with any adventure
that is at all peculiar; for to the end of his days people will never
get done asking him about it; and most likely their questions are of the
most ridiculous kind, like, 'Hardy, wasn't it cold there?' just as if
anybody could be cast away in the cold, and find it anything else; or,
'How did you feel, Hardy?' as if _feeling_ has anything at all to do
with you when you are trying to save your life.

"The captain of the _Rob Roy_ took a great fancy to our odd-looking fur
clothes, especially our underclothing, which was made of birds' skins;
and he gave us civilized garments out of the ship's stores. You may be
sure that we were glad enough to get these nasty fur clothes off, and
be rid of them forever. The captain offered to keep them for us, but we
said 'No, no,' for we had had quite enough of them.

"So we went after whales, and made a 'good catch,' as the whale-fishers
call a good shipload of oil, and then we bore away for Aberdeen, only
stopping on the way at two or three half-savage places.

"When we reached Aberdeen, which occurred on the 29th of October, there
was a great talk made about us, and, when we walked through the streets,
people stuck out their fingers, and said, 'There they go! look!' so we
were great lions there, and had to tell our story so often that we found
out what they liked most to hear, and this we repeated over and over
again; and by this method we saved much time and talk.

"The very first thing the Dean did, after landing, was to write a letter
to his mother, sending it off right away by post. It was just like the
little fellow to do it, and what he wrote was like him too. It began
thus: 'Through the mercy of Providence I have been saved, and am coming
back to you, mother dear.'

"Then we were shipped on board an American vessel, by the American
Consul, for New York, where we arrived after a prosperous voyage, in
good health, and without anything happening to us worth mentioning. This
was on the 22d day of December, which made just three years, nine
months, and nineteen days since we sailed from New Bedford.

"As soon as we had landed, we set out for the hospital to find the
Dean's mother. The Dean had directed his letter there, thinking that if
she had got well and gone away, they would know where; and this they
did, so we took down the address and hurried on. It was in a little
by-street, and we had much trouble to find it; but by and by we came
upon a tumble-down o