"Now, my men, we have begun a long voyage. If we get along well
together, we shall have a comfortable time; if we don't, we shall have
hell afloat.- All you've got to do is to obey your orders and do your
duty like men,- then you'll fare well enough;- if you don't, you'll
fare hard enough,- I can tell you. If we pull together, you'll find me
a clever fellow; if we don't, you'll find me a bloody rascal.- That's
all I've got to say.- Go below, the larboard watch!"

  I being in the starboard, or second mate's watch, had the
opportunity of keeping the first watch at sea. S---, a young man,
making, like myself, his first voyage, was in the same watch, and as
he was the son of a professional man, and had been in a countingroom
in Boston, we found that we had many friends and topics in common.
We talked these matters over,- Boston, what our friends were probably
doing, our voyage, etc., until he went to take his turn at the
look-out, and left me to myself. I had now a fine time for reflection.
I felt for the first time the perfect silence of the sea. The
officer was walking the quarter deck, where I had no right to go,
one or two men were talking on the forecastle, whom I had little
inclination to join, so that I was left open to the full impression of
everything about me. However much I was affected by the beauty of
the sea, the bright stars, and the clouds driven swiftly over them,
I could not but remember that I was separating myself from all the
social and intellectual enjoyments of life. Yet, strange as it may
seem, I did then and afterwards take pleasure in these reflections,
hoping by them to prevent my becoming insensible to the value of
what I was leaving.

  But all my dreams were soon put to flight by an order from the
officer to trim the yards, as the wind was getting ahead; and I
could plainly see by the looks the sailors occasionally cast to
windward, and by the dark clouds that were fast coming up, that we had
bad weather to prepare for, and had heard the captain say that he
expected to be in the Gulf Stream by twelve o'clock. In a few
minutes eight bells were struck, the watch called, and we went
below. I now began to feel the first discomforts of a sailor's life.
The steerage in which I lived was filled with coils of rigging,
spare sails, old junk and ship stores, which had not been stowed away.
Moreover, there had been no berths built for us to sleep in, and we
were not allowed to drive nails to hang our clothes upon. The sea,
too, had risen, the vessel was rolling heavily, and everything was
pitched about in grand confusion. There was a complete "hurrah's
nest," as the sailors say, "everything on top and nothing at hand."
A large hawser had been coiled away upon my chest; my hats, boots,
mattress and blankets had all fetched away and gone over to leeward,
and were jammed and broken under the boxes and coils of rigging. To
crown all, we were allowed no light to find anything with, and I was
just beginning to feel strong symptoms of sea-sickness, and that
listlessness and inactivity which accompany it. Giving up all attempts
to collect my things together, I lay down upon the sails, expecting
every moment to hear the cry of "all hands ahoy," which the
approaching storm would soon make necessary. I shortly heard the
rain-drops falling on deck, thick and fast, and the watch evidently
had their hands full of work, for I could hear the loud and repeated
orders of the mate, the trampling of feet, the creaking of blocks, and
all the accompaniments of a coming storm. In a few minutes the slide
of the hatch was thrown back, which let down the noise and tumult of
the deck still louder, the loud cry of "All hands, ahoy! tumble up
here and take in sail," saluted our ears, and the hatch was quickly
shut again. When I got upon deck, a new scene and a new experience was
before me. The little brig was close hauled upon the wind, and lying
over, as it then seemed to me, nearly upon her beam ends. The heavy
head sea was beating against her bows with the noise and force
almost of a sledge hammer, and flying over the deck, drenching us
completely through. The topsail halyards had been let go, and the
great sails were filling out topsoil and backing against the masts
with a noise like thunder. The wind was whistling through the rigging,
loose ropes flying about; loud and, to me, unintelligible orders
constantly given and rapidly executed, and the sailors "singing out"
at the ropes in their hoarse and peculiar strains. In addition to
all this, I this, I had not got my "sea legs on," was dreadfully sick,
with hardly strength enough to hold on to anything, and it was
"pitch dark." This was my state when I was ordered aloft, for the
first time, to reef topsails.

  How I got along, I cannot now remember. I "laid out" on the yards
and held on with all my strength. I could not have been of much
service, for I remember having been sick several times before I left
the topsail yard. Soon all was snug aloft, and we were again allowed
to go below. This I did not consider much of a favor, for the
confusion of everything below, and that inexpressible sickening smell,
caused by the shaking up of the bilge-water in the hold, made the
steerage but an indifferent refuge from the cold, wet decks. I had
often read of the nautical experiences of others, but I felt as though
there could be none worse than mine; for in addition to every other
evil, I could not but remember that this was only the first night of a
two years' voyage. When we were on deck we were not much better off,
for we were continually ordered about by the officer, who said that it
was good for us to be in motion. Yet anything was better than the
horrible state of things below. I remember very well going to the
hatchway and putting my head down, when I was oppressed by nausea, and
always being relieved immediately. It was as good as an emetic.

  This state of things continued for two days.

  Wednesday, Aug. 20th. We had the watch on deck from four till eight,
this morning. When we came on deck at four o'clock, we found things
much changed for the better. The sea and wind had gone down, and the
stars were out bright. I experienced a corresponding change in my
feelings; yet continued extremely weak from my sickness. I stood in