Harris had seen and been in
hundreds of such scenes as these, but in his then state of mind, it
fixed his determination, and he resolved never to taste another drop
of strong drink, of any kind. He signed no pledge, and made no vow,
but relied on his own strength of purpose. The first thing with him
was a reason, and then a resolution, and the thing was done. The date
of his resolution he knew, of course, to the very hour. It was three
years before I knew him, and during all that time, nothing stronger
than cider or coffee had passed his lips. The sailors never thought of
enticing Tom to take a glass, any more than they would of talking to
the ship's compass. He was now a temperate man for life, and capable
of filling any berth in a ship, and many a high station there is on
shore which is held by a meaner man.
He understood the management of a ship upon scientific principles,
and could give the reason for hauling every rope; and a long
experience, added to careful observation at the time, and a perfect
memory, gave him a knowledge of the expedients and resorts in times of
hazard, which was remarkable, and for which I became much indebted
to him, as he took the greatest pleasure in opening his stores of
information to me, in return for what I was able to do for him.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353