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myself. So we had to take the vessel there alone, but it was only five miles and the wind was good, so we got there all right.
Norfolk	is	a little irregular, unhealthy town	surrounded by a	swamp and
pine woods.	The	cholera killed a lot of people while we were there.	I thought
one time I had it myself. For five days I had such a diarrhea, I could hardly stand on my feet.
From Norfolk runs a canal through the great Dismal Swamp to North Carolina.	One of the U.S. Arsenals is also there. We stayed there only one
week, got a new crew and went back to Falmouth, Mass., the vessel's home port. In about eight days we arrived at a little place called Elizabeth Island, where we had to be in quarantine, as we cdme from the cholera region. We had a good time fishing and walking around on the little island. It was quite pretty. Masses of wild grapes were growing everywhere. Strange, it seems to me, that grapes can grow there - it is so much colder in the winter than at home.
When we	got	out of quarantine, we sailed down	to Falmouth. It	is a very
small place,	and	only a few vessels belong there.	There are many	apple and
peach orchards. One day I wanted to taste an apple. I saw a boy shaking some down. I asked him to give me a couple but instead of answering, he set up a howl and ran away. I went in myself, picked up as many as I could carry, and got out again without being molested. On my way back, I passed	a	pond	with	a
terrible lot of turtles but as soon as I came near, they dived.
When	we had unloaded the captain	left the vessel.	The mate was in
command.	I did not like him, so I would	not go with him. As	there was no other
vessel I could join at that place, I went as a passenger on a steamboat to New Bedford.
I did not intend to go to sea again immediately, but when I went up into the town I came by a house where they were selling books at auction, I went in and bought a lot of pleasure books. One was named 'P. Pickle", and I liked it so well that, instead of going to sea, I hired me a room so I could read all I wanted. I stayed there ten days and did nothing but read and pick blueberries.
I had a good deal of money, and wished to be saving, so I knew no better than	to	put	it in the bank	there.	So I put	sixteen dollars	in and the next
time	I came	forty dollars.	But I did not get	a receipt and I	have never been
there since, so God knows if I shall ever see my money again.
In	the	meantime I had	read my	books and	began to think	of going again.
First I	thought of hiring myself to	a whaling	vessel, but as	they usually are
gone for three years, I thought that would be too long. Therefore,	I	hired	out
to the schooner, "The Three Sisters", going to Baltimore, where we arrived after six days' sailing.
Baltimore is situated two hundred English miles up the Chesapeake on the river and	is a large, handsome town.	There are many	splendid buildings,
especially	the U.S. Bank, in which no	stone weighs less	than two tons and
Washington's monument, with his figure on top in colossal size. There is a most beautiful view from there.
There I got acquainted with an old ship's captain, Stevens, who took me home to his family. I liked them very much, especially one of the daughters. I was quite in love with her. They were Catholics and came near making me one,
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