Augustus led the way to
      the wharf, and I followed at a little distance, enveloped in a
      thick seaman’s cloak, which he had brought with him, so that my
      person might not be easily recognized. Just as we turned the
      second corner, after passing Mr. Edmund’s well, who should
      appear, standing right in front of me, and looking me full in the
      face, but old Mr. Peterson, my grandfather. “Why, bless my soul,
      Gordon,” said he, after a long pause, “why, why,—whose dirty
      cloak is that you have on?” “Sir!” I replied, assuming, as well
      as I could, in the exigency of the moment, an air of offended
      surprise, and talking in the gruffest of all imaginable
      tones—“sir! you are a sum’mat mistaken—my name, in the first
      place, bee’nt nothing at all like Goddin, and I’d want you for to
      know better, you blackguard, than to call my new obercoat a darty
      one.” For my life I could hardly refrain from screaming with
      laughter at the odd manner in which the old gentleman received
      this handsome rebuke. He started back two or three steps, turned
      first pale and then excessively red, threw up his spectacles,
      then, putting them down, ran full tilt at me, with his umbrella
      uplifted. He stopped short, however, in his career, as if struck
      with a sudden recollection; and presently, turning round, hobbled
      off down the street, shaking all the while with rage, and
      muttering between his teeth: “Won’t do—new glasses—thought it was
      Gordon—d—d good-for-nothing salt water Long Tom.”

      After this narrow escape we proceeded with greater caution, and
      arrived at our point of destination in safety. There were only
      one or two of the hands on board, and these were busy forward,
      doing something to the forecastle combings. Captain Barnard, we
      knew very well, was engaged at Lloyd and Vredenburgh’s, and would
      remain there until late in the evening, so we had little to
      apprehend on his account. Augustus went first up the vessel’s
      side, and in a short while I followed him, without being noticed
      by the men at work. We proceeded at once into the cabin, and
      found no person there. It was fitted up in the most comfortable
      style—a thing somewhat unusual in a whaling-vessel. There were
      four very excellent staterooms, with wide and convenient berths. There was also a large stove, I took notice, and a remarkably
      thick and valuable carpet covering the floor of both the cabin
      and staterooms. The ceiling was full seven feet high, and, in
      short, every thing appeared of a more roomy and agreeable nature
      than I had anticipated. Augustus, however, would allow me but
      little time for observation, insisting upon the necessity of my
      concealing myself as soon as possible. He led the way into his
      own stateroom, which was on the starboard side of the brig, and
      next to the bulkheads. Upon entering, he closed the door and
      bolted it. I thought I had never seen a nicer little room than
      the one in which I now found myself. It was about ten feet long,
      and had only one berth, which, as I said before, was wide and
      convenient. In that portion of the closet nearest the bulkheads
      there was a space of four feet square, containing a table, a
      chair, and a set of hanging shelves full of books, chiefly books
      of voyages and travels. There were many other little comforts in
      the room, among which I ought not to forget a kind of safe or
      refrigerator, in which Augustus pointed out to me a host of
      delicacies, both in the eating and drinking department. He now pressed with his knuckles upon a certain spot of the
      carpet in one corner of the space just mentioned, letting me know
      that a portion of the flooring, about sixteen inches square, had
      been neatly cut out and again adjusted. As he pressed, this
      portion rose up at one end sufficiently to allow the passage of
      his finger beneath. In this manner he raised the mouth of the
      trap (to which the carpet was still fastened by tacks), and I
      found that it led into the after hold. He next lit a small taper
      by means of a phosphorous match, and, placing the light in a dark
      lantern, descended with it through the opening, bidding me
      follow. I did so, and he then pulled the cover upon the hole, by
      means of a nail driven into the under side—the carpet, of course,
      resuming its original position on the floor of the stateroom, and
      all traces of the aperture being concealed. The taper gave out so feeble a ray that it was with the greatest
      difficulty I could grope my way through the confused mass of
      lumber among which I now found myself. By degrees, however, my
      eyes became accustomed to the gloom, and I proceeded with less
      trouble, holding on to the skirts of my friend’s coat. He brought
      me, at length, after creeping and winding through innumerable
      narrow passages, to an iron-bound box, such as is used sometimes
      for packing fine earthenware. It was nearly four feet high, and
      full six long, but very narrow. Two large empty oil-casks lay on
      the top of it, and above these, again, a vast quantity of straw
      matting, piled up as high as the floor of the cabin. In every
      other direction around was wedged as closely as possible, even up
      to the ceiling, a complete chaos of almost every species of
      ship-furniture, together with a heterogeneous medley of crates,
      hampers, barrels, and bales, so that it seemed a matter no less
      than miraculous that we had discovered any passage at all to the
      box. I afterward found that Augustus had purposely arranged the
      stowage in this hold with a view to affording me a thorough
      concealment, having had only one assistant in the labour, a man
      not going out in the brig. My companion now showed me that one of the ends of the box could
      be removed at pleasure. He slipped it aside and displayed the
      interior, at which I was excessively amused. A mattress from one
      of the cabin berths covered the whole of its bottom, and it
      contained almost every article of mere comfort which could be
      crowded into so small a space, allowing me, at the same time,
      sufficient room for my accommodation, either in a sitting
      position or lying at full length. Among other things, there were
      some books, pen, ink, and paper, three blankets, a large jug full
      of water, a keg of sea-biscuit, three or four immense Bologna
      sausages, an enormous ham, a cold leg of roast mutton, and half a
      dozen bottles of cordials and liqueurs.