white
+monster leaning over the gunwale of our boat, examining, it appeared to
+me, the things in her.  I was not long in recognising the visitor to be
+a large, white, shaggy polar bear.  He first took up one thing, and,
+smelling it and turning it over on every side, replaced it.  When,
+however, he came to a piece of beef, or anything eatable, he without
+ceremony appropriated it, and was thus rapidly consuming our slender
+store of provisions.  "This will never do," I thought to myself.  "If
+this goes on, we shall be to a certainty starved."
+
+We had fortunately brought the two guns into the hut, that they might
+run no risk of getting damp.  They were both loaded; and, drawing back,
+I got hold of one, hoping to shoot the bear before he was disturbed.  If
+I aroused my companions first, they to a certainty would make some
+noise, which would probably frighten away our visitor, and we should
+lose both the bear and the provisions.
+
+When I again put my head from under the sail, he was still at work.  I
+was on my knees, and had got the gun to my shoulder, when he saw me.  He
+was fortunately on the other side of the boat; for no sooner did his eye
+fall on me, than he began slowly to walk along the side, holding on by
+the gunwale, evidently intending to get close to me.  "My best chance is
+to hit him in the eyes," I thought, "and blind him.  If he once gets
+hold of me, he'll give me a squeeze I shall not like."
+
+Before he had moved many steps I fired full in his face.  The report of
+the gun, and the loud growl of rage and pain uttered by the brute,
+instantly awakened my companions.  They started to their feet, but had
+some difficulty to understand what had happened.  The bear, on being
+wounded, nearly fell headlong into the boat; but, recovering himself, he
+endeavoured to find his way round to the spot where he had seen me.
+
+"A bear, a bear!"  I sung out.  "Get your lances ready and run him
+through."  Most fortunately I had hit the monster so directly in the
+eyes, that he could not see his way, and this prevented him from rushing
+directly on me; for though I might have leaped out of his way round the
+back of the hut, he would in all probability have seized upon one of my
+half-awake companions.
+
+This momentary delay gave time to Andrew to spring to his feet, and to
+draw out a lance from under the sail.  He appeared at the entrance of
+the hut, just as the bear, slightly recovering himself, was rushing
+forward, with his mouth open and covered with foam, and a stream, which
+I could see even in that light, trickling down his face.  His paws were
+stretched out, and in another instant he would have had me in his deadly
+clutch, when Andrew dashed at him with his spear.  The bear seized the
+handle, and endeavoured to wrench it from his assailant; but the iron
+had entered his breast, and, in his attempt to rush on, it pierced him
+to the heart.
+
+The rest of the party were by this time awake, and, armed with whatever
+they could first seize, and seeing what had happened, they all set up a
+shout of triumph, every one of us forgetting entirely for the moment the
+very precarious position in which we were placed.
+
+We had several reasons to be satisfied with having killed the bear.  In
+the first place, had he put his snout into our hut while we were all
+asleep, he might have killed some of us; secondly, we had saved most of
+our provisions by our discovering him; and what he had taken was amply
+repaid by the sustenance his flesh would afford us, and the use to which
+we might turn his skin, for bedding or clothing, should we have to
+remain any time on the ice.
+
+"Our friend there has given us a lesson to keep a better look-out in
+future," remarked Andrew.  "If it had not been for Peter, he might have
+carried off every bit of our food; so we must take it by turns to keep
+watch.  I'll stand the first."
+
+"And I the second, willingly," I exclaimed.  "I've no inclination to
+sleep, and if I did, I should be fancying all the time that the bear had
+me in his grasp."
+
+So it was arranged each man should take an hour at a time, as near as
+could be guessed, and thus all would have plenty of rest, and be fit for
+work in the daytime.
+
+Before the rest turned in again, we drew the carcase of the bear close
+up to the hut, so that, if any of his fellows should come near him, they
+might to a certainty be seen, and shot without difficulty.
+
+Extraordinary as it may seem, the rest of the people were very soon
+asleep again.  Andrew and I were the only two awake.  The gun which had
+been fired was reloaded, and, having placed the two close at hand, we
+sat down just inside the curtain, leaving only a small aperture on
+either side of it, through which to look out.  We also placed a couple
+of lances within our reach, that, should any more bears visit us, as we
+hoped they might, we might have a better chance of killing them; for
+their flesh, though rank, is not unwholesome, and, at all events, it
+would enable us to support life as long as it lasted, independently of
+the value of their skins.
+
+After we had made our preparations, Andrew advised me to lie down and to
+try to sleep; but I told him that I was too much excited, and that it
+was impossible, and that, if he would allow me, I would much rather sit
+up and watch with him; or, if he liked, I would watch while he slept,
+and would call him if anything occurred.
+
+"Neither can I sleep, Peter," he answered: "You and the rest have chosen
+me to guide you, and I doubly feel the responsibility of my office; for
+I need not tell you that I think our position very bad.  From the first
+time I saw you, I found that you were well educated, and I since have
+had reason to place confidence in you.  Now, Peter, I am afraid that,
+when we are surrounded with far greater difficulties than we have yet
+met with, some of these poor fellows will lose heart, and sink under
+them, unless their spirits are kept up, and a good example is set them.
+I therefore rely upon you to assist me, by showing that, young as you
+are, you do not shrink from danger, and that you place a firm reliance
+on the power of God to deliver us, notwithstanding all the appearance to
+the contrary."
+
+I told Andrew that I thanked him for the confidence he placed in me, and
+that I hoped I should not disappoint his expectations.
+
+"I know you will not, Peter; but I tell you that our courage will be
+severely tried," he answered.
+
+"Why, don't you think the ship will be able to take us off?"  I asked.
+
+"I do not think she will, Peter," he replied.  "Before the gale is over,
+she will have been driven very far to the south; and it will take her so
+many days to beat back, if the wind should continue foul, that Captain
+Rendall will consider we must have perished, and that the attempt would
+be useless, and that he should not be justified in thus risking the
+safety of his ship."
+
+"What hope, then, have we?"  I asked.
+
+"My greatest hope is, that we may be seen by some other ship passing
+after the gale has moderated," he answered.  "If that fails to us, we
+must endeavour to pass the winter on shore.  Others have done so before
+now; and I do not see why we should not manage to live as well as the
+ignorant natives who inhabit this country."
+
+"If we had powder, and shot, and fuel, and timber to build a house with,
+I should say we might do it," I answered; "but as we have none of these
+things, I am afraid we shall be frozen to death as soon as the cold sets
+in."
+
+"The natives live, and we must try to find out how they contrive to do
+it," was the tenor of his answer.
+
+Miserable as the night was, and slow as the hours seemed to drag along,
+they at last passed away.  We had no further visits from the bears, nor
+were we otherwise disturbed.  When daylight came, there was nothing in
+the prospect to cheer our hearts.  On one side there was a sheet of ice
+covered with snow, with high rocky cliffs beyond; and, on the other, the
+wide expanse of ocean, still tossing and foaming with the fierce storm
+which raged over it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY.
+
+Our companions slept on, and, while they happily were able to forget the
+hardships and dangers which were in store for them, we could not find it
+in our hearts to awake them.  At last, one after the other, they awoke.
+As they did so, they went and looked out at the dreary prospect I have
+described, and then returning, sat themselves down in gloomy silence in
+the hut.
+
+On seeing the discontent, not to say despair, which their countenances
+exhibited, I remembered the conversation I had with Andrew in the night,
+and determined at once to try and follow his advice; so I went and sat
+down with the rest.
+
+"Well, mates, things don't look very pleasant, I'll allow, but they
+might be worse, you know," I remarked.
+
+"I don't see how that can be," answered one of the most surly of the
+party.  "Here are we left by our ship, without food or a house, at the
+beginning of the winter; and it's cold enough, I've heard, in these
+parts, to freeze up every drop of blood in the veins in ten minutes."
+
+"Andrew and Terence, and Tom and I, were once much worse off, when we
+were left on the iceberg," I observed.  "As for food, too, we've got a
+good lump there, which came to our door of its own accord.  We've every
+chance of taking plenty more; and I've heard say the country is full of
+game of all sorts.  Then, as for a house, we must try and build one, if
+no ship comes to take us off.  Mind, I don't say that none will come;
+only if we are left here, we need not fancy that we are going to die in
+consequence."
+
+"Faith, Peter's the boy for brightening a fellow's heart up," exclaimed
+Terence, rousing himself from the despondency which he, with the rest,
+had begun to feel.  "Why, mates, perhaps after all we may have as merry
+a winter of it as if we got home, though they do say the nights are
+rather long at that time."
+
+Terence's remark did more good than mine.  There was something
+inspiriting in the tone of his voice; and in a few minutes all hands
+were ready to perform their best,--at all events, to do what Andrew
+considered for the public good.  He first ordered us to have breakfast,
+for we had been in no humour to take any supper the night before.  We
+accordingly brought in our provisions, and were about to commence on
+them, when I suggested that we should preserve them for times of greater
+necessity, and begin, instead, upon the bear.
+
+"But how are we to cook him?" asked some one.  "We can't eat him raw,
+and we've got no oil for the kitchen."
+
+The kitchen was the cooking apparatus I have spoken of.  It was simply
+an oil lamp with several wicks, and a couple of saucepans, a kettle, and
+frying-pan to fit over it.  The crude oil drawn from the last fish we
+had killed served for it.
+
+"As to that, lads, he'll supply the oil to cook himself with," remarked
+Andrew.  "Let us skin him and cut him up at once, and then he'll be all
+ready to pack if we want to travel from this place."
+
+We soon cut up the bear, very clumsily I will allow, for there was no
+butcher among us; and collecting the fattest parts to serve as fuel for
+our lamp, we soon had some bear-steaks frying away under our noses.  We
+took a very little of our biscuit in addition, but Andrew advised us to
+economise it to the utmost.
+
+The skin was taken off as neatly as we could manage the work, and then,
+having scraped the inside clean, we hung it up in front of our hut to
+dry.  We spent the whole day anxiously looking out for some sign of the
+gale abating, for we knew that every hour of its continuance would send
+our ship farther and farther away from us; but in the evening it blew as
+hard as it had done at the first.
+
+The wind was too high, and cut us too keenly, to allow us to go from
+under shelter of our hut in search of seals; but we were not entirely
+idle.  In the first place we drew the boat up to it, and secured our
+remaining provisions.  We also cut up the flesh of the bear into long
+strips, that they might more easily dry in the air; besides this, we
+heightened the walls of our habitation, and sloped them inward, so as to
+enable the sail to cover the hut more completely.
+
+The greater number of the men, however, showed little inclination to
+work, preferring to pass the day sitting crowded together in the hut in
+a sort of dreamy forgetfulness of the present, without speaking or
+moving.  I own that few positions could be much more disheartening than
+ours; but I saw the necessity of keeping the intellects awake, ready for
+active exertion, if we would save our lives.
+
+We cooked some of our bear-steaks for supper, and boiled up a little
+cocoa; so that for food we might have been worse off.  We found also
+that the lamp, small as it was, diffused a warmth throughout the hut,
+which enabled us to pass the night much more agreeably than we had the
+previous one.
+
+The bears seemed to have been aware of the fate of their brother, for
+none came near us.  Another morning dawned; and though the gale still
+blew strong, it had somewhat abated; but yet it was still necessary to
+keep under shelter.
+
+"As soon as the wind drops we must go sealing," remarked Andrew.  "If we
+could get a good number of seals, or unies, or walrus, we might keep our
+lamp burning all night and day through the winter.  Their flesh is not
+bad to eat; and then, you know, we can make boots, and caps, and jackets
+of their skins.  We must look out to get them before the cold sets in."
+
+"Then you think we shall have to winter here?"  I asked.
+
+"If the gale had taken off yesterday, I should have expected our ship
+back; but now I do not think she will attempt it," he answered
+positively.  We were standing outside the hut, some way from the rest.
+"However, two ships were left in Pond's Bay when we came away, and they
+may see us as they pass, or we may pull off to them if the sea goes
+down.  Peter, we should be thankful that things are no worse.  Cold and
+inhospitable as is this country, we have the means of existing in it, if
+we have sense to employ them.  Even now the wind has dropped and the sea
+has gone down.  It will be as well to get our signal-post up, in case
+either of the ships should pass."
+
+I agreed with him; and calling Terence to accompany us, we told the rest
+that we were going to the edge of the ice to see how things were, and to
+set up a signal.
+
+Our flagstaff consisted of a spar, with a lance handle as a topmast, and
+the flag was the jack used in the boat to show that a fish was fast.  We
+took also some line, to serve as shrouds for the staff.  We three set
+off, then, not without some difficulty in advancing; for the wind was
+still so strong, that we were almost taken off our legs.
+
+The distance, however, was not so great as we expected, for the sea had
+broken off the edge of the ice for full half a mile.  Some of the pieces
+had been washed away, and others had been hurled far up on the surface,
+so as to form a high and rugged wall.  We had taken the precaution of
+bringing two hatchets with us; and having selected the highest hummock
+near the sea, we chopped the summit of it perfectly level.  We then cut
+out blocks of ice, and piled them up, till we had built a pyramid some
+ten feet high.  We left places on which we could stand, to enable us to
+do this.  We then planted our staff in the centre, and secured the
+shrouds to some large blocks of ice we had dragged up for the purpose.
+
+We thus formed a very conspicuous mark, but we felt that it was too
+probable the ship might not pass near enough to see it.  For some
+minutes we contemplated our work, and then prepared to return to our
+companions.  Just then Terence happened to turn his eyes to the
+north-east.  He stopped and looked eagerly out.  "A sail, a sail!" he
+exclaimed; "she's coming down right before the wind."
+
+"It's the only way she could come, mate," said Andrew, not in the least
+way excited by the announcement.  "But are you sure you see a sail?
+Don't you think it may be the wing of a seafowl?"
+
+"'Tis too steady for that," answered Terence.  "If we get to the top of
+the flagstaff hummock, in another minute or so we shall know to a
+certainty."  In spite of the cutting cold wind to which we were exposed,
+we stood for several minutes eagerly watching the white spot which
+Terence asserted was a sail.
+
+I asked if it might not be an iceberg; but Andrew said an iceberg never
+travelled fast before the wind, because, although a great deal of it was
+exposed above the water, there was a much larger proportion below, on
+which, of course, the wind had no influence; and he wound up his
+observation by pronouncing the spot to be the topsail of a ship.
+
+"Huzza, then, mates, we shall get off this time," shouted Terence, who
+had no wish to winter in the arctic regions.
+
+"We must not be too sure of that," answered Andrew.  "Let me ask you,
+even if we are sure, how are we to get off with the sea there breaking
+on this sheet of ice?  We must not let our hopes blind us to the truth."
+
+"You are always croaking, Andrew," said Terence in a vexed tone.  He
+was, like many another man, without much hope, and who, the smaller it
+grows, is the more inclined to be angry with the person whose
+plain-speaking tends still further to decrease it.
+
+On came the ship, scudding at a great rate before the gale, right down
+along the edge of the floe.  She seemed, as well as we could then judge,
+to be about three miles off.  We were obliged to descend, and to run
+about to keep ourselves warm; but every instant one of us was climbing
+to the top of the hummock to watch the progress of the stranger.  She
+was drawing near when some of our companions discovered her; and we now
+saw them come hurrying along over the ice towards us, forgetting
+everything in the expectation of being able to escape from our perilous
+situation.
+
+By the time they reached us she was just abreast of us, running under
+her fore-topsail at headlong speed before the wind.  How anxiously we
+watched her, expecting her every instant to heave to; but she glided
+onward, unconscious of the agony and despair she was creating in our
+hearts.  We waved our hats; we pointed to our signal staff; we leaped up
+on the hummock; we even, in the extravagance of our eagerness, shouted
+out at the top of our voices, as if sounds so faint could reach her.
+But all we could do was vain.  On she passed in her course, as if we
+were not in existence.
+
+"Fire our guns," said Andrew; "they might possibly be heard."  But in
+their hurry our companions had left the guns at the hut.
+
+All hope of making ourselves seen or heard was now abandoned; the ship
+flew by, and soon her hull sank below the horizon.  Some of the men, on
+this, gave way to impious exclamations of discontent, but Andrew checked
+them.  "It is God's will that we remain here, mates," he said.  "How do
+we know but that it is for our benefit that we are left where we are?
+That ship, which we are now so anxious to be on board, may before the
+night be crushed beneath an iceberg, or perhaps dashed to pieces on the
+rocks in sight of home, while we may yet be destined to see again our
+country and our families.  Believe me, mates, all is for the best; and
+though we don't see the way we are to escape, it may now be ready for
+us."
+
+The tone of religious confidence in which Andrew spoke, contributed much
+to revive the spirits of our companions.  The gale was also rapidly
+decreasing, and hopes were therefore expressed that, should the last
+ship appear, the boat might be able to reach her, even though she might
+be too far off to see our signal.  However, day drew on, and no ship
+appeared.  The returning darkness warned us that we must get back to our
+hut without delay, or not only might we not be able to find it, but it
+might be visited by our friends the bears, and our remaining provisions
+might be destroyed.  We accordingly hurried back, and were only just in
+time to prevent the latter catastrophe; for, as we got to the hut, we
+observed three large objects moving over the snow towards the land.
+They were no doubt bears, who, when they saw us running up, had been
+frightened away from the food, to which their keen scent had attracted
+them.  I rushed into the hut for a gun, intending to make chase after
+them; but Andrew told me to desist, as I should not have the slightest
+chance of killing one, and that they might possibly turn upon me and
+destroy me.
+
+The third night we spent in our hut was much colder than the former
+ones, though there was less wind.  One of us by turns kept watch, as
+before.  I was asleep, and it was Terence's watch, when I was awakened
+by a loud noise like thunder, and a shout from him which made all the
+party start on their feet.  The noise continued.  It too much reminded
+us of that we had heard when the ice, in which we had been beset in our
+passage through Baffin's Bay, had begun to break up.
+
+"What's the matter now?" exclaimed several voices.
+
+"The floe must be separating, and we are perhaps going to be drifted
+away from the shore," remarked old David, "But never mind, mates, we
+can't be much worse off than we were, and a short cruise won't do us any
+harm."
+
+"How can we tell that the floe will not break up into small pieces, or
+perhaps drift out and join the middle ice?"  I inquired.  I thought such
+a thing might possibly occur, and I wished to secure our retreat on
+shore.
+
+"There is little doubt that the floe is separating," said Andrew.  "But
+at all events we can do nothing while it remains dark.  As soon as
+daylight appears, we must decide, without loss of time, what is to be
+done."
+
+The noise continued for a considerable time, then all was silent; and I
+suppose that the piece we were on had already begun to drift away from
+the main body of ice.  I fancied, even, that I could feel a peculiar
+undulating movement, as if it was acted on by the waves.  As soon as
+morning dawned we eagerly looked out.  At first there appeared to be no
+change; but, as the light increased, we found that between us and the
+main ice there was a wide passage of nearly a quarter of a mile.
+
+The floe we were on was about a mile across in the narrowest part, and
+two or three miles long.  It seemed, while we watched the land, to be
+advancing towards the northward and eastward.  Our flagstaff was on the
+same piece, and was not disturbed.  But another object met our sight
+which engaged all our attention.  It was a sail to the southward.  With
+what deep anxiety we watched her, I need scarcely say.
+
+"Which way is she heading?" was the general cry.
+
+"To the southward," exclaimed old David.  "She'll not come near us,
+depend on that, mates; so we need not look after her.  She must have
+slipped by in the night or in the grey of the morning, or we should have
+seen her."
+
+"But don't you think she may be the _Shetland Maid_ come to look for
+us?"  I asked.  "Who is certain that she is standing away from us? for I
+am not."
+
+One or two sided with me; but the others were of opinion that the
+stranger was standing from us.
+
+Meantime the floe drifted out to sea.  There was no immediate danger,
+and we might have remained as secure as we were before, provided it did
+not come in contact with any other floe, which, had it done, it would
+probably have broken into fragments, and we should have forthwith
+perished.  All hands were too busy watching the ship to think much on
+this subject.  We watched, but we watched in vain.
+
+If she was our own ship, Captain Rendall must have fancied that he had
+come as far north as he had left us; and seeing the ice broken and
+changed, and floes drifting about, he must have thought we had perished.
+At all events, after an hour's earnest watching, the most sanguine were
+compelled to acknowledge that the top-sails were gradually again sinking
+in the horizon; and before long they were out of sight, and all hope of
+escaping that year was at an end.
+
+By this time we had been, as it were, somewhat broken in to expect
+disappointments, so no one expressed his feelings so strongly as on the
+former occasion.  We were also obliged to think of means for securing
+our present safety.  Two things were to be considered.  If we remained
+on the floe, should it break up we must be destroyed; besides this, we
+could procure no food nor fuel.
+
+After Andrew had heard all of us express our opinions, he resolved to
+quit the floe and retreat to the main ice.  "We'll stay on the edge of
+it for one day, or two if you wish it, and we'll keep a bright look-out
+for a ship; but it's my opinion that the last has passed, and that we
+had better make up our minds to winter on shore.  The sooner we begin
+our preparations the better chance we have of weathering out the time."
+
+This plan being agreed to, two hands were sent to unstep the flagstaff
+and bring it forward, while the rest of us dismantled our hut, and
+dragged the boat to the edge of the floe nearest the shore.  It was time
+that we should be off, for the channel had already widened to half a
+mile.  Though the water was perfectly smooth, the boat, with all our
+party and our stores, had as much in her as she could conveniently
+carry.
+
+A quarter of an hour served to carry us across, when we again hauled our
+boat up; and choosing the highest hummock in the neighbourhood, we again
+erected our flagstaff.  Before, however, we began to build a hut, we
+examined the condition of the ice round us, to ascertain whether there
+was a probability of another floe breaking away with us.  On finding it,
+according to the opinion of the old hands, perfectly secure, we put up a
+tent in the same manner as the last, though of rather a larger size.
+This done, we cooked and ate the first food we had tasted that day, for
+we had been too busy all the morning to think of eating.
+
+Andrew then urged us to make diligent search for any of the oil-giving
+fish which we could catch.  Accordingly, armed with our harpoons and
+lances, we set out, leaving one hand to guard the boat and to keep a
+look-out for a passing sail.
+
+We first kept along the edge of the ice; but meeting with no success, we
+turned towards the land to look for any pools which might exist in the
+ice.  After looking about for some time, we came to one nearly the
+eighth of a mile across.  In it were a shoal of narwhals or
+sea-unicorns, every now and then rising above the water to breathe, and
+then diving down again in search of prey.  Could we have brought the
+boat so far, we should have had no difficulty in killing them, but now
+it depended how near they would rise to the edge.  It was tantalising to
+watch them and not to be able to get hold of any.
+
+We divided into three parties, for we had as many harpoons; and at last
+one rose within reach of David's weapon.  He launched it forth, and
+struck the fish in the neck.  Down it dived rapidly; but it soon had to
+return to the surface, when we hauled it towards the edge and despatched
+it quickly with our lances, after which we hauled it upon the ice.  In
+the same manner another was afterwards killed.  These were indeed
+prizes; for, though not so valuable as the seals, their flesh and oil
+were most welcome.
+
+We found that they were too heavy to drag over the ice whole, so we cut
+off the blubber and some meat, and left the kral for the benefit of the
+bears.  The horns would, under other circumstances, have been valuable;
+but we could not afford to burden ourselves with more than what was
+absolutely necessary.
+
+We at last got back to the hut with our prize; and the hand who was left
+to watch reported that no sail had appeared.  We had now an abundance of
+oil, so that we were able to dress the flesh of the bear in it, as also
+to keep up a light in the hut all night long.  The next day, if the
+_Shetland Maid_ did not return, and if no other ship appeared, we were
+to form our plan for future operations.  All that day the look-out
+hummock was occupied by one of our party with his eye anxiously looking
+seaward; but hour after hour passed away, and no sail appeared.
+
+What a sinking at the heart, what a blank, desolate feeling came over
+us, as our last hope vanished!  Hitherto we had been buoyed up with the
+expectation of relief; now the most sanguine felt that the last whaler
+had departed for the season.
+
+It was my turn to look out just before it grew dark.  The floe on which
+we had floated for so long had now drifted a considerable distance off,
+and had broken into three almost circular pieces.  As I watched, it was
+met by several other floes of equal magnitude, which were revolving,
+some in one direction, some in another, without any apparent cause.
+Then began a most furious contest between them,--hurled together, they
+overlapped and crushed on each other, till in the course of a few
+minutes they had broken into a thousand fragments.  I was indeed
+thankful that we had not remained on the floe in the hopes of being seen
+by a ship.
+
+Darkness coming on, and it being impossible any longer to distinguish
+objects at a distance, I returned to the hut.  I found my companions
+sitting round our kitchen in the hut, and discussing plans for the
+future.  Some were still anxious to get on to the southward in the boat,
+in the hopes of overtaking some whaler which might have stopped to fish;
+but Andrew strongly urged them at once to abandon all hopes of escaping
+that year, and at once, while they had health and strength, and the
+weather remained moderate, to make preparations for the winter.  He
+showed the extreme improbability of our overtaking ships which must have
+been driven very far to the south by the gale, as also the danger of
+being swamped should the slightest sea get up; while, should we not
+succeed in our attempt, we should be worn out, and, incapable of
+providing for the future, must inevitably be destroyed.
+
+I voted with Andrew, and also spoke in favour of his plan, showing, from
+what I had read and heard, that, notwithstanding the cold, with good
+management we might preserve our lives and our health throughout an
+arctic winter.  At last this plan was agreed to by all, and we lay down
+once more to sleep away the time till daylight.
+
+We were up by dawn; and, having laden our boat with all our stores, we
+commenced our toilsome journey.  Our purpose was to make the land, and
+then to travel along over the ice till we should arrive at some valley,
+or at the mouth of a river, where we might hope to find some clear water
+and opportunities of catching fish.
+
+Though the land appeared quite near, it was late in the day before we
+reached it.  What, then, was our disappointment to find not even a beach
+on which to build our hut for the night!  The high black cliff came
+completely down to the sea, and was fringed by masses of ice piled up
+against it, so that we could not even reach it without difficulty and
+danger.  Our only course, therefore, was to continue along under it,
+till we should meet with the opening of which we were in search.
+
+I ought to have said that we had protected the keel and bilge of our
+boat by securing some spars along them, so that she was able to pass
+over the ice without damage; but the labour of dragging her was very
+great, and some even proposed leaving her behind rather than have the
+trouble of conveying her, till Andrew reminded them that on her might
+depend our only means of procuring food, and of ultimately escaping next
+year.
+
+We performed a distance of nearly three miles along the shore, under the
+same lofty unbroken cliffs; and then Andrew called a halt, and we made
+our usual preparations for passing the night.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
+
+For three days we travelled on; and, supposing that we advanced ten
+miles a day, for thirty miles not a break of any description appeared in
+the overhanging cliffs on our right.  The men had begun to grumble; and
+those who had wished to proceed in the boat by water, asserted that, if
+their advice had been followed, we should have made greater progress
+with less fatigue.
+
+Andrew told them in answer that if they would but keep up their spirits,
+and persevere for one day longer, we should in all probability come to
+some opening where we might get on shore, and near which, if the sea was
+smooth, we might launch the boat and try to get some more fish.  This
+encouraged them; and the following morning, with renewed spirits, we
+continued on our way.
+
+As the day drew on, there appeared but little chance of Andrew's promise
+being fulfilled, for, far as the eye could reach, was the same unbroken
+line of cliff.  It was drawing towards sunset, when I caught sight of
+what appeared to me a ship thrown on her beam-ends, close under the
+cliff.  The rest laughed at me, and telling me I must be deceived, asked
+me how a ship could get there.
+
+I answered I was certain that I was not mistaken, and pointed out to
+them the object I had seen.  It appeared to me, when I first saw it, as
+in a sort of shallow cavern under the cliff; but before we could make
+any progress towards it, the shades of evening completely obscured it,
+and long before we could reach it we were obliged to encamp.
+
+We talked a good deal about it as we sat round our lamp in our usual ice
+cottage; and I dreamed all night that a strange ship had appeared, and
+that we were to go on board in the morning.
+
+When the morning did really come, I eagerly looked out for the first
+rays of light falling on the object I had seen.  It was now more clear
+than ever.  I first pointed it out to Andrew.
+
+"Well, if that is not a real ship, those are very extraordinary marks at
+the foot of the cliff," he observed.  "Peter, I believe you are right.
+It is a ship, and it may prove the means of our preservation."
+
+Without waiting for any meal, although Andrew insisted on the boat being
+dragged with us, we advanced towards the supposed ship.  David certainly
+did not believe she was one.  "If that's a ship," he remarked.  "I don't
+see how the natives would have spared her.  They would have been
+swarming about her like bees, and would have pulled her all to pieces
+long before this."
+
+"I still say she's a ship, and that we shall see before long," I
+answered.
+
+It is extraordinary how the imagination helps out the vision in a case
+of this sort.  I believed that there was a ship, so I saw her; another
+man did not believe that there was a ship there, so could not perceive
+her.
+
+We travelled on for three hours before all doubts were set at rest by
+the appearance of a large ship, thrown, as I said, on her beam-ends, but
+with her masts and rigging still standing.  An overhanging cliff
+projected to the south of her, and within it was the cavern in which she
+lay, so that she could only be seen from the point from which we had
+advanced towards her.
+
+This providential circumstance instantly raised our spirits, and we
+could not help giving a loud shout of joy, as we hurried on to get on
+board her.  Even should we find no provisions, we could not fail of
+obtaining numberless things which would prove of the greatest value to
+us.
+
+As we got near her, her condition at once told that she had been lost
+amongst the ice; and probably thrown up on to a floe by another striking
+her, she had drifted afterwards into her present position.  For some
+minutes we stood round her, examining her with a feeling approaching to
+awe.  She looked so shattered and weather-worn, and of a build so
+unusual, that I fancied she might have been there frozen up for
+centuries.
+
+At last Terence climbed up her sides, followed by all of us.  Her decks
+were uninjured, and were thickly covered with snow, which had
+contributed, I suppose, to preserve them.  Her masts and lower rigging
+were standing, though the topmasts had gone over the side.  David
+pronounced her to be a Dutch whaler; and such, I believe, she was.  Her
+hatches were on, and even the companion-hatch was drawn over, which made
+us think that the crew had remained on board till she was driven into
+her present position, and had afterwards quitted her with the intention
+of returning.
+
+This opinion was confirmed when we went below.  We found the cabin in
+good order and the furniture uninjured, for the water had not reached
+it.  On going into the hold we discovered an abundant supply of
+provisions in casks; but all her tubs were empty, which showed us that
+she had been wrecked on her outward voyage, before having taken a fish.
+Her boats also were gone, which showed the way in which her crew had
+escaped from her.  When I first went below, I half expected to find all
+her people frozen to death, as I had heard of such dreadful occurrences
+having taken place.
+
+Several books and papers were found in the cabin, but as none of us
+could read Dutch, we were unable to learn anything from them; but Andrew
+and David were of opinion that she had been there five years at least,
+perhaps longer.
+
+Having taken a cursory glance throughout the ship, our appetites
+reminded us that we had eaten nothing that morning, so we set to work to
+examine the condition of the stores on board.  The meat in the casks was
+perfectly good, and so even was the biscuit and flour, which had been
+preserved, I conclude, by the cold from the weevils and the rats.  The
+only animals which had visited the ship were the bears.  They had not
+failed to scent out the good things she contained, but not having been
+clever enough to lift the hatches off, they had, fortunately for us,
+been unable to appropriate them.
+
+We were not long in knocking the head out of a cask and in collecting
+materials to form an abundant meal, which we had not enjoyed for so many
+days.  The cook's caboose was still uninjured on deck, and his pots and
+kettles were hung up inside it, with a store of coals and wood ready
+chopped up.  We accordingly lighted a fire, and two of the men, who
+professed to be the best cooks, prepared our breakfast.
+
+In the cabin we found in jars and canisters a profuse store of tea,
+coffee, cocoa, sugar, and several sorts of preserved fruits and
+sweetmeats; indeed there was an ample supply of everything we could
+require.  The cabin was, of course, very much on one side, and moreover
+very chilly; but, for the pleasure of sitting at a table, we carried our
+meal down there to eat it.
+
+Andrew took care not to let the opportunity pass by of reminding us that
+our heartfelt gratitude was due to the Great Being who had so mercifully
+guided our steps to this spot, where, without trouble or risk, we might
+provide ourselves with the necessaries of life.
+
+After breakfast I saw some of the men hunting busily about the ship; and
+from their look of dismay, when, getting hold of a brandy cask, they
+found the contents had run out, I guessed that their object was to enjoy
+themselves for a short time by drinking, and I am afraid that many of
+our party would not have refrained from doing so to excess.
+
+I told Andrew, who was still in the cabin examining the lockers what I
+had remarked.
+
+"Never mind," he answered.  "All the glass bottles containing spirits or
+liquid of any sort have also burst with the cold, so that there is no
+fear of any of them getting drunk.  There are a few stone bottles with
+hollands, and as they were only partly filled they seem to have
+something left in them; so I will hide them away in case they should
+ever be required."
+
+We had just concealed them in a locker in the captain's state-room, as
+his sleeping cabin is called when some of the rest returned, grumbling
+very much at having found nothing to drink.  Andrew reproved them mildly
+for their discontent, when we had been thus led so mercifully to the
+means of preserving our lives.
+
+"If you had discovered any liquor you might have made merry at first,"
+he observed; "then you would have become worse than the brutes, without
+sense; and lastly, you would have been left without strength or energy
+to bear the difficulties we shall have to encounter.  Let me tell you,
+lads, the liquor you are so fond of only gives you false strength just
+for a short time after you have drunk it, and then leaves you much
+weaker than at first.  To my mind, people in this climate are very much
+better without spirits; and in any other climate for that matter.  There
+are times, when a person is almost frozen or overcome with weakness,
+when they may be of use; but in most cases we are better without them."
+Andrew's reasoning had some effect on his hearers, particularly when
+they found themselves forced to follow his advice whether they would or
+not.
+
+We now all assembled together in the cabin to decide on what we should
+do.  Some were for remaining on board, and making ourselves as
+comfortable as we could; but Andrew at once pointed out the madness of
+such a proceeding.  He argued that even in summer the position under the
+cliff was excessively cold; that the ship was in no way fitted to serve
+as a habitation during the winter, when there were days no person could
+be exposed for ten minutes together to the air without suffering; and
+that, although there was an abundant supply of salt provisions, unless
+we could procure some fresh meat, our health would materially suffer.
+
+"My advice, mates, is," he continued, "that we travel along the coast as
+we first intended, till we arrive at the sort of place we were in search
+of when we fell in with this wreck.  When we have found it, we will at
+once build a warm house, and then set to at hunting and fishing till the
+animals desert the country, and the sea is frozen over, and the long
+winter nights set in.  We will, however, first build some sledges, such
+as the natives use, and we will carry on them all the things we require
+from the ship to our station.  If any one has a better plan to offer,
+let him propose it."
+
+"I think Andrew's plan is the one to follow, and I propose we set about
+it without delay!"  I exclaimed.
+
+"And so do I," said Terence.
+
+"And I don't see that it's a bad one," observed David.
+
+"And I think it a good one," said Tom Stokes.
+
+The rest offered no opposition; indeed they did not know what else to
+propose.  I must observe that now when we had nothing to do with
+whaling, in which the others had more experience, Andrew fully showed
+his superiority and fitness to command, so that we all readily obeyed
+him whenever he thought fit to issue any orders.  However, as he felt
+that he only held his authority on sufferance, he judged it best, as in
+the present instance, to consult all hands before the formation of any
+fresh plan for proceeding.
+
+The whole day was spent on board in examining the ship, and in forming
+our plans, and in making some of the preliminary arrangements.  The
+first of them was to build a couple of sledges, which Andrew showed us
+how to do, very similar to those used by the Esquimaux.  We also packed
+up some tea, cocoa, and sugar, as also some meat and bread to serve us
+for present use, till we could bring up the remainder to our winter
+station.
+
+Among other valuable articles were some carpenter's tools and two
+fowling-pieces, some canisters of powder, with a supply of shot, thus
+giving us the means of killing any game we might meet with.  It was, as
+I said, very cold; but as there was a stove in the cabin, we lighted it,
+and soon got the cabin comfortably warm.  Probably, had we been left to
+our own devices, we should have all gone to sleep without keeping any
+watch; but Andrew ordered one of us to keep watch by turns throughout
+the night, both to supply the stove with fuel and to guard against fire.
+Had it not been for this precaution, we might have slept away some of
+the valuable hours of daylight.
+
+As soon as we had breakfasted, Andrew gave the signal for us to start.
+Some wanted to leave the boat till we had found the spot we were in
+search of; but he insisted on its being brought along, showing that we
+must have her at our station, both to enable us to catch fish and to
+assist us in escaping on the following summer; and that, as she was
+laden and prepared for the journey, it would be wise to bring her at
+once.
+
+We could only drag one sledge with us, and on that were placed a few
+additional stores.  Having closed the hatches, we once more left the
+ship.  We travelled on the whole of that day and the greater part of the
+next, without meeting with a fit place to fix on for our winter station.
+Some of the grumblers declared that we never should find it, and that
+we had much better go back to the ship.
+
+The prospect was certainly very discouraging, and even Andrew was
+beginning to think that there was no help for it but to return, when, on
+reaching a high black rocky point, we saw a bay spreading far back and
+surrounded by hills of only moderate height, from which the snow had
+melted, leaving exposed a variety of grasses and lichens which clothed
+their sides.  I shouted with joy on seeing this to us cheering prospect.
+To people under different circumstances, the view might have appeared
+bleak and gloomy enough.
+
+On getting round the point, we landed on firm ground for the first time
+since leaving our ship; and, strange as it may seem, I felt as if half
+our difficulties and dangers were over.  On climbing up the nearest
+hill, we saw that a stream, or rather river, ran into the centre of the
+bay, and that from its mouth to the sea there was a clear channel.
+Nothing could have been more in accordance with our wishes.  We might
+here be able to supply ourselves with fish, and from the appearance of
+the country, there would probably be an abundance of game.
+
+We continued along the ice till we saw, a little above the beach, a
+level spot on the side of the hill, well sheltered from the north.
+Andrew pointed it out.  "There, my lads, is the place where we must
+build our house, and we must make up our minds to live in it for the
+next ten months or so at least," he observed.  "We will therefore make
+it as comfortable as we can, for we shall not be able to shift our
+quarters when once the frost sets in, let me tell you."
+
+We proceeded up to the place he indicated, and under it we hauled up our
+boat on the beach.  On a further examination of the spot, we resolved to
+establish ourselves there, and immediately set to work to erect a
+habitation which might serve us till our winter-house was ready.  For
+this purpose we collected some large stones which had been washed down
+from the neighbouring cliffs, and rolled them up the hill.  With these
+as a foundation, with the addition of earth and small stones and turf,
+we in the course of a couple of hours had raised a wall very much in
+form like those we had been accustomed to form of snow.  Our sail served
+as a roof; and in an excursion made by some of the party a short
+distance among the hills, a quantity of a low shrubby plant was
+discovered, admirably suited for a mattress till we could get bedding
+from the ship.
+
+Andrew assured us that we had every reason to be thankful that our
+position was so good; and so I think we had, for it most certainly might
+have been very much worse.  But those who stay at home at ease by their
+warm firesides would not consider a residence in a hut on the side of a
+bleak hill, throughout a winter within the Arctic Circle, as a position
+much to be envied.  Everything, we must remember, is by comparison; and
+I again repeat, we had good reason to be grateful.
+
+The first thing the next morning, off we all started with the sledge, to
+commence the work of bringing the things from the wreck.  The distance
+was twelve miles, so that we could at the utmost only take one trip in
+the day.  We were all in good spirits, for we had slept soundly and had
+enjoyed a good meal; but before long, some of the men began to grumble
+at the distance.
+
+"I don't see why we couldn't have chosen some place nearer the wreck to
+build our house," said one.
+
+"It's a pity the ship weren't driven ashore nearer the bay," cried
+another.
+
+"Now, for my part, I'd rather let the things remain where they are, than
+have to bring them all this way," exclaimed the worst grumbler of the
+party.
+
+"Or, as I said before, we'd better by half take up our quarters on
+board," put in one of those who had advocated that measure at first.
+
+"Now, let me tell you that you are an ungrateful set of fellows to talk
+as you do," exclaimed Andrew, who had listened to all that was said.
+"You saw yourselves that there was not a spot of ground nearer than the
+place we have chosen fit to winter in; and as to complaining that the
+ship is no nearer the bay, why, if she had been driven into any other
+spot than the exact one where she is, she would have been seen by the
+Esquimaux, and plundered of everything she contains.  You'll soon find
+the want of everything we can get from the wreck; and if any one chooses
+to winter aboard her, we'll leave him plenty to eat, but if he isn't
+frozen to death we shall have him back with us before very long, that I
+know."
+
+Most of the party sided with Andrew on this as on other occasions, and
+the grumblers were silenced.  As we were perfectly unencumbered, we
+advanced at a rapid rate, and in about three hours we got up to the
+ship.  We scrambled up the sides by the chain-plates, and were all soon
+on deck.
+
+"Hillo, who left the companion-hatch open?" exclaimed Terence, who was
+the first who got aft.  No one recollected who could have been guilty of
+the neglect.  "No matter, there's no chance of any one having been here
+while we were away," cried Terence, as he jumped down the
+companion-ladder.
+
+He had not got down many steps before he sprung up again in a great
+hurry, with a face of terror, his head shoving back the next man who was
+following him, and sending him sprawling on deck, while a loud angry
+growl was heard issuing from the cabin.
+
+"Och, murder!" he exclaimed.  "There's Davy Jones aboard, as sure as my
+name's Terence O'Connor."
+
+"Shut to the hatch there!" shouted David to some of us who were standing
+abaft the companion.  We drew it over just in time to prevent a white
+head and a pair of sharp claws covered with shaggy hair from protruding
+out of the hatchway.  At the same moment David, who had a lance in his
+hand, thrust it down, and again a fierce snarling growl was heard.
+
+"Why, mates, we seem to have caught a bear," observed Andrew, who had
+come aft to see what had happened.
+
+"We may have caught a dozen, for what I know," answered David.  "And
+provided they haven't eaten up the flour, and sugar, and beef we left
+here, the more there are the better."
+
+While he was speaking he was pronging away with his spear down the
+companion-hatch, and the growling grew louder and fiercer.
+
+The bear was now severely wounded and enraged to the utmost; for in
+spite of the enemies he might have guessed were ready to receive him, he
+tried to force his way up.  "Hand a gun here, and we'll see if we can't
+settle him," cried David; but the guns had been left leaning against a
+block of ice outside the ship, and before we could recover them the bear
+had made another attempt to get out of the trap.  Evading the points of
+the lance, he had seized the handle in his teeth, and then climbing up
+the ladder, he forced the top of the hatch off with his head, and seemed
+about to take the deck from us.  Andrew, however, had got another lance,
+and just as his terrific claws were close to David's shoulder, he gave
+him a severe wound in the neck.  At the same moment I ran up with a gun,
+and firing into his mouth, he fell dead across the hatchway.
+
+That he was not alone we were convinced by the appearance of another
+shaggy monster, who now shoved his head up to see what his companion was
+about.  As he showed his head from under the dead body and opened his
+mouth to growl, David plunged his lance into it with such force that he
+fell mortally wounded down the ladder, carrying the weapon with him.  We
+had some work to drag the dead bear out of the way, he was so heavy a
+fellow.
+
+"Are there any more of them?" cried Terence, who, discovering that they
+were mortal foes, had completely recovered from his fright.  He spoke as
+he was peering into the cabin, and about to spring down the ladder.
+"Och, yes, here comes another."
+
+And sure enough a third bear appeared at the doorway, with a look which
+seemed to ask what we wanted there.  As he was too sagacious to come
+within reach of our spears, and our remaining gun was loaded only with
+small shot, we scarcely knew how to despatch him.  It would have been
+very dangerous to descend the ladder, for one pat of his paw was
+sufficient to tear any man's arm off; so we had to enrage him by shaking
+our lances in his face, and then pretending to run away to induce him to
+follow us.
+
+At last we succeeded almost too well; for with a speed of which I did
+not think a bear capable, he clambered up the ladder, and was making for
+the side of the ship with the sensible intention of escaping, when we
+closed in upon him and caused him to stand at bay.  He looked at us
+savagely, singling out one of us to attack, and then rushed upon David;
+but the old whaler's lance was ready, and the bear received a mortal
+thrust in his breast.  Notwithstanding this, he rushed forward grinning
+savagely; but David sprung out of his way, and another lance pierced him
+to the heart.
+
+We had thus secured some very valuable prizes, and we even hoped there
+might be more of them below, provided they had not eaten up the stores
+on which we counted.  Not one liked to be the first to go down till we
+had ascertained whether the cabin had any more occupants.  At last none
+appearing.  Terence with cautious steps descended the ladder, ready to
+spring up again should another bear show his face.  Stepping over the
+carcase of the bear, which lay at the foot of the ladder he looked in.
+Presently he shouted to us to follow, and we all quickly descended,--
+anxious to see what damage the bears had committed.
+
+Fortunately all our stores had been returned to the lockers, and they
+had broken open only one, and had got hold of a jar of brown sugar and
+another of flour, which, in their clumsy endeavours to eat, they had
+sprinkled about the cabin.  We calculated from this that they had not
+been there long; for if they had, they would have routed out everything
+eatable they possibly could get on board.
+
+As it was, our carelessness had been productive of more good than harm,
+for the skins of the beasts would make us some warm clothing, while
+their flesh would afford us food for a long time, if we could get no
+other fresh meat.
+
+Our first care was now to construct a number of hand sledges, for the
+conveyance of our stores to our winter quarters.  The small ones were
+made so that one person could drag them over the smooth parts of the
+ice; and on having to pass any rough portions, two or three persons
+might tackle together, passing one sledge after the other.
+
+To carry the woodwork for our house, we were obliged to form a large
+sledge, which would require nearly all the party to drag it forward.
+Taking care to close all the hatches, we loaded our sledges with
+provisions, blankets, and some additional clothing, and set forward on
+our return to the bay.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
+
+We travelled briskly along over the ice, our encounter with the bears
+affording us abundant matter for amusement.  I forgot to say, that not
+having time to flay them, we had shoved them down the main hatchway, to
+wait till the next day.  Now and then one or other of the sledges, not
+carefully constructed, would come to pieces, and we had to wait while it
+was being repaired; otherwise we got on very well, and, I suspect,
+faster than if we had not had them to drag after us.  At length our
+journey was almost accomplished, and in a few minutes we expected to
+arrive at what we already had begun to call our home,--it was, indeed,
+the only home we were likely to have for a long time to come.
+
+We had rounded the rocky point, and were dragging our sledges towards
+our hut, when what was our surprise to see a group of human beings,
+clothed from head to foot in skins, standing round it, examining it
+apparently with much curiosity!  On seeing us they drew up in a line,
+and advanced slowly towards us down the hill.  They numbered twice as
+many as we did; and as they had arms in their hands, Andrew ordered us
+to stop, to see what they would do.
+
+"Show them that we wish to be friends, lads, and place your lances and
+the guns on the ground," said Andrew.
+
+We did as he directed, and instantly the Esquimaux, for such we saw they
+were, threw aside their spears and knives, and cried out, "_Tima,
+Tima_!" and advanced with outstretched arms towards us.
+
+We uttered the same words and advanced also.  We soon saw by the
+expression of their countenances that they were amicably disposed
+towards us; and from their manner of behaving, we suspected that we were
+not the first Europeans they had met.
+
+They all appeared comfortably clothed.  The men wore deerskin jackets
+with hoods to them, to be drawn over the head; their trousers were
+generally of sealskin, made to reach below the knee, and their boots
+were of the same substance, with the hair inside.  Some of them had
+shoes over their boots, and an under-jacket of deer-skin.  The dress of
+the women was very similar, except that their jackets had long flaps
+behind, reaching almost to the ground, and were pointed in front.  There
+were several children, who kept in the background, and they were all
+dressed exactly like the older ones; and funny little beings they were,
+reminding one forcibly of hedge-hogs, or rather of little bears and
+dancing dogs.
+
+They advanced slowly in a line as we walked forward; but when we had got
+near enough to see each other's faces they stopped.  Whatever sign we
+made they instantly imitated; and there was a merry, good-natured
+expression in their countenances, which gave us great confidence in the
+friendliness of their disposition.  Seeing this, we walked forward and
+put out our hands; they did the same; and presently there was as warm a
+shaking of hands between us, as if we were the oldest friends each other
+had in the world.
+
+This ceremony being over, they accompanied us to the hut, which we
+examined with some little anxiety, to see if they had taken anything
+away; but nothing was disturbed.  The few things, also, which had been
+left in the boat had not been touched.
+
+"You are honest fellows, that you are," exclaimed Terence, shaking them
+all round again by the hand, at which they seemed mightily pleased.  We
+talked away at them, and they talked to us for some time, making all
+sorts of signs and gestures; but at the end of it all we were not much
+the wiser, for neither of us could understand a word each other said.
+
+However, we did not want them clustering round us while we were
+unpacking our sledges, and we were in a hurry to stow our things away
+before night; so Terence undertook to draw them off.  He managed it by
+taking one by the hand, and making him sit down at a little distance and
+seating himself beside him; then, making a sign to the first to sit
+quiet, he led another to the spot, and so on till they all were seated.
+They then remained very quiet, looking on with an expression of the
+greatest surprise at the various things we produced.  It was almost
+sunset when they got up, and again shaking hands, took their departure
+over the hills.  By this we supposed that their habitations were at no
+great distance.
+
+The next morning we were up by daybreak to return to the ship; and as we
+did not think it wise to leave our property without a guard, Terence and
+Tom were selected to remain, with two of the guns, to shoot any game
+which might appear, or to defend themselves if necessary.  The ship had
+not been visited; and having laden our large sledge with some wood from
+the wreck for building the house, and two small ones with provisions, we
+set forward on our return.
+
+Terence reported that the Esquimaux had again visited the hut, and had
+invited him and Tom, by signs, to accompany them over the hills; but
+that, on his shaking his head and sitting still, they had understood
+that he could not leave his post, and they went away.
+
+As soon as we had taken some food, Andrew urged us to set about building
+our winter house without delay, lest the severe frosts should come on
+before it was finished.  The plan he proposed, and which was adopted,
+was to divide it into two compartments, one for a store-house, the other
+for our dwelling and cooking room.  The latter was fifteen feet square
+and eight feet high, with a sloping roof, and a hole, with a trap in the
+top, to let out the air and to serve for a chimney.  All this would
+require a great deal of wood, besides the turf and stones with which we
+also proposed to build it.  We had no means of forming windows; but, as
+we had heard it was always night during the winter, we thought we should
+not want them.
+
+The next morning we were off again for the wood, as well as some bears'
+flesh and some of the other provisions.  Terence, who managed so well
+with the natives, remained as before, and he reported that they had
+come, and seemed much surprised with the work we had performed; that
+they had examined the tracks of the sledges and the additional stores,
+and then, after a great deal of talking, had returned from whence they
+came.
+
+The following morning we were disturbed by a loud noise of dogs barking
+and men shouting; and on looking out of our tents, we saw our Esquimaux
+friends looming through the twilight, each of them accompanied by a
+troop of seven dogs harnessed to a sledge formed of the jaw-bone of a
+whale and sealskins.  They came close up to us, talking very rapidly,
+and pointing in the direction in which the ship lay.
+
+When we prepared to start on our daily expedition, they showed their
+evident intention of accompanying us.  David and some of the other men
+did not like this, and were afraid that if they saw the ship they might
+appropriate everything on board; but Andrew assured us that he was
+certain they had no such intention, and that their purpose was to assist
+us, otherwise, as they might easily have tracked us along the ice, they
+would have set off by themselves.
+
+The Esquimaux laughed very much when they saw us trudging along with our
+clumsy heavy sledges; and calling their dogs to stop with a _Wo Wo-hoa_,
+just as a carter does in England, they beckoned each of us to get on to
+a sledge behind each of them, and placing our sledges on theirs, away we
+drove.  Off went the dogs at full gallop, they guiding them with their
+whips and their voices along the smoother portions of the ice.  It was
+amusing and very exhilarating to feel one's self whirled along at so
+rapid a rate, after being so long accustomed to the slow movements of
+our own weary feet, and our spirits and courage rose accordingly.
+
+Their sledges were between eight and ten feet long, and about two wide.
+The runners of some were of the jaw-bones of a whale, and of others of
+several bones lashed together.  To prevent the wearing out of the
+runner, it is coated with fresh-water ice, composed of snow and ice,
+rubbed and pressed over it till it is quite smooth and hard.
+
+The dogs are harnessed with thongs of sealskin, passed over the neck and
+fore-legs, and leading along the back.  Great care is taken to select a
+good leader, who goes ahead with a longer trace than the rest, and in
+the darkest night, by keeping his nose to the ground, can always find
+out the right track.  The driver uses a whip with a lash many feet in
+length, but he guides his team more by words than blows; and it is
+amusing, when the leader hears his own name called, to see him looking
+round for his master's orders.
+
+As we drove along, I bethought me I should like to learn the name of my
+companion; so I pointed to myself, and pronounced my own name several
+times, "Peter, Peter, yes, I Peter;" and then I touched him, and nodded
+for him to speak.
+
+He quickly understood me, and uttered the word Ickmallick; and when I
+repeated it, he seemed much pleased.  After this, whenever I touched
+anything, he always mentioned the name, and so did I; and in that way in
+the course of our drive we had both of us learned something of each
+other's language.
+
+When they arrived at the ship, they appeared very much astonished; and
+we could only account for their not having seen her, by supposing that
+they had come from inland, or from the south, and that their fishing
+excursions never took them in this direction.  Their astonishment was
+much increased when they clambered on board and descended into the
+cabin; and they seemed almost afraid to touch the numberless strange
+things they saw.  A looking-glass was hanging up; and by chance one
+catching sight of his face in it, he was riveted to the spot; then he
+began to move slowly and to make grimaces, which he continued to do,
+increasing the rapidity of his movements, till he broke into shouts and
+shrieks of laughter, till most of his companions assembling around him,
+they became convulsed in the same extraordinary manner.
+
+As we had no time to lose, we covered up the glass, which quieted them;
+after which we led them into the hold, when no sooner did they see the
+dead bears than they rushed up to them, and began examining them
+minutely to see how they had been killed.  After this they treated us
+with much greater respect even than before, evidently admiring the
+prowess which had enabled us to overcome so many of the few enemies with
+whom they have to contend.  We immediately set to work to remove the
+lining of the ship, the bulkheads, and such other woodwork as we thought
+would prove useful to us in building our house.  The Esquimaux gave us
+to understand by signs that they would carry it for us; and as we threw
+it over the side of the ship, they packed it on the sledges, each sledge
+carrying six or seven hundredweight.  They seemed to fancy that the ship
+was ours, and that we had come in her; and of course we did not wish
+them to think otherwise.
+
+Among the things in the cabin, we had discovered a number of knives,
+hatchets, cotton handkerchiefs, and other articles, which had evidently
+been brought for the purpose of trading; and some of them we now
+produced, and signified that we would bestow them on them, as rewards
+for carrying our property.  The way we did this was to load one of our
+own sledges,--one of our men dragged it on some little way, and then
+Andrew, pointing towards the bay, went up to him and gave him a knife or
+a handkerchief.  As a hatchet was three times as valuable, he dragged
+the sledge three times before he received it.  My friend Ickmallick's
+black eyes sparkled when he saw this, and his countenance was wreathed
+with smiles for two reasons--first, for the pleasure of comprehending
+what he meant, and also at the thoughts of receiving so large a reward
+for his labour.
+
+We were so pleased with the honest countenances and manner of these
+people, that we had no fears about entrusting the wood and other heavy
+things to them.  If we had known how scarce and valuable wood is to
+them, we might have hesitated more before we did so.
+
+Among our other labours, we skinned the bears; and, reserving the more
+delicate portions of the meat, we gave the rest to them.  To our
+surprise, they immediately began to eat large lumps of it raw, though we
+had lighted the caboose fire to cook our own breakfast, and offered to
+cook for them.
+
+Some they divided among their dogs; and, as soon as masters and beasts
+had devoured their meal, they set off together towards the bay, leaving
+us still busy on board.  When they were gone, we were not quite
+satisfied that we had done wisely in giving them the things.  They
+might, knowing them to be ours, carry them off; or they might have
+misunderstood our signs, and fancy that we had given them to them.
+However, the thing was done, and we must abide by the consequences.
+
+We calculated, at the rate they travelled, that they would easily make
+two journeys in the day; so we employed ourselves in getting loads ready
+for them on their return.  We were not disappointed.  In little more
+than two hours they made their appearance; and so well had they
+understood us, that those to whom we had promised knives or
+handkerchiefs for carrying one load held out their hands for them, while
+those who were to make three for the hatchets signified that they had
+performed part of their contract.
+
+We now entrusted some of them with the bears' flesh and skins, and with
+some casks of salted meat; and we also piled up, outside the ship, a
+load of wood for each of them, to see if they would come and take it.
+As soon as they were off, we followed with the more valuable stores;
+but, as we trudged slowly along, we envied their more rapid means of
+conveyance, and agreed that we would get them to carry us as well as our
+stores on the following day.
+
+We had got about two-thirds of the way, when they appeared before us
+with a fresh relay of dogs.  They had come out expressly to meet us;
+and, putting us and our loads on their sledges, away we trotted quickly
+towards the hut.  We were much delighted when Terence informed us that
+everything had been safely delivered into his hands.
+
+The next morning we set to work in earnest about our house, and, as we
+all worked, we progressed much to our satisfaction.  During the day the
+Esquimaux arrived with the loads of wood we had left prepared.  They did
+not show any intention of visiting the ship when we were not there to
+deliver the things to them; indeed, after watching us at work for a
+little time, they all went away.
+
+I have not space to describe our proceedings minutely.  We first got our
+storehouse completed, and all our things stowed away in it; and then we
+built our dwelling-house, and surrounded it with clods of turf, fancying
+that we had constructed a very comfortable edifice.  The Esquimaux paid
+us daily visits, and carried us to the ship to bring away whatever we
+required.  We were always careful to shut down the hatches before
+leaving, to keep out the bears; and this they seemed to consider some
+religious ceremony, for they never attempted to visit the ship during
+our absence.
+
+I never met with people, in any part of the world, who possessed a more
+peaceable friendly disposition--such perfect honesty and constant
+good-humour, with a very fair amount of intelligence.  Their courage and
+perseverance are expended in overcoming the beasts which form their
+subsistence, and there are few opportunities of developing their
+intellectual qualities; but in many respects they are, in my opinion,
+far more civilised than a large proportion of their brethren in the
+south, who claim to be the most enlightened nations in the world.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
+
+We had been all so busy in building our house, and in bringing our
+stores from the ship and in stowing them away, that none of us had
+wandered a quarter of a mile from our location.  The Esquimaux seemed
+perfectly to understand what we were about; and when they saw that our
+work was completed, they came with their sledges and made signs to us
+that they wished us to come and pay them a visit at their abodes.
+
+By Andrew's advice, five of us were to go first, and the remainder were
+to go on our return.  Terence and I and David, and two other men,
+signified our willingness to accompany our new friends.  I stepped into
+Ickmallick's sledge, and the rest were accommodated in those of the
+others; and the dogs being told to get up and step out, off we set at a
+good rate along a valley in which the snow already laid pretty thickly.
+As there were no fields, or hedges and ditches, we were able to follow
+the most convenient track, though certainly not the shortest, for we
+twisted and turned among the hills for the sake of getting a level road
+so as to treble our distance, as we found afterwards that we could reach
+the spot to which we were bound almost as speedily on foot.
+
+The Esquimaux location was on the shore of a little bay, opening on a
+deep fiord to the south.  It was a sheltered and romantic spot; and in
+some respects, we at first thought, superior to the one we had chosen.
+As we turned round a point of rock we came in sight of a number of tents
+of some size, arranged along the shore at regular distances from each
+other.  As we appeared, their inhabitants rushed out to meet us--men,
+women, and children--while the dogs, no insignificant part of the
+establishment, hurried up the hill to get out of our way, not liking our
+appearance, or perhaps their masters' whips, which were used with no
+sparing hand.
+
+We drove up to the tents in fine style, and were welcomed in the most
+cordial manner.  These tents were supported by a pole of whalebone,
+about fourteen feet long, placed perpendicularly in the ground, with
+four or five feet projecting above the roof.  The sides and roof were
+formed of the skins of seals sewed neatly together.  The tents were
+about seventeen feet long, and at the entrance about seven feet wide,
+increasing towards the farther end, where the bed-places were situated,
+where they are about nine feet in width.  The beds were formed of a
+shrubby plant strewed over about a third of the tent, and kept separate
+by pieces of bone laid across from side to side.  The doors opened
+towards the south-west.  They also were formed of a bone framework, with
+the skins stretched on them, and were made to overlap each other.  The
+entrance to the tents was much the lowest part.  The skins were pegged
+down to the ground with curved bits of bone, also parts of the whale;
+indeed, everything about the tents may be said to have been made of skin
+and bone, as in truth were all the articles we saw in the possession of
+our friends.
+
+It was worthy of remark how well these people adapted their mode of
+living to the circumstances of the country, and how ingeniously they
+made use of the very few objects they had the means of obtaining.  I
+thought to myself, suppose a civilised man, or indeed a whole army of
+civilised men, were to be placed in this region, not having been
+accustomed to whaling and sealing, as my companions were, every one of
+them would perish within a few hours, or days at the utmost; and these
+people, who are called savages, have contrived to supply themselves with
+all the conveniences and necessaries of life.  We felt that had we not
+discovered the wreck, and afterwards fallen in with them, we might have
+fared very ill indeed.
+
+When we got off the sledges, our new friends invited us to enter their
+tents.  I went into Ickmallick's, where he introduced me to his wife and
+children.  She was young, and had a pleasant amiable expression of
+countenance, which made me feel quite at home.  She was employed in
+cooking the family meal.  Her fireplace was composed of a few stones in
+the corner of the tent, with a lamp of oil and moss in the centre; and
+over it was suspended a small stone vessel of an oblong shape, and
+larger at the top than the bottom, containing a mess of sea-horse flesh,
+with a quantity of thick gravy.  The dinner was just ready; so all of us
+sitting round in a circle, with the dish in the centre, we set to.  I
+had become in no ways particular, or I might not have relished my meal,
+for there was rather more blood and dirt in the mixture than might have
+been wished for; but some of the ribs were very palatable, though I
+should have preferred some bread and salt and potatoes with them.
+
+I considered my appetite good; but Mr and Mrs Ickmallick and their
+interesting family distanced me far, and in a few minutes each of them
+had eaten more than would have served me for the whole day.
+
+The dish out of which we were eating was made of whalebone, one piece
+being bent for the sides, and another flat piece being used for the
+bottom, and sewn so neatly together that it was perfectly water-tight.
+The knives they used were made of the tusk of the walrus, cut or ground
+sufficiently thin for the purpose, and retaining the original curve of
+the tusk.
+
+In the tent I observed a number of the weapons they use in the chase.
+The spears or darts employed in killing seals and other sea animals are
+something like harpoons, consisting of two parts, a spear and a staff.
+
+The latter is of wood when it can be obtained, and is from three and a
+half to five feet in length; and the former is of bone, ground to a
+blunt point.  The lines attached to the spears are cut out of sealskin,
+well stretched and dried, and then coiled up like a rope.  To serve as a
+float, a large bladder is used.
+
+Most of the ladies had their faces tattooed, and some their hands; and I
+certainly did not think it improved their beauty, though I suppose they
+did.  The children were fat and rosy, and really interesting-looking,
+and so were some of the younger girls; but my gratitude for their
+hospitality prevents me saying anything about the elder ladies.  Their
+jet-black glossy hair hung down carelessly over their shoulders, and was
+not tied up like that of the people we had seen on the Greenland coast.
+They carried the younger children on their backs, in little sacks or
+hoods, just as the gipsies do in England.
+
+The women were under five feet in height, and few of the men surpassed
+five feet four, five, or six inches.  The complexion of the young women
+was very clear, and by no means dark; their eyes were bright and
+piercing, and their teeth of pearly whiteness, though their lips were
+thicker and their noses flatter than people in England consider
+requisite for beauty.
+
+From the quantity of clothes they wore, both men and women appeared a
+much larger people than they really were, especially the children, who
+looked like little balls of skins.
+
+When we came out of the tents we found the air very cold; and to warm
+himself, Terence began to jump about and to snap his fingers, singing at
+the same time.  This seemed particularly to strike the fancy of our
+hosts; and in a little time men, women, and children had joined us in a
+reel, and we were all dancing and singing away furiously, till we could
+scarcely move for fatigue.
+
+It made us all very merry, and improved the intimate terms on which we
+were with our friends.  As the sun was sinking low, we made signs that
+we wished to return home; but they signified that they could not part so
+soon from us, and that we must pass the night at their huts.  As we felt
+perfect confidence in them, and were willing to see more of their habits
+and customs, we determined to remain.  We had some more singing and
+dancing, and they were highly delighted at seeing Terence and another
+man dance an Irish jig, they carefully noting every movement that was
+made.
+
+As soon as it was over, two of them got up, and amid shouts of laughter
+performed a very good imitation of the dance.  When the dance was over,
+we were invited into the tents to partake of some more of their savoury
+messes, they probably thinking that as we had eaten so little, according
+to their notions, the first time, we must be hungry again.  They pressed
+us much to eat more; and Ickmallick selected what he considered the
+tit-bits, and watching his opportunity, endeavoured to pop them into my
+mouth, not at all to my satisfaction, though I endeavoured to conceal
+the annoyance I felt lest I should hurt their feelings, for I saw it was
+done with the kindest intentions.
+
+The meal was scarcely over when notice was given that a herd of
+sea-horses, or walruses, or morse, as they are sometimes called, had
+come into the fiord, and were at no great distance from the bay.  The
+opportunity of catching some of these animals, so valuable to the
+Esquimaux, was not to be lost, so, seizing their spears and lines, they
+hurried down to the beach.
+
+Here their canoes were placed bottom upwards on two upright piles of
+stones, about four feet from the ground.  This is done to allow the air
+to pass under them, and to prevent them from rotting.  They are about
+seventeen feet long and rather more than two feet wide, decked over,
+except a hole in the centre in which the rower sits, and round this
+there is a high ledge to prevent, the sea washing in.  Two feet of the
+bows float out of the water.  The timbers or ribs, which are five or six
+inches apart, and the stem and stern, are of whalebone; and they are
+covered with the skins of the seal or walrus sewed neatly together.
+When driftwood can be found, they employ it.  The paddle is double, and
+made of fir, the edges of the blade being covered with hard bone to
+secure them from wearing.
+
+With the greatest caution the Esquimaux lifted their canoes into the
+water, to prevent them rubbing against the rocks, and they then helped
+each other in, we assisting the last man.  I observed that each of them
+took a few handfuls of sand with him in the canoe.  As we stood on the
+beach, we could see the walruses blowing like whales as they came up the
+fiord, and our friends eagerly paddling out towards them.  The canoes
+went along as fast as a quick-rowing gig.
+
+The walrus may be said to be something like a bullock and a whale, and
+it grows to the size of an ox.  It has two canine teeth twenty inches
+long, curving inward from the upper jaw; their use is to defend itself
+against the bear when Bruin attacks it, and to lift itself up on the
+ice.  The head is short, small, and flattened in front.  The flattened
+part of the face is set with strong bristles.  The nostrils are on the
+upper part of the snout, through which it blows like a whale.  The
+fore-paws are a kind of webbed hand; they are above two feet long, and
+may be stretched out to the width of fifteen to eighteen inches.  The
+hind feet, which form a sort of tail-fin, extend straight backward.
+They are not united, but are detached from each other.  The termination
+of each toe is marked by a small nail.  The skin of the animal is about
+an inch thick, and is covered with a short yellowish-brown coloured
+hair.  The inside of the paws in old animals is very roughened, from
+having to climb over the ice and rocks.  Beneath the skin is a layer of
+fat, the thickness varying in different seasons.
+
+The canoes were soon among the herd, and several of the animals were
+immediately struck.  Instead, however, of darting away, each of the
+wounded animals made at the canoes, and their occupants had to pull hard
+to keep out of their reach.  When the other walruses saw this, they also
+swam towards the canoes to the assistance of their companions, and a
+regular contest commenced between man and beast.
+
+The men, by the clever twists and turns they gave their canoes, managed
+to keep out of their way, the wounded animals all the time growing
+weaker and weaker; and whenever any of those untouched approached so
+near as to endanger the canoes, they threw a handful of sand so
+dexterously in their eyes, that the enraged animals were blinded and
+confused, and immediately swam off.
+
+I regretted that we had not our firearms with us, as we might very soon
+have killed a large number without difficulty, provided the report did
+not frighten them away.
+
+It was quite dark by the time the canoes returned to the beach, each
+towing in triumph the dead body of a walrus.  On hearing of their
+success, the people who remained on shore set up shouts of joy, and
+hastened down to carry off the blubber and the more delicate morsels for
+their next day's meal.  The greater portion of the flesh was stowed away
+in holes in the bank, lined with a coating of snow, and thickly covered
+over with large stones, so that no animal could get at them.  They have
+no fear in this climate of their food being destroyed by vermin or small
+insects.
+
+We thought our friends had done eating for the day, but the temptation
+of some fresh blubber was too great to be resisted, and to our
+astonishment they again set their pot on to boil, and ate till they
+could eat no more.
+
+Terence and the rest of my party fared in the same way, in their
+respective tents, which I did.  Ickmallick, when he had done eating,
+made a sign to me to occupy a corner of the family couch; and the whole
+family were soon snoring away and making a no very harmonious concert,
+when a dozen or more dogs sneaked in and took up their quarters at our
+feet.
+
+The lamp was left burning all the night.  It is a shallow
+crescent-shaped vessel of potstone, or what is called soapstone from its
+soapy feel.  The wick is composed of dry moss, rubbed between the hands
+till it is quite inflammable.  It is disposed along the edge of the
+lamp, on the straight side, and a greater or smaller quantity lighted,
+according to the heat required or the fuel that can be afforded.
+
+I was much pleased by observing the clever way in which the lamp is made
+to supply itself with oil, by suspending a long thin slice of whale,
+seal, or sea-horse blubber near the flame, the warmth of which causes
+the oil to drip into the vessel, until the whole is extracted.
+
+The wick is trimmed by a piece of asbestos stone, and a quantity of moss
+is kept ready to supply the wick.
+
+Immediately over the lamp is fixed a framework of bone, from which the
+pots are suspended; as also a large hoop of bone, having a net stretched
+tightly within it.  Into this net are put any wet things which require
+drying, and it is usually filled with boots, shoes, and mittens.  The
+lamp kept up a pleasant heat in the tent during the night, and without
+it we should have suffered much from the cold, as it was freezing hard
+outside.
+
+The first thing my hostess did in the morning was to set on the
+cooking-pot.  The toilet was made as rapidly as that of a family of
+bears, for all they did was to get up and shake themselves.  Before they
+went out, however, they pulled on some shoes over their boots to keep
+their feet dry, for it had been snowing hard in the night.  I was very
+little inclined to partake of the breakfast, though I did my best to eat
+a little to please them.
+
+We now explained to our friends that we wished to return; and they
+showed their willingness to comply with our wish by catching their dogs
+and harnessing them to their sledges.
+
+In every part of the world the dog is the faithful companion and servant
+of man, but especially so in these icy regions.  I do not know how the
+Esquimaux could exist without dogs.  Not only do they drag heavy weights
+for long distances at a great rate, but they by their excellent scent
+assist their masters in finding the seal-holes; and they will attack the
+bear and every other animal with great courage, except the wolf, of
+which they seem to have an instinctive dread.
+
+In appearance and colour they much resemble the wolf; but the latter
+when running always carries his head down, and his tail between his
+legs, as if ashamed of himself, while they always hold their heads up,
+and their tails curled handsomely over their backs.
+
+In the winter they are covered with hair three or four inches long and a
+thick under-coat of coarse wool, so that they can withstand the severest
+cold, if protected from the wind by a snow wall or a rock.
+
+Their masters treat them very roughly; and, when food is scarce, they
+leave them to pick up any garbage they can find.  They often beat them
+unmercifully; but in spite of ill-usage the dogs are much attached to
+them, and, on their return from a journey, show as much pleasure, by
+jumping up and trying to lick their faces, as any well-bred hounds in
+England.  If they show a disposition to stray, a fore-leg is tied up to
+the neck, so that they tumble down when they attempt to run.
+
+The females are tended by the women, and treated with great care, and
+the puppies are often fed with meat and water at the same time as the
+children.  Consequently, when grown up, they always follow women more
+willingly than men; and when they are drawing a heavy load, a woman will
+entice them on by pretending to eat a piece of meat, and by throwing her
+mitten before them on the snow, when, mistaking it for food, they hurry
+forward to pick it up.
+
+We afterwards purchased a number, which we found very useful for
+hunting, as also for drawing a sledge; though we never managed them as
+well as the Esquimaux did.
+
+A drive of a couple of hours carried us back to our house, where we
+found our companions well, and ready to accompany our new friends on a
+visit to their tents.  We employed ourselves during their absence in
+thickening the walls of our house, and in getting our boat ready for
+hunting seals, in order to lay in a good supply of oil for winter use.
+
+We had no time to lose, for every day the weather was getting colder and
+colder, and the days shorter, and we might expect the winter speedily to
+set in.
+
+All this time, it must be remembered, there was no want of ice and
+icebergs on the sea, and snow on the ground; but still, when the sun
+shone, the air was pleasantly warm to our feelings, long accustomed to
+constant exposure to sharp winds, which would have chilled the blood of
+most of our countrymen accustomed to live at home at ease.
+
+We found our house at night colder than we expected; and we resolved to
+catch as many animals as we could with warm skins, to make ourselves
+clothing.
+
+The next morning, while the rest of us were engaged about the house, Tom
+Stokes, who had gone some way along the beach to watch for any seals
+which might appear, came running back, declaring that he had seen a
+fierce-looking wild man grinning at him over a hummock of ice, and that
+he must be one of the mermen he had read about, but which he did not
+before believe to exist.  He said that when he first saw him, he was in
+the water; that he came out on the ice, and put up his fist, and made
+faces at him, and that, though he hove a stone at him, he did not seem
+to care.
+
+"I'll see what this merman is," I observed, taking up a gun loaded with
+a bullet, and following Tom to the spot.
+
+There, sure enough, was an ugly black-looking monster; but instead of a
+merman, it was a walrus.  I got round so as to have a fair shot at its
+side, and knocked it over sprawling on the ice.  It had not strength
+left to crawl off the ice, and Tom and I going up to it, despatched it
+with our spears.  We summoned the rest, and dragged it home on our big
+sledge in triumph.  We never ceased afterwards to joke Tom about his
+ugly merman.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
+
+We fancied that we had got everything comfortable for the winter, which
+now, about the middle of October, began to set in with severe
+earnestness, with heavy falls of snow and strong northerly winds.  Our
+house, on which we had so much prided ourselves, did not keep out the
+cold blast as we expected; and though we covered ourselves up with
+blankets, and sails, and skins, and kept up a constant fire in the
+little stove we had brought from the cabin of the wreck, we were almost
+perished with cold.
+
+It was after a very severe night, and we were consulting what we should
+do to keep warm, that we saw the sledges of our Esquimaux friends come
+dashing along down the valley towards us.  We were anxious to return the
+hospitality they had shown us so we asked them into the house and
+stirred up our fire, threw some more wood on it, and put on a pot of
+lobscouse to regale them.
+
+They could scarcely restrain their feelings of dismay when they saw this
+waste of wood, to them so precious a thing, and by signs they entreated
+us to desist; reminding us that they had cooked their meat in a very
+different way.  However, as the pot began to boil, there was no
+necessity for putting more wood on.
+
+They then tried to show us, by significant gestures, that they thought
+we should be frozen to death in our house when the cold increased.  To
+do this, they shivered very much, then shut their eyes, and stretched
+out their limbs till they were rigid, and looking round at the walls,
+shook their heads, as much as to say, "This will never do."  Then they
+smiled, and explained that they could soon show us how to manage.
+
+Having selected a level spot near our house, they beat the snow on it
+down till it was quite hard, and then marked out a circle about twelve
+feet in diameter.  They then, from under a bank where the snow had
+drifted thickly and was very hard, cut out a number of slabs like large
+bricks, about two feet long and six inches thick.  These they placed
+edgeways on the spot marked out, leaving a space to the south-west for
+the door.  A second tier was laid on this, but the pieces were made to
+incline a little inwards.  The top of this was squared off with a knife
+by one of them who stood in the middle, while the others from without
+supplied him with bricks.
+
+When the wall had been raised to the height of five feet, it leaned so
+much that we thought it would certainly fall in; but still our friends
+worked on till they could no longer reach the top.  The man within then
+cut a hole in the south-west side, where the door was intended to be,
+and through this the slabs were now passed.  They worked on till the
+sides met in a well-constructed dome; and then one climbing up to the
+top, dropped into the centre the last block or keystone.
+
+The rest of the party were all this time busily employed with their
+snow-shovels in throwing up the snow around the building, and in
+carefully filling any crevices which might have been left.
+
+While we stood looking on with amazement at the rapidity and neatness
+with which the work was executed, the builder let himself out as a mole
+does out of his mole-hill.  He cut away the door till he had formed a
+gothic arch, about three feet high, and two and a half wide at the
+bottom.  From this door in the same way two passages were constructed
+about twelve feet long, the floor of them being considerably lower than
+the floor of the hut, so that one had to creep up through them into the
+hut.
+
+We were wondering how they were to see through the thick snow, when from
+one of the sledges a large slab of fresh-water ice was produced; and the
+builder cutting a round hole in one side of the roof, it was let into it
+to form a window.
+
+After the window was cut, the builder remained inside for a short time,
+and then invited us to enter.  He had collected the snow on one side to
+form the beds for a family.  Round the remaining portion seats were
+formed, and a place for holding the cooking-lamp.
+
+Indeed the house thus rapidly formed was perfect in every respect.  The
+light which came through the ice was like that transmitted through
+ground glass, very soft and pleasant, and tinted with the most delicate
+hues of green and blue.  A domed room of the most shining alabaster
+could not be more beautiful.  We found that our friends intended to take
+up their abode near us; for as soon as they had finished one hut, they
+began upon others, making signs to us that the first they intended for
+our occupation.
+
+We would rather, perhaps, for some reasons, that they had selected a
+spot at a greater distance; but they were so honest and good-natured,
+that we had little cause to complain.  Andrew suggested that though we
+might not use the hut they had built, we might take a lesson from them,
+and cover in our house with snow of the same thickness as their walls,
+procuring from them slabs of ice for the windows.
+
+No sooner was this proposed than we set about the work, at which, when
+our indefatigable friends observed it, they were so pleased that several
+of them came to assist us in forming the bricks of snow; and in a short
+time a thick wall was run up, which made a very sensible difference in
+the temperature of our room.  The next day we covered in the roof,
+leaving only a very small opening for the chimney.  We also built a deep
+portico before the door, with a second door to it, which prevented the
+wind from whistling in as it had before done.
+
+Besides this, we built a courtyard to our house, with the walls eight
+feet high, to protect us from the wind; and at last we began to flatter
+ourselves that we might be tolerably comfortable, though we had to own
+that, notwithstanding all the means we had at our command, the Esquimaux
+were better able to make themselves so.
+
+Our fire, from the constant care it required and the difficulty of
+procuring fuel, gave us most trouble; so remembering the lamp we had
+seen in the tents, we resolved to adopt a similar plan.
+
+We had been so busily engaged in improving our own house, that we had
+not remarked the progress made by our friends in the construction of
+their habitations.  They now invited us to enter them again, when we
+found all the families established comfortably in them.
+
+After creeping through the two low passages, each with its arched
+doorway, we came to a small circular apartment, of which the roof was a
+perfect dome.  From this, three doorways, also arched and of larger
+dimensions than the outer ones, led into as many inhabited apartments,
+one on each side, and the other facing us as we entered.
+
+The scene presented by the interior was very interesting.  The women
+were seated on the beds at the sides of the huts, each having her little
+fireplace or lamp, with all her domestic utensils about her.  The
+children crept behind their mothers, and the dogs, except the female
+ones, which were indulged with a part of the beds, slunk out past us in
+dismay.
+
+The roof and sides of the inner rooms were lined with sealskin, neatly
+sewed together and exactly fitting the dome, which gave the whole a very
+comfortable nest-like appearance.  On examination we found that the beds
+were arranged, first by covering the snow with a quantity of small
+stones, over which were laid tent-poles, blades of whalebone, and other
+similar-shaped things; above these a number of little pieces of network,
+made of thin slips of whalebone; and lastly, a quantity of leaves and
+twigs.  Above all was spread a thick coating of skins, which could not
+now by any chance touch the snow, and a very comfortable couch was the
+result.
+
+The lamps were the same as those used in the tents, and were quite
+sufficient to afford ample warmth to the apartments.  Indeed, had the
+heat been greater, it would have caused the snow to melt, to the great
+inconvenience of the inhabitants.
+
+I have already described some of their domestic utensils--their pots
+hollowed out of stone, with handles of sinew to place over the fire;
+their dishes and plates of whalebone; and their baskets of various
+sizes, made of skins; their knives of the tusks of the walrus; their
+drinking-cups of the horns of the musk-ox; and their spoons are of the
+same material.  They also make marrow spoons out of long, narrow,
+hollowed pieces of bone, and every housewife has several of them tied
+together and attached to her needle-case.
+
+Every person carries a little leathern case, containing moss well dried
+and rubbed between the hands, and also the white floss of the seed of
+the ground-willow, to serve as tinder.  The sparks are struck from two
+lumps of iron pyrites; and as soon as the tinder has caught, it is
+gently blown till the fire has spread an inch around, when the pointed
+end of a piece of oiled wick being applied, it soon bursts into a flame,
+the whole process occupying a couple of minutes.
+
+While speaking of their domestic habits, I may remark that in summer
+they live on the flesh of the musk-ox, the reindeer, the whale, the
+walrus, the seal, and the salmon, besides birds and hares, and any other
+animals they can catch; but in the winter they seldom can procure
+anything but the walrus and small seal, so that they suffer often from
+hunger.  Then I am sorry to say they are very improvident, and eat to
+repletion when they have a good supply, seldom thinking of saving for
+the future.
+
+This is their great fault.  I should say that they are a most amiable,
+industrious, and peaceful people, whose minds are well prepared to
+receive the truths of Christianity, though at present they appear to
+have little or no notions whatever of any sort of religion, and none of
+a Supreme Being.
+
+The children, from their pleasing manners, took our fancy very much.
+They never cry for trifling accidents, and seldom even for severe hurts.
+They are as fond of play as other children; and while an English child
+draws a cart, an Esquimaux has a sledge of whalebone, and instead of a
+baby-house it builds a miniature snow-hut, and begs a lighted wick from
+its mother's lamp to illuminate the little dwelling.
+
+Their parents make for them as dolls, little figures of men and women
+habited in the true Esquimaux costume, as well as a variety of other
+toys, many of them having reference to their future occupations in
+life,--such as canoes, spears, and bows and arrows.
+
+Grown people as well as children use the drum or tambourine in their
+games.  They are fond of notching the edges of two bits of whalebone,
+and whirling them round their heads to make a humming sound, just as
+English boys do; and they also make toys like wind-mills, with arms to
+turn round with the wind.
+
+From an early age boys are taught habits of industry; and when not more
+than eight years old, their fathers take them on their seal-catching
+expeditions, where they learn how to support themselves during their
+future life.  They are frequently entrusted, even at that early age, to
+bring home a sledge and dogs several miles over the ice; and at the age
+of eleven boys are to be seen in water-tight boots and mocassins, with
+spears in their hands and coils of line on their backs, accompanying the
+men on their fishing excursions.
+
+The village had been established a few days when my friend Ickmallick
+proposed that I should accompany him in an expedition in search of game
+inland.  The Esquimaux had not yet seen us use our guns; but, from
+having discovered that we had killed the bears and the walrus by some
+means unknown to them, they were impressed with an idea that we were
+able to kill any animals without difficulty.
+
+Andrew having no objection to my going, I supplied myself with a store
+of provisions to last me several days, with a skin and a couple of
+blankets, a cooking-pot and cup; and with my gun in my hand, I took my
+seat on my friend's sledge.  Besides the six dogs which drew it, we were
+accompanied by two brace of hunting dogs, those in the team being also
+equally serviceable for running down game.  Ickmallick had some walrus
+flesh and blubber for himself and the dogs, and a dish for our lamp.  He
+was armed with a bow and arrows, a spear, and a knife.
+
+I had become possessed of a dog of the name of Tupua, a very fine
+animal, who had grown very much attached to me, in consequence of my
+feeding him regularly and treating him kindly.  He now followed the
+sledge with the rest of the pack.  Ickmallick cracked his whip, and off
+we went over the hard frozen snow at a rapid rate.  Where we were going
+to I could not tell, except that our course was about west and
+south-west.
+
+The first day we saw no game of any description.  We travelled, I
+suppose, about thirty miles; for though sometimes we went along over the
+hard snow very fast, at others we had to go over very rough ground, and
+to climb hills.  Had I not seen the snow-hut built before, I should have
+hesitated about accompanying my friend, on account of not knowing how we
+were to pass the nights.  I was, however, not surprised to see him set
+to work behind a sheltered bank, and in the course of half-an-hour, with
+my assistance, run up as comfortable a hut as under the circumstances of
+the case we could desire, with a lamp burning within, and a luxurious
+bed ready, while another hut, close to it, was run up for the dogs.  The
+dogs being fed, and our pot having produced us a savoury mess, of which
+my companion ate by far the larger portion, we went to bed and slept
+soundly till the morning.
+
+We had started about two hours when the sharp eyes of my friend
+discovered the traces of two musk-oxen on the steep side of a hill.
+Immediately jumping off the sledge, he unyoked the dogs, and commenced
+building a hut over it, which might also serve us at night.  He then let
+slip his dogs, who went off at full speed and were soon out of sight, as
+the nature of the ground did not allow a very extensive view.  I let go
+mine also.  But being unaccustomed to walking in the snow, I could not
+keep up with Ickmallick; so he slackened his pace, refusing to leave me
+behind, though I urged him to do so, lest we should lose our expected
+prey.  He assured me, however, that the dogs would take very good care
+of their own business.  We went on, therefore, laboriously enough for
+two hours, over a very rugged country, and through deep snow, when,
+finding that the footsteps of the dogs no longer followed that of the
+oxen, he concluded that they had got up with the animals, and were
+probably holding one or both at bay.
+
+We soon found, on turning a hill, that this was the fact; when the sight
+of a fine ox at bay before the three dogs cured my fatigue in an
+instant, and we went off ourselves at full speed to the rescue.
+
+Ickmallick, however, kept the lead, and was in the act of discharging
+his second arrow when I came up.  We saw that it had struck on a rib,
+since it fell out without even diverting the attention of the animal
+from the dogs, which continued barking and dodging round it, seizing it
+by the heels whenever they had an opportunity or when it turned to
+escape, and then retreating as it faced them.
+
+In the meantime it was trembling with rage, and labouring to reach its
+active assailants, but, experienced as they were in this service, unable
+to touch them.  It was easy to see that my companion's weapons were of
+little value in this warfare, or at least that victory would not have
+been gained under many hours, as he continued to shoot without apparent
+effect, finding his opportunities for an aim with much difficulty, and
+losing much time afterwards in recovering his arrows.
+
+I therefore thought it was time to show what I could do with my
+mysterious weapon, and putting in a ball, I fired at the animal at about
+fifteen yards from it.  The ball took effect, and it fell; but rising
+again, it made a sudden dart at us, very nearly catching me as I sprang
+aside.  Fortunately there was a rock rising out of the ground close to
+us.  Behind this we dodged, when the ox, rushing at it with all its
+force, struck its head with tremendous violence against it.
+
+The animal fell down, stunned for a moment, with a crash which made the
+hard ground echo to the sound.  On this Ickmallick leaped forward and
+attempted to stab it with a knife; but it was instantly up again, and he
+was obliged to run for shelter behind the dogs, which came forward to
+renew the attack.  Bleeding profusely as the animal was, its long hair
+down its sides being matted with blood, yet its rage and strength seemed
+undiminished, as it continued rushing forward and butting with the same
+ferocity as before.
+
+In the meantime I had reloaded my gun behind the rock, and was advancing
+to take another shot, when the animal darted towards me, to the great
+alarm of my friend, who thought I should be killed.  He called to me to
+return to my shelter, but I had time, I felt, for a cool aim.  I fired,
+and the animal fell not five yards from me.  The sight of his fallen
+enemy made my companion scream and dance with joy, and on his coming up
+it was dead.
+
+On examining it, we discovered that the last ball had passed through the
+heart.  From the habits of the Esquimaux, I expected that my friend
+would have lost no time in extracting a dinner out of the ox; but I
+found that I had done him injustice, and that his prudence was more
+powerful than his stomach.
+
+He was satisfied with mixing some of the warm blood with snow, thus
+dissolving as much as he required to quench his thirst; and he then
+immediately proceeded to skin the animal, knowing very well, what I
+might have recollected, that the operation would shortly become
+impossible in consequence of the severity of the cold, which would soon
+freeze the whole into an impracticable mass.
+
+For the same reason he divided the carcase into four parts, that we
+might be better able to lift it.  As we were unable to carry off our
+prize, we built a snow-hut over it, setting up marks that we might know
+the spot again.  We however took away a small portion for a meal, which
+on reaching our abode we cooked, and found excellent.
+
+We were up by daylight to go in search of the other ox, the traces of
+which we had seen.  We searched for it for two hours, when we discovered
+it grazing on the top of a hill free from snow.  There was only one path
+by which it could escape.  That we occupied; and as we advanced rapidly
+towards it, our shouts and the loud barking of the dogs alarmed it.
+
+First it seemed as if it would rush at us, but its heart failed it and
+it turned and fled.  There was a precipice before it; but it either did
+not see it, or fancied that it could leap to the bottom in safety.  We
+observed it disappear, and I thought it was lost, and on reaching the
+edge of the cliff it was nowhere to be seen.  My friend, however,
+beckoned me to accompany him, and winding down the hill, we found the
+animal at the bottom of the precipice, killed by the fall.
+
+It was cut up in the same way as the first, and a snow-hut was built
+over it.
+
+We employed the next day in bringing up the flesh and skins of the oxen
+to our hut; and fortunate it was that we did so, for it snowed so hard
+that I do not think we should otherwise have been able to find the spot
+where we had left them.  We were out looking for more oxen, when, being
+on some high ground, I saw some dark objects to the north, advancing
+over the snow in a line which would bring them to the foot of the hill
+where we were.
+
+I pointed them out to Ickmallick, but his keen eye had perceived them.
+They were a herd of deer migrating to the south.  They travelled on at a
+rapid rate, not stopping to graze, nor turning to the right hand nor to
+the left.  My companion pulled me by the sleeve, and urged me down the
+hill, where he beckoned me to take up my post behind a snow wall, which
+he with the greatest rapidity threw up.
+
+We had scarcely knelt down when the herd appeared in sight, dashing
+onward.  I waited till I could get a good shot, and fired at a fine
+buck.  I hit him, but he continued his course with his companions.  We
+thought he was lost to us, but he very soon dropped behind the rest.  On
+this Ickmallick let slip the dogs, which he had held all the time in
+leashes.  They were very soon at the stag's heels, and brought him to
+bay.  He was a fine object as he stood conspicuous on the white sheet of
+snow, now tinged with the blood which flowed from his side, his antlers
+still raised in defiance at the dogs barking round him, and yet scarcely
+daring to attack him.  Though deserted by his companions, he fought
+nobly; but he was already exhausted by loss of blood, and could no
+longer ward off the attacks of the dogs at his throat.
+
+At last he sank, and we were just in time to prevent him from being torn
+to pieces by the ravenous dogs.  A stroke from Ickmallick's knife put an
+end to his torture, and gladly would I have avoided the reproachful
+glance of his eye as the weapon struck him.  This unexpected good
+fortune made my companion resolve to return home; and he seemed to
+regret that he had not brought another sledge to carry back our game.
+
+The deer was prepared as had been the oxen, and going back to the hut
+for a sledge, we conveyed it there before night.
+
+Ickmallick, to my astonishment, made a dish of the vegetable contents of
+the intestines, which he seemed to consider very excellent, though I
+could not prevail upon myself to taste it.
+
+The next morning we started on our journey homeward.  I could not
+recognise the face of the country, it was so covered with snow; and
+still less could I have found my way against the heavy snow which was
+driving in our faces.
+
+It was slow work, for we had in several places partly to unload the
+sledge and to go forward, then to return for the remainder of our
+property.  It was, however, satisfactory to feel that we were
+independent of inns and innkeepers, and that we had ample means of
+making ourselves comfortable at night.  As usual, when it began to grow
+dark we built our hut, lighted our fire, cooked our supper, made our
+beds, and were very soon fast asleep.
+
+I awoke at the usual hour, feeling rather oppressed with the heat.  I
+then aroused my companion, whose slumbers were heavy after the five or
+six pounds of solid flesh he had devoured, and inquired what was the
+cause of this.  He pointed to the door of the hut, which I found was
+completely blocked up with snow.  He laughed to show me that there was
+nothing to fear, and began making preparations for breakfast.
+
+On further examination of the state of things, I found that we were
+snowed in, but to what depth I could not say, further than that, as six
+to seven feet frequently fell in the course of a night, I supposed, as
+was the case, that we might be buried beneath that depth of snow.  This
+seemed to make no difference to Ickmallick, for he ate away as heartily
+as usual, and then packed up our goods in preparation for departure.
+
+Having accomplished this task, he began cutting away the snow, so as to
+form a passage just large enough to admit his body.  When this was done,
+we crept through it into the cold bleak air, and it took us a
+considerable time before we could enlarge the cavity sufficiently to get
+out the sledge and dogs with our goods.  The heat, with the wear and
+tear of the journey, had somewhat damaged the runners of the sledge, and
+we had to melt some snow and to rub it hard over them before the
+conveyance was fit to proceed.  The day closed in before we reached
+home, but Ickmallick knew the road too well, as did his dogs, to make it
+necessary to stop.
+
+I fancied that I recognised the cliffs of the coast in the distance,
+when suddenly just before us I saw some pale lights, like those from
+gigantic glow-worms, rising out of the ground.  The dogs came to a
+standstill; and voices of welcome rising from the interior, showed me
+that we had arrived at the village, now covered to the roofs of the huts
+by snow.  The lights I saw were emitted through the ice windows in them.
+I walked on to our own house, where I found all my companions well; and
+before long Ickmallick brought in half the deer and a quarter of one of
+the oxen, which he seemed to consider my share of the produce of the
+chase.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
+
+We thought that we had known what cold was when the winter first began;
+but when a strong northerly wind commenced, having passed over either a
+frozen sea or sheet of snow, then we really felt how hard it could
+freeze.  Even the Esquimaux kept within their snow-huts, and we could
+not venture beyond the shelter of our snow-wall, without instantly
+having our faces frost-bitten.
+
+It was not till the last day of November that we entirely lost sight of
+the sun, and the long arctic night commenced.  But the night of that
+region cannot be compared to the dark, gloomy nights of more southern
+climes.  Overhead the sky was generally beautifully clear, and the moon
+and stars shining on the snow gave a light scarcely less bright than
+that of day.
+
+About noon, also, there was always a twilight, and in clear weather a
+beautiful arch of bright red light was seen over the southern horizon.
+Besides this, the aurora borealis frequently lighted up the sky with its
+brilliant hues, like some magnificent firework on a grand scale.  I
+watched a very beautiful aurora one night in the south-west, which
+extended its glowing radiance as far as the zenith.
+
+Fancy a bright arch suddenly bursting forth in the dark-blue sky,
+sending up streamers of many hues--orange, crimson, and purple--while
+bright coruscations were emitted from it, completely obscuring the stars
+in the neighbourhood!  Two bright nebulae afterwards appeared beneath
+it: and about two o'clock it broke up into fragments, the coruscations
+becoming more frequent and irregular till it vanished entirely.
+
+Even during the coldest weather, provided there was no wind, we could
+enjoy ourselves in the open air; but the slightest wind made us feel a
+smarting sensation all over the face, with a considerable pain in the
+forehead.  We could not touch our guns in the open air without our
+mittens; and when by accident one of us put his hand to anything iron,
+it felt as if it was red-hot, and took off the flesh exactly in the same
+manner.
+
+We were very comfortable in our house, but we had to make some
+alterations.  We found it better to stop up the chimney of our stove,
+and to use the same sort of lamp as the natives, which we were able to
+do, as we were well supplied with seals and walrus.  The Esquimaux used
+to hunt the walrus throughout the winter, and would frequently venture
+out to sea on floating masses of ice to attack them, trusting to the
+wind to bring them back again with their prize.
+
+When a walrus is struck near the edge of a floe, the hunter fastens the
+line of his harpoon round his body and places his feet firmly against a
+hummock of ice, in which position he can withstand the very heavy strain
+of the struggling animal.
+
+Seals are taken in a less dangerous way, but one which requires very
+great perseverance.  As seals require to breathe, they have to make
+holes in the ice for this purpose, and the Esquimaux watch for them as
+they are thus employed.  Immediately that a man discovers by listening
+that a seal is working beneath the ice, he builds a snow-wall about four
+feet in height to shelter him from the wind, and seating himself under
+the lee of it, deposits his spear-lines and other implements upon
+several little forked sticks inserted into the snow, to prevent the
+slightest noise being made in moving them when wanted.  He also ties his
+own knees together with a thong, to prevent any rustling of his clothes.
+
+To ascertain if the seal is still at work, he pierces through the ice
+with a slender rod of bone with a knob at the end of it.  If this is
+moved, he knows that the animal is at work; if it remains quiet, he
+knows that he has deserted the spot.
+
+When the hole is nearly completed, the hunter lifts his spear with its
+line attached; and as soon as the blowing of the seal is distinctly
+heard, and the ice consequently very thin, he drives it into him with
+the force of both arms, and then cuts away the remaining crust of ice to
+enable him to repeat the wounds and to get him out.  A man will thus
+watch for hours together, with a temperature of 30 degrees below zero.
+
+We were able to kill a good many with our guns at a distance as they lay
+on the ice, when no one could have approached near them.  Our sporting,
+on the whole, was tolerably successful, for we killed a quantity of
+ptarmigan, grouse, and other birds, besides several white hares.  We
+also killed several foxes and a quantity of wolves which came prowling
+round our house, and would, I doubt not, have carried off any of our
+dogs or provisions they could have got at.
+
+Thus the winter passed away without any adventures particularly worth
+recording.  The sun was below the horizon for about six weeks; and
+though only for a short period at a time, we gladly once more welcomed
+the sight of his beams.
+
+Our Esquimaux friends continued on very good terms with us; and with our
+assistance they were always well supplied with food.  Andrew took great
+precautions about our health, and advised us to take daily some of the
+pickles and preserved fruits we had discovered, to assist in keeping off
+the scurvy,--as also a daily supply of fresh meat, whether of fish or
+flesh; and we very soon got over any objection we might have had to
+seal's blubber dressed in Esquimaux fashion.
+
+During calm weather we paid numerous visits to the ship, to bring away
+things we might require; and we were able to afford our friends what was
+to them an almost inexhaustible supply of wood.  Without the aid of our
+saws and hatchets they could not cut away the stout timbers and planks;
+and as we had removed the bulkheads and lining of the ship, with the
+remaining spars, their honesty was not as much tempted as it otherwise
+might have been.
+
+Our time did not hang on our hands nearly as heavily as might be
+supposed.  We in the first place employed ourselves in manufacturing the
+skins of the animals we killed into garments of all sorts,--mittens,
+hoots, jackets, and caps,--so that we were all of us clothed from head
+to foot very much in the fashion of the Esquimaux.
+
+We took some trouble to trim our jackets and caps with fur of different
+colours as they do, and the effect produced was very good.  We also made
+models of sledges and canoes, and of all the articles used by our
+friends, which seemed to please them very much, though I confess they
+were not more neatly made than theirs, in spite of our superior tools.
+
+When tired of work we used to sit round our lamp at night, and narrate
+our past adventures, or invent stories, some of which were very
+ingenious and amusing, and were well worth writing down; indeed, I
+regret that my space will not allow me to give some which I remember
+very well, for I took pains to impress them on my memory, thinking them
+worth preserving.  If my young friends express any wish to hear them, I
+shall be very glad at some future time to write them down for their
+amusement.
+
+But the subject which naturally occupied our chief attention was the
+means we should take to regain our native land.  We could not hope that
+any whalers would visit the coast till August at the soonest, and even
+then it was not certain that they would come at all.  David, who was our
+authority on such matters, said that he had known some years when the
+ships could not pass the middle ice through Baffin's Bay to Pond's Bay;
+and that, consequently, we might have to pass another year in that
+place, unless we could escape through our own exertions.
+
+On this the idea was started of building a vessel, and attempting to
+reach Newfoundland in her, or to try and fall in with some whaler at the
+entrance of Davis' Straits.
+
+I cannot say that I very much approved of this plan.  I had great
+confidence in Andrew's discretion, and I knew both him and David to be
+experienced seamen, but neither of them knew anything about navigation--
+indeed David could neither read nor write; and though we might possibly
+be able to find our way through the ice, when once we got clear we might
+lose it, and be wrecked on a worse coast than the one we were desirous
+of quitting.  How also could such a vessel as we had the means of
+building be expected to withstand the slightest pressure of the ice?
+and, from the experience we had had, I did not think it likely we should
+be able to get to the south without encountering some of those fearful
+contests in which we had seen other vessels destroyed.
+
+However, day after day we talked about it; and at least it served to
+beguile the time, though nothing definite was determined on.  We had
+unfortunately no books, for those we found in the ship we could not
+read.  I had, however, a small note-book in my pocket, and with my
+pencil, which I used very carefully, I kept a sort of journal across the
+leaves of the foreign books, thus turning them to some account.
+
+Had it not been for Andrew, I am afraid that few of us would have shown
+any attention to our religious duties; but he by degrees drew the minds
+even of the most thoughtless to the subject of religion, till all
+acknowledged its importance and beauty.  He explained to us, to the best
+of his power, the truths of Christianity, of which most of us had before
+a very slight and imperfect knowledge.  He also proposed that we should
+unitedly offer up our prayers to Heaven every morning and evening; and
+from that time we never failed in that important duty.
+
+As I think over the prayers used by that good man, although the words
+and sentences might have been somewhat unpolished, I feel that the
+sentiments could not have been surpassed by the most highly educated
+clergyman--for this reason, that they came from an enlightened mind with
+an earnest spirit.  No words, indeed, could be more appropriate to our
+condition than those he used.
+
+Early in February the sun again made his appearance, and the day,
+including twilight, might be said to last from eight o'clock to four, so
+that we had not a very much shorter day than people in London.  The
+weather, however, was colder than ever, and we were less able to be
+exposed to the air for any length of time than during the dark months.
+
+About the middle of March there were slight signs of a thaw, the snow
+being glazed over in the evening, as if the sun had had some effect on
+it.  We also felt a sensible improvement in the temperature, and were
+soon able not only to wash our clothes, but to dry them in the open air,
+an operation which rather astonished our Esquimaux friends.
+
+Early in May there was a perceptible twilight at midnight, so that we
+felt the summer had once more begun.
+
+A little later, ptarmigan, grouse, and other birds made their
+appearance, and the Esquimaux reported that they had seen the tracks of
+deer and musk-oxen.  Still, far out to sea there was the same dreary
+flat expanse of ice, covered with a sheet of snow.
+
+I ought to have mentioned that for the sake of being nearer the edge of
+the ice, where seals could be caught, some of our friends had built for
+themselves snow-huts on the ice.  For this purpose they completely swept
+away the snow, leaving a flooring of clear ice, which was of the richest
+and most splendid blue that nature affords.  I thought to myself, with
+these simple materials what a magnificent palace might be built, far
+surpassing any other style of edifice!
+
+The increasing warmth of the weather now enabling us to work out of
+doors for several hours together, it was once more seriously proposed
+that we should begin to build a boat, or, as some insisted on calling
+her, a vessel, to carry us home.  I asked Andrew what he thought on the
+subject, for he had not expressed any very strong opinion either one way
+or the other.  He replied that he thought there could be no harm in
+trying to build a small vessel; that we had an abundance of materials
+and tools, with provisions; and that if we could contrive to make her
+seaworthy, we might manage to reach one of the places to the south
+constantly visited by whalers; but if not, we must be content to wait
+till some ship might pass in the autumn.
+
+He owned that he, for one, should not be inclined to venture out of
+sight of land; and that, provided we took a good supply of provisions
+with us, our firearms and powder, our harpoons and lances, after the
+experience we had had, we could not come to much harm, even if we were
+compelled to weather out another winter in the arctic regions.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
+
+Having determined to build a vessel, we set to work with great energy;
+and we hoped by ingenuity and perseverance to make amends for our want
+of skill and knowledge.
+
+Our first task was to break up the wreck, and to convey it piecemeal to
+the bay; and in this work we were ably assisted by the Esquimaux, who
+understood that whatever portion we did not require was to be their
+perquisite.  They also shrewdly suspected that we should leave them, if
+we went away, many of the other treasures we had in our possession.  I
+believe, however, that they really had formed a sincere regard for us,
+and were sorry to find that we were about to depart; at the same time
+that they consoled themselves, as more civilised people are apt to do
+under similar circumstances, with the reflection that we should leave
+something behind us.
+
+We first had to carry to our store the remainder of the salted
+provisions; which, had they been left a single night on board after the
+hatches were removed, the bears would inevitably have got hold of.  We
+then carried off such part of the deck as we required, with some of the
+timbers and planks.
+
+As we could not get at the keel, we were obliged to content ourselves
+with the mainmast, to serve as a keel for our new vessel.  We laid her
+down close to the beach just above high-water mark, with a
+carriage-sledge under her, so as to be able to launch her over the ice.
+Our intention was to make her a vessel of about sixteen to twenty tons,
+which was as large as our materials would allow, and to rig her as a
+schooner for the same reason, and because she would thus be more easily
+handled.
+
+After much discussion as to the ways and means, we laid down the keel
+and set up the stem and stern.  We next commenced on the ribs, which
+puzzled us much more to shape them, so as to make the sides of the form
+we wished, and one side to correspond with the other.  However, there is
+an old saying, that "Where there's a will there's a way;" and though not
+always true, it was so in our case, though we expended six times as much
+labour and time as we should have done had there been a good carpenter
+among us to superintend our work.  We were unwearied in our labours; we
+worked all day, and a great part of the night too, for we all felt that
+on getting it done in time depended our escape from those icy regions
+that year.
+
+I have described our imprisonment as passed more pleasantly than we
+could have expected; but yet none of us desired to spend another winter
+in the same way, and most of us had some friends or relations whom we
+wished again to see, and to relieve from the anxiety they must be
+feeling on our account.
+
+We should have worked on Sundays, but Andrew Thompson urged us to
+desist.  Some of the men answered that we were working in a good cause,
+as we should the sooner be able to return home.
+
+"It is the Lord's day, and He says we shall not work on it," answered
+Andrew.  "Therefore it is wrong to work on it; and depend upon it He
+never intends us to do wrong that good may come of it.  We are building
+a vessel, which we think may be the means of saving us; but He may have
+arranged differently, and after all our labour it might prove our
+destruction."
+
+Terence, Tom, and I at once said we would follow Andrew's advice; and
+one or two of the others added that they were not going to work for us
+if we chose to be idle, so the Sabbath became a day of rest.  The
+Esquimaux wondered when they observed this, and inquired why every
+seventh day we desisted from work, though so anxious to get our ship
+built.
+
+Andrew then explained to them that we were commanded to do so by the God
+we worshipped, and that if we disobeyed His laws He would be angry with
+us, and that we could not expect to prosper.
+
+Our knowledge of their language was unfortunately far too imperfect to
+enable us to impart any of the great tenets of Christianity to them; but
+I do believe that this reply, and the exhibition of obedience to the
+commands of a Being whom none of us saw, yet willingly obeyed, opened
+their minds, more than any sermon could have done, to receive those
+truths whenever they may be offered to them.
+
+Many a time in their snow tents will those untutored savages, during the
+long night of winter, talk of the God of the Kabbinae (the Europeans),
+and worship Him unknowingly in His works.  They are people of inquiring
+minds, very capable of receiving instruction; and from their habits and
+dispositions, I feel assured that were the great light of the gospel
+placed before them, they would gladly receive its truths, and be brought
+into Christ's flock of true believers.
+
+Should there be no other result from the gallant attempts making to
+discover a north-west passage round the continent of America, than that
+by those means people have become acquainted with the condition of vast
+tribes hitherto little known, and thereby it has been put into the
+hearts of some of Christ's true soldiers to carry His gospel among them,
+glorious indeed it will be.
+
+Who can say that the finger of God has not directed our brave countrymen
+to those regions for that very purpose, although they themselves are
+ignorant of the influence which impels them; and that, it having been
+shown how easily the rigours of an arctic winter may be withstood, ere
+long missionaries may be on their way to reside among the northern, as
+Christian men have for long resided among the southern, tribes of
+Esquimaux for the same holy purpose?
+
+We got on very briskly with our vessel.  She was not very sightly,
+certainly, but we thought she would be strong, which was of more
+importance.  After much discussion we determined to give her a round
+stern, as more likely to withstand a blow from the ice.  Her floors were
+very flat, which was very much owing to the shape of the timbers, which
+we could not alter; but this was not a fault, as she would better have
+borne being thrown on the ice.
+
+When we came to planking her, we found great difficulty in making the
+planks fit the ribs, as any one conversant with shipbuilding may
+suppose; and we had to fill up under the planks in many places, to
+secure them to the timbers.  We resolved that she should be very strong;
+so we almost filled her with beams, and double-planked her over after
+having caulked the first planking.
+
+We had less difficulty in laying down the deck; but for the size of the
+vessel it was very thick and not very even.  Provided, however, it was
+water-tight, we cared nothing for other defects.
+
+We built up some strong high bulwarks, not forgetting to leave ports of
+good size to let the water run off should a sea break on board us.  We
+got two spars from the lower yards of the ship which served for masts,
+and set them up with shrouds, though, as most of the rigging of the ship
+was rotten, we had some difficulty in finding a sufficient quantity.
+
+We rigged her with a fore and aft mainsail and fore-sail, and a square
+topsail and a fore staysail and jib, the bowsprit steeping up very much,
+so that when she pitched there might be less chance of its being carried
+away.
+
+It is not an easy job to cut out a sail well, though there appears to be
+no difficulty in it; and I must own that ours did not look very well
+when we first set them, but by alterations, and making several patches,
+we got them to stand fairly at last.
+
+We were prudent and made two suits, besides keeping a supply of canvas
+among our stores.
+
+Our yards and gaffs were somewhat heavy, as we had no proper-sized spars
+to make them from.  We found a good supply of rope on board the ship,
+from which we fitted our running rigging.  At last we had a vessel of
+some twenty to five-and-twenty tons, in all appearance ready for sea.
+
+The last and not the least important task was to select the stores and
+provisions we should require, and to make the casks to hold the water
+tight.  Had we had carpenter or blacksmith among us, much of our labour
+might have been spared; but it must be remembered that we had only a few
+tools, to the use of which none of us were accustomed, and that nearly
+every nail we employed we had to draw from the planks and to straighten.
+
+By the end of August our task was accomplished, and it was with no
+little satisfaction that we walked round and round our vessel to survey
+our work.
+
+The next thing to be done was to move her over the ice to the centre of
+the bay, where about two miles off there was open water.  When once we
+could get the cradle on which she rested on the ice, we thought our task
+would be easy; but to set it going was the difficulty.  We tried every
+means we could think of, but the heavy mass would not move.
+
+An ordinary-built vessel of fifteen tons could not have weighed a third
+of what ours did.  At last we bethought ourselves of cutting away the
+ground under the cradle, and of placing slips of ice for it to run on.
+With infinite trouble and no little risk we succeeded in doing this.  We
+gave a shout of joy as we saw our craft moving towards the ice.  She
+glided slowly at first, but her speed increased.  She dashed on; and
+before she reached the ice, while yet on the beach, the cradle gave way,
+and with a loud crash she fell over on her side.  We were in despair,
+and some gave vent to their feelings in expressions of bitter complaint.
+
+We might shore her up, and afterwards cut a channel for her through the
+ice, if she had escaped injury; but it would be a work of time, and the
+season for proceeding to the south might be lost.
+
+Most of the Esquimaux had gone away to catch salmon, and on hunting
+expeditions, but a few remained; and though they expressed great regret
+at our misfortune, they seemed glad that we had less chance of leaving
+them.
+
+Andrew was the only one among us who was calm.  "Come, my lads," he
+said, "there's no use looking at what's happened without trying to set
+matters to rights again.  If we stand here all day without putting our
+hand to the work, we shall not get the craft on an even keel."
+
+His taunting words aroused us to exertion; and it was proposed to get
+the vessel up by driving wedges of ice under her bilge, and since the
+cradle could be of no further use, to build a way for her to the water,
+or to where the ice might be thin enough to allow us to break it, so as
+to form a channel for her to float through.
+
+We laboured away very hard; but our want of scientific knowledge made us
+despair of accomplishing the task.  The first day we did nothing--the
+next we set to work again, but performed little of the proposed work.
+
+"It's of no use, I see," grumbled David.  "We may as well make up our
+minds to spend the rest of our days here."
+
+While he was speaking, and all hands were standing doing nothing, I
+happened to turn my eyes to the northward, and there I saw what appeared
+to me a high land, covered with towers, and houses, and church-steeples,
+with trees and rocks on either side.  Under the land, however, appeared
+a thin line of water, and dividing it a broad gap, as it were the mouth
+of some wide river or fiord; but what most attracted my attention was an
+inverted ship, which appeared above it under all sail.
+
+I at once guessed that this extraordinary appearance was caused by
+refraction; but the figure of the ship puzzled me.  It was so perfect in
+every respect, that I was convinced that it could not be an ocular
+illusion, and that there must be some real ship, and that this was her
+reflection in the clouds.  I pointed her out to my companions; and when
+they saw that all the objects were continually changing and that she
+remained the same, they were of the same opinion.  We therefore resolved
+to watch, and to get the boat ready to shove off to her should a ship
+appear; at the same time the great uncertainty of what might really be
+the case prevented us from feeling any exuberance of joy.  It was
+already late in the day, but none of us could sleep, so eager were we to
+keep a look-out for the strange ship.
+
+Hour after hour passed away, and still no vessel appeared to relieve our
+anxiety.  Some of the men at length grew weary of watching, and threw
+themselves on their beds to sleep.
+
+"It was, after all, to my mind but a fancy," exclaimed Terence, entering
+the hut with a discontented air.  "The figure we saw in the sky was very
+like a ship, I own; but still I'd bet anything it was no ship at all."
+
+Andrew and I still held that it was a ship.
+
+"Come, mates," said David, who had been looking out as eagerly as any of
+us; "I've sailed these seas man and boy, thirty years and more, and so
+I've a right to have my say.  Now I've often seen just such a sight as
+we saw yester-even; sometimes we fell in with the ship we saw up in the
+clouds like, and other times we looked for her and she never appeared,
+so we supposed that it must have been an iceberg in the figure of a ship
+which we had seen.  Therefore what I say is, that what we saw may be a
+ship.  But if she was a ship, then she ought to have been off here by
+this time; but if it was an iceberg, then there's no use troubling our
+heads about it."
+
+David having thus authoritatively delivered his opinion, walked into the
+hut and threw himself on his bed, thereby proving that he considered the
+appearance we had seen merely the reflection of an iceberg.
+
+I, however, still held to my first opinion, that a real ship alone could
+have created a figure so perfect in the clouds.  Then it must be
+remembered that I had seen it first, and that the appearance may have
+somewhat altered before the attention of the rest was called to it.  I,
+however, was so far biassed by David's opinions, that I went and threw
+myself on my bed.  I slept, but it was very lightly; and all the time I
+fancied that ships were gliding before me, and that their crews were
+beckoning me to come on board.
+
+At last, so strong was the impression on my mind, than I got up and went
+to our look-out place on the top of the nearest hill.  Great, alas! was
+my disappointment, when the same dreary expanse of ice and water met my
+eye, without a sail anywhere to be seen.
+
+One thing struck me, that the whole surface of the sea was as calm and
+unruffled as the intervening ice, and that no breath of air was stirring
+in the heavens.  The sun rose as I watched, gilding the pinnacles of the
+icebergs, which still remained fixed in the bay, casting a silvery hue
+over the masses of snow yet unmelted on the hills, and making stronger
+than ever the contrast between the pure white of the snow-covered ice,
+and the deep blue of the tranquil ocean.
+
+"At all events," I thought, "no ship can approach us from any quarter
+unless a breeze should spring up, and till then I may rest in peace."
+So I again turned in, and slept as soundly as I had ever done in my
+life.
+
+I was aroused by my companions, who summoned me to come and assist them
+in launching our vessel.  We all set to work again with a will, and
+after infinite labour we got her once more shored up; but to drive her
+towards the element on which we intended her to float, was another
+affair.
+
+At last we thought that we had succeeded.  If we could but move her a
+few more feet she would be on the ice.  Once more she glided on; but on
+reaching the ice the impetus she acquired was so great that the shores
+gave way, and with greater force than before she fell over on her side,
+and in spite of the stout timbers and thick planking, from the
+imperfection of our workmanship she was fairly bilged.
+
+We were most of us differently affected.  Some gave way to despair, and
+uttered imprecations on their ill-luck, as they called it--others
+actually wept with grief--while Andrew looked on with calm composure.
+
+"Mates," he said, turning to those who were loudest in their impious
+expressions of discontent, "I have always said that everything happens
+for the best; and in this case, depend upon it, we shall find it so.
+From the damage our vessel has suffered from the slight shock she
+received, it is clear she could not for a moment have withstood a common
+nip; and let me ask you, is it not better to remain here even for
+another year till a ship takes us off, than to be thrown on a sudden on
+a floe, with only our whale-boat to preserve us, and perhaps without
+time to save our clothes or provisions?  Let us, rather than be
+discontented, believe that God, in this as in everything else, has
+ordered all for our good."
+
+The calm confident tone in which Andrew spoke had a great effect on his
+hearers, and not another word of complaint was uttered.  While we were
+at work, we had not noticed that a breeze had sprung up.  One by one we
+were retiring to our hut, when on looking seaward I observed that the
+whole surface of the ocean was broken into crisp waves; and glancing my
+eyes to the northward, there I beheld what no seaman could doubt for a
+moment were the topgallant-sails of a large ship.
+
+I rushed into the hut where my companions were sitting, most of them
+with their heads sunk between their knees, brooding on our misfortune,
+except Andrew, who stood with his arms folded, meditating on our future
+plans, and asking assistance whence alone assistance could be given.
+
+"A sail! a sail!"  I exclaimed.  My voice aroused them from their
+lethargy.  They looked at my countenance, and seeing that I was in
+earnest, like madmen they rushed from the hut.  Every eye was turned
+towards the point I indicated.  There, sure enough, was the sail I had
+seen; and without waiting to secure any provisions, we hurried down
+towards the boat, but Andrew called us back.
+
+"We should not go empty-handed, mates, among our new friends, nor quit
+those who have treated us so hospitably without a word of farewell," he
+exclaimed.  "There is yet time enough to do what we should do, and to
+pull out into the offing before the ship is off here."
+
+Ashamed by his mild reproof, we went to the tents of our Esquimaux
+friends, who still remained near us; and explaining that a ship, by
+which we hoped to return to our country, was in sight, we bade them
+understand that if we did not return, all the property we left behind
+was to be theirs.  We saw tears falling from their eyes as they wrung
+our hands when we stepped into the boat, which they assisted us to
+launch over the ice.
+
+We had loaded her with as large a supply of provisions as she could
+carry, and with our guns and the little ammunition which remained.  Once
+in the boat, we gave way with a will, and pulled boldly out to sea, with
+our jack at the end of a spar of three times the usual length.
+
+On came the stranger.  O how our hearts beat as we saw her hull rising
+out of the water!
+
+On we pulled, so as to place ourselves directly in her course, that
+there might not be a possibility of her missing us.  Various were the
+conjectures as to what nation she belonged; for it was soon seen she was
+not English by the cut of her sails, and as she drew nearer, by her
+build.  Some said Danish, others Dutch, and others French.
+
+The last proved right; for, as we got within hailing distance, once more
+the voices of civilised men struck our ears.  We could not understand
+the question put to us; but when we sung out that we were Englishmen,
+who had lost our ship, a voice in our own tongue told us to come on
+board.  With joyful hearts we pulled alongside, and found ourselves on
+board the _Saint Jean_, whaler, belonging to the port of Bordeaux.
+
+The cargo of our boat, as Andrew had supposed, was not unwelcome, and
+secured us a warmer reception than we perhaps might otherwise have
+experienced.  The _Saint Jean_ was nearly full, and was one of the few
+ships which had that year succeeded in reaching Pond's Bay; so the
+second mate, who spoke English, informed us.  Most of them, afraid of
+the early setting in of the winter, had already gone to the south, and
+must have passed out of sight of land.  Thus, had we not seen the ship,
+we should probably have had to pass another winter in the arctic
+regions.
+
+I will not stop to describe our voyage to the south.  It was in some
+respects favourable for the greater part of the distance; but the crew
+were in a sickly state, and our services were therefore of much value.
+
+The captain and first mate both fell ill; and I have reason to suspect
+that our reckoning was not kept with proper accuracy.  Six weeks had
+passed since we had got on board, when a heavy gale sprung up from the
+north-west.  As the night drew on it increased in fury, though, as we
+had got everything snug on board, we hoped to weather it out.
+
+It was the opinion of the mates, for the master was too ill to attend to
+his duty, that we were well to the southward and west, and that we might
+keep away for our port.  Instead, therefore, of laying to, we ran on
+before it.  The weather was very thick, and we could scarcely see a
+hundred yards ahead.
+
+Day was just breaking, and we Englishmen were all on deck together, from
+being placed in the same watch under the second mate, when Terence, who
+was forward, sung out with a startling voice--
+
+"Land right ahead, land on the starboard bow!"
+
+The Frenchmen understood the cry--all hands sprang on deck.  The mate
+ordered the helm to be put a-port and the yards to be braced up, in the
+hopes of being able to beat off.  It was too late; we were completely
+embayed.  Land appeared broad on either bow.
+
+To have beaten off with less sail than we carried would have been
+hopeless; but still there was more than the ship could carry.  The masts
+went by the board.  Fortunately the mizzen-mast went first, followed by
+the main-mast, or the ship would have broached to, and every soul of us
+would have been swept from her decks.  Andrew sprang aft and put the
+helm up again, calling on me to assist him; while the rest ran forward,
+to look out for a clear beach to run the ship on, for by this time we
+saw that we were too near to attempt to anchor with any chance of saving
+the ship.
+
+In moments of sudden peril the French are apt to lose command over
+themselves; at all events, such was the case in the present instance.
+And yet these men had gone through all the dangers of an arctic voyage;
+but then they were dangers for which they were looking out.  Even now
+they were brave--that is to say, I do not think they turned paler than
+any of us; but they ran here and there, not knowing what to do nor
+comprehending the orders of their officers, while we were cool and did
+our best to save ourselves.
+
+We kept the helm a-starboard, and steered to a spot where there appeared
+to be less surf; but it was a fearful choice of evils.  In two or three
+minutes the ship struck; it must have been on a rock, for she trembled
+throughout, and the foremast went by the board.  All hands had run aft,
+knowing what must occur.  Again she lifted and flew forwards several
+yards, but it was to strike with more violence; and the following sea,
+before most of us could secure our hold, came rushing furiously on
+board, and sweeping everything before it.
+
+I found myself lifted off my feet, and whirled round among the foaming
+billows.  I knew nothing more till I felt my arm grasped at by some one;
+and when I returned to consciousness I was on the beach uninjured, with
+Andrew leaning over me.
+
+I asked for our companions; he shook his head sorrowfully.  Three of
+them were missing--poor Tom and two others.  Nearly all the Frenchmen
+were lost.  We two, Terence, David, and the two others, and six
+Frenchmen, were the only ones who had escaped.  Before the ship struck
+we had instinctively thrown off our shoes and the greater part of our
+clothing, so that we had nothing on but our shirts and trousers; and as
+none of the bodies of our unfortunate shipmates nor any clothes were
+washed on shore, we had no means of supplying ourselves.
+
+We suspected that we had been cast away on the west coast of Ireland;
+and we found, on inquiry of some people who flocked down to the shore,
+that we were not wrong.  I am sorry to say, that so eager were they in
+hunting for whatever might come on shore, that they seemed little
+disposed to afford us any assistance.  The Frenchmen were anxious at
+once to proceed to Dublin, where they might get relief from their
+consul; and Andrew and the rest wished to go there also, to cross over
+to England or Scotland, and Terence because he belonged to that city.
+
+I, however, was eager to return home direct.  The yearning to see my
+parents and brothers and sisters again was stronger than I could repress
+I felt sure, also, that Captain Dean and Mary, to whom I had given my
+father's address, would have communicated with him, and that I should
+receive some news of them.
+
+With sincere regret I parted from that excellent man, Andrew Thompson,
+and with not much less from Terence and the rest; but the two first
+promised to write to me as soon as they got to their homes.
+
+I set off alone, and a stranger, without shoes, hat, or jacket, to beg
+my way across Ireland.  Some disbelieved the tale I told of my
+disasters, and turned me from their doors; but others gave me bread and
+meat, and the poorest never refused me a potato and a drink of milk, for
+their eyes, accustomed to real misery, could discern that I spoke the
+truth.
+
+At length, just after dark, I reached the well-known gate of my father's
+grounds.  I walked through, and with knees knocking together from
+over-excited feelings I approached the house.  I looked up at the
+windows--not a light was to be seen, nor a sound heard.  My heart sunk
+within me; I feared something must have happened--what, I dared not ask
+myself.  I sat down on the steps, fearful of inquiring.
+
+At length I gained courage to ring the door-bell.  It was answered by a
+loud barking of dogs from within, but no sound of a human voice.  Again
+I rang, and after waiting some time, in my impatience I began to knock
+fiercely with my fists.  I stopped, for I heard a window opening, and a
+voice inquiring from above what I wanted.  It was old Molly Finn, the
+housekeeper.  I recognised her in a moment.  I told her who I was, and
+entreated her to tell me where my family were gone.
+
+"Och, ye idle spalpeen, get along with ye, with your lying tales about
+being Master Peter, who has been dead these two long years or more," she
+exclaimed, in a voice of anger.  "Get along with ye, I say, or I'll let
+the dogs out on ye."
+
+"If you mean to let Juno and Pluto slip, you are welcome," I answered,
+my anger beginning to rise.  "They'll at least know me, and that's more
+than you seem inclined to do, Molly."
+
+"Just come nearer here, and let me ax ye a few questions, whoever ye
+are," she said, in a softer tone.
+
+"Tell me first, Molly, where are my father and mother, and brothers and
+sisters--are they all alive and well?"  I exclaimed.
+
+"Well, then, there's no harm in telling ye thus much; they are all well,
+and gone to Dublin for Miss Fanny's marriage there to a fine gentleman
+who's worthy of her.  And now, what have ye got to say?"
+
+"Thank Heaven!"  I exclaimed, and burst into tears, and sobbed till my
+heart was like to break.  It was the giving way to affections long long
+pent up, like the icy ocean in winter; within my bosom.
+
+"Och, it must be Master Peter, whether dead or alive!" exclaimed the old
+woman, disappearing from the window.
+
+I had some notion that bars and bolts were being withdrawn, and in
+another instant a lantern was flashed in my face.  It was instantly
+thrown down, and I found myself hugged in the dear old creature's arms,
+and several of my old four-footed favourites leaping up and licking my
+face, she coming in for some share of the said licking, and thinking it
+was me all the time returning her kisses.
+
+Tim, the stable-helper, the only other person left on the premises, was
+now roused up from his early slumbers, and added his congratulations to
+Molly's.  We went inside the house and shut the door, and I rushed round
+to every room before I could sit down to eat.  As may be supposed, there
+was no great supply of delicacies in the house; but there were potatoes
+and buttermilk, and bacon and eggs, and what wanted I more?
+
+Molly had actually cooked my supper, and talked of making my bed, before
+she discovered how badly I was clothed.  As for the bed, I begged she
+would not trouble herself, as I assured her I should have the greatest
+difficulty in sleeping in one, and I at last persuaded her to let me
+have a mattress and a blanket on the floor.  I did however, contrive to
+sleep, and awoke to find old Molly sitting by my side.
+
+"Och, the dear boy, there's no doubt of ye now, Master Peter!" she
+exclaimed.  "Ye talked of them all in your sleep, and looked just like
+yourself, ye did; and I'll stand bail that no one but ye could have done
+that same."
+
+I got a piece of soap from Molly, and going to a tank there was in the
+yard under the pump, by Tim's aid I soon made myself cleaner than I had
+been for a long time; but we had a sad puzzle about the clothes, for my
+father and brother had left none.  Tim had only those he wore on his
+back and a coarse suit; and money, I found, was scarce with Molly.
+
+After hunting about in every direction, she routed out from an old chest
+some, with which she came to me in great triumph, saying they were my
+own; and so I found they were, but they were some I had thrown aside as
+being far too small before I went to sea.  At last I bethought me, that
+as no money was to be had without much inconveniencing Molly, I would
+continue my journey as I had begun it; and I would present myself to my
+family as I was, in the character of a seaman who had known the lost
+Peter, and had brought some tidings of him, thus breaking gradually to
+my parents the fact that I was still in existence.
+
+I proposed, however, disguising myself somewhat to prevent their
+recognising me.  Molly liked my plan; so filling a bag with food, and
+borrowing ten shillings from her to help me on my way with greater speed
+than I could otherwise have made, I immediately started on the road to
+Dublin.  Travelling sometimes on a car, sometimes in a waggon, where I
+contrived to get some sound sleep, and oftentimes on foot, in three days
+I reached the capital of Ireland.
+
+Beggars in rags excite no remark in any part of Ireland; so, scantily
+clothed and careworn as I was, I passed through the streets unobserved.
+I was on my way to the house my family had taken, when I observed,
+walking leisurely along, a person whose figure and gait I felt certain I
+knew.  My heart beat with eagerness.  For some time I could not catch a
+glimpse of his face; so I ran on, and passing him, turned back to meet
+him.  I was not mistaken--it was my kind friend Captain Dean.
+
+My heart beating violently, I walked up to him, and said, calmly enough,
+"I have sailed with you, Captain Dean; but I don't suppose you remember
+me, sir."
+
+"No, indeed I do not; though I am not apt to forget those who have been
+any time with me," he replied, looking at me very hard.
+
+"It's a long time, sir; but perhaps you may remember a lad of the name
+of Peter Lefroy, to whom you were very kind," I said, my voice faltering
+as I spoke, for I was longing to inquire after Mary.
+
+"I remember him well, poor lad.  He was lost with a whole ship's company
+in the North Sea, upwards of a year ago.  But what do you know of him?"
+he asked.
+
+"Why, sir, I know that he was wonderfully preserved, and now stands
+before you, Captain Dean," I exclaimed, no longer able to contain
+myself.  "And tell me, sir, oh tell me--Mary, where is Mary, sir?"  I
+blurted out, feeling that I could not speak again till I heard of her.
+
+"Peter--Peter Lefroy, my good lad!" he ejaculated, seizing my hand and
+gazing earnestly in my face.  "It is you yourself I ought to have known
+you at once; and Mary--she would know you--she is well, and with your
+own sisters, for she is to be one of Miss Fanny's bridesmaids.  But come
+along, this will be a day of rejoicing."
+
+Captain Dean, on our way to the house where my family was living, to
+which he was bound when I stopped him, told me that he had some time
+back communicated with my father; and that a month ago, having made a
+voyage to Liverpool, where he was obliged to have his ship repaired, he
+had come over to Dublin with Mary to show her something of Ireland.  He
+had accidentally met my father, and introducing himself to him, all my
+family had shown him and Mary the greatest kindness; and he added that
+my sisters had formed a warm friendship for her.
+
+My heart beat when I heard this; but I did not trust myself to say
+anything.  "And now, Peter," said Captain Dean, as we reached the door,
+"I will go in and break the joyful news to all hands."
+
+What a tumult was in my heart, as for ten minutes I walked up and down
+before the house, waiting to be summoned!  At length Captain Dean opened
+the door, and beckoning to me, pulled me in.  "They all suspect the
+truth," he observed.  "But I would not tell them till I had got you all
+ready to show; so now I'll go back and tell them I have brought a lad
+who will let them know all about the long-lost Peter."
+
+They heard him speak, and guessing what was the case, they came flying
+down the stairs; and before I had got through the half, I was once more
+in the loving arms of my truest and best friends.  Even my mother did
+not faint, though she sobbed aloud for very joy that her truant son had
+returned.
+
+One sweet little girl hung back from the eager crowd.  I espied her, and
+breaking through them, she received a not less affectionate greeting
+than had my sisters.
+
+With my subsequent life I need not trouble my readers.
+
+"Well, Peter," said my father, after I had been washed and clothed, and
+had put on once more the appearance of a gentleman, "you have come back,
+my lad, poorer than you went away, I fear."  He made this remark with
+the kind intention of filling a purse my sisters and Mary had given me.
+
+"No, father," I answered, "I have come back infinitely richer.  I have
+learned to fear God, to worship Him in His works, and to trust to His
+infinite mercy.  I have also learned to know myself, and to take advice
+and counsel from my superiors in wisdom and goodness."
+
+"Then," said my father, "I am indeed content; and I trust others may
+take a needful lesson from the adventures of PETER THE WHALER."
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter the Whaler, by W.H.G. Kingston
+
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