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diff --git a/43342-0.txt b/43342-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..38d5121 --- /dev/null +++ b/43342-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4537 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43342 *** + + ROUND CAPE HORN. + + VOYAGE + OF THE + + PASSENGER-SHIP JAMES W. PAIGE, + FROM MAINE TO CALIFORNIA IN THE YEAR 1852. + + BY J. LAMSON. + + [Illustration] + + + + + BANGOR: + PRESS OF O. F. & W. H. KNOWLES. + 1878. + + + + +Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by + + J. LAMSON, + +In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, in Washington. + + + + + TO + + My Fellow-Passengers, + + AS A REMINDER OF MANY PLEASANT SCENES ENJOYED, + AND MANY ANNOYANCES ENDURED DURING OUR + VOYAGE, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. + + + + +PREFACE. + + +A voyage round Cape Horn in a passenger-ship is an event of the past. +The necessity for performing this perilous voyage has been obviated by +the introduction of railroads and steamships. Emigrants and travelers +are no longer obliged to risk their lives and waste their time in +passing round the Stormy Cape in order to arrive at a point, which may +be reached in a week by a pleasant ride across the continent on the +railroad; and Cape Horn is destined to become a terra incognita to all +but the readers of ancient voyages. + +I am not aware that a narrative of a voyage of this description has +ever been published; and the hope that a truthful account of the +perils, discomforts, and annoyances, as well as the pleasures and +enjoyments attending it, may prove entertaining to the reader, has +prompted me to send forth this little work to meet the fate or fortune +which an enlightened public may award it. + +The scenes and anecdotes recorded at the end of the voyage, are given +in the hope that they may possess some slight value as conveying +an idea--a vague and indistinct one, perhaps--of some of the +characteristics and habits of a portion of the people of California in +early times. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + + + + CHAPTER I. + + Description of the Bark--She sets Sail--Uncomfortable + Situation--Specimen of our Discomforts--A Squall--Escape from + a Waterspout--Approach to the Cape Verde Islands--Religious + Services--A School of Porpoises--A Dutch Vessel--A + Flying-fish--Annoyances--Bad Cooking--A Practical Joke--Tropic of + Cancer 13 + + + CHAPTER II. + + Consultations about Cape Verde Islands--Flying-fish--English + Steamer--Tropical Showers--Disappointment--Capture of a + Porpoise--May-Day at Sea--An English Bark--Letters for + Home--Another Bark--Nautical Ceremonies--An Aquatic Bird--Crossing + the Equator--Squalls--A Portuguese Brig--Captain J. engages + to stop at Rio Janeiro--Land Seen--Cape Frio--Approach to Rio + Janeiro--Beautiful Scenery--Disappointment 21 + + + CHAPTER III. + + A Mistake Discovered and Corrected--Ill Health--Scenery of the Coast + and Harbor of Rio Janeiro--We cast Anchor--Going Ashore--Rambles + in the City--Fountains--Markets--Parrots--Hammer-headed + Sharks--Monkeys--Slaves--Tropical Trees--Visit to a Hotel--English + Gentlemen--Public Gardens 29 + + + CHAPTER IV. + + Visit to the Botanical Garden--Description of the Garden--Dinner + at the Hotel--Third Visit to the City--Impudence of the First + Mate--Village of San Domingo--A Walk in the Country--Attacked by + Dogs--Beautiful Plantations--Civility of a Planter--Elegant Mansion + and Grounds--A Retreat--A Fine Road--Return to the Ship--Supply of + Fruit--The North America--Mr. Kent, our Consul 36 + + + CHAPTER V. + + Weigh Anchor--Civility of the People of Rio--Temperance--An + Altercation--Cold Weather--Cape Pigeons--Large Bird--Our Kitchen + Establishment--Stewards and Cooks--Scouse--Inspection of Cooks' + Galley--A Joke--A Squall--An Altercation--Captain J. and Mrs. + L----t--Cape Pigeons--Oranges 46 + + + CHAPTER VI. + + A Disagreeable Scene--Scarcity of Oil--Lamps and Slush--An + Albatross--Ill Manners of the Mate--Cold Weather--The Whiffletree + Watch--Disagreeable Scene--Magellan Clouds and Southern Cross--An + Act of Kindness--Turnovers and Sport--Tierra del Fuego and Staten + Land--A Perilous Passage--Ducks and Cape Pigeons--A Squall--A Black + Albatross--Cape Horn--Stormy Weather--A Gale--Accident at the + Breakfast Table 54 + + + CHAPTER VII. + + Severe Cold--Furious Storm--Diego Ramirez Islands--Land + Ahead--Cape Horn Weather--Two Vessels--Length of Days and + Nights--Disagreeable Brawl--Heading North--Patagonia--The + Andes--Another Storm--Anxiety of Captain J.--A Lunar + Rainbow--Another Gale--Bill of Fare--Filthy Cooks and + Impure Water 63 + + + CHAPTER VIII. + + Captain Jackson--A Drifting Spar--Approaching + Talcahuana--Washing-day--Landscapes--Harbor of + Talcahuana--Pelicans--A Visit from Officials--Description of the + Town--American Houses--Tremont House--A Dinner 72 + + + CHAPTER IX. + + Character of the Inhabitants--Agricultural Implements--Lassoing + Cattle--Poncho--A Covered Wagon--Wild Doves--An Earthquake--An + Excursion--Dogs, Women, Children, and Shells--A Scotchman and his + Wine--An Adventure and the Calaboose--A Chilian Musket Fished + Up--An Affecting Incident--Fruit Market--Leave Talcahuana--An + Explanation--Theft in the Cooks' Galley--Disinterested + Advice--Uneasiness of Mrs. L----t and Captain J. 80 + + + CHAPTER X. + + Religious Services--A Beautiful Bird--Departure of Cape Pigeons + and Albatrosses--Stormy Petrels--Amusements--Harmony among + the Passengers--Mrs. L----t and her Child--Violence of Captain + J.--Our Chaplain turns Poet--Captain J.'s rest disturbed by the + Passengers--He threatens to blow them through--Sugar--Petty + Annoyances--A Rag Baby--Our Chaplain and his Revolver-- + Change of Weather--Uncomfortable Condition of the Main + Cabin--Theft of Raisins--Ship's Stores--Gross Negligence--Great + Waste of Scouse 90 + + + CHAPTER XI. + + An Arbitrary Prohibition--Card Playing and Checker + Playing--Dancing--Treachery of Mr. Johnson--Some Passengers--A + Comical Character, and a Pugnacious Character--A Beautiful + Bird--Closing the Hatches--A Question of Jurisdiction--The Hatches + Re-opened--A Sudden Transformation--Neglected Duties of the + Chaplain--His Influence with the Captain 99 + + + CHAPTER XII. + + Head Winds--The Dusky Albatross--Tacking Ship--Fishing for + Birds--Amusement of the Mate and Passengers--A Poet--Fair Winds--A + Porpoise--A Fight in the Main Cabin--My Journal--Opinions of Mr. + Johnson--Meeting in the Main Cabin--Schools of Porpoises--Narrow + Escape from Shipwreck--An Act of Charity 107 + + + CHAPTER XIII. + + Whales--Sunshine--The Pacific Ocean and Tom Moore--Wormy Bread and + Impure Water--A Pilot--Arrival in the Harbor of San Francisco--The + City--Dismantled Ships--My last Visit to the Bark--Statement and + Counter Statement--Angry Remonstrance--Mr. Spring and his two + Journals--Final Adieu to the James W. Paige 114 + + CALIFORNIA SCENES. + + Scenes in Sacramento. 121 + + Cattle Stealing in Contra Costa. 123 + + Felling Trees in the Redwoods. 127 + + Solitude. 129 + + A Collector of Natural Curiosities. 130 + + A Pair of Rattlesnakes. 133 + + A Queer Fellow. 135 + + A Sandwich Island Woman and her Yankee Husband. 137 + + A Party. 139 + + Indians and Their Costumes. 145 + + The Yosemite Falls. 148 + + The Domes. 149 + + Farewell to the Yosemite. 151 + + The California Vulture. 152 + + My Skill at Rifle Shooting. 154 + + Incident at a Camp-meeting. 155 + + [Illustration] + + + + + OFFICERS, PASSENGERS AND CREW + + OF THE + + BARK JAMES W. PAIGE. + + + Joseph Jackson, _Master_; Horace Atwood, _First Mate_; Dudley P. + Gardner, _Second Mate_; E. S. Blake, E. P. Holden, Stephen Walker, W. + B. Webber, Cyrus E. Gould, Michael Cashman, John Tobin, Hiram Draper, + Michael Feeney, M. V. Wall, W. Grant, Philip Keen, George Reynolds, + Tim Scannell, Ithiel Gordon, Willard Heath, Elisha Osgood, G. A. + Brown, J. S. Brown, Geo. L. Pierce, Leonard Stinson, S. H. Bachelder, + J. F. Dolliff, Joel D. Thompson, Eben Toothaker, J. S. Russell, H. + Whitney, Geo. A. Emery, Stephen Pierce, A. F. Johnson, William Shaw, + Stover Clark, J. Wentworth, G. French, W. Marshall, L. Sherman, Alfred + Fletcher, G. E. Morton, E. F. Starr, S. H. Sanger, James Carlow, W. + Spring, M. Sawtelle, D. Worster, Ivory Matthews, Rev. John Johnson, + S. P. Lawrence, ---- Hodsdon, William Lamson, Horace McKoy, Charles + Hollom, Samuel Murray, J. Lamson, Jonathan Tyler, Thomas Ladd, Noah + Andrews, L. Wakeman, J. Colborn, Wm. Smith, O. E. Smith, John Day, + Thos. Foster, John Magrath, W. Footman, J. Jackson, James Concord, T. + W. Dolliff, David Tinney, J. T. Bickford, B. D. Morrill, J. Montgomery, + Stillman Sawyer, J. C. Pullen, S. Kelley, Mrs. Draper, Mrs. Grant, Miss + J. Spaulding, Mrs. H. G. Brown, Mrs. S. J. Brown and Daughter, Miss M. + L. Brown, Mrs. J. P. Lawrence, Mrs. L----t and Daughter. + + + + +ROUND CAPE HORN. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + + Description of the Bark--She sets Sail--Uncomfortable + Situation--Specimen of our Discomforts--A Squall--Escape from + a Waterspout--Approach to the Cape Verde Islands--Religious + Services--A School of Porpoises--A Dutch Vessel--A + Flying-fish--Annoyances--Bad Cooking--A Practical Joke--Tropic of + Cancer. + + +The Bark James W. Paige of 240 tons burthen, was fitted up for a +passenger ship in the latter part of the winter of 1852, by James +Dunning and Joseph Nickerson of Bangor, Maine. A portion of the hold +was made into a cabin with fourteen double berths on each side. +Fifty-two passengers occupied this room. A small house with berths +for fourteen passengers and a state-room for the captain was built +over the cabin, and enclosed the companion-way or stairs leading down +to the cabin. This cabin was called the after cabin, to distinguish +it from the room in the hold, which was named the forward or main +cabin; and the house was called the after house. Another house was +constructed over the main cabin, in which lodged the mate and four +or five passengers. The after cabin was appropriated to the ladies, +though singularly enough, the Rev. Mr. Johnson, who, we were told, +had been employed to officiate as our chaplain, was assigned a berth +in this cabin, much to the annoyance of a portion of the ladies. The +sailors occupied the forecastle. The cook's galley, a very important +part of the ship's appointments, was placed between the two houses. +These houses did not occupy the whole width of the deck, but a narrow +space was left for a walk round them. There was also a small open space +between the cook's galley and the after house, and at the ends of the +houses. + +Our bark, though owned in Bangor, lay at Frankfort, twelve miles below +the city, where she was fitted up, in consequence of the river being +closed by the ice at that season of the year, down to the latter town. +Many delays occurred before all our preparations were made, but at last +all was ready, and we dropped down the river to Prospect, where we took +on board our last passenger, and on the third day of April, 1852, we +bade adieu to the ice and snow of Maine, and with a heavy gale of wind +were soon driven out to sea. + +We were fortunate in the beginning of our voyage in having strong +and fair gales of wind, which drove us rapidly on our course; but we +had at the same time much wet, drizzling weather, which soon enabled +us to discover that our ship was an old and leaky thing, and that +our houses, though new, had been so carelessly constructed, that the +water came in freely upon us, wetting our berths, and rendering our +situation exceedingly uncomfortable. Add to this the fact that our +ship, being in ballast, rolled so badly that we could not stand for a +moment without clinging with both hands to our berths or some other +fixture for support, and that nearly all of us were suffering severely +with seasickness, and I think it will not be difficult to convince the +reader that our condition was far from agreeable. + +The following may serve as a specimen of our discomforts: I lay in my +berth in the after house--on the second night of our voyage,--suffering +from intolerable nausea and equally intolerable thirst. The vessel +rolled violently; the rain was dropping from the leaky roof into my +face and on my bedclothes. The passengers were running to and fro in +much confusion, and the voice of the captain was loudly heard in giving +orders to the sailors, who were sent aloft to take in sail, for a +squall had struck us. The trunks in our cabin were dashing from side +to side, breaking chairs and stools and whatever else came in their +way. The earthern ware in the lockers was slipping about and crashing +up in a style that threatened its speedy demolition. All was noise and +confusion. The winds whistled, howled and screamed, the sails flapped, +the waves dashed against the sides of the vessel and over the decks, +keeping a stream of water running back and forth as we rolled and +pitched, and tossed over the seas. An unlucky wave, higher than the +rest, stove a boat that hung at the davits, and added greatly to the +confusion and apprehension which pervaded the ship. The storm, though +with frequent lulls, continued for several days. During one night the +trunks and chests in the main cabin were tumbled about so furiously, +that they beat down the stairs. A barrel of pork was upset, and the +brine, dashing across the floor, so frightened a poor fellow, who +thought the vessel had sprung a leak, that he scrambled up into our +house, and sat up all night. + +A day or two after this I heard, as I lay in my berth, an unusual +commotion on deck, and the captain was giving orders in a loud voice +and a quick and hurried manner. In a few moments I learned that we +had but just barely escaped a waterspout, which had passed within +less than the ship's length to the leeward of us. Sick as I was, I +deeply regretted that I was not up to see it. I may never have another +opportunity to witness such a phenomenon. + +_Sunday, 18th April._ Latitude 29°, 25' N. Longitude 29° 71' W. from +Greenwich. We have reached a warmer and more comfortable climate. We +have exchanged the cold stormy blasts, the wintry winds of Maine, for +mild and gentle breezes and a warm sun, and we feel a sense of comfort +in the change that is exceedingly exhilarating. I have nearly recovered +from seasickness, from which I believe no other passenger has suffered +so severely, but it leaves me much enfeebled. We are approaching the +Cape Verde Islands, which we hope to see in the course of three or four +days. + +We have had religious services on deck to-day. Our chaplain gave us +a sensible written discourse, which was listened to with attention. +We had good singing, and the services were conducted with a degree of +propriety that would have afforded an excellent example for imitation +by some of the congregations I have seen in our churches. + +Soon after the close of the services our company was enlivened by the +sight of a school of porpoises; and Sherman, one of the passengers +who had made several voyages, made an attempt to capture one of them. +Taking a harpoon to which a long line was attached, he dropped into the +chains under the bowsprit, and watched for the porpoises as they came +plunging swiftly through the water beneath him. It required no small +degree of skill and dexterity to strike them. There he stood looking +intently into the water with his harpoon raised, when suddenly a group +of the animals came within striking distance. In an instant he thrust +his weapon into one of them, and the line was pulled in by men who were +stationed on deck for the purpose. The fish was brought to the surface, +but in his struggles he broke away from the harpoon and escaped, and +in a few moments the whole school, as if warned of their danger, had +disappeared. We have not a great variety of amusements on board our +vessel, and such a circumstance as this serves to infuse a good deal +of life into us. A school of porpoises, a few stray sea birds, and a +distant sail constitute nearly all we have to relieve the monotony of +our voyage. Up to this time we have spoken but one vessel. I lay in +my berth one night dreaming pleasantly of friends at home, when I was +awakened by the hoarse voice of our captain hailing a bark that was at +that moment passing. She was a Dutch vessel homeward bound. The Dutch +captain had some difficulty in understanding ours, and asked three +times where we were bound, though answered each time very distinctly +"Cal-i-for-ny." + +_April 19._ This morning the mate found a flying-fish. It had flown in +during the night, probably in attempting to escape the dolphin, which +is its greatest enemy. It was about ten inches in length, with fins +five or six inches, which serve as wings in the short flights it makes +over the water. Some of our men saw a large turtle floating by us. It +had a voyage of several hundred miles to make before it could reach +land. + +We are not without many annoyances, and one very serious one arises +from the bad cooking of our food, and often from want of a sufficient +quantity of it. Our cooks are excessively filthy, and it requires a +strong stomach to enable one to swallow the messes they set before us. +Many complaints have been made of this state of things to the captain, +and to-day we have presented him with a written protest signed by every +man in our room, but without effecting any improvement. + +Time passes irksomely with many of our passengers, and they often +resort to odd expedients in order to wear away the weary hours. When +other sources of amusement fail, they sometimes find enjoyment in +playing practical jokes on each other. We had an instance of this sort +of recreation to-day. A ship was seen to windward in the morning, +and standing in the same direction with us. Some one of the party +pronounced her a pirate. This was found to operate on the fears of one +of the passengers, a simple, honest, credulous fellow, who believed +others to be as honest as himself, and a grand frolic was arranged to +come off at night at his expense. It was therefore reported that the +pirate, though she had fallen several miles astern, had sent a boat +to board us, and accordingly several of the men armed themselves with +their rifles and revolvers, and prepared to defend the ship. Several +barrels were thrown overboard in the dark to represent the piratical +boat, and these were fired at as they floated by the ship. Then came +a man tumbling and rolling about with terrible groans and yells, +pretending to be wounded, and a moment after a cry went through the +ship that the pirates were boarding us. The poor fellow for whose +benefit all this hubbub was gotten up, was at that moment passing by my +berth, and I heard him responding to the cry--"They _are_ boarding us, +they _are_ boarding us! where's a handspike?" and he ran and unshipped +a pump handle in an instant, and hastened to the spot where the +supposed attack was made, determined to make a desperate defence. That +he would have fought bravely had there been occasion for it, no one had +a doubt, while it was suspected that some of his persecutors would have +preferred retreating to fighting under any circumstances. The cracking +of the rifles and revolvers, and the uproar all over the ship, awoke +the captain, who got up in no very amiable mood, but he soon got into +the humor of the frolic, and laughed as heartily as any of them. + +_April 21._ Our longitude to-day at noon was 23° W., latitude 23° +50' N. We were then twenty-one miles from the Tropic of Cancer. It +is now sunset. We have passed the tropic, and are now sailing in the +torrid zone. It is an epoch in my life. I have talked with several of +my fellow passengers about it, but they see nothing to interest them +in the circumstance. This _tropic_ is not a thing to be seen--there +is nothing tangible in it. And as for the torrid zone, they do not +perceive any very great difference between that and the temperate zone +we have just left. I am now sitting at the stern of the ship, enjoying +a mild soft sea breeze and a beautiful twilight. We often have richer +sunsets in Maine, and the twilight continues much longer; but there is +here, while it continues, a softness and a delicate blending of the +different tints of purple, azure and gold, which we do not always see +in our northern latitudes. Our men are lying or sitting about the decks +and upon the houses, many in groups engaged in conversation, some of +them spinning long yarns, and others listening to an interesting song +wherein is related the history of "a beautiful fair maid of high degree +with black hair and milk white cheeks, and her galliant lovyer," while +here and there may be seen one quietly communing with his own thoughts, +which the friends he has left three thousand miles distant suggest to +him. + +The ladies at the beginning of the voyage were confined a large portion +of the time to their cabin by sickness. But since their recovery they +spend many hours on deck every fair day; and as they are under the +necessity of going through our room in passing to and from their cabin, +we are in a fair way of becoming acquainted with them. + +_April 22._ We are now but three hundred and fifty miles distant from +the coast of Africa, and about five hundred miles north of the Cape +Verde Islands. We have sailed sharp on the wind during several days, +hoping each day to fall in with the north-east trade-winds that are +to waft us to the coast of South America. But we have not been so +fortunate as to find the trades, and this morning we have but little +wind in any direction. The sea, though rolling in long undulations, is +very smooth, and the sails are flapping idly against the masts. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + Consultations about Cape Verde Islands--Flying-fish--English + Steamer--Tropical Showers--Disappointment--Capture of a + Porpoise--May-Day at Sea--An English Bark--Letters for + Home--Another Bark--Nautical Ceremonies--An Aquatic Bird--Crossing + the Equator--Squalls--A Portuguese Brig--Captain J. engages + to stop at Rio Janeiro--Land Seen--Cape Frio--Approach to Rio + Janeiro--Beautiful Scenery--Disappointment. + + +I have had several consultations with the captain on the subject of +touching at the Cape Verde Islands; and as his chief objection, aside +from one or two days' loss of time, is the port charges, the passengers +have obviated that objection by subscribing an amount much greater than +will be necessary to pay those charges, besides engaging to assist +in getting some pure water on board, of which we are in great want. +I am very desirous of seeing something, however small, of a tropical +country, and of the trees, birds, and other productions of a tropical +climate; and this may be my only opportunity. Above all I long for a +short respite, if only for a day, from this confinement to the vessel, +and for a little exercise upon the land before we continue our long +voyage to the coast of South America. + +_April 24._ Saw the flight of a school of flying-fish. They rush +through the air with great rapidity, and generally--those that I have +seen,--against the wind. They look very prettily as they skim over the +water a little above its surface, and follow the undulations of the +waves a distance varying from five to twenty rods. Towards night a +large English steamer with four masts and all sails set, was seen on +our starboard bow, and continued in sight nearly two hours. + +This afternoon we had a slight specimen of a tropical shower. Some dark +clouds suddenly arose, and before the heavens were half covered, they +broke upon us in a heavy shower accompanied by thunder, that drove us +all under shelter. It passed away however as quickly as it arose. + +We had this day been sailing with a fair breeze, and hoped by to-morrow +to be anchored in one of the harbors of the Cape Verde Islands. We +were much elated at the prospect, and it had been the chief topic of +conversation for two or three days. Judge then of my disappointment +when I learned at night that the captain had ordered the helmsman to +put the bark off to the south-west, the direction of the islands being +south. He had determined to avoid the islands, and we had no other +alternative but to submit. After sailing south-west about four hours in +order to give the islands a wide berth, our course was again changed +to the south. We turned into our berths with no very amiable feeling +towards Capt. J., who, we thought, manifested very little regard for +the welfare or comfort of his passengers. + +_Sunday, April 25._ We are passing the Cape Verde Islands without +even the gratification of looking at them. But we have now got the +trade-wind in earnest, and are driving before it at the rate of ten +or eleven knots. We have seen several schools of flying-fish to-day, +and two of them have been picked up on the deck by the sailors. This +afternoon a large school of porpoises came playing round the ship, +and one of them was struck with the harpoon by Sherman, our sailor +passenger, and secured. It was about five feet long, and weighed, +probably, two hundred pounds. + +_Monday, April 26._ Some portions of the porpoise killed yesterday +were served up to-day for dinner. The liver was said to be very good, +resembling that of a cow; but the flesh, though relished by some of the +passengers, was black, and had rather a strong flavor. I did not taste +of either of them. + +_Saturday, May 1._ May-day at sea. We rose as usual this morning, took +our breakfast, and talked of May-day at home, and of the friends we had +left there, and seeing in fancy the youthful portion of them setting +out on a shivering ramble in pursuit of a few flowers or leaves through +the mud and snow, while we strove to shelter ourselves from the heat of +a tropical sun under an awning of a large sail, which we raised over +the after house, where we sat, lay or walked, and read, talked and +sung, during the day. Towards evening I sat for an hour--and it is an +indolent pleasure I often indulge in--observing the sky and the clouds, +and watching their slow and sometimes almost imperceptible changes +of shape and hue, and in comparing them with the sunset skies of our +northern climes, which, if wanting something of the ethereal softness +of this, are more glowing, more brilliant, and more decidedly beautiful. + +_Sunday, May 2._ This morning a sail was seen on our larboard tack, +but the wind being light, we did not speak her till night. We watched +her till after sunset, when her mate boarded us, and reported her to +be an English bark bound for Liverpool. We had been writing letters +all day, hoping this vessel would prove to be an American homeward +bound. We were somewhat disappointed, but as we might not soon have an +opportunity of sending more directly, we decided to send our package, +containing forty-five letters, by the bark to England, thence to be +forwarded by steamer to America. + +_Monday, May 3._ Spoke another bark, the Fanny Major, for which I had +prepared another letter, but she was found to be outward-bound, from +New-York to the same port with us, and having on board sixty-five +passengers. Our vessel proved to be the best sailor. We had been +sailing on different tacks, and she was half a mile astern of us, when +our captain backed sail and let her come up. Just at this time a squall +arose, and she soon ranged along-side, and in a few minutes passed by +us. The captains hailed each other through their speaking-trumpets, +asking what port they sailed from, where bound, how long out, what +ports they intended to touch at, what was the longitude by the +reckoning of each, &c. After the bark had passed us we set our sails, +and soon overhauled her. The captains had a few more words, when the +passengers and crew of the New-Yorker gave us three hearty cheers, +which we answered with an equal number, then three more from the +New-Yorker answered by one from us, and our military band, consisting +of a drum and a fife, set up a lively air, when we speedily shot by, +and left her to follow in our wake. + +At night we had a visit from a large aquatic bird. After flying around +the ship for some time, she alighted on the jib-boom, and was captured +by Sherman. I was very desirous of preserving the skin of this bird, +which differed from any of those described by Audubon or Wilson, and +was probably not a visitor to the United States; but our captain, who +is a man of contracted views, and is deeply tinctured with a sailor's +whims and superstitions, ordered it to be set at liberty under the +pretense of sympathy. + +_Tuesday, May 4._ We have for a week past been drifting,--I can hardly +say sailing, for the winds have been light, and we have made but +little progress,--towards the Equator, and to-day we have crossed that +important geographical line, and passed into another hemisphere. The +event has been celebrated with a good deal of hilarity and nonsense. +Old Neptune appeared on board rigged out with an immense wig of +Manilla cordage, a grotesque mask, red flannel drawers, and a buffalo +coat, and holding the captain's speaking-trumpet in his hand. He was +accompanied by his wife, personated by a thin, slender and active +fellow, arrayed in a long gown and a straw bonnet. They amused us with +a dance to the music of a fiddle, and in return they were treated with +some brandy, of which they partook with great gusto. Neptune enquired +into the affairs of the ship, cautioned the stewards and cooks to do +their duty, gave some wholesome advice to the officers, to whom he was +formally introduced, cracked a good many jokes upon the passengers, +and disappeared. The frolic went off with great good humor among all +parties. + +_Wednesday, May 12._ We have had many squalls accompanied with rain for +several days past. Last night a pretty heavy one struck us, sending +down a torrent of rain, which leaked into our berths and houses. Many +of us got well drenched. Feeling rather uncomfortable from the wet, +I arose and stood up by the side of my berth, holding on to it for +support, while the ship rolled violently. But I soon grew tired of +this. So feeling over my bed in the dark, and finding a comparatively +dry place at the foot of it, I changed my pillow to that end, and +turned in again. Lulled to rest by the howling of the wind, the dashing +of the seas, the rushing of several pailfuls of water over the floor +of our room, the hoarse orders of the captain and the answers of the +sailors, I slept till morning. + +_Friday, May 14._ Spoke a Portuguese brig bound to Rio Janeiro. Her +decks were crowded with men and women migrating to the New World. I +thought there must have been more than a hundred of them in a vessel +not more than two-thirds as large as ours. + +_Saturday, May 15._ We are now distant about four hundred miles from +Rio Janeiro, and have strong hopes that we shall touch there, though +it was the original intention of Captain Jackson to stop at Saint +Catherine's, nearly three hundred miles further south. He is strongly +prejudiced against Rio, having lost a brother and three men, besides +being dangerously ill himself of yellow fever contracted there on a +former visit. Then the port charges are higher at Rio than at St. +Catherine's. This objection, however, the passengers propose to obviate +by paying fifty dollars; and so the captain engages to put in to Rio if +he can ascertain from outward-bound vessels that the place is free from +yellow fever. And none of us wish to go there if it is not, though our +eagerness to step on land once more would induce many of us to incur +some little risk. St. Catherine's is a small island, containing only a +few unimportant villages and towns; and it is said, that in consequence +of the riotous conduct of many Americans who have put in there, the +authorities prohibit a greater number than eight persons landing from +any vessel at one time. This would be an uncomfortable, not to say +insupportable, state of things for a company of eighty-eight men, women +and children, weary of the voyage, and crazy to set foot again on land. + +_Wednesday, May 19._ This is the forty-sixth day of our voyage, during +forty-five of which we have not seen land. To-day the cry of land has +resounded through the ship, with not quite the joy and enthusiasm to +us, perhaps, that the same words gave to Columbus and his companions +on the discovery of America, but certainly with a good deal of +satisfaction. I have just seen it, two hills on Cape Frio, which we +are fast approaching. This cape is sixty miles from Rio, where we hope +to arrive early to-morrow, though we are still in great suspense and +uncertainty about stopping there at all. + +_Thursday, May 20._ We passed Cape Frio in the night, and are now, +early in the morning, approaching the harbor of Rio. We are now but a +few miles distant from the entrance to the harbor. There it lies before +us. There lie the hills along the coast in almost every variety of +form, some with a gradual rise to their summits, others bold and almost +perpendicular; some smooth and rounded, others abrupt and jagged, and +still others conical, and sharply pointed. There, in the distance, are +the mountains, between which and us is the city, towards which all our +thoughts, wishes and desires so anxiously tend. There lies a beach, +upon which the surf is breaking in long, white swells; and there are +the trees upon the sides and summits of the hills. What a world of new +and curious objects we are about to behold! What a variety of trees and +other plants and flowers and fruits! What grand and beautiful scenery! +and what an endless variety of curiosities, natural and artificial, in +this, to us, new city in a new world! + +But are we not to be disappointed at last? Even now, when we are almost +within view of the city, circumstances begin to wear a suspicious +aspect. No vessel is to be seen coming from the harbor, from which we +can obtain information with regard to the health of the city, and our +captain keeps a respectful distance from the coast, as though he feared +to meet one. True, he keeps up a show of going in, by keeping off and +on, but he begins to talk of losing his labor and time, and we perceive +that he has already dropped half a dozen miles to the leeward of the +harbor. We watch his every motion, and listen to every word with deep +anxiety. But he does not keep us long in suspense. A hurried breakfast, +of which I did not partake, is scarcely passed, when the order is +given, "square away the yards," and in an instant all our visions of +Rio Janeiro have vanished. We bid farewell to the city without seeing +it, and to the tropics, without setting foot on their lands, and with +but one indistinct glimpse of the beautiful scenery within their bounds. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + A Mistake Discovered and Corrected--Ill + Health--Scenery of the Coast and Harbor of Rio + Janeiro--We cast Anchor--Going Ashore--Rambles in + the City--Fountains--Markets--Parrots--Hammer-headed + Sharks--Monkeys--Slaves--Tropical Trees--Visit to a Hotel--English + Gentlemen--Public Gardens. + + +_One o'clock P.M._ We had just settled down into a sullen resignation +to our fate, and some of the passengers had been trying to amuse +themselves by making unsuccessful shots at the large sea birds that +were flying around us, when a discovery was made which caused great +excitement among us, and raised our spirits to a high degree. We had +floated along several hours at a short distance from the coast, when +one of the passengers who had been in Rio saw that we were now off +the entrance to the harbor, and that the captain was wrong in the +morning. Captain J., who was in his berth, was called immediately, +and acknowledged his mistake. He then engaged again to go in on the +conditions previously stipulated. So the ship is turned towards the +harbor, where we shall probably arrive in the evening. The money has +been collected and paid over. I cannot, however, but feel very anxious +as to the event. My health has been seriously declining for several +weeks, and my fellow-passengers have more than once discussed the +probability of my becoming food for the fishes before the ship arrives +at the end of her long voyage. I feel that I must have a short respite +on shore or die. But I will not croak about it. We shall know the worst +to-morrow. Let me go out and enjoy the splendid scenery that lies +before us. + +And such scenery! I am gazing upon it with sensations as indescribable +as the scenery itself. Never before have I so felt the utter impotency +of language. I might say it is beautiful, grand, magnificent, rich +beyond any thing I ever saw or imagined. I might lavish upon it every +epithet which my delighted senses could suggest, but no words that +I can command can, by any possibility, convey the least idea of the +strangely enchanting beauty of the harbor we are entering. I have +seated myself upon the bowsprit, and as we sail slowly in impelled +by a gentle breeze, I have ample opportunity to feast my eyes on the +beautiful scene. Let me give you a short prosaic account of it. If I +fail to convey to the reader the impression which the scene makes on +me, I may at least fix it the more indelibly on my own mind. + +An ocean of hills and mountains presents itself on either side of +the bay. Here at the entrance on the left, rises an immense rock in +the form of a sugar-loaf, to the height, perhaps, of six hundred or +eight hundred feet. Beyond, in close proximity, are a hundred other +hills, many of them conical, some running up into sharp pinnacles, +some nearly bare of vegetation, and others less steep covered to their +summits with a dense foliage. And there is one towering above the rest, +presenting to the view a black and perpendicular front, and a pinnacle +scarcely larger than the spire of a church. The opposite side of the +harbor presents nearly the same characteristic scenery, sharp, conical +hills and rocks rising abruptly from the bay, succeeded by other hills +thickly planted behind and beyond them. The shores of the bay are +formed into many broad, circular indentations, fringed with beaches of +fine white sand. A large fort mounting a hundred guns, and commanding +the entrance to the harbor, stands on a projecting rock overlooked +by a mountain from the summit of which--though I know nothing of +the science of fortifications--I fancy that a small battery might be +planted that would quickly demolish it. A smaller fort or battery +stands opposite on a small island near the sugar-loaf. Other forts +defend the inner portions of the harbor. Many fine buildings stand upon +the left shore at the foot of the hills, and form almost a continuous +street for several miles to the city. Far in the distance, and but +dimly descried, are the Brazilian Mountains. Though greatly superior in +height to the hills on the coast, the same peculiarities of cones and +pinnacles characterize them. + +We passed the fort, and dropped anchor at a distance of two miles from +the city. Near us lay the North America, a large ship from New York +bound for California with nearly five hundred passengers. They gave us +twice three hearty cheers, which we answered in the usual manner. + +Immediately on coming to anchor, we were visited by a health officer +and a custom-house officer, each of whom was dispatched with a very few +words. Captain Jackson then took a boat manned by two sailors, and went +ashore, and we made every preparation for an early visit in the morning. + +_Friday, May 21._ About twenty boats were along-side this morning +manned by whites and blacks, masters and slaves, all clamorous for +passengers. They were unanimous in asking twenty-five cents for a +passage, which, though not very exorbitant, they soon reduced to ten +cents, and we speedily filled their boats. + +The first thing that attracted my attention as we neared the shore, was +the singular appearance of the roofs of many of the buildings, which +I ascertained were covered with tiles. As few of my readers have ever +seen a roof covered in this manner, I am induced to describe it. The +tiles are pieces of pottery in the form of half a tube seven or eight +inches in diameter, half or three-quarters of an inch thick, and about +two feet long. They are unglazed, and burnt as hard as our pottery. +They are supported by a rough frame-work of poles, and laid in two +courses, the under course forming gutters to carry off the rain, which +is turned into them by the upper course, each upper tile being turned +over the edges of two of the under ones. The roof projects sixteen or +eighteen inches over the street, and the under side of the projections +or eaves is generally painted red. These roofs, of course, answer a +good purpose here, but in New England, where boys throw stones, they +would not last a fortnight. Nor would they, in my opinion, endure the +frosts of our winters for a single month. + +We landed and proceeded immediately to a restaurant, where we refreshed +ourselves with a cup of coffee and a plate of toast, and then commenced +our rambles over the city. I soon found myself separated from my +companions and proceeded alone. I crossed a large square, in which +stood a stone fountain built in the form of a temple, from whose sides +the water fell into basins beneath. These fountains, though built in +different styles, I found in great numbers throughout the city. They +are supplied by an aqueduct. + +Passing through a street containing several handsome churches and +other public buildings, I found myself in the market. This, I believe, +was square, surrounded by high walls against which within were shops +or stalls containing a great variety of articles of food, vegetable +and animal. The square was also crossed by several streets or walks +with stalls on each side of them. A fountain with a very large basin +occupied the center. My first search was for fruits. I found oranges +and bananas in abundance, and these with cocoa-nuts constitute all +the market affords at this season of the year. There were neither +watermelons nor musk-melons, no apples, nor pears, nor peaches, no +plums of any description, nor a berry of any sort. There were no dead +meats to be found in this market. Beef was sold in another part of the +city. Live pigs had their appropriate stalls, and chickens, turkeys, +and several varieties of ducks and of doves, besides many singing +birds, were kept in coarse cages or chained by the leg. Parrots were +abundant, and there was a large and exceedingly beautiful bird, whose +name I did not know; but I was rather desirous of buying one for the +purpose of preserving the skin. I asked the price. It was thirty +milreas--about sixteen or seventeen dollars. I did not purchase. +There was a great variety of fish, some very beautiful, and others +the most disgusting specimens I ever beheld. Among them were several +hammer-headed sharks, a curious fish from three to five feet long, +with a head twelve or fifteen inches long, attached to the body like a +hammer to the handle. An eye is placed at each extremity of the hammer, +but the mouth is below it in the body of the fish. There were monkeys +enough to make up a menagerie, the greater part of them being of one +species with long, prehensile tails. In the center of the square, +surrounding the fountain, was a variety of vegetables sold by slaves, +male and female, who kept such continual talking, laughing and singing +as I never heard before. It seemed as though they were enjoying a +holiday, and were in their happiest humor. + +I did not stop long in the market, but continuing my walk, I threaded +several narrow streets and passages to the summit of a hill, where +I found a gate opening into grounds belonging to a large hotel. I +entered, and for the first time found myself in the shade of tropical +trees. I was delighted with the scene. Every tree, shrub, vine, and +flower, were new to me. I knew not the name of a single plant. The +sun was beating down intensely, and I was glad to seat myself upon an +embankment under the shade of a row of large trees. Several little +birds were singing in the branches, only one of which I knew, a wren, +though of a different species from any of ours, and smaller, but +possessing the same lively, restless, noisy characteristics. A long +shaded walk led to the hotel. I had not sat there long when I saw a +company of my fellow-passengers approaching. They had just left the +hotel, but giving me a gentle hint to treat them, they returned to +the house, and I followed. We entered at the rear of the house and we +passed through to the front, which afforded a splendid view of the +harbor. A little garden on the very verge of the steep hill was filled +with a variety of strange flowers and plants, and an arbor with seats +occupied one end of it. Standing here, one could look upon the beach +at the foot of the hill, and listen to the roar of the waves as they +rolled over the hard white sand. My companions having become pretty +mellow, sung two or three of their sentimental songs, and departed, +leaving me to enjoy a very pleasant interview with two young English +gentlemen, who gave me some information respecting the city, and +advised me to visit the Botanical Garden, situated at a distance of six +or eight miles in the country. + +In the afternoon I walked to the Public Garden. This is a large garden, +surrounded by a high stone wall, and laid out in triangular plats, +each filled with beautiful trees and shrubs, and protected by an iron +fence. The ground was perfectly level and the walks broad and smooth. +At one extremity were two small ponds bordered by rough stones, and +surrounded with benches of hewn granite. From the center of each pond +arose a triangular column of hewn stone, consisting of a pedestal +about eighty feet broad and as many high, and a shaft about forty feet +high terminating in a sharp point; and from the sides of the pedestals +streams of water issued into the basins or ponds. A broad walk passes +between these fountains, at the extremity of which is an ornamented +stone basin elevated several feet above the ground. From the end of +this basin rises a mound of rough stones piled up against a very +handsome wall, and covered with a variety of cactuses and other plants. +At the foot of the mound two enormous alligators lie entwined, from +whose gaping mouths, streams of water flow into the basin. A flight of +stone steps ascend from each side of the fountain to a terrace thirty +feet broad, and extending the width of the garden. This terrace is +paved with tessellated marble, and protected by parapet walls, whose +sides are covered with porcelain. Two octagonal buildings stand at +the extremities of the terrace, each angle of which is crowned with a +porcelain vase containing plants, as is also every post in the parapet +walls. The waves of the bay dash against the base of the terrace, and +their roar is heard in the garden. + +I found but few people here, and no one who could talk with me. There +were arbors shaded with vines and trees, and supplied with stone seats +and tables, where I sat and made my memoranda. I returned to the +landing by different streets from those through which I came, seeing +many new things--every thing I have seen here is new and strange--and +am heartily gratified with my first day in Rio. I found several of +the passengers ready to return on board the bark, where we passed the +night. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + Visit to the Botanical Garden--Description of the Garden--Dinner + at the Hotel--Third Visit to the City--Impudence of the First + Mate--Village of San Domingo--A Walk in the Country--Attacked + by Dogs--Beautiful Plantations--Civility of a Planter--Elegant + Mansion and Grounds--A Retreat--A Fine Road--Return to the + Ship--Supply of Fruit--The North America--Mr. Kent, our Consul. + + +_Saturday, May 22._ Our friends, the boatmen, were out betimes, and +took us to the city early in the morning. We had arranged a large party +of ladies and gentlemen to visit the Botanical Garden, of which we had +heard many glowing accounts besides those given me by the young English +gentlemen yesterday. To convey our party we hired three carriages, +each drawn by two mules, and driven by a man who spoke a little, a +very little English, and drove through the streets near the shore of +the bay for a distance of three miles or more, when we turned into the +country and followed a road that wound around the base of several hills +and mountains, one of which I have already spoken of as seen from the +bark. It ran up into a sharp, perpendicular peak, as near as I could +judge about fifteen hundred feet high. And this mountain I am told is +often ascended by tourists, who reach its highest point on horseback. +The scenery through which we passed was truly magnificent, and many of +the houses and gardens were rich and beautiful. We stopped at a hotel +near the garden, whence we walked to the garden accompanied by a very +agreeable young man, a Hungarian, who spoke pretty good English, and +who made himself very useful in giving us the English names of many +of the trees and shrubs. The first object that met our view--and +to me it was one of the greatest attractions of the garden--was two +rows of palm trees planted on the edges of a broad and elevated walk, +passing through the center of the garden. The trunks of these palms +were of a stone gray or ash color, and showed a slight circular ridge +or mark at intervals of three or four inches, where they had been +encircled by the footstalks of leaves, which had fallen off as the +trees increased in height. They were perfectly round, and symmetrical, +and to my inexperienced eye they seemed to have been turned in a lathe, +or chiseled by a sculptor. They rose to the height of thirty or forty +feet, and were crowned with a great tuft of long leaves. The effect on +looking through this long vista of trees was peculiar and striking, and +I could scarcely resist the impression that they were the work of art, +pillars of stone crowned with artificial foliage. Near this walk we saw +several plats of the China tea-plant. I did not learn any thing as to +its productiveness. + +We passed rapidly through a great many walks, and saw groves of a +large variety of trees, in all which I felt a peculiar interest, +such as the cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, camphor, bread-fruit, tamarind, +cocoa-nut, orange, lemon and banyan trees, and thickets of bamboo and +swamps of bananas, besides a multitude of beautiful trees, shrubs and +flowers, whose names we did not learn. In the center of the garden, and +dividing the palm-tree walk, which I have described, into two equal +parts, is a fine fountain bordered with and surrounded by a profusion +of rich flowers. A little farther on we found a pretty brook running +over a hard bed of sand and thickly shaded with bananas. It was just +sequestered and wild enough to remind me of home and the many brooks +of pure water, in which I had so often slaked my thirst in my frequent +rambles in the wild woods of Maine. I was glad to find something, if +only a brook, in this world of novelties, that might, perhaps, have its +counterpart in my own country. But more than this, there was a little +grove of cedars, which, we were told, had been imported from the United +States. + +I was deeply interested in the bread-fruit tree with its large half +grown fruit, and its great, shining, deep green leaves. It has had a +sort of romantic attraction for me ever since I read of it in early +childhood in the voyages of Captain Cook. The tamarind also is very +attractive, and with its broad spreading branches and brilliant +foliage, is one of the most beautiful trees within the tropics. The +banana is an annual plant, growing to the height of twelve or fifteen +feet, with immensely long leaves from eighteen inches to two feet wide. +It bears an immense cluster of fruit, sometimes several hundreds in +number, each about six inches long. The pulp of the banana is covered +with a thick skin, which is easily detached. I do not know what other +fruit to compare it with. I found it of a very pleasant flavor when +eaten with sugar and wine, as we eat musk-melons, though its flavor is +far inferior to that of the musk-melon. + +After satisfying our curiosity with the beauties of the garden, we +returned to the hotel in season for dinner. And as I shall, in all +probability, never partake of another Brazilian dinner, I am tempted +to give a short account of this. The company at the table consisted +solely of our own party, and the young Hungarian. We sat down to a long +table not less than six feet wide, which we found a very inconvenient +width. There were sixteen or seventeen of us. We had a small turkey +roasted with the feet, but without stuffing; neat's tongue fried in +oil or something else that rendered it extremely unpalatable; fried +ham and eggs, strong and unpleasant; fried fish, green peas, utterly +tasteless; potatoes, very small and fried in oil, and lettuce. The food +was placed on the table, and we were left to help ourselves, which +the great width of the table rendered very inconvenient. The carving +of the turkey devolved upon me. The gentlemen watched the operation +with deep interest, and had the mortification of seeing the whole of +it distributed among the ladies. Turkey being out of the question with +them, they turned their attention to the other dishes, of which they +partook with such appetites as might be expected after a six weeks' +voyage at sea. The first and principal course was speedily disposed of. +The table was cleared away, and then came the second course or dessert, +which consisted of two small omelets or tarts, which I thought were +very good; two small loaves of sponge cake, ditto; and bananas, oranges +and walnuts, of all which we left not a vestige. + +The dinner passed off very pleasantly, and the bill was settled with +some little trouble, in which we had to call in the assistance of our +friend, the Hungarian, as none of us understood Portuguese, and the +landlord was equally ignorant of English. Each article was charged +separately, and the long list of items and their prices required a +pretty familiar acquaintance with compound addition and with Brazilian +currency, to bring the sum to a satisfactory footing. The excursion +proved to be one of great enjoyment to us, and we returned to the city +and to the ship, highly delighted with the day's adventure. + +_May 23._ We had been notified that a missionary from the city would +preach on board our ship to-day, and the ladies and some of the +gentlemen stopped to hear him. But many of us could not resist the +inclination to spend on shore the very short time of our stay at Rio, +and we resolved to take an early start for the city. As we were about +leaving the ship, the first mate, whose name is Atwood, an ignorant, +uncouth sailor, undertook to stop us by a very winning exhortation, +which he wound up by calling us a damned pack of fellows with no more +manners than the heathen. I replied that Mr. Atwood was the last man in +the world to whom I should go to learn good manners, and then went on +board the boat. + +We found, as we expected, the stores open in the city, and business +transacted as it is in all Catholic countries on the Sabbath. I went +into several churches, where I found but few worshipers, but they were +continually coming and going, and their individual devotions occupied +but a small portion of time. Some of the passengers found amusement +in a cock fight. Others went to the public garden, where they found +a great concourse of people, that being a place of much resort on +Sundays. As I had resolved to take a walk into the country on the +opposite side of the harbor, I invited two young men, T. Ladd and B. +D. Morrill, to accompany me. We crossed the bay in a steam ferry-boat +to the village of San Domingo This village is built around one of +the indentations, which form a prominent feature in this harbor. The +principal street stretches more than a mile in a circular form around +the bay, and is built upon only one side, the houses all overlooking +the water, which washes a broad beach of fine white sand. Double rows +of trees are planted on the street next the beach, and thickly planted +trees and shrubbery form a deep shade around each dwelling. + +We took one of the principal roads, and walked into the country, going +wherever curiosity or fancy directed, a hundred roads diverging to the +right and left as we advanced. We passed many houses and plantations +as we wound around the hills, and we stopped frequently to rest us and +to examine the plants and the gardens, that invited our notice. At one +place we saw a gang of slaves drilling into a quarry on the side of +a hill for the purpose of procuring stone for building. The sun was +beating down upon the rock with great intensity, and none but those +half naked Africans could have endured the heat. Their shining backs +glistened in the sun, like polished ebony. At another place we saw two +slaves chained together, and digging in the earth in that condition. +They had, perhaps, been guilty of insubordination or some other crime +against their lawful masters! + +Our first attempt to visit a plantation was unsuccessful. It was a +pretty place, the house was a new and handsome one, the grounds looked +inviting, and the gate was open. We entered, but had proceeded only +a few steps when we were met by two large dogs destitute of hair +but not of teeth, who not only disputed our further progress, but +seemed disposed to take vengeance on us for our intrusion. We were +not inclined to parley with them, but commenced an immediate retreat, +when a slave, who happened to be near, came forward and called off the +dogs. At the same moment the master of the house, a surly looking old +fellow, hearing the uproar, came out from the house, and instead of +inviting us in like a gentleman, as he was in duty bound, only directed +us by signs to another house, where we thought he intended to intimate, +we should meet with a more hospitable reception. And in this he was +right. A large and elegant mansion stood near the road. The gate was +open, and we passed through, though rather hesitatingly. A negro met +us with many smiles, conducted us over the grounds, broke off as many +oranges from the branches of the trees as we wanted to eat and carry +away, permitted me to cut an orange twig for a walking-stick, and +showed us half a dozen very fine cows, which my companions pronounced +fully equal to, and very much resembling, our best cows in Maine. A +few small coins rewarded his civility, and we continued our walk. A +little distance further brought us to a small village. We sat down to +rest us for a few minutes upon some stone steps in front of a store +connected with a handsome dwelling-house. As we were about to continue +our rambles we met a gentleman at the gateway, who saluted us in +English, and invited us to sit in the shade. He talked with us of a +hundred things in a few minutes. He had once resided in Virginia, and +expressed himself in terms of high admiration of the government of +the United States, and of unqualified disgust of the Roman Catholic +religion, which was the bane of Brazil. He invited us to walk over his +grounds, and as we declined eating oranges, he directed a slave to cut +us some stalks of sugar-cane, the juice of which is very refreshing to +a thirsty traveler. He directed our attention to a little naked "nigger +baby," which lay sprawled out upon the ground, and which he said he was +raising with no other motive than that of pure charity, for the animal +would not half repay the cost of rearing it. Thanking him for his +hospitality, we took leave, when he gave us a hearty shake of the hand, +and wished us a successful voyage. + +A little further on we saw an elegant mansion situated about half way +up the side of a steep hill, and overlooking a considerable extent +of country. It was a delightful situation, and its owner was the +proprietor of a coffee plantation on the other side of the road and in +front of his house. A number of blacks were at this time occupied in +preparing the coffee for market. + +The gateway to the grounds consisted of a square building perhaps +twenty feet high. I opened the gate and went in. A walk leading to the +house wound to the right, through thickets of trees up the acclivity, +in the steepest portions of which were placed flights of broad stone +steps. Another walk diverged to the left, and was soon lost to the +view in groves of oranges, lemons, tamarinds, and other tropical trees. +Many new and beautiful plants were to be seen around the house, and +every thing displayed beauty, elegance, and taste. I looked round for a +few moments, but seeing no one on the grounds, I left the place. + +On our return we took another road, and passed many places whose +scenery deeply interested us. At one plantation we met, as usual, +a smiling slave, who conducted us through the walks of a beautiful +garden. Another slave, a female, soon appeared with a long stick +prepared at one end like a fork to break oranges from the branches; +and we were getting along very pleasantly, walking in the shade of +orange, bread-fruit, tamarind, and other trees, many of which we did +not know, when suddenly we saw a large party of blacks, male and +female, in one of the distant walks, and saw a great commotion among +them. My curiosity was excited to see the frolic, which I thought might +have been an African dance or a fandango. But Morrill, who perceived a +strong smell of rum in the breath of our dark cicerone, and thinking +the distant scene bore a greater resemblance to an Irish riot, beat +a precipitate retreat, and I followed, sorry to lose so good an +opportunity for learning something of the amusements of those slaves. + +Continuing our walk, we came to the bay, where we found a new road +winding in one place around the base of huge, perpendicular precipices, +from every interstice of which hung a variety of cactuses, vines and +shrubs, while lofty palms threw up their leaf-crowned shafts from the +earth below. + +The road we had found was new, hard, perfectly smooth, and was +decidedly the best highway I ever saw. It led direct to the town of +San Domingo, almost a mile distant from the point at which we had +landed, and where we speedily arrived. Recrossing the bay, we purchased +a few necessaries at Rio, and returned to the ship. We found our bark +the scene of much noise and confusion, arising from the drunkenness +of several of the passengers, who had just returned, having spent the +day in drinking on shore. One man had become so outrageously violent +and crazy, that the second mate, who had command of the ship at this +time,--the captain and first mate being both absent,--was obliged to +secure him by tying his hands. + +_May 24._ We had laid in many things necessary for our comfort during +the continuance of our voyage, among which were a large lot of oranges, +and some bananas and cocoa-nuts. This morning, just as we were about +to sail, two boats laden with oranges came along-side the ship, and +though we thought we had a pretty good supply of fruit, we bought both +cargoes, amounting to about two thousand. They cost us from forty to +sixty cents a hundred. + +The North America left the harbor two days before us. We did not visit +her though she lay at anchor almost within speaking distance of us. +A regulation of the port prohibits the passengers and crews passing +from one ship to another. It may have been a fortunate regulation for +us, for we had many reports of the yellow fever being in the ship. +This disease had raged very fatally in the city, but was beginning to +subside, though we were told it was still rife. + +Mr. Kent, our consul at Rio at this time, had removed with his family +into the country, where he found a more salubrious climate than the +city afforded. This was a disappointment to several of the passengers, +who were personally acquainted with him, and had anticipated much +pleasure in meeting him in this distant land. Mr. Kent is said to be +very popular at Rio, and the interest he takes in the oppressed seamen, +and the kindness and humanity he manifests towards them, have done him +much credit. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + Weigh Anchor--Civility of People of Rio--Temperance--An + Altercation--Cold Weather--Cape Pigeons--Large Bird--Our Kitchen + Establishment--Stewards and Cooks--Scouse--Inspection of Cooks' + Galley--A Joke--A Squall--An Altercation--Captain J. and Mrs. + L----t--Cape Pigeons--Oranges. + + +We did not weigh anchor until 2 P.M. As we were beating out +of the harbor, we met the Portuguese brig, which we had spoken on +the fourteenth instant, coming in. After getting out and passing the +lighthouse and the islands, we squared away and stood on our course +with a fair and moderate breeze. + +We were now much improved in health, and all the hardships, privations, +annoyances, and disappointments of the former part of our voyage were +forgotten. We were now supplied with a rich fund of new and interesting +subjects for conversation, we looked forward to a speedy and prosperous +passage round Cape Horn, and we were in the very best of spirits. We +had seen Rio Janeiro. + +I had, as the reader may well suppose, but slight opportunity to +acquire a knowledge of the institutions of the country, or the +manners and customs of its inhabitants during my very short stay in +Rio, and will not insult the reader with a long essay on subjects of +which I know nothing. But I noticed a few traits in their character, +with which I was much pleased. I found them very kind, polite and +hospitable. In all my walks through the city, which I generally took +alone, I did not meet with an instance of rudeness or incivility. It +was the same whether I was crowding through the market or other public +places, which were thronged by multitudes of people of all classes +and complexions, white, brown and black, or threading the solitary +and narrow streets and crooked by-lanes which, in many cities, would +seem to offer every facility and inducement for the safe perpetration +of deeds of violence. I one day passed some barracks, where several +companies of soldiers were drilling. The gate was open, but guarded by +a soldier. I stopped and looked in. "Passé," said the sentinel, and +I walked in, saw the evolutions of the soldiers on drill, and passed +through several groups of others off duty. Every thing was conducted +without disorder, and I was as secure from any insult or annoyance as +I should have been in the midst of a party of friends at home. There +were many dark complexions among them, and I thought that quite half of +them, officers as well as privates, were black. + +There are a great many restaurants, cafés, and other drinking +establishments in Rio, and one would expect to see a great amount +of intemperance among the people; and yet the only instances of +drunkenness I saw there were those which occurred among the passengers +and crew of our bark. + +_May 25._ Our latitude to-day is 24° 45' south, longitude 44° west. We +have passed the Tropic of Capricorn, and are sailing in the southern +temperate zone. + +_May 28._ I have had an unpleasant altercation with Capt. Jackson +to-day. The occasion was this: Some pretty birds--Cape Pigeons--have +been flying round the ship, and as I was desirous of preserving one +or two specimens of their skins, one of the passengers caught one +with a hook and line for me. As Mr. Johnson was desirous of showing +it to the ladies in the cabin, I let him take it. When he returned +it, he brought an order to me from the captain, who was then in the +cabin, to throw the bird overboard. I resisted the order. The parson +pleaded for the life of the bird as though it was a matter of the +utmost consequence. I told him I had procured the bird for the purpose +of preserving the skin, and I knew of no reason why I should not do +it. In a few minutes the direful deed was done, and the body of the +murdered bird lay stretched upon the deck skinless. The captain came up +in great wrath, and a warm discussion ensued, during which he declared +his fixed determination to protect the birds, and forbade the killing +of another one during the voyage. I told him I was aware that he had +the power to enforce his order, and that I should be obliged to submit, +but I protested against it as an infringement of my rights, and an +unjustifiable exercise of arbitrary power. I hinted to him that he had +better bestow a little of his compassion upon his passengers, and told +him that I had already suffered more from bad food, filthy water and +want of proper nourishment during my sickness on this voyage, than all +the birds I wished to kill would suffer by their deaths. So we parted, +and in less than an hour my friends caught me another bird, which I +skinned and preserved. + +_June 1._ Winter is upon us. At least it is fast approaching, this +being the first winter month in this hemisphere. It is not to be +expected that we shall find very cold weather in this low latitude--34° +28'--but for some time past the cold has been sensibly increasing. +We have left the sun far to the north, that is, in our position on +the globe, we see it at the north instead of the south, as it appears +to us on the other side of the equator. He has thrown down his rays +vertically upon us as he passed, drawing the melting pitch from the +seams of the ship, and filling the cabins with an insupportable heat. +The North Star has long since disappeared, and the Great Bear and +other constellations with which we are, or ought to be, familiar, have +settled down in the north, and new constellations have taken their +places. The awning, which we had placed over our house, as a protection +from the heat, has been removed. The passengers no longer lodge +there, and their beds have been returned to their berths. A fair wind +is driving us onward, and a few days will find us in the regions of +storms, snows, and perhaps of icebergs. May our second winter in 1852 +prove a short and fortunate one. A week has elapsed since we left Rio, +our company are generally in good health, and our fears of an attack of +yellow fever have vanished. + +We are attended by multitudes of Cape Pigeons, which are so gentle and +unsuspicious of danger, that they alight on the water directly under +our stern. There are other birds with them, but none so tame. A large +bird about the size of a goose was caught with a baited hook by a +passenger, who obtained permission from our humane captain to hook up +the bird on condition that he should set it at liberty again. To-day +for the first time I have seen an albatross. + +_June 2._ There have been some important changes made in our cooking +department. I have already hinted that we have suffered severely +from the wretched preparation of our food. The cooks are filthy in +the extreme, and exceedingly careless. But before I proceed, let me +describe our kitchen establishment. The duty of the first steward is to +keep the ship's stores, and deal them out to the cooks. He also kneads +up the bread, or "soft-tack," as it is called in contradistinction +to the ship-bread, which is called "hard-tack." We have three other +stewards or waiters, two for the main cabin, and one for our room in +the after house. Our stewards also take their meals to the mates, who +have a small room in the forward house. There is also a stewardess for +the ladies' cabin. Two cooks prepare the food and deliver it to the +stewards, who have charge of the tables in their respective cabins. + +One day the chief steward, while kneading his bread saw a dirty +hen escape from her cage; and leaving his dough, he caught the +hen, restored her to the cage, and returned to his dough with an +accumulation of material upon his hands, which it was far from +agreeable to witness, and which diminished the demand for soft tack +very essentially. Little things of this sort were of every day +occurrence. Messes of filthy trash were often set before us, which the +most hungry among us could not swallow. We had a mess called "scouse," +made up of a mixture of all the scraps of the salt beef and pork left +of our dinner, and broken pieces of ship-bread boiled together. This +was served up repeatedly; but the pans of scouse were so often sent +back full to the cooks' galley, that they desisted for several weeks +from forcing it upon us. But this morning they made another attempt, +doubtless by the captain's order, and added to the mess by way of +improvement several condiments, which we had not before discovered, +such as bits of orange peel and cheese and _mirabile dictu!_ of +tobacco. We called the captain, and requested him to inspect the pan of +scouse. He looked at it and passed on without any remark. He was met at +the door by a deputation from the main cabin, bearing another pan of +the delectable mixture. The captain by this time began to think that +the matter was assuming rather a serious aspect, and he condescended +to order an inspection of the cooks' galley, when the mischief was +traced to an old fellow by the name of Draper, who was in the habit +of drying his quids on a shelf directly over the boiler. Mr. Draper +was accordingly degraded from the post of cook, and another gentleman +appointed in his place. The passengers testified their satisfaction at +this arrangement by three hearty cheers. + +Some of our wags played off a joke on the chief steward by tapping the +heels of his boots in the night with some very heavy cakes which he had +made. He complained of the indignity to the second mate, who advised +him to give his taps a fair trial, for in his opinion the bread would +prove an excellent substitute for leather. + +_June 3._ Last night we had a smart gale, which drove us forward at the +rate of twelve knots; and this morning we were threatened with one of +those squalls that often occur in the vicinity of the mouth of the Rio +de la Plata, which we have just passed. The sky was overcast with dark +clouds that were often illuminated with brilliant flashes of lightning. +All hands were called and most of the sails furled. The squall burst +upon us in a fine shower of rain, but the wind proved only a pleasant +breeze, that helped up to make up a good day's reckoning. + +_June 6._ There has been an unpleasant altercation on this holy Sabbath +between our worthy captain, (who, by the way, is a religious man and +a member of a church,) and some of his lady passengers. The quarrel +originated at the time of our visit at Rio. For several weeks prior to +this visit, he had been very lavish of his attentions to Mrs. L----t, +who had been ill during the voyage to Rio, and seemed to require a +great deal of brandy and bitters, wine and gruel, and herb drinks. +The captain was very assiduous in supplying the wants of Mrs. L----t, +and his assiduities certainly entitled him to her warmest gratitude. +But his intercourse with Mrs. L----t did not consist solely in +administering drinks and doses. Among other little manifestations of +friendliness, they united their fortunes in the purchase of a ticket in +a lottery, which one of the passengers made of an article of jewelry. +They drew the prize, and the captain became sole owner of the bauble +by purchasing Mrs. L----t's share. Matters continued in this friendly +way between them, till we arrived at Rio. Here, after inquiring into +the health of the city, he cautioned his passengers against stopping on +shore at night where they would be liable to take the yellow fever. The +next morning he accompanied Mrs. L----t on shore, where they tarried +day and night until the afternoon previous to our sailing. As a matter +of course this, together with their previous intimacy, was a subject of +much remark and some sport among the passengers. Their jokes reached +Captain Jackson's ears and enraged him. He declared that there should +be a stop put to the talk. The passengers thought otherwise. A smart +little quarrel grew out of it, the women took it in hand, and nourished +it, and to-day a discussion remarkable for its warmth and length, took +place between Capt. J. and Mrs. L----t on one side, and Miss Julia +S----g on the other. The battle raged till the middle of the afternoon, +when the captain left in a very wrathful frame of mind to join in a +religious service on deck, and to worship the God of peace and purity. +Capt J. has a wife in Maine and Mrs. L----t a husband in San Francisco. + +_June 8._ Latitude 47° 6', longitude 59° 8'. We have cold weather, +strong winds, squalls, snow, hail and rain. Great numbers of sea birds, +chiefly Cape Pigeons, follow the ship. They bite very readily at a hook +baited with pork, and are easily caught. They are pretty birds, and fly +with great ease and gracefulness, and their wings seem never to tire. +They alight on the water, on which they swim with great agility, and I +have seen them dive several feet into the water in pursuit of food that +had been thrown to them from the ship. There is considerable difference +both in the size and color of these birds, and perhaps a skillful +ornithologist might determine them to consist of several species, +though I am inclined to consider them as varieties of the same +species. One of the passengers caught two of them for me, but owing to +cold weather and a slight seasickness at this time, I lost them. + +_June 10._ Caught two more Cape Pigeons, and it being cold on deck, I +was glad to accept the invitation from some of the passengers in the +main cabin to skin the birds there. Their beaks were of a delicate +light ash or lead color, and their breasts white. There were some dark +spots on the wings. They were seventeen inches long, and forty-two and +a half inches in the stretch of their wings. Two spotted ones, whose +skins I have preserved, are smaller, being only thirty-four inches in +alar extent. + +Our oranges have nearly disappeared. Having been kept in close boxes +and chests, they have decayed very rapidly. I have found them very +beneficial to my health, and should be glad to keep them till we arrive +at the next port, but they will be used up before we reach Cape Horn. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + A Disagreeable Scene--Scarcity of Oil--Lamps and Slush--An + Albatross--Ill Manners of the Mate--Cold Weather--The Whiffletree + Watch--Disagreeable Scene--Magellan Clouds and Southern Cross--An + Act of Kindness--Turnovers and Sport--Tierra del Fuego and Staten + Land--A Perilous Passage--Ducks and Cape Pigeons--A Squall--A + Black Albatross--Cape Horn--Stormy Weather--A Gale--Accident at + the Breakfast Table. + + +One of those disagreeable scenes, which are of too frequent occurrence +among us, came off this morning. Captain J. without any ceremony or +consultation with the passengers, ordered the cooks to supply us with +but two meals a day. This would not have been very seriously objected +to, had we been furnished with any decent food in place of the vile +trash, upon which we have been forced to subsist. But after waiting +till half past eight, the time appointed for breakfast under this new +regulation, behold! a pan of scouse is placed before us! And this was +to suffice until two or three in the afternoon. Some of us could not, +and others would not, eat it, and after much "growling," as the captain +terms our remonstrances, we succeeded in getting a dish of cold hasty +pudding--the cooks refusing to warm it for us--and on this, with a +dipper full of muddy coffee for those who could drink it, and of water +for those who could not, we made our breakfast. We were in an excellent +frame of mind to quarrel with the captain, and after a warm dispute we +succeeded in having the former order of things restored. And bad enough +it was at that. + +A day or two since I applied to Capt. J. to sell or lend me a little +oil for my own special use during the long nights we have just begun +to encounter. This led to an examination of the ship's stock of +oil, when it was ascertained that but a few gallons remained, which +it was necessary to husband with the greatest care. To remedy the +inconvenience of remaining in almost total darkness, the occupants of +the main cabin have invented a variety of lamps, which they manufacture +out of bottles and phials, cutting them off by means of strings, +which they pass rapidly round them till they become heated by the +friction, and then dipping them in water. These lamps they fill with +"slush"--grease left by the cooks,--which, though a poor substitute for +oil, they are happy to get. + +_June 11._ A large white albatross flew round the ship to-day with +other birds. I threw out a baited hook for him, while the mate stood +by with an open knife, threatening to cut the line. I caught the bird +several times by the bill, and drew him close under the stern, but he +slipped from the hook, and thus saved the amiable mate the trouble of +executing his threat. + +The cold has increased to such a degree, that Captain J. has set up a +stove in the ladies' cabin. The owners of the ship have also supplied a +stove for our room, but the captain tells us there is not wood enough +for it--though we are convinced he knows better--and therefore refuses +to have it set up. So we must make up our minds for a cold passage +round Cape Horn. The ladies are making some additional preparations +for warding off the cold. Two of them have made themselves hoods, and +after searching in vain among their stores for cotton to stuff them +with, they have--by permission--attacked my comforter, and supplied +themselves. + +_June 13._ For a week past we have been drifting about within little +more than a day's sail of the Falkland Islands, beating against head +winds, encountering squalls of wind, accompanied by rain, hail +and snow, almost every hour of the day, and making but very little +progress. This state of things is very irksome to us, and we are not +a little impatient. The days are very short, and the nights dark and +dreary. Our situation is any thing but agreeable, and yet we often find +some little thing to amuse us, and the veriest trifles will sometimes +answer this purpose. One night during a squall, some of the passengers +were out assisting the sailors in furling the sails, when a small spar +gave way and broke. "There," exclaimed one of them, "that whiffletree +has gone to the devil!" The idea of a whiffletree as one of the spars +of a ship, amused the crew, and our volunteer sailors were thereafter +denominated "the Whiffletree Watch." + +_June 14._ Another disgraceful scene occurred in the ladies' cabin this +morning, being a continuation of the quarrel that took place a week +since between our worthy captain and Julia Spaulding. The altercation +between them was very violent, a part of which I overheard. Captain J. +was in great wrath, smote his fists together, and repeatedly called +Julia a liar; told her he would have no more of her lies, charged her +indirectly with having attempted to seduce him, and threatened to +shut her up and feed her by herself. All this intermingled with much +profane and other violent language towards a female is by no means +calculated to remove the strong dislike, which the passengers entertain +for Captain J. They also very naturally side with the woman, who, they +think, tells quite as many truths as falsehoods in the matter. + +_June 15._ I lay this morning looking from the single remaining pane +of glass in my window upon a bright sky, which I have not often had an +opportunity to observe in this region of clouds and storms, and looking +for the first time upon the Magellan Clouds, and contemplating the +brilliant constellations in the heavens, among which the Southern Cross +shone conspicuously. The Cross has been in view for several weeks; but +though I have seen it several times, I have not until recently been +certain of its identity, and our intelligent officers could give me no +information concerning it. + + "The Magellan Clouds consist of three small nebulæ in the southern + part of the heavens--two bright, like the milky way, and one dark. + These are first seen above the horizon soon after crossing the + southern tropic. When off Cape Horn they are nearly overhead. The + Cross is composed of four stars in that form, and is said to be + the brightest constellation in the heavens."[A] + + [A] R. H. Dana, Jr. + +I received a little act of kindness in the evening, which I cannot +deny myself the pleasure of recording. Soon after supper as I was +standing in our cabin, I remarked to a passenger that I had eaten +but one biscuit during the day, and that I was really hungry. To his +question "why do you not eat some ship-bread?" I replied that I had +taken a distaste to it during my seasickness, and the very sight of +it had become loathsome to me. It was the same with the beans we +had to-day,--boiled beans and pork, which had been served up to us +three or four times a week during the voyage. The wife of the chief +steward--Mrs. Grant--was present and heard the conversation. She +immediately left the cabin and passed to the cooks' galley. In a few +minutes she returned, and as she passed by me she cautioned me to be +silent, while she slipped a large turnover or fried mince-pie into my +coat-pocket. The cooks had made a quantity of them for the captain +and ladies, and she had begged this for me. Many such kindnesses +have I received from her and other women during the voyage. They +derive their value, not from the greatness of the gift bestowed, but +from the circumstances in which both the giver and the receiver are +placed, and to me, sick, hungry and thirsty as I often have been, I +have felt such favors to be of "greater value than stamps in gold, or +sums in sealed bags." + +The passengers in the main cabin have made these turnovers and the +other varieties, which are got up for the inmates of the ladies' cabin, +a subject of some pleasantry. They feel that they are equally entitled +to these dainties with the other passengers. It was stipulated by the +owners of the vessel, that all the passengers should fare alike, and +they are naturally sensitive at the distinction which is constantly +made to their prejudice; and the more so as the captain and two other +men besides Mr. Johnson, have domiciled themselves in the ladies' +cabin, where they partake of the best the ship affords, while the +majority starve on scouse and boiled beans. + +There was a large gathering near the captain's state-room soon after +supper to-night, where they continued some time shouting vociferously, +and singing a parody on a fine old song, of which I never heard but +these two lines: + + "Tim Darling didn't know but his father was well, + And his father didn't know but Tim Darling was well." + +The parody ran thus: + + "The cooks, they all know that the captain lives well, + And the captain, he knows that the cooks, they live well." + +The captain listened to the music, which was fully equal to the poetry, +but with a greater degree of prudence than he sometimes exercises, he +controlled his temper and pocketed the insult. + +_June 16._ A fine gale sprung up last night, and continues blowing +to-day, bearing us on our course, westward of the Falkland Islands, +towards the Strait of Le Maire, through which we hope to pass +to-morrow. + +_June 17._ A cloudless, golden sky in the morning, a pleasant breeze, +a calm sea, a cool air, but not freezing, and a soft, hazy atmosphere, +like one of our northern summer mornings. Tierra del Fuego lay before +us on the right, and Staten Land on the left, their valleys and heights +covered with snow. I promised myself the great gratification of a near +view of both of these desolate regions; but in this I was doomed to +disappointment. + +Before ten o'clock the sky became filled with clouds, and the +brilliancy of the morning gave place to darkness and gloom. An eclipse +of the sun occurred during the day, which increased the darkness. The +wind gradually died away, and we passed several hours at the entrance +to the Strait of Le Maire, where we encountered a strong current till +night, when we perceived the ship to be drifting astern. At about +four P.M. the tide turned, and swept us back into the Strait +again. It was now dark, and but little could be seen around us. The +current carried us towards Staten Land, whose coasts were very bold +and dangerous to approach, and were rendered doubly so at this time +by the exceeding darkness of the night. Our sails were flapping +uselessly against the masts, we had no control over the vessel, which +was drifting at the rate of four knots an hour, and our situation was +becoming perilous in the extreme. Captain J. was exceedingly anxious. +He ordered the mate to have the boats in readiness, for we might soon +want them. We were now only three miles distant from the coast as the +captain conjectured. A heavy swell added to our danger and increased +our difficulties; and there seemed scarcely a hope of our escaping +shipwreck, on one of the most desolate and forlorn coasts of which +the imagination can conceive. But just at this juncture, when a few +minutes more would have sent the ship on to the rocks, a favorable wind +providentially sprung up, the sails filled, the ship began to feel her +helm, and we bade adieu to Staten Land. + +But another danger awaited us. In getting clear of Staten Land we +approached too near the coast of Tierra del Fuego, and came very near +running upon a large rock that lies off that coast; but happily the +sailor at the watch discovered it in season to wear ship, and sail by +it. At length all the dangers of this hazardous passage were cleared, +and before morning we had passed into the open ocean again. + +We saw but few signs of vegetation on Staten Land. It was thrown up +into mountains and precipices of the most rugged and barren character, +and presented an aspect of dreary desolation. There were patches of +low shrubs in sight on Tierra del Fuego, but no trees. The hills at +the entrance to the Strait were less precipitous than those on Staten +Land. But the whole scene, so far as the early darkness permitted us to +view it, was as forbidding as it could well be. Immense flocks of ducks +flew across the Strait towards Staten Land in the afternoon. There was +also a flock of Cape Pigeons, perhaps a hundred in number, flying round +the ship, and the passengers fed them with scraps of pork and with +pot skimmings. As I watched this amusement, I could not suppress the +thought that this was an inexcusable waste of those precious dainties, +which should have been preserved for the manufacture of--scouse. + +The width of the Strait of Le Maire is about twenty miles. The length +of Staten Land is seventy miles. + +_June 19._ We beat against a head wind yesterday, and made but little +progress. To-day we had a specimen of Cape Horn weather. A squall +arose in the morning, the most violent we have yet encountered; and +the sailors were sent in good haste to shorten sail. Assisted by the +passengers, they soon reduced the canvass to the proper quantity, and +our vessel rode out the storm in fine style, and without any damage. +But the captain and two of the passengers lost each a hat. The wind +abated in the afternoon. + +While the gale was at its height, one of the passengers caught a +beautiful black albatross for me. But while the company were looking at +it, the captain and mate watched the bird, determined that it should +not be killed. I believe they really felt that the safety of the ship +depended on the life of the bird. It was a magnificent specimen of this +species of albatross, in fact, the only one I ever saw, and would have +been a valuable acquisition to me. But I left it for a moment in charge +of a friend, when the captain ordered the second mate to bring it to +him, and he threw it overboard. Such is the influence of superstition +on an ignorant seaman. + +_June 20._ The gale of yesterday subsided at night to a light breeze, +which continued during the night, and this morning we had the great +gratification of beholding Cape Horn. It lay but a few miles distant, +and in full view before us. I felt a slight degree of enthusiasm as I +looked upon it, and recalled the descriptions I had read of it in my +boyhood, and the tales of terror I had gathered from the narratives +of voyages round this far-famed point. We were sailing past the Cape +in a south-west direction, with a breeze that was fast increasing in +strength, and we hoped that the next tack of our ship would carry us +safely beyond the much dreaded barrier. But we soon found that this was +not to be so speedily accomplished. The wind rose to a gale, and we +were obliged to reduce our canvass to a few sails, and at last to lay +to under the foretop-mast-stay sail, main-stay sail and spanker. + +Cape Horn is a naked promontory at the extremity of a little island +about twelve miles long, called Horn Island. Many other islands and +rocks lie in the neighborhood, but Cape Horn is readily distinguished +from them all by its greater height and the steepness of its +south-western side. It is ninety miles distant from the Strait of Le +Maire. Its latitude is 55° 59' south, and its longitude, 67° 16' west. + +_June 21._ We are still encountering head winds, still laying to and +drifting to leeward. The wind blows in tempestuous gusts, and the +seas are running higher than I have ever before seen them. The sky is +covered with clouds, from which we receive frequent showers of rain, +accompanied in a single instance, with thunder and lightning. Now and +then the sun breaks forth for a moment, but soon disappears again. +It is a season of anxiety to many of us, but the bark proves a good +sea-boat, and we have considerable confidence in the skill of our +captain. + +_June 22._ The gale became furious last night, and seemed increasing +in force this morning. We had no little difficulty in eating our +breakfast. A pan of fried pork and boiled beef, another pan of +hard-bread, and a pot of coffee were set on the table, but how to keep +them there required a greater degree of skill than we possessed. We +could not sit, and we were in danger every moment of being pitched +over the table, and across the cabin. To avoid such a catastrophe we +were obliged to hold by the berths with both hands. We made an effort, +however, to eat, but had hardly made a beginning when a violent lurch +of the ship sent our pork, bread, coffee, and all, in an instant upon +the floor and into a neighboring berth. The scene was rather ludicrous, +and we managed to extract a laugh out of it as we picked up the +fragments, sent for a pot of fresh coffee, and finished our breakfast. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + Severe Cold--Furious Storm--Diego Ramirez Islands--Land + Ahead--Cape Horn Weather--Two Vessels--Length of Days and + Nights--Disagreeable Brawl--Heading North--Patagonia--The + Andes--Another Storm--Anxiety of Captain J.--A Lunar + Rainbow--Another Gale--Bill of Fare--Filthy Cooks and Impure Water. + + +_June 23._ The wind, which continued to blow with great fury during +the night, began to subside a little towards morning, and as it was +now veering to a more favorable point, we unfurled the sails, and were +in good spirits at the prospect of speedily weathering the Cape. But +the wind soon changed again, and continued to blow in violent gusts +during the day, bringing down flights of snow and sleet, which covered +the decks, and froze the sails and rigging. The cold was severe, and +our cabin very uncomfortable. By invitation from one of the ladies, I +visited their cabin for the first time since we left Rio. I was glad +of an opportunity to warm my feet and hands at their stove. We are +in the habit of betaking ourselves to our berths for warmth, though +I occasionally get into the cooks' galley when it is not occupied by +other passengers or sailors. + +During a temporary abatement of the gale at night, several of the +ladies went out and amused themselves with snow-balling. The sport was +lively but of short continuance. + +_June 24._ A fresh wind was blowing in the morning when I arose, and +a thick fall of snow nearly blinded me as I went out on deck. The +cold had become intense, and it was a time of suffering for the poor +sailors. But the wind was fair, and Captain J. determined to improve +it by spreading more sail. But the men had scarcely got the fore +and maintop sails set, when the storm came on again with a fury far +exceeding any thing we had yet encountered, and they were again sent +aloft to furl the sails. We now lay to under two stay sails, the ship +rolling with great violence, and the seas breaking over the decks. + +There is a beauty, a sublimity in this war of the winds and waters, +that fill the mind of the beholder with emotions of mingled delight and +awe, and not unfrequently, be it confessed, with fear. It presents a +scene which is difficult to describe, and can be imagined only by him +who has witnessed it. To the captain it was at this time a season of +anxiety, and to the sailors one of severe hardship. It was also a time +of much uneasiness with many of the passengers; and one of them, who +went up to assist in furling a sail, came down with his hands badly +frozen. The winds whistled, howled and shrieked through the rigging, +the torn sails flapped, the strained masts creaked and groaned, the +waves rolled up into immense billows covered with foam, and dashed +against the sides of the ship and over the bulwarks, deluging every +person and setting afloat every loose thing upon the decks. Borne +about by the raging waters, the ship often staggered for a moment upon +the crest of a great wave, as if fearful of the plunge she was about +to take, but quickly sinking down into the moving chasm, as if she +were attempting to dive to the bottom of the sea, until overtaken by +another billow, she rose to its crest, though only to be sunk into +another and another gulf. Sometimes pressed down upon her side by a +more violent gust of wind until her yardarms dipped into the water, the +interposition of a merciful Providence only could save us. But that +Providence, which had watched over, and guarded and guided us through +so many perils, did not desert us in this. The blast swept by, the ship +slowly arose, and her freight of eighty-eight human beings escaped the +threatened destruction. + +Restless as the sea birds that still hovered around her, ever in +motion, pitching, plunging, lurching and rolling, she was apparently +driven about at the mercy of the winds and waves, that almost bade +defiance to the men at the wheel, whose utmost skill and exertions +could scarce enable them to direct her course. + +Captain J. came into the after house during the storm to take a cup of +coffee, with his clothes whitened with the snow and his face coated +with ice. But he had scarcely been in a minute, when he was hastily +sent for by the mate, for the gale had suddenly increased to such a +degree of violence, that we were in great danger of being capsized. He +went out again, and gave orders to reduce even the small patches of +canvass that were still flying. His orders were answered promptly, and +the ship lay to again. The storm raged with great fury till near noon, +when it began to abate, and we were enabled to carry a little more +sail. The wind continued favorable during the remainder of the day, but +the snow squalls came on in terrible blasts until late at night. + +A week had now elapsed since we passed through the Strait of Le Maire, +and so beclouded had the sky been during that time, that Captain J. had +had no opportunity to take an observation of the sun, and of course he +was in painful uncertainty as to our situation. There was some danger +to be apprehended from a cluster of small islands or rocks, called the +Diego Ramirez Islands, lying fifty-five miles to the south-west of Cape +Horn, and near which we expected to pass. And it behooved us to keep a +good lookout for these rocks during the obscurity of the day, and the +deep darkness of the night. + +_June 25._ The cry of "land ahead" aroused us at an early hour this +morning. It proved to be the islands I have just mentioned. The night +was so dark that we were close upon the breakers before we were aware +of our approach to the islands. Fortunately we had room enough in which +to wear ship and escape the danger. We stood away till daylight enabled +us to resume our course, when we passed between these islands and +Tierra del Fuego. + +We have now weathered Cape Horn. During eight days since we passed +through the Strait of Le Maire, we have been struggling against head +winds, and have at length accomplished a task, which might have been +performed with a fair wind in ten or twelve hours. Our impatience has +been great, and we feel much relieved on finding ourselves beyond the +stormy barrier, and with a fair prospect of soon being safely delivered +from this region of storms and darkness. There is another little +circumstance that adds to our cheerfulness. From the second day since +we left Rio we have not seen a single sail. This afternoon two vessels +are in sight, and our company, for want of other subjects, are busily +engaged in discussing the questions, "Who are they?" and "Can we come +up with them?" and "How soon?" + +The sun rose to-day at fifteen minutes past nine, and set at fifteen +minutes before three, giving us a day of five and a half hours, and a +night eighteen and a half hours long. + +_June 27._ Sunday. Our ship has been the scene of a disgraceful brawl, +I may almost say, riot. For many weeks past, a feud has existed between +our worthy chaplain, Mr. Johnson, and Miss Julia S. Miss Julia, who is +not overburdened with a superabundance of refinement or delicacy, has +used some rather coarse language towards Mr. J., which he, perhaps, has +not received with that meekness and forbearance, which would become +a minister of the Gospel. This morning when he arose, he saw a dress +of Miss Julia's hanging against the stove, where she had placed it to +dry, and not being in that amiable frame of mind that would seem to +be desirable, he threw the dress upon the floor, where it remained +till Miss Julia found it. Her wrath was very bitter, and many hard +words passed between her and the reverend chaplain; the temper of both +parties increasing in warmth until Mr. J. remarked in the language of +Scripture that he would leave Miss Julia to her "wallowing like a sow +in the mire," whereupon Miss Julia seized a billet of wood and threw +it at the head of the parson, and the parson, in the excitement of the +moment, forgetting the injunction to turn the other cheek, returned +the compliment by hitting Miss Julia a slap in the face, and pushing +her towards the companion-way. By this time the inmates of our room, +overhearing the uproar, had assembled at the head of the companion-way, +and were on the point of rushing down; but taking a moment to consider, +they turned back, and in an instant were engaged among themselves in +an altercation upon the demerits of the quarrel, almost as violent as +that which was raging below. Captain J. soon joined us, and as his mode +of reasoning seldom tends to allay wrath or to settle a dispute, the +discussion continued with increased violence, and it was several hours +before order was restored. As in former quarrels, a large majority +of the passengers were found to advocate the cause of the woman. But +whoever was most to blame, Mr. Johnson was the most deeply injured by +the quarrel, and his influence and usefulness, which had long been +waning, were from this time ended. There are several religious people +in the main cabin, who held a prayer-meeting after the quarrel had +subsided, but Mr. J. did not attend, nor did he attempt to hold any +other religious exercises during the day. + +_June 28._ We are now driving along before a fine breeze in the Pacific +Ocean, which seems disposed to prove to us on our introduction, that +she is entitled to the soubriquet by which she is known. Cape Horn is +far behind us, we have given Tierra del Fuego a wide berth, and headed +our ship for the north. Our next port, Talcahuana, is only a thousand +miles distant,--next to nothing,--and we will be there in a week if +this breeze continues. Sherman has captured another porpoise, and we +shall have some steaks for breakfast, and some oil for our lamps. +The air for two days past has been comparatively mild, I am enabled +to spend considerable time on deck, my health is improving, and I am +enjoying many pleasing anticipations. + +_June 29._ Our course is parallel to the coast of Patagonia; and though +more than seventy-five miles distant from it, we have a distinct view +of some majestic ranges of mountains on the large islands, which lie +along the coast. Standing as they do in this bleak and dreary land, +their sides and summits shrouded in snow, and presenting to the view +and the imagination, a picture at once of vast sublimity and of eternal +solitude and utter desolation, I can scarcely restrain the feeling of +awe that comes over me as I behold them. But what land is that coming +suddenly in sight under our lee bow, and nearly in the direction of +the ship? All hands are gazing at it, and Captain J., as he sees our +proximity to the land, begins to doubt the accuracy of his reckoning. +We are all anxious about it, for with the wind in its present +direction, we must tack ship or run ashore. Night comes on, the ship is +put about, and our dream of a speedy run to Talcahuana is at an end. +And these mountains we have been beholding must lie beyond the islands, +and it adds not a little to the interest of the scene to reflect that +they can be no other than a portion of the great range of the Andes, +and this my first, and will probably be my last view of them. + +_June 30._ It has been our fortune to encounter another storm. The +wind blew with great fury, and rolled the waves up to a magnificent +height. We had been scudding before it nearly all day, and were fast +drifting on a lee shore, with little chance of escape but with a change +of wind. Captain J. passed much of his time on deck, and was watchful +and anxious. He came into our room at night to warn us of approaching +danger. "I tell you what," said he, "I don't want to say nothing to +skear you, but if this wind holds till morning, we shall see hard +times." Such an announcement from our experienced captain, who had not, +during the voyage, uttered a warning so fraught with terror to us, +and which betrayed his sense of the imminence of our danger, caused +a shade of deep anxiety to pass over the countenances of many of our +companions, who could have exclaimed in the language of honest old +Gonzalo: "Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of +barren ground; long heath, brown furze, any thing. The wills above be +done! but I would fain die a dry death." But it was not our destiny to +be engulfed in the raging sea, nor to suffer a more horrible death on +the bleak and desolate coast of Patagonia. After a few hours of anxious +suspense, we perceived a lull in the storm, and this lull was succeeded +by a change in the wind, which enabled us to stand on our course again, +which we did under all the canvass our ship could carry. + +_July 2._ I have had the pleasure of beholding a novel phenomenon, +a lunar rainbow. It occurred at seven o'clock in the evening. The +atmosphere was hazy, and the moon shone with a dim luster. Though much +fainter than a solar rainbow, and having none of its brilliant hues, +it was still very distinct, and spanned nearly half the arch of the +heavens. + +_July 4. Sunday._ No religious services to-day, nor any celebration of +the anniversary of Independence. Instead thereof, we have been battling +with another heavy gale, and driving before it under the foresail, +foretop sail, and maintop sail, all close reefed. The seas run very +high, and the ship pitched violently. Standing on the quarter-deck, we +could often see the waves over the fore yard as the vessel pitched into +the trough of a sea. + +_July 5._ Another attempt has been made to induce Captain J. to +substitute a more decent bill of fare in place of the disgusting dishes +upon which he has starved us during the voyage. As we are approaching +Talcahuana, where a supply of such necessaries as we may need can +be obtained, it was thought proper to hold a formal meeting for the +purpose in the main cabin. A chairman, secretary and a committee +to report a bill of fare for the consideration of Captain J., were +chosen. Mr. Grant, the chief steward, was called in, who stated that +in supplying the table in the after cabin with better food than those +in the other parts of the ship, he had acted in compliance with the +orders of Captain J., and that the captain had also directed him to +reduce the allowance of soft-tack to the passengers. The committee on +the bill of fare reported to recommend for dinners, on Monday, beef +and rice; on Tuesday, beans and pork; on Wednesday, fish and potatoes, +or rice; on Thursday, beef and potatoes and duff; on Friday, beans and +pork; on Saturday, fish and potatoes, and on Sunday, beef and duff, +with soft-tack and apple-sauce once a day. This report was accepted. +The committee immediately waited upon the captain, whom they found in +a more amiable mood than they had anticipated, and obtained from him +some general promises of improvement, which gave us a slight degree of +encouragement. + +It is not a little provoking under all our privations to know that +we have on board the bark a sufficient quantity of wholesome food to +make us comfortable. In addition to good beef, pork, codfish, beans, +potatoes and hard-bread, we have a quantity of flour, sufficient to +give us a reasonable supply of soft-tack, besides rice, dried apples, +raisins and sugar. We have no reason to complain of the owners of +the vessel, but charge our discomforts to the surly brutality of the +captain, and the execrable filthiness of the cooks. A portion of our +supply of water is impure, having been put into bad casks. But when one +of these casks is tapped, however disgusting it may be, we are allowed +no other until it is used up. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + Captain Jackson--A Drifting Spar--Approaching + Talcahuana--Washing-day--Landscapes--Harbor of + Talcahuana--Pelicans--A Visit from Officials--Description of the + Town--American Houses--Tremont House--A Dinner. + + +Captain J. seems to be actuated by only one object, namely, to make +a profitable voyage for his employers, regardless of the rights or +comforts of his passengers. And any little concessions he makes to +the demands of his passengers,--and these concessions are few and far +between,--any little change he makes for the better in our fare, any +thing he does to alleviate the discomforts of our voyage, is done with +extreme reluctance, and seldom without a dispute or a serious quarrel. +Let me finish the picture I have begun of the man. He has the frame +of a giant, six feet two inches high. His fist is brawny as the paw +of a grizzly bear, and his foot is a terror to shoe-makers. He is +ungainly in his figure, and awkward and ungraceful in every movement +and gesture. He has a coarse, vulgar, morose cast of countenance, is +distant and repulsive in his manners, gross and vulgar in his tastes +and conversation, and fond of repeating profane and obscene jests and +anecdotes. He is exceedingly obstinate, wilful and unyielding, which +qualities he mistakes for independence of mind. He boasts of his +indifference as to what is said of him, and yet manifests an extreme +sensitiveness when he is made the subject of a jest. Notwithstanding +his long continued intercourse with the world, he has learned nothing +of human nature, and he thinks to govern men by fear and brute force, +rather than by reason, persuasion or kindness. There is nothing +conciliating in his disposition, but in all his discussions with his +passengers, he talks in a spirit of rude dictation and of defiance. He +seldom speaks a kind word to his sailors, and has acquired the hearty +hatred of them all. He hates Dana and his "Two years before the Mast," +because Dana's sympathies are enlisted on the side of the oppressed +seamen, and against tyrannical ship-masters. He hates Edward Kent, our +Consul at Rio, for the same reason. He is strongly tinctured with those +superstitions that characterize the ignorant portion of his class. In +politics he is a rabid loco-foco, a blind worshiper of Andrew Jackson, +whom he has been taught to call a second Washington. But his chief +political knowledge consists in a number of slang phrases and slurs, +which he threw out with great liberality in the former part of the +voyage, but which were answered in a manner that taught him a little +circumspection in the use of his favorite weapons. Such is the man, to +whose arbitrary will we are bound to submit during this long voyage. +But we believe him to be a cautious and skillful navigator; and if we +see in him a total absence of every characteristic of a gentleman, +of every qualification requisite to make an agreeable commander of +a passenger-ship, we are happy to find some compensation for these +defects in his watchfulness and care. + +_July 6._ Approaching the harbor of Talcahuana, we saw a large broken +yard with several ropes attached to it, floating within a few rods +of the ship. From the fresh appearance of the fracture, I perceived +that it had recently been broken. A casual remark dropped by one of +the passengers, that some vessel had probably been wrecked in one of +the storms we had lately encountered, and the spar was passed and +forgotten. But what a history of suffering and despair may there be +connected with that spar! Perhaps it belonged to our acquaintance at +Rio, the North America. She may have been wrecked on this coast, and +her five hundred souls have been sunk in the waves or dashed on the +rocks. In their efforts to save themselves, may not some of them have +been lashed to this very yard? Perhaps, as the vessel went to pieces, +and one after another was swallowed up, the lives of a few may have +been prolonged beyond those of their fellow sufferers. And oh! what an +hour of horror must that have been to them! What thoughts of deep and +bitter anguish did they send to the homes they had seen for the last +time, and to the wives, daughters, mothers, sisters and friends, to +whom they had bidden farewell forever! What ages of intense agony must +have been concentrated and endured in the few hours, perhaps minutes, +those sufferers lay lashed to that spar, and saw, one after another, +their companions expire! May not this vessel have been lost in one of +the storms that nearly drove us ashore upon the coast of Patagonia? How +near may we have been to sharing the same fate with them? And may we +not, even now, after having escaped so many dangers, be reserved for +the same or a worse doom? Such or similar reflections naturally arise +in one's mind at the sight of a floating mast or spar at sea. I have +often seen them, but never before one so new, and bearing such certain +indications of a recent shipwreck. + +We are in a state of excitement consequent on approaching a port after +our long voyage, and there is much preparation making for going ashore; +washing, which has been but slightly performed during our cold passage, +shaving, and cutting hair. Our chests and trunks are overhauled, and +clean shirts and the best pants are selected. It is "washing day" too +with the women, who have obtained some fresh water for their purpose. +Even Mrs. L----t, who has hitherto manifested a very idle disposition, +has gathered up a quantity of her child's garments, and proves that she +is not incompetent to perform the duties of the wash-tub, while Captain +J. stands like a sentinel over her, engaged in a low, but earnest +conversation, attracting the attention, and exciting the remarks of the +company, by his ridiculous manifestations of a silly lover's foolish +fondness. + +The sight of a landscape is always delightful to me, but it is +particularly so after having been so long at sea. We have had many +views of the coast during our passage from Rio, but they have been only +those of naked and barren rocks, desolate shores, and snow-covered +mountains. Now we begin again to behold symptoms of vegetable life. The +sides of a high hill we have passed, though there is no sign of a human +habitation near it, have the appearance of cultivated fields and thick +forests. And some of the trees have a shade of light green, reminding +us of fields of wheat in Maine, and suggesting many thoughts of home to +us. Yonder, as far as the eye can reach, is a point of land rising to +the view. And as we approach it, there are seen two beautifully rounded +hills. We have examined the chart, and find these hills to be the "Paps +of Bio-bio," and Talcahuana lies several miles beyond them. We had +hoped to reach that port to-day, but now we find the distance too great +to be accomplished by daylight, and as Captain J. has never been there, +he will not risk the passage by night. So, despite our impatience, we +have no alternative but to sail up to the entrance to the harbor, and +lay off and on till morning. + +_July 7._ We entered the harbor of Talcahuana at ten o'clock in the +morning, and spent the remainder of the day in beating up to the town +against a head wind, a distance of about twenty miles. Our entrance +to this port was signalized by a very interesting event, nothing +less than my first sight of that monster bird, the Brown Pelican. +(_Pelicanus fuscus._) A great flock of sea birds were hovering over +the water, and centering to one point, probably attracted by some +substance on which they were feeding. The passengers watched them with +great interest. We sailed very near them before they left the spot, +when, to my great gratification, I saw a dozen pelicans, with their +immensely long bills and great pouches, rise up and fly away with the +flock. Never before had I seen such an unwieldy bird on wings, and it +seemed a wonder that it could support such a ponderous body in the air. +But though ungainly in their appearance, they flew with considerable +velocity, and sustained their great weight and bulk with much ease. Our +company were all strangers to the bird, and with one exception none +could tell its name. + +We dropped anchor within half a mile of the town amidst a fleet of +twelve ships and barks, several of which belonged to the United States. +We were immediately visited by the captain of the port, who was an +Englishman, attended by other officials, Chilians. We also received a +call from three other gentlemen, American merchants, formerly from New +York, Massachusetts and Ohio. They came on board to solicit business. +By invitation from one of them, Captain J. went on shore, and passed +the night with him; and the next day he took his _chere amie_, Mrs. +L----t, to the same house, where they tarried till we sailed. It was +gratifying to meet thus unexpectedly, a number of our own countrymen +in this far distant port, and to learn, as we did, that several other +Yankees were residents here. + +_July 8._ A number of Chilian boats were along-side in the morning +for passengers. We speedily filled them, all of us eager to land, +our curiosity being highly excited in anticipation of the new and +strange things we were about to behold in this pretty town, as it +appeared to us from the ship. Judge then of my disappointment when +on landing I found myself in the most filthy and disgusting village +I ever beheld. A row of ill-looking houses, huts and shops stretched +along the bay for nearly a mile. Three very narrow, parallel streets +ran the length of the village, and were crossed at right angles by +other streets still narrower, and all filled with deep mud and filth. +A few large warehouses, stores, and dwellings, stood in the front +street, but all with a very few exceptions, only one-story high; and +in no single instance was there the least pretension to architectural +beauty. The houses were generally built in long ranges or blocks, and +so low that we could touch the eaves as we passed them. There were also +great numbers of little huts made of stakes driven into the ground, +interwoven with twigs, and plastered over with mud. A roof thatched +with coarse grass completed the dwelling. Many of the better buildings +had their roofs covered with coarse tiles. Besides the large warehouses +I have mentioned, which all belonged to foreigners, there were many +little shops containing a plentiful supply of liquors in bottles, and +some articles of dry goods. An open space for a square was left at +the back part of the village. To this square the inhabitants retreat +for safety in case of earthquakes. It was destitute of trees or any +other ornament. There was not, I believe, a single tree in the town; +but many clusters and thickets of shrubs grew in the fields and on +the hills, and gave a pleasant appearance to the country when viewed +at a distance. There were great numbers of houses of entertainment, +and from the signs hung out, one might readily judge what nation +contributes to their support. At any rate, it is amusing to see an +American in a far distant foreign port, to read in every street such +signs as the following: California Hotel, American Hotel, American +House, New Bedford House, New York Restaurant, Eagle Hotel, &c. I +went into several of them, and found them so excessively filthy, that +despite the keenness of my appetite, I could not eat, and made up my +mind that I must go back to the dirty bark for my dinner. But in the +course of my rambles, I saw several of our ship's company standing at +the door of a house of a better description than most of those I had +seen. The walls of this house bore the imposing sign, "Tremont House." +I could not resist the temptation to go in and inspect the premises. +First and foremost was a large bar well stocked with liquors. But as +this was not the principal object of my search, I passed on to the +dining-room, where I saw a table covered with a clean white cloth. My +resolution was formed, and I immediately booked my name for dinner. The +hour for dining was two. But before we sit down to the table, allow me +to introduce the proprietor of the house, and give you a description +of his dining-room and furniture. Our landlord was a Yankee, and had +been during many years master of a ship, till he anchored in this port, +took a Chilian girl for his wife, and turned Boniface. We dined in a +large square room lighted with two windows secured by iron grates, and +set in a stone wall nearly three feet thick,--these thick walls and +iron grates, as well as the single story in which the houses are built, +being a necessary protection against earthquakes. The windows were +shaded with cotton curtains, red and white. There were large, coarse, +double doors like those of a warehouse, the floor was paved with large +tiles, and the uncovered beams were festooned with a profusion of +cobwebs. A pile of boxes lay in one corner, a quantity of boxes and +barrels surmounted by an X bedstead, loaded with old saddles, occupied +another corner, rude side-tables with more old casks and boxes under +them, and a dining table with the clean table-cloth aforesaid, set for +twenty-five persons, with the same number of chairs, which had been +imported from Yankee Land,--these constituted the furniture of the +dining-room of the Tremont House, Talcahuana, Chili. Our company were +unanimously of the opinion that this style of furnishing an eating-room +was open to criticism; but we were not disposed to be fastidious or +captious; and had we been so, the display of the dinner upon the table +would have completely done away all disposition for fault finding. +Macaroni soup, roast beef, roast wild ducks, corned boiled beef, +potatoes, beets, squash, bread, pudding, &c., and wine. With such a +bill of fare before us, we quickly lost sight of the surroundings. It +was marvelous to witness the disappearance of these luscious viands +before twenty half starved mortals. But there was no lack of it, and +all were satisfied. The food was of an excellent quality and well +cooked. In fact one of our own fellow-passengers expressed a decided +preference for this dinner to a ten quart tin pan full of scouse on +board the James W. Paige. I made a hearty meal of roast duck, washed +down with a copious draught of weak wine, a production of the country. +Thus pleasantly terminated my ramble in search of a dinner. And if any +thing could overcome my chagrin at being landed in this contemptible +place, it would be such a dinner with such an appetite. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + Character of the Inhabitants--Agricultural Implements--Lassoing + Cattle--Poncho--A Covered Wagon--Wild Doves--An Earthquake--An + Excursion--Dogs, Women, Children, and Shells--A Scotchman and his + Wine--An Adventure and the Calaboose--A Chilian Musket Fished + Up--An Affecting Incident--Fruit Market--Leave Talcahuana--An + Explanation--Theft in the Cooks' Galley--Disinterested + Advice--Uneasiness of Mrs. L----t and Capt. J. + + +I have said nothing of the character and appearance of the inhabitants +of this town. There are about three thousand of them. On our first +landing, I saw standing round the shops, groups of ragged, dirty, +copper colored fellows, with a "poncho" over their shoulders, and +a conical hat without a brim on their heads. Some were employed +in rolling large square bundles of wool from a warehouse to the +landing. A few were driving loaded mules and asses, and others were +variously employed; but the greater part of them were leaning against +the buildings, or walking idly about, as worthless looking a set of +vagabonds as could very well be imagined. A very small number of well +dressed men were to be seen; but these were mostly foreigners, and the +majority of them from the United States. Several women and girls were +seated in front of the shops selling apples and cakes. As I passed +into the cross streets I saw a great many women seated or standing at +their doors, or walking in the streets. Many of them were very filthy, +though some were neatly dressed, and were rather pretty. They had dark +complexions, fresh, florid cheeks, bright, black eyes, and black, +glossy hair hanging down their backs in two braids. They wore nothing +on their heads, and I did not see a bonnet in Talcahuana. They had a +smile and a word for all strangers, but their smiles were those of the +siren. They were all sunk in the lowest depths of moral degradation +and pollution. Such is the general character of the people of this +town. There are exceptions, and it is said that the married women are +remarkably faithful to their marriage vows. + +I took a walk up a hill in the rear of the village in company with +several of my fellow-passengers. Saw several men employed in plowing +their fields and harrowing in wheat, this being their season for sowing +grain, though I saw several fields in which the seed had sprouted +and grown up three or four inches. The extreme rudeness of their +farming implements surprised me. Their plow was of the most primitive +description, being formed of two pieces of wood, the beam being long +enough to reach to the yoke to which it was attached, and the other +piece forming the handle and point. A pair of small oxen drew it. Their +yoke was a straight stick laid across their necks, and fastened to +their horns. The man held the single handle of the plow in his right +hand and a whip in his left. He broke up the surface of the ground not +more than two or three inches deep, and harrowed the seed in with the +same plow instead of a harrow. The soil is exceedingly rich, or such +cultivation would never produce a crop. The English and Americans have +brought their best plows and other agricultural implements here, but +they cannot persuade the Chilians to use them. + +On going up a steep hill, we saw a Chilian on horseback accompanied +by half a dozen dogs in full pursuit of an ox. They passed near us. I +saw the rider take his lasso, twirl it several times over his head, +and throw it. I witnessed the performance with great interest; but the +result disappointed me, and I regretted that in the first instance I +had seen of the throwing of the lasso, it missed its aim. The Chilian +gathered up his lasso, threw it a second time, and caught the ox by the +horns. The Chilians are fine horsemen, and they seldom ride without a +lasso, which they are very expert in using. + +I have spoken of the poncho. This is a very important article of dress +with the Chilians, and I believe with all the Spanish population of +America. It consists simply of a shawl either square or oblong, with a +slit in the center, through which the head is thrust, and the poncho +hangs loosely over the shoulders. They are made of a great variety of +materials and patterns, some plain, and others richly striped, checked, +or figured. + +On our return to the village we saw a large covered wagon drawn by +one horse. This would not have attracted our attention had we not +observed that the driver, instead of taking his seat in the carriage, +rode another horse, and guided the wagon horse by means of a long +bridle. This wagon was run daily to the city of Concepcion and back, +and was the only carriage I saw here. It must depend on foreigners for +patronage, for I doubt if a Chilian could be persuaded to take a seat +in it while he had a horse to ride. + +At the door of the Tremont House I saw a man with several strings of +a pretty species of little wild doves, about the size of the little +ground dove described by Audubon. Our landlord bought them. + +No man can visit Chili without encountering an earthquake. At least +I never heard of one who did. We had one of them in the night, but +unfortunately I was asleep in my berth in the bark, and neither felt +nor heard it. In the town the inhabitants left their houses in great +haste, and fled to the square. The shock was not very heavy, and no +damage was done. This town, and indeed the whole western coast of +South America, and North America as far as California, are subject to +frequent earthquakes, some of which have caused immense destruction +of lives and property. Talcahuana was destroyed by one of these +convulsions in 1835, every building but two having been thrown down. +The city of Concepcion, nine miles distant, was also greatly injured. + +_July 9._ I had intended to take a ride to Concepcion, of which +Talcahuana is the port, but being told that the roads were very muddy, +the country flat and uninteresting, and the city dull and but little +superior to Talcahuana in point of elegance, I gave up the visit; and +therefore having little to do to-day, I obtained permission of the +captain of the port to go gunning. He cautioned me not to discharge my +gun in the town, or even to load it here. On leaving the town I passed +up a gorge between two steep hills, at the foot of which were a dozen +huts filled with Chilians and dogs. A little brook ran through the +valley, and several women and girls were employed in washing clothes +in it. There was no room for a road, nor any need of one, and the +little foot path was all they required in their communication with the +village. I climbed the hill, and looked down the gorge. The scene was +very pretty, and if I could have fancied a dozen neat cottages in place +of these thatched mud huts, it would have been beautifully picturesque. + +I passed over several steep hills, and down their sides through +thickets of bushes and vines, all new to me; but without procuring any +birds but a hawk. I saw several small birds that were strangers to me; +but none that pleased me so much as the sight of one of our American +robins. It gave a fresh impulse to my thoughts, and sent them at once +to my far distant home. I was half disposed to think that I had seen +this identical robin in some of my rambles in the fields and woods at +home, and that it had flown this long distance, bearing a message of +love from my dear child. + +After crossing several hills, I came at last to one, whose almost +perpendicular sides overlooked an extensive marsh, which was bounded on +one side by a bay, whose waters rolled up a broad beach of dark brown +sand. Immense numbers of sea birds were hovering over this beach, but I +could not approach them within gunshot. I passed a considerable number +of huts at the foot of the hill. There were seldom less than two or +three dogs around them, and sometimes more, besides women and children +enough to fill them. The dogs seemed rather vicious, and often attacked +me; but I easily drove them off except in one instance, when I was +surrounded by three or four larger, and particularly ferocious ones, +and had to swing my gun round pretty smartly, and was on the point of +discharging it at them, when the women of the house came out and called +them off. + +I observed many beds of shells scattered over the marsh and beach, +and collected several very pretty specimens, but found them too much +decayed to be worth bringing away. There was also an abundance of +these shells imbedded in the sides of the hills, and from the state +of preservation in which they are found, there can be no doubt the +convulsion which upheaved these hills must have been of a comparatively +recent date. + +I returned to the village in season to dine, which I did at the Tremont +House. Upwards of twenty of our ship's company sat at the table. We had +an excellent bill of fare, and I made a rich meal from a pie made of +the little doves I had seen the day before. + +After dinner I went to the warehouse of a rich old Scotchman to buy +some wine to use as a substitute for tea and coffee during the residue +of our voyage. This is a weak wine, manufactured by himself, and +is, as he says, the pure juice of the grape. A connoisseur in wines +would not value it very highly, and indeed, it is not much better +than old cider; but mixed with water and sugar, I find it rather a +pleasant beverage. I bought several gallons at forty cents per gallon. +This Scotchman had a peculiar sense of his own dignity, which would +not permit him to wait on his customers; and I was amused to see him +walk about the room with a very consequential air, while I filled my +bottles from his cask. He received my account of the quantity I had +drawn without inquiry as to its correctness, and with the greatest +indifference. + +A part of our company returned to the ship at night, but many of them +tarried on shore in the enjoyment of such delights as the town readily +supplied. Unfortunately two of the gentlemen having imbibed a larger +quantity of _aguardiente_ than prudence would seem to have dictated, +and oblivious of the distance that separated them from the "land of +the free and the home of the brave," indulged in a larger liberty than +the regulations of the place permitted, and were rather ignominiously +accommodated with lodgings in a calaboose, for which they were charged +two dollars each on being liberated in the morning. + +One of our men, an Irishman, while fishing from the side of the bark, +hooked up rather a queer fish--nothing less than a Chilian musket. +It was in a tolerable state of preservation, though rather rusty. He +scoured it up, and made a very respectable piece of it. + +An affecting incident occurred on shore during our stay here. Stephen +Pierce, one of our passengers, had a brother somewhere in the Pacific +Ocean for many years; and four years had elapsed since he had heard +from him. He was then at Juan Fernandez. It was in part a slight +hope of finding his brother, that induced Mr. Pierce to undertake +this voyage. On his arrival at Talcahuana he began to make inquiries +for him; and strangely enough the first man to whom he spoke on the +subject, was an acquaintance of his brother's, and informed him that +his brother had died fourteen months before in this village, and that +his widow, who was a Chilian and a native of Talcahuana, whom he had +found and married at Juan Fernandez, still lived here. He accompanied +Mr. Pierce to the dwelling of the widow, introduced them, and acted as +interpreter between them; for she had learned nothing of the English +language. She was a very pretty woman of only eighteen years. The +meeting was exceedingly affecting. But little time was necessary to +satisfy the young widow of the identity of Mr. Pierce as the brother +of her deceased husband, when she threw herself upon his neck, and +the tears of the bereaved wife and brother were mingled in sorrow and +sympathy at this renewed remembrance of their lost relative. She wept +long and bitterly. After a long interview, Mr. Pierce took leave. +But he repeated his visit to-day, and the widow accompanied him to +the grave of his brother. She was deeply moved, for she had loved +her husband with a strong affection. Her mother and other relatives +manifested the kindest and most affectionate regard for Mr. Pierce, +and this last interview, as well as the former, was one of intense +interest. After having prolonged his stay to the last moment, he bade +adieu to these new found relatives, never in all probability to meet +again on earth. + +_July 10._ We were much disappointed in the fruit market in Talcahuana. +There was nothing to be obtained but some apples of an inferior +quality, tasteless and thick-skinned, and walnuts. I laid in a stock of +walnuts, which I found very useful. Had we arrived two months earlier, +we would have found a lot of pears, peaches, grapes, &c. + +Captain J. having completed taking in his stores, consisting of fresh +beef, potatoes, flour, beans, oil, wood and water, weighed anchor at +noon, and stood out of the harbor with a light, but fair wind. We were +all ready to go, and no one betrayed any impatience at the shortness +of our stay, or any wish to prolong the visit. We had seen enough +of Talcahuana, and animated with a hope of a speedy and prosperous +termination of our voyage, we left the coast of Chili merrily singing: + + "Hi--o, and away we go, + Digging up gold in Francisco." + +We had a pleasant sail for several days, and nothing of importance +occurred to mar our pleasures until the fourteenth of July, when +Mr. Johnson met the passengers in the main cabin for the purpose of +explaining his conduct in his quarrels with Julia S. He was heard +very attentively in an address, in which he attempted to justify his +conduct in every instance. Miss S. replied to him, contradicting some +of his statements, and explaining others. Captain J. took part in the +discussion, but his remarks were not calculated to restore harmony. +Nothing was effected by the meeting, no new facts were elicited or old +ones explained, and no change was wrought in any one's opinion. + +_July 17._ I have another unpleasant occurrence to record. A robbery +was perpetrated in the cooks' galley last night, and about a hundred +cakes of soft-tack stolen. It was reported to Captain J., who came +into the after house and threatened to put us on hard-tack again. Many +irritating words passed between him and some of the passengers, and he +became so exasperated against one of them, that he seized him by the +collar. There was great excitement all over the ship. In the height of +the quarrel, Stephen Walker called on Captain J. and offered to find +the bread if the captain would send a man with him to make search. +The first mate was directed to accompany him, and in a few minutes the +bread was found in the forecastle among the sailors, and the excitement +was soon quieted. The captain transferred his wrath from the passengers +to the sailors, and ordered the cooks not to serve any more soft-tack +to them until they should inform against the thief, which they will +be in no haste to do. It was a needless theft, for since we left +Talcahuana they had a full allowance, that is, two and sometimes three +cakes once a day, which is all that is allowed the passengers. + +My excellent friends, Captain J. and Mrs. L----t, have volunteered +some very disinterested advice on the subject of my journal, and have +enlightened me on the difficult question, what is proper, or rather, +what is not proper, to record in it. Mrs. L----t thinks that all the +little squabbles and disputes we have had, and all the scandal that +has been so rife among us, would be improper subjects to record, and +would prove uninteresting to the reader. She was desirous to know if my +journal was intended for publication, and spoke very earnestly on the +impropriety of giving the names of persons. I replied that my journal +was nothing more than a letter, a long letter to my daughter, and was +written for her amusement; that I did not intend it for publication, +though some portions of it, might perhaps be made into articles for +the newspapers; that as to what is improper to record in a journal, +there was a great difference of opinion, and every one must judge for +himself; and that many events of an unpleasant nature were to be found +in every book of travels, and they very often proved interesting to the +general reader. I remarked that though a great many books of voyages +and travels had been published, no one had yet given to the public an +account of the pleasures and pains, the comforts and discomforts of +a passenger-ship round Cape Horn, and that I thought such an account +might be received with favor by the reading public, but that in such an +account, the propriety of giving the names of persons would depend on +circumstances. + +As for Captain J., he didn't care what was said about him; he was +independent; but he didn't want the slanders that were going about in +the ship to get home to his wife, though he was not afraid but what he +could satisfy her about them when he got home. He hoped I would not +say any thing about them, and ended with a general threat intended to +intimidate me. I made no reply to him, except that I had said nothing +of him or Mrs. L----t in my journal, which it would be necessary to +expunge or alter. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + Religious Services--A Beautiful Bird--Departure of Cape Pigeons + and Albatrosses--Stormy Petrels--Amusements--Harmony among + the Passengers--Mrs. L----t and her Child--Violence of Captain + J.--Our Chaplain turns Poet--Captain J.'s rest disturbed by the + Passengers--He threatens to blow them through--Sugar--Petty + Annoyances--A Rag Baby--Our Chaplain and his Revolver-- + Change of Weather--Uncomfortable Condition of the Main + Cabin--Theft of Raisins--Ship's Stores--Gross Negligence--Great + Waste of Scouse. + +_July 18._ Mr. Johnson preached to a very small congregation to-day. +The prejudice against him still continues very strong. He continues +to justify his quarrel with Julia S., though he is opposed by the +unanimous opinion of the passengers, who think that in striking Julia +when she threw the stick of wood at him he violated that beautiful +precept of Christ, "But I say unto you that ye resist not evil; but +whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other +also." They consider such a quarrel at such a time to be a shameful +desecration of the Sabbath, and a disgrace to himself. + +There was also a prayer-meeting in the afternoon. Among others, Captain +J. gave an exhortation, in the course of which he acknowledged that he +had not always performed his duty as a Christian during the voyage, +asked pardon of the passengers for any wrongs he had done them, and +promised to use his exertions to make them more comfortable during the +remainder of the voyage. + +_July 20._ Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn in longitude 85° 1' west. + +_July 25._ I have been watching a fine bird of a new species--I mean +new to me. As it flew round the ship, seeking for a place to alight, I +had a pretty good opportunity to examine it. It was about two-thirds +as large as the domestic goose, and had a straight, pointed bill. +Excepting the feathers of the wings and tail, which were of a dark gray +or slate color, every other part of the bird, including the head, neck, +back and breast, the upper and under wing coverts, and tail coverts +were of a pure glossy white. I have rarely seen so beautiful a bird. + +Our very intimate friends, the Cape Pigeons, have suddenly taken leave. +There were a considerable number of them around the ship yesterday; +to-day not one is left. Will you smile, dear reader, if I tell you that +a slight shade of melancholy passes over me at the departure of these +pretty birds, which have been our constant and familiar companions +during two months, which have followed us from Brazil to Chili, round +the stormy Cape, feeding on the little scraps of food we have thrown +them, amusing us by their chattering and scrambling for the precious +morsels, which they seemed to expect from us. + +The albatrosses left us soon after our departure from Talcahuana. My +attempts to secure some of them, have as you have seen, been defeated. +It has been a vexatious disappointment to me, and my fellow-passengers +often express their regret at it, and their contempt for the littleness +of Captain Jackson. + +The place of the Cape Pigeons is occupied by a little unassuming +bird, in which I always feel much interest--a little thing of dull +plumage and no pretensions to beauty. I mean the Stormy Petrel. The +one we find here differs from those on the coast of the United States, +being smaller and of a lighter plumage. It follows us in considerable +numbers, and is quite gentle, coming close to the ship, and betraying +very little fear of us. It does not patter the water with its feet, as +our petrels do, but it has a singular habit of thrusting out one foot +as it flies along, dipping it into the water, and describing a line on +the surface sometimes two or three feet long. + +_July 27._ Since leaving Talcahuana our men have found a new amusement +for the occupation of their minds, and the exercise of their ingenuity. +We took on board some wood from that port, resembling mahogany in +color. Out of this wood the passengers have employed themselves in +cutting out a variety of articles, such as seals for letters, hollow +spools for thread and needles, little boxes, knife handles, heads for +canes, and many other things. It is amusing to witness the spirit +with which all, young and old, with few exceptions, enter into this +business. The decks are covered every day with their whittlings, +and every stick of wood that can be used, is eagerly seized and +appropriated. + +_July 28._ It is often said, that in long voyages, there commonly +grows up a feeling of disgust and ill-will among the passengers +towards each other, and that they become morose and quarrelsome, +the natural consequence of the tedious monotony of the voyage, and +the sameness and want of variety on board ship. I cannot say that +our voyage thus far verifies the assertion; for though we have had +innumerable quarrels, there has been generally a very good state of +feeling among the passengers. This may, perhaps, be accounted for by +the attitude of antagonism in which Captain J. placed himself towards +us at the commencement of the voyage, (and in which he has continued +ever since,) that may have rendered it necessary as a means of defence, +for the passengers to maintain harmony and union among themselves. +This necessity seems to increase as we approach the termination of +the voyage, in consequence of the outrageous outbursts of passion, +in which the captain indulges on every occasion, and which on every +fresh occasion becomes more and more ungovernable. I have spoken of +the ascendency which Mrs. L----t has obtained over him. Her influence +has continued to increase, until she has got him entirely under her +control. She has a noisy, ill-tempered, mischievous child, about four +years old, whom she keeps a great portion of the time in our room in +the after house, and who, as well as her mother is exceedingly annoying +to us. We have remonstrated with Captain J. against this intrusion, +but our remonstrance has only increased the evil, and now, from early +morning till bed-time, the two are constant occupants of our cabin. +Encouraged by the support she receives from Captain J. she has become +very supercilious and insulting. On one occasion I removed her child +from our door, where she was doing some mischief, when she began to +berate me in very passionate language. But I made no reply to her. +This only increased her rage; and she talked still more abusively. +Getting vexed myself, I began to whistle. Worse and worse. I remarked +that it was growing warm in this room, and she became furious. But +having exhausted herself and receiving no reply to her tirade, she soon +desisted. But now came the captain's turn. He had lain in his berth +and listened to Mrs. L----t's eloquence, and became highly exasperated +against me. So leaving his berth, he commenced a furious attack on me, +using the most abusive language, and uttering many threats of violence. +I replied in such language as I thought the occasion required, and I +believe the valorous captain received very little satisfaction. + +_July 29._ Our chaplain has been courting the muses. Attacked with a +severe fit of inspiration, he has for some time past been engaged in +writing a poem. The subject, which is well calculated for the display +of his poetical genius, is "The Voyage of the James W. Paige." He +honored us with a public reading of a portion of the poem on deck this +afternoon. It did not receive that applause it merited in the opinion +of the author, for his audience were incapable of appreciating the rich +beauties of the poem, and could not distinguish Mr. Johnson's poetry +from ordinary prose. Much of the poem was made up of commendations of +Captain J. and of censures of the owners of the bark. + +We had a clear, moonlight night, and several of the passengers, male +and female, were on deck till a late hour. There was much noise among +them, which disturbed the captain. He went out three times and ordered +them off the house. The last time he was in a great passion, and +swore that if God spared his life he would blow them through the next +time they disobeyed his orders. The noise was stopped, and order, but +not peace, restored. The passengers were much to blame, though their +disobedience arose from heedlessness rather than from any intentional +disrespect to the captain. But this threat to shoot them rankles in +their bosoms. + +Sherman caught a large porpoise. + +_July 31._ Being prohibited the use of butter, or fat of any sort, or +molasses, to eat with our bread, and having but a little apple-sauce +doled out to us once a week, I have occasionally dissolved a spoonful +of sugar to give a relish to my dry bread, and this morning the mate +ordered the steward to remove the sugar-bowl. This order getting to +the ears of the ladies, I have been bountifully supplied by them from +a cask of very nice sugar in their cabin. This sugar was bought at Rio +Janeiro by Captain J. for the special benefit of Mrs. L----t. I mention +this little fact as a specimen of the petty annoyances to which we are +constantly subjected by the captain and first mate, and of the friendly +favors of which I have been the constant recipient from all the ladies, +with one exception, during the voyage. + +To-day we crossed the equator in about the 108th degree of west +longitude. + +_August 4._ A little affair came off this morning, in which the dignity +and magnanimity of Captain J. were conspicuously displayed. Loud words +were heard in the ladies' cabin at breakfast time between the captain, +and Mrs. L----t and Miss Julia S. And what, reader, do you think was +the subject of the dispute? _A rag baby!_ It appears that Miss Julia +had made the baby for a little child of another passenger. It was seen +this morning floating astern, and Miss S. supposed that Mrs. L----t's +child had thrown it overboard. High words grew out of it. The captain, +ever ready, threw himself into the breach between his dear friend and +her opponent, and as we sat in our cabin we overheard the voice of this +magnanimous commander of the ship raised in loud and angry debate about +a rag baby! + +Our chaplain, Mr. Johnson, has had the precaution to take one of +Colt's revolvers with him. He evidently is opposed to the doctrine of +non-resistance, and is not inclined to yield up his life or his purse +without a show, at least, of defence. His fellow-passengers, however, +have not a very exalted opinion of his personal courage; and the fact +that he has struck a woman in a quarrel, tends strongly to increase +their doubts. Some little excitement prevails among us in consequence +of a report that he has lent his revolver to Captain J., who wants it +for the purpose of carrying his threat against his noisy passengers +into execution. Mr. Johnson has been questioned about it, but he gives +an evasive answer. We have a natural repugnance to being blown up, and +cannot entertain a very friendly regard for the minister of peace, and +man of mercy, who shall allow himself to become accessory to such a +tragical termination of our adventures. + +_August 6._ We have thus far had a fine run from Talcahuana. Soon after +leaving that port, we struck the south-east trade-winds, and for nearly +three weeks we have sailed before an easy breeze, with our studding +sails set, and have scarcely altered a sail during the whole time. +This has been a season of rest for the sailors, who have had some hard +work to perform in the course of the voyage, and whose labors have +borne harder on them in consequence of their ignorance of the duties +pertaining to a square-rigged vessel. They had all, I was told, with +one exception, shipped as ordinary seamen, though some of them had been +fraudulently entered as able seamen. + +But now we are beginning to find a change of weather and variable +winds. The atmosphere has become very hot, and heavy showers of rain +are pouring down upon us. There is also considerable thunder, though we +have had but few heavy peals. The wind is light and continually veering +from point to point. We are apprehensive of being becalmed, and feel +not a little impatience and anxiety at every unfavorable change of the +weather. + +Our ship is uncomfortable enough in any climate or weather with her +crowd of passengers; but it is peculiarly so in this Torrid Zone. +At the request of an old man, Mr. Carlow, I have been down to take +a look at the main cabin. I found the air very hot and oppressive, +and I was soon covered with perspiration. Some portions of the room +were dark, there being no means of lighting it, but by the hatches +and a few little dead-lights in the deck. They were now prohibited +the use of the lamps they had made for themselves, because the smoke +was found to annoy Mrs. L----t, into whose state-room a portion of +it escaped. The only ventilation which this cabin received, was also +through the hatches, and that was obstructed by the houses that were +built over them. The floor was damp and dirty, and I was told that it +had never been cleansed but by the passengers themselves. An offensive +odor filled the room, which was to be expected from the number of the +occupants, and the want of ventilation. There were twenty-eight berths +in this cabin, occupied by fifty-two passengers. It was impossible for +them all to pass the hot nights in such a stifling atmosphere, and the +poor old man's eyes moistened as he told me that he was obliged to +leave his berth, and pass his nights wherever he could find a place to +rest on deck. + +_August 9._ Captain J. has just discovered that a cask and a half, +or one hundred and fifty pounds of raisins have been abstracted from +the store-room. He has made rigid inquiries, but has not elicited any +evidence against the purloiners; nor is there any probability that he +will. The excuse for this theft seems to have been, that a cask of +raisins had been previously opened for the use of the occupants of the +ladies' cabin, and it was thought that justice required a more equal +distribution of them among the whole ship's company. + +There has been gross negligence in the care of the ship's stores, and +great waste and loss of many articles of provisions, which should have +been used. A few days since an examination was ordered, and three +casks of decayed potatoes, that had been shipped at Frankfort, were +discovered and thrown overboard. Many messes, which have been cooked up +for the passengers in the course of the voyage, and which they could +not eat, however hungry they may have been, have been disposed of in +the same manner. How many pans of the richest sort of scouse the +birds and the fishes are indebted to the bark James W. Paige for, it +is impossible to tell. Much of the oil has been carelessly wasted, and +many a long evening has been passed in the dark for want of it. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + An Arbitrary Prohibition--Card Playing and Checker + Playing--Dancing--Treachery of Mr. Johnson--Some Passengers--A + Comical Character, and a Pugnacious Character--A Beautiful + Bird--Closing the Hatches--A Question of Jurisdiction--The Hatches + Re-opened--A Sudden Transformation--Neglected Duties of the + Chaplain--His Influence with the Captain. + + +I have spoken of the amusement the passengers have had in making wooden +trinkets from the wood taken on board at Talcahuana. The captain and +first mate have been made the recipients of many of these toys; but +to-day they have issued an order prohibiting any further manufacture of +them. The passengers all remonstrated against the arbitrary order, but +were obliged to submit; for the captain has control of the wood. + +One of the principal sources of amusement during the voyage has been +card playing. It has helped many, who had no other occupation or +source of amusement, to pass their time pleasantly; and to others it +has proved an agreeable relaxation. Much mischief has doubtless been +prevented by it, and many a quarrel avoided. I have not heard of an +unpleasant dispute or altercation from card playing since we set sail, +though there are seldom less than six or eight companies engaged in it +during the pleasant weather. Several packs of cards were included in my +outfit, but though I have not, in a single instance, had occasion to +use them myself, they have nevertheless, done good service. Captain J. +has often threatened to break up this wicked amusement, but I think he +has not dared to attempt it. Though very strong in his denunciations +of card playing, there are other games which meet his approbation. He +has himself made a checker-board, and spends many a leisure moment in +playing checkers with Mrs. L----t. + +Still another source of amusement with many of the passengers is +dancing. We have two fiddlers on board the ship, and are therefore +well supplied with the necessary music. There is a space between the +two houses covering a few square feet, and another space still smaller +between the forward house and the windlass, where a small number of +persons can crowd through a figure in a dance, and these spaces have +been sometimes used for that purpose. I have attempted to take this +kind of exercise, but in such a circumscribed space and such a rolling +ballroom, I have found the amusement any thing but amusing. + +From what I have already recorded of Mr. Johnson, it will be seen that +he has been guilty of some indiscretions (to call them by no harsher +name) that are not very creditable to him as a man or a Christian. I +have now to state a fact, which proves him to be destitute of common +honesty. At his particular request I had lent him several sheets of +my journal, in which were some passages reflecting on the conduct of +Captain J. and the first mate. These passages, he gave me his word, +should not be repeated nor revealed. I heard no more about it for +several days and until last night, when the reverend gentleman came +deliberately to me, and said, that considering all the circumstances of +the case, he felt it his duty, notwithstanding his promise, to repeat +those obnoxious passages to the captain and mate. He asked me if I had +any objection. I replied that it could answer no good purpose; that +he very well knew that the captain had repeatedly threatened me with +personal violence, and this would only serve to increase his rage, +and, perhaps, furnish him with a pretext for putting his threats into +execution; and that I would not consent to the disclosure. To all my +remonstrances he only replied that his duty impelled him to the course +he was about to pursue, and that his conscience would no longer permit +him to remain silent. So he left me to perform his duty and quiet his +conscience by breaking his word and violating his promise, and making a +revelation, which could answer no other purpose than to make mischief, +to increase a personal animosity, which was already bitter enough, to +prolong a quarrel which it should have been his duty as a Christian +minister to allay, and to stir up strife when he should have endeavored +to promote conciliation. "Blessed are the peace-makers." + +It will be thought that we have a jumble of strange characters in our +company, and so indeed we have. Perhaps I have occupied too much space +with the bad portion of them. Perhaps, too, I have attached too much +importance to the little scrapes and wrangles, of which I have given +so many accounts. One might suppose that I had treasured up every +quarrel that has occurred during the voyage, and that I delighted in +telling them. But it is not so. I would give a correct impression of +the voyage, its pleasures and pains; and the record of a portion of our +disputes is necessary to this end. But I have omitted more than I have +recorded, and I have related others in the fewest words into which I +could condense them. + +In addition to the ladies whose names have appeared in the progress of +this narrative, is Mrs. A. G. B., who is going to join her husband in +Stockton. She is a very quiet, and I believe a religious woman. She +passes a great part of her time in her state-room, and keeps entirely +aloof from all the bickerings that are of such frequent occurrence in +the ladies' cabin. She comes on deck after supper to take the air. +I have occasionally passed an hour very agreeably with her, enjoying +a pleasant sunset and twilight, or talking of friends at home. Her +daughter Mary is a pretty girl of seventeen, who reads French, and has +a variety of accomplishments. Mrs. B. has two sons on board, one a boy, +and the other, a married man, whose wife and daughter, a sprightly +little girl of three years, accompany him. + +One of the passengers in the main cabin is a deaf-mute, Elisha +Osgood, a cabinet-maker. He gave our chaplain a mild reproof for his +belligerent propensities a few days since. Learning that Mr. J. had a +revolver, he proposed to buy it. Mr. J. refused to sell it; whereupon +Osgood wrote upon his slate, "You had better sell your revolver, and +buy a bible." + +Mr. Gardner, the second mate, is a clever fellow, and is endowed with +much more intelligence than the first mate, and is more popular with +the passengers and crew, though far from being a favorite with the +captain. + +There is a quiet good-natured fellow among us, by the name of John F. +Dolliff, who loves sport, and is a practical joker. He is possessed +of kind, humane feelings withal, and I am indebted to him for many a +glass of lemonade, given me in the former part of our voyage, at a +time when I was suffering the most tormenting thirst from seasickness. +Dolliff's voice bears a great resemblance to that of Captain J., which +has given rise to some sport among us. He sometimes orders the stewards +to trim the lamp in the binnacle, calls out to the man at the wheel to +tell him how the ship heads, and gives a variety of orders, which are +generally obeyed. One dark night, after the captain had turned in, he +put on his--the captain's--coat and hat, and walked out. He called to +the mate, asked several questions about the wind and weather, which +were all respectfully answered, and then directed him to reef the +top-sails. This order, absurd enough under the circumstances, was not +given in nautical style, and while the perplexed mate hesitated, some +one who was in the secret laughed, and betrayed the joke. + +T. W. Dolliff, a cousin of the above-named, is, or rather was, the +most pugnacious man among us, though he exhibited no indications of +his pugnacity on board the bark. He was said to be pretty well covered +with scars, which he had received in numerous combats. At Talcahuana he +fell in with a bully, who was imbued with a great hatred of Yankees, +and who challenged any and all who were present to fight him. Dolliff +had not had a fight for many months, and was really pining for a little +amusement of that sort. This opportunity to indulge in his favorite +recreation was too good to be lost, and he readily accepted the +challenge. A little space in the room was cleared for the combatants. +They took their places, and after a moment's maneuvering, the fellow +made a pass at Dolliff, which he parried, and at the same instant he +dealt him a blow that laid him sprawling on the floor. The bully got up +and prepared for a second encounter, which ended in the same manner. +Unwilling to yield, he made a third attempt, and a third time he +measured his length upon the floor, when he wisely gave up the contest, +acknowledged the superiority of the Yankee, and treated the company. + +Within three weeks Dolliff has been attacked with rheumatic pains +attended with fever, which have laid him up. He has been removed from +the main cabin, where he must have died, had he remained there, and a +berth has been provided for him in our room. Every thing that can be, +is done to make him comfortable; but our ship is badly supplied with +necessaries for the sick. He will, in all probability, have a lingering +illness, and he must be taken to a hospital in San Francisco, +California, of which he has a great dread. + +_August 14._ One of our passengers, Mr. Gould, has generously treated +us to a rich pound-cake. His wife made it in Bangor. It was put into a +tin box and soldered up, and on being opened, was found as fresh and +sweet as when first baked. + +_August 15._ No religious services to-day. There are many conjectures +as to the cause of this omission of his duty by our chaplain, the most +plausible of which is, his consciousness of the strong disgust which +his recent treachery, falsehood, and attempt at mischief-making have +excited. + +We occasionally see a beautiful bird making its flight high above us, +but seldom coming near the ship. Its plumage as seen at a distance is +pure white, its head resembles that of a dove, its neck slender and +delicate, and with a tail composed of two long, pointed, and flowing +white feathers, and wings long and slender, it floats through the air +with a gracefulness peculiar to itself, and excelling that of any other +bird I have seen. This is the Tropic Bird, (_Phæton phoenicurus_.) +The long taper tail feathers have given the sailors a hint for a name, +and they call it "The Marlin-spike." + +_August 17._ Crossed the Tropic of Cancer in longitude 127° west. The +mate signalized the day by closing the hatches over the main cabin. +The reason assigned for this act was a quarrel at breakfast between an +Irishman and one of the stewards, which disturbed the mate's repose. +Much excitement prevailed in consequence of this act, and the fifty +men shut up in that "black hole" remonstrated against the injustice +of being punished for a little squabble, in which only two of their +number were engaged. Finding their arguments were of no avail with the +mate, they carried their case to the captain. To their remonstrances +he replied that this case was beyond his control; that he commanded +the after-part of the ship, and the mate the forward part; that this +hatchway, being in the mate's room, was under his sole command; and +that he, the captain, had no more authority to order it to be taken +off, than the mate had to command him on the quarter-deck. All this +appeared very much like nonsense to our land lubbers, who doubted if +the maritime law recognized a division of authority, which seemed to +them so utterly absurd and ridiculous. At this point of the discussion, +Mr. Tyler, one of the passengers, remarked that he had hitherto kept +aloof from all the wrangles we had had, but that he should not remain +quiet under this arbitrary act. He assured the captain that if the +hatches were not removed, there would be a greater row than we had ever +witnessed on board this bark. But neither the captain nor mate would +make any concession, and it was determined by the passengers that they +should have no sleep as long as the cause of their disquiet remained. +There was a prospect of a stormy night between decks, and extensive +preparations were made for a musical concert, which would not have been +very conducive to slumber, when our brave officers, thinking they would +find the contest an unequal one, suddenly and wisely resolved to remove +the hatches, the consequence of which was an immediate restoration of +peace. + +_August 22._ A sudden and wonderful transformation has been wrought +in our chaplain. From being very reserved in his intercourse with the +passengers, he has all at once become exceedingly familiar. I have been +surprised within two or three days past to see him engaged in high +frolics with the men, scuffling, knocking off hats, throwing ropes over +the men's heads, running and jumping like a boy over the houses and +decks, and playing a hundred capers and pranks, which have attracted +much attention, and excited not a little ridicule throughout the ship. +The cause of this sudden change in the good parson is so palpable, +that very few do not understand it; and the lost popularity he is so +desirous to win back will scarcely be recovered by this means. His +duties as our chaplain, which have never been arduous, are now wholly +neglected; and well they may be, for very few will listen to him. He +began his labors with us after the first two or three stormy weeks, +with a prayer once a week, besides a sermon on Sundays. These were +well attended, a large majority of our company being present. After +a lapse of several weeks, the week-day prayer was omitted. Then the +Sunday service was suspended for a time in consequence of his fight +with Julia S. He attempted to renew his meetings in the main cabin, +but received a hint that his services would not be acceptable to the +occupants of that part of the ship. However, when warm weather returned +he preached on the house-top, though to very small audiences, until the +perpetration of his treachery with me, which has brought such a load of +odium upon him, that he has not dared to attempt to preach since. He +has proved an artful and dishonest man, and has exercised a pernicious +influence over our weak-minded and ignorant captain, and has been his +counsellor, adviser and supporter in nearly all the quarrels in which +he has been engaged with his passengers. That his influence in this +bark is confined to the captain, a single fact will prove. He some time +since got up a certificate for signatures, the purport of which was to +plaster over Mrs. L----t's conduct. Not a passenger would sign it. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + Head Winds--The Dusky Albatross--Tacking Ship--Fishing for + Birds--Amusements of the Mate and Passengers--A Poet--Fair + Winds--A Porpoise--A Fight in the Main Cabin--My Journal--Opinions + of Mr. Johnson--Meeting in the Main Cabin--Schools of + Porpoises--Narrow Escape from Shipwreck--An Act of Charity. + + +_August 24._ Our voyage is becoming prolonged to an excessively +wearisome duration. More than a month ago we calculated on arriving at +San Francisco in ten days; and with a fair wind we could have performed +the voyage in that time. Now, after having trebled it, we seem as +far from port as ever. During the last fortnight the winds have been +blowing from the north-east, and we have sailed sharp on the wind, in +expectation of falling in with the north-west trades, which are said +to prevail in these latitudes. But we have not yet found them. We are +now about nine hundred miles west of the coast of California, and in a +latitude only four degrees north of that of San Francisco. We have not +seen a sail for six weeks, and we begin to feel that we are + + "Alone, alone, all, all alone, + Alone on the wide, wide sea." + +And yet, we are not quite alone. A small number of my friends, the +birds, still hover around us, and accompany us in our wanderings over +the deep, even at this great distance from the land. A few days since +an albatross was seen flying near us. I watched it and soon saw that it +was the Dusky Albatross, (_Diomedia fusca_,) figured by Audubon from a +specimen obtained by Dr. Townsend on the coast of Oregon. It was soon +joined by another and another, and to-day, six or eight of them are +following us. + +We suffer much weariness, lassitude, and drowsiness, consequent on our +long voyage and almost total inactivity. One circumstance has operated +very favorably for our comfort. After less than a week of the hot +weather of which I have spoken, there came a sudden and most agreeable +change. The sky became obscured with clouds, and has remained so the +greater part of the time since, and the air grew cooler, so much so +that our overcoats became necessary, and the passengers, who had been +driven from the main cabin, were enabled to return to their berths +again. + +_August 27._ Our first inquiry this morning was the same we have often +and anxiously made of late, "How does she head?" And the same answer we +have received for the last fortnight was given, "About north-west." The +wind, however, was light, and we were not quite hopeless of a change. +An hour or two was passed in watching the signs, for the weather had +become very unsteady--when we heard from the captain, who had taken +the helm, the order, "Ready, 'bout." The sound was most cheering. We +had been standing on one course for a long time without making any +approach towards our destined port, but rather going farther from it, +and striving the while to gain a position, or rather, a wind, that +would carry us in. And this intention of tacking ship was an indication +of the captain's opinion, that the favorable moment had arrived. +The sailors stationed themselves at the proper ropes, and the mate +responded, "All ready, sir." "Hard a-lee!" sung out the captain, as +he put down the helm, and brought the ship into the wind, the sails +shivering and flapping with considerable violence. Presently they +began to fill on the other side, when he gave the order, "Maintop sail +haul," and instantly the ropes rattled through the blocks, and the main +sail, maintop sail and maintop-gallant sail swung steadily and at once +round the masts to the other side of the ship. Soon the order, "Let go +and haul," was given, when the foresails were swung into their proper +positions, and we were sailing on our course for San Francisco. + +Tacking ship is a beautiful evolution, and it is for that reason that +I have described it, using in this instance the necessary nautical +terms, though I have generally endeavored to avoid them. It is also a +performance requiring some little skill and practice. Our mate on one +occasion made three attempts to tack, and failed, and was obliged at +last to "wear ship," that is, to turn the ship round with the wind, +thereby losing considerable ground. This is considered an unseamanlike +maneuver, and it subjected our mate to some ridicule among the sailors. + +The indications of a favorable wind did not continue long, and in less +than half an hour we were obliged to put about again, and stand on +our old course. In this manner it continued for several days, veering +from point to point, between north-east and south-west, and forcing us +continually to change the course of the ship, while we made very little +progress towards port. + +The Dusky Albatrosses became very familiar, and Sherman drew one of +them on deck, but the captain followed it closely round the ship, and +at last ordered it to be thrown overboard. + +For the information of those who are not familiar with the science of +ornithology, and who may be curious to know how we could draw large +birds into the ship with a hook and line without injuring them, I will +say, that the upper mandible of many of these birds is recurved or +bent downwards beyond the lower mandible, forming a hook sufficiently +strong to hold the weight of the bird, and the fish-hook catches it by +this curved beak as it seizes the bait. The hook does not penetrate the +beak, but its sharp point prevents it slipping off so long as the bird +holds back. + +Our mate amuses himself with drawing coarse caricatures of the +passengers; and they in turn retaliate by writing doggerel verses on +the mate. This leads me to say that one of our sailors has turned +out to be a poet, and if there is any thing in a name that entitles +a man to this honor, his claim is certainly good. His name is James +Montgomery. His verses, though not quite equal to those by the author +of the "Wanderer of Switzerland," are not altogether destitute of +poetic merit; and had he an opportunity to cultivate his talent, +he would probably learn to write poetry. The mate, unable to write +himself, offered Montgomery a dollar to write a lampoon on one of the +passengers. But he scorned to do so dirty a job for such a paltry +bribe, or for so low a fellow. + +_September 1._ We have at last got a fair wind, and during the whole +day sailed directly on our course without tacking. Our spirits begin to +revive, and we are not quite hopeless of reaching port. + +_September 3._ Fair winds continue to favor us, and we are within four +hundred miles of California. A very few days will, in all probability, +find us on terra firma again, when we shall part, many of us to meet no +more. I would that these few remaining days might be spent in peace and +harmony among us. But fate orders it otherwise. My enemies, the captain +and mate, since the treacherous disclosure made by the chaplain, have +been growing more and more acrimonious in their hatred, and they seldom +omit an opportunity to insult me. An instance occurred this evening. +But I forbear. + +Sherman caught a porpoise last night, and cooked a portion of it +to-day. We ate it rather greedily, and all thought it excellent. Our +long voyage, coarse fare, and frequent hunger, have relieved us of many +fastidious whims about food, and we have learned to eat and to relish +some things, which it would be difficult for us to swallow at home. +These porpoises throw out a sort of phosphorescent light, by which they +are readily seen in the night. This one was taken at nine o'clock of a +cloudy evening. + +_September 4._ A fight occurred at breakfast in the main cabin between +an Irishman of fifty-nine, the oldest man in the ship, and an American, +not much his junior. The Yankee received a cut on the ear with a +case-knife, and he knocked down his antagonist and gave him some severe +bruises. Our ship is becoming a miniature pandemonium. + +My journal has become a source of much disquietude to Captain J. and +Mrs. L----t. It has excited some interest among the passengers, and I +have been repeatedly requested to publish an account of the voyage. I +refused at first, but after many solicitations I so far yielded as to +promise that if I had time to revise my journal after our arrival at +San Francisco, I would publish it. A subscription was immediately got +up, and one hundred and twenty copies subscribed for. The captain and +Mr. Johnson exerted all their influence to prevent the passengers from +putting their names to the paper, but they had the mortification to +find that their opposition only tended to increase the subscription. +Mr. Johnson made himself particularly busy in the matter. He urged +me to read my manuscript to the ship's company. Not that he felt any +personal interest in it, O, no! But he thought that justice to Captain +Jackson, whose character I had assailed, and to the passengers, who +knew not what they were subscribing for, required me to read it. I did +not. + +Hints had been repeatedly given me, that the captain intended to seize +the obnoxious manuscript. Consultations had been held upon the subject, +and it was stated--and I have no doubt of the fact--that Mr. Johnson +had expressed the opinion, that the captain was fully authorized by +law to break open my trunk, and seize it. Uncertain as to what these +ignorant madmen might be tempted to do, I deposited the journal with a +friend in the main cabin, where it remained till I left the ship. + +_September 5._ This is the last Sabbath we expect to spend on board the +bark, and as we expect to separate in two or three days, a meeting was +held in the main cabin, the object of which was to settle disputes and +restore harmony between the officers and passengers. + +It proved, however, a failure. Several short addresses were made, +one by the captain in a spirit of defiance, and one by Mr. Johnson, +defending his career on board the bark; a prayer was offered, and a +parting hymn sung, and we broke up with very little change of feeling. + +Immense schools of porpoises passed to-day, and Sherman struck and +secured one of the largest we have seen. Many of the men have employed +themselves in preparing the skin for belts. A whale passed us in +the afternoon, coming close along-side the bark. And to keep up the +excitement, a sail was discovered on our starboard bow, the only one we +have seen for fifty-three days. + +_September 6._ We were aroused this morning at four o'clock by the +startling cry of "breakers." Our ship instantly became a scene of +confusion, and the passengers rushed on deck from every quarter. +I arose at the first cry and went out. And there, within fifteen +or twenty rods lay the land, the sea roaring loudly, and breaking +in foaming surges on the shore. The helm had been put down, and +fortunately the ship came round in season to escape. A minute's delay +would have wrecked us. Or had the ship missed coming in stays, as she +has often done during the voyage, nothing could have saved her. There +was at the time a thick fog, which accounts for our near approach to +the breakers before they were discovered. The sailor on the lookout +heard the roaring of the breakers for some time before he discovered +them, but attributed it to some other cause; for according to the +captain's reckoning we were still far from land. Nothing could be +more cheering after our long voyage than to behold the land of our +destination, but this sudden introduction to it was any thing but +agreeable. + +And now having escaped the perils of shipwreck, and hoping to arrive in +port to-day, we are closing our voyage with an act of charity to our +fellow-passenger, Dolliff, who, though convalescent, is still unable to +support himself. A considerable sum is being raised for him. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + + Whales--Sunshine--The Pacific Ocean and Tom Moore--Wormy Bread and + Impure Water--A Pilot--Arrival in the Harbor of San Francisco--The + City--Dismantled Ships--My last Visit to the Bark--Statement and + Counter Statement--Angry Remonstrance--Mr. Spring and his two + Journals--Final Adieu to the James W. Paige. + + +We beat all day to the north against a head wind, and made but slow +progress. We strove to wear away the tedium of the day by looking +at the land, and watching the birds and the whales, of which last a +considerable number were seen near the ship, sometimes three or four +together. We saw one of these monstrous animals plunge down into the +water, throwing his tail above the surface as he made his plunge, and +in a moment after, come up again with such force and rapidity as to +carry his ponderous body entirely into the air. Such an immense body, +as it came down again into the water, could not fail to produce a great +commotion. This act of leaping out of the water seemed to be performed +in a similar manner to that of the sturgeon and smaller fish in our +rivers and lakes. They frequently came close to the ship, playing by +its sides, plunging down on one side, and coming up on the other. Among +the birds, were a number I had not seen before, and several Brown +Pelicans. + +The weather was cold, but after a dark, foggy morning, the sun came +out, and the sky continued unclouded during the day. This was very +cheering, for we had had scarcely an hour's sunshine during many +weeks. What a contrast between the Pacific Ocean as I find it, and the +picture I had formed of it. I had even associated it with unclouded +skies and genial warmth, with mild breezes and gently undulating +waters. I had dreamed of it as "The Blue Summer Ocean," in which Moore +might have found "The Bright Little Isle," of which he so sweetly sings +in one of his sweetest songs. And there is many an isle scattered +over this great waste of waters, which would almost answer to Moore's +description, + + "Where a leaf never dies in the still blooming bowers, + And the bee banquets on through a whole year of flowers," + +many a spot, which air, climate, soil, vegetable productions, and +beautiful scenery have rendered as perfect elysiums, as nature, +unassisted by art, can produce. + +But leaving Moore, poetry, sunshine, and every pleasant thought, let +us once more come back to the unwholesome realities of the bark. In +addition to the many luxuries with which our palates had been regaled +during the voyage, we had for several weeks past been feasting on wormy +bread--not myself, but my fellow-passengers. My disgust at hard-bread +had become so intense, that I could not swallow it, good or bad. I +think I must have starved had I been confined to it. But being on good +terms with the stewards and cooks, I had found means to obtain an extra +allowance of soft-tack, sufficient for my urgent wants. Few of the +passengers were so fortunate. One of them, finding no escape from the +wormy hard-bread, strove to make a little sport out of it, by declaring +that these living vermin had imparted to the bread a peculiar _lively_ +flavor, which was very palatable. + +Then, again, as the supply of water we had taken in at Talcahuana, +became exhausted, we were obliged to resort to the old stock from +Frankfort. Some of this was so excessively filthy, and had acquired +such a nauseous, such a putrid taste and smell, that several of +the passengers who were far from being troubled with weak stomachs, +actually vomited on drinking it. Even boiling it, and making tea or +coffee with it would not purify it. But we had better water on board, +and after many remonstrances and altercations with the captain, we got +it. + +_September 7._ We took a pilot on board in the morning. He brought a +paper or two, which we read with great interest, and it will be readily +believed that we were most eager in our inquiries for news. + +Among other objects that attracted our attention as we approached +the harbor, was a great sand bank stretching a mile along the coast, +and extending a considerable distance inland. It was the largest bed +of sand I had ever seen, and was a very fair specimen of a miniature +desert. Several large rocks scattered along the coast presented a +lively appearance, from the multitude of sea birds that covered them; +and one of them attracted our particular notice, being perforated with +a hole, sufficiently large, I thought, to admit the passage of a boat +through it. + +We now ascertained that the place where we so narrowly escaped +shipwreck, was near Monterey, about sixty miles south of San Francisco. + +We entered the harbor in the afternoon, and anchored about a mile from +the city. And thus ended the voyage of the James W. Paige, one hundred +and fifty-eight days from the day we set sail from Frankfort. + +A large fleet of boats surrounded the ship as soon as we anchored, +and I took passage in one of them in company with several others, and +after passing through a wilderness of ships, steamers, and dismantled +hulks, we landed in the city. Our first business on landing was at the +Post-Office, where I was made happy by the reception of a package of +letters informing me that all my friends were alive and well. + +We then sought a hotel, and, what we least expected in California, +the first one we tried was a temperance house, the "United States +Temperance House." After tea I took a walk with J. Tyler up Telegraph +Hill, whence we had a fine view of the city and harbor. On our return +we went into several gambling-saloons. These were large rooms, richly +furnished, and supplied with large tables, loaded with heaps of +glittering gold and silver, to be staked in the various games, for +which each table was appropriated. Hundreds of people crowded into +these saloons, many of them with no other motive than mere curiosity, +but others with the foolish hope of filling their pockets from those +tempting heaps of coins. + +A peculiar feature in the harbor of San Francisco at this time, and +one that struck me very forcibly on our first approach, was the great +number of dismantled ships that lay thickly scattered around it. +These ships had a very old, ruinous, antiquated appearance, and at +first sight, gave me an impression, that this new-born city had been +inhabited for ages, and was now going to ruin. Most of them have their +lower masts standing, and supported by a few ropes and chains. A large +portion of them had been deserted by their crews on the first outbreak +of the gold excitement, and were recklessly left to their destruction, +while men and officers rushed blindly and wildly to the mines. These +ships have, however, been made subservient to a valuable purpose, +having been converted into store-ships by the merchants. Some of them +had doors cut in their sides, with short flights of steps from the +water. Some were run aground near the shore, and wharfs and streets +were built around them, where, with houses erected on them they could +scarcely be distinguished from the surrounding stores. + +_September 8._ I went on board the bark for my baggage. The captain, +mate, and a large portion of the passengers were ashore. On going +into the after house, my eye accidentally caught a letter which was +addressed to Captain Jackson, expressing great thankfulness for his +kind and gentlemanly treatment of the passengers, and charging the +blame of disputes and quarrels to the passengers. It was written by +Mr. Johnson and signed by Mr. Spring and several others, who were well +aware of its utter falsity. Knowing that it was intended to counteract +the numerous statements, which would be made at home prejudicial to +Captain Jackson, I seized a pen and wrote a certificate, as near as I +can remember, in the following words: + + "Bark JAMES W. PAIGE, Sept. 8, 1852. + + Whereas, a paper highly laudatory of Captain Jackson has been + circulated for signatures on board this bark, a regard for truth + impels us to say, that the conduct of Captain Jackson during + the voyage just ended has been highly arbitrary, ungentlemanly, + insulting and abusive, and that even the female passengers have, + in many instances, been subjected to the grossest abuse from him." + During the few moments I was engaged in getting signatures to + this paper, Mr. Spring, who was standing near, overheard me read + it. It gave him great offense, and he remonstrated very strongly + with me against the terms in which it was expressed. He said I had + virtually charged him and others with falsehood, and urged me to + withdraw or modify my statement. I refused to do either; and this + good man, with whom I had had the most friendly relations during + the voyage, now quivered with passion, while he intimated that a + prosecution for libel would be instituted against me. Mr. Spring + was liable to the charge of duplicity in signing that paper, so + full of flattery and falsehood; and his chief occupation during + the voyage was marked by a singularity, to say the least + of it, not quite compatible with a strict regard for truth. He had + kept a journal of the voyage, and noted the occurrences of each + day much more carefully and minutely than I did. He often read + passages from his journal to the passengers, and it was well + known that his opinion of the captain coincided with that of a + large majority of the company. He had been several times chosen + on committees to remonstrate with Captain J. on our treatment and + fare. But towards the latter part of the voyage it was observed + that a friendly understanding had grown up between him and the + captain, which gave rise to many conjectures as to the cause. + But whatever may have been the cause, the effect of this newly + formed friendship was a revision of Mr. Spring's journal, or, + more properly speaking, a rejection of it, and the writing of a + new one, in which every thing offensive to Captain Jackson, and + all occurrences of an unpleasant nature, in which the captain + had acted a part, were omitted, and only the more agreeable + transactions and events were recorded; in fact, changing the true + and unvarnished record of the voyage, which he had made with so + much labor, for a smooth and sunny picture, which, though it might + not be chargeable with actual falsehood in its details, would, + nevertheless, convey to the reader a grossly false impression of + the character of Captain Jackson, and the annoyances and vexations + attending the voyage. This revision of his journal cost him much + time, though not so much as might, on first thought, have been + expected. So many occurrences were necessarily omitted, that for + every sheet he had at first written, a page now sufficed. His + original journal, which I would have given a dollar to possess, + he threw overboard. His new one was to be forwarded to a paper in + Calais, Me., for publication. + +I obtained twenty-five signatures to my paper in a few minutes, and +then, gathering up my baggage, I bade a final adieu to the James +W. Paige with a regret, which I think was remarkable only for its +minuteness. + + * * * * * + +Our voyage is ended, but not quite our book. Many incidents of an +unpleasant nature, which had occurred on the voyage, have been omitted, +and the omission has somewhat shortened the book. The following +extracts from the continuation of my journal through a long sojourn +on the Pacific Coast, are appended as a substitute for the rejected +passages. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CALIFORNIA SCENES. + + + + +Scenes in Sacramento. + + +_May, 1853._ California in early times offered innumerable scenes +partaking of the ludicrous and the horrible, and a person in search of +either, might have his taste and his curiosity gratified at almost any +moment. The Horse Market in Sacramento was the great resort of every +imaginable description of characters, and such a scene of uproar and +confusion as it presented at a public sale is utterly indescribable. +There were some fine sycamores standing there before the Great Fire +which destroyed the greater portion of the city. They had been found +very useful for suspending thieves and robbers in the days of lynch +law. After the fire, the trees were felled, and the stumps afforded +excellent stands for the auctioneers. At one of the public sales +of horses I saw four auctioneers stationed upon these stumps. The +full strength of their lungs was called into exercise, and they were +vociferating in their loudest tones, each one striving to outdo +the others in noise, and all extolling the various merits of their +respective animals with an eloquence peculiar to horse-jockeys, while +their assistants, mounted on the horses, were riding around with a +speed and a carelessness that threatened death to half the multitude +that thronged the streets. + +While this scene was enacting, a fight was taking place in a +neighboring gambling-house between two combatants who were seen rushing +from the house followed by an excited multitude. One of the duelists, +bruised and bloody, was retreating from the other, who followed close +upon him, dealing repeated blows, which the poor fellow sometimes +turned to parry, while hastening to make his escape. The crowd followed +on, shouting like demons, and increasing in numbers at every step. +"Oh, that is dreadful!" exclaimed a horror-struck young man, who had +but recently arrived in California, and had not been initiated in its +manners and customs. The throng of excited brutes at length came to a +stand; the chase and the battle were ended; the victory was won, and +the defeated combatant was taken to a surgeon who seemed to be the only +one benefitted by the affray, and who exclaimed in a tone of charming +sensibility: "Let them fight to their hearts' content, if they will +only employ me to repair their broken heads!" + +Scarcely was this affair ended, when a loud shout was heard down the +street, and we beheld a stampede of Spanish cattle followed by several +herdsmen on horseback, who rushed along with furious speed, swinging +their coiled lassos as they went, now striving to turn the drove of +wild cattle, and now retreating before them as they pressed forward +unchecked by horses or riders; now dashing along side by side with a +single ox, whose speed nearly equalled the fleetness of the horse; and +now in the midst of the drove, which seemed scarcely to make room for +them. However, after much shouting, hallooing, and racing, the cattle +were turned back, and the exciting scene was over. + +But again another shout, and a team of oxen was seen running away with +a wagon in which was seated the teamster. After running a considerable +distance, the teamster, watching a favorable opportunity, leaped +nimbly from his wagon, and headed his oxen, who, stopping suddenly, +broke the rigging attached to the yoke, and letting the tongue of the +wagon fall to the ground, brought oxen and wagon together in a heap. + +All this for one hour's sport in one locality in Sacramento. What sort +of amusements they were enjoying at the same time in other parts of the +city I did not learn. + + + + +Cattle Stealing in Contra Costa. + + +_August 17, 1854._ My neighbor, Mr. R., has lost an ox. It was stolen; +and a horse stolen also. Another neighbor, Mr. A., has lost three +valuable oxen in the same way. + +The great facilities for concealing oxen, horses, and other property in +the innumerable deeply secluded valleys and hiding-places that occur +in every direction in the mountainous country, which, commencing at +these Redwoods, extend to the valley of the San Joaquin, offer too many +inducements to the numerous idlers and vagabonds that prowl about the +land to be visited; and consequently theft, robbery, and I may almost +add, murder, are but every day occurrences. No man who owns a horse, an +ox or swine, can feel secure of them for a moment when out of sight. +These thieves are often associated in large gangs, and consist of both +Americans and Mexicans; and so great is the number of their accomplices +in some of the villages, that when one of their number is detected, +means are immediately furnished him to escape. The very officer who is +commissioned to secure him, is not unfrequently a party concerned in +the thefts. Many of the butchers are supposed to be leagued with the +thieves, and, by purchasing their stolen property at low prices, they +thus share the profits with them. + +_August 23._ Justice has at last overtaken two of the cattle thieves. +Suspicion had for some time past rested on some butchers at San +Antonio, and they were watched, and detected in the act of slaughtering +in the night some cows and oxen that had just been stolen. Messengers +were immediately sent many miles around the country to notify the +inhabitants to assemble for the trial of the felons. The people of +the Redwoods, who had suffered severely from the depredations of the +thieves, turned out almost _en masse_. The house of the butchers was +the place appointed for the trial. Passing by that place at the time, +I had the curiosity to stop for a moment, and was surprised to observe +a strange hesitation and faltering among the people assembled. A long +discussion ensued as to the proper mode of conducting the trial, which +ended in turning the thieves over to the legal authorities. This, under +the existing state of things, was nearly equivalent to giving them +their liberty; and it was resolved by a number of determined fellows, +that they should not so easily escape. They were taken before a justice +for examination, and their guilt fully proved. But they asked for an +adjournment of the trial till the next day, for the alleged purpose +of getting some witnesses, but in fact, to give their friends and +associates an opportunity to rescue them. The adjournment was granted, +and they were taken to a hotel and put under a guard, of which Andrews, +from whom they had stolen the oxen, was the head. In the course of the +day, a party proceeded to the house and corral of the thieves, and +burned them to the ground with all their contents. Not an article was +appropriated to their own use by these avengers of their own wrongs. It +was justice, not plunder, they sought. Valuable saddles, harnesses and +furniture, were all sacrificed. + +There was a gathering of the friends of the thieves in the night, but +they were driven off by the boys from the Redwoods, who had stationed +themselves around the house. These men now began to see that they +must act, and act promptly too, or the whole business would prove +but a farce, and the guilty villains would escape. They therefore +dispatched horsemen to the Redwoods to summon the people again to come +and assist in the execution of the two principal criminals. Before +morning, a sufficient number had arrived to carry out their plans, and +they proceeded to action. A number of them went to the house where +the prisoners were confined, and in defiance of the proprietor, who +was supposed to be confederate with the thieves, they rushed to the +room, and seized one of them, whom they hurried away. It was a scene +of great confusion and terror. The guard made a show of resistance, +but it was only a show. They fired several shots, but were careful to +elevate their revolvers above the heads of their assailants; the balls +lodged in the ceiling, and nobody was killed or wounded. The affair had +doubtless been preconcerted between Andrews and the assailing party. +They hastened the guilty thief to an oak a few rods distant, having +at the outset fastened a rope to his neck; and scarcely a moment had +elapsed ere he was dangling from a branch. They then returned to the +house, and seizing another of the thieves, hurried him away as before. +The fellow was in an agony of fear and horror, begged most piteously +for his life, protested his innocence, and offered to make important +disclosures if they would spare him. All this would not have saved +him had it not been discovered by one of the party when they arrived +at the tree, that this was not the man they intended to execute. He +was therefore led back more dead than alive, having endured far more +suffering and horror than his more hardened confederate, whom he +saw hanging from the tree, and who had paid the penalty which he so +narrowly escaped. The intended victim was then taken to the place of +execution, and immediately suspended beside his dead comrade. + +While these executions were taking place, many friends of the thieves +gathered round, uttering threats and denunciations, but a dozen rifles +and revolvers were leveled at them, and they were intimidated into +silence. + +These executions caused great excitement at the time, and much +discussion ensued in the papers respecting them. But the community +very generally acquiesced in the necessity of the measure, though +every one regretted it. Complaint was made to the grand jury of the +county against several of the leaders of the lynching party, but no +bill of indictment was found against them for want of evidence. Many of +the people of Oakland were highly exasperated at the audacity of the +Redwoods boys, and threatened to go and hang them to their own trees. +But this served rather to amuse the boys than to frighten them. + +A few weeks after these executions, word was brought to the Redwoods +that a poor man had been robbed of some oxen in Oakland through the +villainy of one of the officials in that city. A company quickly +assembled and marched down to the city, determined to have justice +done the poor man, and hang the officer if circumstances required it. +They had not forgotten the threats of the Oaklanders to hang them, and +determined to put their courage to the test. The case was investigated +by the mayor of the city, and the mob resolved to await his decision. +But much time was occupied in the investigation, and they grew +impatient and clamorous. Meanwhile many of them paraded through the +streets, uttering defiance to the citizens. "Here is a target," said a +brawny, black-bearded Kentuckian, (the same I had encountered in the +Redwoods, and who sold me a vulture,) as he strode along with a rusty +rifle on his shoulder, and struck his breast. "Here is a target for +the Oakland sharp-shooters. Let 'em try it if they dare." "I'm from +the Redwoods," roared out another. "Where is your Oakland company to +hang me?" "What are you after?" asked a spectator of one of the boys. +"Justice," he replied. "But how are you going to obtain it?" "By the +halter, if the money isn't paid pretty soon," he replied with an oath. + +The affair was approaching a crisis. The mayor's investigation had +been protracted, and the clamors and shouts of the mob often reached +his ears, when at last he found it necessary to acknowledge that the +proceedings of the officer were illegal, that the city was liable for +the value of the cattle, and in order to appease the mob, he pledged +his individual word for the payment of the money. The party then +returned triumphantly to their homes in the Redwoods, and thus the +affair ended. + + + + +Felling Trees in the Redwoods. + + +_January 30, 1854._ On an excursion to-day I stopped on the way to +see two trees felled. When the reader is told that I had passed more +than six months in the Redwoods, and had seen the trees fall around me +almost every day, he will suppose that such scenes would lose their +novelty for me. It is, however, a scene of no ordinary sublimity to +behold one of those monster trees, nearly as high as the Bunker Hill +Monument, fall to the ground, and it is a sight which I never tire of +seeing. + +I speak of them as being _nearly_ as high as the Bunker Hill Monument, +because I have seen none of the largest and tallest trees, they having +been felled before I arrived here. But a comparison with the monument +will serve to give a better idea of their great height than a statement +in figures. Imagine then one of them, such as have grown here, and such +as are still standing in other forests,--imagine one placed beside the +monument, and towering fifty or even seventy-five feet above it, and +you will have a conception of the grandeur of these magnificent forests. + +The two trees whose fall I was about to witness stood side by side +half way up a steep acclivity. One of them had been cut off, and stood +leaning against the other. + +Two men were at work on the latter tree. I seated myself on a stump at +the foot of the hill, and awaited the result. Presently a sharp snap +or crackle announced that the tree was about yielding to the efforts +of the axe-men, and they stopped and looked up. It stood, however, and +they continued to ply their axes. Soon there came another loud crackle, +and the two trees began to sway in the direction the axe-men had +intended. They now retreated to a secure place, while the trees, moving +slowly and majestically at first, but with an accelerated motion, came +sweeping down, accompanied with a loud and protracted crash as the +fibres of the uncut portion were torn asunder, and striking the ground +with a force that made it tremble, and with a noise like the booming +report of a heavy cannon. Each tree was broken into several pieces, +which came rolling like mighty giants down the hill, tumbling over each +other, and strewing the ground with large fragments torn from their +sides and ends, while every branch was stripped from the trunks. They +landed at last at the foot of the hill, and within a rod of the stump +on which I sat, and sent forward a thick and suffocating cloud of dust, +from which I hastened to make my escape. + +"Ah! we would go a great many miles in Massachusetts to see such a +sight as this;" said one of the axe-men, a young man from that state, +"But we can never see any thing like it there." + + + + +Solitude. + + +_December, 1853._ An important change has been in progress for some +time past in the Redwoods. Three or four months ago I was surrounded by +a deep, dense forest, in which was a busy population at work. But this +industry fast swept away the forest, and as the timber grew scarce, +they began to remove to other places. They continued to go until our +society was reduced to ten men, living in a little cluster of four +cabins. But even this colony has taken a sudden resolution to migrate, +and this morning the last man went, and I am left alone. So now, +nothing remains for me but to go too, which I shall do as soon as I can +determine where. + +As for a portion of my departed neighbors--brutal, lawless +scoundrels--I am heartily glad they are gone. But I had one good +friend, whose absence I deeply regret. From the first moment I came +into the woods until we shook hands and parted this morning, Mr. +Wakefield has stood by me, a kind, benevolent, warm-hearted, steadfast +friend. His disinterested kindness, his anxiety for my welfare, and my +success in business, his watchfulness of two or three bitter foes, +with whom I have had to contend, and his timely warnings of dangers, +have entitled him to my warmest gratitude. + +Well, here I am in the depths of a California forest, shut up in a +lonely cabin on a winter night, scribbling my diary for the amusement +of my daughter, rejoicing in the departure of my foes, and deploring +the absence of my friends. And while I ponder on the perfect solitude +that surrounds me, I find myself almost unconsciously repeating from +Kirk White: + + "It is not that my lot is low, + That bids this silent tear to flow; + It is not grief that makes me moan; + It is that I am all alone." + +I had a cat. She has been with me all day; but now, when the society +of any domestic animal would be some relief against the tedium of this +deep loneliness, even she has left me and instead of the purring of +a gentle house cat, I am for a moment startled by the dismal howling +of a wild animal outside of my cabin. I am unfortunately possessed of +an unsocial disposition; I love solitude, but I have at last found a +solitude more profound than I have a taste for. + + + + +A Collector of Natural Curiosities. + + +_July 30, 1854._ In company with a young man in San Francisco, who +had been informed of my taste for the odd and curious productions of +nature, I visited a man who had made a considerable collection of +objects of Natural History. We found him in a small room in a second +story, with his boxes and trunks all packed preparatory to a removal. +But on announcing the object of our visit, he seemed much pleased, and +though I remonstrated with him against the trouble it would cost him, +he proceeded at once to unpack his treasures and spread them before us. +But before I speak of them let me describe the man. He was a Norwegian, +but having resided several years in the United States, he spoke pretty +good English. He was about forty years of age, sprightly and active, +with a sparkling eye, and a face covered with a very thick red beard +that hung down upon his breast. He was naturally intelligent, though +his faculties wanted cultivation. He had never studied Natural History, +and did not know a single specimen in his collection by its scientific +name. He had passed much time at sea, I do not know in what capacity, +but it had afforded him time and opportunity to make a valuable +collection. + +The first curiosity he exhibited was a family of young mice which he +had bottled the day before. Next he produced a bottle containing a +little shapeless mass apparently folded up in a bleached tobacco-leaf, +and challenged me to tell him the name of it. "A young bat," said I. +"Ha!" he exclaimed, "you are the first man that has guessed it." Then +he set out bottle after bottle of snakes, some of them very rare and +beautiful. These reptiles had the greatest attractions for him, and +they composed the largest and most valuable portion of his collection. +Then a fine variety of lizards, and a considerable collection of +coleopterous insects, among which were some very large and brilliant +specimens. Next he produced a Bible, whose pages he had embellished +with a variety of butterflies; and lastly, several boxes filled with +sea-shells and corals, pieces of crystalized quartz, some specimens of +gold in quartz, a copper ball nearly an inch in diameter, which he had +found in the mountains, and many other specimens in mineralogy, which +he had collected in the mines. He gave me several shells and crystals, +and in return I promised him some bones and feathers of the California +Vulture and other birds from my cabinet. + +He had one live snake which he intended to bottle after it had shed +its skin, which it was about to do. This snake was kept in a wooden +box; and, while we were engaged in examining his preserved congeners, +finding the door of his prison open, he resolved to take an airing +on the balcony. Here he was accidentally discovered by the next door +neighbors, who gave our friend timely notice. He immediately gave +chase, and found his snakeship ensconced among some boxes and other +rubbish. Seizing him by the tail, he brought him in writhing and +twisting about his hand and arm, darting out his red forked tongue, +flashing fire from his eyes, and betraying a total absence of those +blandishments with which an ancestor of his once induced a pretty woman +to sin. Some one present asked the man if he was not afraid the snake +would bite him. "No," he answered, "no snake can bite me." I did not +ask him if he was a serpent-charmer, but have been told that he was. + +The only ornithological specimens he possessed were the skeleton +head and a wing bone of an albatross. He had not learned the art of +preserving the skins of birds, and I promised to give him a little +instruction if I had time and opportunity. I told him how I had been +thwarted in my intention to make a collection in my voyage round Cape +Horn by the captain of the ship, and he seemed to struggle for words to +express his scorn and contempt for such an ignorant and superstitious +ship-master. + +His principal collection was in Philadelphia. He had been offered a +high price for it, but no amount of money would induce him to sell it. + +After a visit of more than two hours, which I engaged to repeat soon, +we shook hands and parted. I have seldom seen a man display so much +enthusiasm in an occupation which he followed solely for his amusement. + +I took occasion some weeks after this, while making another visit at +San Francisco, to renew my acquaintance with my Norwegian friend. He +had recently received a very fine snake, with which he was highly +pleased. I admired his enthusiasm. "O," said he in the course of our +conversation, "there is nothing in nature so beautiful as a snake." +I remarked that this new specimen was certainly a very handsome one. +"O it is splendid, it is most magnificent." We passed an hour very +pleasantly together, and parted with much reluctance. I have never seen +him since. + + + + +A Pair of Rattlesnakes. + + +_September 12, 1854._ My account of the Norwegian snake-collector, +naturally recalls a little experience of my own in the same line. A +fellow in the Redwoods, near which I was then tarrying, brought me at +different times, two splendid rattlesnakes, which I bought and placed +in a long box with a glass front, through which I could observe all +their motions. It may, perhaps, excite a smile, when I state that by +constant familiarity with these reptiles, I had acquired a sort of +affection for them, that would have prompted me to defend them from +harm, though I never saw one of the species at large, but I made no war +upon him, except in one instance in which the snake began the battle, +and I fought in self-defense, and happily won the victory. An Indian +enriches himself with the scalp of his defeated enemy, and I know not +but I might have followed his example in this instance had it been +possible, but in the absence of a scalp-lock I was obliged to content +myself with such a trophy, as his other extremity afforded, his rattle. + +These two reptiles became my pets, and afforded me much amusement. I +do not think that I was "charmed" by that wonderful power which is +often attributed to the serpent family. There was no "fascination +in their eyes," though we often sat and gazed at each other during +several minutes. But I liked to watch their motions, and study their +habits; to see them thrust out their long, dark, forked tongues as I +approached their prison, or erect their tails and shake their rattles +when disturbed. I liked to behold their spotted bodies, flattened as +they lay quietly stretched on the floor of their cage, but swollen and +distended when aroused by a sense of danger; or to see their fangs as +they sometimes opened their mouths, as if in the act of gaping. I was +amused with a habit they had of slowly stretching themselves at full +length along the box, and then suddenly drawing themselves back again. +And most of all, I was amused to see them on a cold morning folded +together into a coil, from the center of which their flattened heads +protruded, and rested side by side upon their bodies, looking, despite +their venomous natures, the very picture of affection and of innocence, +and affording a lesson, which many a rational biped might study with +profit. + +These reptiles never quarreled. Place two foxes in a cage, and they +will fight from day to day, until one or the other is killed. Even two +birds of many species will destroy each other, when confined together. +But here was an instance of perfect harmony. In truth they had nothing +to quarrel about. They seemed to have no wants except that of liberty, +the love of which they probably possessed in common with every other +animal. They could fast without hunger or thirst. I placed fresh meat +and water in their cage, but they never tasted of either. I threw +several lizards in to them, but they allowed them to run over the +cage, and even over their bodies unmolested. Still they do eat, though +individuals have been known to live many months and even years without +tasting food. White in his Natural History of Selbourne, says: "The +serpent-kind eat, I believe, but once a year, or, rather, but only just +at one season of the year." + +But my pets were doomed to a tragical end, which it pains me record. +Two old men, who had no fondness for beautiful things in animated +nature, nor a taste for any thing else but whiskey and tobacco, got +charmingly drunk one day, and being bent on mischief, they broke into +my room during my absence, and seized my snakes, took them into the +street where they had kindled a fire for the occasion, and with much +ceremony and mock solemnity, offered them up to their god, whoever he +might be, as a burnt sacrifice. The loss of those snakes was a source +of great annoyance and vexation to me, and I earnestly and devoutly +prayed that in every fit of delirium-tremens which those old sinners +should bring upon themselves during the remainder of their worthless +lives, they might be haunted by the ghosts of those murdered innocents. + + + + +A Queer Fellow. + + +_April 18, 1860._ Mr. Van Wee was one of the queerest compounds of +oddity, with whom it was my fortune to meet in my travels. He kept a +hotel at Oak Bottom, ten miles from Shasta. Two Irish women, sisters, +were his housekeepers and servants. Many a lively scene was enacted +about his establishment, and scarcely a day passed without bringing +some extraordinary excitement. One day there was a great uproar in and +around the house occasioned by the arrival of a skunk on a visit to the +chickens. The dogs barked, the hens cackled, the women screamed, and +Van Wee flew round wild with excitement, his gun was brought to him, +the intruder chased into the stable and shot, and quiet was restored. + +Next day two valuable dogs, very useful for barking at travelers and +eating superfluous food, which would otherwise be thrown to the pigs +and lost, strayed away or were stolen. A boy and an Irish woman were +sent off on horseback after them, and great was the rejoicing in the +afternoon on the safe return of dogs, horses, boy and woman. + +On the morning of the third day I was surprised to learn that there +had been a wedding in the house, and that Mr. Van Wee, in obedience to +a sudden impulse had married one of his housekeepers. The wedding had +been very private, so much so, that the sister of the bride was not +aware that such an event was in contemplation until the hour before its +consummation. + +This Van Wee, as I have said before, is a queer fellow. He hates the +liquor business, but keeps a bar, drinks with all his friends--and +they are numerous--and gets mellow every day. He is, or rather was, +a Know-Nothing in politics, and hates all foreigners of whatever +nation, although his father and mother are Dutch, and his wife is +Irish. An infidel in religion, he read me a chapter from Tom Paine's +Age of Reason. He contributes freely to churches, and is hospitable to +clergymen of whatever creed. He receives a great many rudely expressed, +but hearty congratulations from his friends, whom he treats, drinks +with, swears at, blackguards, and invites to see "the gal," who +receives her friends in the kitchen, while attending to her duties over +the stove, with her gown pinned up in true Irish style. His affection +for his wife continues unabated, notwithstanding he has been married +three days,--this was when I last saw him,--and he betrays it in many +acts of coarse kindness; calls her Biddy, ridicules her nation and her +religion, damns her priests and feeds them all. + +He has sent invitations to all his friends, far and near, men, +women and children, to assemble at his house, next week for a grand +jollification in commemoration of his wedding. Long may he flourish. + + + + +A Sandwich Island Woman + +AND HER YANKEE HUSBAND. + + +_Red Woods, Contra Costra, Dec. 16, 1854._ I have made acquaintance +with a Kanaka woman, the only one I have ever seen. She is known by the +name of Hannah, is eighteen years of age, was married five years ago to +a Yankee sailor, and left her native island for a home in California. +She is short and thick, with a complexion darker than that of our +Indians, has a broad nose and wide mouth, her countenance partaking of +a mixture of the Indian and the Negro. She is kind and affectionate, +lively and excitable, quick and passionate, simple and guileless. Her +mind is uncultivated, and she is grossly vulgar and profane in her +language, and disgustingly filthy in her person and dress. She is very +temperate, drinking no strong liquors, but smokes cigars. She is +honest and trusty, faithful to discharge all debts she may contract, +and to fulfil all her engagements. She is a simple-minded child of +nature, and I am often amused with her child-like talk. + +This morning she was very inquisitive, and made many inquiries about +my home and family. I showed her a daguerreotype of my daughter. She +examined it with much curiosity and in silence for several minutes, +when she broke out in a shower of questions, ejaculations and remarks, +which could not but amuse me. + +"Dat you little gal? Don to see dranfader? Petty woman, brack hair. Dot +a rin on her han. (Ring on her finger.) What you gal name? How old you +gal? Very petty. You gal, he no come to Californy? You no want to see +you gal? Petty dress." And then she asked me about my father, mother, +sister, brothers, and every thing relating to them, until she got a +pretty full account of my family. + +Hannah is a good rider, and often figures on horseback in a very long +blue calico riding-dress, a man's straw hat with a narrow brim, and +tied with a string under the chin, and a woolen jacket belonging to +her husband. Our circus riders might learn some useful lessons from +Hannah's equestrian feats. + +Mr. Joseph Tracy, or as he is more familiarly called, Kanaka Joe, is +a sailor from Maine, has seen much of the world, was on board the +Princeton steamship at the time of the explosion of the great gun, by +which several gentlemen of John Tyler's cabinet were killed, and has +spent considerable time in the Sandwich Islands, whither he intends to +return after he shall have made his fortune in California. Joe is a +still, quiet, peaceable fellow, though quick to resent an insult, and +can fight beautifully when necessary. He has a sailor's high notions +of honor and a sailor's deep passion for drink. He is fond of reading +withal, has quite a taste for the yellow-covered literature, talks +learnedly of books, and often philosophizes very wisely, and has no +mean opinion of his own literary taste and scientific attainments. +Joe is very fond of his Kanaka wife, though he flogs her occasionally +in the heat of passion, repenting of it immediately after. As Joe's +improvident habits are not conducive to a rapid accumulation of riches, +the time of his return to his island-home may be considered somewhat +uncertain. + + + + +A Party. + + +_January, 1855._ Señor Moraga was one of those land owners, whose +domains, over which immense droves of wild cattle roamed, extended +over many a league of rich land, until the advent of the Americans, +who lawlessly despoiled them of large numbers of their cattle, and +who introduced many expensive habits among them, which they were but +too ready to adopt; when necessity compelled them to part with large +tracts of their lands to the greedy foreigners, and their estates +dwindled down to insignificant ranches. Señor Moraga, though shorn of +many thousand acres, had still a large and exceedingly valuable estate +remaining. + +I received an invitation to attend a party at his house on New Year's +eve, 1855. I set out on foot in the evening, which was lighted up by +a moon approaching the full, that often breaking forth from masses of +dark clouds, which had been pouring down a plentiful supply of rain +during the day, enabled me to follow a trail that led up the valley +and over the mountain ridge, on the opposite side of which stood +Moraga's residence. It was a fine evening, and I--I scarcely knew +why--was in a mood to enjoy it. It may have been the breaking up of the +storm and the appearance of the clouds and the sky, which resembled +more nearly the moonlight views we have in New England than any thing +I had beheld for many a long month; or it may have been the pleasing +anticipation of the novelties I was about to witness and enjoy during +the evening, though what they were I had not been informed and could +hardly imagine. But whatever may have been the cause, my spirits were +buoyant, and my thoughts busy and pleasant. + +I arrived at Moraga's at an early hour. His house overlooked a +beautiful valley, and commanded a fine view of the hills beyond. It +was built of adobes, and the walls were several feet thick. A broad +piazza extended along the front, affording a pleasant shade in summer. +I entered by a broad door-way, a capacious room well finished, and +handsomely papered and painted. There was neither stove nor fire-place +in it, nor any furniture, with the exception of chairs and a small +time-piece. In this room the gentlemen were assembled, and this was +the hall in which we were to pass the evening. In a smaller room on +the left, I saw two neat-looking beds, one of which was furnished +with handsome figured, white muslin curtains. There were also chairs, +tables, and a looking-glass in the room. This room I observed was +occupied by the family, and the lady guests. The only other room I saw +was that in which we took supper, and was like the rest, finished in a +style of considerable neatness. + +And now for the company. First comes Señor Moraga, the father of our +host and owner of the estate, an old man of seventy, short, thick, +corpulent and coarse-featured, but sprightly, active and polite. +Then his sons, José and Francisco, between thirty and forty years +of age, swarthy men with very good features, black hair, whiskers +and mustaches. They were very gentlemanly in their deportment. There +were several Mexicans, some of whom were tolerably polished in +their manners, and others as uncouth as the Indians with whom they +associated. But the greater part of the company consisted of Americans, +rough men from the Redwoods, who, however, deported themselves with a +considerable degree of propriety. + +Next come the ladies, who, by all the laws of gallantry, should have +been mentioned first. And foremost among them was Doña Maria, our +hostess, and the lady of José Moraga. She was a large, corpulent woman +with a fairer complexion and better features than most Mexican women I +had seen, and she was said to be of pure Castilian blood. Her black, +glossy hair was arranged in the usual Spanish style, in two braids +that hung down her back. She was dressed in a black silk that fitted +well her capacious person. She had several daughters, whose personal +attractions I cannot extol, but who were very pretty dancers. There +were two old women, very ugly, whose names I did not learn. I observed +a considerable number of Indian women in the house, and there was no +lack of pappooses among them. I was pleased with the little imps, and +they did not reject my overtures for a frolic occasionally, and were +not disinclined to be on familiar terms with me. They constituted, +indeed, a very amusing part of the evening's entertainment. + +Two musicians had been employed for the occasion. Their instruments +were a violin and a guitar. Dancing was the principal amusement. + +The ladies entered the room and seated themselves without ceremony, the +musicians struck up a lively tune, and one of the gentlemen arose and +waved his handkerchief towards a lady, whereupon she arose and moved +moderately over the floor, and while her feet, hid by her long dress, +drummed out almost every note of the music, her body seemed to glide +along without any apparent exertion, neither rising nor falling, as if +she were carried along by invisible machinery, or was floating over +the floor without touching it. While she was thus moving along in this +peculiar dance, one of the gentlemen seized his neighbor's hat--all the +gentlemen wore their hats except when dancing--and placed it on the +young lady's head. She still continued to dance without appearing to +pay the slightest attention to this apparently uncivil act. She soon, +however, took her seat and displaced the hat, holding it in her hand. +Another and another of the ladies were called, or rather motioned up, +who each performed the same dance, and each was similarly crowned with +a hat or a handkerchief, and sometimes with several of each. Doña Maria +was also called to the floor. She executed the dance with superior +grace, and with greater success than the girls in collecting hats and +handkerchiefs. All this was carried on with great merriment on the +part of the young fellows, but with the greatest apparent gravity and +seriousness on that of the ladies. I was at a loss to know the meaning +of this strange performance, or if it had any meaning at all, until my +own _sombrero_ was suddenly snatched from my head, and placed on that +of a young señorita. I was then informed that each article thus seized +and appropriated must be redeemed by a payment in money to the fair +one on whom it had been bestowed, and that half a dollar was the sum +agreed on by general assent. In this way, considerable sums of money +are sometimes gathered by the ladies from a company of liberal young +men, who enjoy the sport of thus victimizing each other. This amusement +was called up repeatedly in the course of the evening, and some of the +young men paid a pretty handsome tax for the sport. I saw Doña Maria +at one time with three hats crowded on her head, and at least half a +dozen handkerchiefs on her shoulders. Besides the tax thus collected, +an assessment of two dollars each was levied on us to pay for the music. + +Besides the singular dance I have just described we had cotillions +and waltzes. In the first, the fat Doña Maria was the most graceful +dancer, but in the waltzes--Doña Maria did not waltz--several of the +girls performed very prettily. But foremost among them was Francisco's +daughter, Juana, and another young lady whose name I did not learn, who +waltzed with much ease and grace, and who prided themselves on tiring +out, not only the other dancers, but even the musicians. My head grew +giddy as I sat and saw those two girls twirling about the room. + +Supper was ready at an early hour. My friend, Francisco, did me the +unexpected honor to lead me in and seat me at the head of the first +table. Doña Maria sat at the opposite extremity of the table, and the +other ladies, numbering from sixteen to twenty, occupied the sides. +Myself was the only male. Our supper consisted of soup, baked meats, +boiled chickens and bread, with wine in glass tumblers instead of tea +or coffee. We were waited upon by our host, José, assisted by another +gentleman. There was but little conversation among us, but we got along +very pleasantly. I proposed a glass of wine with Doña Maria by signs, +which she readily understood, and she drank her glass with much grace. +Perceiving José to be rather inexpert at carving chickens, I offered +my services, which he accepted. We afterwards drank a glass of wine +together, and thus ended the ceremony of supper. The table was soon +cleared and rearranged for another set of occupants. + +Dancing was kept up pretty constantly, I did not join in it, but was +for the most part a silent spectator. I found myself frequently, in +the course of the evening, seated by the side of our hostess, who was +disposed to make herself agreeable, and would, I doubt not, really +have been so, had she understood my language, or I hers. As it was, I +contrived to ask her a few questions, and found her quick to comprehend +my signs. I inquired about her children, knowing that to be the +subject, of all others, the most interesting to a mother. She pointed +to those who were dancing, and to several that were seated. I asked her +how many she had, and she held up her five fingers of one hand, and +three of the other. "_Ocho_," said I. "_Si, Señor, ocho_," she replied +with a smile, amused, perhaps, that I had learned one word of Spanish. + +Francisco, also, with not a little pride, directed my attention to his +daughters, who were dancing so merrily; and I could only express my +admiration of them by exclaiming, "_bueno; bueno_!" + +Thus pleasantly passed the evening until eleven o'clock, when giving +my friendly entertainers a cordial shake of the hands, I bade them _á +Dios_, and wended my way back again over the mountains to my lodgings. +The company continued dancing till morning. + +I have been thus particular in giving the details of this party, +believing that whatever is peculiar in the manners and customs of any +people may be interesting, and perhaps, not wholly useless to know. And +having been myself much interested in the amusements of the evening, I +cannot but hope that the reader will find something to please him in +this account of them. + + + + +Indians and Their Costumes. + + +_September 23, 1856._ There was a company of Indians encamped in the +vicinity of Oroville, for the purpose of gathering their harvest of +acorns, which grew in great abundance there. They passed my temporary +home every morning, men, boys, and women, furnished with sacks made of +netting, earned by the men, and conical baskets for the women, and with +a pole eight or ten feet long, with which to beat off the acorns. The +pole had a short stick fastened to the butt end with strings, by means +of which they suspended it to the limb of a tree when they ascended the +trunk. The acorn is one of their most valuable articles of food, and +they gather large quantities of them. + +These Indians were more scantily clad than any I had ever seen, many of +them having only a shirt, sometimes but a very ragged one; and in one +instance I saw a tall brawny Indian, who was entirely destitute of even +this scanty covering. + +One day a woman with pretty good features, the wife of the chief, +came to our house in company with other Indians. A large portion of +her face was besmeared with pitch, and the locks over her forehead +were matted with the same substance. I enquired the reason of this +disfigurement, and was told that it was the Indian's badge of mourning, +and that she had probably lost a relative. A few days after this call, +she came again accompanied by her husband, the chief, who was superior +in intelligence, as well as in rank, to his companions. He spoke a +little English. The squaw had renewed the coat of pitch, and looked +more hideously than before. I could see, however, in spite of the +pitch, that she was a pretty woman, and in spite of the scantiness +of her covering, that she was modest. Some remarks were made by +one of the company present, in allusion to her besmeared face. Her +husband understood them, and explained the custom in a word or two. +"Indian's way," said he. "Lost little boy," pointing to his wife. We +all understood him, and the eyes of the poor squaw moistened as she +comprehended the subject of our conversation. The Indians are not +destitute of natural affection. + +Few hearts can witness unmoved the tears of a woman, though she be a +wild and filthy Indian; and the feelings of this poor untutored savage +were respected by our company, who refrained from any further allusion +to the subject that brought painful recollections to her mind. + +_March 3, 1857._ During a long walk to-day, I stopped to sketch some +singular hills, consisting of two, and sometimes of three, plateaus or +terraces, each terrace being supported by a layer of rock, resting on a +stratum of clay, or soft sandstone, which, in many places was worn out +a foot or two beneath the rock, and making a distinct dark line in the +landscape. + +Before sketching one of these hills, I ascended it and clambered up +the rock, which varied from six to eight feet in height. Here, among +some bushes, I saw a smoke arising, and on one of the shrubs hung an +Indian's cap and his lance. I approached the spot, and suddenly found +myself in the presence of a large, fat squaw, who lay basking in the +sunshine, clad in the habiliments which nature had given her, with the +addition of a very slight substitute, for that leafy garment which was +once the fashion at a very remote period in the world's history. Two +little dusky cherubs sat near her, and the partner of her joys and +sorrows lay on the ground at a little distance, enjoying a comfortable +_siesta_. It was a charming picture of contented indolence, and I +have seen more than one lazy white man, who would have coveted their +enjoyment. + +I attempted to enter into conversation with the lady, and asked her if +she had some baskets to sell. She made no reply, but, with becoming +modesty, though with no affectation of haste, took up her blanket +that lay near her, and half veiled her charms from my admiring gaze. +Finding her disinclined to talk, I left her, descended the hill, made +my sketch, and continued my walk. + +_March 6, 1875._ With an Indian for a guide, I visited a fine +water-fall in a solitary place among the mountains. On our return, my +guide conducted me to a rancherie, consisting of half a dozen wigwams. +As we approached them, the dogs barked, the children screamed, the old +women drew on their blankets, and the naked girls retreated behind the +cabins. An old man and an old woman sat quietly on their haunches, and +a young man lay sick and squalid on the ground beside a bed of embers +that were kept alive at his head. My guide sat down beside them without +any ceremony, and they all preserved a profound silence during several +minutes, as if they were offering up a silent prayer to the Great +Spirit for the recovery of the invalid. At the end of this ceremony, +they became talkative, the young man ate the remains of a lunch I had +brought with me, and the old man begged two bits, (for these Indians, +like all others, are inveterate beggars) when we proceeded on our +journey. + +[Illustration] + + + + +The Yosemite Falls. + + +_May 29, 1859._ A rude dug-out having been brought up the river, +I crossed over in it, and walked to the foot of the fall. A dense +spray prevents a near approach to the fall, which comes down in a +perpendicular descent, until within a hundred feet of the bottom, when +it strikes a projecting rock, and dashes off in a shower of spray. I +speak of the lower fall only, for the cataract is divided into three +portions, the upper portion coming down perpendicularly; the middle +portion being a wild rapid, in a deep, dark, and fearful canyon, in +which the stream falls four hundred feet, and then drops down six +hundred feet further to the base of the great wall, making an aggregate +of more than half a mile. + +The view upward from the foot of the fall is particularly impressive. +The middle fall of four hundred feet, is entirely hid from the sight, +and such is the immense height of the whole, that the space occupied by +this middle fall seems dwindled to a few feet, and the spectator can +scarcely realize that such a fall does, indeed, exist. But the view +of the fall from this near approach is more than impressive, it is +sublime; and the spectator finds himself overwhelmed with a feeling of +intense awe, as he looks upward and beholds the foaming, roaring water +pouring down, as it were, from the very depths of heaven, + + "So wild and furious in its sparkling fall, + Dashing its torrents down, and dazzling all; + Sublimely breaking from its glorious height, + Majestic, thundering, beautiful and bright." + +I have alluded to the influence of the wind upon the upper portion of +the fall. It often reminds me of the writhings of an immense serpent, +when two or three opposing currents of air are blowing it from side to +side. Sometimes a blast of wind sways it wholly out of its accustomed +course, with the exception of a few hundred feet of its uppermost +portion, and lays bare nearly the whole surface of the rock which it +covers in its undisturbed descent, but hiding for a minute another +portion. Now large clouds of spray are thrown out from one side, and +then from the other, still forever falling; now the whole fall is +spread out to twice, or thrice, its usual width, and the next moment, +as the wind subsides, it becomes straightened and narrowed to its usual +proportions. These continued changes add exceedingly to the beauty, and +even grandeur, of the fall, and one never wearies of beholding it as it +pours, crashing and roaring, down its enormous wall of rock. + + "Roar, roar, thou waterfall! lift up thy voice + Even to the clouded regions of the skies: + Thy brightness and thy beauty may rejoice, + Thy music charms the ears, thy light the eyes, + Joy-giving torrent! sweetest memory + Receives a freshness, and a strength from thee." + + + + +The Domes. + + +The rounded summits of many of the mountains of the Yosemite Valley, +which gives them a domelike appearance, constitutes one of its +peculiarities. The North and South Domes have been often described and +painted. Situated on opposite sides of the lower Valley at its eastern +extremity, and forming portions of its two great walls, they are not +the least of its most prominent objects. Indeed, the South Dome is the +highest point around the Valley, and rises to an altitude of nearly +five thousand feet above the plain. + +A tremendous disruption of this mountain is apparent on its western +face, where it has been cleft from its summit, perpendicularly down to +a depth of two thousand feet, and the western portion thrown off and +hurled down the mountain, at whose base it lies in fragments, a huge +heap, a mountain of itself. + +What a sublime, a terrifying spectacle would here have presented itself +to a spectator standing on the North Dome and looking across the +Valley, to behold a part of the mountain before him two thousand feet +in depth, starting from its foundation, breaking away from the firmer +portion, and falling, rolling, grinding, crashing, down the mountain +side, with the roar and shaking of a terrible earthquake, and dashing +into millions of fragments, until it reached the plain, three thousand +feet below its starting point. I can imagine what overwhelming emotions +would seize him as he beheld the mountain falling, and in dread and +horror thinking the end of the world was approaching, and that the +mountain on which he stood might fall next. + +This is a region of wonders. They meet us at every step. The Valley +itself is a vast aggregate of wonders. There was a time when it was +elevated to a level with the walls that now surround it, when the +Merced flowed along at a height of two or three thousand feet above its +present bed, and before the Yosemite and all these falls were created. + +It is an interesting question, How came the Valley lowered to its +present depth? Without a very deep investigation of the subject, I have +formed an opinion in opposition to that of many persons, who attribute +it to an earthquake; that at some remote period a deluge occurred here, +and that the Valley was formed by the torrents that swept through it, +carrying away the earth, and leaving the bare walls in their present +wild desolation, with the newly created cataracts pouring down their +sides. + + + + +Farewell to the Yosemite. + + +_June 30, 1859._ Early in the morning and before breakfast, Camerer,--a +German friend,--and I, were on our way. As we went down the beautiful +Valley, we often stopped to gaze at the stupendous scenes we were about +to leave; and never before had they looked so grand, and glorious. +Lingering, loitering, talking, and discussing the several points of +interest, time passed rapidly, and the sunbeams soon began to gild the +summits of the mountains, the lofty rock of Tutocanula catching his +first rays. A hundred birds strained their little throats and poured +out their sweetest strains of melody, as if to bid us farewell, and +cheer us on our way. + +As the scenes with which we had been so long familiar, now passed again +in review before us; the Yosemite, the Sentinel, the Cathedral Rocks, +Tutocanula, the Bridal Veil; each claimed for the hundredth, and last +time, our attention and admiration. "O," exclaimed my German friend, +when the necessity of hastening our journey occurred to us, "O, it is +very hard to get out of this Valley." + +We at length arrived at the end of the plain, and began to ascend the +mountain. Half way up the height we came to a spot from which we had so +fine a view, that we resolved to stop and sketch it. This was a general +view of the Valley, and its surrounding walls, and of course, it was +my last sketch. Having accomplished this task, we hastened forward, +scarcely looking around us, until we reached an elevation whence we +were about to take our last look. But we had loitered too long by the +way, and had little time to spare. Stopping, therefore, but for a +minute, and filled with emotions such as Adam and Eve may be supposed +to have felt when, + + "They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, + Through Eden took their solitary way," + +we cast one sad look at the scene behind us, and bade a sorrowful and +final adieu to the wonderful Yosemite Valley. + + + + +The California Vulture. + + +_February 9, 1854._ In a walk some days since through the Redwoods, +I encountered an old man by the side of the road engaged in making +shingles. He was a very coarse-looking fellow with a dark complexion +and a black, bushy beard, that more than half covered his face, giving +an additional grimness to his rough, harsh features. He was an old +Kentucky rifleman, and, as I learned to-day, a first-rate marksman. He +had shot a Vulture some time before, and it was lying near his cabin, +half decayed. Some quills were scattered over the ground, and I picked +up two or three of them, when he ordered me in the rudest manner to +leave them. I then offered to buy some of them, but he would neither +sell nor give them away. He wanted them for himself. + +While I stood there another man joined us, and asked the name of +the bird. "A Turkey Buzzard," said the old man. I disputed him, and +endeavored to point out the difference between this bird and the Turkey +Buzzard. But he would not be convinced. He had seen thousands of them +in Kentucky, though he admitted they were smaller there than here. I +replied that he might with equal propriety say that a Raven was a large +Crow, or a Crow a large Blackbird. But he did not admit the analogy of +the two cases, and the bird _was_ a Turkey Buzzard and nothing more. So +I left him in the enjoyment of his own opinion. + +To-day I passed his cabin again, and he accosted me with considerable +civility. A sort of grim smile played over his harsh features, his +manners were wonderfully softened, and the gruff old savage seemed to +have been suddenly transformed into a half civilized being. He had +shot two Vultures yesterday, though one of them, which he had only +wing-tipped, and tied to a stake, had escaped. He was willing to sell +me the remaining bird, and the payment of five bits made me its owner. + +On further conversation with him, I found that he possessed a taste +for birds and other natural curiosities, and had some preparations for +preserving specimens. He showed me some birds and a horned toad which +he had preserved. + +I skinned my bird, and left it with the Kentuckian, while I continued +my walk. But this walk furnished me with nothing further to record +except a word or two concerning the habits of these same Vultures. I +saw six or eight of them perched on trees, sitting in perfect idleness +and scarcely moving. I believe Audubon says that they are very shy +and difficult to approach. But Audubon had never seen one. A man was +cutting up a fallen tree near one of the birds, but without disturbing +him. Another one sat on a branch of a low tree, which I approached. +When I arrived within less than gunshot distance, he half spread his +wings and stood up, as if preparing to fly. But after a minute's +hesitation he folded his pinions again, and seemed to have come to the +conclusion that there was no danger from a man with only a stick in his +hand. As I continued to approach the tree on which he stood, he thrust +his head down below his body, and turned it about most whimsically, +while he kept his keen eye fastened on me as though he were quizzing +me; but still he showed no disposition to fly. I now began to shout +at him, and to swing my cap, and i' faith, it seemed as if my noise +and gesticulations served rather to amuse than to frighten him. Then +I threw my cane up in the air towards him, but he only gave his head +an extra cant, and continued peering at me with such an impudent, +derisive, no-ye-don't sort of a look, that I almost expected to see him +raise his thumb to his nose, and shake his fingers at me. Finding him +thus firmly resolved not to be driven from his position, I left him, +fully believing that if a man wishes to hunt California Vultures, their +shyness will be no obstacle to his success. + +On returning, I called for the skin of my bird which measured nine feet +four inches from tip to tip of the wings, and three feet eleven inches +in length. + + + + +My Skill at Rifle Shooting. + + +_March 29, 1854._ I went out to try my skill at rifle shooting. Saw +a pair of Vultures in a tree on the heights in front of my house. +I clambered up the hill and approached within a short distance of +the birds, but the trunk of the tree, on the branches of which they +stood, hid them from my view, and I made a short circuit, and crept +behind a tree that brought me still nearer the Vultures. I now had +one of them in full view, and was in a fair way to have him in my +possession. I cocked my rifle for the fatal shot, brought it up to my +face, and closed my left optic, preparatory to the death-dealing aim, +when the foolish bird, as if he were actuated by a spirit of reckless +daring, bravado and defiance, sidled out on the branch that held him, +stood erect with his breast square before me, half expanded his broad +wings, while he cast a glance of his keen eyes upon me, and seemed +to say, "Here is your mark; now try your skill." I did so. The report +of my rifle reverberated over the hills; the ball sped--I knew not +whither--and the birds left their perch with a precipitancy, and flew +away with a haste I have seldom witnessed. The smoke of the powder had +scarcely cleared away ere they were seen performing their gyrations +over a neighboring mountain. I made my way speedily, down the hill, +and----sold my rifle. + + + + +Incident at a Camp-meeting. + + +I accepted an invitation from a friend to attend a Methodist +camp-meeting, which was held in a grove about five miles distant +from the Contra Costa Redwoods. The services did not vary much from +similar services in New England. But a little incident occurred of +such a novel character, and so singularly beautiful, that I record +it for the benefit of Christians in other portions of the country. +When the collection was about to be taken, the Presiding Elder, the +Rev. Mr. Fulton, addressed the audience in these words: "At the last +Presbyterian camp-meeting, the collection taken for the support of +the ministry was, most unexpectedly to me, divided between all of us +who had taken part in the services; and I was constrained to share +it equally with my Presbyterian brethren. Such an act, the first of +the kind I have ever known, was as gratifying as it was unexpected; +and most happy am I to say, that we have this day an opportunity to +reciprocate the favor, by sharing with the brother of that denomination +now present, the collection to which we invite you to contribute." + +The effect of this address upon the audience was manifested by the +jingling of the coin which was poured into the hats from every quarter +of the field. + + * * * * * + +With this little anecdote I take leave of the reader, remarking, +however, that I passed nine years in California; resided in many of its +principal cities; roamed over a large part of the northern portion of +the State; visited most of the mines from Mariposa to Yreka; traveled +across the State of Oregon and into Washington Territory; sailed up +the Columbia River to the Cascades; visited a great number of places +remarkable for their scenery; spent five weeks in the wonderful +Yosemite Valley; lodged in a hollow of one of the "Big Trees" of +Mariposa; listened to the mighty roar of the Geysers; walked round the +beautiful Clear Lake, and paddled my canoe round the far-famed Lake +Tahoe; clambered up the sides, and stood upon the highest pinnacles of +Mount Shasta, and many other mountains of the Sierra Nevada range; and +encountered people of all descriptions, characters, and nationalities. +Reader, shall I give you a further account of my observations and +adventures? + + +_THE END._ + + + + +TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: + +Inconsistencies in the author's use of hyphens have been +left unchanged, as in the original text. Obvious printer errors have been +corrected without comment. Otherwise, the author's original spelling, +punctuation, hyphenation and use of accents have been left intact with the +following exceptions: + +Page 44: The word "we" was added in the following phrase: "This +morning, just as we were about to sail," + +Page 148: Yosemite Fall was changed to Yosemite Falls to match Yosemite +Falls in the Contents. + +Capitalisation and periods have been standardised in the Chapter +Headings and the Contents so that these do not differ. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Round Cape Horn, by Joseph Lamson + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43342 *** |