The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-12-31
The Haznrd Of the Die.

The sight of a blue jacket and shining tar
pauling hat, has turned the head of many a
youth, and caused him to quit reading the
romance of the sea and try its stern reality, which
soon convinces him of the difference between a
painted ship upon a painted ocean," and the
forecastle of a Liverpool packet or a Paacifc
- blubber hunter"
was brought mp in q country village, wherra
ship was never seen, and a sailor was "a much =
curiosity as 4 HottentOt but unfortunately, a
specimen of this class Of men visited our place,
and | CHANGED to be one of the select few who en-
loved the privilege of listening to his stories of
hair-breadth escapes and wonderful disasters,
which, instead Of damping my ardor, only in
creased the desire to try the realities of the won
drous deep. A schoolmate, named Tom -,
was like myself, carried away with the idea of
making a hero of myself, and proposed that we
set off at once Cor New York, and take the first
opportunity that offered, by which our hearts de
sire could be gratified- One or two others had
proposed to join US, but when the day of depart
ure arrived, all seemed to have changed their
minds, with the exception of Tom and myself,
and of we started, much against the wishes of
our parents, though by continual urging we had
succeeded in Obtaining an unwilling consent that
the experiment should be tried, in hopes it might
cure US Of our fancy for the smell of pitch and the
roaring of the winds and waters.
Arriving in New York, We found our youthful
and delicate appearance would prevent the posi-
OkllIV Oh our SUlDptHk III II mtICudut ScESlCc,
and nothing was left for us but to enlist for q
whaling cruise. So entering a dingy looking
shipping Office in South street, ornamented with
colored posters. South Sea shells, and war clubs,
we were soon face to face with the agent, who
commenced a long harangue on the brilliant
chances offered in the whaling business for ''young
men of energy and determination, like ourselves
He expressed an opinion that we did not weigh
the required number of pounds, but all doubts
soon vanished when we stood on the 81 Fairbanks
PLATFORM" and made the balance speak for itself.
After this we took our scats ut a desk, on which
was spread out the " Articles of Agreement, be-
tween the master and the owner of the ship N,
Of and the crew thereof. We felt little like
reading through n document equal in size to the
Constitution of the United States, and therefore
set our names beneath a dozen others, twO-thirds
of which were ornamental with n st. Andrews
cross, and the words s. his Cross" giving us poor
promise of the intellectual qualities of our future
fellow shipmates-
The day following, we were forwarded by
schooner ., a seaport on the Sound, which
gave us a slight taste of what we might expect to
enjoy ON our first few days out, for we had never
allied on anything but the Erie Canal and the
schooner had most decidedly a very unpleasant
motion. In due time, however, We reached the
destined port, and after being well supplied with
necessaries for the voyage, were soon taken on
board the ship, where We were ordered to do the
best we could towards getting the vessel in sail
ing trim, receiving and slowing away provisions,
and such other work as could be found for US to
do. A week was spent in this work, when the
crew being complete and everything ready, the
order was given to weigh anchor and proceed on
the voyage, our destination being the Indian
Ocean.
For two months we went along pretty much as
all other whalers do, making it useless to give q
description of our progress but when near the
Southern tropic a sudden and violent storm arose,
uecnmuanied with thunder and lightning. far ex-
eeeiing in brilliancy and power anything l had
ever previously witnessed. 1t ragged with unabated
fury for half the day, and the whole of the fol-
lowing night. Daylight revealed our situation to
be even worse than wean.icipated all the upper
masts bad been carried away, the buIwarks stove.
and every boat had been crushed or washed away
entirely from the dayits. The ship was making
water hDe, and It was evident from the strains
she had received, that there was but little hope of
leahs being entirely stopped until we reached
place where the necessary repairs could he
had