ty PETER THE WHALER; HIS EARLY LIFE ADVENTURES IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. BY WILLIAM If. G. KINGSTON, ESQ., AUTHOR OF "THE MIDSHIPMAN MAUMADUKE MERRY'- -ROUSE THE 7777 ILLUSTRATIONS. CHICAGO AND NEW YORK: BELFORD, CLARKE & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. A DEDICATORY PREFACE, TO HAHRY PAUL BURRARD, (THE AUTHOR'S COUSIN.) MY DEAR HARRY I understand that you are intended for that noble service, to which our great uncle, Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale, was so bright an ornament The navy is a profession in which, perhaps, more than in any other, energy, perseverance, courage, self-reliance and endurance are required ; and I may add (though that is, indeed, necessary in every walk of life), a firm trust in God's good providence. I have, therefore, in the following history, endeavored to show the importance of those qualities : and I shall be amply repaid for my labor, if it in any way contributes to prepare you for encountering the difficulties and dangers to which, ir your course through life, whatever may be your calling, you must inevitably be exposed. The incidents were narrated to me by a young gentleman, the original of Peter Lefrcy, who is, in every respect, a real character j and although many years have passed since he told me the story, his extraordinary adventures made so deep an 202SS16 'V DEDICATION. impression on me, that they were still fresh on my mem ory when I commenced the work. 1 was particularly struck with the account of tha wreck of the American man-of-war on the iceberg; which, wonderful as it may appear, I have told exactly as he described it ; indeed, as far as circumstances would allow, I have rigidly adhered to the truth, and I hope that this will not detract from the interest of the tale, but will serve as another proof to those already existing, that reality is often stranger than fiction. I cannot better conclude, than by urging you to study the character, and to endeavor to imitate the example of that great and good man, of whom I have spoken. Beloved and respected by all who knew him, he was especially honored and esteemed by his Sovereign, while by those he commanded, he was ever looked upon as a father and a friend * As a proof of this, I may tell you, that at the unhappy mutiny at the Nore, his crew alone of all the fleet remained faithful to their duty, and while they willingly went to their guns, ready, if neces- sary, to fight their way, he carried his ship out from among the rest in triumph. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of such a man; and that you. my dear young cousin, may be ever truly worthy of him, and of the name you bear, is the earnest wish of yours most sincerely, THE AUTHOR. * He would not allow abusive language to be used toward! any of his crew, and, I believe, in the i/hola course of his life vi oalh never escaped his lips. CONTENTS, M4I JHAP. I. An Account of my Family and Early Life. I neg- lect the Precepts of my Father, and listen to ati Evil Counsellor 8 CHAP. II. Why I went to Sea. I suffer in consequence of acting upon the Advice of an Evil Counsellor. I visit Lord Fetherston's Property, and find that it is easier to make a False Step than to retrace it 37 CHAP. III. I visit Liverpool, and gain some insight into the Ways of the World. Am introduced to the Master of the Black.S\van 27 CHAP. IV. I go on board the Black Swan, and offer to make myself useful ; but my Services are not appreciated. I meet Silas Flint, and make the Acquaintance of some British Emigrants. I discover that there are others worse off than myself 31 UHAP. V. My first experience of a Sea Life. The embar- cation of Emigrants for North America. The First Mate reminds me that I offered to make myself useful. Description of a North American Emigrant Ship. We sail, and I go aloft for the first time. Dick Der- rick's advice and instruction 45 CHI" VI. Flint shows he has not forgotten me. My first introduction to Ice. of which I am destined to see much more. A Foundering Ship 63 CHAP. VII. 1 claim my Rights, but do not get them ac- knowledged. Am treated as a Mutineer. A Friend in Need. I discover that there are other things to be guarded against besides Rocks, and Shoals, and Ice- berg. A Ship on Fire 59 CHAP. VIII. Consequences of the Want of Discipline. Our Captain deserts us. Rafts are built, and many trust themselves on them. Courage and Coolness of our Second Mate 67 CHAP. IX. I obtain a Proof that the Gentle and Humane are generally brave in the Hour of Danger A true Sailor will not desert his Ship till the last. Silas tempts me to go away on the Kan. Aid comes when Hope has almost departed A few are saved, but a bitter Disap- pointment awaits the rest. A Storm comes on. and we lose sight of the Mary's Light 7S OBAP. X. AVe once more see the Mary. Our Hopes of Preservation are a^ain disappointed. The Fire is es- 'hed by its mure powerful Rival 81 fl CONTENTS. till CHAP. XI. Captain Dean and his Daughter a contrast to Captain Swales and Mr. Stovin. I am taken ill, and gently nursed. We reach a Port at last. A Descrip- tion of Quebec. A Conversation between Mary Dean and me 88 ;JHAP. XII. 1 agree to sail with Captain Dean. An old Friend re-appears. He persuades me to accompany him up the Country. I visit the Lakes 94 CHAP. XIII. Return to Quebec. A bitter Disappointment. Search in vain for my Friends. Journey through the Western States. New Orleans. Captain Hawk of the Foam. A Slaver. Captain Searl of the Susannah.... 100 CHAP. XIV. Sail for the Havana. Captain Hawk keeps his Promise. A Surprise. I lind that a Romantic Pi- rate and a Real Pirate are very different Persons. Am taken Prisoner. And lose sight of the Susannah 110 CHAP. XV. Life on board the Rover. Indulge in the pleas- ing reflection that I may possibly hang as a Pirate. 1 try to escape. We chase. We catch a Tartar. Mark Anthony tries to induce me to -turn Pirate. We are chased. A considerable difference in the sensation 124 CHAP. XVI. The Pirates' Retreat. I still hope to escape. ThePiratesmake another Prize. I meet old Friends. Mark Anthony watches me. The Mary at anchor off the Pirates' Island. I take the oath of the Pirates 1, CHAP. XVII. I am left in charge of the Prisoners. Spirit aid me to help my Friends. The Tables are turned. My Oath compels me to remain with the Pirates. We are left in an open Boat. Find ourselves suddenly trans- ferred to the Deck of a Brig of War. An Expedition against the Pirates 148 CHAP. XVIII. The Pirates attacked in their Strong-hold. The end of the Foam. The Pirates recognize us. I narrate my Adventures but am not believed. Arrive in Port. The Trial. Am found Guilty, and Condemned. As is expected by all Readers. Friends arrive just in time to prove me Innocent. I enter on board an American Man-of-war 16J CHAP. XIX. Sail in the Pocahontas for the North Seas. An account of an American Man-of-war. I become ac- quainted with Andrew Thompson. lie describes La- brador to me. The History of Princess Pocahontas. A Man overboard. How to behave in the Water ]6> CHAP. XX. Again Terence falls from aloft, and is saved. We reach the North Sea. A Description of someof the Birds of those Regions. I am at the Helm. The Ship strikes an Iceberg. Goes down. The Marines liring on the Crew. A few aloiu Escape ]8f CONTENTS. VII FAI OHAP. XXI. A night on an Iceberg. Andrew bids us trust in Providence. Morning dawns. Beautiful ap- pearance of the Iceberg. We find Food. A Signal fixed on the top of the Berg. Lose our Flint and Steel. A novel Burning-glass. A Raft formed. Some Treasures collected. No Help arrives 1 03 C'HAP. XXII. Introduces a Second Day. I dream of Home. A Sail in sight which disappears. An Ice- berg in motion. We try our Raft. We are not seen. A Breeze springs up. The Iceberg capsizes 206 CHAP. XXIII. The Whale Ship. I join her. A Descrip- tion of a Whaler. Her Boats, Harpoons, and other Gear. The Crow's-Nest. All ready for Fishing. Reach a Field of Ice. Narrow Escape 216 CHAP. XXIV. A Visit from Father Neptune. I am made Free of the Arctic Regions." A Fall, a Fall !" Our First Fish. Tom thinks .he Ship is sinking. Tow our Prize alongside 225 CHAP. XXV. We secure our Fish. How to carve a Whale. A Greenland Shark. Arctic Birds. Making off. A Description of a South-Sea Whaler. A Bear in a Boat. 23$ CHAP. XXVI. Joined by other Ships. Land seen. Cape Flyaway. Danish Colonies. Visited by Esquimaux. We land. Begin to struggle with the Ice. Fishing on the Ice. Tumble in. Made fast toan Iceberg. Cutthrough a Field of Ice. Preparations for a Nip. The Nip comes. 25! CHAP. XXVII. The Nip come. A Ship nipped. Go to her Aid. Rescue our Countrymen. Forecastle Yarns about Shipwrecks and Whale-catching. The Nip takes off and we are free. A Beautiful Scene 26-> CHAP. XXVIII. Pond's Bay. A run of Whales. More Fishing. Sea Unicorns. Lose a Fish. A fast Fish. Leave the Bay. An Account of some Arctic Expedi- tions, sent in search of Sir John Franklin and his brave Companions 274 CHAP. XXIX. Summer drawing to an end. Homeward Voyage. A Calm. Ominous Signs. Left on the Ice. Our Ship disappears. A sudden Blast. A Snow Storm. The Gale commences. The Whale and Boat lost We retreat from the Sea. Build a Hut. A Visitor who proves in the end a welcome one. We keep Watch We are in a bad Plight 284 CHAP. XXX.- -I try to encourage my Companions. We cook our Breakfast. Set up a Signal. One of the two Ships heaves in sight. The Floe separates. The last Ship appears, but to the southward. We cross the Channel. Erect another Hut. Catch two Unicorns. We travel on 29 fill CONTENTS. FAir CHAP. XXXI. <~ur Journey continued. A Wreck dis- covered. We linrl Tivasures on board. Look out for a Spot to land. Find a Bay. Fix on a Spot, and build a Hut. Go hack to the Ship, to fetch more Stores. Find Visitors on board the Ship. More Bear's Flesh. Return to the Bay 313 CHAP. XXXII. Visited by the Esquimaux. We become very friendly. Terence acts as Master of the Ceremo- nies. We begin our Winter House. The Esquimaux come with Sledges to assist us. Transport our Goods from the Ship. Honesty of the Esquimaux 327 CHAP. XXXIII. We visit the Esquimaux at their Tents. The Interior, and their Mode of Life. Cookery. Danc- ing. They rush out to chase the Sea-horse. Suc- cessful Sport. Esquimaux Lamp and Fireplace. Description of Sledges and Dogs. Return to out House. Tom Stokes sees a Merman 3&5 CHAP. XXXIV. Find our Wooden Hut very cotf. The Esquimaux show us how to build a Winter Hut. We follow their Example. A Snow Hut. Esquimaux Children's Toys. Accompany Ickmallick on a Hunt- ing Expedition. A quickly-built Hut. Musk Oxen. Desperate Encounter. Kill a Stag. Buried in tV? Snow T 348 CHAP. XXXV. What Cold is. An Arctic Night. A Aurora Borealis. Esquimaux hunting the Walrus or the Ice. Seal Catching. How we employed our Time Propose to build a Vessel. AnOrew instructs us. Daylight returns 3Ci CHAP. XXXVI. We begin our Vessel. The Esquimauj regret to lose us. Andrew urges us not to work on a Sunday. Capability of the Esquimaux for receiving the Truths of Christianity. We complete our Vessel. Provision and store her. Our vessel destroyed. A Ship in the Clouds. -Doubts. A Ship appears. Fare well to the Esquimaux. Voyage. Wreck. Reach tn; Father's Home a Beggar. No ota at Home. Meet Captain Dean. Return once more \o my Family Vt* PETER THE WHALER, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES CHAPTER I. in Account of my Family and Early Life. I neglect the Pr cepte of my Father, and listen to an Evil Counsellor. " 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, arid grief and shame on my head and to your mother's heart. Look there, boy, and answer me : Are not those presumptive evi- dences of your guilt 1 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 somprehended 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 mar, with silvery locks and well-formed features. I think his hair was prematurely grey. The ex- pression of his countenance was grave, and betok- ened firmness and decision, though his genersJ character was mild in the extreme. He was & kind parent, in soirs respects too kind; and he was very indulgent rewards the faults and errors 10 FETER THE WHALER, of those not immediately connected with him. He was on good terms with the Roman Catholics of the neighborhood, 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 be- lieve, that I inherited some of my parents' good looks ; but the hardships I have endured have era- dicated 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 \ four sons and lave daughters HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 13 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 'it 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, id my father with his clerical duties or his literury pursuits ; so that I was forgotten, and allowed to look after myself. I am unable to ac- count frr 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 neighborhood, in every way my inferiors except in age ; and they gave me les- sons 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 glebo, 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 con- tent with so narrow a sphere of action, I used fre- quently, in company of some of the youths I speak of, to wander over property where I not only haa no right to kill game, but where I had positively been forbidden to trespass, and where I even kne\v 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 14 PETER THE V tALER, for tin lecture, or the grief rny conduct caused m^ lather. 1 can scarcely now account for the obsti- nacy 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 forgive- ness, 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 my- self, 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 ac- quaintances. 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 endeavor to avoid answering the question, I confessed all that had occurred. He sneered at my fears and my father's 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 jou. I know that what I have resolved tc do is right, and that which you want to persuade me HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 15 to do is wicked an instigation of the evil one ; sc go away and leave me." And if he persisted in re- maining 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 ap- pears. 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 be- gan 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 mantel-piece in my father's dressing room, he laughed at me for a 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 objec- tions, 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 noble- man, 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 en- gaged, 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 pur pose 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 lai* 16 PETER THE WHALER, younger than themselves, or of persons whom tiicy 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 in- stant 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 endeavor 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 soms 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 inti- mate 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURER. 17 listening to his good stories and laughing at them for upwards of two h:mrs, till he felt sure that my good resolutions would not come back. During this time he produced some bread and meat and whiskey, 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 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 II. Why I went to sea. I suffer in consequence of acting upon tn Advice of an Evil Counsellor. I visit Lord Fetherston's Property, and find that it is easier to make a False Step than to retrace it. 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 hoiisehold 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. 1 trem- bled 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 ; l8 PETER THE WHALKit, but then I should be far off, enjoying ray sjx rt, and I thought not of the consequences. I felt way along the passage, for it was quite dark. and I thought not of the consequences. I felt my le passage, for it was quite dark. I heard a noise I trembled more and more I ex- pected 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 c Presently something brushed against me. I waa 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, con- stitutionally 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 moved it a little slowly, and crept in. The moonlight wag 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 bea 4 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 ex- ercise ami exciteiiH-ut enabled me to exist away all HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 19 regrets for my conduct, and all fear for the re suit. I anxiously watched for my companicn 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, disobey- ing 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, sel- dom met a man who could tell a falsehood with such a bold, unblushing front. I had a great hor- ror 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 sup- posed advantage. I did not believe that a person older than myself could possibly be guilty of tell- ing one. I fancied that only very little miserable children, or mean, contemptible people, told stories ; and I, therefore, could not fancy that such a per- son as Doolan would even condescend to say what was not true. I honestly say. that I always ad hered to the truth myself : and to this circumstance I ascribe my not having irretrievably sunk intc the grade of society to which my too frequenJ 20 PETER THE VTH ILER, companions belonged. I liave 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 com- panions ; 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 per- fect 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 to- wards the scene of our intended sport. He laughed and talked incessantly without giving me a mo- ment 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 par- take of the provisions, not forgetting a whiskey bottle, which my companion had brought with him. \V1 ile we were eating, he amused me with an ac HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. Isi count of an intended rim 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 luric.ing the things and in carrying them up the country to the places where they were to be concealed. On these occasions, conflicts between the coast- guard 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 mo- rality ; and in this instance he spoke what he thought was the truth, for he had been taught nc 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 hone at night, when there's no one to see 22 PETER THE WHALER, <; Well, Pater, you must do as you like." lie 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 rason at all, at all, why your dad shouldn't be ^lad to see such an illiganr stock of same 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 fact," he added, picking up the etill 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 oi as, he should be able to lay hands en the other whenever he chose. HIS EAKLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 29 On his return, with many a cuff he dragged me along towards the third person I spoke of. and whom I at once recognized 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 lord- ship in a severe tone. I told him, with the shame I felt strongly de- picted 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 answer- ed 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 1 think I heard him muttering something like " He ie a brave lad, and must be rescued from such com- panionship ;" 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 nctic- 24 PETER THE WHALER, ing me, he walked on, while they led me away to wards Fetherston Abbey, his lordship's residence I need scarcely say, that my feelings were very wretched, and full of shame ; and yet, porhaps, 1 would rather it should thus have happened, than that I should have been compelled to go back tc my father. It was, perhaps, somewhat of a conso- lation 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 conse- quently, in the abbey there was a strong room, in which, on occasion, prisoners were locked up before they were carried off to gaol. 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 an- swer 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 1 must say, that I truly had repented of all my folly and idleness. On the third day the door opened, and rty 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 MIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 25 reproach you ; the grief I and your mother feel, and what you will nave 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 charac- ter. 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 condi- tion, 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 1 am very leniently dealt Avith, 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, coloring ; his pride, I fear, was humbled to the dust (alas ! through me) when he said so. " I shall fulfil to the letter your lord- ship's commands." " I am glad to hear it, Mr. Lefroy ; depend on it you act wisely," said Lord Fetherston. " And 1 trust that we part without malice, young man," ad- 3 c 26 PE1ER THE WHALER, dressing me, " You have my well-wishes, I can as- sure you." He held out his hand, and I shook it I helieve gratefully, though I said nothing ; and. without another word. I jumped into the car which Lad 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 ship-loads of riches, they will find no jewels comparable in price to a mother's fond love, a father's protecting affection, the sweet forbearing regard of tender sisters, a brother's hearty inter- est, 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 aome. HIS EARLY LIKE AND ADVENTURES. 27 CHAPTER III. \ risk Liverpool, and gain some insight into the Ways of the World. Am introduced to the Master of the Black Swan. I REMEMBER very little of my journey to Dub- lin, 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 com- fortably 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 in- deed, a very wonderful vessel. I was never tired of examining her machinery, and in wandering through every part of her. I bad never before been on board a steamer; and us I was naturally of an inquiring disposition, I h;ul numberless questions to ask, to learn how it was the steam made the engines work, and the engines 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 28 PETER THE WHALER, 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, re member 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 build- ings ; 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, ho 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 cap- tains 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 Dot 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 pre- mium ; and three others offered me cruises to the West Indies arid North America. The fact was, that the navigation of the mighty river St. Law- HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVEN1 UREfe. 29 rmioo was scarcely open, and consequently few ships were ready to sail for Quebec. At last, a broker into wnose otfice we entered, inlormed us that he was agent tor 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 lie 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 lather numberless ques- tions about himself and me. to all of which he re- turned the short monosyllable, " Hum," which did not inform us whether he was satisfied or not. I found all the time that he was merely trying to dis- cover 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 inform- ed us he transacted in it, and very dark ; and ST dirty that I thought it could never have been clean- ed 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 odor pervaded the room. I was particularly struck with the model of a ship fully rigged on a shelf over the mantle-piece ; 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 reacned c* 50 PETER THE WHALER, her. I observed all these things while our nev? friend was talking to my father. " You will doubtless like to make the acquaint- ncce of Captain Elihu Swales, Mr. Lefroy," said Mr. Cruden. " I expect him here every instant, and 1 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 1 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 sud- denly turning my head, after growing weary of looking at the dusty ship, I saw a man, whom I in- stinctively suspected to be the captain, standing outside the little paddock, in which we were en- closed, 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," ob- served the agent when he perceived that I had dis- covered the captain. " Mr. Lefroy, allow me to in- troduce 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 dross went that is to say, he was clothed in a suit of black HIS EARLY LIFP: AND ADVENTURES. 31 cloth, with a black silk handkerchief, nothing very remarkable certainly ; most masters and mates of merchantmen wear such on shore. His figure waa 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 ano weather, that it was difficult to discern their ex- pression. I remember, however, that the iirs\ 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 con- tinued 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 get 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 them- selves. 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 su- premely fortunate in having secured so kind a pro- tector 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 oe ready for sea for some days, he informed my father ; "and till she was so, B.S he was competed to return home immediately. 82 PETER THE WHALER, Mi Cruden kindly undertook to board and lodge ut tne rate of twelve shillings a week. I was to go JP. board " The Black Swan," every day, to see if I \vas wanted ; and I was to return to Mr. Cruden's .n the afternoon, or \vhen I was not wanted. My father considered this a very admirable arrange- ment ; and was perfectly confident that he had done the best circumstances would allow, and that he had left me in safe and honorable hands. On our way to our inn, we met one of the brok- er?, to whom we had spoken in the morning. He asked if we had found what we wanted. " 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 " really good day, sir." It was afterwards only, perhaps, that his manner Hruck me ; at the time I supposed that it was asual to him. We spent most of the afternoon in purchasing a jea-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 re- ceive 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 whe- ther ships really had feet. I afterwards found, that this was a figurative way of expressing that she sailed fast. These observations were made we returned with my chest to Mr. Cruden's H S EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES 33 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 pre sent of six pounds as pocket-money, and to pur- chase 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 con- siderable effort he mastered himself, so as not pub- licly to betray his emotions. He was gone ; and I was left alone in the big world to look after my- self, with little more experience of its ways than a child CHAPTER IV. I go on board " The Black Swan," and offer to make myself useful ; but my Services are not appreciated. I meet Silas Flint, and make the Acquaintance of some British Emigrants. I discover that there are others worse off than myself. WHEN my father was gone, I went back to Mr. Cruden's ofiice, and asked him to tell me where I could find his house, at which, I understood, I was to lodge. 54 PETER THE WHALER, He looked up from the book in which he wag writing with an air of surprise, and replied, " You are mistaken, my lad, if yon 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 possi- ble 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 go on board the " Black Swan," to make my- self 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 hips in the world as I sa^v cr)wded together in the HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 35 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-; " scat- tered 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 satisfac- tory 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 invari- ably 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 em- ployed 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 merchant sea- men. The moment a ship arrives in harbor, the crew are paid their wa^es and discharged. On this 36 PETER THE WHALER, they are immediately set upon by 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 the 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 wk> were their officers, or where they were going to. Thus the men were kept in a state of slavery, without self-respect, or a chance of im- provement. I speak of the system as it was till lately. 1 trust that a better state of affairs is now being in- troduced ; at the same time, as there is a tendency in raost things to let abuses creep in, I must en- treat you, my young friends, in your several capa- cities when you grow up, not to forget the interests of our brave seamen. On those seamen depend greatly the prosperity of your country ; and, whether as legislators, or as private gentlemen, I tell you it is your duty to inquire into their condition, and to endeavor 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 some thing I remarked very peculiar about the said man, so I will speak of him first. He wore a straw hat MIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 31 with a very broad brim, a nankeen jacket, though the weather was still cold, Flushing trowsers wide!' did not near reach to his inkles, and a waistcoat or' 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 whu-h 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 lank 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 ? (Avith 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 savr that he was laughing at me ; but as I felt that I had been rude in staring at him. and said 1 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 D 38 PETER THI. WHA.LER. which opened on to 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 the 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 as- sumed ; 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 this ship?" "Well, if I am, and what then ''" was his no 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 aint 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 ; bir 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, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 39 " 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 com- placently 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 n: e no harm ; and my heart, I must own, 40 PETEK THE WHALER. 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 'Meriea, 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 papers, stating that if the heirs of the late Josiah Flint, of Barnet, in the county of Hereford- shire, 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 advanta- geous to him, and which might or might not be true, but that he had got nothing that he had es- tablished 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 impos- tor. Thus all his share of his grandfather's pro- perty went in law expenses ; and he was going HIS EARLY LIFE AND A^> VEN1 URES. 41 back to the land of his father's adoption, consider- ably poorer than he came, and in no loving humor with England and his English cousins. Such is the brief outline Silas Flint gave me of his history, as we strolled together through the stieets of Liverpool. If, however, I continue de- scribing 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 ip 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 at- tracted there by advertisements long before the ship was ready for sea, partly that the ship-brok- ers might make certain of having the ship filled, and not a little for the benefit of the inns and lodg- ine-house keepers. As soon as they arrived rnopt of them absurdly ignorant of what was to be done, and of the necessaries required for the voy- age 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 pro- vision 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 ni*> round to a number of our PETER THE WHALER; intended fellow- voyagers, and we founa them lend in their complaints of the treatment they had re- ceived, 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 g>>ing and the things they would most require. Among them were a great many of my countrymen ; they were generally the most forlorn and heart-broken, though they had indeed little to leave behind ; but then the slightest inci- dent 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 Bade more provision for the voyage. They had ilso 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 organized 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 sys- tem 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 t HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 43 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 arid a glass of sour, turbid-looking ale which stood on the desk. I was, however, too hungry to refuse 'it, so I eat it as soon as he was gone. An old por- ter had charge of the premises, and he now beck- oned me to follow him to a sort of loft or lumber room over the office, where he had slung a ham- mock which, he told me, I might sleep in or 1 might, if 1 liked, sleep on the bare boards outside. " The hammock's more comfortable than it looks, young un, so I'd advise ,'ou 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 Avith Mr. Cruden the only variation in nay food from bread and cheese was hard biscuits and very doubtful-looking pork and beef. When I told Silas Flint of the treat- ment 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've no one to com- plain to, no friend in the place. Now let me ad- vise 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 [ took my passage in this here ' Black Swan,' ] guessed I had made a mistake ; but what would have been the use of my going to law about it. I know- ed better. I should only have sent my last dollar 14 PETER THE WHALE I, to look after the many which have gone to prove 1 was first cousin to a set of people, who wuuld 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 preach- ed ; 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 neighborhood ; 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 sail- ing, 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 ny inquiry made after me by her worthy captain HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES 4 CHAPTER V. My first experience of a Sea Life. The embarkation of Emi- grants fjr North America. The First Mate reminds me that I offered to make myself useful. Description of a North Ameri- can Emigrant Ship. We sail, and I go aloft for the first time. Dick Derrick's advice and instruction. 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, appa- rently, 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 sea men 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 me any information, and the cap- tain 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 Jiot arrived, so I could not go to him for information. I, therefore, climbed up, out of the way, to tho boat, placed amidships, on the top of the 'x>oms. Soon afterwards, the emigrants G PETER THE WHALER, 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 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 bet- ter 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 would get food and employment, but for their helpless igno- rance, and the want of any one fit to lead or direct them, as also for the treatment they were receiv- ing at the hands of the countrymen they were leav- ing forever. 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 mix- ture of people there were, from all parts'of the United Kingdom aged men and women ; young brides and their hu?Sands ; mothers with tribes oi 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, ^ome kept going backwards and forwards from tin HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 41 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 con- siderable 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 afterwards studiously avoided coming near me. This I thought odd and unkind, nor could I comprehend the cause of this behavior. 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 aggres- sor. " And so you are the youngster who wanted to make himself useful, are you 1" 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. " 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 48 PETER THE WHALER, kept my temper, gave him a more favorable opinion of me than he was before inclined to form, and somewhat softened his savage nature. " A willing hand Avill 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 c-.f 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 class ; and, I think, there were ten cabin passen- gers, 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 sit- ting 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, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 49 dressed in ray sea toggery, and seated with my hands in my pockets, on the booms. " fiillo, Jim what's-your-name we'll have none tf 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 mizen top- sail. 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, how- ever, he meant by " furling the mizen top-sail " I had not the slightest notion, but as I saw that he pointed to the mizen-mast, and that several lads and men were ascending the mizen-rigging, I fol- lowed 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 imme- diately 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 1 saw by the way the other mizen-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, ti> make sinnet and spun-yarn, and the o F 60 PETER THE WHALER, 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 fortu- nate. William Bell was his name. He was a quiet, gentlemanly young man, who always kept his tem- per, 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 dis- covered ; but because it was the Avisest and most dignified course to pursue. As I said before, I ex- pected 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 that 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 Bee 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 as- certained 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 AY ere five miles south-west of the Cape. This spot was marked on the chart ; and the distance run, and the HIS E.ARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 51 course by the compass, were each day afterwards f ricked off in like manner on the charts. The dis- tance 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 divi- sions 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 ano- ther a reel, on which the line is rolled a third, the mate, takes the lo^, 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. In- stead of miles, the word knots is used, evidently from the knots marked on the line. The mode I have thus briefly described of find- ing 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 posi- tion at the same time, when the sky is obscured, it is the only mode of finding the way across the ocean. It can be far more 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 rnud, sand, or shells, which adhere to it, he tells his position. This, and many other parts cf navigation, Mr. Bell, during our night-watches 52 PETER THE WHALKR, took great pains to explain to me ; but it was net till I had been some time at sea that I comprehend ed 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, &c., &c., 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 re- sented it even more than the blows they were con- tinually 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 slight- est 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 chil HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 53 Jren 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 bj thoroughly cleansing the ship, and by serving out good provisions, disease might then nave been ar- rested. The object is to prevent the occurrence of such disorders for the future, by the introduction of a Avell-organised system. In spite of all ob- stacles, 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 emi- grants are to be in future friends or deadly foes to the country they quit. CHAPTER VI. Flint shows he has not forgotten me. My first introduction to Ice, of which I am destined to see much more. A Founder- ing Ship. FOR ten days we had fine weather and light winds, but a southerly gale sprung 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 topsails, 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 round the mizen topsail, 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 54 PETER THE WHALER. and bitter cold it was. We then stood on rather further to the north than the usual track, I be- lieve. 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 a head starboard hard a starboard !" 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 sprung 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 ship's 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 topsail 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 tower- ing 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 ice- berg, and attached to it, and extending a consider- able distance to leeward, was a field or very exten- sive 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. Ill consequence of the extreme darkness it was HIS EARLY LIKE AND ADVENTURES. 55 iangerous to sail either way ; for it was impossible to say what other floes or smaller cakes of ice might be in the neighborhood, and we might pro- bably 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 ano- ther 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 aa 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'm 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." " May be ; but you, the son of a gentleman, and for what I see a gentleman yourself, should be bet- ter treated," he observed. " If I Avas you, I wouldn't stand it a day longer than I could help." " I would not, if I could help it, but I cannot jjuit the ship," I answered " But you may when you get to Quebec," he re- 66 PETER THE WHALER, marked " I wouldn't go back in her on any ac- count 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 inde- pendent wild life he led in the back-woods and prairies. The conversation made a considerable impression on my mind, and I afterwards Avas con- stantly asking myself why I should go back in the " Black Swan ?" When daylight broke the next morning, the dan- gerous 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 pas- sage 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 that 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 waa 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 tc feel that we could render her no assistance. All HIS EARLY LIFE AAD ADVKNTt JIES. 5T 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 canvass the ship could car- ry to be set on her, in hopes of carrying her out before this should occur. It was a chance, whe- ther 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 deep in- terest in her fate. I was in the mizen-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 waa 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 pres- sure 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 thou- sand fragments her tall masts tottered and fell, though still attached to the hull. For an instant I concluded that the ice must hare separated, or perhaps the edges broke with the force of the con cussion ; for, as I gazed, the wrecked mass of hull, and spars, and canvass, seemed drawn suddenly downwards v ith irresistible force, and a few frag 58 PETER THE WHALER, ments which had been hurled by the force of th 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 emi- grants 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. Ihe wind, fortunately, held fair, and though it con- tributed to drive the ice faster in on us, it yet fa- vored 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 their breaths, as the width of the passage decreased, though we had but a short dis- tance 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 out- Bide of the floe. We were just in time, for, the in- Btant 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. Hl& EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 59 Only then did people, begin to inquire what had tecome 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 VII. I claim my Rights, but do not get them acknowledged. Am treated as a Mutineer. A Friend in Need. I discover that there are other things to be guarded against besides Rocks, and Shoals, and Icebergs. A Ship on fire. 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 hith- erto 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 mizen 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 ex- claimed, " 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. Per- haps speaking increased the anger I felt, perhaps tiO PETER THE WHALER. 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 muti- neer." " 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, shainu !" 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 voy- age," was the satisfactory answer ; " they hang? 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 HJ The wind feU, and HIS EARLY LIFR AND ADVENTURES. 61 there was less sea ; but still the night was a very dreary one to me, and besides other physical dis- comforts, I was half-starved. There has been 3 >' dom, 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 some- thing more fit to eat than the horse-flesh 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, Avhich I found very refreshing. I must ob- serve, 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 igno- rant and rude ship-masters. In my time, I have seen much of such conduct; and though I have known many excellent and superior men command- ing 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 ; 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 02 PETER THE WHALER, 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 posi- tion, I had dropped off asleep, when I was aroused by loud shrieks and crie?, and a rush of people on deck. The awful words, " Fire ! fire ! fire !" re- sounded 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 1" " Fire ! fire ! fire !" was the answer of others rushing up from below. For some minutes the shrieks and cries and con- fusion 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 flamea 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. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTl/RES. 08 When it was discovered that the fire was forward, the ship was hove to, thus, under the idea that aa 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 Avith 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 eifect ; 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 5re. Securing a rope round his body, while some >f 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 sung out to be hauled up again. When he reap- peared he Avas 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 yoq at liberty if he could ; however, he's enough else, I guess, to think of just now.'' " Thank you, Flint thank you, for your kind 64 PETER THE WHALER, ness," 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 wit- nessed, 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 colors. While some of the pas- sengers threw off their jackets, and set to with a will, several had cast themselves on the deck, weeping and groaning among the women 5 and Flint, and one of the mates, had actually to go and kick them up before they would attempt to per- form their duty. It is difficult to describe the horrors of that mght, 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 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 coward- ly fear and intense selfishness which were exhibited. Still we floated; but I expected every instant tc gee the ship plunge head-foremost down m the depths of the ocean ; for I thought the fire must HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 05 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, intend- ing 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 after- wards 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 Btate of things when the sun shone forth on the ocean world. The decks, covered with women and children am* 6 6() PKTER THE WHALER, 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 mad- men, 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 per- haps 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 indi- vidual 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 eould shriek and cry no longer. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 61 CHAPTER VIII. Coiisequences of the Want of Discipline. Our Captain des'-rti us. Rafts are built, and many trust themselves on them.- Courage and Coolness of our second Mate. 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 quanti- ty 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 sen- sations 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 with- out 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 at- tempt to prevent them, several of the madmen started the water from the tanks. "Hurrah !" they shouted as they performed this feat. ' The fire 68 PETER THE WHALER, will now be put out and we shall be saved. Tne 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 see- ing 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, tow- ing 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, provi- sions, and water. The first mate, meantime, bail- ed 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 Avould 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 scoAvl, 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. G9 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 re- quires tackles to the yard-arms, and considerable exertion, to launch her. It was the first time 1 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 pos- session of her for themselves, and those they most favored. She at length was launched and dropped astern, and being hauled up under the cabin win- dows, 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 com- parative 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 great- er 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, " 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.* He shouted to them in * I regret to say that the whole account of ihe burning ship is perfectly true. Incredible as it may seem, tae fire continue! mouldering for r^arly a week, before the flames burst forth. 70 PETER THE WHALER, return, that he was not going to desert them ; but that his presence was required in the hoat. I have always held, that the captain should be the last man to quit the deck of his ship ; and every true sea man thinks the same and would scorn to do other- wise. " 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 fei\ 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 pas- sengers 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 fit- tings of the lower deck, the bulk-heads, 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 exer- tions, and not to launch the rafts till the last mo- ment. " 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 71 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 m a small keg. While some of the people who intended to em- bark 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 nigut 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 eases 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 npon Mr. Bell, and th?e of us who rei .ained, and T2 PETER THE WHALER, 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, tvho had kept sober, we made a rush at them, and wrenched their arms from their grasp. So infuri- ated had they become, that, while some of us worked at the pumps and rafts, the rest had to tand guard, and keep them at bay. Fortunately, the wind fell, and the sea went down with the sun, jr it would have been still worse for us. In one respect, the calm was bad, as no ship was .akely to come to our rescue. One might have passed within a very short distance of us, and tfould 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 tne night, we were employed in defending our lives from the attacks of the drunken emigrants. Af- ter 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 the 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 ex- hausted on the deck, and, had the fire then reached HIS EARLY LIFE AND A D VKNT I li KS. 73 where they lay, they would have been burnt, un conscious of their fate. We were now left to con- sider 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 ex- posed 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 pro- cured. 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 wa- ter. Some, in then madness, broke open the sur- geon's dispensary, and rifled it of its contents, swallowing the drugs indiscriminately. The ef- fects on them were various, according to the na ture of the drugs. Some overcome with opium, fell down speedily in a state of stupor ; others were paralysed, and others died in dreadful ago- nies. Burning thirst drove some mad, and several leaped overboard in their delirium. Many died where they lay, en the deck ; women and several poor children quickly sunk for want of water. N< 74 PETER THE WHALER, 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 Rom- ish priest on board, Father Slattery by name. He was a coarse, uneducated man, but the influ- ence 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 endeavoring 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 absolv- ing 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 ai_ r air. Feeling that their destruction was inevitable, if they were not rescued, I slipped a running bow- line knot over the rope to which one of them waf HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 75 hanging, and 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 heen 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. CHAPTER IX. I obtain a Proof that the Gentle and Humane are generally brave in the Hour of Danger. A true Sailor will not dosert hia Ship till the last. Silas tempts me to go away on the Raft. Aid comes when Hope has almost departed. A few are saved, but a bitter Disappointment awaits the rest. A storm comes on, and we lose sight of the Mary's light. 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, re- versed, was flying as a signal of distress, but to lit- tle 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 side? BO as to be able to cover them completely in. TG PETER THE WHALER, Those in the boats appeared very uncomfortable and, certainly, they were much worse off than we \> re, if it had not been for the uncertainty when thu fire might break forth from beneath our feot. 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 tlm 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 5 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, HIS EARLY LIFE AND AL TENT U RES. 77 tvase up, and come with us. This 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 sam<5 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 all be lost together. 1 don't ask you to desert your ship- mates, 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 1 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 it into the water, though the noise they made disturbed a number of the emigrants. " I understand your motive, my lad, and 1 sup pose 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 &s their captain. I did so, thinking you would be certain to go too." 78 PETER THE WHALER, I again assured him that nothing would nduce me to desert Mr. Bell. So. expressing his sorrow, he shook ine 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 di- rectly 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 re- main. 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 con- dition, so did this night of dark horror, and another morning dawned on the burning wreck. Clouds, streaked with bright red edges, were gathering in 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 maintop-gallant-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 u Sail, ho ! ho ! over the larboard quarter." Instantly the second mate, followed by several HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. .'9 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 west- ward, 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 tc endure than our previous hopelessness. While we were watching the stranger, the clouda 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 honor," 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 honor, it looks brewing up for a regular tempest, as you say, and no mistake," ob- served Derrick. Even while they were talking we heard the wind whistle in the rigging, and the ship began to surge neavily through the rising waves. 80 PETER THE WHALER, The people in the boats at this were evidently alarmed, and one of the gigs hauled alongside, several persons in her preferring to trust them- selves 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 em- igrants 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 de- scended 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 tha> the rest, lay down without hope, and others actu ally yielded up their spirits to the hands of de^th HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 81 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 misfor- tune 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 ; 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 be 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 Tas 82 PETER THE WHALER. little time to lose ; for scarcely had they got along- side 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 car- ried 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 dread- ful, 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 writ- ten the cheering words : " We will keep near you, and take you off when the weather moderates." Suppose, I thought, the weather does not moder- ate till the flames burst forth, and any moment they may break through the deck. I am afraid of wearying my readers with an ac- count 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 everything 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 Bteer. HIS SAIILY UFK AND ADVENTURES. 83 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 de- stroyed 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 mid- night, and just as I had got on my feet, I heard a voice sing out : " Where's the Mary's light ?" 1 ran forward. It was nowhere to be seen. CHAPTER X. We once more see the Mary. Our Hopes of Preservation are again disappointed. The Fire is extinguished by its more powerful Rival. 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 condi- tion 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 .norning appeared, we looked out ahead for the Mary. Not a sail was to be seen from the deck The lead-colored ocean, heaving with foam-topped waves, was around us bounded by the horizon. On flew our burning ship before the gale, aud we wouk 1 84 PETER THE WHALER, have set more sail to try and overtake the Mary , but \fQ 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 yard-arms 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 un- der 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 hor- rurs, and the still more dreadful night which fol- lowed ! The fire was gaining on us ; every part of the deck was hot, and thick choking smoke is- sued from numberless crevices. With dismay, too, we saw the boats on which our safety so much de- pended, 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 were more inured to hardships, and kept up their spirits the best, could but arouse themselves to take a short trick at the helm. What would vi HIS EAKLY LIFE AND ADVENTUF ES. 85 have given, I repeat, for a drop of water ! a thou sand 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 re- main, 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 re- plied. " 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 lis- tened 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 top-sail blown to ribbons. What next might fol- low, 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 the smoke. There was again a lull. The foam no longer flew from the white-crested waves gradu- ally they subsided in height. The motion of the ship was less violent, though she still rolled heivi- ly, as if unable to steady herself. We at length began to hope that the final effort af the gale was made. The day wore on more H 86 PETER THE WHALER. persons died the smoke grew thicker, and ^as 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 co heave the ship to. Another difficulty arose to enable the boat to come on board, we must like- wise 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 top-sail, 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 spill- ing the contents. It occupied a long time tc transfer the emigrants from one ship to the other. The} 7 were so utterly unable to help themselves, that they had to be lowered like bales of goods into the bouts, 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 communica- tion between the ships. In one respect during that night, the condition of those who remained was im- proved ; for we had water to quench our burning thirst, and food to quell our hunger ; besides which, ft boat's crew of seamen, belonging to the Mary HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 87 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. To- wards 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. 1 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 mizen-mast. As the ship lay head to wind, their progress was slow for- ward, nor did they ascend very rapidly ; conse- quently the mizen-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 stil 1 raging, vhen, overcome with fatigue and sickn?ss, 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 88 PETER THE WHALER, when her charred fragments sunk beneath th wave. CHAPTERXI. Captain Dean and his Daughter a contrast to Captain Swales and Mr. Stovin I am taken ill, and gently nursed We reach a Port at last A Description of Qu ^bec A Conversation be- tween Mary Dean and me. WE were kindly welcomed and cared for on board the Mary, though we subjected her passen- gers and crew to much inconvenience, and 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 nurs- ing 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 kind- ness 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 behavior, 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 * gentleman, and how I had been treated by Cap lain Swales. 1IIS EARLY LIFK AND AL VENTURES. 89 Captain Dean Avas a very different character to Captain Swales ; with whose conduct he was sc thoroughly disgusted, that he refused to hold any further communication with him than business ac- tually 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 minis- tering hand of gentle Avomanbe found. Mary Dean watched over me, as the ship Avhich bore us steered her course for the mouth of the St. 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 AA'atchful treatment. I Avas in a IOAV fever, and unconscious. How long I remained so, I scarcely knoAV. I aAvoke one after- noon, and found Mary Dean sitting by my side, working with her needle. I fancied that I was dead, and that she AA-as an angel watching over me. Although I discovered that the first part of the notion AA'as 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 Avorks ; 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 aAvay, before I Avas able to go on deck. Captain Dean Avas 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 Avas very H* 8 90 PETER THK WHALER, graceful. She was beautifully fair, with blue, truth ful 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 m 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 sum- mer 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 hap- pened 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 It was Cape Breton, at the entrance of the trull of St. Lawrence. Rounding the cape, we stood towards the mouth of the river St. 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 nver formed by the island of Orleans, the city first met my view. It is at this point, that the St. Lawrence, taking a sudden turn, expands, BO as to assume the appearanc of a broad lake. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES, j)l 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 house-tops of which, crown- ing 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, de- scending 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 St. 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 St. Charles, without the for- tifications. 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 Wolf gained the victory which gave Canada to England, and where, fighting nobly, he fell in the hour of triumph. But my object ia !52 PETER THE WHALER, rather to describe a few of the events of my earl) 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. Aa sixm us the necessary forms were gone through, the emigrants went on shore, and, with few excep- tions, 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 Cap- tain Dean, for he had been very kind to me ; in- deed, 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 in- deed, to you and to your father." " But I do not see why you should leave us, Pe- ter," 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." HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 93 " 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. " 0, 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 very good style, let me tell you." " That's more than I can do, I am afraid," I ob- served : " 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 an- swered, with more enthusiasm than I had ever be- fore 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 reference 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 kin- dred, 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 'J4 PETER THE WHALER ind little k proposing were very young, and little knew the dangerous sea on which we were proposing to sail. I called her for I felt as if she were indeed my sister CHAPTER XII. I a^ree to sail with Captain Dean. An Old Frit*id reappears. He persuades me to accompany him up the Country. I visit the Lakes. THE next morning the Mary commenced dis- ciiarging 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 lie recommended me to take a trip in a trader to Halifax or St. John's for the sake of gaining information regarding the naviga- tion of those seas. " A person who wishes to be a thorough sailor every opportunity of making himself well acquainted (and if a man is not a thorough sailor he has no business to be an officer)," he observed, " will seek with the navigation of every sea he visits ; the ap- pearance 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 con sequently 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 95 will becon.e 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 com- paring them with others." I have always remembered Captain Dean's ad- vice, 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 curi- osity 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 recognized. I pointed my glass steadily at him. I felt certain that I could not be mistaken. It was Silas Flint. Then all in 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 dingy 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 j and I was glad 96 PETER THE WHALER, co find that with the exception of two, all had been picked up by the ship on board of which they theii 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 no- thing 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 re- solved 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 descrip- HIS EARLY UFE AND ADVENTURES. 97 tions of the sports 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 Bee 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 informa- tion ; 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 pur- chased, 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 ob- served, 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 west- ward ?" I observed. "Aye, lad, to the far west," he answered; but I ft i 98 PETER THE WHALER, 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 Avith 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 Eng- lish 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 ex- pense 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 Good- rich, 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 expe- dition. 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 de- scription 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 gene- rally fine, so that a bark hut afforded us ampU HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 99 shelter at night, and our rifles gave us as much food as we could require. Our greatest enemies were musquitoes 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 inhabi- tants of that territory ; but they were invariably friendly, and willing to trade with us. Silas under- stood 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 convert- ing 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 return- ing 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 opj ortunity. 100 PETER THE WHALER. CHAPTER XIII. Retum to Quebec. A bitter Disappointment. Search in vail for my Friends. Journey through the Western States. New Orleans. Captain Hawk of the Foam. A Slaver. Captain Searle of the Susannah. AT length I reached Quebec, and hurried to the -0 PETER THE WHALEUl, " We shall soon see that," he observed. ' These ivho 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 betray ing 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. 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 ta- ken ; so that there was a pretty strong flotilla en- gaged 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 accom- rny the boats ; not that I feared the danger, but 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 proceed ; ngs than I did HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES 161 CHAPTER XVIII. Fie Tirates attacked in their Strong-hold. The na of thf Foam. The Pirates recognize us. I narrate my .t-dv mtures but am not believed. Arrive in Port. The Trial. Am found Guilty, and Condemmed. As is expected by all Readers Friends arrive just in time to prove me innocent. I enter on board an American Man-of-war. 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, '.Che wreaths of smoke could be perceived in the atmosphere, rising above the trees. Once there ivas a cessation ; and it appeared that the boats were driven back. One thing was certain, the pi- rates 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 great- er 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 be 162 PETER THE WHALEK, "ore me, through the trees the boats at the month 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 verx- 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 re-appearance of the boats, till the Neptune's people began to fear that their brave shipmates had been all de- stroyed. There was only one small boat, the dingy, remaining on board. The master, the only gun- room ofiicer 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 ap peared thus one only was missing. They pulled slowly on board, and were seen to be heavily laden. With a shout of joy and heai ty congratulation they were received alongside ; but the entire sa- tisfaction at the success of the expedition was some- what mitigated, when it was found that several of their numbers were missing. They had brought ?ff ten prisoners, most of whom were wounded. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 163 Soii?e of the packages which had been taken from the Mary were also brought on board. Neithei Hawk nor Abraham Jones were among the prison- ers ; I therefore concluded that they were killed or had escaped. The prisoners, to my horror, at once recognized me and the rest of their comrades, addressing us familiarly by our names, and thus completely identified us with themselves. I sup- pose they did this from a feeling of revenge, from fancying that we had been the cause of their dis- aster. The captain, on this, ordered us all to be secured and treated as prisoners alike, till he had lime 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 de- scribed it to a messmate. It appeared that the pi- rates 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. Heie 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, won- derful 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 a a collecting some of the booty, had caused 16-4 PETER THE WHALER, the delay. The guns also planted by the pirate* 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 case, 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 state- ments, which, he said, were altogether incredible, and assured me that he fully believed that I de served hanging as much as the rest. I assured him that I had not deceived him, and requested him to confront the negro, Mark An- thony, 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 thig request. When the black was brought up, he gave a malicious grin at me, and putting his han.l on his heart, assured the captain and officers, that, as he Bpoke the truth, I was the most wicked vicious youngster on board the schooner, to which he kne* HIS EARLY LIFE, AND ADVEN1URES. 165 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 this 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 examina- tion, that the naval officers were compelled to re- serve 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 sa- tisfaction, 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 favorable account of me. While I was thinking of this, I suddenly \>egan to reflect, thai perhaps Captain Searle might turn upon me as the African had done, though for a diffeient reason. He wruld be able to prove that I was at Now Or- 166 PETER THE WHALER, jeans 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 punish- ment for our misdeeds, unless our Saviour merci- fully 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. 1 fain hoped on the latter account. HIS F.ARLY LIFE AND ADVKNTURES. ITS i At length we arrived. I will not stop to de- su'ibe 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 Boon after the Neptune had dropped her anchor, I was conveyed, with the other prisoners, on shore to gaol. 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 set- tled. 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 thy United States' navy. The trial of the people in the boat next came on. The others swore that we belonged to the schoon- er ; 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 indiffer- ent 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 unlaw- ful war against the United States brig Neptune ?" " I cannot swear to that ; because, in a fatal fit of forgetfulness, seeing every one excited around ane, I might have pulled and hauled at the ropes of the schooner." "An acknowledgment of his guilt," exclaimed 168 PETER THE WHALER, the counsel for the Government ; and I, with all the rest, was adjudged to be hung at the end of the week at the yard-arm of the brig which had cap- tured us. Never was a nest of more atrocious pirates broken up, said the public papers comment- ing 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 expect- ed 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 wa3 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 per- sons, whose appearance, at that juncture, made my heart leap into my mouth with joy and gratitude, and prove 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 pi- rates 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 participa- tion 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, anu of my own accord, rejoined the pirates, though every opportunity had been offered me of escaping. I urged my oath ip extenuation of my conduct, and that I was bound to return. This wns not held in law to be any excuse. I had no business to take an oath of that nature, it was asserted by tho coun- sel for the Government. The sentence of death HIS EARLY LIFE ANlJ ADVENTURES. 169 against me was, however, rescinded, on account of the many extenuating circumstances brought for- ward in my favor ; 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 13 no chance of a war with England, I see no reason to prevent me." CHAPTER XIX. Sails in the Pocahontas for the North Seas. An account of an American Man-of-war. I become acquainted with Andrew Thompson. He describes Labrador to me. The history of Princess Pocahontas. A Man overboard. How to behave in the Water. THE next day I found myself transferred on board the United States corvette, Pocahontas, of twenty guns, and one hundred and fifty men, includ- ing 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 con- tend with the bad weather she might expect to meet, and the loose ice she was also likely to en- 15 o 170 PETER THE WHALER, counter. I shall describe her more particularly by-and-bye. The day after I had become one of her 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 him- self 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 mean time ; 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." HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 171 Thus we talked on, joking, often through our Borrows, till it was time for my friends to go on shore. With heavy hearts we parted. Had we been able to see the future, how 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 fore- thought. 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 uncer- tain. I dared not write. The next morning, at break of day, the boat- swain'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 re- spective 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 ie 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 harbor, or at divisions and quarters, all hands are at their proper posts at the saiu? 172 PETER THE WHALER, time. Each top has its proper crew, who are known as foretop-men, maintop-men, and mizeutop-men, whose duty it 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, etc., and, consequently the most trustworthy veterans are selected for the office. In what is called the waist, or the centre of the ship, the land's-men, and least skillful 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 -guard 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 offi- cers ; 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 dis- rated 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 prin- ciples 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 mini ber. 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 173 together, and all would be confusion and constant disaster. There must be a head to command, eithef worn by the captain or first lieutenant. If the lat- ter 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 honor, 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 dis- covered ; 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 sea- man | but then he spouted poetry, and wrote versei in praise of freedom ; arid this talent, I conclude, had gained him his appointment, though, by-the- bye, the verses appeared to me very bad. There were several of my own messmates witb o 174 PETER THE WHALER; whom I became intimate. Though rough in man ner, 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 in- Btructive 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 harbors in which he had brought up ; as also in giving me instruction n all branches of seamanship. My other friend was called Terence O'Connor, in 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 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, I could, and did, protect him, and his gratitude won my regard. He had been tolera- bly 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 hia ship at Charleston, he had entered on board th HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 175 Pocahontas. I mention these three of my ship- mates for reasons which will hereafter be seen. 1 had several other friends, whom I liked more, per- haps, 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 run- ning through the gulf of St. 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 trowsers, 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 igno- rant 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 below the freezing point ; and though the houses of the mis- sionaries are heated by stoves, the windows and walls are covered all the time with ice, and the bcd- clrthes freeze to the walls. Rum is frozen in the 176 PETER THE WHALE*, air as rapidly as water, and rectified spirits 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^ pre- vent 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 musquitoes, 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 al- ways get out again, and some have been frozen up for several years together ; yet, by proper precau- tions, 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 hap- py 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 ID their lives." HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 17? " 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 waa near ; " I cannot think where it comes from." "01 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 Pocahontas. 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 at- tacked 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 Pocahon- tas, who instantly fell in love with him, and inter- ceded 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 tc his beautiful and faithful bride ; and, having suc- ceeded in converting her to Christianity, he mar- ried her according to the rites of the church. From this union sprung some of the most respec- table and wealthy families of the state." I thanked Tom for his story ; and agreed, thai 178 PETER THE WHALER, the Princess Pocahontas ought to be held in rever* ence by all true Virginians. Our conversation was interrupted by the cry of "All hands, shorten sail !" We sprang 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, help- ing to reef the mizentop-sail ; 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 them- selves into fury. The twilight of evening was just giving way to the gloom of night. I never re- member a more dismal-looking close to a day. We had managed to close-reef the mizentop- sail ; but the maintop-sail, which was more diffi- cult to manage, was still bulging out above the yard, the hands oa which it threatened every in- stant to strike off, as the ship, with desperate force, kept plunging her bows into the opposing seas. " Come, bear a hand, with that maintop-sail, there," exclaimed Mr. Stunt, through his speaking- trumpet ; " or" What he was going to say, I know not ; for, at ihat instant, there arose the fearful cry of " A mas overboard a man overboard !" It sounded like the knell of a fellow-being. Cap- tain 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 speak ing to himself. " We'll gladly risk our lives to save him, sir, 1; cried two or three who were near him ; ' it's O'Con- nor, it's Terry O'Connor !" " So would I/' escaped from my lips. I had at HIS EA11LY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 177 all events intended to have volunteered to go in the boat. " Down with the helm ! Back the maintop-sail !" 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 gloom 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 sen- tences 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 astern. 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 g;ive the sid response. " Then it is hopeless wafting 180 PETER THE WHALER, longer. Fill the maintop-sail. Up with the helm." Scarcely had the captain uttered these words in a loud voice, than a hand in the maintop 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, ner- vous hail. " Hold fast then with the maintop-sail braces," cried the captain. There was no need of that order by-the-bye. " Keep the helm down. Stand by to loAver 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 a 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 siga 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 foam- ing 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. ~\Y* HIS EARLY L FE AND ADVENTURES. 18J thought we must have reached the spot, where O'Connor should have been. " Be alive, ship-mates," said a voice close to us ; " in. bow oar, and lend us a hand." It was O'Con- nor's voice. He was swimming with perfect com- posure close to us on the top of a wave, and strik- ing 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 its 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 en- gagement, 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 short time for talking and hearing how it had hap- pened, as may be supposed. We had great diffi- culty in getting on board again, and it required ex- treme caution to prevent the boat being swamped along-side. At last we reached the deck, and the boat was hoisted in. " Why, you have'nt 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 ship- mate 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 hia p 182 PETER THE WHALER, hammock, observing that his nervous system mast have received a great shot k ; and that he need not do duty for some days, -while the surgeon was di- rected 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 seamen most approve. After he was made com- fortable, 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 off 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVEN'i URES. 183 would he a noise on board, and people asking -who had gone, and where I was. I heard the cry of ' a man overboard !' just as I came up to the sur- face. 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 maintop-sail. ' Now or ne- ver,' 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 XX. Again Terence falls from aloft, and is saved. We reach the North Sea. A Description of some of the Birds or those Regions. I ara at the Helra. The Ship strikes an Iceberg. Goes down. The Marines firing on the Crew. A few alone escape. THE Pocahontas 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 nc 184 PETER THE WHALER, certain knDwledge, 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, per- fectly true. Terence had been s'ent on the foretop- gallant-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, ejacu- lated " 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, Ter- ence 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 mizen chains. From thence jump- ing 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 1 felt myself going, I thought it was all up with me ; and never was so surprised in my life as when I HIS EARLV LIFE AND ADVENT UHE3. 185 found myself in the water. Tell me, Peter, do yen think it was God who made the fore-sail 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 An- drew 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 hopeless 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 was it 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 tem- perature made us glad of warm clothing ; but, aa yet, there was no cold to be comrdoined of. W P 186 PETER THE WHALFR. 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 5-t or 55 ; but I am uncertain, from the reasons I have 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 mess- mates called them by the various names of shearwa- ters, 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 way parti- cular 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 flavor is confined to the fat, the whole of which is under the skin, and jhiefly near the thighs. By carefully skinning the birds, they tasted like ordinary land-fowl ; and be- fore the officers found out the secret, we had a capi- tal 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 quit- ting their mortal frames, entered these fleet deni- zens 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 roundoff HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 181 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 mode- rate weather, alight on the water, being ever con- stant 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-b".ntings attempted to alight on our rigging; but, like thistle-downs, before they could reach it, they were blown to leeward, and, ex- hausted 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, pass ing 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 abate- ment of the storm. I am now coming to one of the most perilous in- cidents 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 eve- ning it moderated a little, and the ship was carry- 188 PETER THE WHALER, ing tier three whole top-sails, close-hauled, ani 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 dan- ger 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 trowsers ; 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 in- clemency of the weather, provided I had not to face it. This I had to lo while at the helm ; and I re- membered Andrew's account of the Moravian mis- sionaries having their eye-lids 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 ap- peared 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. HIS EARLY LIFE AN'O ADVENTURES 18'J In tlie 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, apostro phising 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 shak- ing of her canvass, 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 a-head, 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 lieu- tenant 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 close to me, had been peering into the gloom ahead. " A sail !" he exclaimed ; " that's no sail, but an ice- berg I see its light. We might have weathered 190 PETER THE WHALER, it ; but now we are on it and Heaven have mercy on our souls." As he spoke, a loud fearful crash was heard the Btout 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 endeavor to re- store order. Many of the people, in their fright, sprung overboard, and were instantly swallowed up by the waves. The ship rose and fell with tre- mendous force as the sea lifted her, and the loud crashing forward, showed that her strong bows had been stove in. The foremast 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 cap* tain, through his speaking-trumpet. "Beat to HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 191 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 foremast. 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 j 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, obe- dient 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 crusted seas dashing over her stern, amid which stood a mass of human beings, in all the attitudes of agonized despair and dismay, except those few drilled to obedience, who knew not the danger. Then, again, above our heads, rising tc 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 192 PETER THE WHALER, far into the caverned recesses of its stupendous sides. Can I ever forget the dreadful despairing shriek which lent 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 engulphed beneath the gree- dy waves. No helping hand could we offer to any of our shipmates. The taller masts and spars fol- lowed, 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 1 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 ice- berg ; and we were convinced that, out of that HIS EARLY LI?E AND ADVENTURES. 193 gallant crew, who lately trod tlie deck of the beau- tiful ship which was now fathoms down beneath our feet, we four were the only beings left alive. CHAPTER XXI. A Night on an Iceberg. Andrew bids us trust in Providence. Morning dawns. Beautiful Appearance of the Iceberg. We find food. A Signal fixed on the Top of the Berg. Lose our Flint and Steel. A novel Burning Glass. A Raft formed. Some Treasures collected. Xo Help arrives. I CAN scarcely picture the horrors of that night I would fain, indeed, forget them, but that is irn possible. We had preserved our lives for the pre- sent 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-pointj 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 solemn- ly. " He has wonderfully preserved us thus far. He will not desert us, unless it be his good plea- sure 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 warn ing." 17 2 191 PETER THE WHALER, " Should I never have another oppoi tunity, 1 f hank 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 ob- served. " 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," exclaim- ed Andrew. " It's a joyful thing for a man, wheu 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 favor in the world to which he'a 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. In deed, what other subject could we talk on but re- ligion, for every moment Ave felt that we might be in the presence of our Maker. As Andrew warned us, the nhock the iceberg had received by the ship I1IS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 196 striking against it, might have detached what art called calves, great lumps from the bottom, and should the gale increase, it might capsize in an in stant. 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 par- ticularly ; but poor Tom continued to suffer. For- tunately Andrew discovered in his pocket his pipp with some tobacco, and a flint and steel. He light- ed the pipe, and let Tom have a smoke, which re- vived and warmed him, and we the nail 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 wrurio; out his wet jacket, and chafed his hands and feet till the circulation was restored. The night, however, seemed interminable. To favor 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 bo many whalers in these parts." " They keep further to the eastward, generally,*" replied Andrew. " They are, also, not fond of ice bergs, and try to avoid them." 196 PETER THE WHALER, 1 own, that, seeing him so calm and collected, 1 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 he 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 pro- duce, 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 cir- cumstances which might occur. I might have sailed with Andrew for a long time in calm wea- ther 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 storn? and gloom. Now, all around was calm, beautiful, and bright. Before the sun arose, the whole east- HIS EART.Y LIFE AND ADVENTCRES. 191 srn sky was glowing with an orange tin^e ; while every fleecy cloud around was tinted with gold and red, orange, or pink, and every conceivable interme- diate hue ; while the clear portions of the sky it- self Avere of the purest and most ethereal blue the whole sea glowing with the same varied and beautiful colors. But, still more beautiful and won- derful seemed the vast mountain of ice on which we floated, as in every fantastic form it appeared, towering above us. The pinacles and turrets of the summit were tinted with the glowing hues of the east ; while, lower down, the columns and arch- es which supported them, seemed formed of the purest alabaster of almost a cerulean tint ; and around us, on either side, appeared vast caverns and grottos, 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 xceberg there being a wide flat space some distance above the wa- ter, 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 rip- pling noise during the night, and could not conceive whence it came ; but now, on looking around, I per- ceived that it was caused by a small cascade, which, from the ice at the top continually melting, came trickling down the side. "W shaJl have fresh water, at all events, in Q 198 PETER THE WHALEK, abundance," I observed to Andrew, who had awoke from a sleep into which he, with our other compa- nions, 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 be- low us, a little way to the left. " It looks like an animal of some sort," I ex- claimed. " 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 thai score," he replied ; " it is a seal, and from the way it is lying, it is, I sus- pect, 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 Ter- ence and Tom, and get them to help 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 hav- ing 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 hat? 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. Iliis did not happen by chance," said Andrew. We found that we could not drag the entire body of the B^al up to the higher ledge so we cut thin slices out HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 19? of it. hoping, by drying them in the sun, to pre- erve 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 car- cass 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, ve 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 por- tion 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 a quarter-boat which had gone to pieces rith the first sea. These latter we dried in the 200 PETER THE WHAT.ER, sun, and afterwards kindled with them a snail fire, over which we cooked two of our fowls, and dried the seal's flesh for future use. We without diffi- culty eat the fowls, but had not yet got up an ap- petite for seal-flesh. " We might be worse off, there's no doubt about it," observed Terence ; " and it strikes me, An- drew, that what with the hen-coop and the spars, we might build a sort of a raft which would keep us a float a short time, should the berg take to mak- ing a somerset." " I was thinking of the same thing," was An- drew's reply. " They will form but a small raft ; but if the berg drives anywhere near the shore, it will, at least, enable us to reach it. The sooner we set about making it the better. It will keep ua off the cold ice in the mean time, and by rigging the boat's sail 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 mak- ing our breakfast. Instead of tea, we knocked off, with the boarding-pikes, lumps of ice, which we ate, and found perfectly fresh. This, Andrew ex- plained, 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 tho 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 HIS EARLY LIFE iND ADVENTURES. '2^ spreading out the boat's sail ; but Andrew remind- ed him, that on the white iceberg that would not be readily seen, and advised our fastening our co- lored 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 tho 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 labor, 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 pur- pose. At the top we secured four red cotton hand- kerchiefs, 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 ap- proaches, it will be seen that some human beings are on it," observed Andrew, as we prepared to descend, having first carefully surveyed the hori- zon 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, An- drew had put the flint and steel in 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 202 PETEH THE WHAT.KK, 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 tc form our raft. We had few materials ; and our on- ly tools were our knives and the heads of the board- ing-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 com- pleted, 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, ship- mates," said poor Tom, who had not recovered his hurt. " I feel as if I could not weather out another night like the last." " 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 encour- aging words had an immediate effect on Tom's spir- its, 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 be- fore 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 tc lean over the edge and pick up several things in ihe water. The first was a bucket, in sound con- HIS EARLY LiFE AND ADVENTURES. 20S iition ; 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 dis- covered 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 peo- ple 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, won- dering what he was going to do. With the board- ing-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 opera- 204 PETER THE WHALER, tions 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 h:nd here, then," said Andrew, to me. I took off my mitten, and gave it him wil- lingly. 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 sen sation 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 transpa- rent 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 ; HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 205 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 XXII. Introduces a Second Day. I dream of Home. A Sail in sight- winch disappears. An Iceberg in motion. We try our Raft We are not seen. A Breexe springs up. The Iceberg cap- sizes. 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 great- er part of it, and therefore in spite of our extra- ordinary position, and the deep anxiety we felt for cur 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 deliver- ance to the Great Being, who had hitherto so mer- cifully preserved us. I dreamed, it seemed to me, all night long. Sometimes I was at home with my father and mo- ther 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 fa- miliar prospect before it. Some one was describ- ing 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 over- R 206 PETER THE WHALER, whelmed beneath it. Then I thought a ship ap peared, and Captain Dean was at the helui, 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 lather 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 dis- tance. I cried out with terror, and my own voice awoke me, when I found that my feet were project- ing beyond the shelter of the sail, and were bit- terly 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. Aa I looked out on the tranquil, dark-shining sea, in which the glittering stars floating, so it seemed, in the blue aether 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 voicea wandering through the air, and strains of sweet music seemed to come up from the deep. I waa almost positive I could hear music ; sweet and faint and soft as a seraph's sigh, it came down to my eai HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. *J07 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 confi- dent 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 1 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 we not make a fire as a signal ?" I asked ; " that would attract her." " You forget that our flint and steel went over- board ; 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 jame down to our anxious ears. '' There is no use wearing out our lungs with 208 PETER THE WHALER, 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 diappointment, 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 ex- pected her to tack, or to re-pass near. At length we returned to our raft, and endeavored to forget our disappointment in sleep. We lay down, under our seal- skin 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 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 ice- berg 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 be- HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 209 fore, so that it was necessary to continue holding on by the boarding-pike, to prevent its gliding oft". " 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 mav go right over. Should we survive till the morning, we shall pro- bably 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 mo the account, belonged to a whaler, the Thomas, of Hull, Captain Taylor, fishing in Davis' Straits. Well, one day, they lay moored to an ice- berg, 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 tre- mendous 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 ail the old whale-men knew well enough, that a calf had broken away from the bottom of the berg ; bu^ * 18 210 PETER THE WHALER, fortunately, had struck the keel fairly, without in- juring 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 set- tle 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 ascertain- ing 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 re- collection of the peril to which we were momenta- rily exposed. how long that night seemed ! I fancied that it would never have an end ; each minute seemed pro- longed to an hour each hour to a winter's night. Sometimes we talked, and listened to Andrew's de- scription 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 BO exert himself to keep up the spirits of his com- oanions. He was actuated by a true Christian spirit ; and nothing else would have enabled him, I am confident, to forget himself and watch ovar us HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 211 m the way lie did. There had been a spell of si- lence, 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 1 n " 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 ad- vice ; indeed, we all looked up to him as our guide and captain. With no little thankfulness did we welcome the first streaks of dawn in the eastern horizon. Again we knelt down and offered our prayers to Heaven. We h:icl scarcely risen to our feet when a shout of joy escaped from our lips ; for there, in the grey misty dawn, with her canvass hanging against her masts, lay motionless on the calm water a ship the same, doubtless, which we fancied had passed far from us in the night. Was that calm sent by Providence to effect our salva- tion ? 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 212 PETER THE WHALER, to the one in which we were, can alone tr-ily com prehend 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 hand- kerchiefs, so as to show a broad face to those ou board yonder vessel. As soon as the sun is high enough, we'll try and light a fire, arid 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 aie off the bet- ter," we all cried out together. Terence and I climbed up to the top of the berg, juid spread out our handkerchiefs between two HIS cJARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 213 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 re- quired 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 Ave 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 bad 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. In- deed. 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 t\ e wind still the sea continued calm as a mirror. On we 214 PETER THE WHALER, went our eyes were on the ship's sails. Alas ! a light cat's-paw skimmed across the ocean the top-gallant sails of the barque blew out ; but be- fore 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. with what agony we saw the topsails bulge out, and the barque's head turn from us. We si- multaneously 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 An- drew. " 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 witk 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 did it appear now, glittering on the beams of the sun ; some parts of alabaster white- aess, and the rest tinged with hues of gold and HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 215 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 waa seen to be lowered, and quickly being manned, it pulled towards us. Then, indeed, our hearts rose in 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 support- ed 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 did'nt 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 cap- tain'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 preserva- tion. 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 re- ceived by the master, officers, and crew with the greatest kindness and attention. The surgeon or- dered us at once to be put into warm hammocks, wnile some warm liquid was poured down our 216 PETER THE WHALER, 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 in- creased, 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 ice- berg. 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 posi- tion in which I was ever placed. CHAPTER XXIII. The Whale Ship. I join her. A Description of a Whaler. Her Boats, Harpoons, and other Gear. The Crow's Nest. AU ready for Fishing. Reach a Field of Ice. Narrow Escape. THE vessel, on board which we so happily found ourselves, was called " The Shetland Maid," her master, Captain John Kendall. She measured three hundred and fifty tons, was barque-rigged, and per- fectly fitted as a whaler, being also strengthened by every means which science could devise, to enable her to resist tho pressure of the ice to which such vessels must inevitably be exposed iii HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 217 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 sf 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 item flf the boat. We knew that the first boat HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 235 wanted more line, by seeing an oar elevated, and then a second, when the second boat pulled ra- pidly up tq her. The language of signs, for such work, is very necessary, and every whaler compre- hends them. We now came up, and arranged ourselves on cither side of the fast-boat, a little ahead, and at some distance, so as to be ready to pull in directly the whale should re-appear 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. " Hurrah, boys ! see. she rises !" was the gene- ral 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 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, lash- ing 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 for- mer 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 Bide it was plied with lances, while another har- poon was dashed deeply into it, to make it doubly lecure. Our boat was the most incautious ; for 236 PETER THE WHALER, we were right over the tail of the whale, Th 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. Fortu- nately, 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, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 237 turned slowly round upon its side and then it float- ed 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 honor 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, t.hat 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 expence 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 ope- ration 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 pos- sible down to the harpoons, which were left stick- ing 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. 288 PETER THE WHALER, CHAPTER XXV. We secure our Fish. How to carve a Whale. A Greenlar.4 Shark. Arctic Birds. Making off. A Description of a South-Sea Whaler. A Bear in a Boat. A COOKERY-BOOK, in the possession of my good mother, advises one to catch one's hare before cook- ing it. On the same principle I deferred describ- ing 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 se- cure it carefully alongside, lest it might sink even there, and be lost after all our trouble ; such mis- fortunes 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 4 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 to- wards 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, there- fore, composed of many turns of ropes and blocka, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURE3. 29f 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 mainmast, the fall being past 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 labors. " 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 pre- pared 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 color, 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 re- gions, as he robs most other birds not only of their prey, but of their eggs and young. The sea-swal- low, 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 210 PETER THE WHALER, 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 im- maculate 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 -pikes of iron, to prevent them from slipping off ne back of the whale, on which they now descend- ed, I, with three other youngsters, were mean- time 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 tuem what they required, and to pick any one up who should by chance fall into the water. The specRsioneer, 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 caii 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, per- forming the same work on a larger scale than 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 whalebone ia cut out of the mouth. The whalebone HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 241 IB placed in two rows in the mouth, and is used in- stead 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 largo ; 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, re membering all I had heard about sharks. " Won't be eat one ?" " No, not he ; but just run a boat-hook into him, and try and drive him away, for he's drawing five shilling's worth of oil out of the fish every mouth- ful 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 21 u 242 PETER THE WHALER, 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 aa before. I afterwards learned that this Greenland shark is not really blind, though the sailors think so be- cause 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 sailor's little friends, the Mollies. The moment the fish was struck, they had begun to assemble, and they were now peck- ing and tearing away at the flesh with the great- est impudence, even among the men's long knives. One at last got between David's legs, which so tried his patience, tha.t he took it up and flung it from him with a hearty shake, abusing it for run- ning 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 ia the name given to the r: fuse parts of the whale) is cut off, they were to be seen sitting on the water in thousands tearing at the floating pieces ; and when one morsel seemed more tempting than another, HI3 EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 243 driving their weaker brethren away from it t 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 with- out 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 in on deck. Tf 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 244 PETER THE WHALER, have possessed, and still he would not die. At last the surgeon cut him up. and hours after, each indi- vidual piece seemed to have life remaining in it. Sometimes, when the tackles are removed, the carcass of the whale sinks, and the fish at the bot- tom 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 divi- sion 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 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 appa- ratus required for preparing the blubber. The speck- trough is an oblong box, with a lid, About twelve feet in length. The lid, when thrown Oack, forms a chopping table ; and it is covered with bfts of whale's tail from end to end. which be HIS t\RLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 2i5 ing 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 canvass, leading into the hold and moveable, so as to be placed over the bungs of each cask. A pair of nippers em- brace 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 obloag 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 fuide the tube or lull to the casks they desire to 11. 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 ac- count, 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. u*' S46 PETER THE WH LER, t( I'll tell you what it is, Peter," said Andrew, as I sat by him in the forecastle that evening, listen- ing 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-con- ducted. 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 occa- sions ; and if we had more like him in the merchant- service, generally, we should have soon an improve- ment 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 ; n those seas are, generally, sperm whales, with blnnt, 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 fo 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, vith brick, on HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. deck, between the foremast 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 j and then, the stench of the boiling oil, nissing and bubbling in the pots the suffocating feel of the smoke the fierce-looking, greasy, un- washed 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 descrip- ion, ever to belong to one ; though I liked the life, S3 far as I had seen of it, where I was. " I have not a word to say against it, mate," re- plied 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 bis glass, and, putting it to his eye, exclaimed, " There's a big white bear has just been breakfast 1248 PETER THE WHALE*, ing, and has hauled up some of the krang on the ks, to serve him for dinner ; but we'll try what we cari 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," an- swered Captain Kendall, 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 dis- tance on the other. Each had a lance besides his lasso, and the mate had a pistol in his breast. 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 landed, they began to move away from the edge, hoping thereby to cut Bruin off, should he attempt to escape. He had, how ever, 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. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 249 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 to- wards the boat, happily thinking me too insignifi- cant for punishment. I immediately ran off to- wards the mate ; while so great was the impetus which the bear had gained, that he went head-fore- most 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 swim- mers ; 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 iat, with the greatest composure, examii.ing the 250 PETER THE WHALER, different articles in the boat. How long he might have sat there I do not know, had not the mate or- dered 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 oui assistance. We stood, meantime, looking verj foolish, on the ice ; and those who had been in the water shivering not a little with the cold. After the other boat had taken us on board, we pulled towards ours, with the bear in it. We half ex- pected 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 nappened, 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 tear into the boat, alive or dead, and I've done both." " Not that," replied the captain. " He got him- self in, and he got you out ; so I don't see that you've fulfilled your promise." However, Bruin was hoisted on board ; and th HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 251 mate secured his skin, which was what he wanted Of course, the adventure caused much joking af- terwards ; and the boat was ever afterwards called * the bear's boat." CHAPTER XXVI. Joined by other Ships. Land seen. Cape Flyaway. Danish Colonies. Visited by Esquimaux. We land. Begin to strug- gle with the Ice. Fishing on the Ice. Tumble in. Made fast to an Iceberg. Cut through a Field of Ice. Preparations for a Nip. The Nip comes. FOR several days, during which we captured an- other 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 fre- quented 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 5 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 be- low. Now was the time to push onwari, if we could once penetrate the ice. We had worked our 252 PETER THE WHALER, 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 sun-beams. 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. 11 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," he said. " It's near upon thirty miles off, if it's a mile." " Come now, David, you are passing your jokes off on a green-horn," I replied. " Why, if the wa- ter was not cold ; I don't think I should find much difficulty in swimming there, when we get 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 1" asked old David. " Why, that there must be a strong current HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 253 against us, setting off shore," I answered, wishing to *>how ray knowledge. He replied that there was no current, and that 1 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 Fly- away, youngster ?" asked David, pretending to be alarmed. " Did you never hear speak of that ? The longer you sail after it the further 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 be- fore 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 cen- turies ago, by a Danish Captain to those seas. His name was Rink, but I forget the name of his 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 Borne powerful loadstone rocks somewhere astern, which kept the ship back. At last Captain Rink finding a northerly breeze spring up, and being aomewha*; short of provisions, put up the helm and 254 PETER THE WHALER, ran home, every one on board giving a different ac count of the wonders they had seen, but all agree- ing 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 Captafn 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 clearnesa 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 mid- night, 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 dis- tant inland ranges, shining in the sun-light, like masses of gold, and the icebergs in the fore-ground tinged with the most beautiful and dazzling colors. Beautiful as was the scene, I had no idea that any civilised beings dwelt in such a region of eter- nal 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 seve- ral small colonies along the coast, at each of which are stationed Missionaries engaged in the pioua work of converting the Esquimaux to Christianity, BIS EARLY LIFE AWD ADVENTURES. 255 I thought that where we lay at anchor was di- rectly under the overhanging cliffs ; but I found from the time the boat took reaching the shore that we were several miles off. Several Esqui- maux 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 un- der the deck, on which were written, in Danish, passages from the Scriptures. They were com- fortably dressed in seal-skin coats, trowsers, and boots, with a seal-skin helmet. Their heads were large, with a narrow, retreating forehead ; strong, coarse black hair, flat nose, full lips, almost beard- less 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 iiis 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 occu- pant 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 jello* 256 PETER THE WHALER, cotton handkerchiefs, biscuits, coffee, earthenwara bowls, needles, and many other little things ; for which they exchanged seal-skins, seal-skin trow- eers, caps, slippers, gloves, and tobacco-bags. These articles were very neatly sewed with sinew thread. Our negociations being completed in the most ami- cable 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-favored dogs were prowl- ing^ round 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 seal- skin garments. Whatever business took us there was soon completed ; and once more in company with several other ships, we commenced our strug- gle 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 eifected. 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 whaios ria HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 251 ing 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 brok- en, 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 be- fore, that we got up to him, and striking our lances through the ice whenever he touched it, we soon dispatched him. As he had no means of breath- ing under the ice, he died quietly, and was dragged up by the line of the first harpoon which struck v 22 258 PETER THE WHALER, 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 littie 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 bring- ing warmer weather, and enabling us to spread our canvass 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 canvass alow and aloft the ship could carry, we pressed our onward way some- times 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 appear- ing 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 nek sleep as securely as usual, from remembering An- drew'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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTti&ES. 25$ 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 favorable, 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- consolitary 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 watch- ing their effect upon 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 cap- tain was in the crow's-nest, looking out for a lane, through which the ship might pass, till clear watei 26 PETER THE WHALER, 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 WP 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 tri- angle, the saw rises ; and, when they slack the rope, the weight draws it down ; as the sawyer in a saw- pit 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 2(51 their respective ships ahead. Away we went, as usual, with song and laughter, tramping along *he 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 timo 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 labors. " 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 favorably, 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. Tlie captain bailed from the crow's-nest, ordering the ice-saw? to be got ready, and the ship to be steered towards U62 PE'JER THE WHALER. one of the largest floes close on the larboard-bo^. 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 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 break- ing 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 occu- pations of life ; and that though we were in a hurry, there was no danger to be apprehended. The dock was cut longwise 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 en- gaged in superintending our operations ; but I saw Hid EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 263 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 dis- concerted | and with the few hands remaining on board, he set about obeying our commander's some- what 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 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 labors 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, 264 Ffc.TER THE WHALER, CHAPTER XXVII. The Nip come. A Ship nipped. Go to her aid. Rescue cui Countrymen. Forecastle Yarns about Shipwrecks and Whale- catching. The Nip takes off and we are free. A beautiful Scene. WE were safe so the old hands said, but it re- quired some time before one could fully persuade one's self of the fact. Not only were the neighbor- ing 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 pre- cautions, was driven back before the force opposed to her ; and had it not been for the loose pieces un- der her stern, she might have been nipped in the most dangerous manner. One might fancy that the floes Avere 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 \vhich even stout ice makes when trod on for the first time. Fancy this noise in- creased 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 265 bristling with huge fragments, was formed 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 even- ly, 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 man- aged, as we had done, to get into docks ; but one which had taken a more southerly course, appear- ed to heel over on one side, and to be in a most per- ilous 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 '11 give me leave, I'll take a party and see what help we can afford them ;" said Mr. Todd to the cap- tain. Seamen are always anxious to render assistance to those in peril, and Captain Kendall 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 23 w 266 FETKR THE WHALER, separated from the ship, and be left among the hear- ing and tumbling masses of ice. Of this, probably, the captain had not much fear, or he would not have alh>M-ed 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 crush- ing us. As we drew nearer to the Arctic Swan, an ex- clamation 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 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 tim- bers, 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 267 test had been crushed by the ice before they could be lowered and carried free. A few casks of pro- visions 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 paralyzed with the disas- ter, for the thick weather prevented them from see- ing 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. 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 mea- sures 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, BO 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 forever. After taking some food in the shape of salt pork and biscuit, which we much needed, \v< 268 PETER THE WHALER, commenced our return to the ship. Delay, we all felt, was dangerous, for should the commotion of the ice re-commence before we could regain the ship, we ran a great chance of destruction. At length, however, after four hours' toil, we ac- complished our journey in safety, and the ship- wrecked 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 plea- sant 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 ice 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 eight came driving down upon us. The first ship it lifted completely on to the ice ; the next waff HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 2G9 nearly stove in, and many of her timbers were broken ; and then getting more in earnest, it regu- larly dashed to pieces the four next it got foul of, gendi*)?; them flying over the ice in every direction. " V; p tyere glad enough to escape with our lives, which *,* had hard work to do ; and then some hun- dred cj us were turned adrift, not knowing what to do with onrselves. We thought ourselves badly off; but we were many times better than the people of another %hip 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 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' con- tent, 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 5 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 seat to w 270 PETER THE \VHALER, ns with one hand in her with another line, and we wanted him to stay by the dead fish. Ho 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 mer- cifully preserved by Providence," observed my friend Andrew. " I won't speak of what has hap- pened 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 271 fathoms down, he managed to stoop, and to 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 1" asked David. " He had just stuck his harpoon into a fish, w-hen, 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 it's back, to "vhich 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 of those who have, which is not true." " I've heen 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." Tt us yarn after yarn was spun. I do not at- 272 PETER THE WHALER. tempt 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 pres- sure 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 disap- pear 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 get- ting clear, and soon after were join,ed by our con- sorts, 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 trans- parency ; while around floated numberless ice HIS EARLY LIFE AM) ADVENTURES. 273 bergs of the most beautiful forms, and of dazzling hues while all around was glancing and glitter- ing 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 form- ing lines of graceful columns, with a gallery with- in, 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 back ground, were lofty cliffs 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 Badly delayed. At last, after keeping a westerly course for a 274 PETER THE WHALER, few hours, we broke through all intervening bar- riers, and once more felt our gallant ship lifting to the buoyant waves 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 Lan- caster sound, and the head of Baffin's bay, to the southward, leaves this part, for most of the sum- mer, 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 XXVIII. Pond's Bay. A run of Whales. More Fishing. Sea Unicorns. Lose a Fish. A fast Fish. Leave the Bay .'-An Account of some Arctic Expeditions, sent in search of Sir John Frank- lin and his brave Companions. 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 moun- tains stretched away on either side, with the open- ing of the bay in the centre the rocks, of num- berless tints, from the many-colored 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 2lt) formed the coast, hung a wavy line of semi-trans- parent mist, now tinged with a crimson hue. from the almost horizontal rays of the sun, verging to- wards midnight. These objects, also, it must be understood, ap oeared so close at hand, that I could scarcely per- made myself, that an easy run across the level ice ?ould not carry me up to them ; and yet, all the ivhile, 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 fisher- man'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 joy- ful 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 tran- quillity 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 to- wards 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. 276 PETER THE WHALER, 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 out 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 color, when young, is grey, with darker spots on it, and when full grown, of a yellowish white. It is a very in- offensive 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 r f them on our pull, be- fore 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 hia hand, struck the monster. Instead, however, of diving, up he rose, clear al- most 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 be neath 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 277 Jived directly down under the floe, his tail cnly 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 forc 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 scul- ling. " 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 glit- tering sea. Then was heard the peculiar snorting blast, as he sent up in the air two watery jets ; but in an instant we wei c upon him. " Harden up, my lads ;" shouted the harpooner, and a lusty stroke sent us almost on to the mon- Bters back ; then flew forth his unerring harpoon. For a few moments, but for a few only, the whale 278 PETER THE WHALER, Beemed prepared to die without a struggle- -a con fulsive quiver passed through its frame then lift- ing 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 be- yond. At times we thought the boat's bow would have been drawn under the floe ; again the line-mana- ger 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 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 ship- mates 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 end be- gan to slacken, a sign that she had ceased diving. She appeared a quarter of a mile off or more at the edge of the floe. T'\e quick-sighted eye of the first mate was on he/ ilmost before she had reached the surfaca 4 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 279 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 ap- proached, 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 the 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 a hummock which 280 PETER THE WHALER, was near ; and the edges of the ice were tlyed of a crimson tint. The weariness which began to oppress even the strongest, told us that we had had work enough, arid 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 unusu- ally weary, nor were we aware of the time which had passed. I must remind my readers, that this could only nappen 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 fish ; but owing also much to the sagacity of our captain and hia officers. Similar scenes were occurring every day ; but though they were all nearly as exciting, and the in- terest 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 readera 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, HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES 281 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 Frank- lin, 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' Straits, then into Lan- caster 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, etc., to be put on board the ships in Davis' Straits. Both ves- sels were fitted with steam-engines and screw-pro- pellers ; 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 48' north, longitude 66 13' west, moored to an ice- berg, and waiting for an opening in the great body of ice, which I have described as filling the middle of Baffin's Bay, in order to reach the entrance of Lancaster Sound. All hands were well and in higb spirits, and determined to succeed, if success were x* 24 282 PETER THE WHALER, possible ; bat 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 re- turn, 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 Kellet, who commanded the Herald, and Captain Moore, who commanded the Plover, proceeded to Behring's Straits ; and after continu- ing 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 coun- trymen. Notwithstanding the ill success of the first set of expeditions, others wei-e without delay deter- mined on. Captain Collinson was appointed to command the Enterprise, having under him Com- mander M'Clure in the Investigator ; and on the 20th January, 1850, they sailed from Plymouth for Behring's Straits, where they were to be joined by ihe Plover. They were to endeavor to reach Mel- ville 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 283 Unite 1 States prepared an expedition for the same purpose, consisting of two brigantines now enrolled in the United States Navy the Advance, of 144 tons, and the Rescue, of 91 tons. These vessels have heen provided and fitted out by the generous munificence of Mr. Henry Grinnell, a merchant of New York, at an expense to him of about $30.000. Lieutenant Edward S. De Haven commands the expedition. The British Government, likewise, fitted out foui 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 com- mand of another private expedition. He is on board the Felix, a large schooner, and he 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 Bank's 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 Frank- lin, Miss Sophia Cracroft ; and those who have Been them, month after month indcfatigably labor- ing in tLat, to th. : m, holy cause, hoping almost at 284 PETER THE WHALER, times against hope, yet still undaunted, persevering anTcariedly, must feel and heartily pray that they may have their reward in the happy return of the iong-missing ones. I was unable to refrain from giving this brief sketch of a subject in which every man must feel ihe deepest and warmest interest ; and I now resume >he thread of my more humble narrative. CHAPTER XXIX. Dimmer drawing to an end. Homeward Voyage. A Calm. Ominous Signs. Left on the Ice. Our Ship disappears. A sudden Blast. A Snow Storm. The Gale commences. The Whale and Boat lost We retreat from the Sea. Build a Hut. A Visitor, who proves in the end a welcome one. \fe keep Watch. We are in a bad Plight. THE return of darkness during the night gave us notice that we were advancing towards the south j and that the short Artie summer was draw- ing to a close. We could no longer continue our course, hour after hour, without interrnission, as before, the officers relieving each other in the crow's- nest, and one watch following the other, through cue 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 th ship fast to a floe, till the return of day-light. But those nights were sometimes such as are not to bo found in another realm. The bright moon floated in an atmosphere the most clear and brilliant that can be conceived ; Avhile the silvery masses of ice lay sparkling beneath it, as they floated en th calm and majcsth ocean. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 285 Then the sun at setting, bathing the sea. the sky, the rugged mountains, the pinnacles of the ice- bergs, and the lower floes, with colors and tints more beautiful and varied than the imagination can picture, far more than words can describe. But 1 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 souhtern realms, is 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. "W hile we were yet close to the ship, another whale was espied, to the south- ward, at a very great distance. The prospect of getting two fish at a fall was more than could be resisted ; and, while w e were killing our nsh, the 236 PETER THE WHALER, master made sail, to come up with the other. Wft were successful ; and, with less difficulty than usual, killed the whale at the edge of a floe con- nected 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 wea- ther. From a fresh breeze, sufficiently to the eastward to enable the ship to stand back towards U6, 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 re- sumed his task of coiling away the lines, I saw that all was not right. I then cast my eyes seaward, to see whereabout the ship was. I need scarcely say, that I felt a very natural alarm, when I dis- covered that she was almost hull down. Andrew again looked up. The anxious expres- sion on his face had in no way diminished ; but he was not a man to alarm or unnerve his companions by er.y unnecessary exclamation. " Bear a hand, lads," he, at length, said. " The sooner we get in our lines, and tow the fish along- side the better." <: I was thinking the same,' said old David. " Arid, I say, the sooner the ship stands back, to pick us up, the better for us. We couldn't get the H,S EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 287 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 con- sider 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 iu ail. 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 Avhat 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 fol- lowed 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 hap- pen," said Andrew. "There's something iu ihe 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 it 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, i 288 PETER THE WHALER, eudden 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 quickly 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 enow, which so obscured the atmosphere, that the sharpest eyes among us could no longer distinguish the ship. To attempt to get on board under these circumstances, would be more dangerous than re- maining where we were, so putting on our Flush* ing 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 aa 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 canvass, 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 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. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 289 In the mean time, 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 nowhers 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 in- stant, 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 completety accomplished, down came the gale upon us with terrific violence, 25 Y 290 PETER THE WHALER, almost lifting us off our legs, and hurling us into the now foaming and hissing sea. The snow, which now 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, hope- less shriek was heard, and he sank forever. We had little time to mourn for our poor mess- mate : 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 hav- ing any power to preserve our prize, it was driven down along the edge of the floe, from which it gradu- ally 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 Trills it, save us agatn." " But how are we ever to get back to the ship, with only one boat to carry us ?" asked some one. " Captain Kendall is not a man likely to desert his people," observed David. " The ship will corne back and take us off, when the gale is over ; no feai of that, mates." Notwithstanding the tone of confidence with HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 291 lie 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 ship-wreck, 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 further back in time, our destruc- tion 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 re- gaining the ship in her ; and should we be com- pelled, 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 appa- ratus, 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 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, 292 PETER THE WHALER, without delay, get further away from the sea ; anJ having laden our boat with all our stores, we be- gan 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 sum- mer, 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 An- drew 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 offi- cer whom we should bo bound to obey, till we could regain our ship, should we ever be so fortunate so to do. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 293 Three were first proposed, but Andrew Thomp- son 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 mo- destly 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 flag-staff 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 col- lect the snow, which did not lie 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 canvass 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 remem- bering Andrew's words, I did not despair. I slept, as did my companions, many of them with the care- less indifference to danger which has become the characteristic of most British seamen. I was awoke by the excessive cold, though w& kept as close together within our shelter as w Y* 294 PETER THE WHALER, 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 gun- wale 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 turn- ing 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 my- self. " If this goes on we shall be te 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. 1 was on my knees, and had got the gun to my shoulder, when he saw me. He was fortunately in the other side of the boat ; fof HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 9 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," 1 thought, " and blind him. If he once gets hold of rue, 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, in- stantly 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 endeavored to find his way round to the spot where he had seen me. " A bear ! a bear !" I sung out. " Get your lan- ces ready and run him through." Most fortu- nately, I had hit the monster so directly in the eyes, that he could not see his way, and this pre- vented 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 epring 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 him- gelf, 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 endeavored 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. 296 PETER THE WHALER, 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 ho 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 discover- ing him ; and what he had taken was amply sup- plied 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 An- drew. "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 carcass 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 dif- ficulty. 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 MIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 597 been fired was reloaded, and, having placed the twe 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, not withstanding all the appearances to the contrary." I told Andrew, that I thanked him for the con- fidence he placed in me, and that I hoped I should not disappoint his expectations. 298 PETER THE WHALER, " I know you will not, Peter ; but, I tell you, thai 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 Kendall 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 mode- rated," he answered. "If that fails us, we must endeavor 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 tim- ber 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 hov 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 fanning with the fierce storm which raged over it BIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 299 CHAPTER XXX. I try to encourage my Companions. We cook our Breakfast. Set up a Signal. One of the two Ships heaves in sight. The Floe separates. The last Ship appears, but to the southward. We cross the Channel. Erect another Hut. Catch two Uni- corns. We travel on. OUR companions slept on, and while they hap- pily 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 \ve were left on the ice- berg," I observed. " As for food, too, we've got a good lump there, which came to our door of its own 500 PETER THE WHALFR, 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 fel- low'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 hia 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 humor 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 ne cessity, 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 tho 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 fry ing 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 him- self 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." HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 301 "We soon cut up the bear, very clumsily, I will allow, for there was no butcher among us ; and col- lecting 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 bis- cuit in addition ; but Andrew advised us to econo- mise 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 further and further 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 se- cured 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 speak- ing 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 more 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 302 PETER THE WHALER, throughout the hut, which enabled us to pass the night much more agreeably than we had the pre- vious 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 seal- ing," 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 accom- pany 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 flag-staff consisted of a spar, with a lance HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 303 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 sum mit of it perfectly level. We then cut out blocks of ice, and piled them up, till we had built a pyra- mid 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 ex- claimed, " 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 an- nouncement. " But are you sure you see a sail 1 Don't you think it may be the wing of a sea-fowl ?" "'Tis too steady for that," answered Terence u If we get to the top of the flag-staff hummock in another minute or so we shall know to a certainty." 804 PETER THE WHALER, In spite of the cutting cold wind, to \\hich 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 An- drew 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. " Lot 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 compan- ions 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. Hia EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURE*. 305 By the time they reached us, she was just abreast of us, running under her foretop-sail, at headlong peed 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 cf 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 com- panions 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 sunk 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 An- drew spoke contributed much to revive the spirits of our companions. The gale was also rapidly de- creasing, 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, z" 26 306 PETER THE WHALER, and no ship appeared. The returning darkness warned us, that we must get back to our hut with- out 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 de- stroyed. 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 awoke 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 re- minded 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, per- haps, 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 T I inquired. I thought such a HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 307 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 no- thing while it remains dark. As soon as daylight appears, we must decide, without loss of time, n-hat is to be done." The noise continued for a considerable time then all was silent ; and I supposed that the piece we were on had already begun to drift away from the main body of the ice. I fancied, even, that I could feel a peculiar undulating movement, as if it was acted upon by the waves. As soon as morn- ing dawned, we eagerly looked out. At first, there appeared to be no change ; but, as the light increas- ed, 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 flag- staff 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 har." " But don't you think she may be the Shetland Maid, come to look for us ?" I asked. " Who is cer- 508 PETER THE WHALER, tain that she is standing away from us, for 1 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 Kendall 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 topsails 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 ex- pressed their 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 raust 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 .ook-out for a ship ; but it's my opinion that the last has passed, and that w? had better make up out minds to winter on shore The sooner we begia MIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. oU9 our preparations, the better chince we have of weathering out the time. This plan being agreed to, two hands were sent to unstep the flag-staff, 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 aiready 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 con- veniently 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 neighborhood, we again erected our flag-staff. Before, nowever, we began to build a hut, we examined the condition of the ice round us, to ascertain whether there was a proba- bility 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 man- ner as the last, though of rather a larger size. This done, we cooked and eat 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 c bout 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 310 PETER THE WHALER, we have brought the boat so far, we should have had no difficulty in killing them, but now it depend- ed 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 a-s many harpoons ; and at last one rose within reach of David's weapon. He launched it forth, ar 4 struck the fish in the neck. Down it dived rapid- ly ; but it soon had to return to the surface, where we hauled it towards the edge, and dispatched it quickly with our lances, after which we hauled it up on the ice. In the same manner another was after- wards 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 ne- cessary. 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. W T e 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 uight long. The next day, if the Shetland Maid did not return, and if no other ship appeared, we wer to form our plan for future operations. All that day the look-out hummock was occupied by one of our party, with his eyes anxi .usly looking seaward ; but hour after hour passed away, and no sail ap- peared. What a sinking at the heart what a blank, deso- late feeling came over us, as Mir ?ast hope vanished HIS E4RLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 311 Hitherto we had been buoyed up with the expecta- tion 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 appa- rent cause. Then began a most furious contest be- tween them ; hurled together, they overlapped and crushed on each other till, in the course of a few minutes, they had broken into a thousand frag- ments. 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 return- ed 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 over- taking 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 improba- bility 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 at- tempt, we should be worn out, and, incapable of providing for the future, must inevitably be de- stroyed. I voted with Andrew, and also spoke in favor of 312 PETZ.R THE WHALER, his plan ; showing, from what I had read and heard, that, notwithstanding the cold, with good manage- ment 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 nd opportunities of catching fish. Though the land appeared quite near, it was late in the day before we reached it. What, then, was .mr disappointment, to find not even a beach on A'hich to build our hut for the night. The high olack 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 con tinue 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 labor of dragging her was very great, and some even proposed leaving her behind, rather than have the trouble of convey- ing her, till Andrew reminded them that on her luight 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. HI3 KARLT LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 318 CHAPTER XXXI. tXur Journey continued. A Wreck discovered. We find Trea- sures on board. Look out for a Spot to land. Find a Bay. ifix on a Spot, and build a Hut. Go back to the Ship, to fetch more Stores. Find Visitors on board the Ship. More Bear's Flesh. Return to the Bay. FOR three days we tvav-sRed on ; and supposing that we advanced ten miles a day, for thirty milea not a break of any description appeared in the overhanging cliffs on our right. The men had be- gun to grumble ; and those who had wished to pro- ceed 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 encou- raged them ; and the following morning, with re- newed 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 mis- taken ; and pointed out to them the object I had Been. It appeared to me, when I first saw it, as in 27 2 A 814 PETER THE WHALER, a sort of 'shallow cavern, under the cliff; but, bo- fore 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 preser- vation." Without waiting for any meal, though Andrew insisted on the boat being dragged with us, we ad- vanced towards the supposed ship. David certain- ly 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," 1 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 uot perceive her. We travelled on for three hours, before all doubts were set at rest, by the appearance of a large ship, thrown, a? I said, on her beam ends ; but with her masts and ngging still standing. An overhang- HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 315 mg 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 ad- vanced 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, pro- bably, 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 clambered 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 pre- sent 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 furni- ture 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 316 PETER THE WHALER. 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 1 first went below, I half expected to find all her peo- ple frozen to death, as I had heard of such dreadful occurrences having taken place. Several books and papers were found in the ca- bin ; 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 tho biscuit and flour, which had been preserved. I con- clude, 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 ; bat not having been clever enough to lift the hatches off. they had, fortu- nately 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 .abun- dant 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 readv 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, ft 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 nuch on HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 317 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 neces- saries of life. After breakfast I saw some of the men hunting busily about the ship ; and from their look of dis- may, 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, examin- ing 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 liqucr, you might have mnde merry at first," he observed ; " then you would have become worse than the brutes, without 3A #18 PETER THE WHALEK, sense ; and, lastly, you would have been left with out 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 re- maining on board, and making ourselves as com- fortable 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 suffer- ing ; and that, although there was an abundant sup- ply 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 ; HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 319 and we will carry on them all the things we require from the ship to our station. If any one has a bet- ter 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 ex- claimed. " 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 com- mand, 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 con- sult all hands before the formation of any fresh plan of 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 car- penter's tools, and two fowling pieces, some canis- ters 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 820 PETER THE WHALER, 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, through- out 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 brougb*, along ; showing that we must have her at our sta- tion, 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 grumb- lers 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 dif- ferent circumstances, the view might have appeared bleak and gloomy enough. On getting round the point, we larded on firm grcund, for the first time since leaving our ship : HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 321 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 a 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 our- selves 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 com- fortable as we can, for we shall not be able to shift our quarters when once the frost sets in, let ma tell you." We proceeded up to the place he indicated, ana 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 neighboring 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 ac- customed 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 matress, till we could get bedding from the ship. 322 PETER THE WHALER, Andrew assured us, that we had every reason ta 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 hud 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 were'nt driven ashore nearer the bay," cried another. " Now, for my part, I'd rather let the things re- main 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 ungrate- ful set of fellows, to talk as you do," exclaimed An- drew, who had listened to all that was said. " Yoa saw yourselves that there was not a spot of ground nearer than the place we have chosen fit to wintei in ; and as to complaining that the ship is no nearer the bay why, if she had been driven into any other HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 323 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 is'nt 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 unincumbered, 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'Con- nor." "Shut-to the hatch there," shouted David to some one of us who were standing abaft the com- panion. 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. 324 PETER THE WHALER, " Why, mates, we seem to have caught a bear," observed AndreAV, who had come aft to see what had happened. " We may have caught a dozen, for what I know,' 1 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 fir- ing into his mouth, he fell dead across the hatch- way. 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 plung- ed 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 325 " 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 door- way, with a look which seemed to ask what we wanted there. As he was too sagacious to como 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 hia 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 es- caping, when we closed in upon him, and caused him to stand at bay. He looked at us savagely, sin- gling 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. No one liked to be the first to go down, till we had ascertained whether the cabin had any more occupants. At last none ap- pearing, Terence, with cautious steps, descended the ladder, ready to spring up again, should ano- ther bear show his face. Stepping over the carcass 2 B 826 PETER THE WHALER, of the bear, which lay at the foot of the ladder, h 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 ano- ther of flour, which, in their clumsy endeavors to eat, they had sprinkled about the cabin. We cal- culated from this that they had not been there long, for if they had, they would have routed out every thing eatable they possibly could get at 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 work-wood 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 cbthing, and set forward on our return to the bay HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTl RES. 827 CHAPTER XXXII. fisited ty Esquimaux. We become very friendly. Terence acts as Master of the Ceremonies. We begin our Winter House. The Esquimaux come with Sledges to assist us. Transport our Goods from the Ship. Honesty of the Esqui- maux. 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 jour- ney 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 drag- ging 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 Andraw. 828 PETER THE WHALER, We did as he directed ; and instantly the Esqui- maux, for such we saw they were, threw aside theii spears and knives, and cried out " Tima y Tima .'" and advanced with outstretched arms towards us. We uttered the same words, and advanced also, We soon saw, by the expression of their counte- nances, that they were amicably disposed towards us ; and from their manner of behaving, we sus- pected that we were not the first Europeans they nad met. They all appeared comfortably clothed. The men wore deer-skin jackets, with hoods to them, to be drawn over the head ; their trowsers were gene- rally of seal-skin, 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 counte- nances, 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 ceremoi y being over, they accompanied us HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 329 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 heen left in the boat had not been touched. " You are honest fellows, that you are," exclaim- ed 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 him- self beside him ; then, making a sign to the first to sit quiet, he led another to the spot, and so on, till all were seated. They then remained very quiet, looking on with an expression of the greatest sur- prise at the various things we produced. It wiis 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 gome wood froni the wreck for buikling the hoae, 3B 28 830 PETER THE WHALER, 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 frost should come on before it was finished. The plan he proposed, and which was adopted, was, to divide it into two compart- ments, one for a store-house, the other for our dwel- ling 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 more 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 re- ported, that they had come, and seemed much sur- prised with the work we had performed ; that they had examined the tracks of the sledges, and the ad- ditional stores, and then, after a great deal of talk- ing, 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 fcccompani?d by a troop of seven dogs, harnessed to HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTI'RES. 331 n sledge, formed of the jaw-bone of a whale and seal- skins. They came close up to us, talking very rapid- ly, and pointing in the direction in which the ship lay. When we prepared to start on our daily expedi- tion, they showed their evident intention of accom- panying 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 as- sist us ; otherwise, as they might easily have tracked us along the ice, they would have set off by them- selves. 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. The 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, com- posed of snow and ice, rubbed and pressed over it, till it is quite smooth and hard. The dogs are harnessed with thongs of seal skin, passed over the neck and fore legs, and leading long the back. Great care is taken to select 332 PETEI* THE WHALER, a good leader, who goes ahead with a longtr trace than the rest, and in the darkest night, by keep- ing 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 tc listen 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 in- creased, when they clambered on board, and de- scended 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 rivetted to the spot then he began to move slowly, *nd 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 be eame convulsed in the same extraordinary mauner. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 333 As we had no time to lose, we covered up the class, 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 ex- amining them minutely, to see how they bad been killed. After this they treated us with much greater respect even than before, evidently admir- ing 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 re- move the lining of the ship ; the bulkheads and such other wood-work as we thought would prove useful to us in building our house. The Esqui- maux 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 hundred weight. 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 discov- ered a number of knives, hatchets, cotton handker- chiefs, 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 aa 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^ fot the pleasure of comprehending what we *neant ; B34 PETER THE WHALER, and also, at the thoughts of receiving so large a reward for his labor. We were so pleased with the honest counte- nances 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 hesi- tated more before we did so. Among our other labors, 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 ; BO we employed ourselves in getting loads ready for them on their return. We were not disappoint- ed. 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 per- formed part of their contract. We now entrusted some of them with the bear's flesh and skins, and with some casks of salted HIS EiRLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 335 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 every thing had safely been delivered into hia hands. The next morning we set to work, in earnest, about our house ; and, as we all worked, we pro- gressed much to our satisfaction. During the day, the Esquimaux arrived, with the loads of wood we had left prepared. They did not show any inten- tion 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 mi- nutely. We first got our store-house 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 ua 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 con' aider some religious ceremony, for they never at- tempted to visit the ship during our absence. I never met with people, in any part of the worH 336 PETER THE WHALER, who possessed a more peaceable, friendly disposi- tion such perfect honesty and constant good hu mor, with a very fair amount of intelligence Their courage and perseverance is expended in overcoming the beasts which form their subsist- ence ; and there are few opportunities of developing their intellectual qualities ; but in many respects they are, in my opinion, far more civilised than a larger proportion of their brethren in the south, who claim to be the most enlightened nations in the world. CHAPTER XXXIII. We visit the Esquimaux at their Tents. The Interior, and their Mode of Life. Cookery. Dancing. They rush out to chase the Sea-horse. Successful Sport. Esquimaux Lamp and Fireplace. Description of Sledges and Dogs. Return to ourHouse. Tom Stokes sees a Merman. WE had been all so busy in building our house, anrd 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 Esqui- maux 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. Ter- ence 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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 337 good rate along a valley, in which the snow already lay 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 esta- blishment, hurried up the hill to get out of our way, not liking our appearance, or, perhaps, their mas- ters' 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 four- teen 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 further end, where the bed places were situated, where they are about nine feet in width. The beds wore 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 frame 29 2c 838 PETER THE WHALER, work, with the skins stretched on them, anu arc 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 skio 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 accus- tomed 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 the tents. I went into Ickmal- lick's, where he introduced me to his wife and children. She was young, and had a pleasant ami- able expression of countenance, which made me feel quite at home. She was employed in cooking the family meal. Her fire-place 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 eea-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 HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 339 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 palata- ble, 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, dis- tanced 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 sown 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, em- ployed 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 seal-skin, well stretched and dried, and then coiled up like a rope. To serve aa 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 supposed they did. The children were fat and rosy, and really interes- ting looking, and so were some of the younger girls ; but my gratitude for their hospitality prevencs m& Haying anything about the elder ladies. Their jet 340 PETER THE WHALER, black glossy hair hung down carelessly over their shoulders, and was not tied up like that of the peo- ple we had seen on the Greenland coast. They carried the younger children on their back, in little flacks 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 white- ness, 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 in- timate 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 per- fect confidence in them, and were willing to see more of their habits and customs, we determined to re- main. We had some more singing and dancing ; and they were highly delighted at seeing Terence and another man dance an Irish jig ; they care- fully noting every movement that was made. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 341 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 savory messes, they probably thinking, that as we had eaten so little, according to their notions, the first time, that 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, endeavored to pop them into my mouth, not at all to my satisfaction, though I endeavored to conceal the annoyance I felt, Test 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 hur- ried 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 wash- ing in. Two feet of the bows float out of the water. The timbers, or ribs, vhich 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 drift-wood can be found, they employ it. The paddle is double nd n ade of fir ; the edges of the blade being COY- 10 S42 PETER THE WHALER, ered with hard bone, to secure them from wear ing. Wil With the greatest caution the Esquimaux lifted their canoes into the water, to prevent them rub- bing 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 or 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 colored hair. The inside of the paws in old animals, ia 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 seve- ral of the animals were immediately struck. In- itead, however, of darting away, each of the wounded HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENT. ITRES. 843 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 dextrously 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 fright- en them away. It was quite dark by the time the canoes return- ed 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 tho 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 ver- min 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 eat till they 2ould eat no more. Terence, and the rest of my party, fared in the same way, in their resDective tents, tnat I did. Ick 844 PETER THE WHALER, mallick, when lie had done eating, made a sign to me, to occupy a corner of the family couc h ; and the whole family were soon snoring away, and mak- ing a no very harmonious concert, while 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 pot-stone, 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 sup- ply the wick. Immediately over the lamp is fixed a frame- work 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 thev went out, however, they pulled on some shoes HIS iSAKLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 345 over their boots to keep their feet dry ; for it had been snoring hard in the night. I was very little inclined to partake of the breakfast, though I did try 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 Es- quimaux could exist without do^s ; 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 at- tack the bear and every other animal with great courage, except the wolf, of which they seem to have an instinctive dread. In appearance and color 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 undercoat 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 hound in England. If they show a disposition to fccray, a 346 PETER THE WHALER, fore-leg is tied up to the neck, so that they tumbl* do\vn when they attempt to run. The females are attended 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 the men ; and when they are drawing a heavy load, she will entice them on by pretending to eat a piece of meat, and by throwing her mitten before them on the enow, when, mistaking it for food, they hurry for- ward 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 so 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. Vve 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 ac- customed 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 ex- pected; and we resolved to catch as many animals HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 347 AS we could with warm skins, to make ourselves clothing. The next morning, while the rest of us were en- gaged about the house, Tom Stokes, who had gono 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, tak- ing 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 Bummoned the rest, and dragged it home on oui big sledge in triumph. We never ceased after- wards to joke Tom about his ugly merman. 848 PETER THE WHALER, CHAPTER XXXIV. Find JUT Wooden Hut very cold. The Esquimaux shew us how to build a Winter Hut. We follow their Example. A Snow Hut. Esquimaux Children's Toys. Accompany Ickmallick on a Hunting Expedition. A quickly-built Hut. Musk Oxen. Desperate Encounter. Kill a Stag. Buried in tha Snow. WE fancied that we had got everything comfor- table for the winter, which now, about the middle of October, began to set in with severe earnest- ness, with heavy falls of snow, and strong north- erly 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 our- selves 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 wer 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 put- ting more wood on. HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 349 They then tried to show us, by significant ges- tures, 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, leav- ing a space to the south-west for the door. A se- cond tier was laid on this, but the pieces were made to incline a little inwards. The top of this was squared of with a knife by one of them, who stood in the middle, while 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 key-stone. 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 fill- ing any crevices which might have been left. 2 o 350 PETER THE WHALER, 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 con- siderably 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 \vas cut the builder remained inside for a short time, and then invited us to en- ter. He had collected the snow on one side, to form the beds for a family. Round the remaining por- tion seats were formed, and a place for holding the cooking-lamp. Indeed, the house thus rapidly formed was per- fect 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 intend- ed 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, w niS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTURES. 851 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 tem- perature 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 court-yard 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 already 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 th3 roof was a perfect dome. From this, three doorways, also arched, and f large* dimensions than the outer ones, led into 352 PETER THE WHALER, *s many inhabited apartments, one on each and the other facing us as we entered. The scene presented by the interior was verv in- teresting. The women were seated on the becls at the sides of the huts, each having her little fire- place, 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 seal-skin, neatly sewed together, and exactly fitting the dome, which gave the whole a very com- fortable nest-like appearance. On examination, we found that the beds were arranged, first by cover- ing 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 net-work, made of thin slips of whalebone ; and, lastly, a quantity of leaves and twigs. Above all were spread a thick coating of skins, which could not now by any chance touch the snow, and a very comfortable couch was tne 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 va- rious 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 game material. They aho make marrow-spoons ut cf long narrow hollcved pieces of bone, and HIS EARLY LIFE AND ADVENTUJIES. 363 evury housewife has several of them tied together, tnd attached to her needle-case. Every person carries a little leathern case, con- taining 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 rein-deer, 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 fu- ture. This is their great fault. I should say that they are a most amiable, industrious, and peaceful peo- ple, whose minds are well prepared to receive the truths of Christianity, though at present they ap- pear 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 tledge of whalebone ; and instead of a baby-house, it builds a miniature snow hut, and begs a lighted 3D SO 854 PETER THE WHALER, wick from its mother's lamp to illuminate the littlfl dwelling. Their parents make for them as dolls little Lgures of men and women habited in the true Es- quimaux costume, as well as a variety of other toys, many of them having reference to their fu- ture 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 hum- ming sound, just as English boys do ; and they also make toys like windmills, with arms, to turn round with the wind. From an early age, boys are taught habits of in- dustry ; and, when not more than eight years old, their fathers take them on their seal-catching ex- peditions, where they learn how to support them- selves during their future life. They are frequent- ly 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 moccasons, with spears in their hands, and coils of line on their backs, accompany- ing 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 un- known to them, they were impressed with an idea that we were able to kill any animals without diffi- culty. Andrew having no objection to my going, I sup- plied myself with a store of provisions, to last m HIS EARLY LI.J'E AND ADVENTURES. 365 leveral days. with a skin and a couple of blankets, a cooking pot and cup ; and with my gun in my hand, I took iny seat on my friend's sledge. Be- sides the six dogs which drew it, we were accom- panied 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. Ick- mallick 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 descrip- tion. We travelled, I supposed, 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, be- hind 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 ;he case, we could desire, with a lamp burning within, and a lux- urious 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 eat by far the larger portion, we went to bed, and slept soundly till the morning, 85(5 JETER THE WHALER, 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 jump- ing off the sledge, he unyoked the dogs, and com- menced 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, there- fore, laboriously enough for two hours, over a very rugged country, and through deep snow ; when find- ing 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 wa8 the fact ; when the sight of a fine ox, at bay, be- fore 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 ever diverting the at- tention of the animal from the dogs, which con- tinued 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 mean time, it was trembling wif.h rage, fcnd laboring to reach its active assailants, but, ex- HIS fcARLY LIFE A SD AI VENTURES. 35T perienced as they were in this service, unable t