Here he looked
round upon the forecastle in which he had spent so many years, and
being alone and his shipmates scattered, he began to feel actually
unhappy. Home became almost a dream; and it was not until his
brother (who had heard of the ship's arrival) came down into the
forecastle and told him of things at home, and who were waiting
there to see him, that he could realize where he was, and feel
interest enough to put him in motion toward that place for which he
had longed, and of which he had dreamed, for years. There is
probably so much of excitement in prolonged expectation, that the
quiet realizing of it produces a momentary stagnation of feeling as
well as of effort. It was a good deal so with me. The activity of
preparation, the rapid progress of the ship, the first making land,
the coming up the harbor, and old scenes breaking upon the view,
produced a mental as well as bodily activity, from which the change to
a perfect stillness, when both expectation and the necessity of
labor failed, left a calmness, almost of indifference, from which I
must be roused by some new excitement. And the next morning, when
all hands were called, and we were busily at work, clearing the decks,
and getting everything in readiness for going up to the
wharves,- loading the guns for a salute, loosing the sails, and
manning the windlass- mind and body seemed to wake together.
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