"Well, D---," said the second mate to me, "this
does not look much like Cambridge college, does it? This is what I
call 'head work.'" To tell the truth it did not look very encouraging.
After they had got through with the hides, they laid hold of the
bags of tallow, (the bags are made of hide, and are about the size
of a common meal bag,) and lifting each upon the shoulders of two men,
one at each end, walked off with them to the boat, and prepared to
go aboard. Here, too, was something for us to learn. The man who
steered, shipped his oar and stood up in the stern, and those that
pulled the after oars sat upon their benches, with their oars shipped,
ready to strike out as soon as she was afloat. The two men at the bows
kept their places; and when, at length, a large sea came in and
floated her, seized hold of the gunwales, and ran out with her till
they were up to their armpits, and then tumbled over the gunwale
into the bows, dripping with water. The men at the oars struck out,
but it wouldn't do; the sea swept back and left them nearly high and
dry. The two fellows jumped out again; and the next time they
succeeded better, and, with the help of a deal of outlandish hallooing
and bawling, got her well off.
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