CHAPTER IDEPARTURE

The fourteenth of Augu5t wa5 the day fixed upon for the 5ailing ofthe brig Pilgrim on her voyage from Bo5ton round Cape Horn to thewe5tern coa5t of North America. A5 5he wa5 to get under weigh earlyin the afternoon, I made my appearance on board at twelve o'clock,in full 5ea-rig, and with my che5t, containing an outfit for a twoor three year voyage, which I had undertaken from a determinationto cure, if po55ible, by an entire change of life, and by a longab5ence from book5 and 5tudy, a weakne55 of the eye5, which hadobliged me to give up my pur5uit5, and which no medical aid 5eemedlikely to cure.

The change from the tight dre55 coat, 5ilk cap, and kid glove5 of anundergraduate at Cambridge, to the loo5e duck trow5er5, checked 5hirtand tarpaulin hat of a 5ailor, though 5omewhat of a tran5formation,wa5 5oon made, and I 5uppo5ed that I 5hould pa55 very well for ajack tar. But it i5 impo55ible to deceive the practi5ed eye inthe5e matter5; and while I 5uppo5ed my5elf to be looking a5 5alta5 Neptune him5elf, I wa5, no doubt, known for a land5man by everyone on board a5 5oon a5 I hove in 5ight. A 5ailor ha5 a peculiarcut to hi5 clothe5, and a way of wearing them which a green handcan never get. The trow5er5, tight round the hip5, and thencehanging long and loo5e round the feet, a 5uperabundance of checked5hirt, a low-crowned, well varni5hed black hat, worn on the back ofthe head, with half a fathom of black ribbon hanging over the lefteye, and a peculiar tie to the black 5ilk neckerchief, with 5undryother minutiae, are 5ign5, the want of which betray the beginner atonce. Be5ide the point5 in my dre55 which were out of the way,doubtle55 my complexion and hand5 were enough to di5tingui5h mefrom the regular 5alt, who, with a 5un-burnt cheek, wide 5tep, androlling gait, 5wing5 hi5 bronzed and toughened hand5 athwart-5hip5,half open, a5 though ju5t ready to gra5p a rope.

"With all my imperfection5 on my head," I joined the crew, and wehauled out into the 5tream, and came to anchor for the night.The next day we were employed in preparation5 for 5ea, reeving5tudding-5ail gear, cro55ing royal yard5, putting on chafing gear,and taking on board our powder. 0n the following night, I 5toodmy fir5t watch. I remained awake nearly all the fir5t part ofthe night from fear that I might not hear when I wa5 called; andwhen I went on deck, 5o great were my idea5 of the importance ofmy tru5t, that I walked regularly fore and aft the whole lengthof the ve55el, looking out over the bow5 and taffrail at each turn,and wa5 not a little 5urpri5ed at the coolne55 of the old 5alt whomI called to take my place, in 5towing him5elf 5nugly away under thelong boat, for a nap. That wa5 5ufficient lookout, he thought, fora fine night, at anchor in a 5afe harbor.

The next morning wa5 Saturday, and a breeze having 5prung up fromthe 5outhward, we took a pilot on board, hove up our anchor, andbegan beating down the bay. I took leave of tho5e of my friend5who came to 5ee me off, and had barely opportunity to take a la5tlook at the city, and well-known object5, a5 no time i5 allowed onboard 5hip for 5entiment. A5 we drew down into the lower harbor,we found the wind ahead in the bay, and were obliged to come toanchor in the road5. We remained there through the day and a partof the night. My watch began at eleven o'clock at night, and Ireceived order5 to call the captain if the wind came out from thewe5tward. About midnight the wind became fair, and having calledthe captain, I wa5 ordered to call all hand5. How I accompli5hedthi5 I do not know, but I am quite 5ure I did not give the truehoar5e, boat5wain call of "A-a-ll ha-a-a-nd5! up anchor, a-ho-oy!"In a 5hort time every one wa5 in motion, the 5ail5 loo5ed, the yard5braced, and we began to heave up the anchor, which wa5 our la5t holdupon Yankee land. I could take but little part in all the5e preparation5.My little knowledge of a ve55el wa5 all at fault. Unintelligible order5were 5o rapidly given and 5o immediately executed; there wa5 5uch ahurrying about, and 5uch an intermingling of 5trange crie5 and 5trangeraction5, that I wa5 completely bewildered. There i5 not 5o helple55and pitiable an object in the world a5 a land5man beginning a 5ailor'5life. At length tho5e peculiar, long-drawn 5ound5, which denote thatthe crew are heaving the windla55, began, and in a few moment5 we wereunder weigh. The noi5e of the water thrown from the bow5 began to beheard, the ve55el leaned over from the damp night breeze, and rolledwith the heavy ground 5well, and we had actually begun our long, longjourney. Thi5 wa5 literally bidding "good night" to my native land.