{"id":"01KG8AKWJBK2XGPND390B351ZB","cid":"bafkreidhw24eudggb7w2ufknkiff6utv4owxh5ekaw5gijrqrevwytmhme","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":3406,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:14.838Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 1","source_file":"01KG89J1GP71YDJ60P8SRH97MF","start_line":3339,"text":"CHAPTER XVIII.\r\nHE ENDEAVORS TO IMPROVE HIS MIND; AND TELLS OF ONE BLUNT AND HIS DREAM\r\nBOOK\r\n\r\n\r\nOn the Sunday afternoon I spoke of, it was my watch below, and I\r\nthought I would spend it profitably, in improving my mind.\r\n\r\nMy bunk was an upper one; and right over the head of it was a\r\n_bull’s-eye,_ or circular piece of thick ground glass, inserted into\r\nthe deck to give light. It was a dull, dubious light, though; and I\r\noften found myself looking up anxiously to see whether the bull’s-eye\r\nhad not suddenly been put out; for whenever any one trod on it, in\r\nwalking the deck, it was momentarily quenched; and what was still\r\nworse, sometimes a coil of rope would be thrown down on it, and stay\r\nthere till I dressed myself and went up to remove it—a kind of\r\ninterruption to my studies which annoyed me very much, when diligently\r\noccupied in reading.\r\n\r\nHowever, I was glad of any light at all, down in that gloomy hole,\r\nwhere we burrowed like rabbits in a warren; and it was the happiest\r\ntime I had, when all my messmates were asleep, and I could lie on my\r\nback, during a forenoon watch below, and read in comparative quiet and\r\nseclusion.\r\n\r\nI had already read two books loaned to me by Max, to whose share they\r\nhad fallen, in dividing the effects of the sailor who had jumped\r\noverboard. One was an account of Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, and\r\nthe other was a large black volume, with _Delirium Tremens_ in great\r\ngilt letters on the back. This proved to be a popular treatise on the\r\nsubject of that disease; and I remembered seeing several copies in the\r\nsailor book-stalls about Fulton Market, and along South-street, in New\r\nYork.\r\n\r\nBut this Sunday I got out a book, from which I expected to reap great\r\nprofit and sound instruction. It had been presented to me by Mr. Jones,\r\nwho had quite a library, and took down this book from a top shelf,\r\nwhere it lay very dusty. When he gave it to me, he said, that although\r\nI was going to sea, I must not forget the importance of a good\r\neducation; and that there was hardly any situation in life, however\r\nhumble and depressed, or dark and gloomy, but one might find leisure in\r\nit to store his mind, and build himself up in the exact sciences. And\r\nhe added, that though it _did_ look rather unfavorable for my future\r\nprospects, to be going to sea as a common sailor so early in life; yet,\r\nit would no doubt turn out for my benefit in the end; and, at any rate,\r\nif I would only take good care of myself, would give me a sound\r\nconstitution, if nothing more; and _that_ was not to be undervalued,\r\nfor how many very rich men would give all their bonds and mortgages for\r\nmy boyish robustness.\r\n\r\nHe added, that I need not expect any light, trivial work, that was\r\nmerely entertaining, and nothing more; but here I would find\r\nentertainment and edification beautifully and harmoniously combined;\r\nand though, at first, I might possibly find it dull, yet, if I perused\r\nthe book thoroughly, it would soon discover hidden charms and\r\nunforeseen attractions; besides teaching me, perhaps, the true way to\r\nretrieve the poverty of my family, and again make them all well-to-do\r\nin the world.\r\n\r\nSaying this, he handed it to me, and I blew the dust off, and looked at\r\nthe back: _“Smith’s Wealth of Nations.”_ This not satisfying me, I\r\nglanced at the title page, and found it was an _“Enquiry into the\r\nNature and Causes”_ of the alleged wealth of nations. But happening to\r\nlook further down, I caught sight of _“Aberdeen,”_ where the book was\r\nprinted; and thinking that any thing from Scotland, a foreign country,\r\nmust prove some way or other pleasing to me, I thanked Mr. Jones very\r\nkindly, and promised to peruse the volume carefully.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 1"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJQ1DADRPA06G38V29X3T","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1GP71YDJ60P8SRH97MF","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKWJDY0QKVFV5D7B8E8RC","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:19.019Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:27.496Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}