_From 1784 to 1796—age, 10-22._
Apprenticeship continued.—Favorite of his companions.—Learns
music; neglects his studies for a time.—Gets into bad society;
his decision in freeing himself from it.—Engages in a survey
of the town of Salem.—Sails on his first voyage to the East
Indies; extracts from his Journal during this voyage; arrival
at the Isle of Bourbon; return home.
[Sidenote: STUDY AND BUSINESS.]
[Sidenote: A GOOD COMPANION.]
Though so interested in his studies, Nat tried, as we have seen, never to
neglect a known duty. Whenever any one came to the store, he was ready
to leave study in order to attend to him. And he did this cheerfully,
and with so bright a smile that all were pleased to meet him. His young
companions loved him, for he was not one of those vain persons who think
themselves more important than others because they are more learned. On
the contrary, what he knew himself he liked to impart to others. He was
a member of a juvenile club for the discussion of different subjects. In
this association his opinion had much weight, because he rarely spoke,
and never unless he had something of importance to say.
[Sidenote: LOVE OF MUSIC.]
Some of his comrades were very fond of music. He had originally a great
taste for it. Music, at that time, was less cultivated than it is now;
and generally, those who practised it were fond of drinking liquor,
and often became drunkards. Nat’s love of the flute led him, at times,
to meet with several young men of this class. In fact, he was so much
delighted with their company, that he began to forget his studies. Day
after day he spent his leisure hours in their society; and, for a time,
all else was neglected. At length he began to think somewhat in this way:
“What am I doing? forgetting my studies in order to be with those whose
only recommendation is, that they love music? I shall be very likely to
fall into their habits if I continue longer with them. I will not do
so.” He soon afterwards left their society.
The simple, old-fashioned flute on which he played at these meetings is
still preserved. It is a silent monitor to his descendants, urging them
to performance of duty, in spite of the allurements of pleasure.
May every boy who reads this remember it, and try, if ever led into
temptation as the apprentice was, to say, “I will not,” with the same
determined spirit that he did.
The time was fast approaching when he was about to leave the business
of shopkeeping, and enter upon the more active duties of life. It is
true that, to a certain extent, he had been engaged in active life ever
since entering his apprenticeship. At the age of ten he had left the home
of his mother, and had been obliged to depend much upon himself. His
father’s habits had finally prevented him from being of service to the
family. The mother had died; the family had been broken up; and Nat had
thus, at an early age, been thrown upon the world. After having remained
with Ropes & Hodges until they gave up business, he entered the shop of
Samuel C. Ward, which was a similar establishment; and there he remained
until he was twenty-one years old. He then quitted, forever, this
employment.
[Sidenote: SURVEY OF SALEM.]
In 1794, by a law of the state, every town was obliged to have an
accurate survey and measurement made of its limits. Captain Gibaut and
Dr. Bentley were appointed by the Selectmen in Salem to superintend this
business. Believing that the calculating powers of the apprentice would
be useful to them, he was made assistant; and during the summer of 1794
he was occupied with this business. Thus we see how his studies already
began to be useful to him. For his pay, he received one hundred and
thirty-five dollars. Towards the end of the summer, Mr. Derby, a rich
ship-owner in Salem, wished Captain Gibaut to take command of a vessel
to Cadiz, and thence round the Cape of Good Hope to the East Indies.
Captain Gibaut consented, and he asked Nat to go with him as clerk.
Nat agreed to the terms; but, owing to some difficulty with Mr. Derby,
Captain Gibaut resigned to Captain H. Prince. Young Bowditch was unknown
to the latter; but at the suggestion of Mr. Derby, who had heard of the
talents and industry of the clerk, the same arrangements were continued
by Captain Prince.
A new era in his life was now beginning; and let us look a moment at him.
He is now twenty-one years of age. He is already more learned than many
much older than himself, in consequence of his untiring industry and his
devotion to study and to duty. Yet he is modest and retiring. He is still
full of fun and frolic at times, and always ready for acts of kindness.
Above all, he is a good youth; no immorality has stained him. His love of
truth had been given him by his mother; and since her death he has loved
it still more. It is to him a bright light, as it were, to guide him.
Cannot we foresee his career?
[Sidenote: FIRST VOYAGE TO INDIA.]
On January 11, 1795,—that is, when he was a few months more than
twenty-one years of age,—he sailed from Salem in the ship Henry. Though
he went as clerk, he was prepared to undertake the more active duties
of sailor and mate of the vessel. Thinking that he should be too much
occupied to be able to read, he took very few books; and therefore he
devoted much more time to observations of the heavenly bodies, the state
of the weather, &c., while at sea, and upon the manners and habits of the
nations he visited. Though he had not been educated as a sailor-boy, his
studies had led him to understand the most important part of a seaman’s
life, the art of guiding the vessel from one shore to another, across
the ocean. In other words, he had studied much on navigation, and copied
books upon that subject.
[Sidenote: JOURNAL—MOTTO.]
The Journal which he kept during the voyage is quite long. One of the
first lines you meet, on opening the book, is the motto which he chose
for himself. It is in Latin, and means, that _he would do what he thought
to be right, and not obey the dictates of any man_. He notes the events
of every day, most of which are similar; but occasionally something
unusual occurs.
[Sidenote: SLAVERY.]
February 7, 1795, he writes thus: “At ten A. M., spoke a ship,
twenty-five days out, from Liverpool, bound to Africa. We discovered her
this morning, just before sunrise, and supposed her to be a frigate.”
They discovered soon that it was a negro slave-ship, and he exclaims
thus: “God grant that the detestable traffic which she pursues may soon
cease, and that the tawny sons of Africa may be permitted quietly to
enjoy the blessings of liberty in their native land.”
“February 22. We remember with gratitude that this is the anniversary of
the birth of our beloved Washington—the man who unites all hearts. May he
long continue a blessing to his country and to mankind at large!”
During the passage to the Isle of Bourbon, situated, as you know, east
of the southern extremity of Africa, he frequently alludes to his native
land in terms of respect and love. On May 8, the ship arrived in the
harbor of Bourbon. Perhaps you may like to see his description of the
town.
[Sidenote: BOURBON.]
“May 9. After dinner, Captain P., Mr. B., and I, went to see the town.
It is a fine place. All the streets run in straight lines from the
shore, and cross one another at right angles. There is a church here,
with a priest to officiate. I went into it. We afterwards went into
the republican garden. It is a beautiful place, though at present much
neglected. The different walks are made to meet in the centre, and
form the figure of a star, each one of the rays of which is formed by
thirty-four mango trees, placed from twelve to fourteen feet apart. All
the houses of the island are built very low; they have no chimneys. They
are two stories high (about ten feet), have lattice windows, outside
of which are wooden ones to keep off the sun and rain. The floors are
made of the wood of the country, on which they rub wax, as the women of
America do on their furniture. It makes them very slippery.” There are
other places of which he speaks, and in them he finds flower-gardens in
abundance, intermixed with groves of coffee and orange trees, &c.
He afterwards alludes to the poor slaves, who, it appeared, suffered as
much there as they do in some other places at the present day.
[Sidenote: HABITS THERE.]
He visits the people of the place, and finds them superstitious and
vicious. Alluding to the vice he found there, he writes, “I was reminded
of the beautiful words of Solomon, in the Proverbs.” This was not the
only occasion on which he remembered his Bible; and it seemed always to
have a kindly influence over him. On one occasion, several young men
argued with him about its truth; and, having heard them patiently, he put
his hand over his heart: “Talk no more about it. I know that the Bible is
true; that it is capable of doing to me the greatest good. I know so by
the feelings I have here.”
After remaining in this place until July 25, he set sail for home, and
arrived in Salem January 11, 1796, having been absent exactly twelve
months.