Volume 2

Jesus and Peter's Boat
249
again teach. It was dark and Jesus taught by torchlight.
The instruction over, He left His hearers, and went to the
shore of the lake and down to the spot where Peter's men
were waiting for Him with a boat. It was late. The three
sailors made use of lights when they disembarked about
half an hour below Bethsaida-Julias. Peter and Andrew,
with the help of their servants, had built especially for His
use the little boat in which Jesus had crossed. They were
not only mariners and fishermen, but shipbuilders also.
Peter owned three vessels, one of them very large, as
long as a house. Jesus' little boat held about ten men. It
was oval in form, almost like an egg. In the forepart and
stern were enclosed places for storing, and affording accommodations
for washing the feet. In the center rose the
mast with poles extended from it to the sides of the vessel
for support; above and around these poles swung the sails.
The seats were ranged around the mast. Jesus often taught
from this little barque, which He used likewise to cross
fronl point to point and to sail about among the other
ships. The large vessels had around the lower part of the
mast decks formed like terraces, or galleries, one above
another. They were supported by posts placed at regular
intervals, so that a view could be had through them from
side to side. They were furnished with canvas curtains
that could be drawn so as to form separate compartments
like little cells. The poles supporting the mast had projecting
rounds to facilitate climbing, and on either side of the
vessel were floating chests, or barrels like wings or fins, to
prevent its being overturned in a storm. They could be
filled with water or emptied, according as it was necessary
for the ship to ride more lightly or sink to a greater depth.
The fish caught was sometimes preserved in them. At
either end of the vessel were movable planks which, on
being shoved out, facilitated access to the casks, to neighboring
boats, or to the nets. When not in use for fishing
purposes, the vessels were held in readiness to transport