She was a small vessel, and carried only
three boats. I got a pretty good outfit from my landlord, though most of
the articles were second-hand. We parted good friends, however, and I came
back to him, and played the same silly game more than once. He was not a
bad _landlord_, as landlords then went, and I make no doubt he took better
care of my money than I should have done myself. On the whole, this class
of men are not as bad as they seem, though there are precious rascals
among them. The respectable sailor landlord is quite as good, in his way,
as one could expect, all things considered.
The voyage I made in the Edward was one of very little interest, the ship
being exceedingly successful. The usage and living were good, and the
whaling must have been good too, or we never should have been back again,
as soon as we were. We went round the Horn, and took our first whale
between the coast of South America and that of New Holland. I must have
been present at the striking of thirty fish, but never met with any
accident. I pulled a mid-ship oar, being a new hand at the business, and
had little else to do, but keep clear of the line, and look out for my
paddle. The voyage is now so common, and the mode of taking whales is so
well known, that I shall say little about either. We went off the coast of
Japan, as it is called, though a long bit from the land, and we made New
Holland, though without touching.
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