CHAPTER 1 : STARTING A JOURNEY

When I‘m broke or want something different, I always look for a ship to sail in the sea. I don’t get on a ship where rich people travel and I don’t travel as a cook or a cleaner either. I join the boats as a simple crew member.

I don’t like being ordered about by others. This is a great change to my regular life, as I do not take orders from anyone else. I like giving orders. When the captain tells me to take a brush and clean the floors, I do it. Because I know this is a right thing to do. They pay me for this. And I like the smell of the sea and the fresh air of the wild winds, too.

“This time, I’ll get on a whale boat.” I decided.

Most of the ships hunt for whales in the Ocean. The best place to find a whale hunter ship is Nantucket island on the east coast of America.

When I arrived at New Bedford on Saturday night, the ship going to Nantucket had already started its journey, so I had to stay in Bedford for a night or more.

It was getting darker. I stopped wondering where to spend the night. There was a little money in my pocket. “Ismail, you have to ask the fee for a room.” I thought to myself.

I saw an inn by the sea. The door of it was open. I could hear the voices coming from inside. I opened the door. There was a long table that the seamen drank at. The seamen called that table “Jonah”, because it looked like a jaw of a whale. As it was written in one of the books I read that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

“Have you got a roomfor tonight?” I asked the owner of the inn.

“No.” he said. “We don’t have any vacant rooms.” Then he thought. “Can you share a bed with another man?”

“With whom?” I asked.

“With a seamen who uses a harpoon!”

By the way, let me tell you what a harpoon is.

“OK.” said the man. “If you don’t sleep with him you will have nowhere to stay.”

I thought about the stormy night outside. Then I said; “I have to share a room with this man even if he is a monster.”

“I think so.” said the man. “Sit down. You’d like dinner, wouldn’t you? It will be ready soon.” The inn-keeper brought the men their dinner.

“It is as cold as Zeland.” said one of the men.

“Yes, it is.” said the inn-keeper. “I don’t have money to buy wood.”

I held a tea cup to heat my hands. A pudding made with potatoes, sugar, oil and flour was put on the table. A man with a green coat began to eat fast.

“I’m hungry.” he said.

“If you eat fast, you will have nightmares at night.” said a man.

“Is this the seamen you’ve told me about?” I asked whispering to the inn-keeper.

“Oh, no. He is a negro. He never eats anything sweet. He only eats meat.”

“Where is this man? Is he here?” I asked.

“He’ll be here soon.” said inn-keeper.

I didn’t feel happy to share a bed with a man. I decided that the man should go to bed first. That’s why I had to spend the night listening to seamen’s stories. These men got off the ships which came to the port in the morning. So they brought the recent news. While I was listening to the men, the inn-keeper told me that the man I was going to share the bed with wouldn’t come. He took a candle and showed me my room.

He took me to a small, cold room. It was large enough for four people to stay in.

“Here is your bed! Have a nice sleep.” he said and left me the candle.

WORDS

Journey   (a holiday or trip)

To be broke  (to have no money, to be bankrupt)

To look for   (to search)

To sail  (to move briskly)

Crew member  (one who is part of a crew, one who is part of a work group)

To order   (to request for some product or service)

To hunt   (to  chase down prey and kill it)

To wonder   (to ponder about something)

Fee  (a payment, charge)

Inn  (any establishment where travellers can procure lodging, food and drink)

Seamen  (plural of seaman, sailor)

A jaw   (chin)

To swallow   (to cause to pass from the mouth into the stomach)

Vacant  (empty)

Harpoon  (a spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish)

Monster   (a terrifying and dangerous, wild or fictional creature)

Inn-keeper   (a person who runs an inn)

Flour   (powder of other material)

Nightmare (a very bad or frightening dream)

To whisper   (to act of speaking in a quiet voice)

Negro  (a person with black or dark)

Port  (harbor)

Candle  (a light source consisting of substance such as wax, tallow or paraffin)

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