Jack in the Forecastle - or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale
Sleeper, John Sherburne
English
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JACK IN THE FORECASTLE
OR
INCIDENTS IN THE EARLY LIFE OF HAWSER MARTINGALE
by John Sherburne Sleeper (1794-1878)
Chapter I
Farewell to New England
I was born towards the close of the last century, in a village
pleasantly situated on the banks of the Merrimack, in
Massachusetts. For the satisfaction of the curious, and the
edification of the genealogist, I will state that my ancestors
came to this country from England in the middle of the
seventeenth century. Why they left their native land to seek an
asylum on this distant shore whether prompted by a spirit of
adventure, or with a view to avoid persecution for religion's
sake is now unknown. Even if they "left their country for
their country's good," they were undoubtedly as respectable,
honest, and noble, as the major part of those needy ruffians who
accompanied William the Conqueror from Normandy in his successful
attempt to seize the British crown, and whose descendants now
boast of their noble ancestry, and proudly claim a seat in the
British House of Peers.
From my earliest years I manifested a strong attachment to
reading; and as matters relating to ships and sailors captivated
my boyish fancy, and exerted a magic influence on my mind, the
"Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," "Peter Wilkins," "Philip
Quarle," and vagabonds of a similar character, were my favorite
books. An indulgence in this taste, and perhaps an innate
dispostion to lead a wandering, adventurous life, kindled in my
bosom a strong desire, which soon became a fixed resolution, TO
GO TO SEA. Indeed, this wish to go abroad, to encounter dangers
on the mighty deep, to visit foreign countries and climes, to
face shipwrecks and disasters, became a passion. It was my
favorite theme of talk by day, and the subject of my dreams by
night. As I increased in years my longing for a sailor's life
also increased; and whenever my schoolfellows and myself were
conversing about the occupations we should select as the means of
gaining a livelihood hereafter, I invariably said, "I will be a
sailor."
Had my parents lived, it is possible that this deep-seated
inclination might have been thwarted; that my destiny might have
taken another shape. But my father died while I was quite young,
and my mother survived him but a few years. She lived long
enough, however, to convince me that there is nothing more pure,
disinterested, and enduring than a mother's love, and that those
who are deprived of this blessing meet at the outset of their
pilgrimage a misfortune which can never be remedied. Thus,
before I had numbered fifteen years, I found myself thrown a waif
on the waters of life, free to follow the bent of my inclination
to become a sailor.
Fortune favored my wishes. Soon after the death of my parents, a
relation of my mother was fitting out a vessel in Portsmouth,
N.H., for a voyage to Demarara; and those who felt an interest in
my welfare, conceiving this a good opportunity for me to commence
my salt-water career, acceded to my wishes, and prevailed on my
relative, against his inclination, to take me with him as a cabin
boy.
With emotions of delight I turned my back on the home of my
childhood, and gayly started off to seek my fortune in the world,
with no other foundation to build upon than a slender frame, an
imperfect education, a vivid imagination, ever picturing charming
castles in the air, and a goodly share of quiet energy and
perseverance, modified by an excess of diffidence, which to this
day I have never been able to overcome.
I had already found in a taste for reading a valuable and never-
failing source of information and amusement. This attachment to
books has attended me through life, and been a comfort and solace
in difficulties, perplexities, and perils. My parents, also,
early ingrafted on my mind strict moral principles; taught me to
distinguish between right and wrong; to cherish a love of truth,
and even a chivalric sense of honor and honesty. To this,
perhaps, more than to any other circumstance, may be attributed
whatever success and respectability has attended my career
through life. It has enabled me to resist temptations to evil
with which I was often surrounded, and to grapple with and
triumph over obstacles that might otherwise have overwhelmed me.
When I reached Portsmouth, my kinsman, Captain Tilton, gave me an
ungracious reception. He rebuked me severely for expressing a
determination to go to sea.
"Go to sea!" he exclaimed in a tone of the most sovereign
contempt. "Ridiculous! You are a noodle for thinking of such a
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