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- you?” added he, affectionately patting my head. “It’s a hard life,
though; a hard life.”
But when I looked round at his comfortable, and almost luxurious cabin,
and then at his handsome care-free face, I thought he was only trying
to frighten me, and I answered, “Well, sir, I am ready to try it.”
“I hope he’s a country lad, sir,” said the captain to my friend, “these
city boys are sometimes hard cases.”
“Oh! yes, he’s from the country,” was the reply, “and of a highly
respectable family; his great-uncle died a Senator.”
“But his great-uncle don’t want to go to sea too?” said the captain,
looking funny.
“Oh! no, oh, no!— Ha! ha!”
“Ha! ha!” echoed the captain.
A fine funny gentleman, thought I, not much fancying, however, his
levity concerning my great-uncle, he’ll be cracking his jokes the whole
voyage; and so I afterward said to one of the riggers on board; but he
bade me look out, that he did not crack my head.
“Well, my lad,” said the captain, “I suppose you know we haven’t any
pastures and cows on board; you can’t get any milk at sea, you know.”
“Oh! I know all about that, sir; my father has crossed the ocean, if I
haven’t.”
“Yes,” cried my friend, “his father, a gentleman of one of the first
families in America, crossed the Atlantic several times on important
business.”
“Embassador extraordinary?” said the captain, looking funny again.
“Oh! no, he was a wealthy merchant.”
“Ah! indeed;” said the captain, looking grave and bland again, “then
this fine lad is the son of a gentleman?”
“Certainly,” said my friend, “and he’s only going to sea for the humor
of it; they want to send him on his travels with a tutor, but he _will_
go to sea as a sailor.”
The fact was, that my young friend (for he was only about twenty-five)
was not a very wise man; and this was a huge fib, which out of the
kindness of his heart, he told in my behalf, for the purpose of
creating a profound respect for me in the eyes of my future lord.
Upon being apprized, that I had willfully forborne taking the grand
tour with a tutor, in order to put my hand in a tar-bucket, the
handsome captain looked ten times more funny than ever; and said that
_he_ himself would be my tutor, and take me on my travels, and pay for
the privilege.
“Ah!” said my friend, “that reminds me of business. Pray, captain, how
much do you generally pay a handsome young fellow like this?”
“Well,” said the captain, looking grave and profound, “we are not so
particular about beauty, and we never give more than three dollars to a
green lad like Wellingborough here, that’s your name, my boy?
Wellingborough Redburn!—Upon my soul, a fine sounding name.”
“Why, captain,” said Mr. Jones, quickly interrupting him, “that won’t
pay for his clothing.”
“But you know his highly respectable and wealthy relations will
doubtless see to all that,” replied the captain, with his funny look
again.
“Oh! yes, I forgot that,” said Mr. Jones, looking rather foolish. “His
friends will of course see to that.”
“Of course,” said the captain smiling.
“Of course,” repeated Mr. Jones, looking ruefully at the patch on my
pantaloons, which just then I endeavored to hide with the skirt of my
shooting-jacket.
“You are quite a sportsman I see,” said the captain, eying the great
buttons on my coat, upon each of which was a carved fox.
Upon this my benevolent friend thought that here was a grand
opportunity to befriend me.
“Yes, he’s quite a sportsman,” said he, “he’s got a very valuable
fowling-piece at home, perhaps you would like to purchase it, captain,
to shoot gulls with at sea? It’s cheap.”
“Oh! no, he had better leave it with his relations,” said the captain,
“so that he can go hunting again when he returns from England.”
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