ish amusements, and it was Henry George's habit, while
engaging in conversation, to throw himself down on his
bed, and frequently while the discourse was raging he
would sink into placid slumbers. It was common enough
for the family to see the boys come down stairs alone and
hear the explanation: "Oh, Hen's asleep and we think it
is time to go."

Thus the home life had much attractiveness for young
George, yet he found it full of restrictions, for with all
the heavy toil and hard discipline of sea life, there was
during the preceding year and a quarter complete free-
dom of thought, and of actions, too, in the hours off duty.
And now to come back to conditions where the most in-
nocent of card-playing was regarded as an evil and riding
in a public conveyance on Sunday as a desecration of the
Lord's Day, made the energetic, masterful boy, or rather
youth, for he was now in his eighteenth year, see new
charms in the sea life; and for a time, all efforts failing
in the search for employment ashore, his thoughts reverted
to the water. Learning of this inclination, Captain Mil-
ler, before sailing on a new voyage in the Hindoo, wrote
to him:

"I hope you will find some agreeable and profitable
employment before long. Take my advice and never
go to sea. You know of the troubles of a sailor's life
before the mast. It never gets any better. A second
mate leads proverbially a dog's life. The mate's and
captain's are very little better." ¹

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