Redburn. His First Voyage

ringing off chickens, and pigs, and beef, and vegetables from the shore. Soon after, another man, in a striped calico shirt, a short blue jacket and beaver hat,

t to be the first and s

, to look sailor-like, and offered the box to him very politely. He stared at me a moment, and then exclaimed, "Do you think we take snuff aboard here, y

h that, he went off about his business, and left me feeling foolish enough. But I had reason to be glad he had acted thus, for if he had not, I think I should h

ut something, and seeing me in his way, cried out, "Ashore with you, you young loa

ying that I was going out

t been shipping any more greenhorns like you-he'll make a shipwreck of it if he has. But this is the way nowadays; to save a few doll

rn," s

t; scorch you to take hold of

borough,

n. D'ye hear, sir, henceforth your name is Buttons. And now do you go, Buttons, and clean out that pig-pen in the long-boat; it has not been

y sea-career? set to cleaning ou

o obey orders, and it was too late to retreat. So I only a

re," was the reply; "dig

apsized right over the longboat, which brought them almost close together. These two boats were in the middle of the deck. I managed to crawl inside

pig do you call this? Hallo! inside there! what are you 'bout there? trying to stow yourself away to steal a passage t

lar place between two of the seats. But as I found it hard work to push the shavings through in that place, and as it looked wet there, I thought it would be better for the shavings as well as myself, to thrust them where th

lace for the shavings as that which I myself had selected, and asked him to tell me why he wanted me to put them in the place

e I learned that sea-officers never gave reasons for any thing they order to be done. It is

is I found out to my cost, for yielding to the kind blandishment of one of these riggers, I had swapped away my jackknife with him for a much poorer one of his own, thinking to secure a sailor friend for the voyage. At last I watched my chance, and while people's backs were turned, I seized a carrot from several bunches lying on deck, and clapping it under the skirts of my sho

wondering what it was that was to be done. But the mate had turned on his heel, a

slush down the main-

"but I don't know

up to that long pole there-d'ye see it? that piece of a tree there, you timber-head-well-take this bucket here, and go up the rigging-that rope-

hip's mast. Had I been well and hearty, perhaps I should have felt a little shak

and I could not bring myself to confess that I was sufferin

everal times about my wrist, it would be still twirling round and round, and slipping off. Spite of this, however, I managed to mount as far as the "top," the clumsy bucket half the time straddling and swinging about between my legs, and in momentary danger of capsizing. Arrived at the "top," I came to a dead halt, and looked up. How to surmount that overhanging impediment completely posed me for the time

cabin passengers arrived, and the chests and boxes of the steera

on board but the crew; who in a few hours after, came off, one by one, in Whitehall boats, their chests in the bow, and themselves lyin

ggered on deck, "it's your turn now, but it will be mine before long. Yaw a

landlord, who carried him down below and dumped him into a bunk. And two other sailors, as soo

ken. But though the sailors, surfeited with eating and drinking ashore, did not then touch the salt beef and potatoes which the black cook handed down into the fore