Well, the older I grow, the more I realize what a fool I have been
all my life, and never a greater one than I am now at the age of
sixty-two.

One morning early we weighed anchor, and were soon out of sight of land;
then the voyage began in earnest. Much to my surprise, we had to take
turns perched up aloft for two hours at a time on the top-gallant
cross-trees, looking out for whales. Why, I never thought there was a
whale within five thousand miles of New Bedford at that time, but I was
mistaken. They are sometimes captured in sight of the harbour. The
boat-steerers were kept busy fixing up their harpoons and lances,
getting the boats ready, coiling the lines in the tubs etc. In the
meantime the mates were watching the crew very closely to see which men
were the most active.

After we were at sea about ten days all hands were called aft to the
mizzen-mast. Then the mates, each in turn, picked out one man for his
own boat's crew. Being light and active, I was made stroke-oarsman of
the first mate's boat, and a lively job it proved to be, too. Soon we
got in the warm latitudes and calm days, and then the boats would be
lowered in order to give the crews exercise and practice in rowing. It
was hard work, but we soon became expert oarsmen.

One day we sighted the Cape Verde Islands, and sailed among them for a
few days. Boats were sent ashore; rotten tobacco--outfit quality--was
traded to the natives for fruit; then I got in my work, so far as the
fruit went. The ship then steered for the Island of Martinbas-Trinidado,
21 deg. south latitude, for the purpose of ascertaining whether our
chronometers were still correct, by comparing our observations with the
longitude of the island, as that is known to a certainty.

Trinity Rock, as it is called also, is uninhabited, quite barren, and
only a few miles in circumference. That is the place where we had our
first adventure. The first mate's boat was to take the crew, with the
captain, his wife and child, also three old muskets and ammunition, and
land them in a seaman-like manner on the island. The boat's party with
the old army muskets were to kill a number of mythical goats on land.

We pulled close to the shore, just outside of the heavy surf, trying to
find a safe place to land. Finally we came to an opening in the reef.
Inside, the water looked smooth and inviting, and there was also a nice
sandy beach. To the left of the reef was the wreck of a French ship,
the bows