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 'ORIi AND AFT; 
 
 OR, LEAs'ES IROM THE 
 
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 ^ ^i U OF AN OLD SAILOR. 
 
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 NICHOL8 ^ HALL. 
 
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 FORE AND AFT; 
 
 OR, LEAVES FROM THE 
 
 LIFE OF AN OLD SAILOR. 
 
 By "WEBFOOT." 
 
 With Illustrations by Hammatt Billings. 
 
 
 CVv^x iV 
 
 BOSTON : 
 
 NICHOLS & HALL. 
 
 1871. 
 
7Sfi 
 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by 
 
 W. D, PHELPS, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, 
 
 STBSKOTTFED BT TOHN C. UEOAN ft OO. 
 
 6S Cougre«8 Street. 
 
WITH GRATEFUL RESPECT, 
 THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE IS DEDICATED 
 BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 To Capt. ELEAZER EDES BRADSHAW, 
 
 AND TO THE MEMORY OF HIS BROTHER, 
 
 Capt. ROBERT EDES, 
 
 BOTH OF CHARLESTOWN, MASS., 
 MY EARLY AND MUCH-VALUED FRIENDS. 
 THE ONE STILL LIVES, A GOOD SPECIMEN OF THE OLD 
 CLASS SEAMAN, MERCHANT AND GENTLEMAN; 
 THE MORTAL REMAINS OF THE OTHER REPOSE ON ONE 
 OF THE AZORES ISLANDS ; AND WHILE TIME MOULD- 
 ERS HIS FRAIL RELICS TO DUST, PRECIOUS 
 MEMORIES REMAIN TO THOSE WHO 
 KNEW HIM, OF HIS GOODNESS 
 AND NOBLE CHARACTER. 
 
 Lexington, 1870. 
 
 W. D. P. 
 
 (Hi) 
 
 170e09 
 
>«M»wiMMni 
 
 I- i 
 
w^^m 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter 
 
 I. — My Early Years . 
 
 II. — My First Voyage 
 III. — Again Afloat 
 IV. — Incidents of the Voyage 
 
 v.- -My Island Home . 
 
 _ VI. — How WE LIVED 
 
 VII. — Something about Birds 
 
 VIII. — Beginning a New Year 
 
 IX. — Once More at Sea 
 
 X. — The Fejee Mermaid 
 
 XI. — In the British Navy 
 
 XII. — To Australia 
 
 ' XIII. — Valparaiso . 
 
 XIV. — Under the Stars and Stripes 
 
 XV.— Home at Last ... 
 
 (v) 
 
 Page 
 
 7 
 
 12 
 
 25 
 
 34 
 45 
 6o 
 
 74 
 
 90 
 
 104 
 
 117 
 
 141 
 
 151 
 160 
 
 170 
 
Vi CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter ^ 
 
 XVI. — A Trip to Cuba 
 
 XVII. — In Command .... 
 
 XVIII. — A Yankee Visitor 
 
 XIX. — A Shipwreck .... 
 
 XX. — An Agricultural Experience 
 
 XXI. — A California Cruist;: .. 
 
 XXII. — California in 1840 
 
 XXIII. — The Commodore Jones War 
 
 XXIV. — The Hudson Bay Company . 
 XXV. — How California became ours 
 
 XXVI. — Taking Possession of the Country 
 XXVII. — The Story of the War Continued 
 XXVIII. — The Last Voyage . . . . 
 XXIX. — A Farewell to California . 
 XXX. — A Voyage to China 
 
 Pags 
 . 186 
 
 . 197 
 
 • 205 
 . 214 
 . 228 
 . 236 
 . 250 
 . 261 
 . 269 
 . 277 
 
 • 293 
 
 • 307 
 
 • 322 
 
 • 337 
 
 • 353 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 MY EARLY YEARS. 
 
 T30RN within a cable's length of the sea-beat 
 "■-^ shore, inhaiiuj^ with my earliest breath the at- 
 mosphere . r Old Ocean, and descended from a line 
 of sailors on both sides of the house, it was not 
 matter of much wonder that I very early manifested 
 a strong love for the sea, and took to the water as 
 naturally as a duck. These manifestations were 
 not pleasing to the " old folks at home," and they 
 did what they could to shape my course in another 
 direction. In v^iin was I reminded, time and again, 
 that my father's father and his only brother had both 
 perished at sea, that my mother's three brothers had 
 likewise- found watery graves, and that of all our 
 many relatives who had taken up with a seafaring 
 life, but one remained living. All these facts had 
 so little effect upon me, that I must have had a 
 natural inclination for the sea ; therefore, as the 
 twig was bent, so inclined the tree. 
 
 At the commencement of the war with Great 
 Britain, being then about ten years of age, I was 
 an adept in the management of a boat. I spent 
 every hour I could call my own on or about the 
 water, much preferring the study of modelling and 
 rigging ships, climbing the masts, and the like 
 r,ccupations, to the more proper studies to which, 
 
 (7) . 
 
mm 
 
 8 
 
 FOUE AND AFT. 
 
 at that age, I should have applied myself in the 
 district school-house. 
 
 The spirit of privateering was rife in my native 
 town. Some of the first privateers that were fitted 
 out were very successful ; everybody that could go 
 seemed eager to be off after John Bull's boats, and 
 jWhy should not I? Oh, for a few years over my 
 head, and a few inches more to my stature ! I was 
 daily on board of every craft that was fitted out, 
 was perfectly conversant with the character of 
 each vessel and crew, and more than once tried to 
 stow myself away and get to sea, but did not suc- 
 ceed. Poor foolish boy ! the hard realities of the 
 profession came early enough, when, at last, I was 
 enabled to commence my " march upon the moun- 
 tain wave, my home upon the deep." 
 
 One circumstance in relation to the above is 
 quite fresh in my remembrance. The schooner 
 Liverpool Packet., an English privateer, had 
 taken many vessels and destroyed many fishing 
 craft and wood-coasters in Boston Bay, and had 
 become quite notorious. One Sunday forenoon, 
 while people were at church, she made her appear- 
 ance off" the mouth of our harbor, having set fire 
 to a coasting- vessel which she had that morning 
 captured. During service the spirited notes of a 
 drum and fife in the streets -horoughly aroused the 
 congregation, who were just diving into " Parson 
 Hartshorn's " sixthly and seventhly, and describing 
 with their heads evolutions similar to those of a 
 ship pitching into a short, head sea. The men and 
 boys started to their legs, and rushed out of the old 
 
A SPECK OF WAR. 
 
 meeting-house, not standing much upon the order 
 of their going. 
 
 This old meeting-house itself retained some me- 
 mentos in it of a former war, that were rather 
 provocative of a warlike spirit. When the Brit- 
 ish sloop-of-war Falcon., Captain Lindsay, bom- 
 barded the town in 1775? two of her twelve-pound 
 shot entered the meeting-house ; one, at least, partly 
 penetrated just under the upper deck or singing-loft, 
 and with its ugly face projecting from the plastering, 
 remained there staring at the minister for many 
 years after the second war ; the other one took a 
 lower range, and passing entirely through and 
 through the old craft, and sadly raking the upper 
 works of the pews, left its track, which remained, 
 I believe, as long as the house stood. 
 
 With some expectation of a second edition of the 
 above work, we rushed out to see what was to pay, 
 and who was to pay it. The " bobbery," as the 
 Chinaman would say, was to raise volunteers to 
 capture the bold Briton. A new clipper brig was 
 13/ing at the wharf, which had never been to sea. 
 She was intended as a Letter of Marque, and, I be- 
 lieve, had nothing on board but her ballast ; her 
 sails were not bent nor her running-rigging rove, 
 neither had she any armament or provisions on 
 board. However, there was a rush to the wharf 
 by captains and mates, dressed in their claw-ham- 
 mer jackets, flying-jib shirts, and other church-go- 
 ing duds, ai.d sailors with their neat blue jackets, 
 snow-white duck trousers, wide and fringed at the 
 bottom, sailors' pumps on their feet, and snug, well- 
 
lO 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 > 
 
 fitting, shiny hats, with wide black ribbons hanging 
 in ship-shape manner over the larboard bow. Ah, 
 sailors in those days dressed like sailors ; now they 
 dress like what they are. Then a sailor with a 
 slouched hat, and pantaloons inside of his boots, 
 would not have been tolerated on a ship's forecastle. * 
 
 It was soon settled who should take the com- 
 mand. The officers were chosen, and a sufficient 
 crew were soon on the deck of the Orleans. In 
 a few hours she was shoved off from the wharf, 
 and was soon in pursuit of the enemy. In the hurry 
 of fitting out, I thought here would be an opening 
 for an enterprising young man to make a begin- 
 ning ; so after helping to pass u^iout the munitions 
 of war and things in general until just before cast- 
 ing off, I watched my opportunity to jump down 
 tlie after-hatch, and stowed myself away in the 
 cable tier. But, alas ! somebody's eyes were upon 
 me. Old Captain "Joe Babson" was sculling 
 about in the hold to see if all was right ; and, in 
 violation of all the rights of a free and patriotic 
 citizen, pitched me upon deck in a very unceremo- 
 nious manner, with an order to "pass that boy 
 ashore." Who could fight for his country after 
 such treatment? 
 
 The Orleans returned the following day, without 
 t'^ing able to catch the prize, and had a narrow 
 escape from being herself caught by a heavy gun 
 brig, who chased her to the entrance of the harbor. 
 
 Events followed thick and fast, creating great 
 excitement among the seafaring people, and, of 
 course, highly interesting to the boys. The daily 
 
SENT TO SCHOOL,. 
 
 II 
 
 ut 
 
 in 
 
 appearance of the enemy's ships-of-war off our 
 harbor, their frequently sending in boats to cut out 
 or burn vessels, their frequent landings and pilfer- 
 ings, kept our people in constant alarm. As the 
 war progressed we anxiously witnessed the ac- 
 tion between the Chesapeake and Shannon^ and 
 the narrow escape of the frigate Constitution 
 into Salem harbor with a squadron in pursuit, both 
 of which events were in plain sight from our 
 shores. One day a barge from an English frigate 
 landed and spiked the guns of a small fort at Sandy 
 Bay. The barge, on her retreat, was sunk by the 
 act of her own crew, who put an extra charge in 
 the bow gun, which burst and sunk the boat, and 
 the crew were left prisoners. 
 
 I mention some of these incidents, to "show how 
 many causes there were to arouse active spirits and 
 create a desire to liiive a hand in such matters. My 
 propensity for the sea was quickened, but my vari- 
 ous attempts to get afloat were baffled ; and finally, 
 to secure me from harm, or, perhaps, from harming 
 the enemy, I was packed off into the country, to 
 Dummer Academy, and was kept there till peace 
 was proclaimed. Leaving there, I went to Bos- 
 ton to learn the art and mystery of the printing 
 business, and staid one year ; this I did to please 
 my parents, and at the expiration of the year went 
 to sea to please myself. 
 
 n 
 
 at 
 
TT 
 
 %2 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MY FIRST VOYAGE. 
 
 MY first voyage was in the good brig Corporal 
 Trim., in the responsible capacity of cabin-boy. 
 My captain was something akin to " Uncle Toby," 
 and I shall prefer so to call him, for what more 
 suitable master could be foun 1 for Corporal Trim 
 than Uncle Toby? , He was a kind-hearted old 
 man, who had so much of the milk of human kind- 
 ness in his bosom that a fly would be safe to tor- 
 ment him, and permitted to escape with a similar 
 ejaculation to that which accompanied my Uncle 
 Toby's fly out of the window. But report said the 
 above milk had been soured in an uncongenial 
 domestic atmosphere, and the old man accepted a 
 command when his age rendered him incapable of 
 performing the duties incident to it. His life at 
 sea had been mostly in the West India and Bilboa 
 trade, and he was esteemed a respectable master for 
 those voyages. The mate was a rough-and-ready 
 sort of fellow, a good sailor and a tolerable officer. 
 The crew, six in number, were all but one from 
 my native place, and all prime seamen. 
 
 We sailed from Boston in September, 1816, 
 bound for Cowes and a market. The passage out 
 was pleasant enough, with no events of interest. 
 We stopped off' Falmouth and landed our super- 
 
ON A FOREIGN SHORE. 
 
 13 
 
 le 
 
 ed a 
 
 of 
 
 at 
 
 boa 
 
 rfor 
 
 eady 
 
 icer. 
 
 10m 
 
 816, 
 e out 
 jrest. 
 
 per- 
 
 cargo, who was to go up to London, while we took 
 a pilot and proceeded to Cowes, to await orders. 
 The morning after anchoring at West Cowes, while 
 the crew were washing decks, the boat was got out, 
 dropped astern, and the boy ordered into her to 
 clean her out. Having accomplished my work, 
 the mate, who had a spice of fun in him, called 
 out, " Boy, can you scull? " " Yes, sir." " WeU, 
 scull away then," said he, letting go the painter at 
 the same time. "Where shall I scull to, sir?" 
 " Oh, haul in your painter, and scull ashore." 
 
 This was just what I wanted. I had been eye- 
 ing the shore all the morning, at half a mile dis- 
 tance : everything was new and strange there ; a 
 longing desire possessed me to put my foot on it, 
 and here was an unexpected chance to do so. The 
 mate thought I could not scull, but he was mistaken. 
 I let the boat drift almost out of hail before I got 
 ready to get an oar out, and when I was ready, 
 headed the boat to the shore, and made her travel, 
 to the astonishment of Mr. Mate. He shouted for 
 me to return, but I chose not to hear him, and was 
 soon at the ^'•"^v. Making the boat fast, I jumped 
 ashore, and this was my first advent on foreign soil. 
 Strolling along for about an hour, and enjoying a 
 look at many nice things suited to make a boy's 
 mouth water, but which I had no money to buy, I 
 returned to the Coi-poral^ and took a scolding from 
 the mate because I did not return when hailed, and 
 a slight reprimand from my Uncle Toby, because 
 his boots had not been blacked earlier. 
 
 We lay here about a week, and then received 
 
H 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 orders to proceed to Amsterdam. Taking on board 
 a North Sea pilot from the Isle of Wight, we 
 arrived at the mouth of the river Ziiyder Zee, on 
 the sand-banks of v^^hich the city is constructed, 
 built, as everybody knows, by piles being driven 
 down to obtain foundations. The approach to the 
 city is interrupted by sand-banks, so that in the 
 time of which I write, only vessels of a light 
 draught could get up there ; since then, the con- 
 struction of the Nieuw Diep Canal permits the 
 passage of large-sized ships. The little Corporal 
 was hitched on to by the heavy drag-boats, and 
 after much struggling, pulled through the mud of 
 the "Pampooses." With a fine breeze, we ran up 
 in due time, and moored ship close to the city. 
 
 The latter part of November we were ready for 
 sea again. Our cargo had been discharged, and as 
 no freights were to be had, we left in ballast for 
 Boston about the 20th. The ballast consisted of 
 old iron, mostly condemned shot and shell and 
 pieces of old ordnance, left by the French when 
 they evacuated the city. The city of Amsterdam 
 has been so often and well described, that I shall 
 only say that it is so intersected with canals, that it 
 comprises nearly one hundred islands, and has two 
 hundred and fifty bridges; vessels pass through 
 drawbridges, and penetrate every street. 
 
 Hitherto the voyage had been on a summer's sea, 
 and there had been but little that was disagfreeable 
 or hard about it; but now we were bound on a 
 wintry passage across the Atlantic. We were 
 hardly clear of the land before we encountered 
 
TAKING A PILOT. 
 
 15 
 
 violent gales and heavy seas, which prevailed most 
 of the time, until our principal sails were split, and 
 our bulwarks much stove. The iron ballast had 
 been placed too low in the hold, causing the vessel 
 to strain and labor dreadfully. We had been ly- 
 ing-to under close-reefed storm-sails five days south 
 of the Isle of Wight ; on the sixth, the gale mod- 
 erated, with a bad sea running and the wind ahead, 
 when we discovered a small craft to the windward, 
 lying-to. We did not dream of seeing a pilot-boat 
 so far off, and in such weather, but such she proved 
 to be. Uncle Toby said, " If that is an Isle of 
 Wight pilot, and I can get him on board, we will 
 run into port and repair damages.'^ Now, we had 
 sustained no damage to make it necessary to put 
 in, and no one on board had anticipated such a 
 thing ; but the old man's gin-case was getting dry, 
 and to him that was a serious matter. 
 
 Therefore we made signal to the boat, and she 
 bore up for us, heaving-to on our weather-quarter, 
 and reporting herself as a Cowes pilot-boat. A 
 pilot was requested to come on board ; but how he 
 was to get to us was the question. No small boat 
 could live in that sea, and the vessels could only 
 approach each other within hailing distance. The 
 pilot-boat, under snug sail, kept to windward, and 
 hailed us to "stand by and throw them a line." 
 Having made his arrangements, he bore away for 
 us, and, luffing up under our quarter, at a distance 
 to prevent collision, we threw the rope, and it was 
 caught. Ouf vessel was lying-to, with the main 
 topsail aback. We saw an old, small-sized man 
 
' • 
 
 i6 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 
 
 
 examine the rope, and then make it fast around his 
 body, leaving about a fathom spare-end, which he 
 made fast to a lanyard of a tarpaulin bag. 
 
 " Haul in the slack," shouted the pilot ; and we 
 did so. " Stand by to haul in handsomely ; " and 
 we stood by. " Haul in," shouted he again, at the 
 same time jumping overboard. We hauled in as 
 quickly as was consistent with safety. Sometimes 
 he was on top of a sea, and the next moment hid 
 from our sight behind it ; and finally we safely 
 hauled him and his bag up the gangway. The 
 old sea-dog had no sooner got one leg over the 
 vessel's rail laan he squirted the salt-water from 
 his mouth, and took a look aloft. " Fill away the 
 main topsail there. Hard-up your helm," and 
 walked aft to trim the yards, with as much im- 
 concern as if he had stepped on board from a 
 wharf. 
 
 The port was under our lee, so, with square 
 yards and a reef let out fore and aft, we were 
 soon spinning towards it ; and now, being at leis- 
 ure, we looked to see what kind of a fish wc had 
 hauled on board. He was an old man of over 
 sixty years, and said he had three sons on board 
 his craft, who were all branch-pilots. In reply to 
 Uncle Toby's question why one of them had not 
 come, he said " they were stout, heavy men, and 
 not so easily pulled in." 
 
 That afternoon we anchored at Splthead, and 
 remained there about two weeks. A few fresh 
 provisions were laid in, and the schnapps were not 
 forgotten. Uncle Toby had a love for hot toddy, 
 
IN A GALE. 
 
 d his 
 ch he 
 
 k1 we 
 ' and 
 at the 
 
 in as 
 ctimes 
 nt hid 
 
 safely 
 The 
 /er the 
 :r from 
 vay the 
 1," and 
 Lich iin- 
 
 from a 
 
 square 
 
 re were 
 
 at leis- 
 
 \vc had 
 
 of over 
 
 ,n board 
 
 reply to 
 
 had not 
 
 ncn, and 
 
 ei 
 
 iad, and 
 cw fresh 
 were not 
 ot toddy. 
 
 and could occasionally take it cold ; but hot in the 
 morning, with a bit of toasted biscuit in it, which 
 he called a frog, he had a particular weakness for. 
 To do him justice, I do not remember that he ever 
 got so much over the bay as to be noticed for it 
 during the voyage. 
 
 We left Spithead with a fair wind, that in five 
 days ran us one-third of our passage ; after this, 
 continual heavy gales from north-west to south-west 
 kept us under close reefs most of the time, and very 
 frequently we were under bare poles. For twenty- 
 five days we did not make as many miles towards 
 our port. In fifty-six days from Spithead we were 
 up with the Banks of Newfoundland, and in thirty- 
 two days after struck soundings on Georges. From 
 this point, thirty-four hours' fair wind would have 
 run us into port ; but we were fated otherwise. 
 During the passage thus far, there had repeatedly 
 been times when the vessel was hove-to, or under 
 very small canvas, and doing nothing, when she 
 should have been under a press of sail, and making 
 good progress ; but she was not attended to by 
 those in command, hence the length of the passage, 
 and the troubles that followed. 
 
 We were now on our coast, in midwinter ; our 
 sails mostly blown away, the spars crippled, bul- 
 warks and stanchions partly gone, the stern-boat 
 washed away, the vessel sprung aleak. We were 
 short of provisions and water, and the ice was 
 making over the vessel. The day after reaching 
 soundings, we had a furious gale from the north- 
 west, and piercing cold weather. While lying-to 
 
 2 
 
l1 
 
 9B 
 
 i8 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 T 
 
 
 J 
 
 if 
 
 IV " • 
 
 in this gale, the leak increased. During the night 
 all hands were at the pumps, and even Uncle Toby 
 had his head out of the companion-way. The 
 storm was raging fearfully ; the poor little Corporal 
 stasfsrerinor under a close-reefed main topsail, frc- 
 quently shipping bad seas, and groaning at every 
 joint. No man could be spared off deck. I was 
 ordered by the mate to " take a lantern and go 
 down into the hold, and see if the water was rising 
 there." Passing through the cabin, I got below, 
 but could not get far down, as some of the water- 
 casks had broken loose, and many other articles 
 were travelling from side to side in a dangerous 
 manner. I could hear a tremendous commotion 
 of water, but could not tell whether it was inside 
 or out ; what with the clanging of both pumps, the 
 noise of the water rising between the timbers at 
 every roll of the vessel, the fury of the gale above, 
 and the stamping of the men on deck, together with 
 the peculiar service I was on, I was, for the first 
 time during the voyage, frightened, sea-sick, and 
 sick of the sea. 
 
 After the vessel was freed from water, the mate 
 went into the cabin to consult with Uncle Toby. 
 The result was that she was put before the wind, 
 the foresail and fore topsail were set, and the 
 Corporal was soon marching south, with a quick 
 step, to look for kinder skies. The leak, which 
 was mostly in the upper works, decreased, and 
 we had to pump only about half of the time to 
 keep her free. We supposed the object in running 
 off the coast was to get into the warm water of the 
 
 
A CHANGE OF COURSE. 
 
 :he night 
 cle Toby 
 V. The 
 Corporal 
 3 sail, Tre- 
 at every 
 k. I was 
 1 and go 
 ,vas rising 
 ot below, 
 he water- 
 IX articles 
 dangerous 
 ommotion 
 vas inside 
 )umps, the 
 limbers at 
 ale above, 
 ether with 
 r the first 
 sick, and 
 
 the mate 
 icle Toby. 
 the wind, 
 and the 
 th a quick 
 eak, which 
 ased, and 
 le time to 
 in running 
 aterof the 
 
 Gulf, to clear the vessel of ice, repair damages, and 
 make another push for Boston Bay ; but we reached 
 the thawing-out place, and still, with all sail set, 
 kept steering to the south-east. The crew were 
 wondering what the old man was up to, and finally 
 concluded to deputize old Jack Day to go aft for 
 information. Uncle Toby very kindly informed 
 the people's representative that he was nearly 
 worn out by hanging on the coast and trying to 
 get in, and had concluded to bear away for the 
 West Indies. This was received by the crew with 
 murmurs of discontent. '' Trying to hang on," 
 said Abe Low ; '• the truth is that he hangs on 
 to the gin-cask so long that all his trying is to get 
 into his berth." " We can get into Newport, or 
 New York," said another. 
 
 The general feeling, at last, was that of pleasure : 
 we should get rid of the winter ; pay was going 
 on, and, if we did not starve before we got in, it 
 was all right. I was not a competent judge of such 
 matters then ; but have since been convinced that 
 there was little occasion to abandon the coast as 
 we did. But to the same lack of good seamanship 
 and general good judgment, which was responsible 
 for our long passage thus far, this unnecessary and 
 unwise determination must be attributed. 
 
 After passing Bermuda, and before reaching the 
 trade-winds, we Vvcre becalmed for about two 
 weeks in the " Ilorse-latitudcs " ; and here we lay, 
 day after day, our eyes familiarized to the same 
 fields of Sargossa weed, through which we could 
 not urge our way, — the sails hanging idly from 
 
i 
 
 LI : 
 
 V V' 
 
 I 
 
 iO 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 the yards, the pitch oozing from the scams, pro- 
 visions growing short, and the fresh water becom- 
 ing anything but fresh. A porpoise, a dolphin or 
 a shark would have been a God-send, but none 
 came near us. While in tliis condition it was 
 thought best to muster up all the provisions on 
 board, and see what we actually had, and this sug- 
 gestion came from the forecastle. It was found 
 that we had one barrel of good bread, one ditto of 
 mouldy, the last barrel of beef was on broach, and 
 less than one hundred gallons of water remained. 
 It was determined at once that the provisions should 
 be equally divided, and that but one quart of water 
 a day should be served out to each man. In the 
 division of the bread, it was suggested by the mate 
 that the boy should have one-third less than the 
 men, and my Uncle Toby was of like mind ; but, 
 " No," shouted old Jack Day, " the boy's life is 
 as dear to him as yours is to you, — we'll all share 
 alike"; and we did. Each one had his little bag 
 of good bread, the same of bad, to do with as he 
 thought proper. 
 
 A few days after this, we took a light breeze, 
 which fiinned us into the north-east trades ; we 
 were now steering well to the eastward, calculating 
 to get into the latitude of the Island of St. Bartholo- 
 mew, well to the windward of it, and then bear 
 away west. Chronometers were not common in 
 those days. A plain quadrant, to get the latitude at 
 noon, was the only nautical instrument on board 
 with which to ascertain our position. As for lunar 
 distances, no one on board knew anything about 
 
 A 
 
 J 
 
SHORT OF WATER. 
 
 21 
 
 lis, pro- 
 bccom- 
 
 phiii «r 
 ,it none 
 
 it was 
 iions on 
 his sug- 
 \s found 
 
 ditto of 
 ach, and 
 imained. 
 IS should 
 of water 
 , In the 
 the mate 
 than the 
 ind ; but, 
 's life is 
 all share 
 little bag 
 ith as he 
 
 it breeze, 
 ides; we 
 alculating 
 Ijurtholo- 
 thcn bear 
 nimon in 
 atitude at 
 on board 
 for lunar 
 iing about 
 
 them, consequently our longitude was pretty much 
 all guess-work. Of course, when we were in the 
 latitude of the island, we had nothing to do but 
 steer wc*t (guessing we were east of it), and keep 
 a good look-out for land ahead. Uncle Toby and 
 his assistant navigator judged we were fifty miles 
 to the east of the island ; after running that dis- 
 tance, no land was to be seen two days later ; and 
 when we had run over a hundred and fifty miles 
 after bearing away, the Island 'oomcd up before 
 us. When we had made the land the water allow- 
 ance had been reduced to a pint a day, and it was 
 with difficulty we ^ould use up that, not on account 
 of the quantity, but the quality. The nose had to 
 be held while drinking'it, and it would rope when 
 held up with the thumb and finger. 
 
 Since that voyage, in over forty years' experience 
 at sea, I have never suffered anything from hunger 
 and thirst compared with my suflerings then. How 
 often did I, in my dreams at night during that 
 time, imagine myself by the green mossy banks of 
 some murmuring brook, with its clear, cool water 
 leaping from the little falls, and gurgling among 
 the dark stones, or spreading itself into thin, clear 
 sheets over a gravelly bottom ; how I lay down on 
 the bank to drink, and drank, and drank, and 
 drank, but remained unsatisfied. Then I was 
 away again in the milk-room of t '^ " old farm," 
 where I had spent the happiest dr /s of my boy- 
 hood, — the nicely-sanded floor, the spotless shelves, 
 the huge pans of cool, rich milk glistening in a 
 row ; how I seized one of the pans and hurriea it 
 
22 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 i 
 
 If . " 
 
 I ■ ' 
 
 to my lips, but they refused to be satisfied ; and 
 soon the cry of, " You boy, turn out ! " disturbed 
 the feast, and dissipated the dream. The remem- 
 brance of the dreams of that time is now so 
 strongly impressed upon my mind, that I never see 
 a running brook but I am inclined to do it rever- 
 ence ; and as for the milk-pans, the cat has often 
 been condemned for depredations in disturbing the 
 cream, which might be safely charged to my 
 account. 
 
 Kind and considerate Uncle Toby, your advice 
 to me to eat up my mouldy bread first, and keep 
 the best to eat last, as you were doing, I did not 
 heed. My motto v/as, eat the best first, and then 
 you always have the best ; and, to prove that I was 
 right, I will add that, when we reached port, I had 
 just about finished my good bread and he his 
 mouldy. About a week before our arrival we 
 spoke a Dutch brig, bour.d to St* Thomas, which, 
 at first, was quite cordial to us, but as soon as she 
 ascertained we were in want she hauled her wind 
 and left us. After a passage of one hundred and 
 twenty-one days, we approached the harbor of 
 St. Bart. We hoisted a signal of distress, and 
 were soon boarded by some half dozen boats from 
 the American vessels in port, and supplied with 
 everything necessary for our comfort. Our crew 
 were too much enfeebled to do the work of furling 
 sails and mooring shif), and were not allowed 
 to do anything by our kind countrymen, who did 
 not leave our decks so long as they could find any 
 opportunity of helping us. 
 
 ■i 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 f 
 
 23 
 
 :d ; and 
 
 sturbed 
 remem- 
 now so 
 ever see 
 t rever- 
 las often 
 Ding the 
 to my 
 
 r advice 
 nd keep 
 
 did not 
 md then 
 lat I was 
 )it, I had 
 I he his 
 rival we 
 s, which, 
 on as she 
 her wind 
 dred und 
 arbor of 
 ress, and 
 oats from 
 lied with 
 Dur crew 
 of furling 
 allowed 
 , who did 
 
 find any 
 
 Uncle Toby took up his quarters on shore, and 
 left everything on board in charge of the mate. A 
 survey was held on the vessel, by parties appointed 
 by the consul, who decided that the vessel must be 
 hove out for repairs. Accordingly she was placed 
 at the end of the wharf, the ballast put out, the 
 sails and light spars were landed, — stores and 
 provisions there were none, — and the carpenter's 
 gang, with our crew, got all ready for turning the 
 Corporal's keel up for inspection. A large pur- 
 chase-block was lashed to the mainmast head, and 
 the lower block secured to the wharf. A stout 
 fall-rope led to the crab or capstan on the wharf, 
 at which our men and about thirty negroes were 
 heaving. The topmasts were kept up, and the 
 yards were " cock-bill." There was quite a num- 
 ber of spectators on the wharf, men, women, and 
 children. The maots were gradually descending 
 over their heads, as the keel was being turned up 
 in the opposite direction, when the masts snapped 
 off just above the deck, and the vessel was righted 
 in a hurry. This was a cai'cless and expensive 
 job, but the worst of it was, a poor black vyoman 
 was killed by the frlling mast; the blame rested 
 on the master carpentsr, who had the sole charge, 
 and who had to put in a new mast at his own 
 expense. 
 
 About the middle of April theTepairs were all 
 finished, sails and rigging put in good order, the 
 vessel painted from water-line to truck, and all 
 ready for sea ; but the Captain thought best to hold 
 
r 
 
 
 H 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 on till the first of May, when all fears of bad 
 weather on the coast were past. 
 
 We arrived home after a pleasant passage of 
 eighteen days, having been nine months on a voy- 
 age which probably could have been accomplished 
 in five, but for the mistaken economy of the own- 
 ers in putting a cheap captain in command. The 
 apathy of owners and underwriters in this matter is 
 astonishing. 
 
■■B»^rH5SS^^BB««B^H^!H?^^H 
 
 AGAIN AFLOAT, 
 
 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 AGAIN AFLOAT. 
 
 IN September, 181 7, I sailed from Boston in the 
 Pickerings a fine large brig, bound for the Pacific. 
 Our object was to procure a cargo of fur seal-skins 
 for the Canton market. Our captain was S. B. E., 
 an old sealer and north-west trader, an accom- 
 plished seaman and navigator, and also what the 
 sailors would call a " Tartar." We were fitted out 
 for three years. The ship's company consisted of 
 three mates, carpenter and cooper, cook and stew- 
 ard, and eighteen hands before the mast, of whom 
 only four shipped for able seamen, the remainder 
 being green hands. I was the only boy. We had 
 no wages, but went on what is called a " lay voy- 
 age" ; that is, the crew were to have a certain pro- 
 portion of the net proceeds of seal-skins and oil, 
 and the earnings of the ship ; my lay was one share 
 in one hundred and eighty. 
 
 The plan was to leave gangs of men on different 
 islands where fur seal and sea elephant were to 
 be found, to collect the fur of one and the oil of 
 the other. While these collections were making, 
 the vessel was to be engaged in the freighting busi- 
 ness wherever it was to be- found. For collecting 
 oil we had on board several hundred casks, and 
 
 I 
 
26 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 m 
 
 material to make others of, and an* experienced 
 cooper, with everything needful for his department. 
 We also had in frame, and taken apart, a schooner 
 of fifty tons. She was to be put up at one of the 
 islands, to be employed as a tender, and to ply 
 among the islands. We had five boats, and the 
 usual quantity of other articles for prosecuting such 
 a voyage. Landsmen who were stout and strong 
 were best adapted for the shore business of killing 
 elephant and seal, hence the large proportion of 
 green hands. These were expected to acquire a 
 knowledge of working in boats before reaching 
 the scene of operations, and would also learn some- 
 thing of seamanship. 
 
 I was in the last boat that put the owner on 
 shore just before sailing. At parting, he said to 
 us, " Boys, 3'ou'ye got everything on board but 
 cream ; that you'll get off Cape Horn." We had 
 been at sea but a few days, during which all hands 
 had been kept at work stowing away the hemp 
 cables and unstocking anchors, putting on chafing 
 gear, etc., when the rules and regulations for the 
 voyage were written by the Captain and posted 
 in the forecastle and steerage ; also the scale of 
 allowance of provisions to be served out to the 
 crew, with the minutest detail of everything eatable 
 and drinkable allowed thcni. The bread was 
 served out every Sunday morning — six pounds to 
 a man. Wc took our bags aft and received sepa- 
 rately all the bread we were to have for a week. 
 The beef, pork, and other things were served out 
 each day as they occurred on the bill of fare. The 
 
■ "Vt'r ' '.T7\'~;* '"y..rrr?'^' 
 
 HARD AT work: 
 
 27 
 
 water, one gallon a man per day, was measured 
 out every night after the decks were cleared up. 
 
 In choosing watches, the second mate took me 
 into his watch. Mr. B., our second officer, was an 
 excellent man, and, next to the Captain, the best 
 seaman on board ; he took a fancy to me, and was 
 my friend so long as we were together (about three 
 years). He knew how to carry on work to advan- 
 tage, was prompt in his duty, and permitted no 
 idling in his watch. I was sent to the wheel at 
 the commencement of the voyage, and allowed to 
 take my regular trick, while stout green hands 
 were not permitted there. In short, Mr. B. saw 
 that I was desirous of learning a sailor's duty, and 
 he was determined I should. There was a great 
 variety of work to be done on the passage out v/ith 
 reference to the wants of the gangs who were to 
 be left on the islands, so that all hands were kept 
 on deck every afternoon, and sometimes all day ; 
 watch and watch only being allowed us at night. 
 The captain was afraid we should get the scurvy if 
 we were not well worked. 
 
 The work we did not mind, but we were not 
 allowed sufficient food. After getting well over 
 sea-sickness, green hands, especially, ate all the 
 meat at dinner which was intended for three meals ; 
 consequently for supper and breakfast they had 
 nothins: but tea and bread. Sometimes mush was 
 served out for breakfast instead of tea and coffee, 
 and on those da3's we got along very well. There 
 was no occasion for short commons, as there 
 was an abundance of provisions on board. We 
 

 /. 
 
 28 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 divided ourselves into messes of six persons In each ; 
 and when the kid of beef, or pork, or whatever it 
 might be, was brought into the forecastle, the ca- 
 terer of each mess for the week would divide it into 
 six parts ; telling one of the others to turn his back 
 to the grub, and, pointing his knife to one portion 
 of it, he called out, "Who shall have that?" An 
 individual was named, and so it was all allotted. 
 There was not always fairness in this : for instance, 
 with an understanding between them, the caterer 
 was first named, and then the caller, for the first 
 two pieces, which were always the best. It was 
 some time before this arrangement was found out ; 
 but, as a general thing, the greenest hands got the 
 poorest pieces. 
 
 We ran to the eastward until we took a heavy 
 blow from that quarter, and then crossing the Gulf 
 Stream, made good progress towards the Equator. 
 We experienced a heavy gale in the Gulf, with terrific 
 thunder and lightning, and heavy rain. And here 
 we were exercised pretty severely ; in the night, all 
 hands were called to reef topsails, and then the royal 
 and top-gallant yards had to be sent down. Of 
 course, bungling work was made of it. This was 
 the first really bad w^eathcr we had experienced. 
 Some of the fellows were sea-sick, and had as much 
 as they could do to hold on aloft without doing 
 much else. I could rig, or send down a royal yard, 
 before I went to sea ; therefore I got along very 
 well. 
 
 After a long job of it, the yards were got down, 
 the rigging all taut, and coiled up, and we were in 
 
PEGGING A WAT. 
 
 29 
 
 hopes of hearing the .order " go below the watch," 
 as it was our watch below ; but no such good 
 luck : we had no " Uncle Toby " on the quarter- 
 deck now. The Captain was not satisfied with the 
 way the work was done. "Keep them up, sir," 
 said he, addressing Mr. Chapman, the chief mate, 
 " and let them strike the top-gallant masts." "Lar- 
 board watch up forward, and starboard watch aft," 
 was the order ; so up aft I travelled, with the only 
 able seaman of our watch, and one or two others. 
 The night was as stormy as it well could be : it 
 rained in torrents, the brig was under double-reefed 
 topsails, the incessant thunder and lightning was 
 terrific, and the darkness between the flashes seemed 
 double-distilled. We rove the mast-rope, cleared 
 away the rigging, and sung out, " Sway away ; " 
 but we could not start the fid. The rascally rig- 
 gers in Boston had driven it in tight, it had sv*^ollen 
 from being wet, and we were about two hours in 
 getting the mast down. The fellows forward were 
 more successful. All hands were on deck all of 
 that night, but the Captain was there too, so no- 
 body could grumble. 
 
 As we entered the north-east trades, the weather 
 became fine. All hands had now got their sea-legs 
 on, and the work became easier. The principal 
 occupation f< i' the crew was making seal-pegs. It 
 would require fourteen pegs to each skin to stretch 
 it out on the ground to dry ; for tliis purpose we 
 had on board a great many ash staves, to be con- 
 verted into pegs about a foot long, and sharpened 
 at one end ; so for about a month all hands, in the 
 
30 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \ 
 
 afternoon, were spread about the forward deck, saw- 
 ing, splitting, and sharpening stickj. This whit- 
 tling business was quite agreeable, but we were 
 still pinched in our provisions. 
 
 In about sixty days from Boston, we made the 
 island of Trinadada, oft' the Brazil coast, a bar- 
 ren, rocky place, without inhabitants, and- with 
 scarcely any vegetation on it. As our Captain 
 knew that sea-fowls and rock-fish abounded here, a 
 boat was sent in shore in the afternoon, while the 
 vessel was becalmed, to catch fish. She returned 
 after dark, with a fine lot of fish, and reported the 
 wreck of a vessel, partly burnt, lying on shore. 
 There were sails, rigging, etc., scattered about the 
 rocks, and nobody there ; therefore the Captain 
 concluded to lie by for the night, and send the 
 boats on shore the next morning, to see what " wee 
 things " were to be picked up. At early daybreak 
 we started for the island, then about three miles 
 distant, with two boats. I was in the chief mate's 
 boat, to which I had been appointed some time be- 
 fore ; so tha<- when the larboard quarter-boat was 
 lowered away, I was always to be in her. The 
 boats had always been lowered when it was calm, 
 and the boat's crews exercised at the oars. This 
 suited me, for it was soon found that I pulled as 
 good an oar as any one on board. I was often sent 
 in charge of the boat, to teach those who were green 
 at the business. 
 
 During the night we had joined company with 
 the whaling ship Coquette., of London, and in the 
 morning found that her boats were pulling in after 
 
''.«7,"'-vT/--"-'^^ - 
 
 7 ^T'Ti^ y~V''tT^r^V,'V~V't*-'. "^T^ 
 
 THE WRECK. 
 
 31 
 
 c, saw- 
 , vvhit- 
 ; were 
 
 de the 
 a bar- 
 id' with 
 !!;aptam 
 here, a 
 lile the 
 jturned 
 •ted the 
 
 shore. 
 lOut the 
 Japtain 
 Mid the 
 t "■ wee 
 lybrcuk 
 e miles 
 
 mate's 
 ime be- 
 oat was 
 r. The 
 IS cahn, 
 This 
 
 lied as 
 
 'ten sent 
 
 re green 
 
 ny with 
 
 I in the 
 
 in after 
 
 us. The shores were rough and rocky, and the 
 surf was breaking heavily. The wreck of a brig 
 lay at the water's edge in a small cove open to the 
 swell, and where a boat could not land, but a pro- 
 tection was found under the lee of ii projecting 
 point of rocks, where, by watching the chance be- 
 tween the rollers, we backed in, and landed some 
 of the men with a rope to make fast to the shore. 
 One of the boats was then anchored well out, and 
 the shore line hauled taut. The other boat was 
 hauled off' and on with ease and safety. I was left 
 at the stationary boat, and while the people on 
 shore were ripping the copper from the wreck, and 
 getting cargoes ready for the boats, the boat-keep- 
 ers were employed in fishing. 
 
 The wreck appeared to be that of a brig of about 
 two hundred tons ; from books and papers found 
 about her, it was evident that she was a French ves- 
 sel. There was evidence that she had caught fire 
 in the vicinity of the island, and that the crew had 
 remained some time on shore, as the tents con- 
 structed from the spars and sails still remained, 
 with many cooking utensils, and quite a variety of 
 the Vessel's furniture, much broken. The shore 
 abounded with quantities of cheap toys, trinkets, 
 and stuff", which appeared to have been intended 
 for native trade, on the coast of Africa. Our fel- 
 lows, who landed, came on board loaded with a 
 variety of trinkets of little value, but we got a 
 supply for all hands of pots and pans, spoons, 
 knives and forks, and lamps, which, though much 
 battei'ed, served a good purpose during our voyage. 
 
32 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 
 i 
 
 We returned on board in the afternoon, both boats 
 deeply laden with copper, sails, rigging, and fish ; 
 the Coquette^s boats shared about the same. 
 
 One of the crew brought on board, from the 
 island, a lady's slipper, which he found in one of 
 the tents ; it was a beautifully embroidered article, 
 of delicate shape and proportions, and was totally 
 different in character iVom the other things that 
 were picked up. The fellow who found it searched 
 for its mate, but without success. We called it the 
 " Cinderella slipper," and intended to have it hung 
 up in the forecastle in a glass case (if we could get 
 one), as a thing to be held in reverence ; but the skip- 
 per heard of its marvellous beauty, and demanded 
 to see it, and of. course it went to ornament his 
 room. Our common eyes never looked upon this 
 thing of beauty again ; but it found its mate in 
 after years, and I will digress for a minute to tell 
 how and where. 
 
 Between two and three years afterwards our ves- 
 sel was at the Isle of France (Mauritius) ; the 
 Captain was at a dinner-party at the house of a 
 French merchant, and with the lady of the house 
 was examining her collection of curios'ties, when 
 his eyes rested on a slipper lying on a mantel, 
 which seemed to him to be a counterpart of the 
 one he had on board. He said as much to the 
 lady. She replied, " If you have the mate to that 
 slipper you must have got it at the Island of Trin- 
 idada, for I lost it there some years ago." " It 
 was there I found it," said the Captain, " and I 
 should be happy to restore it to its owner." It 
 
 { 
 
A TALE OF A SLIPPER. 
 
 33 
 
 th boats 
 id fish ; 
 
 om the 
 one of 
 article, 
 < totally 
 i£s that 
 icarched 
 ;d it the 
 it hung 
 ould get 
 the skip- 
 iiTianded 
 nent his 
 pon this 
 mate in 
 ;e to tell 
 
 was then ascertained that the lady was accompa- 
 nying her husband on a trading voyage to Mada- 
 gascar ; when near Trinidada, the vessel, from some 
 cause, took fire, which they could not extinguish; 
 they smothered it until they could run the brio- 
 ashore, aud landed with what they could save. 
 They were taken ofi' by a passing vessel a few 
 months after, and brought to the Isle of France, 
 where the merchant established himself in business 
 The lady, in gathering up her things to leave the 
 island, lost her slipper, which, after long separa- 
 tion, was now restored to its mate. 
 
 our ves- 
 js) ; the 
 use of a 
 he house 
 ,es, when 
 I mantel, 
 rt of the 
 ch to the 
 ite to that 
 
 of Trin- 
 
 TO." " It 
 
 , "and I 
 imer." It 
 
^ 
 
 34 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 In- 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 
 
 WE soon left the south-east trade-winds, and 
 as vvd approached the Falkland Islands, the 
 weather was getting to be cold. Our allowance of 
 provisions had been insufficient in warm weather, 
 and was less satisfying now, as we needed more 
 food to withstand the cold ; the allowance, in fact, 
 was really less than heretofore. We now had but 
 five pounds of bread a week ; onb pound had been 
 stopped, and, in lieu of it, one potato a day was 
 served out to each man. We could not stand this, 
 and chobC a man from each mess to go aft and 
 respectfully ask for more. The C aptain called the 
 steward, and asked him " if bo did not serve out 
 potatoes to the people every day." " Yes, sah, I 
 give them what you told me to, — one potato apiece 
 every day." " Well, isn't that enough for you ? " 
 asked the Captain of the poor fellows, who, with 
 their hats in their hands, and not much in their 
 stomachs, stood before the well-fed corporation of 
 our autocrat. " No, sir, it is not enough." " Then, 
 steward, give them half a potato more apiece, and 
 
 burst the b s," using a coarse epithet. We had 
 
 a little addition to the quantity, but nobody burst 
 in consequence. 
 
 I 
 J 
 
 ! 
 
^ 
 
 mm^^^f^rw^^^mmwm^'^ffir 
 
 MIKE THE BANKER, 
 
 35 
 
 nds, and 
 ands, the 
 vvance of 
 weather, 
 ded more 
 e, in fact, 
 V had but 
 had been 
 1 day was 
 itand this, 
 o aft and 
 called the 
 serve out 
 i''es, sah, I 
 tato apiece 
 for you?" 
 who, with 
 h in their 
 Doration of 
 " Then, 
 piece, and 
 , We had 
 abody burst 
 
 >> 
 
 a 
 
 I was a growing boy, blest with good health, and 
 a corrcspontling appetite, and required as much, if 
 not more, food than a man. I have frequently 
 taken my week's allowance of bread on a Sunday 
 morning and linished it all before night; others did 
 the same. 
 
 One of our able seamen was MikCj an old English 
 man-of-war's-man. He wa? in the watch to which 
 I belonged, and I think he was a good sailor. 
 When he came on board in Boston he brought 
 witn him a man-of-war's-man's clolhes-bag, contain- 
 ing all the clothes and duds, of all descriptions, 
 which the fellow owned, and now, when we were 
 three months out, he owned the best chest in the 
 forecastle, well filled with good clothing ; and he 
 had, besides, a good mattrass and bedding, and 
 the best stock of boots and shoes on board. The 
 Captain had any quantity of slop clothing, tobacco, 
 etc., that a sailor is likely to want. The store-room 
 was opened on Sunday morning, and he was ready 
 to sell us at sea prices, to be paid at the end of 
 the voyage ; but Mike had never patronized the 
 Captain to the amount of a plug of tobacco. Mike, 
 the man-of-war's-man, ate very little bread, but an 
 immense amount of tobacco, and, like most old 
 sailors, did not require nearly so much food as green 
 hands do after they get over their sickness ; so that 
 while others would have used up all their bread 
 before thj: week was half out, Mike would have 
 nearly half of his remaining at t\ie end of the 
 week, and what he had over he was willing to 
 lend us, who were always " short," provided, at 
 
36 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 the next serving-out day, we paid him at the rate 
 of two biscuit for one, — heavy interest, to be sure, 
 but there were always borrowers enough in the 
 market. Well., Mike set up banking on his own 
 account. Business was brisk with him, and on 
 serving-out day he would sometimes have paid into 
 his bank from ten to fifteen pounds of bread. 
 Having thus secured a capital, and keeping a 
 number of bags of his bread, as a basis, in reserve, 
 he began nov; to invest his weekly income in some- 
 thing that could not be eaten up. 
 
 We were all, or most of us, in debt to the bank, 
 which, like all institutions of that kind, had no 
 mercy for its debtors. 
 
 "You can't pay in kind, but I will take clothing, 
 and will begin with a chest to put it in," said our 
 " Shylock." So one poor debtor had to part with 
 a chest for perhaps a dozen biscuit ; then jackets, 
 trousers, flannel shirts, tobacco, shoes, etc., fol- 
 lowed for a similar consideration, and the contents 
 of our chests and bags were being rapidly trans- 
 ferred to Mike's, at ruinous figures, and much be- 
 low the home-cost. Those who were getting short 
 of their assets could draw from the Captain's slop- 
 chest to meet their liabilities ; and on we wx*nt, 
 being ground by the two millstones (the Captain 
 and Mike), and trusting to luck for what might 
 turn up. Mike was bidding fair to become a second 
 Rothschild, and his customers were almost bank- 
 rupt. One morning, when it was blowing hard, 
 and v/e were under close-reefed topsails, and pitch 
 ing into a head sea, I was at the wheel, just aftei 
 
 f 
 
 fc 
 I 
 
 P 
 vvi 
 
'V-TT^ - 
 
 BREAKING THE BANK. 
 
 37 
 
 he rate 
 )e sure, 
 
 in the 
 lis own 
 and on 
 aid into 
 
 bread. 
 2ping a 
 reserve, 
 in some- 
 he bank, 
 
 had no 
 
 clothing, 
 
 said our 
 
 part with 
 
 jackets, 
 etc., fol- 
 ; contents 
 dly trans- 
 much be- 
 lting short 
 lun's slop- 
 we went, 
 ic Captain 
 hat might 
 e a second 
 nost bank- 
 vnig hard, 
 
 and pitch 
 , just aftei 
 
 dayhght, when it was discovered that the lanyard 
 of one of the bob-stays had parted. The watch 
 were busy reeving a new one. It was just finished, 
 and Mike was under the bowsprit fastening ofT the 
 end, when the vessel pitched heavily into the sea, 
 and Mike was washed ofl'. I heard the cry, "A 
 man overboard ! " and saw men rushing to throw 
 him ropes. The lee main-brace was coiled up on 
 a pin abreast of me, and, letthig go of the wheel, 
 I sprang to the quarter, caught up the coil, and, 
 looking over the side, saw the man abreast of the 
 main chains, floating along aft, apparently uncon- 
 scious, as he was making no effort to save himself. 
 1 threw the coil of rope upon his breast ; but he 
 heeded it not, and sank to rise no more, a short dis- 
 tance from the stern. The main-topsail was being 
 backed, and the helm was ordered to be put down ; 
 but Mr. B., the second mate, saw it was useless, 
 and the vessel was kept on its way. 
 
 The watch below were not disturbed, and knew 
 nothing of the event. Before it v/as time for my 
 relief from the wheel, I was thinking where my 
 breakfast was to come from. Hunger had over- 
 come my grief for poor Mike : a thought flashed 
 into my mind. I asked the officer to have me 
 relieved from the wheel, and I was soon in the 
 forecaP'.le, overhauling the deposits of the bank. 
 I had opened the chest, and transferred a bag of 
 bread to my own, and was picking out the articles 
 of clothinfj which belonged to me and had been 
 pled;;ed as collateral, when some of the watch 
 waked up and asked what I was about. I told 
 
 
 
 r ft' 
 
38 
 
 FORF AND AFT. 
 
 them that Mike had gone astern, and I was taking 
 quiet possession of what belonged to me. That 
 was enough for them ; their berths were soon 
 emptied, and so was Mike's chest, and the chest 
 itself appropriated by the original owner. Thus 
 Mike's estate was promptly settled without refer- 
 ence to the courts, and the heirs were all satisfied. 
 After breakfast (and I had ,a good one), the cap- 
 tain sent the mate forward to have the dead man's 
 things taken aft ; and the bag that the poor fellow 
 brought on board with him was passed up, with 
 but a Flemish account of clothing in it. I do not 
 pretend that the manner of appropriating the goods 
 was strictly legal ; but then justice and law are 
 often at variance with each other, and in the 
 present case nobody will say that the Captain had 
 as much right to the property in question as we 
 had. So ended Mike, the man-of-war's-man. 
 
 I stated in a previous chapter that I made way 
 with a week's allowance of bread on the day it was 
 served out. This needs explanation — it was thus : 
 the allowance was five pounds, about half of which 
 was due, and had to be paid to Mike ; the remainder 
 it was not difficult for a hungry boy to put under 
 his jacket in the course of twenty-four hours 
 Well, it may be asked, what did you do for brcar* 
 the rest of the week ? We were allowed a gill of 
 rum a day, each man, which was served out at 
 noon, with dinner. At that time this article was 
 considered an indispensable item among .sMp'.s 
 stores; but, to the credit of our crew, tli jre wci-', 
 ')ut few, excepting the old tars, that drank Uuiir 
 
 I 
 
 e 
 
-T^f^V'^'^^^'-r'^^^^ "' 
 
 ~ "^ ■^rr^^Tv" 
 
 ■j-Sfi'TC*«^^?^!^'.VW ','•' *i^ j», f^pTTs^,^^'!^* 
 
 PRIGGING A PUDDING, 
 
 39 
 
 \ taking 
 That 
 •e soon 
 le chest 
 . Thus 
 at refer- 
 jatisfied. 
 the cap- 
 id man's 
 Dr fellow 
 up, with 
 
 I do not 
 he goods 
 
 law are 
 I in the 
 )tain had 
 3n as we 
 lan. 
 
 ladc way 
 lay it was 
 was thus : 
 • of which 
 remainder 
 put under 
 )ur hours 
 ) for breafi 
 ;d a gill of 
 ^ed out at 
 article was 
 :)ng ship's 
 there wci-''- 
 Irank their 
 
 grog. Our merchant, Mike, took all the grog he 
 could get, and drank it, too. I am not sure but 
 that had something to do with his falling from the 
 bowsprit ; however, the standing price for a gill of 
 rum was two biscuit. We also had flour duff for 
 dinner two days in a week, and, as on tuose days 
 -vr^. who did not drink could generally exchange 
 c.; vor duff, it helped us out. The meat for the 
 twenty-four hours was only sufficient for one meal ; 
 as a substitute for this, we used the slush from the 
 cook's barrel so freely, to eat on our bread, that the 
 salt slush had to be locked up fi'om us. 
 
 It chanced that, one morning, while we were off 
 Terra-dcl-Fuego, in the latter part of the middle 
 watch, I was relieved from the wheel, and on my 
 way forward sat down under the lee of the galley. 
 The night iiad been cold and wet, and we had been 
 much exc)'. iS!..;d ; I was wet, hungry, and tired, and 
 the br-:.. i ^p-- was empty. I remembered seeing 
 the ste\ 'U: '. • y^'^^ up something from the cabin the 
 previous eve . in";, and heard him tell the cook to 
 put it in ti»^ o' en for the cabin breakfast next morn- 
 ing, and I made up my mind to get it, if I could. 
 " Hunger," it is said, " will break througli a stone 
 wall " ; and, of course, it was no great job for me, 
 with a marling-spike, to draw a staple and effect an 
 entr:u.c : to the cook's galley. This 1 did, and after 
 jverhru, ■ ' t'le premises, found the large part of a 
 pudding. Tucking my prize into my bosom, be- 
 tween my shirt and jacket, I went, unobserved by 
 any one, along the lee side of the deck and up the 
 lee rigging into the fore-top, where I sat dovn, and 
 
 n. 
 
FORE AND AFT. 
 
 had what I considered a glorious tuck-oat, without 
 any thought or care as to how the bill was to be 
 footed. Our watch went below at four o'clock, and 
 turned in. At seven bells, the watch was called as 
 usual, but with ■>■! unusual addition of "All hands 
 muster aft on tht • er-deck." I well knew what 
 was coming; but a I went with the rest. All 
 hands were ordered to form a line on the lee side ; 
 the old man was pacing up and down the quarter- 
 deck, so much excited that it was evident to every 
 one that the subject of his address would not be of 
 a peaceable character. " Now, you scoundrels,'* 
 he began, " some of you have broken into the gal- 
 ley and stolen my breakfast. I am going to find 
 out who it was, and when I have found him I will 
 flog him till I see his back-bone." Then he put the 
 question : " Was it you ? " " No, sir." " You } " 
 " No, sir." *' You ? " " No," and proceeded down 
 the line. I was at the extreme end, purposely. I 
 did not know but somebody might say "■ Yes," be- 
 fore I was reached, or, if not, i, being only a boy, 
 might be overlooked ; but no such good luck. He 
 came to me with, " Was it you ? " On the first 
 taking of the question, I thought it best to vote 
 with the majority, and did so, probably to see what 
 the efiect would be. " So you all deny it, do you? 
 You'll get no breakfast then. The matter shall be 
 owned, or you remain as you are." I at once 
 stepped out, and said, " All hands should not be 
 punished for the sin of one. I did it. I stole your 
 pudding." Tiie Captain grabbed me by the throat, 
 and shook me. '' You ? you young scamp, are you 
 
 t 
 
CRUISING ABOUT. 
 
 41 
 
 without 
 as to be 
 ock, and 
 :alled as 
 .11 hands 
 ew what 
 ;st. All 
 lee side ; 
 quarter- 
 to every 
 lot be of 
 undrels," 
 ) the gal- 
 f to find 
 im I will 
 le put the 
 "You?" 
 ded down 
 )0sely. I 
 Yes," be- 
 ly a boy, 
 lick. He 
 I the first 
 t to vote 
 see what 
 , do you ? 
 r shall be 
 [ at once 
 Id not be 
 stole your 
 he throat, 
 p, are you 
 
 the thief?" *' 1 am that individual." "Then I 
 shall flog you." " Well, sir, you'll flog' on a full 
 stomach, that's some comfort." My jacket was 
 pretty well dusted with the rope's end, the crew 
 were piped to breakfast, and that was the end of it. 
 And here I will say that this was the only time I 
 ever received a blow from a captain, or any officer 
 of a ship, in all my sea-life. 
 
 It was not long after this that a pig was missing 
 from a litter that was fattening for cabin use. This, 
 also, was charged to the crew. He had been 
 thrown overboard for revenge, the Captain thought, 
 and all hands were punished for it by being kept 
 on deck at extra work. Some we^ks after, the pig 
 was found dead in the hold, having tumbled dov/'ti 
 the hatchway. I know of no other reason for the 
 crew remaining so quiet as they did under such 
 treatment, than that they were mostly green hands, 
 and afraid of the Captain. 
 
 After rcconnoitering about the Falkland Islands, 
 without finding seal enough to warrant us in leav- 
 ing a gang there, we ran over to Staten Land, and 
 Terra del Fuego, where for several weeks we had 
 some very hard and dangerous boating about those 
 shores, without bringing the vessel to anchor, and 
 finding the prospect here discouraging, we steered 
 south, for the South Georgia group of islands. We 
 hove to, oft' Wallis's Island, landed with two boats, 
 and procured about fifty fur seal-skins and a quan- 
 tity of birds, but the seal not being very numerous, we 
 steered oft' further south for Sandwich Land, which 
 was considered at that time the southern Thule. 
 
 •m 
 
 if 
 
 i'M 
 
 ,<i* 
 
 M 
 
 
 
 ,.^K 
 
 '4m 
 
% 
 
 42 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 After some weeks of hard buffeting with gales of 
 wind, amidst icebergs and cold weather, we ap- 
 proached near enough to the islands to see that they 
 were covered with snow and ice from the mountain 
 tops to th6 water's edge ; we could not make a 
 landing here, on account of the ice, and quitting 
 this forbidding-looking place, we ran to the east- 
 ward, and brought up next at Gough's Island. 
 Here some seal and sea-elephant were found, but 
 not enough to induce us to remain there long. 
 Continuing to the eastward, we next called at the 
 south island of Prince Edward's. Here the pros- 
 pect of obtaining what we were in search of was 
 much better, but we continued on farther east to 
 the Crozett Islands, and finally came to anchor 
 in Christmas Harbor, at the Island of Desolation. 
 After leaving the South Georgia group we had a 
 long run to the eastward, had crossed the meridian, 
 and were in about 70 degrees east longitude ; the 
 Captain, after taking a lunar distance, and working it 
 up one evening, when we were running with a fair, 
 strong breeze, told us to look out for a small, high 
 island, right ahead, called " Blijh's Cap." " At 10 
 P.M. you will see it, if my reckoning is right." 
 Within five minutes after ten, the look-out aloft 
 sung out, " Land ahead I " The old man's reckon- 
 ing was right ; for, as I have said before, he was an 
 excellent seaman and navigator. 
 
 The next day we were at the entrance of Christ- 
 mas Harbor, and it took us all of one day to beat 
 up to our anchorage. It was, in fact, a deep bay, 
 with bold shores on each side, so that we could 
 
 I 
 
 % 
 
BLOWN OUT TO SEA. 
 
 45 
 
 gales of 
 we ap- 
 
 that they 
 
 mountain 
 make a 
 quitting 
 
 tlie east- 
 s Island, 
 jund, but 
 
 re long, 
 ed at the 
 
 the pros- 
 :h of was 
 :r east to 
 anchor 
 esolation. 
 Ive had a 
 meridian, 
 tude ; the 
 vorkingit 
 ith a fair, 
 lall, high 
 
 " At lo 
 is right." 
 ■out aloft 
 s reckon- 
 e was an 
 
 >f Christ- 
 y to beat 
 leep bay, 
 NQ could 
 
 stand close in. Throughout the day it was blow- 
 ing hard, with strong squalls directly out, therefore 
 we had a dead beat to windward. I was kept at 
 the wheel most of the time, which was rather te- 
 dious ; but as the Captain was pleased with my 
 steering, and spoke many words of kindness and 
 encouragement, I was proud to be there. The 
 next three or four days we were engaged in the 
 boats, looking round to see what chance there 
 was to pick up a cargo. We did not find many 
 seal, but sea-elephant were plenty, and the Cap- 
 tain concluded to leave a gang here, and build our 
 schooner as a " tender," to hunt among the islands 
 of the group. It was blowing hard every day, 
 with white squalls ; but the water was smooth, so 
 that the boats could be out and work along the 
 shores. We soon obtained a bountiful supply of 
 birds and fish, and fared pretty well for provisions. 
 There was an inner harbor, into which we intended 
 to warp the vessel, land the material with a car- 
 penter and a gang of men, and then return to 
 Prince Edward's to leave another gang there. This 
 v/as the plan then decided upon by the Captain, as 
 he graciously informed us ; but on the morning of 
 the fourth day it was blowing a furious gale, 
 with white squalls, right out of the harbor ; and 
 although it was quite smooth, the vessel made snug, 
 and yards pointed to the wind, the anchor started, 
 and the vessel dragged out to sea with a heavy 
 anchor down, and ninety fathom of chain attached 
 to it. We did not get the anchor to the bow till 
 after dark the following day. The Captain then 
 
 m 
 
 ■i il 
 
 Ml 
 
 "1 
 
44 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 concluded to abandon Desolation, and return to 
 Prince Edward's, where the prospect was better 
 for our business than any place we had been at. 
 
 While lying at Christmas Harbor, I took a pretty 
 cold bath, and came near losing the number of my 
 mess. We had returned to the vessel about dark 
 with our boat, and were hoisting her up. I had 
 remained in the boat to hook her on ; she was 
 nearly up, and I was stooping down to take out 
 the plug from the bottom to let the water out, wlien 
 the stern tackle fall parted, and the end of the boat 
 fell into the water, pitching me overboard. The 
 tide was running very strong, and swept me astern. 
 The water was cold, the thermometer being just 
 above zero ; I was thickly clad, and with heavy 
 boots on I could not begin to stem the current, al- 
 though a good swimmer. Therefore my only effort 
 was to keep above water until a boat could reach 
 me. This I found a difficult task. I was chilled 
 through, and about sinking, when the bow-man 
 grabbed me, and hauled me into the boat. On 
 this occasion the Captain treated me with the ut- 
 most kindness. I was taken into the cabin and 
 well cared fori 
 
 «. 
 
MT ISLAND HOME. 
 
 45 
 
 return to 
 vas better 
 been at. 
 ik a pretty 
 ber of my 
 bout dark 
 p. I bad 
 
 she was 
 3 take out 
 out, when 
 )f the boat 
 ard. The 
 me astern, 
 being just 
 .'ith heavy 
 current, al- 
 only effort 
 )uld reach 
 as chilled 
 bow-man 
 boat. On 
 th the ut- 
 cabin and 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MY ISLAND HOME. 
 
 WE arrived at Prince Edward's Island again, 
 in due time, and as it became my home for 
 over two years, I will give some description of it. 
 
 Desolation was an appropriate name for the 
 island we had been driven from, and it would an- 
 swer equally well for Prince Edward's. Indeed, 
 the advantage was on the side of the former, as it 
 contained a good harbor, while the latter afforded 
 not even safe anchorage. There are two islands 
 here, about fifteen miles apart, lying nearly north 
 and south from each other, and in about latitude 47 
 degrees south and longitude 37 degrees east. The 
 south island is the largest, being about thirty miles 
 in circumference, extending its greatest length north 
 and south. Near the middle, and running through 
 its entire length, is a range of uneven, ragged 
 mountains, destitute of vegetation, and covered 
 with perpetual snows. 
 
 The mountains on the western part approach 
 near to the sen, terminating in precipices ; while 
 on the south-west side there is a gentle ascent from 
 the shore to the foot of the mountains. There are 
 many deep gulches and streams of water, termi- 
 nating on sand beaches at the shore, with level 
 spots in the rear, which, during certain seasons, 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
46 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 arc literally covered with immense collections of 
 penguins, which, in the time of breeding, spread 
 over hundreds of acres so thickly, that one cannot 
 pass through without first opening a road by knock- 
 ing them over with clubs. 
 
 The beaches, and, for half a mile from the shore, 
 the outlets of the valleys, contain great numbers of 
 sea-elephant. The fur-seal, formerly very numer- 
 ous, were now much thinned off; millions upon 
 millions of aquatic birds burrowed in the banks ; 
 geese and albatross were scattered in all directions 
 over the low lands, bordering tl:e shore ; the clifls 
 and beaches were alive with flocks of large, white 
 pigeons. There was also a large brown bird, whicli 
 is called by sailors " Peemow," which we found to 
 be a troublesome customer ; also, a large, gray, 
 filthy sea-bird, which we named the " Blubber- 
 Dragger," a kind of sea-vulture. The habits of all 
 these birds are carnivorous. There was neither 
 tree, bush, nor shrubbery of any kind on the 
 island ; all the vegetation it produced was a 
 stunted grass, in the valleys, and a kind of skunk- 
 cabbage and tussock on the sheltered banks. 
 
 The island had the appearance of volcanic ori- 
 gin ; at a distance of two hundred yards from the 
 shore it was encircled by a broad belt of long grass, 
 or kelp, which grew in deep water, attached to the 
 rocks at the bottom ; some of this was as large as 
 a man's arm, and fifty or sixty feet long; there was 
 not the least shelter for a vessel to anchor in with 
 safety, consequently we had to keep under weigh 
 while landing the material to be left for the gang. 
 
 
 the 
 
 
 wi 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 qu 
 
 
 wli 
 
 
 an( 
 
 A 
 
 as 
 
 . 
 
 shi 
 
 \ 
 
 
 '1 
 1 
 
 
 d 
 
 
PREPARING FOR WORK. 
 
 47 
 
 jctlous of 
 
 ig, spread 
 
 )ne cannot 
 
 by knock- 
 
 thc shore, 
 iniil)ers of 
 ry numcr- 
 ions upon 
 he banks; 
 directions 
 
 the cliiTs 
 •ge, white 
 ird, which 
 ; found to 
 rgc, gray, 
 ' Blubber- 
 ibits of all 
 js neither 
 d on the 
 id was a 
 of skunk- 
 inks, 
 canic ori- 
 
 from the 
 ong grass, 
 hed to the 
 s large as 
 there was 
 or in with 
 der weigh 
 the gang. 
 
 The whole appearance of the place was forbidding 
 in the extreme. 
 
 The land animals were a few live hogs which 
 were propagated from a couple left there by 
 our Captain on a former voyage, and the whole 
 island was infested with common house-mice, which 
 had also been introduced from some sailing vessel, 
 probably with the stores of the gang; and they had 
 multiplied until their name was legion. They 
 thickly populated the beaches, and inhabited the 
 caves ; they burrowed with the birds in the banks, and 
 were found among the snows of the moiuitains. 
 Of fish there was not much variety, and only one 
 kind of which we coidd obtain any considerable 
 quantity. This was a species with head and horns, 
 somewhat resembling our American sculpin, and 
 was good eating. These, with cockles and muscles, 
 were about all we found in the way offish. 
 
 Having pitched upon a spot on which to set up 
 our works, we commenced boiting the casks on 
 shore, — which, for snug stowage, had all been 
 shocked and packed in bundles, — wooden and 
 iron hoops, heading, etc., try-pots and coolers, and, 
 in short, all the material for sealing and oiling. As 
 the weather was quite tempestuous (a gale of 
 wind blowing about one-third of the time), it was 
 quite slow work. There being no anchorage 
 where we could hold on with the cables and 
 anchors we had, it was necessary to keep the vessel 
 as close to the landing-places as possible, and work 
 sharp with the boats while the weather would per- 
 
 m 
 
 f 
 %' 
 
48 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 mit, as the vessel could not long retain her posi- 
 tion in shore. She would frequently be driven ofT 
 to sea, and sometimes three or four days would 
 elapse before she would get back and resume 
 operations. While the vessel was thus absent from 
 the islands, and out of sight, there was always a 
 boat's crew left on shore. The first mate, Mr. 
 Chapman, was the officer who was to be left in 
 charge of the gang, therefore his boat and crew 
 were the ones that remained. I belonged to his 
 boat, and, of course, was on terra Jirma while the 
 landing was going on', but it was not decided, or 
 known to us, who the gang were fnially to be. We 
 were short of "grub "on board; while on shore 
 we could cook and eat to our heart's content. 
 
 About the first time we landed on this island, at 
 our first visit, it was at early morning, and with 
 two boats ; the object of the visit being to hunt wild 
 hogs in the mountains. We had left the brig by 
 daylight, three or four miles distant from the land. 
 The boats were hauled up on the beach, and I was left 
 alone to take care of them, and also to cook break- 
 fast, and have it ready for the party on their return ; 
 for this purpose we had cooking utensils belonging 
 to the boat, also tinder-box, matches, and a little 
 kindling stuff, which were always secured in a tar- 
 paulin bag. About the beach where we landed, 
 and on the rocks in the vicinity, were probably forty 
 or fifty sea-elephant lying in groups, regardless of 
 our presence. The mate ordered ine to " kill an 
 elephant, take off his blubber, and make a fire, using 
 
 ■I 
 "J 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
SEEING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 49 
 
 her posi- 
 riven ofT 
 ^'S would 
 [ resume 
 sent from 
 
 I 
 
 always a 
 late, Mr. 
 be left ill 
 \n<\ crew 
 ed to his 
 while the 
 ccideJ, or 
 I be. We 
 on shore 
 ent. 
 
 island, at 
 and with 
 hunt wild 
 le brig by 
 the land. 
 I was left 
 3ok break- 
 ir return ; 
 belonging 
 nd a little 
 d in a tar- 
 ^e landed, 
 bably forty 
 ardless of 
 o " kill an 
 fire, using 
 
 J 
 
 
 the blubber for fuel, and then take out his tongue, 
 heart, and liver, and fry them in oil," which of course 
 was to be obtained from the blubber. Receiving 
 instructions how to kill the "critter" with a lance, 
 I was left alone to get a breakfast for ten men. I 
 knew nothing of the habits of the elephant, 
 had never seen one killed, and there I was, with a 
 lance two feet long on a pole-staff of four feet, a 
 seal-club, a butcher's knife and steel, with orders 
 to l<^ill, butcher, and cook one of those enormous 
 bf the smallest of which looked as if he could 
 
 di^j, ,oO of me at '^ meal. After the boats' crews 
 were out of sight I took a survey of the amphibious 
 monsters, and selecting the smallest one, commenced 
 the battle according to orders. When I hit him a 
 rap on the nose he reared upon his flippers, opened 
 his mouth, and bellowed furiously. This gave me 
 a chance at his breast ; plunging my lance into it 
 in the direction of where I thought his heart ought 
 to be, I sent the iron in " socket deep." This was 
 all right so far, but I was not quick enough in draw- 
 ing it out again, and stepping back. He grabbed 
 the lance by tlie shank with his teeth, and drawing 
 it from the wound, gave it a rapid whisking I'ound ; 
 the end of the pole hit me a rap on the head, and sent 
 me sprawling. I picked myself up, and with a sore 
 head took a survey of the enemy ; he had not re- 
 treated, but retained his partly erect position, bleed- 
 ing and bellowing, while his companions in the 
 virinity joined in the roar, but without moving ofl', 
 or attacking me. 
 
 The brute chewed and twisted up the lance, so 
 
 4. 
 
m-' 
 
 50 
 
 FOJiE AND AFT. 
 
 that it was of no farther use to me, and the wound 
 did not seem to aflect liim much, although he bled 
 freely. What was to be done next? "Kill, make 
 a lire, and cook," said the mate, as if the order had 
 been given to the cook on board ship, and the ma- 
 terials were all ready at bis hands. Well, tliere 
 was the fuel, and the food all alive before me, and 
 unless I could transfer it to the fire and the frying-pan, 
 I should get no breakfast, — that was certaiti, — and 
 I might get another clip in the head from the mate, 
 if I had nothing cooked for him on his return. My 
 next resort was to the seal-club. With this I man- 
 aged to beat the poor creature's eyes out, and then, 
 fastening my knife on the pole, I lanced him until 
 he was dead; pounding him on tl.e head with a 
 heavy club, with an iron ring on the end, produced 
 about as much eflect on him as it would have done 
 on the rock of Gibraltar. The animal was about 
 nine feet long, as large round as a bullock, and he 
 was the smallest of the lot. I killed scores after- 
 wards with ease, but my first lesson was a hard 
 one. Taking a strip of blubber from his back, I 
 proceeded to make a fire upon the rocks. With 
 the chip kindlings it was soon started; and small 
 strips of blubber being laid on at first, and then 
 larger ones, a good fire was quickly under way, and 
 the frying-pan filled with huge slices frying out. 
 The elephant was lymg on his belly, and had to be. 
 turned, to get at what 1 wanted to cook; buc I 
 could not turn him without ci'.ctin<j' Ifim in two. 
 After nuich labor this was ctlccted, and the tongue, 
 which was about ten pounds in weight, and a por- 
 
A SEAL HUNT. 
 
 51 
 
 wound 
 le bled 
 , make 
 Icr had 
 
 he ma- 
 1, tliere 
 ne, and 
 iig-pan, 
 — and 
 e mate, 
 n. My 
 
 I man- 
 id then, 
 im until 
 I with a 
 roduccd 
 ive done 
 X6 about 
 , and he 
 es aftcr- 
 5 a hard 
 
 back, I 
 5. With 
 lul small 
 uid then 
 way, and 
 
 ing out. 
 iiad to be. 
 k ; buc I 
 i in two. 
 e ton'j;ue, 
 
 tion of the liver, were got ready for the pan. The 
 first panful was well fried, and invested und^r my 
 own jacket, and a glorious feast of fat things it 
 was ; then pan after painful v^ as got ready for my 
 expected company, and when they amved they sat 
 down to a meal to which ample justice was done. 
 The party had run down, k'lled, and skinned a hog, 
 and cutting the meat into pieces which they could 
 handle, broi.-ht it to the boats. 
 
 In about a month from our arrival, everything 
 was landed, and the vessel was leady to leave. I 
 expected to stay in the vessel, and a list was made 
 out of those ^ 'ho were to remain on the island, 
 with the chief mate, but a sad event befell us, which 
 changed the whole programme. 
 
 At one time when the brig was blown off, and 
 Mr. C. and the boat's crew remained on shore, we 
 had been occupied in putting things to rights, and 
 occasionally, when the weather permitted, in ex- 
 ploring the shores with our boat in pursuit of seal. 
 The mate was a stout, large-framed man, about 
 forty-five years old, weighing about two hundred 
 and twenty pounds, and of line proportions, daring 
 and reckless, but of more courage than judgmes.i. 
 On one of these excursions we came to a beach, 
 compos'xl of large stones, on which come twenty 
 seal were lying. Tlie surf was too heavy to beach 
 the 1 oat ; therefore we were ordered by the mate 
 to back in, so that he could jump out and kill the 
 seal, while we sliould keep outside the surf and be 
 ready to take him off with the seal-skins, when he 
 got them readv. In pursuance of this plan, we 
 
52 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 watc'ied a chance, and, backing in the boat, he 
 jumped out, while we pulled off to await his move- 
 ments. Just above where the mate jumped on 
 shore, there was lying, with his head towards the 
 boat, and watching the intruders with apparent 
 unconcern, an old " whig" seal, /. <?., a male seal. 
 On landing, the .mate happened to step on a slip- 
 pery stone, and on turning round to give us some 
 orders in the boat, he slipped and fell on his back. 
 At that instant the old whig leaped towards the 
 fallen officer, seized him by the middle, and hold- 
 ing him up (with as much ease as a cat would a 
 mouse) made for the water. Plunging througli the 
 surf, and coming to the surface outside of the 
 rollers, he swam about with him, occasionally giv- 
 ing him a shake and pushing him under water, as 
 if in frolic, while we pulled after them. It was 
 evident the mate could not stand such sport a great 
 while, but the seal's hold was only on the clothing, 
 and that giving way, left the animal with a mouth- 
 fu) if cloth, and the mate was at liberty. We 
 pir.kcd the man up uninjifi'ed, but furious, and the 
 seal, after a while, returned to the shore, crawled 
 up, and laying his head down, went to sleep. 
 
 Af»"jr repairing damages, the mate sang out " Back 
 in again," and, returning to the charge, with a 
 single rap with his club over the nose he left the 
 old whig straightened out. In. two minutes more, 
 he was minus his jacket. We succecdcil in getting 
 the mate off again, with about twenty skins. This 
 little affair was but the prelude to a sad accident 
 which befell us the very next day, occasioning the 
 
OUR HOUSE. 
 
 53 
 
 it, he 
 Tiove- 
 ii\ on 
 Is the 
 parent 
 e seal, 
 a slip- 
 5 some 
 
 back, 
 ds the 
 
 hold- 
 'OLikl a 
 ifjh the 
 of the 
 ily giv- 
 atcr, as 
 It was 
 a great 
 othing, 
 mouth- 
 y. We 
 iind the 
 :ra\vlcd 
 
 P- 
 " Back 
 
 witli a 
 
 left the 
 
 ;s more, 
 
 getting 
 i. This 
 accident 
 iiing the 
 
 loss of the mate and two of the boat's crew, and two 
 boats. Before detailing this sad event, I will give 
 some description of the locality where we had 
 established our head-quarter'^. 
 
 On the south-east side of the island, which was 
 also the lee side, as the prevalent winds were from 
 west to north-west, was a snug little cove formed by 
 a ledge of high, flat rocks projecting about three 
 hundred feet from the beach on one side, and on 
 the other a high bank terminating in a bluil' point 
 tov/ards the sea, extending some distance beyond 
 the rocks, leaving a fme pebbly beach between the 
 points where the water was generally smooth ; it 
 was a semicircle, with a broad margin of beach all 
 around, with a perpendicular bank in the rear about 
 two hundred feet hiijh. Above this bank there ^ 
 a gentle slope of some miles towards the mom - 
 tains. In the front of the bank facing the cove and 
 sea was a large cave, the top of which was about 
 a hundred feet below the surface, the depth about 
 seventy or eighty feet in the centre of the front, a 
 hundred and sixty feet wide at the entrance, extend- 
 ing back from the face of the bank about ninety or 
 a hundred feet. It was nearly a regular arch. 
 The walls and roof were of dark sandstone, partly 
 firm and compact, and partly of a friable character ; 
 small fragments of stone were frequently detached 
 by falling rains, which composed a flooring of 
 coarse gravel, with a slant towards the sea. 
 Building up a stone breastwork in front, we lev- 
 elled oft' a good flooring, and had room to put up 
 a hut on one side for the mate and cooper ; on the 
 
 1., 
 
 '''■Ii \ 
 
 %^ 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 ■{i : 
 
 #i 
 
-'Hi!. 
 
 V 
 
 54 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 other, a hut for the boat's crew ; between the two, 
 and against the back of the cave, w«as the store- 
 room. In front of all, and extending to the edge 
 of the breastwork, a plank platform was laid down 
 for the cooper to work on. The cook's galley was 
 established on one side, adjoining the men's hut be- 
 low the wall ; in front, we had set in brickwork two 
 large try-kettles and a large cooler, with all the appro- 
 priate fixtures for cutting up and trying out blubber. 
 The huts were framed of wood, covered wit'i dried 
 and well-cleaned skins of young elephants, with 
 doors, windows and berths arranged ship fashion, 
 having room for the table, chests, etc. The cave 
 being quite open in front, the sun shone into the 
 back part of it for about six hours of the day in 
 summer, and two hours less in winter, so that we 
 had good light, with a fair proportion of sunshine, 
 and could make ourselves quite comfortable in any 
 weather. On one side we had a pathway con- 
 structed, leading up the bank to the level surface 
 over the cave ; alongside of thi.^ pathway was an 
 ever-rushing fall of excellent water. This was the 
 only place on the island combining so many favor- 
 able features for our bublncs*;. and, very fortu- 
 nately, it was located just where we wanted it. 
 
 At the time of the mate's tussle with the seal, the 
 vessel was blown oil', rnd out of sight, and we did 
 not think she could get back for a number of days. 
 There were on shore, besides the mate and four of 
 us, composing the boat's crew, Bob, the cooper's 
 mate, who was at work on the casks, and Joe, a 
 yellow fellow, who was officiating as cook. On the 
 
LEFT ASHORE. 
 
 S^ 
 
 morning of the day ii* question, we — that is, the 
 boat's crew — after breakfast, went down to the 
 beach, hiunched the boat as usual, and were seated 
 in her, waiting for the mate. We were bound on 
 a trip after seal : the wind was blowing hard ofT the 
 land, but it was smooth water, under the lee of the 
 island, and we were anticipating a good hunt. 
 When the mate made his appearance, Joe, the 
 cook, came with him. I was ordered to remain at 
 the cave and do the cooking for that day, Joe taking 
 my pi ice in the boat. Up to that time, this boat 
 had never been manned, or put upon duty, when I 
 was not in her ; mine was the after oar, the one of 
 honor in the boat. I felt a pride in it, and felt hurt 
 at the change, but it was no use to say a word, 
 therefore I obeyed in silence. In about an hour 
 alter the boat left, having got the dinner in a fair 
 way, T went up on the bank, over the cave, to see if 
 the brig was in sight. No vessel was to be seen ; 
 but, looking up along shore, I saw a bo a, bottom 
 up, with a man on her, holding on to the reck kelp, 
 about half a mile from the cave. I concljded, at 
 once, that our boat had been capsized, and that all 
 were drowned but that one. By good luck, the 
 stern boat of the brig had been left on die island 
 when she was last blown olf. It was the lirst time 
 a spare boat had been left on shore over night. 
 This boat was a heavy, square stern "jolly boat," 
 and she lay, bottom up, at the back part of the 
 beach. I hastened down, and telling Fob of the state 
 of ailairs, we decided at once to launch this boat, 
 and save our shipmate. After much exertion, we 
 
 St 
 
 if 
 
 
 * 
 
56 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 got the boat into the water, and then found there 
 was not a single Ci^ to be had. Bob was a fat, 
 chmisy fellow, green as green could be in all that 
 related to ships or boats, and, consequently, about as 
 awkward on a boat as a cow would be on the ice. 
 Picking up some strips of board for paddles, we 
 shoved off; the wind was blowing very strong from 
 the land, therefore we had no trouble in getting to 
 the man, but how we were to get back was for after 
 consideration. This lone man we found to be Dex- 
 ter, one of the green hands, and the only one of 
 the boat's crew that could not swim. After taking 
 him off, Dexter said that some oars had drifted oti' 
 to leeward, which belonged to the capsized boat, so 
 we paddled otl' to get them, as we could not reach 
 the shore again with our paddles, against the strong 
 wind then blowuig. In order to do this, we had to 
 leave the safe moorings of the kelp ; although we 
 were not a quarter of a mile from it when we 
 reached the oars, it took us two hours to get back. 
 Making fast to the kelp, we concluded to hold on 
 there until it moderated, before we attempted to put 
 to the shore. While lying here, Dexter gave the 
 following account of the accident : 
 
 Pulling along shore, they were passing a sunken 
 reef on which the sea was occasionally breaking; 
 the mate thought he could cross it, between the 
 rollers, but was caught by the breakers ; the first 
 one threw the oars from the outer row-locks, and 
 washed them away ; the second breaker capsized 
 the boat. She then drifted to the kelp, with all 
 but one of the crew hanging to her. Poor Tom 
 
A FATAL DISASTER. 
 
 57 
 
 Allen was drowned under the boat. After getting 
 to the kelp, where they could hold on and prevent 
 drifthig farther out, they attempted to rigiit the 
 boat, but did not succeed. The shore was only 
 about two hundred yards distant, but it was pre- 
 cipitous and rocky, with a sea breaking furiously 
 against the cliHs. The mate asked if they could 
 all swim. All answered " Yes," but Dexter. 
 '' Then," says he, " follow me for the shore — we can 
 easily reach it ; but. Dexter, you hold on to the bot- 
 tom of the boat." Accordingly the latter hauled 
 some long kelp on to the boat, and, while holding 
 on there, was an observant wittiess of the fate of 
 the others. The mate was the first one to reach 
 the shore ; he was carried in on the top of a high 
 wave, dashed against the rocks, and again carried 
 off by a refluent wave. He was now joined, out- 
 side of the breakers, by the other two ; watching a 
 fiivorablc opportunity, they all three went in again 
 towards the shore, on the same wave. The mate 
 was thrown part way up the clitV, and held on for 
 a few minutes, but the next sea took him off again. 
 He soon gave up, and sank. Joe, my substitute, 
 was dashed against a cliff, a little higher up than 
 the mate, and was probably killed, as he was not 
 seen again after falling back into the water. The 
 other one, Topham, was thrown just over clear of 
 the top, and was landed where he could hold on, 
 if alive, but, as Dexter did not see him move away, 
 he thought he was also killed. 
 
 We hoped the wind would lull before dark, but 
 as there .was a prospect of its blowing harder, after 
 
 i I 
 
 ^1 
 
\\^ 
 
 mi 
 
 \'4 
 
 S8 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 we had rested we let go our moorings, and pulled 
 for the shore. We could not get back to the cove 
 from which we started, and found we must beach 
 the boat on a place where the shore was rocky and 
 the surf bad ; we put her head for the shore, and 
 went in on top of a roller. The first one left us 
 just short of the rocks ; the second wave broke as 
 it struck the boat square in the stern ; the boat was 
 thrown completely over end on to the rocks, and 
 we were scattered in various directions, but suc- 
 ceeded in getting clear, with little injury. The 
 undertow took the boat olf, and used her up in 
 the breakers. Thankful for our narrow escape, we 
 went to see what had become of Topham. After 
 much search, we found him in a gully in the rocks, 
 lying down, some distance from where he landed, 
 much bruised, and not whollv conscious of what 
 had taken place. We helped him to the cave, 
 stripped and rubbed him, and put him to bed, 
 where, after a few hours' sound sleep, he was 
 quite restored. Dexter escaped whole, but terribly 
 frightened. We made a diligent search for the 
 bodies for many days afterwards, but without suc- 
 cess ; they were probably taken by the "killers," 
 a large, ravenous fish that are the terror of the 
 elephant and seal, and also of the whale, which 
 they sometimes destroy ; hence their name. 
 
 On the return of the vessel the landing of the 
 balance of the stores and equipments was com- 
 pleted, and now the party to be left were named. 
 I was on the list, and as my favorite officer and 
 good friend, Mr. Burnham, was to command the 
 
 
SAILING OF THE BRIG. 
 
 59 
 
 party, I was not sorry to go with him. Another 
 inducement was, that on shore we should have 
 plenty to eat and drink, while those who remained 
 on board had no prospect of any improvement in 
 that respect. At length we took leave of our ship- 
 mates on board, the vessel filled away on her course 
 to the Isle of France, and we returned to commence 
 our "Robinson Crusoe" life on a desert and deso- 
 late island. 
 
 
 t 
 
 1 1 
 
 % 
 
lit 
 
 li! 
 
 'h 
 
 60 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 now WE LIVED. 
 
 OUR party consisted of eight persons — the ex- 
 ecutive officer, Mr. B., the cooper and his 
 mate, four others, composing the boat's crew, and 
 myself, who was cook, steward, anil Governor's 
 Secretary. In iny last capacity I had to keep the 
 general-record of events that transpired, noting the 
 wind and weather each day, how all hands were 
 occupied, the number of animals killed, the gal- 
 lons of oil tried out, etc., and was required to 
 write up the log every evening. I also had my 
 quarters in the officers' hut, while the others had 
 their own hut, and messed together. 
 
 The Captain said he would return for us in nine 
 months, when he hoped we would have a cargo 
 ready for him. Ship-stores were left us for one 
 year, at the same rate of allowance we had on ship- 
 board, excepting meat; that we were to provide 
 ourselves, and this was no very difficult job, as we 
 had an immense poultry yartl close at hand, and 
 had only to choose between albatross, solan geese, 
 pigeons, peemow, gony, ground-l)irds in great va- 
 riety, and penguins of four kinds. Elephants' 
 tongues and young seal were also very good eating. 
 
 During the season of eggs, we could have loaded 
 a ship with them ; and, by putting them in oil, could 
 
in nine 
 
 PEEMOW PERSECUTORS. 
 
 6i 
 
 preserve them until the next season of fresh ones. 
 A musket and ammunition were left us, but we 
 had no occasion to use them, as the birds were 
 taken by hand, or knocked over with clubs ; " their 
 tameness was shockinj:^ to me." To illustrate tiiis : 
 I was with a party one day on a liog-hunt ; wher- 
 ever we went, we were attended by Hocks of pco 
 mows soaring over our heads, screeching, and 
 occasionally darting at us, striking with their vviuijs. 
 Being birds of prey, we supposed they thought that 
 we were about to furnish food for them in some 
 shape or other, and were eager for the feast ; yet I 
 could not imagine why they selected me to pitch 
 into above the others. Although I killed manv of 
 them with m}- club, I had hard work to keep them 
 oir, getting severe slaps about my head from their 
 wings, while they scarcely troubled the others ; 
 but the mystery was solved by one of the thieves 
 making a pounce at my head, and flying away with* 
 my cap in his claws. My cap was new, of a bright 
 red color, and they probably took it to be a piece 
 of bloody meat ; hence their partiality for me. 
 However, they all took their departure with my 
 cap, and as long as we could see them they were 
 stealing the prize from each other, and finally dis- 
 appeared with it in the direction of the mountains. 
 Having lost all my notes by shipwreck, after 
 leaving the island, 1 am unable to give any dates, 
 and must trust to recollection. We had been but a 
 short time on shore, when our duties were well de- 
 tincd, and the work went on with regular ship 
 discipline. All hands were called at daylight ; the 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
 
 Pill 
 
 ; , ij 
 
 t 
 
 .ll 
 
 i 
 
 ; 1 
 
 '' i ■ 
 
 i 
 
 Mil 
 
 ' 
 
 i!!'' 
 
 !■ 
 
 • i 
 
 ) ■' if*' 
 
 
 "it 
 
 
 i 
 
 ; 
 
 i 
 
 ! W 
 
 I On 
 
 
 
 ul'l 
 
62 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 m 
 
 % 
 
 cooper and his mate went to their particular work, 
 the boat's crew ground their knives and huices, and 
 made the boat ready to start after breakfast, to get a 
 load of blubber, and what seal-skins they could fmd. 
 Mr. B. was always in charge of the boat ; I, hav- 
 ing charge of the store-room and galley, had to be 
 up first, to get breakfast ready. We had no night- 
 watch to keep, and we had a reprieve from the 
 calls to " reef topsails, or tack ship," of dark, cold, 
 stormy nights. The change, at first, was quite 
 pleasant. 
 
 The eastern side of the .'sland afibrded such 
 numbers of elephants, that for the first six months 
 we had to go but a short distance from our rendez- 
 vous to load the boat. Sometimes, when the 
 weather was good, two or three trips a day could 
 be made, with the boat filled to the thwarts with 
 blubber. When the weather did not permit boat- 
 ing, the crew were employed in cutting up and try- 
 ing out at the rate of from four to five hundred 
 gallons per day. In stormy weather, or when a 
 heavy surf wj(s running, so that the boat.couM not 
 be launched, the work was prosecuted by bringing 
 the blubber from where it was to be had to our 
 try-works, the men cutting it into long strips, 
 each one as much as a person could carry. This 
 was laid across the shoulders as a lady wears her 
 tippet, the ends hanging in front, just clearing the 
 ground ; the skin, of course, was next to the person, 
 with a couple of slits in front for the hands ; thus 
 the transportation, for a mile or two, was not very 
 hard. 
 
SBA-ELBPHANTS. 
 
 63 
 
 The sea-elephant were classed by us as bulls, 
 cows, and calves. The largest of the former were 
 from twelve to eighteen feet in length, and ten to thir- 
 teen in circumference ; in general appearance, they 
 were very similar to the hair-seal about our coast, 
 only much nj..^nified. They had large heads, which 
 bore no other resemblance to a land elephant, than in 
 having a considerable trunk, or nozzle, hanging over 
 the moutli. The cows were about half as large. 
 There were two seasons when the cows came on 
 shore very fat, their blubber being from six to nine 
 inches thick. One of the seasons wai. when they 
 landed to br]v' forth their young, at this time 
 they remained from two to three months; and 
 again when they came on shore to shed their hair, 
 when they remained some time longer. They 
 would then crawl back into the valleys, at a con- 
 siderable distance from the shore. Selecting a 
 wallowing place, they would lie there for two or 
 three months, without moving their length, living 
 on the exuberance of their fat. During this time, 
 the old coat of hair would give place to a new one, 
 and the animals would be reduced to skeletons, 
 when they would worry down to the beach, and 
 put out to sea. These animals were not difficult to 
 kill, being very clumsy, and slow of motion. The 
 method was to approach them in front, with a 
 rap on the nose, to make them rise up on their flip- 
 pers, then to lance them a few times through the 
 heart; they arc very full-blooded, and would some- 
 times be half an lu)ur in dving, with a number of 
 lance-holes through the heart. The blubber was 
 
 ?ll 
 
 H 
 
 it 
 
 i! 
 
 
 i 
 
 •I 
 
 i;.I^^■:^^'^ 
 
 ■ Vti-.-,,-^*-i^*-* t"-. 
 
I i 
 
 :iil^ii 
 
 m 
 
 64 
 
 FOJ?E AND AFT. 
 
 taken off in wide strips from head to foot, the 
 tongue taken out, and the carcass left for the birds, 
 who would clean and polish the bones in a few 
 days ; the animal would aveiage over half a barrel 
 of oil, some of tliem yielding two. 
 
 The fur-seal are a diiVerent animal ; of the 
 average size of a large Newfoundland dog, they 
 have a thick, rich, beautiful fur, about an inch long, 
 of a light brown color, covered with a coat cf 
 shiny black hair, or silver gray; they have a head 
 resembling that of a grayhound, are very rapid in 
 the water, can leap their length on shore, and-make 
 their wa over slippery rocks faster than a man 
 can. They come on shore for the same purposes 
 as the elephant. We killed them with clubs. A 
 single blow across the nose is suiiicient to bring 
 down the largest, when they are finished with the 
 touch of a knife under the Hipper; the knjfe is 
 then passed round the head and Hippers, anci the 
 skin being slit from head to tail, in front, it is taken 
 off with much ease. When taken to our rendez- 
 vous, the skins were beamed with a currier's knifcj 
 and stretched out on the grourd in proper shape to 
 dry, fourteen pegs being put in eac! skin. 
 
 Every day of the week, except Sunday, without 
 regard 10 w<;at!ier, was occupied in pursuing tiie 
 objects Gi" the voyage. Sometimes the work was 
 very hard, especially in the boa\ ; bui, upon the 
 whole, not more so than on shipl)oard, and then 
 we had all nigljt to sleep and rest in, and plenty 
 to eat. 
 
 On the Sabbiith no work was called for, evcept 
 
 was 
 
 clo 
 
SUffDAT WORK. 
 
 65 
 
 before breakfast ; our oftlcer was too good a dis- 
 ciplinarian not to find a substitute for washing 
 decks (the usual Suiiday morning job on boaid 
 ship), so there was always oil to fill, skins to be 
 pegged out, or turned, or, in the absence of any- 
 t':ing else, all hands were called to sec the sun rise. 
 Something must be attended to on Sunday before 
 breakfast, to quiet the conscience of the mate ; but 
 after the meal, the hands having been mustered for 
 inspection, in clean clothing, no r>ther duty was re- 
 quired for the day, unless there should be some one 
 who failed to pass muster by lack of cleanliness in 
 person, or clothing; in that case, the delinquent 
 was packed off to bring In an extra load of blub- 
 ber on his back before he could have his dinner. 
 Poor Bob, the cooper's mate, how many of these 
 Sunday morning trips you had to make before you 
 learned to make the right application of soap and 
 water! We were not without books, and the day 
 was usually spent in washing, and mending our 
 clothes, and reading. Making moccasins was another 
 job which had to be attended to that day. We found 
 that common boots and shoes v/ere entirely unfit for 
 our shore-work, but that moccasins made of green 
 hide of the seal or elephant, were just the thing. 
 We fust cut a piece of fresh green skin oblong and 
 oval, the size of the foot, with a suitable margin to 
 punch holes in all around the edge; a string was 
 then rove In the holes, and the skin dravvn up 
 snugly over the foot, with the hair inside; with 
 tiiese we used dried grass instead of stockings, thus 
 keeping our feet very comfortable. Whenever, in 
 
 
66 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 W)\ 
 
 i 
 
 
 ■]l\\ 
 
 m 
 
 r i; I 
 
 travelling, our feet becaine wet and cold, we had 
 only to ilnd a bunch of dried grass, and were all 
 right again ; or when a hole was worn in our moc- 
 casins, the nearest elej^hant furnished a pair, and it 
 took but a few moments to transfer them from his 
 neck to our feet. 
 
 In my capacity as cook and caterer, I was not 
 much conlined to head-quarters, as I had not only 
 to cook the meat, but also to furnisli most of it. 
 Tliree or four afternoons in the week, after having 
 done up the work about the galley and having set 
 things to rights in the oflicers' hut, like a good 
 housekeeper, I would go on my hunt for 'neat, to 
 serve for the next day or two. JVIy equipments 
 were a seal-club on my shoulder, and a sealing- 
 knife in a sheatii buckled to my waist, a strap of 
 which was rove through a ring on the handle of a 
 butcher's steel, which hung by my side ready for 
 use. Having decided what game to take, I had 
 only to proceed to our poultry-yard, where I felt 
 sure it was to be found. If it was to be albatross, 
 they were to be found sitting about on the most 
 level and grassy places ; they would seldom rise, 
 or try to get away ; therefore, to knock down as 
 many as were wanted, rip the skin open, cut otf 
 the breasts and thighs and sling them on my club, 
 and return to the cave, would generally occupy a 
 couple of hours. The meat thus obtained would 
 be about four pounds from each, but of the young 
 birds the whole carcass was taken. The solan 
 geese were to be foinul in abundance in their quar- 
 ter. If ground birds or gonys were wantcil, tiiey 
 
n 
 
 VISITORS. 
 
 67 
 
 abounded in and about the banks. There were 
 larf^c pigeons that lived on the beaches and about 
 the rocks in great numbers ; they were rather hirger 
 than our wild wood-pigeon, and equally good eat- 
 ing. Their plumage was entirely white, legs red, 
 bill black ; they were tame as our domestic fowl, 
 and abundant through the year, following us in 
 flocks on the beaches wherever we went, and feed- 
 ing on the carcass of an elephant while we were 
 taking the blul^ber from it. About the try-works 
 we had to cover up everything they could eat ; or, if 
 our hut tloors were left open, they woukl be sure to 
 commit depredations on our chests and beds. 
 
 If fish were wanted, we used to go to the beach 
 when the surf was breaking, and throw a piece of 
 fresh carcass into the water ; the fish would come 
 for it with a rush, the surf would throw them on 
 shore, and we liad only to pick up what we wanted. 
 
 To vary the scene, I was sometimes allowed to 
 change work with one of the boat's crew, and also 
 to go on ex'cursions by land to hunt for seal, in 
 some of which the party (generally of two persons) 
 would be absent a week or more ; the intervals be- 
 tween the elepliant seasons we occupied in sealing, 
 frequentlv backing the skins twenty miles. 
 
 We had been on the island, after the departure of 
 our vessel, about four months, when we had a call 
 from visitors. One day, two of our party were on 
 the opposite side of the islatul, hunting hogs, when 
 they saw a brig in the olHng approach and send a 
 boi.t to the shore. Our people met them, went on 
 board and passed t!ie night, and the next day jjiioted 
 
 *fi 
 
 lis 
 
 ! Hi 
 
 m 
 
 is I 
 
 
6S 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 I 
 
 !!!•' 
 
 the vessel to our rendezvous. She proved to be the 
 General Gatcs^ of Boston, on a scaling voyage. 
 The Captain and sealing-mastcr came on shore, and 
 passed the night with us. We were too lately 
 landed to be in want of anything, but at parting 
 the next day, they put a dog and a cat in our boat, 
 both of which we highly prized, as long as we had 
 them. The cat was very useful in freeing the cave 
 from mice. After a few months' residence with us, 
 she took a notion to ramble away, aqd probably got 
 frightened by the groutid-birds, who at night bur- 
 row, and keep up such a tremendous squalling that 
 it is enough to frighten cats or human beings who 
 might land here in the night, without a knowledge 
 of the inhabitants ; be that as it may, pussy never 
 returned to us. She became wild. Sometimes, in 
 months after, we had glimpses of her, far inland; 
 but, on sight of us, she would bound away. The 
 dog, "Jack," we had become much attached to ; he 
 was my constant companion in my hunts, and of 
 good assistance in rooting out ground-birds. He 
 was with us almost a year, when one day, in dig- 
 ging a bird from a hole in a high bank, over the 
 sea-shore, the bird got him by the nose, causing 
 poor Jack to back astern in such a hurry that he 
 went over the precipice and was killed on the rocks 
 below. lie had a decent burial, and was mourned 
 as a friend. 
 
 The long evenings of the first winter we passed 
 pleasantly enough. A good portion of a cargo of 
 oil was ready for the vessel, and wc were confident 
 of having everythnig that could hold oil filled by 
 
Wl 
 
 BVENINU AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 Cg 
 
 the time of her return. Our quarters were well 
 lighted by lamps obtained from the French wreck ; 
 we also made others by filinjj off one end of a shell 
 of an albatross egg, which was rather thick, and 
 would contain half a pint of oil ; a cotton rag was 
 suspended in it for a wick ; a half-dozen of these 
 hung up in each hut, gave a cheerful appearance to 
 our domiciles. 
 
 Various methods were resorted to for amuse- 
 ment, all of which were promoted and encouraged 
 by trie '' Governor and suite." We had no theatri- 
 cals other than the reading of plays and dialogues, 
 in which all took a part. Songs were sung, and 
 jokes cracked. Bob, the coopers mate, had an old 
 violin, on which he scraped out what he called 
 tunes. The evening was usually closed with a 
 "shave her down" on the cooper's platform, then 
 we smoked our pipes and turned in. We were happy 
 and contented among ourselves, and evervthing 
 went with a will, whether at work or play. As for 
 smoking, we all smoked. 1 believe the most ultra 
 lecturer that ever denouticed the use of the weed, 
 would have smoked it had he been there. Our pipes 
 were a curiosity : the bowl was a large elephant's 
 tooth, about four inches long, hollow from tiic lower 
 part, half way up ; a hole was bored, and the small 
 wing-bone of an albatross inserted for a stem. In 
 the course of a year, our supply of tobacco gave 
 out; the deprivation we felt to be very great. The 
 greatest sullerer was the old cooper ; he was the 
 only one that chewed. After his supply failed, and 
 he had bought, begged, and picked up every bit he 
 
 I 
 
 I' 
 
 4fi 
 
 
 
 .1; 
 

 70 
 
 FOI^E AND AFT. 
 
 could find, he was obliged to finish ofl' by cutting 
 up and chewing every old pocket he could obtain 
 that had carried tobacco in it. 
 
 AmoniT the stores which were left us was a demi- 
 John of rum. It had rem .ined untouched for many 
 months. Our grog was stopped when we left the 
 vessel, but that was no deprivation to most of us. 
 The Governor did not drink, but his Lieutenant 
 did (when he could get it). Now his tobacco was 
 gone, he was seized with a longing desire to take a 
 nipper of grog. Being left alone in the cave* le 
 afternoon, when the boat was away, and I was out 
 looking for the next day's dinner, the cooper sent 
 his mate out of the way, and, going into the store- 
 room, took a pull at the demijohn, and also filled a 
 bottle. ReturniuL; unexpectedly, I found him just 
 leaving the premises, with the bottle under his 
 jacket. lie threatened me with vengeance in case 
 I revealed anything to the Governor. I promised 
 to say nothing alTout it if he would not repeat the 
 oflbnce, and I should not be questioned ; but on the 
 mate's return, and entrance to the store-room, the 
 smell of rum was too palpable to escape his notice. 
 As I was closely questioned, I had to tell all I knew. 
 Nothing was said on the subject to the cooper, but 
 he was sent away by the mate on some frivolous 
 duty, and we hunted the cave over to fuid the bottle, 
 ransacking the berths, chests, and every conceivable 
 place where it could be hid, but without success. 
 The matter was passed over in silence, althougli the 
 cooper knew he was suspected. W'^e kept a sharp 
 look-out for the bottle, but it never after made its 
 
A BOTTLE OF RUM. 
 
 71 
 
 appearance, neither were them any indications 
 wliile we were oi^ the ishmd that the individual put 
 any more rum to his lips ; but that bottle was found 
 twenty-seven years afterwards, and it came to my 
 knowlcdj^e in this way : 
 
 Many times in my life, in roaming over the globe, 
 I have been brought in contact with persons of 
 whom I had no previous knowledge, and in whose 
 history or experience I could not conceive that there 
 was anything that concerned or would interest me; 
 but sitting down, as sailors often do, to compare 
 notes, long-past events of mutual interest having 
 accidentally been touched upon, subjects have been 
 revived, explanations and developments made, which 
 we little dreamed of. Among seamen, such coinci- 
 dences are always occurring ; mutual friends, long 
 unheard of, are brought up and traced for years 
 after we had lost sight of them. Many, very many, 
 details of men and things are explained and con- 
 nected, of much interest. 
 
 Thus was the history of the bottle revived. In 
 the commencement of the war with Mexico, in 
 iS^6, I was in command of a ship trading on the 
 coast of California, and was at the port of San 
 Francisco, where a iumil)er of whale-ships were 
 lying in port, awaiting to hear more definite news 
 respecting the war. As there was but little society 
 on shore, the whole population of the place at that 
 time being about fifty persons, the captains were in 
 the habit of congregating on board each others* 
 ships, i!i the evening, to tell anil hear the news, and 
 form plans for dcfcAicc, in case of attack. Being 
 
 
 
 ">? 
 
 ''»:£ 
 
 
^1 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \\ 
 
 an old trader on the coast, and having large cabin 
 accommodations, my ship was a general rendez- 
 vous. One evening I overheard a Captain Ste- 
 vens, of the bark United States, of New London, 
 speaking of a voyage on which he was cast away 
 at Prince Edward's Island, in the South Indian 
 Ocean. 
 
 Captain Stevens was relating to a number of 
 listeners some incidents of his shipwreck. He said 
 it was a barren, dreary place, where he and his 
 crew remained eight months; that they there found 
 a large cave that had once been inhabited ; they 
 also found a pile of salt, some old iron, cooking 
 vessels, etc., which had evidently been used by peo- 
 ple of a former generation. In front of the cave 
 there was a heavy piece of stone masonry, which 
 was probably the work of the ancients. " But, 
 most strange of all," he said, " while I was ascend- 
 ing a bank near the cave, my attention was at- 
 tracted to a bright object about the size of a dollar, 
 glistening in the sun ; it proved to be a portion of 
 a common, dark-colored junk bottle, all but the ex- 
 posed portion being of its natural color, while that 
 small part was white or pearly. It was found to 
 be about two-thirds full of rum, of the best quality 
 I ever tasted ; I would give a good deal to know 
 the history of that bottle, and who built that stone 
 wall." 
 
 Of course he was much surprised when I told 
 him that I could give him the desired information, 
 without money and without price, as I helped to 
 build that wall, and knew how that bottle came to 
 
TREASURE TROVE. 
 
 n 
 
 be there, and how long it had remained buried. I 
 then informed him of the matter of the cooper and 
 the bottle, and I judged that, in his hurry and con- 
 fusion, the depositor had hid it where he was 
 unable to find it himself afterwards. The final 
 discoverer, no doubt, foui J it to be one of the most 
 interesting productions of the island. 
 
 
 V i 
 
 'A 
 
 Mi; 
 
 1-M 
 
74 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SOMETHING ABOUT BIRDS. 
 
 THE penguins, with which the island abounded, 
 atVorded us much amusement as well as benefit. 
 The larjrest are the '• Kin<T Penguin"; the\ and 
 about three feet high, are white on the belly, with 
 slate-colored backs, black heads, and brigiit yellow 
 necks. They delight to occupy the level sand 
 beaches during the season of incubation, and while 
 thuy are shedding their feathers. !Many thousands 
 will be gathered together in the rear of a broad 
 beach, a colony by themselves, where they appear 
 to marshal themselves into companies and platoons, 
 under the evident direction of a leader. These 
 different companies execute their various evolu- 
 tions in perfect harmony, the regularity of their 
 movements, and their bright uniform coats, giving 
 them quite a military aspect. The females pro- 
 duce but one Ggg a season, and this they arc able 
 to transport about with them, nature having pro- 
 vided them with a cavity, or pouch, at the lower 
 part of the body, for the protection of the ii^g%', over 
 which they can curl up the tail, and thus support 
 it while moving about. They do not lie on, but 
 stand over, the c'^^, or young one. 
 
 It was amusing to observe the rascally " Fee- 
 mows" gather around some unfortunate, on the 
 
 Hal 
 
 
THE PENGUINS. 
 
 75 
 
 outskirts of the colony, travelling round with its 
 young one, or egg, held in th^ embrace of the tail, 
 like a gang of blacklegs, or pickpockets, around 
 a greeny from the country. A crowd of these 
 black villains would get around the innocent pen- 
 guin ; one would fly against and knock her over, 
 while others would be ready to drive their bills 
 into the egg, or seize the young bird in their talons, 
 flv away and eat it, then return for more. But 
 these cannibals would do the same to each other. 
 We held them in the same estimation in which a 
 sailor holds a shark. Thev were the only bird on 
 the island that our people would not eat. 
 
 The king penguin has no nest. The care of 
 the ^'g^n, or young, is divided between the male 
 and female. One of them goes oil* to sea to 
 feed, while the other remains by the deposit. At 
 early daylight, hundreds of companies would be 
 seen marching for the water, always in rank and 
 file, under leadership, distinct and separate from 
 other companies. When the captain stopped they 
 would all stop, without moving out of line ; when 
 he renewed his march they would follow ; plung- 
 ing into the water, they obtained their supply of 
 food, and returned towards night, when they again 
 form a line, take up their maich, and rejoin Iheir 
 companions. Thus, all day, these companies were 
 going and coming, without interfering with each 
 other. It was curious, also, to see them penetrate 
 through the dense masses to tind their companions 
 in the centre or rear of the rookery. In front, and 
 between the rookery and the water, scores of ele- 
 
 i! 
 
 • si 
 
 
 : 
 
 •im 
 
 
 
 i 'l 
 
 E' t ' 
 
 iil 
 
 i»4 
 

 76 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 pliant were lying on the beacli, wl/ilc higher up, 
 above the king penguin, separate and d'stinct from 
 them, and always on an inclined plane, would be 
 hundreds of acres thickly covered with " field pen- 
 guin"; these were continually travelling up and 
 down, through the day, like the former. 
 
 The field penguin are about half the size of the 
 king species ; they are inorc active than the oth- 
 ers, and go farther from the water ; they scratch up 
 mud and gravel to form a nest, and lay four or five 
 eggs, abdut the size of a duck's. These eggs sup- 
 plied us with all we wanted in that line ; they are 
 equal in quality to hens' eggs, and we were never 
 without them while we were on the island. Our 
 method of collecting them was to break all the 
 eggs, on perhaps two or three acres of ground, one 
 day, and on the following morning pick up all the 
 new ones on the spot. Of course, everybody knows 
 that penguin, though well covered with feathers, 
 never fly, or rise from the ground ; they stand, and 
 walk erect, on short legs, terminating in web feet; 
 where wings are, in birds of the air, the penguin 
 have appendages, with bones somewhat similar 
 to, but stouter than wings ; these are covered, like 
 their bodies, with short and strong feathers, which 
 lie close and compact ; when walking, these wings 
 or paddles are folded close to the body, and in the 
 water they are fins, propelling them with great ve- 
 locity. Sailors call them '' feathered fish." The 
 field tribe are most numerous. They could strike 
 with much force with their fins, as our legs could 
 testify when we had to pass among them. 
 
THE ALBATROSS. 
 
 lip, 
 
 om 
 
 be 
 
 n 
 
 There was another tribe, smaller than the last 
 mentionccl, called the '• maccaroni," or rock pen- 
 guin, whose favt)rite haunts were on rocky points, 
 and under clitls of the shore. These difleretl 
 from the others, in having ear-locks consisting of 
 a few bright yellow feathers on each side of the 
 head, standing out at right angles, which gives 
 them a beautiful appearance. The eggs of these 
 birds were decidedly " fishy," and we did not use 
 them. In another direction, and near by, might 
 be seen the large white albatross, scattered about 
 on grassy spots, while the flocks of wild pigeons 
 running about on the beaches, the piratical pee- 
 movv soaring overhead, "waiting for something to 
 turn up," the bellowing of the elephant, the loud, 
 busy hum of the industrious penguin population, 
 and the screeching of millions of birds of various 
 kinds, all mingling together, gave a business-like 
 appearance to the scene. Such sights and sounds 
 must be seen and heard ; I cannot do justice by any 
 description of them. 
 
 The " albatross " are very majestic and noble- 
 looking birds, the old ones entirely white, the 
 younger with brown backs; they are similar to 
 those oft' Cape Horn, but larger. I have often 
 measured them eleven feet from tip to tip, with 
 their wings stretched out. They prefer level, moist, 
 grassy land to build their nests on. Pulling up the 
 mud with the grass adhering, in a circuit often or 
 twelve feet, they build up a nest from the middle, 
 about two feet high, large at the base, and tapering 
 off in beautiful proportion to the top. This bird 
 
 :f: 
 
 i 
 
 *'? 
 
 
 ' i M 
 
 <• 1 
 
 [is 
 
7S 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 lu 
 
 IS 
 
 has a down simila.- to the swan's. We cured many 
 of Uieir skins, which I presume brought a good 
 price. When it is cahn, they cannot rise from the 
 ground withou' running a considerable distance to 
 get iieadway ; they delight in strong winds, and 
 will move with case and rapidity in the face of the 
 strongest gales ; over the land they soar at great 
 hcliihts. which I nevor knew them to do at sea. 
 
 In one of my trips to the opposite side of the 
 island, two of us had procured our back-load of 
 seal-skins, and were on our retu''n home, across the 
 mountains. Deacondiiig towards the plains, after 
 dark, we cam;; to a moderate-sized iiill, vvhicli lay 
 in our track : my companion preferred going 
 round ; I chose to cross it. J. had reached tlie top, 
 and was leisurely descending the other side ; the 
 evening was calm and still, the stars briglit enough 
 to light nie on my way, when 1 was suddcrdy 
 startled by v. noise, as of something rushitig through 
 the air, over my licad. I looked up, expecting to 
 see a comet or meteor cutting through space, but 
 there was aone ; the sound M the while increasing 
 to a mighty rush. I felt somewhat alarmed, and 
 none the less so when two lurge white object.-^ fell 
 a few yards in front of me, striking t)^.c ground with 
 a concussion that my companion heard at the toot 
 of the hill, and thought was the report of a gun. 
 Getting over my fright, 1 approached to see whetlier 
 they were objects celestial or terrestrial ; they proved 
 to be two large albatross, and were both dead. I 
 concluded that, while soaring and moving at a rapid 
 rate, perhaps sleeping, they came into collision 
 
WHERE IS THE BRIG f 
 
 79 
 
 with each other, and, like two ships at sea coming 
 together in somewhat simihir circumstances, both 
 went to the bottom. I was glad wlicn I joined my 
 comrade, for my imagination had been consider- 
 ably excited. 
 
 On anothci occasion, two of us were sleeping 
 on the shore at the foot of a high, perpendicular, 
 rocky bluff. We had wrapped ourselves up warm 
 in skins, and were lying on the flat rocks with our 
 feet to the fire, wliich, as the n'ght was cohl, we 
 had to replenish often by tinovving on it, not a stick 
 of wood, but a strip of blubber. We were started 
 from our dreams by a tremendous whack against 
 the face of the cliff overhead, followed by a large 
 black object falling near the fire. We jumped up, 
 wondering it" the old gentleman in black had not 
 come in person ; but this time it was oidy a large 
 "blubber dragger," who had been mystified, prob- 
 ably, by the light of the fire, and had stove in his 
 bows against the rocks. 
 
 But every party had something interesting and 
 amusing to relate on their return, after a few days' 
 absence from tlie rendezvous, and all helped to keep 
 off the biues, which now began to appear in some 
 of the gang, for we had been on the island one 
 year, and our vessel had not returned. Our casks 
 were all filled ; we had collected about fifty thou- 
 tuitKl gallons of oil, and about seven thousand fur 
 seaUskins, and why did she not come? The preva- 
 lent opinion was tiiat she foundered after leaving 
 lis, and before arriving at any port ; consequently 
 nobody knew of our being left on this miserable 
 
 I ■ ''H 
 
8o 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 spot, and we had to trust for our rescue to the 
 chance calling of some other vessel, which might 
 not occur for a numher of years. 
 
 Some, again, had strong suspicions of *' foul 
 play " — that the Captain, in absenting himself so 
 long, had hopes that when he did return he would 
 find a full cargo ready for him, the collectors of 
 which had been taken ofl' by scurvy, or other dis- 
 ease, leaving nobody to share the proceeds with 
 him. Our executive officer, justly imagining what 
 thoughts might occur to us, took the right method 
 to keep us from brooding over the matter by keep- 
 ing us constantly employed, and at the same time 
 in a healthv condition. 
 
 And here let me digress a little, to do justice to 
 our officer in command on the island (Mr. Enoch 
 Burnham, a native of Essex, Mass.). But for his 
 considerate and kind treatment, with strict disci- 
 pline, properly enforced, in the discharge of duty, 
 accompanied by cheering promises of a good voyage, 
 and a return to home and friends, we should have 
 sunk under the ever-brooding thoughts of our de- 
 serted and desolate condition. 
 
 Mr. B. was captured by an English frigate in 
 the war of 1812, was conihied in Dartmoor Prison 
 for most of the war, and was one of the ball-play- 
 ing party there when numbers were so riuhlessly 
 massacred by the notorious Shortland. A reci»:al 
 of many of the events and sutferings of that prison- 
 life, with which he frequently favore«l us, tended 
 somewhat to reconcile us to our island-prison. 
 Captain B., for many years after, was an eminent 
 
 MMMBIHiilHBH 
 
EXPLORING THE ISLAND. 
 
 St 
 
 ship-master from the port of Baltimore, in which 
 city he still resides, at a very advanced age. 
 During the late war, he was in the Government 
 service three years, in command of a transport: 
 ship. He is, indeed, a worthy veteran — one of the 
 very few of the Dartmoor survivors, and probably 
 the only one of that band who commanded a ship 
 at so late a period. 
 
 To return to the island. The work being less 
 pressing than it had been, parties of two at a time 
 were allow go on excursions, and be absent for 
 
 a week or two \ to explore unfrequented places, to 
 hunt for seal, and make any general discoveries. 
 The only article of stores we took with us was a 
 little bag of salt, to season the food which the hunt 
 was to aflbrd. A short-handled frying-pan was 
 stuck into the belt of one of t)ie party, wiiile the 
 other took churge of the tinder-box and brimstone- 
 matches (phosphorus not bemg then used). These, 
 each having his seal-club, knite, and steel, consti- 
 tuted all the equipment for a campaign lor any 
 number of days. In our trips we took no clothing 
 with us but what, we had on, always trusting for 
 beds and bedding to the skins we were to get. 
 
 A little more than half the shores of the island 
 hail been explored — the rest was all terra incog- 
 nita to us — when Topham and myself set out on 
 a tour, unrestricted by any particular orders. Wo 
 had the matter of new discoveries under consider- 
 ation a good many days, keeping it to ourselves, 
 lest some damper should be j. .t upon our plan. We 
 hud determined to strike across the mountains, and 
 
 ti ■ t" 
 
i' 
 
 8t 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 beginning at the furthest point of shore, reached in 
 all previous cxplo'ations, to continue on, and finish 
 up the iCst of the circuit. So, buckling on our 
 usual weapons, and having our pockets filled with 
 hard-boiled eggs, we set out, after eating a hearty 
 breakfast. Taking a gap in the mountains for a 
 mark, we steeretl for it with as little deviation from 
 a direct line as possible. Sometimes wc would be 
 headed off, and have to travel half a mile round a 
 large field of volcanic scoria, or cinder, which would 
 have been holc-y ground for our moccasins, had 
 wc attempted to cross it ; then we would go out of 
 our course to get round a precipitous hill, so that 
 in crossing the island, where the width was about 
 fifteen mile>, we had to travel twenty to accomplish 
 it. We arrived at the opposite shore just before 
 dark. Having selected a lee under the bank for 
 our camp, we proceeded to a beach near by, killed 
 two elephants, took the skins ofl* for our blankets, 
 then getting a fire under way, we soon had a sup- 
 per ready of fried tongues, boiled eggs, and good 
 cold water. 
 
 Making ourselves very couiiortable for the night, 
 we started early after brcakf.ist the following morn- 
 ing, examining every nook and every beach for seal. 
 We killed a few on our wav, cleaning the skjns, 
 and making them as light ai» possible to transport. 
 About noon, we came to a large, level svind-beuch, 
 the low land extending some way from the hiiore, 
 and almost literally covered with penguin rook- 
 eries, elephant, and albatross. Alter surveying the 
 premises, and selecting a camping-place, wc buou 
 
AMONG THE SEAL. 
 
 S3 
 
 had the frying-pan in full operation : having taken 
 a pup seal on the beach, we fared sumptuously. 
 The carcass of a young seal we considered equal 
 to lamb, bread or vegetables being out of the ques- 
 tion. Before dark, wc killed and took the jackets 
 oir thirty to forty seal. After doing so good a 
 day's work, we fed well and slept well, and were 
 early at the beach the next morning, capturing a 
 lot of " clapmatches" and "yearlings," that is, the 
 females and one-year old pups, making over iifly 
 fine skins. And now the question was, what to do 
 with them. We concluded to clean them as well 
 as we could, with our knives, stretch them on the 
 rocks to dry, pack them away in a dry place, and 
 leave them for future transportation across the 
 mountains. This detained us tlnce days. Tliis 
 being the weather-side of the island, there was al- 
 wavs too much surf to work a boat on the shore ; 
 thcrctore all the skins obtained here had to be 
 backed to our head-quaiters. 
 
 Having well secured our furs, we continued on 
 our way. The travel all this day was a rough one ; 
 the coast could only be approached in a few places, 
 on account of precipices, and we had to tun\ olV 
 inland so often, that wc made only seven or eight 
 milei^ progress before dark, and then had to pass 
 tlw night without tire, as we could not get to a 
 bc.ich ; but we hail some cold meat with us, and 
 «ach one had taken a half-dried fur seal-skin from 
 ow kw* camp, so that we were quite comfortable at 
 night. The next noon we came, after hard travel, 
 to another large beach, and as the prospect beyond 
 
 
FORE AND AFT. 
 
 lookctl unpromising, we stopped there for the iilght. 
 There were a good many seal about, but as we 
 coidd not take care of them, we only Uillcil what 
 our present necessities required. We found a rook- 
 cry of solan geese, which were fine eating. Our 
 camping-place was at the termination of a range of 
 high blulfs, at the foot of which there was a good 
 shelter, and again we passed the night comfortably. 
 The next morning we ascendeil a higli bank, to see 
 how the face of the country looked on our intended 
 route. We found that we had now to cross a low, 
 level tract, of four or five miles in extent, entirely 
 covered with cinders, rough, sharp, and extremely 
 trving to the feet; this could not be avoided by go- 
 ing inland, as a like surface apparently extended 
 a luunber of miles back, reaching the base of the 
 mountains. Opposite to us, across tine field of vol- 
 canic matter, and at the apparent distance of four or 
 iive miles, high blulls again occurred, the sides of 
 which a]5peared to be of easy ascent, and we sup- 
 posed there might be a beach on th.it side, as here. 
 
 Ileforc starting, we cooked up some meat to carry 
 with us, and our tinder-box was replenished with 
 fresh tinder. Our stock of brimstone matches was 
 reduced to two, and the deficiency could not be 
 remedied ; therefore we hoped to be out but one 
 more night before reaching home. 
 
 At noon we had travelled four or five mfles, when 
 we stopped to dine, ami to make moccasins. Wc 
 found we were not more than half across this hard 
 road. The whole distance thus far had been liko 
 w alking over the cinders thrown out of a blacksmith's 
 

 ROUGH QUARTERS. 
 
 S5 
 
 forge, and tlicrc was as much before us. Our 
 moccabius were cut throui/h, aiul our feet bleeiliu''. 
 W'c were overtaken, before starting again, by a 
 heavy gale of wind, attended by a drenching rain ; the 
 grass in our moccasins was used up, and our naked 
 feet, in tile thin seal-skin coverings, were but poorly 
 protecteil from the sharp stones. Frefjuently we were 
 obliged to stop and rei)air damages ; and, being wet 
 to the skin, were doubly anxious to get to where we 
 could have a fire. There were some rough ridges 
 and ravines to be crossed betore we gaineil the 
 other side of the cinder Held, and on reaching the 
 border just before dark, our feet were almost bare. 
 Sadly disap[)ointed were wc at not fnidiug a com- 
 fortable camping-place. 
 
 A blulV bank borderetl close on the shore ; there 
 was no beach, but in a gully on the side of the 
 bank there were several elephant l}ing on the 
 rocks; along down this gully, and parallel with the 
 bank, the wind rushed with great fury, while it rained 
 without cessation. Wc managed to kill .n elephant, 
 and then ti ied to ilnd a protecteil place v\ nere we 
 could build a lire. There was none; but close to 
 the high bank two large rocks had appareiitly fallen 
 from the clilf, with their edi^es resting against each 
 other in such a maimer that, by fastening uj) the imkI 
 next to the bank, we had room to crawl in between 
 them anil lie down. So we went to work in the 
 4urk, gathering tui f and tussock, and banked up die 
 end, bo that the wind was entirely excluded. The 
 precious tinder-box was proiluced, the kindling pre- 
 
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 86 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 pared, and the two matches, worth at that moment 
 twenty tunes their weight in gold, were held in 
 careful readiness: holding the tinder-box between 
 his knees, Topham, with the flint and steel, made 
 the sparks fly in showers, but they would not catch ; 
 the tinder was wet. We both labored at the work 
 until we were convinced that we might as well 
 attempt to ignite a bucket of water as our wet 
 tinder ; and now the misery of our situation burst 
 upon us. Every garment on our persons was 
 wringing wet, a long, cold, stormy night was before 
 us, so dark we could not stir from our places, and 
 the surrounding rough rocks forbade us to move 
 about to keep our blood circulating. 
 
 The prospect was anything but pleasant. The 
 rain continued to descend in torrents. We found 
 our way down to the dead elephant, took off* his 
 skin in the dark, and dragged it up to our hole, then 
 stripped oflJ* all our clothes, wrung the water out, 
 put a part of them on again and lay down, covering 
 ourselves with the large, green, warm hide of the 
 elephant, and tried to keep warm. The only article 
 of clothing I had on was my woollen drawers ; my 
 arms were shoved through the flipper holes of a 
 seal-skin, and the skin, with the fur inside, tolerably 
 well protected my body. We were soon com- 
 fortably warm, and had fallen asleep, but we had 
 been nursing a deluge, which soon burst upon us. 
 By damming up the back of our habitation we had 
 been preparing a reservoir in our rear, where a 
 large body of water accumulated ; and this being 
 
i 
 
 WASHED OUT. 
 
 87 
 
 suddenly increased in volume by a large stream en- 
 tering it from the high land, we were aroused from 
 our slumbers by the falling of our embankment 
 in upon us, and by a wild rush of. water, which 
 washed us bodily out among the rocks. When fully 
 awake, we were picking ourselves up out of the 
 gully from among the elephants ; the deluge had 
 also disturbed them, and they were on the move. 
 In the darkness we came in contact with them a 
 number of times, but fortunately received no in- 
 jury. Both were considerably bruised in washing 
 over the rocks ; in the flurry, I lost my seal-skin, 
 and got clear of the wreck with no other garment 
 but my drawers. My companion had a similar 
 garment, and also a flannel shirt on ; I had hung up 
 my shirt, in the hope it might partially dry, and lost 
 it ; therefore I was in the worst predicament of the 
 two. We groped about among the rocks, hoping 
 to recover some of our clothes, but without suc- 
 cess ; and then wandered about looking, or feeling, 
 rather, for a shelter from the wind that troubled 
 us more than the rain — but none was to be found. 
 We had to move about as best we could the re- 
 mainder of the night, climbing over rocks, thrash- 
 ing our arms, and rubbing each other to keep up a 
 circulation, and wishing for day. We thought our 
 ejectment must have occurred previous to midnight, 
 but it was the longest night I ever knew before or 
 since. 
 
 When the day broke a little, we found a shelv- 
 ing rock, under which one of us could crawl out of 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 the wind, and, as I had the least clotliing, I took 
 tlie fust watch below. At daylight I tried to get 
 up, but found I could not ; I was not weak, but my 
 limbs were stiflened. We judged that, by a direct 
 cut across the mountains, we could reacii home by 
 travelling ten miles. Topliam was in far better 
 condition than I was; therefore we both thought 
 it best that he should start at once for our rendez- 
 vous, and send help to me, while I remained un- 
 der shelter of the rock. Before he left, he found 
 the elephant-skin, and threw it over me, under the 
 cover of which I obtained some warmth, and fell 
 asleep, while the storm was still raging. When I 
 awoke, I judged it was about the middle of the fore- 
 noon ; the storm had ceased, the wind had changed, 
 and the sun was shining warm and pleasant. I 
 crawled out, and lay in the sun, soon finding that I 
 was getting the use of my legs. Hunting round 
 for my lost garments, I recovered my moccasins, 
 shirt, and jacket, and picked up a bit of cooked 
 seal, w^ell water-soaked, but I ate it with a relish. 
 By this time I felt that I had better make tracks for 
 home, alone. Without much exertion, I gained 
 the top of a mountain, from which I recognized 
 some well-known land-marks in the vicinity of the 
 cave. I at once shaped a course, which brought 
 me into port before sundown ; the distance was 
 just about ten miles. I found that my companion 
 had arrived before noon, that Mr. B. and two oth- 
 ers had immediately started ofl' for my relief, and 
 following his directions, had, no doubt, gone 
 
SNl/G IN BED. 
 
 89 
 
 straight to tlic spot where I had been left ; but I 
 had deviated from the way to gain the mountain, 
 and we had passed without soeinj^ each other. 
 The party returned after dark, iutcnchnjj to resume 
 the search for me the next morning, but they hap- 
 pily found me at quarters, snug in bed. 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPtER VIII. 
 
 BEGINNING A NEW YEAR. 
 
 AT the expiration of a year, the only articles of 
 ship-stores served out were bread, flour, vine- 
 gar, and molasses. A half pound of flour, the same of 
 bread, half a gill of molasses, the same of vinegar, 
 were given out only once a week, on Sunday morn- 
 ing, as long as they lasted, and were consumed the 
 same day. 
 
 As I was chief cook, etc., the materials were in- 
 trusted to my skill to make the most of. For the 
 benefit of persons who may hereafter be in like 
 reduced circumstances, and also for the enlighten- 
 ment of housekeepers in general, I will put on rec- 
 ord some focts about the preparation of our Sunday 
 feasts. Mince pies were always voted for, therefore 
 the whole quantity of flour, say four pounds, was 
 made into pastry, well shortened with elephant oil ; 
 then about eight pounds of elephants' tongues, 
 corned and boiled, were chopped up fine ; to this 
 was added all the bread, pounded (four pounds), 
 all the molasses, and all the vinegar, with salt 
 according to taste ; all these ingredients, well 
 mingled together, all kinds of spice being carefully 
 excluded, composed the mince. The pastry was 
 then divided into sixteen equal parts, and rolled out 
 with a junk-bottle, extended to the roundest and 
 
 
■■"■■■ irr'f.T (■; 
 
 RUDE HEALTH. 
 
 9^ 
 
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 thinnest dimensions possible. The filling, also 
 divided equally, was placed 'on one-half of the 
 circular dough, leaving a proper margin for seal- 
 ing ; the other half was then brought over, and the 
 two edges secured, and duly finished oft' with a 
 fancy border, producing, as a whole, what some 
 people would call *' turnovers," but which we, after 
 they had remained a proper time in the frying-pan, 
 designated by the name of " fried cocked hats." 
 We were all satisfied that " Ma'am Peverilly's " shop 
 could not produce their equal. 
 
 Medicines, in the shape of drugs, we had not a 
 particle of, beyond a few doses of salts, neither did 
 we need any. We were on the island over two 
 years ; one year without bread or any other ship- 
 stores, wholly without vegetables, and, in fact, with 
 nothing to eat but meat, eggs, and fish, with good 
 cold wflter to drink ; each man averaging full three 
 pounds of meat a day, and a considerable quantity 
 of fish-oil ; yet during the whole time I do not re- 
 member a single case of a man being laid by for 
 one day widi sickness, and, with the exception of 
 one of our fellows who got a severe bite from a seal, 
 we had no one oft' duty during the absence of the 
 vessel. Being kept continually on the move by 
 our efficient officer, and so accustomed to travelling 
 about the island, we were like goats on the moun- 
 tains, seldom knowing what fatigue was. 
 
 During the last year of our residence here, our 
 life bore some resemblance to Crusoe's on his island. 
 We wore pretty much all skin dresses, using young 
 seal-skins, made soft by being well rubbed with 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 stones and sand. Our garments were cut in the 
 prevailing fashion, sewed together witli needles 
 niude from the small wing-bones of the albatross, 
 the dried sinews of seal supplying thread. Wc 
 were also, to all appearance, " out of humanity's 
 reach " ; and though we were not " finishing our 
 journey alone," the tameness of the birds and ani- 
 mals was " shocking to me." The greatest difier- 
 ence was, that Crusoe was solitary and alone, while 
 here were eight Crusoes, who could discuss the 
 sweets of solitude among themselves. In some re- 
 spects the odds were in his favor. "Juan Fernan- 
 dez" is situated in a mild latitude, with a delightful 
 climate, with trees and bushes, fruits and flowers, 
 to rejoice the senses. " Prince Edward's " was cold, 
 stormy, and without vegetation.; the only change 
 of scenery being an occasional iceberg drifting by 
 to the eastward, and the migrating of the amphib- 
 ious inhabitants. 
 
 How often, when crossing the mountains alone, 
 have I sat down with a view of the sea and sky 
 connected all around the horizon, and gazed and 
 gazed, in the hope of seeing something which would 
 remind me that we had friends whom we yet might 
 see, and that they were " sending hopes and wishes 
 after us." Sometimes, for a moment, my heart would 
 jump, when an albatross turned the end of his white 
 tapering wing on a line with the horizon, giving 
 the appearance of a distant sail, and again it would 
 sink, when a sense of our desolation came over me. 
 The lines ascribed to Selkirk, on Juan Fernandez, 
 I so often repeated when a school-boy, — how little 
 
MAKING BEDS. 
 
 93 
 
 did I dream they would ever be so applicable to 
 my own case ! Now how often I found myself 
 uttering them, with a feeling never before appre- 
 ciated ! 
 
 We thought our brig must have foundered, and 
 who would come for us, or who know of our being 
 here? The Gen, Gates^s crew might, in after 
 years, remember us, and give information that would 
 lead to our rescue, but that was in the i\x future. 
 We had serious thoughts, Vvhen eighteen months 
 had elapsed, of rising upon our old dilapidated 
 boat, decking her partly over, and attempting to 
 fall in with some outward-bound ship to India, 
 whose track we might cross by reaching seven or 
 eight degrees to the north of us ; but the attempt to 
 accomplish this, with our miserable boat, would 
 have been madness. There were some who advo- 
 cated it strongly, and I think would have attempted 
 it, had relief been much longer delayed. I was in 
 favor of remaining at the island, but I know not what 
 would have been my course had the crisis arrived. 
 
 Having much leisure time, we provided ourselves 
 with good feather-beds. The peemows were very 
 abundant, and we made a large net of dried strips 
 of elephant-skins, to set, and spring on them. It 
 was twenty-five feet long, by ten or twelve wide, 
 and worked finely. A party of two would go with 
 it to a large level beach, about two miles from the 
 cave, where the birds were most numerous, and 
 camp there until each one had provided himself with 
 feathers enough for a bed. Our method was, to 
 secure one side of the net firmly to the ground on 
 
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94 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 a level place, with a long line at the two opposite 
 corners, the width of the net being distended by a 
 pole at each end, and pieces of meat being placed 
 for bait ; these pieces would soon be covered with 
 the birds, the lines would then be pulled upon, and 
 the net sprung, catching twenty or thirty at a haul. 
 The bii'ds were tal<en out, put in irons by locking 
 their wings over their backs, thrown into a barrel, 
 and the net set again. They were always picked 
 alive, to keep their feathers clean ; leaving the wing 
 and tail feathers on the bird, he was then released, 
 and for a few days there would be lots of the poor 
 plucked fellows flying about. The feathers, when 
 procured and dried in our large try-pot, were equal 
 to any in the world. This was unjustifiable, and 
 downright cruelty on our part, and I cannot but 
 think that by having our hands daily imbrued in the 
 blood of animals, our natures were so changed, that 
 acts of cruelty, which, one year previous, would 
 have been revolting to us, we now seemed to enjoy. 
 In after years I have reflected on our island amuse- 
 ments with shame and sorrow. There is no doubt 
 that scenes of bloodshed tend to the debasement of 
 our finer feelings. 
 
 I have spoken of t'le presence of wild hogs on 
 the island ; of these, however, only eight were 
 found and killed by us while there ; and we no 
 doubt killed the whole stock. Three of the ani- 
 mals were large boars, wild and terribly ferocious 
 creatures. The last one that was killed was the 
 worst of the lot. We had avoided the ugly cus- 
 tomer as long as there were others, as he exhibited 
 
';'"W"'''l"JTr*;rV* 
 
 A BOAR-HUNT. 
 
 95 
 
 
 I 
 
 a formidable pair of tusks, and was always ready to 
 show fight ; but now he was the last of his tribe, 
 and we determined to finish him. Not that we 
 were longing for his spare-ribs or steaks, but we 
 considered him a dangerous cruiser, as he had, on 
 various occasions, given chase to us, and exhibited 
 his ivory in a way not pleasant to behold, when 
 we were peacefully travelling on the king's high- 
 way. On the appointed day of the hunt, all hands 
 were piped to make sail in chase of the enemy. 
 The mate had the musket loaded with three balls 
 (for the first time it had been brought into requisi- 
 tion). Some of us were armed with lances, others 
 with seal-clubs, and all with the never-dispensed- 
 with knife, and steel in our belts. 
 
 Arriving at the place where we expected to 
 find the foe, we extended our line, each one being 
 about a hundred yards from his neighbor, and thus 
 we swept along in search. I was next the mate ; 
 we were crossing a valley, moving along abreast 
 of each other, when, as I was jumping off a 
 shelving ledge of rocks, the old Mohican started 
 out from under it about twenty yards from me. At 
 his appearance we all shouted. The animal was 
 startled, and ran from us ; I was nearest to him, and, 
 in the brave pursuit, evidently gaining on the chase ; 
 the mate calling out to me where to hit him, and to 
 be sure of my blow. The enemy, all at once, hove 
 to, with his head towards his pursuers, took a sur- 
 vey of them, and concluding to show fight, made 
 towards me with his ivory bow-chasers glistening 
 through the froth. Just then I recollectec' that I had 
 
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96 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 some business in the opposite direction, and of course 
 I hurried back to attend to it. The mute passed me 
 in the direction of the beast, bestowing a blessing 
 on me for not facing the brute ; at the same time 
 the latter changed his course from me to the mate. 
 The governor being now between me and his hog- 
 shlp, I thought it best to let them settle the difficulty 
 (as it is always best to refer difficult questions to 
 the higher powers). As they rapidly approached 
 each other, I was expecting to see the deadly mus- 
 ket levelled, but instead of that it was thrown 
 away, the boar was grabbed by his ears, and thrown 
 on his side. The governor, holding on to his grip and 
 placing his knee on the animal to keep him down, 
 shouted to me to come and put my knife in his 
 throat. Had the mate missed his hold by the ears, 
 he would have fared badly. We did not eat any 
 of that pork, but the skins afforded excellent moc- 
 casins. The tusks were seven inches long. 
 
 " Killers," as I have before said, are a large, 
 voracious fish, from twenty to thirty feet long. 
 They have a large mouth and very formidable teeth ; 
 an upright fin from the back, a foot high, may often 
 be seen above the water when the back is not vis- 
 ible. These monsters prey upon the elephant and 
 seal ; they will lie in schools close in by the beach, 
 where the animals are basking on the shore, watch- 
 ing their coming in from sea, or passing out, like 
 the blockading squadron of an enemy, watching 
 oft' a port for prizes. Sometimes they would get 
 hold of a large bull elephant, who would turn upon 
 them and attempt to defend himself, but it was use- 
 
'TT 
 
 BUILDING A HOUSE. 
 
 97 
 
 less — they would soon tear him to pieces. Junks 
 of his carcass would be thrown in the air, while 
 the water for some distance round, tinged witli 
 blood, would be lashed into foam. I feel ashamed 
 to own that one of our cruel sports was to drive 
 a large bull from the beach into the jaws of the 
 killer. 
 
 Twenty months ago the vessel left us, and the 
 prospect of her returning was every day lessening. 
 One thirrr was certain — there could be no want of 
 food, water, or fuel ; if we got out of salt, we 
 could supply it by boiling down salt water. Skins 
 would give us clothing, and to all appearance we 
 could hold out for years to come on this desolate 
 • spot ; but the best consolation we could muster was 
 not very satisfactory. We were all confirmed in 
 the feeling that we were abandoned, and that foul 
 play was intended. 
 
 The cave in which we lived we now looked upon 
 as unsafe. I have before stated that the roof was 
 partly composed of a rotten, friable stone, which, 
 after long-continued rains, would become detached, 
 and fall in considerable quantities on our huts. 
 We were apprehensive we might be crushed by 
 the whole roof falling in, and therefore, as it ap- 
 peared probable we should spend a long time here, 
 we set about building a new house on the upland, 
 over the cave. We dug the trench for the founda- 
 tions, and laid the stone, the walls were slowly 
 rising — the building was intended to be wholly of 
 stone — but when the work was about half com- 
 pleted, we discontinued it for awhile, partly for tlie 
 
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 "-!■' 
 
 it 
 
98 « 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 want of stones at hand, and partly for a change of 
 occupation. 
 
 To introduce something new into our daily rou- 
 tine, we now separated in four parties, two per- 
 sons occupying each quarter of the island. We 
 felt it to be possible that some transient vessel 
 might call at one side of the island, while we were 
 all at the opposite side ; therefore the gang was 
 divided, and each couple was stationed, at about 
 equal distances apart, around the island. By this 
 means we could take all the seal that came on 
 shore, and, at the same time, keep a look-out for a 
 vessel. The parties had but little household stuff 
 to remove ; the all-important frying-pan, tinder- 
 box, matches and salt being the principal articles. 
 
 As there was no wood to frame huts with, the 
 parties had to seek out the most sheltered and con- 
 venient places under high banks or cliffs, where, 
 with the help of stones, skins, and tussock, com- 
 fortable habitations were constructed. 
 
 The mate and myself remained at head-quarters. 
 About two or three weeks after all were located, 
 we started from the cave, or government house, as 
 we now called it, to pay a visit to the nearest party, 
 at a distance of about twelve miles. Passing two 
 or three days at this station, we moved on to the 
 next, and continued on round the island, not omit- 
 ting a second tramp over that terrible, cindery road ; 
 but this time, Renewing what we were to meet with, 
 we were better prepared. 
 
 Thus a system of visiting was establkhed among 
 the parties ; it served to break the monotony, and 
 
m 
 
 SAIL, HO! 
 
 99 
 
 keep up a little excitement, and drive away de- 
 sponding thoughts. 
 
 The oil had been well coopered, the casks well 
 stowed, and protected from the weather. Daily 
 and hourly, sharp eyes all around the island were 
 eagerly watching for the distant sail. Thus passed 
 a number of months ; but the time of our deliver- 
 ance was at hand. 
 
 The mate was sitting in the hut, reading. I was 
 standing at the front of the cave, gazing out upon 
 the ocean, the view of which, on the windward 
 side, was abruptly terminated by a high, perpen- 
 dicular, bluff point. I happened to be looking in 
 that direction at the moment that an object appeared 
 projecting from it in a horizontal direction. What 
 could it be? A ship's jibboom, and so close in 
 shore ? It was ! It was ! There was but little 
 wind, and it moved slowly. I tried to sing out, 
 " Sail, ho ! " but was choked up, and could not find 
 utterance. The head sails came in view, then the 
 foremast, the crew on the forecastle, and one at the 
 mast-head, on the look-out. The main-mast opened 
 out, and the quarter-deck, with one on it, whom I 
 at once recognized from his rapid, short step, to be 
 old Sam Edes himself. I rushed into the hut: 
 speak I could not ; but I caught hold of the mate 
 and pulled him to the door. The man thought I 
 was crazy, and so I was. Soon he was, also. We 
 both looked foi" a minute, and were convinced there 
 was no mistake about it. There was the Pickei'' 
 ing^ with the Stars and Stripes at her peak, just 
 heaving-to with main top-sail aback, in front of 
 
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 FOhP AND AFT, 
 
 our cove. Satisfied of the fact, we both laughed, 
 cried, danced, sang, and cut up many ridiculous 
 capers, which were answered by the waving of 
 hats and the cheers of those on board. The boat 
 was soon lowered, and the Captain came on shore. 
 When within hail, seeing but two of us, he shouted, 
 "Where are the rest of you?" The response of 
 "All alive and well," we thought was not satisfac- 
 tory to him, which opinion was confirmed by events 
 that followed in the latter part of the voyage. 
 However, congratulations were soon passed, and I 
 was started off to call the gangs in. I travelled 
 the twelve miles with a light heart and lighter 
 heels. One man returned with me the same night ; 
 the other went in the opposite direction, to sum- 
 mon the two remaining parties. I got back to the 
 cave about midnight. Mr. B. was alone ; the boat 
 had returned to the brig, and she had hauled off for 
 the night. Nobody on the island slept that night. 
 Mr. B. had been on board, and had so much to tell 
 us, that morning dawned before the budget was 
 emptied. ' 
 
 The Captain gave, as a reason for not coming 
 for us sooner, " that he feared we would not have 
 a cargo read}^, and he knevy we could not starve. 
 He had been well employed with the vessel, and 
 making money so fast, that even if we had not col- 
 lected any oil, he had made a good voyage for us," 
 etc. We believed him, although not satisfied with 
 the excuse ; we were too glad to got off the miser- 
 able, desolate opot, to make any fuss about it. 
 
 The next moi ung the vessel came in apnii, and 
 
TAKING IN CARGO. 
 
 lOi 
 
 s 
 
 now cama to anchor near the kelp. During her 
 absence, a heavy anchor and a long chain had been 
 procured for special use at the island, with which 
 it was hoped the vessel would hold on at anchor 
 while loading. Therefore, all being made snug 
 aloft, with top-gallant yards and stiidding-sail booms 
 sent down, a long scope of cable wj paid out, and 
 the yards pointed to the wind, with preparations 
 made to slip the cable, if nece^> ay. All the boats 
 1 nd all hands were industriously employed in raft- 
 ing off and hoisting in the casks of oil. The ves- 
 sel had a ground tier of casks all stowed in the 
 hold, ready to be filled. We rolled our full casks 
 to the beach, and making a raft of about twenty 
 of them, they were towed alongside, and hoisted 
 in ; then the oil was started into a large tub placed 
 over the main hatch, with a long hose attached, 
 and conveyed to the empty casks below. This was 
 very hard work, but we kept at it as long as day- 
 light lasted. At night, the decks were covered 
 with casks to be emptied, and the watches were 
 occupied during the night in starting oil and stow- 
 ing down. 
 
 We were thus employed for two days, when it 
 began to blow hard from the land, cutting off all 
 communication with the shore. We now directed 
 all our efforts to maintain our anchorage ; the wind 
 increasing, with white squalls, we let go a second 
 anchor, giving her the whole Vngth of two chain 
 cables, being over two hundred fathoms, and hoped 
 to hold on, but the squalls struck her with such 
 violence that the brig, being very light, and high 
 
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 I02 
 
 FOBE AND AFT. 
 
 out of water, started the anchors, and away we 
 went, drifting out to sea. The water was smooth 
 while under the lee of the island, and, by working 
 hard, we got the oil on deck secured before we had 
 drifted into rough water. Some of the storm-sails 
 were set, to steady the vessel, and all hands were 
 allowed to turn in for four hours to get a little rest, 
 before attempting anything with the anchors, which 
 were now hanging at the bows one hundred fath- 
 oms deep. 
 
 The allotted time passed, the shrill notes of the 
 boatswain's whistle, and the summons of " all 
 hands to man the windlass," roused us again to se- 
 vere toil. The immense weight of the two anchors 
 and chains, and their being foul of each other, 
 made it difficult for us to bring them to the surface ; 
 with all the purchases we could bring to bear, and 
 with all hands heaving at the windlass and cap- 
 stan for twenty-four hours, we only got in about as 
 many fathoms of cable. We were then allowed 
 four hours' sleep, and our labor was renewed. We 
 did not succeed in getting the anchors to the bows 
 until the third day, when, of course, the island was 
 out of sight. Sail was now made on the vessel, 
 so that the next day we got back to anchor again, 
 when only one anchor was let go ; we were satis- 
 fied of the fact that the anchors would not hold in 
 the strong winds that were of so frequent occur- 
 rence here, and, as we probably must get blown off 
 several times before completing our lading, it was 
 best to have only one anchor to heave up. 
 
 This time we remained at anchor a little longer, 
 
 \ 
 

 TWO MONTHS OF TOIL. 
 
 103 
 
 and got on board perhaps one-third of the cargo, 
 when it came on to blow again, and again we 
 drifted to sea. This was followed by another hard 
 day's work at the windlass. This experience was 
 repeated again and again for about two months ; 
 all hands from the island would hurry on board 
 when the vessel broke adrift to help get her back. 
 To us landsmen the sea duties came back butt- 
 end first, but we soon became familiar with them. 
 Sometimes the vessel, having drifted a long way 
 off by the continuance of the gale, would be a 
 week in regaining her anchorage, and then, after 
 one day's work with the shore, away to sea again 
 for another week. We were fast being used up. 
 Officers and men were tired out ; with our bleed- 
 ing hands and sore feet, we were hardly able to 
 reef a top-sail. We wished the island, and all on 
 it, would sink, but it was not likely to do so, and 
 another week's work of this kind would be past 
 endurance. 
 
 a 
 
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 104 
 
 FOJ^E AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ONCE MORE AT SEA. 
 
 u 
 
 V I 
 
 LYING-TO in a gale of wind, we got up a peti- 
 tion, headed by the officers, and signed by all 
 hands, stating to the Captain our miserable situ- 
 ation, and requesting him, the next time we were 
 blown off, not to return ; stating, also, that all were 
 willing to relinquish their share of what might re- 
 main behind. Our request was complied with ; and, 
 on returnmg to the island, we removed to the ves- 
 sel all of the most valuable property, and then 
 kept to work on the oil as long as the weather per- 
 mitted. Another gale soon occurred, and we drifted 
 away, to return no more. Heaving up the anchor 
 with a will for the last time, we soon bore away, 
 with all our canvas spread, for the Cape of Good 
 Hope, leaving behind, on the island, about sixty 
 casks of oil, the try-pots, coolers, and long-boat, 
 and thanking the Lord when they were out of 
 sight. I was employed aloft as the island was fast 
 disappearing, and, when it was gone, I felt that it 
 was one of the few places I had visited that I never 
 wished to behold again. 
 
 Thou treeless, verdureless, desolate Isle of the 
 Ocean ! when discovered by Captain Cook, and 
 claimed by him as a British possession, if you did 
 not add anything to the wealth and power of 
 
 \ 
 
 T3S-VX 
 
A PLACE OF PENITENCE. 
 
 105 
 
 England, neither did you then draw, nor have you 
 since drawn from its treasury for your support, and 
 there is no probability you ever will ; neither will 
 you be a " bone of contention '* among the nations. 
 To this spot, the reverse of Heber's lines is appli- 
 cable : 
 
 -: 
 
 "Where every prospect pleases, 
 And only man is vile." 
 
 Taken from any point of view, if there was any 
 pleasant prospect to be found, we never found it. 
 The absence of man, and his vileness, now coin- 
 pletes the picture. We are told that every created 
 thing has its uses. Prince Edward's Island is no 
 exception to this rule. .Some of its uses may be 
 named. It is a good place for drifting icebergs to 
 bump against and break their heads, which some- 
 times occurs. It is a good place for a man to flee 
 to who wishes to get out of the reach of his cred- 
 itors, or the clutches of the law, for here he could 
 live without cash or credit on blubber and birds, 
 with a never-failing supply of excellent water. 
 Here he would also find time and space to repent 
 of his transgressions, and form good resolutions for 
 the future. 
 
 We had been so long without bread, that we 
 were some weeks on shipboard before we could 
 relish it again. It was so with regard to most of 
 the ship's stores, coffee excepted. Coffee was the 
 greatest luxury to which we returned. To this 
 ' day the absence of bread would be no deprivation 
 
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 ' \4 
 
io6 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 HJ 
 
 to me. A hunter, or frontiersman, cares for no 
 luxury beyond fresh meat, coffee, and salt ; so it 
 was with us on this island ; and we consumed vast 
 quantities of the grossest, kind of meat without 
 vegetables of any kind ; yet all continued healthy 
 and strong throughout our two years' residence 
 there. 
 
 ^V'e were now fairly under weigh, and at sea, 
 with the expectation that after a short stay at the 
 Cape, for the purpose of repairs and supplies, we 
 should be homeward-bound, and in the course of 
 three months should see old Boston again, after a 
 three years' absence. But these pleasing anticipa- 
 tions were not to be realized. "Foul Play" was 
 laying his plans, soon to be developed. While the 
 vessel had been absent from us she had been con- 
 stantly employed in freighting between the Isle of 
 France, Bourbon, Madagascar, and other places, 
 doing a good business. 
 
 On one of her trips from the island of Rodrigues 
 to Bourbon, with a full cargo of cocoa-nuts, she fell 
 in with a Dutch 74-gun ship in distress, from Ba- 
 tavia, bound for Holland, with the Governor of Ba- 
 tavia and his family, and a large number of invalids, 
 on board. It was the Admiral's ship. She had 
 been partly dismasted in a gale, and was leaking 
 badly. The crew were worn out at the pumps ; 
 there were not able men enough on board to work 
 them and manage the ship, and, with the prospect of 
 soon going to the bottom if they remained on the 
 ship, they very naturally wished to be taken off. 
 A flag of distress was hoisted on the approach of 
 
A DUTCH PRIZE. 
 
 107 
 
 
 our vessel, and Captain Edes bore awaytowaids 
 her. On boarding the ship, our Captain contracted 
 with the Admiral to take off the crew and passen- 
 gers, and land them at the Isle of P^rancc for $25,000 ; 
 also to be paid for what cargo he should have to 
 throw overboard to make room for their reception 
 on board. 
 
 Accordingly, on the return of our boat, all the 
 cocoa-nuts were thrown overboard from between 
 decks, and the entire company of the ship were 
 transferred to our vessel, where the Governor's 
 lady died a few hours after her removal. No pri- 
 vate or public property was allowed to be saved 
 unless we could save the whole. Such were the 
 Admiral's orders. It was remarked that our boats' 
 crews, when going to the wreck, were clad with but 
 few garments ; on their return it was very evident 
 that considerable quantities of rich underclothing 
 increased their rotundity. The ship was named 
 the Admiral Avis. She was set on fire by the com- 
 mander himself when the last boat left the ship, 
 and before our vessel was out of sight the fire 
 reached the magazine, and she blew up. 
 
 The Pickering entered the harbor of Port Louis 
 in about ten days, with the Dutchmen packed about 
 as close as herrings in a keg, under deck and on it. 
 The rigging, the tops, and the bowsprit, were also 
 covered with them. Our vessel was entirely clear 
 of them in fifteen days, and for his services Captain 
 Edes said he had bills on the Dutch government for 
 $27,000, a share of which, and of all other moneys 
 made during the two years, belonged to the orig- 
 
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 rORJS AND AFT. 
 
 inal crew, or such of them as still remained by the 
 vessel ; and he assured us that, with our oil and 
 skins, we were making, and, in fact, had made, 
 a good voyage. 
 
 Of the original crew which left the island in the 
 vessel, only three returned. Of the others, none 
 had died, but from bad treatment they had been 
 driven to desert, thus lessening the number of those 
 who would share the proceeds of the voyage. 
 
 We arrived at Simons (or False Bay), Cape of 
 Good Hope, in about three weeks, where there is 
 quite a neat English town, the government having 
 a dock-yard and naval depot at this port. There 
 were V lying in the bay some half-dozen transport 
 ships which had brought out troops from Europe. 
 Some had been landed at St. Helena, to take care 
 of Napoleon, and others yet on board were des- 
 tined for India. As our much weather-worn and 
 badly chafed vessel threaded her way through the 
 fleet, in beating up to her anchorage, the poops of 
 each ship were covered with officers and their 
 wives, looking with astonishment at the dilapidated 
 appearance of our vessel and crew (the one cor- 
 responding with the other). "We could hear their 
 laughter and jeers respecting us and the Stars and 
 Stripes at our peak, before any words were ex- 
 changed. Our Captain was much nettled, and we 
 all shared in his indignation. One of the " lobster- 
 back " gentlemen at length hailed us with, "Cap- 
 tain, where are you from?" The old man replied 
 in no very pleasant tone, with the simple word 
 
EARTHLY ANGELS. 
 
 109 
 
 ** Desolation." " Oh, ah, yes ! " replied the officer ; 
 " I should think you were." 
 
 After the brig anchored, and the sails were furled, 
 the boat was manned to land the Captain. I was 
 the first in the boat, being eager again to put ray 
 foot on civilized territory. We landed on the beach, 
 with orders to remain by the boat until the Cap- 
 tain returned. The town and its surroundings 
 were beautiful in appearance ; all the people on 
 shore, even the soldiers and negroes who were 
 loafing on the beach, seemed to be dressed splen- 
 didly, and so they were in comparison with our- 
 selves, or any mortals we had seen for years. 
 
 While we were feasting our eyes on the new 
 objects around us, I was startled by Wilson, one of 
 the island gang, shouting out, " Hallo, Bill, look 
 here ! by the hooky, here comes Petticoats and 
 Bonnet; ain't that splendid? And what under 
 heavens has she got towing astern?" I looked, 
 and, sure enough, there was the "woman form 
 divine " taking a stroll on the beach, leading a little 
 child. I don't know how angels look, but if we 
 had been told that here was one just fallen from 
 the skies, I think we should have believed it. For 
 about three years our eyes had not beheld such a 
 sight, and we were both enraptured. We followed 
 her at a respectful distance, until we dared go no 
 further from the boat, and ther gazed at the re- 
 ceding forms as if it was the departure of celestial 
 beings. The woman herself appeared to us ele- 
 gantly dressed, and of wondrous beauty, — the 
 child, too, was a wonder, for we had forgotten a 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 !i 
 
 human being could be so very small. After a few 
 days, and after we had seen specimens of a higher 
 character, we again met with her. She then ap- 
 peared to us, in comparison, a soldier's drab or a 
 camp follower. 
 
 About a week after this, the Captain, who had 
 been across to Cape Town, and returned, gave 
 orders to get under weigh and proceed to Table 
 Bay, where we arrived on the second day. Now 
 the plot was to be unfolded. 
 
 The cargo was sold, and landed here ; the vessel 
 was heeled, caulked in lier upper works, and was 
 being refitted throughout, when we were informed 
 that the brig was not going home, but to the East 
 Indies ; that new articles would be drawn up for 
 us to sign ; that we could not be discharged here, 
 but must go the new voyage. Thus our hopes of 
 being homeward-bound vanished into tbin air. 
 
 According to the contract signed at Boston, 
 wherever the cargo should be sold there the voy- 
 age should terminate ; but we were bound to bring 
 the vessel home. The crew were not entitled to a 
 settlement until she arrived in the United States. 
 Here was a pretty fix. We had accomplished the 
 object of the voyage, all but returning home, and 
 this we were very desirous of doing ; but to insist 
 upon it that we should now commence a n'ew and 
 indefinite voyage to India, or wherever the caprices 
 of a tyrant might carry us, was the height of cru- 
 elty and injustice. Our spirits had been buoyant 
 to this time with the hope of soon seeing our 
 
REBELLION, 
 
 III 
 
 friends and homes, and now how bitterly were 
 these hopes to be dashed I 
 
 "The hope of return is the joy of a tar; 
 
 'Tis his helm, his compass, his guide, and his star; 
 
 'Tis impressed on his bosom the moment he sails; 
 
 It shortens long nights, and it quickens light gales; 
 _, The dull midnight watch it sends limping away, 
 
 And brightens new hopes with the dawn of each day." 
 
 I had made up my mind that I would not go 
 from that port in the vessel unless she was bound 
 home. The brig being nearly ready for sea, the 
 Captain had the crew go on shore, two at a time, 
 on liberty, and meet him at his room, to get their 
 advance wages. I had openly declared that I 
 would not re-ship, and it had come, to the ears of 
 the Captain ; therefore I was to be of the last pair 
 to have liberty to go on shore, and the mate was 
 ordered not to let me leave the vessel, for any pur- 
 pose, until he sent for me. 
 
 Wilson and myself were in the anchor watch, by 
 ourselves, at night ; we pledged each other that 
 come what would, we would leave the vessel. 
 Two by two, beginning with the under officers, the 
 Captain had received the crew at his room, and by 
 letting them have a liberal amount of money, with 
 permission to remain several days on shore to spend 
 it, being first threatened, if they objected, they 
 were cajoled into signing articles for a new voyage ; 
 whereas, previous to going on shore, they declared 
 they would not be forced to do so. These doings 
 served only to strengthen my silent determination 
 
112 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 to resist; but I was the only boy on board, and 
 the idea of my resisting the tyrant was hooted at. 
 
 The order at last came to the mate " to send Wil- 
 son on shore, and boy Bill, if he would sign the ar- 
 ticles." Wilson was not suspected or questioned 
 by the mate, but I was, and gave a flat refusal ; 
 consequently I was to be detained on board, with 
 the alternative presented me of complying with the 
 rascality of the Captain or going to prison. I pre- 
 ferred the latter, but escaped both. During the day 
 I was keenly on the watch for means to escape to 
 the shore. The mate, I thought, sympathized with 
 me, and did not intend to watch me closely ; so 
 while he was at dinner, in the cabin, I slipped 
 cautiously into a small bwv*t belonging to the shore, 
 which happened to be alongside, and soon joined 
 Wilson, who was on t^ie look-out for me. 
 
 Wilson had called at the Captain's office, and 
 actually got to windward of the villain. He had 
 received his money, and a written permission to re- 
 main on liberty for two days. Wine and fruit 
 were also offered him, and accepted. The fine 
 voyage in prospect was expatiated upon, and the 
 articles produced for his signature, but it was not 
 to be had. " He was willing," he said, " to fulfil 
 all the articles he had signed, but now wanted to 
 go home, and not to India, and he should decline 
 the proposed new contract." " Then return the 
 money and go on board immediately, or I will put 
 you in the calaboose." But Wilson chose to hold 
 on to the money and liberty ticket, and walked out 
 of the room, followed by curses loud and deep. 
 
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 i..l!lllllllJU«JUllUJ.«J. 
 
BEARDING THE LION. 
 
 "3 
 
 If 
 
 \ now tried my luck, and boldly presented my- 
 self to the skipper, who received me with a grim 
 smile. " So, my lad, you have come to your bear- 
 ings, have you?" The document was then oflered 
 for my signature. I had hoped that the money, 
 with the wine and fruit, would come first (as in 
 the case of Wilson), but he was not to be caught a 
 second time. I respectfully stated " that I wanted 
 to go home ; I did not want to leave the vessel 
 here, but I would not commence a new voyage 
 until the old one was ended and settled up." 
 *' How, then, did you get on shore, after my giving 
 such orders to the mate respecting you?" I told 
 him by what means I came there, and ended by 
 saying " that I would not go on board again." 
 *' Then you will receive no money from me, and if 
 you are not on board by sundown, you shall be 
 arrested and impris6ned." 
 
 Joining Wilson, we went together to t*^** Fiscal, 
 the highest civil officer at Cape Town. We told 
 him our " plain, unvarnished tale," and requested 
 to have justice done. At this time there was no 
 trade between the United States and this port. 
 Our flag was seldom seen in the bay, consequently 
 there was no American Consulate at the Cape. 
 
 On the cession of the Cape to the British by the 
 Dutch, some ten years previous, the civil adminis- 
 tration of affairs was left in the hands of the latter 
 until (I think) 1825, while the former held militaiy 
 possession. 
 
 By the police regulations of the place, if any 
 sailor remained on shore after gun-fire, at sua- 
 8 
 
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 Sl'i I 
 
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 114 
 
 FOr.^ AND AFT. 
 
 down, without a written permission from his Cap- 
 tain, countersigned by the Captain of Police, he 
 was liable to arrest and impris6nment until released 
 by his Captain. The charge was one dollar for 
 arrest, and an additional dollar each day for his de- 
 tention and support. Here he might be kept any 
 length of time, at the discretion of the Captain. 
 The same regulations were in force in regard to the 
 soldiers who might be absent from their barracks 
 after gun-tire ; in consequence of which, collisions 
 frequently occurred between the English soldiers 
 and sailors on the one part, and the Dutch police 
 on the other. 
 
 Most imexpectedly, we were listened to by the 
 Fiscal, and the Captain was summoned to appear 
 at his office the next day, bringing the contract 
 with him. A pass to remain on shore over night 
 was granted to us, and, with Wilson, I retired frona 
 the office, much cheered by the prospect. 
 
 Next morning, at the appointed hour, we were 
 at the office, to hear our fate. The Captain soon 
 appeared, and on seeing us could not restrain a 
 look of indignation. Turning to the Fiscal in the 
 blandest manner possible, he stated that those two 
 rascals were deserters from his ship, and requested 
 that they should be arrested, sent on board, and 
 he would pay all expenses. 
 
 " Have you the contract by which you claim to 
 hold these men?" asked the Judge. " If so, let me 
 .see it." 
 
 It was produced, and carefully read aloud. The 
 
1^' m 
 
 A WISE YOUNG JUDGII. 
 
 "5 
 
 Judge then stated the case, in about the following 
 words : 
 
 '* Captain, by the terms of this document you 
 cannot retain these men against their will, as you 
 ore rommcncinf^ a new voyage instead of returning 
 to America. You must, then, give them a full dis- 
 charge. I also perceive that they cannot claim 
 their pay until they return to the United States; 
 therefore you must give each a certificate that he 
 is entitled to a share of all the earnings of the 
 vessel to the present time, accorr' ng to the terms 
 of the contract. You are not compelled to ad- 
 vance them money here, but you must pay their 
 board while they are without a ship. And, fiuther, 
 by tlie laws of this colony you cannot discharge a 
 man to remain on shore here ; therefore you must 
 get a berth for them in another ship, and become 
 security for their month's advance, before you will 
 be permitted to leave this port; and I now require 
 your assurance, before leaving this office, that you 
 will do so." 
 
 The old tiger had to submit. When he left the 
 office we were told to report there daily until all 
 requirements were accomplished. We celebrated 
 our victory that afternoon at " Cline Pete's," with 
 a good dinner, and in a glass of cheap Cape drank 
 to the health of our " most righteous judge." " A 
 Daniel had come to judgment," surely. 
 
 W"e could h:i lly realize that we were reposing 
 that night in pe' .cct security on shore, and in com- 
 fortable quarters, with no persecuting captain, or 
 rascally police, to molest or make us afraid. I have, 
 
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 fma 
 
 
 
 
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 I 
 
 n6 
 
 FOJfE AND AFT. 
 
 ever since that legal decision, held an exalted opin- 
 ion of Dutch justice. 
 
 After a few daj-s we were informed by the skip- 
 per that a chance was to be had in an old coasting 
 schooner belonging to the colony, under English 
 colors. It was some gratification to us that he was 
 obliged to go with us to the owners, give us a good 
 character as seamen and otherwise, become security 
 for our advance, and witness our signing the articles. 
 We received, also, our certificates to the owners in 
 Boston, our American protections, and went on 
 board to duty. In a day or two the Pickering 
 sailed for Batavia, and elsewhere. 
 
 m 
 
 ■fiyrig. ■lUM.WWMW'UWI 
 
THE FEJEE MERMAID. 
 
 117 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE FEJEE MERMAID. 
 
 , f 
 
 AND now I will relate the conclusion of the 
 foregoing voyage, and follow out the history 
 of Captain Edes, as I learned it from his chief 
 officer and the owners of the Pickerings on my 
 return to Boston, about three years after this. 
 
 After visiting various ports in India and China, 
 the vessel was sold to a Dutch house in the Island 
 of Java, and tlie crew turned adrift without their 
 pay. Captain Edes had made, or purchased, a 
 something which he called a " Fejee Mermaid." 
 It was said to be the skeleton of the upper part of 
 a female baboon, connected with the tail of a fish, 
 neatly put together and furred all over alike, after 
 the best manner of John Chinaman, who is well 
 known to be a perfect imitator. This production 
 Captain Edes took with him to London. It was there 
 examined by the board of Surgeon's Hall, and pro- 
 nounced to be a genuine mermaid. He was offered 
 a large sum for it, but declined selling ; after taking 
 it over the continent for exhibition, he returned with 
 it to London. 
 
 In the meantime, the only remittance which had 
 been made to the owner in Boston, of the earnings 
 of the vessel for the whole voyage, was $6,000. 
 Mr. EUery, the owner, now satisfied that the action 
 
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 ii8 
 
 J!'ORE AND AFT. 
 
 of Edes meant extreme barratry, went out under 
 an assumed name to arrest him in England. He 
 met him soon after his arrival there, but Captain 
 Edes could not remember him as a person he had 
 ever seen. Mr. Ellery had him arrested. The 
 mermaid, being all the property he could find, was 
 attached, and a chancery suit commenced. This 
 was decided in favor of Mr. Ellery. The owner- 
 shio of the mermaid was also transferred to him, 
 he paying the cost of suit, £7,000. During the 
 progress of the suit, the animal, or manufactured 
 article, was subjected to a more critical examina- 
 tion, and declared an imposition. The mermaid 
 was brought to New York by Mr. Ellery, and pre- 
 sented to Barnum ; and tb's is the history of the 
 Fejee Mermaid which has excited so much curiosity 
 throughout the country. ; -.'•.'..■* 
 
 Captain Edes had appropriated the whole pro- 
 ceeds of the voyage to his own use. The oil, seal- 
 skins, freights, the Dutch drafts, everything, had 
 been used by him in dissipation. He was a sensu- 
 alist in every sense of the word, and a notorious 
 gambler. It was reported, and believed, that 
 high military officers at Cape Town pocketed the 
 entire proceeds of our two years' labor and exile 
 on the island, while we, who labored and suffered 
 to collect, and in reality were the principal owners 
 of it, never received a single doll<".r. On my re- 
 turn, after an absence of over six years, I presented 
 my claim to the owner, and was told I must await 
 his settlement with Captain Edes. The owner had 
 been swindled out of ship and cargo, and the crew 
 
Ill 
 
 THE END OF EDES. 
 
 119 
 
 out of their hard-earned dues. I promised to give 
 a chapter of *' Foul Play," without the embellish- 
 ments of fiction ; if the foregoing history does not 
 furnish one, I cannot conceive what would. 
 
 The next movement of Ldes was in France, 
 where he had some connection with a ship-chand- 
 lery at Havre ; afterwards he appeared in high life 
 at Paris, where he was cleaned out. He then 
 took passage for New York, where he was arrested 
 by Mr. Ellery, kept in jail about six months, and 
 was liberated at the intercession of former friends, 
 who still felt a lingering interest in him. The 
 same interest, probably, obtained for him the charge 
 of another ship at Philadelphia, which he fitted 
 out for the prosecution of a similar voyage, the re- 
 sult of which was, that after roaming about among 
 various ports of the Indian Ocean, his vessel was 
 cast away at the Island of Madagascar, and he 
 afterwards died a miserable death at Bourbon or 
 Mauritius. - " 
 
 And hefe I will mention, as a somewhat singular 
 concidence, that the first command of the writer, in 
 after years, was the beautiful brig Mermaid^ of 
 Boston, principally owned by R. B. Edes, Esq. ; no 
 relative, I am happy to say, of S. B. E. 
 
 Shortly after joining the coaster, my companion 
 Wilson got a chance to exchange places with a 
 young American on board a ship bound for EuropCy 
 but there was no such chance for me. My new ship- 
 mate, named Hammond, was mi; ch more of a man 
 than Wilson, about twenty-one years of age, stout, 
 strong, and fearless ; altogether an excellent speci- 
 
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 ■m. 
 
i20 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 men of a Yankee sailor. He was a native of Bris- 
 tol, R. I. I particularize him, as we stuck together, 
 like tarred parcelling tc a new rope, in every 
 voyage, and in every condition of weal and woe 
 which befell us, until we reached home, over three 
 years afterwards. 
 
 Our first trip under the colonial flag was with a 
 cargo of bullocks, sheep and hay, to St. Helena, the 
 passage down being about twelve days. Napoleon 
 was then at Longwood, about twelve miles distant 
 from Jamestown. This was our nearest approach 
 to the great Emperor, as no person, except on duty, 
 was allowed to put a foot on the island. We were 
 unloaded by government boats, and were ordered 
 to up anchor and be oflT again immediately, on de- 
 livery of the cargo. Even our Captain was not 
 permitted to leave his boat. We remained there 
 but two days, and were again on our passage back 
 to the Cape. We made several other voyages in 
 diflTerent colonial vessels, to all the various ports on 
 the coast, during which time we did not meet an 
 American ship, or a chance to get away from the 
 Cape, except to India or Australia, while our desire 
 was toward home. So often disappointed, and 
 meeting with so continued hard luck, I now be- 
 came careless of where I went, and home was 
 almost banished from my thoughts. 
 
 We were lying at Algoa Bay, in the little brig 
 Mary^ in company with the Locust^ a government 
 vessel, during a heavy gale from the south-east. 
 We had discharged our cargo, taken in part of 
 another, and were nearly ready for sea, when 
 
 yL 
 
 ■ imilUUJlIU IIJi».JlL U-IJ . 
 
ipn 
 
 A GREAT GALE. 
 
 121 
 
 caught in the severest gale which I ever rode out 
 at anchor. Our Captain, a drunken North Country- 
 man, was part owner of the vessel. His nephew 
 was mate (we had but one), and a very inexpe- 
 rienced, inefficient youth, at that. The gale came 
 on just before night, while the Captain was on 
 shore. The sea came tumbling in with increasing 
 fury ; the mate was sea-sick and frightened, and he 
 soon turned in, telling us to do the best we could, 
 and call him when he was wanted. He was not 
 wanted, nor did we see him until the gale was 
 over. 
 
 Our crew in the forecastle consisted of only four. 
 We kept a sea-watch that night, H. and myself 
 composing the starboard one. The little brig was 
 what was called * Ecrmudian built," that is, long, 
 low, and sharp. As the sea increased, we gave her 
 the whole length of both cables, reserving enough 
 to freshen the hawse as occasion required. The ca 
 bles were both hempen. A sharp axe was kept in 
 a secure place, convenient to use in an emergency. 
 The yards were pointed sharp to the wind, and we 
 could do no more. The sea was now boarding us 
 over the bow, sweeping fore and aft. The cook's 
 galley, hen-coops, everything on deck that was not 
 lashed, found their way over the stern. The last 
 act of precaution we had taken was to batten the 
 hatches down, and fasten the cabin doors, to keep the 
 water out. The mate and cook, the occupants of 
 the cabin, could make their egress by unhooking the 
 skylight from within. It was well that we secured 
 the hatchways, otherwise the vessel would have 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
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 filled and foundered. It was inr possible to remain 
 on deck for five minutes except at the risk of fol- 
 lowing the cook's galley over the taffrail, therefore 
 the watch kept their look-out from the catharpings 
 under the foretop, the spray drenching us even 
 there. 
 
 The craft behaved beautifully. She dove into 
 the seas like a duck, and continued unbroken after 
 the decks were stripped of the movables. The ca- 
 bles were straightened, and as taut as fiddle-strings. 
 At times, when she pitched into a heavy sea, we 
 were fearful the cable would catch over the bow- 
 sprit, which lay very low, and take us to the bottom, 
 head first. 
 
 But our greatest fear was of the Locust^ which 
 was anchored right in our hawse tit the commence- 
 ment of the gale. She was at single anchor, and 
 began to drift ; but, on letting go a second anchor, 
 brought up about a cable's length di';eclly to wind- 
 ward of us. She was a large vessel, high out of 
 water, and should she drift on to us, our destruction 
 would be inevitable. 
 
 The people on shore, supposing that both vessels 
 would be driven from their anchorage, built a fire 
 on the beach, directly under our lee, which was 
 kept up during the night, to indicate the best place 
 to take the beach, if we should have to run on 
 shore. The watch at four o'clock in the morning 
 had just been relieved. We were all four in the 
 rigging. The darkness was intense. We could see 
 nothing to windward but the white foaming tops 
 of the furious waves, as they rolled towards us with 
 
 
p 
 
 A NARRO W ESCAPE. 
 
 .123 
 
 ?fl 
 
 fearful violence, threatening destruction to all op- 
 posing objects, occasionally catching a glimpse of 
 the storm-lights of the vessel to windward. She 
 had one at each mast-head, and we had one at the 
 fore. As long as her lights were in a line with 
 each other, or nearly so, we were all right ; but 
 soon we saw the distance increasing between them, 
 and the shout arose, " She is broadside-to, and is 
 coming down on us." 
 
 This we had expected, and had determined what 
 to do, should it occur. One man sprang for the 
 axe, with a few blows from which the in-shore cable 
 was cut ; two of us jumped aft, lashed the helm to 
 port, while the fourth was on the look-out, to give 
 warning of any sea threatening to board us. While 
 we weTi'e swinging to bring our single anchor 
 ahead, we were much exposed in the trough of the 
 sea, but soon regained the safe position of head to 
 wind and sea. 
 
 The Locust drifted by us, and so near that we 
 plainly heard the order, amid the howling storm, 
 of " Run up the fore-topmast staysail." The Lo- 
 cust had emigrants on board for Graham's Town, 
 part of whom had been landed. We could hear 
 the cries of those on board, as they rushed past us, 
 apparently to certain destruction. The nearest land 
 was about a quarter of a mile distant, along which 
 the wind blew nearly parallel ; the fire on the 
 beach, directly to leeward, was a mile from the an- 
 chorage. ■••■" ■--■-•'■. -'-'•.>:--::,■..- -;?'> r. .:., .-.-^-.v :■" 
 
 Finding that our craft was holding on well, and 
 being relieved of the dangerous proximity of our 
 
 f i) 
 
 I 
 
 ! i: 
 
 m 
 
 'vm\ 
 
124 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 U 
 
 I m 
 
 neighbor, the watch below went into the forecastle 
 to get such rest as they could, while Hammond and 
 myself crawled up to the cat-harpings to resume 
 watch and ward. (Modern sailors may not know 
 where to locate us, as the cat-harpings used for- 
 nierly to thrap a ship's lower rigging into the mast- 
 heads, have gone out of date.) 
 
 While perched on our lonely and uncomfortable 
 roost, it occurred to us both, and perhaps for the 
 first time, that our past lives had been thus far 
 passed in scenes of hardship and suffering without 
 much respite therefrom. Hunger, thirst, and 
 almost nakedness, we were both familiar with, and 
 the peltings of the pitiless storm we were not 
 strangers to. We compared our lot with those on 
 shore. What to them if the storm howled around 
 their dwelling ; there was comfort and safety within. 
 *' The warning voice of the lee shore speaking in 
 breakers" did not disturb their dieanis, while we 
 "poor nurslings of the storm" had to face the 
 music of Old Ocean, whatever was the tune. 
 
 Before the watch was out, we concluded that if 
 we got safe on shore once more, we would make 
 tracks for the interior, and settle down among 
 Caffirs, Hottentots, or any other tribe, and live on 
 shore somewhere out of sight of the Ocean. For 
 our home and our country, we would seek and 
 adopt a place where ships could not get. 
 
 Before* sunrise the following morning, the gale 
 was over, and our previous resolutions were en- 
 tirely forgotten. 
 
 The Locust was a wreck on the beach ; some of 
 
 
 wm^m 
 
ON OUR OWN ACCOUNT. 
 
 125 
 
 
 her passengers we heard were drowned, and others 
 badly hurt. 
 
 In a few days we were again loaded, and sailed 
 for Cape Town. On our arrival we were entitled 
 to our discharge and wages. Not caring to sail 
 again with a drunken Captain, and a boy for 
 mate, we went to a boarding-house on shore, and 
 for a time found employment in passage boats ; 
 having taken a boat on shares, we felt rather inde- 
 pendent. 
 
 At the entrance of Table Bay, about twelve 
 miles from the town, is a low, small island, called 
 " Robbins Island," which was then used, and prob- 
 ably is now, as an island prison, where criminals 
 from Cape Town were kept. A guard of soldiers 
 was stationed here, being relieved once a month. 
 The prisoners were principally employed in col- 
 lecting shells for lime burning, catching and curing 
 fish, etc. We had several charters to take prisoners 
 and soldiers back and forth, and were doing well, 
 but we soon tired of it. 
 
 About this time a Dutch bark from Batavia 
 put into Simon's Bay in distress, leaky and short- 
 handed. As it w-as the season of south-easters, 
 when it was dangerous for a ship to I'e there, men 
 were sent for to help get her round to Table Bay 
 for repairs. The pay was good, and Hammond 
 and myself were of a party of six sailors engaged 
 for that purpose. We were transported across the 
 country in a covered wagon, drawn by five or six 
 yokes of oxen. On joining the vessel, it was found 
 that one pump in constant .operation would keep 
 
 ■,'■ 1: 
 
126 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 t! 
 
 i M 
 
 n '« 
 
 her free ; and as it was only one or two days' sail 
 to Tabic Bay, we put to sea soon after we reached 
 the vessel. The officers and crew were all Dutch- 
 men. They were good sailors, and very pleasant 
 to get along with, and the provisions were good 
 and abundant; but baffling winds prevailed for 
 five days, when we took the first of a south-caster 
 and ran into the Bay. In doubling round Green- 
 point, the vessel was struck by a white squall and 
 capsized, the wind being at the time all al6ft, with 
 scarcely any on deck. 
 
 The hatches being off, the vessel gradually filled, 
 and began to settle. There was nothing to be done 
 but to try to save our lives. The only boat that 
 would swim was speedily occupied by the Dutch- 
 men. We knew the bark would take the bottom 
 in five or six fathoms of water, leaving a consider- 
 able portion of her masts out. She righted as she 
 settled, while we hung on to various places aloft. 
 We were in plain sight of the shipping in the Bay, 
 and not more than three miles distant, so we felt 
 sure of being picked off. 
 
 After her keel brought up on the bottom, the 
 topsail yards were out of water, and to these we 
 clung until taken off about an hour after the 
 accident. There were six or eight boats from the 
 different ships, and as many from the town, which 
 came to our relief. Nobody suffered except from 
 frequent ducking, as the rolling of the vessel 
 would occasionally put us under water both waj-s. 
 The main cause of her being so easily capsized 
 was the dissolving of the sugar in the lower hold ; 
 
IN JAIL, 
 
 127 
 
 part of her cargo had been thrown overboard from 
 between decks, before arriving at the Cape, but 
 enough remained there to make her crank, while 
 the weight below was daily increasing. 
 
 We were landed at Cape Town about dusk, cold 
 and wet. Hammond and myself separated from 
 the others, and were on our way to where we had 
 formerly boarded, wlicn we met a squad of police, 
 who asked for our passes. Of course we had none. 
 We told them the story of the wreck, and they 
 knew it was true ; but we had no money to give 
 them, consequently they were kind enough to take 
 charge of and deposit us in the " calaboose," or 
 *^ trunk." It was in vain that we represented to 
 the Captain of Police that we were wrecked 
 that very day, and had no time to procure a pass, 
 or even to get dry clothes or anything to eat, before 
 we were snapped up by his men. Indeed we felt 
 so keenly the wrong done us that we used language 
 which he considered impudent, therefore we were 
 thrust into prison, where he promised to keep us 
 safe until called for. As we knew of no one who 
 would be likely to inquire respecting us, we con- 
 cluded the best way was to make application to 
 the Governor himself. As we had been before the 
 Fiscal once, and been befriended by him, we did 
 not like to go again, lest he might now consider us 
 pestilent fellows. We had a little money, and 
 were allowed to send out and buy provisions. We 
 had also obtained writing materials from a clerk 
 of the prison. 
 
 I'l'' 
 
!l 
 
 1 28 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 We made such a representation of fiicts, and so 
 strong an appeal to his Excellency, that an orderly 
 was sent with a requisition to have us brought 
 before him forthwith. At this tir.;e General Sir 
 Rufane Shawe Donkin was the acting Governor, 
 in the absence of Lord Charles Somerset, who was 
 in England. General Donkin was a veteran in the 
 service, and was commonly spoken of as a kind- 
 hearted old Scotchman, and we found him so. 
 Stating our case to him, he inquired, " Which of 
 you wrote that note to me.'"' I replied that I did. 
 I felt that I was about to receive punishment for 
 my presumption, and when he approached me and 
 took my hand I expected it was to pass me over to 
 the orderly in waiting, to receive a thrashing ; but 
 no such thing. " What part of England are you 
 from, my lad?" was the kind inquiry. "I am an 
 American, sir, from the State of Massachusetts. 
 We are both Americans." 
 
 He then ^sked us many questions about our 
 country, our parer.tSj schools, etc., where we had 
 been, and what we ^vanted to do ; all of which 
 were answered, to h'<^ apparent satisfaction. 
 
 After giving us some fatherly advice, he gave 
 orders that we should have a pass to remain on 
 shore for one month, or until we could get a ship. 
 In the meantime, and as we were destitute and had 
 no consul to apply to, he gave orders that we should 
 be provided with bed and board at the soldiers* 
 barracks, while we were in search of employment. 
 Thanking him cordially for his kindness, we took 
 
i''..B'l 
 
 I! 
 
 AN INTERNATIONAL ROW. 
 
 129 
 
 our leave and cast about for employment. We 
 found various jobs on shipboard or in boats for 
 about two weeks, but no chance to get a voyage ; 
 each night having our supper with the soldiers, 
 » and a bunk with clean straw to sleep on, our break- 
 fast in the morning, and then sallying out to see 
 what might turn up. 
 
 There were three regiments of troops in barracks 
 and garrison. The barracks were large and com- 
 modious, with a spacious parade-ground in front, 
 bordered by a grand walk, well shaded. Here, in 
 witnessing the tine reviews every morning, and 
 listening to their splendid bands at evening, we had 
 much enjoyment. Every three months the soldiers 
 I received a portion of their pay ; when this occurred, 
 
 the messes sent out and bought the cheap wine of 
 the country, and, with some other extras, had a 
 jollification in the evening. It was on one of these 
 occasions that H. and myself were making merry 
 with them ; as the wine circulated, our entertainers 
 were disposed to ^' run " us Yankees ; songs were 
 sung by them celebrating the capture of Hull's 
 Army and the burning of Washington. Hammond 
 was a good singer, and as an ofi'sct he struck up 
 the naval song of the " Constitution and Gucrricre." 
 I at first tried to stop him, but as he persisted, I 
 joined heartily in the chorus. The natural conse- 
 quence was a row. Hammond could handle any 
 one man of his size, but I, a boy, could not ren- 
 der him much help, so we soon found ourselves 
 outside the barracks, after having been the recipi- 
 
 i !l 
 
 \ U " \i ! 
 
 
 \m 
 
 
■«-.'»fi?',^,,-f in--^i,^:-r;'y.'y ■,:Tfn"V^f>*T''''*T-r 
 
 130 
 
 FOJiE AND AFT. 
 
 : I 
 
 ents of more kicks and cuOs than were agreeable ; 
 and thus terminated the hospitalities of our kind 
 friend, the General. Fortunately for us, we got 
 work for a month or so in a sail-loft, and boarded 
 in the family of an old Swedish sail-maker, where, 
 for a time, we enjoyed the comforts of a home. 
 
 1 1 
 
 !■ " 
 
IN THE BRITISH NAVT. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 IN THE BRITISH NAVY. 
 
 WHILE we were here, several ships were 
 driven on shore in Table Bay during 
 a north-west srale. Hammond was sick. There 
 was an English boy, named George, boarding at 
 the house with us. He had been sick in the hos- 
 pital, and was rather feeble now, but on the day of 
 the wrecks George and I started together to go 
 to a large Indiaman, which was on shore in a 
 bend of the bay, about three miles from town. 
 We followed the beach along till we came to a 
 broad river, which, at its outlet, appeared to be 
 quite shallow, and the current not very strong. 
 Just the other side of the river was the ship, with 
 two or three jmchors ahead. She had drngijcd on 
 shore stern first ; the sea was breaking violentlv 
 over her bows, and sweeping aft. The crew 
 (mostly Lascars) were on the poop and in the 
 rigging, endeavoring to get a hawser to the shore, 
 where quite a number of persons were gathered 
 tryin": to render assistance. WMien we entered the 
 river I was ahead of George, and found the water 
 quite shallow full half the distance across. I no- 
 ticed that some of tlie men camo towards us from 
 the other side, and waved us l)ack. Their shouts 
 we could not hear, for the storm and the breakers ; 
 
^« - ' :i"'-J- ■'■'\ ■ ' "i* ■■,73*?^ .t'^,- 
 
 132 
 
 FOJ?E AND \FT. 
 
 'i L^'' 
 
 :m 
 
 but i inferred that they did not want any more 
 company to share the salvage that might accrue 
 from the wreck, so I kept on, with George follow- 
 ing. A short distance farther I found the water 
 deepening, and the current increasing so that the 
 sand was being washed from under my feet. I 
 now saw the danger, and understood why they 
 beckoned us back, but it was too late. T t'iri;'';d 
 to tell my companion to go back, but at i'l'.. •.• v', 
 moment the current took me off my feet and was 
 sweeping me towards the sea, which tumbled on 
 the beach in furious breakers. I was a strong 
 swimmer, and tried to gain the bank again, but in 
 vain. I could feel the sandy bottom with my feet, 
 and tried to hold on by my toes, but the sand broke 
 away from them, and I was borne rapidly out 
 among the breakers. I saw that George was taken 
 off his feet dlso, and was following me out to sea. 
 I now turned head to the breakers, and by diving 
 into two or three of them as they came in succes- 
 sion, I got outside of them unharmed. Getting a 
 good offing to prevent being dashed against the 
 cables, I swam across the ship's bows and tried to 
 land on the other side ; going in on a roller, I was 
 thrown on to the beach, but could not hold on to 
 the sands, and the undertow took me off again. 
 Watching for a favorable time between the seas, I 
 struck out for the beach again, and this time a man 
 ran into the surf with the end of a long Vm< n ^iis 
 hand, while others held on to the shore end ; he got 
 hold of me, and I was safe, and »'Ot .n'.ch exhausted. 
 In an hour after I was assisting ia l.inding the 
 
 \ 
 
.ff^JUiJiHIufWJ^ 
 
 TWENTY YEARS LATER. 
 
 133 
 
 % 
 
 wrecked crew. Poor George had a harder time ; 
 he could not breast the breakers, but somehow got 
 alongside the ship; they threw him ropes, which 
 he could not get, and the sea would have torn 
 him from them if he had ; escaping collision with 
 the ship, he was thrown ashore under her stern, 
 where, by the help of t'-"^ rope, he was picked out of 
 the surf, more dead than alive. He was carried to 
 the nearest house, and it was some weeks before he 
 got over his rough bathing. And here follows 
 another coincidence : 
 
 Twenty-two years after the events above narrated, 
 I was at the port of San Pedro, California, with a 
 ship collecting hides and tallow ; in port also was an- 
 other vessel on the same business, tlie Peruvian 
 brig, yuan Josc^ Captain Duncan. We had often 
 met before, and had transacted business together in 
 various ports on the coast. On this occasion we 
 had dined together on board one of the vessels, and 
 I was speaking of having been wrecked off the 
 Cape of Good Hope when a boy. Captain Duncan 
 said he was never wrecked, but once, when a 
 lad, came near losing his lifo at the Cape ; he 
 was going to a wrecked ship in company with a 
 boy they called Yankee Bill, r.nd both were nearly 
 drowned in crossing a river. 
 
 "Stop!" said I, "that ship was the Dorah^ of 
 Calcutta." " Yes, and the two boys boarded with 
 Nicolas Raff." 
 
 "Why, yes — well then, here we are. You are 
 ȣ..glish George,' and I ' Yankee Bill.'" 
 
 Early in the year 1821, Hammond and myself 
 
 ■ W 
 
 tl 
 
 It 
 
 
 
-y%^>4fKff^-^,Tj:-iiY; '^ i'^ 
 
 11 
 
 f! ^ m 
 
 134 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 had been employed in fishing with a seine at night, 
 and selling our catch in the forenoon to ti">e tovvn's- 
 people. Our companions in this business were 
 Malays, Hottentots, Dutchmen, etc. ; altogether we 
 represented five or six difierent nations, and choice 
 specimens we were at that. This was the only em- 
 pl;')vment we could find at that time ; <t was neither 
 ve 'oductive nor pleasant, and we determined 
 to sh.^. on board the first vessel that came in and 
 wanted men, whatever she might be, or wherever 
 bound. The British sloop-of-war A/enai, belong- 
 ing to the St. Helena Station, was that one. She 
 was from Mauritius, and bound for St. Helena. 
 We went on board, under contract to serve his 
 Britannic Majesty for three years, but with some 
 mental reservations in the case — such as, that we 
 would better our condition whenever we should 
 have an opportunity. And now I found myself in 
 the very situation of which I had always enter- 
 tained the greatest horror ; but there was no help 
 for it, and, after being initiated on board, and get- 
 ting the hang of things, being well treated, well 
 fed, and having easy work compared with that on a 
 merchantman, we found the British naval service 
 not so very dreadful. 
 
 We were stationed about the island for nearly 
 two .months, being most of the time undervvcigh, 
 looking after suspicious-looking vessels approaching 
 or passing the island. Once we ran down to As- 
 cension, to get turtle ; here a sloop-of-war was 
 always stationed while Napoleon was living in St. 
 Helena, to catch turtle and repair vessels. No for- 
 
 J 
 ii 
 
 s 
 
 tl 
 
 "TEffk. 
 
THE CUNNING YANKEES. 
 
 135 
 
 eign vessel whatever w&sthen allowed to anchor at 
 Jamestown, but all were sent to Ascension, if need- 
 ing repairs. I believe that not a man from our 
 ship landed on the Island while she was there. 
 
 It was amusing, while on the station, to see with 
 what suspicion a vessel was watched approaching 
 the island, if she had the appearance of being an 
 American, while craft of other nations received 
 but little attention. There was a continual appre- 
 hension that the Yankees were planning to rescue 
 the prisoner. One day a clipper schooner made her 
 appearance in the offing ; chase was given to her 
 by two or three sloops, and she was ordered not 
 to come wiLhin three miles of the island. Another 
 time, a partly dismasted American ship hove in 
 sight, making for the anchorage, and this was con- 
 sidered as decidedly a Yankee U'ick to communi- 
 cate with Napoleon ; whether it was so or not, she 
 was taken in tow by a sloop-of-war and towed out 
 of sight, it was said, to Ascension Island, where she 
 was refitted. Two officers of Napoleon's family, 
 said to be Las Casas and Gen. Gourgaud, embarked 
 on board our ship, and were landed at the Cape ; 
 others of his household we saw go on board of the 
 Canicl., storeship, for England. Our ship was now 
 ordered to the Cape, with orders (it was said) for 
 the men-of-war there, and at the Isle of France, to 
 join the Admiral at St. Helena. We arrived at 
 Simon's Bay the latter part of May, 182 1, when, 
 being on a watering party one day, we saw the 
 coast clear, and struck out for the bush. We had 
 received a little money, and had made some other 
 
a*','riy*iT?V^', ■.*»' r 
 
 136 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 il ., |i!f 
 
 ■:i 
 
 preparations for this special occasion. Travelling 
 nearly all night near the road leading to Cape 
 Town, and keeping parallel with it, we stopped to 
 rest and sleep ten miles from the ship, and re- 
 mained there until morning. We had some knowl- 
 edge of the roads, having passed that way before. 
 The next day, during which we had a good lift in 
 an ox-team, we reached Constantia. We kept away 
 from the houses for a few days in the day-time, 
 until we were sure that the ship had left ; and then 
 engaged ourselves to work for an old Dutch farmer, 
 named Van Reen ; wages were low, but we had 
 good quarters, lived well, and for three months were 
 quite contented. Our employment consisted in 
 making bags for wheat, canvas coverings for wag- 
 ons, and pressing hay into bundles to be shipped to 
 St. Helena from Cape Town. 
 
 It is a fact that II. and myself do really owe Her 
 Britannic Majesty's Government an unexpired term 
 of service, but then, we carried out the reservations 
 spoken of, and for my part the step we took has 
 never caused me any regret. Perhaps the account 
 may hereafter be settled in the way of offsettnig 
 some of the Alabama claims. In that case I am 
 willing the British Government should have the 
 benefit of it. 
 
 The country in which we found ourselves was 
 very fertile — cattle and sheep were abundant, and 
 the vineyards teemed with the finest grapes in the 
 world ; the famous Constantia wine needs no de- 
 scription of mine. Van Reen had many Hottentots 
 in his employ who were chiefly employed about 
 
 ■iHUJlJl— l-M'^r'^■ ' -^■-"^"■- 
 
JN THE BUSH, 
 
 137 
 
 the cattle, a business for which they are peculiarly 
 well adapted ; they were, also, with their wives, 
 working as vine-dressers, and were the best house 
 sei*vants in the country. These people are inoflen- 
 sive, and faithful to their masters, but the Dutch 
 boors, as a general thing, treated them inhumanly ; 
 they seem to be about the last link in the chain of 
 humanity, and from their peculiar formation and 
 manner of living are very near kin to the brute. 
 The CafTirs and Bushmen are seldom seen, as their 
 roaming is away from all civilized places. Lions, 
 tigers, and other ferocious animals were said to 
 be in the vicinity, and frequently carried off the 
 sheep. I have heard them growl at night, but 
 I never saw any unconfined. Baboons were very 
 numerous — these we often came across ; they are 
 very destructive to the vineyards, sometimes coming 
 in droves at night, and clearing the grapes off from 
 hundreds of vines. The Hottentots are good hunt- 
 ers, and were provided with fire-arms while keep- 
 ing watch to repel the intruders ; but woe to the 
 poor fellow who happens to meet a gang of these 
 animals unarmed : he is sure to be pelted with sticks, 
 stones, and mud, as far as they dare follow him ; 
 and still greater woe to the female Hottentot who 
 falls into their hands : she is carried off and seen 
 no more — at least such was the common report; 
 and I believe it, for I have seen the brute and the 
 human, when, if the faces were only visible, I 
 could not have told to which race they belonged. 
 The English treat the natives with greater kindness 
 than the Dutch did ; the Colonial Government forbid 
 
 ! 
 
 Mi 
 
 "fi| 
 .It 
 
 '\\ 
 
 ■■m '\ 'fl 
 
 ,ti 
 
 ■^li 
 
 
=T^ 
 
 I,-'',,' '^'^-^ f/^^r. ^y•l■xi.,-J^t^_<^. r^v, , j yv'-f'^'v-'nrr V' "'^r' ''.^ 
 
 '.1 « 
 
 >!ll! 
 
 M 
 
 i I 
 
 138 
 
 /^07?iS yliV:Z? AFT. 
 
 their being used as bondmen. They ofTcred a 
 bounty for the skin of every wild beast destroyed. 
 I have seen many of these liunters come into Cape 
 Town bringing their spoils, the man always in ad- 
 vance, encumbered w^ith nothing but his gun, — the 
 woman travelling "behind with a pack of skins on 
 her back. On top of that would be a child, and 
 often another child was seated on the hinder pvo- 
 jection. Receiving their bounty from govern- 
 ment, and selling their skins, or exchanging them 
 for ammunition, Cape brandy and tobacco, they lie 
 around the streets drunk for a few days, and then 
 start off again to hunt. 
 
 The Hottentot has a large moppish head of hair, 
 unlike any other people I have seen ; it is fine as 
 silk, always well greased, and every hair appears 
 to be culled separately. The Cape sheep arc also 
 different from all others, long legged, and clothed 
 with a coarse wool, or rather hair ; the mutton is 
 excellent, but all the fat of the animal seems to tend 
 towards the tail, which member is flat at the base, 
 and tapering down ; it sometimes weighs fifteen 
 pounds, and has to be suspended with a lanyard to 
 keep it clear of the ground. This fat, when it is 
 tried out, is very white, and, packed in bladders, is 
 sold in the market for culinary purposes, for which 
 it is highly esteemed. The returning teams, which 
 arrived from Cape Town twice a week, always 
 brought up a newspaper printed in Dutch and Eng- 
 lish, by which we knew what vessels arrived at or 
 departed from Table Bay. 
 
 Seeing that a number of ships were in port, and 
 
 ^■gg s ^s reg a?'.;^;^^ 
 
AGAIN AFLOAT. 
 
 139 
 
 knowing that the Alinai had gone to England, we 
 settled with our employer, and took passage on one 
 of his ox-teams for the seaboard. Arriving at Cape 
 Town, and not finding a ship to suit, we found 
 employment with an Englishman at the village of 
 Poppendirk, near the town, for a few weeks, and 
 then shipped on board the Britotfiart, of London, 
 Captain Peach, bound to Van Dieman's Land, Port 
 Jackson, and elsewhere, not towards home, but in 
 the opposite direction. 
 
 The ship we were now on was what was called 
 a free trader, in contradistinction to those known as 
 Botany Bay ships, which took out convicts to the 
 colony of New South Wales. The Britomart 
 belonged partly to two brothers by the name of 
 Scott, who were passengers on board. They were 
 wealthy, and chose this way of travelling for pleas- 
 ure and seeing the world. The Captain was a good 
 seaman, and an educated gentleman, always kind 
 and pleasant to all around him, and his mates were 
 worthy of such a master. H. and myself were 
 agreeably disappointed in finding ourselves on 
 board of an extremely comfortable craft, with gen- 
 tlemanly, and at the same time kind and efficient 
 officers ; we found, in fact, that the vessel was on a 
 yachting expedition rather than a commercial voy- 
 age, and had been fitted out accordingly. The 
 Messrs. Scott had each his own boat nicely fur- 
 nished and equipped for hunting and fishing, with 
 sails, awnings, tents and cooking utensils, all ready 
 for use as soon as opportunity should ofter for their 
 amusement. The ship was welt furnished in every 
 
 il 
 
 
 
 m 
 
140 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ■\ ,1 
 
 respect : even the foremost hands had been selected 
 with care ; of sixteen before the mast, scarcely one 
 was objectionable. The boatswain, gunner, sail- 
 maker and carpenter messed by themselves in the 
 steerage, and were competent men in their depart- 
 ments. Two of the crew were left sick at the Cape, 
 and we got their places. I will here record with 
 candor, that on no other ship in which I served 
 while before the mast, under the flag of my own 
 country, or that of any other, did I ever know a 
 crew to receive such uniform kind treatment. We 
 had on board a number of respectable families, 
 farming people and mechanics, who were to remain 
 at Van Dieman's Land as colonists. 
 
 ■^! 
 
TO AUSTRALIA. 
 
 141 
 
 ■ 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TO AUSTRALIA. 
 
 WE arrived at Hobart Town on the Derwent 
 River, after a passage of usual length — 
 nothing remarkable occurring except that divine 
 service was held on Sundays, when the weather 
 permitted, the Captain or one of the gentlemen 
 reading the Church of England service, which was 
 something entirely new to us. 
 
 The entrance to the Derwent River is through 
 Storm Bay, with Cape Pillar on the one side, and 
 Tasman's Head on the other. As the passage nar- 
 rowed on approaching the river, the scenery was 
 beautiful, — tiie banks well wooded with a great 
 variety of forest-trees with brilliant and variegated 
 foliage, the dark, green hills rising in the back- 
 ground, their smooth sides cohered with living 
 green — presenting, as we approached, a pic^^nre of 
 beauty to eyes which for months had resic- upon 
 nothing but the firmament above and the waste of 
 waters below. 
 
 Hobart Town is beautifully situated on the left 
 bank of the river or estuary, about twenty miles from 
 the sea ; in a cove fronting the town is good anchor- 
 age, with a moderate depth of water. This colony 
 was commenced less than twenty years before our 
 arrival, and was already a very good-looking town 
 
 III 
 
 ? i ib- 
 is'' 
 
 iu 
 
 \a\ 
 
142 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \\^ 
 
 
 — the public improvements were in active progress, 
 being ]:)ushe(l by the government with the hibor of 
 convicts ; part of the popuhition were free settlers 
 from England, the rest were convicts sent down 
 from Sydney. We landed the emitrrants and their 
 etlects, and then commenced a thorough overhaul 
 of the ship, from the keelson to the royal truck, 
 inside and out, stripped to bare lower masts ; every 
 shroud and backstay was refitted and replaced, the 
 yards and masts examined, and every block-strap 
 and piece of standing rigging underwent a thorough 
 survey. 
 
 The turning in of shrouds and backstays, stay! 
 mrists, setting up rigging, and all the et cetera nec- 
 essary to get a ship all a-taunto, furnish practical 
 lessons to a youngster which he cannot get in a nau- 
 tical college on shore, where a few questions asked, 
 which may be found with answers annexed in Bow- 
 ditch or the Sheet Anchor, are all that is deemed 
 necessary with three years' experience at sea, in 
 these days of progress, to fit a man for chief mate 
 of a ship. My own opinion is, that no man, how- 
 ever smart, is competent to a second mate's duty 
 with less than five years' service at sea, while a first 
 mate's experience should date still further back. 
 The fact that a few captains of American ships are 
 quite young, and of but three or four years' service 
 at sea, all of which has been in the cabin, is no 
 proof of their competence as commanders. The 
 theory of navigation may be learned in the parlor 
 or counting-room, but the practical part, and sea- 
 manship, can only be acquired in troubled waters, 
 
PARLOR NAVIGATORS. 
 
 H3 
 
 and under storm stay-sails. The man who docs 
 not know what to do with his ship in ahnost any 
 situation in which she can be phiccd, cannot be 
 considered a competent ship-master, and ought not 
 to be in charge of life and property on the ocean. 
 
 I have been led to these remarks by looking over 
 a book recently handed me, issued from an institu- 
 tion which proposes to certify to the competency of 
 a man of three years* experience, as first mate of a 
 first-class ship on a foreign voyage, with perhaps 
 hundreds of lives on board, to say nothing of prop- 
 erty, provided he can get by heart from a book, and 
 answer, a few questions. In case of accident to the 
 master, the command must devolve upon the mate, 
 on whom, in such an event, would rest a tremendous 
 responsibility. The risks and perils of the ocean 
 are fearfid enough under the most 'skilful manage- 
 ment, and fearfully are they increased by ineffi- 
 ciency. " They order these things better in-France." 
 
 While the refitting was going on, our Captain 
 and the Messrs. Scott were generally on hunting 
 expeditions, and were so successful that the whole 
 ship's company was supplied by them with fresh 
 provisions. We had kangaroo cooked in various 
 ways — it was considered excellent meat — while a 
 variety of wild fowl and fish, which also were abun- 
 dant, afforded us fat living. Of shell-fish we had 
 none but oysters, though there were others which 
 we did not use. By proceeding down the river 
 with the ebb tide a few miles, and letting the boat 
 ground on a mud bank, we could easily load her to 
 the thwarts with the finest and largest of oysters, 
 
 II 
 

 ^^-^^^^irYI'v' OTTS^- 
 
 144 
 
 FOUE AND AFT. 
 
 The largest 
 
 \\ II 
 
 and float off on the return of the tide, 
 of these bivalves we did not take,— a shell of one 
 such will contain nearly a pail of water, and may 
 sometimes be seen in our cities, indicating the 
 presence of an oyster shop. We remained in port 
 a number of weeks after the ship was ready for sea, 
 and until our gentlemen had hunted, fished, and 
 perambulated the country to their satisfaction. In 
 most of the boat expeditions I was of the crew, and 
 soon showing that I was at home in ti^e manage- 
 ment of a boat, before leaving here, I wa« given 
 charge of one, and also promoted to be coxswain of 
 the Captain's gig, which was a pleasant berth in 
 many respects. The scenery of the country around 
 Hobart Town is equal to any I know of. The fer- 
 tility of the soil was said to be all that could be 
 desired, and altogether it seemed a very desirable 
 place to inhabit. We left it with regret, and now 
 were bound to Port Jackson, New South Wales, 
 lying about 10 degrees to the eastward. 
 
 After a week's passage we entered the port, and 
 anchored close in shore off the town of Sydney, and 
 in the cove of the same name. Here we moored 
 ship, unbent sails, and made preparations for a long 
 stay. Formerly a port regulation was enforced at 
 Sydney, which was very annoying. On the arrival 
 of a ship, a gang was sent from the dock-yard on 
 board, who unbent the sails and took them on shore. 
 The rudder was also unshipped and taivcn away, 
 and all the provisions, over a week's supply, re- 
 moved to the government stores, where they were 
 dealt out weekly. In more than one instance, ships 
 
PI 
 
 THE SMOKING-OUT PROCESS. 
 
 HS 
 
 had been taken possession of during the night, and 
 run away with by the convicts. Therefore this 
 precaution was taken to pi event any further escape 
 of prisoners. After a ship was loaded and ready 
 for sea, the provisions were returned, the sails bent, 
 and the rudder replaced. The final act was after 
 the ship was under sail, and proceeding to sea ; 
 officials came on board and smoked the ship fore 
 and aft, under deck, to bring out stowaways, if any 
 should be hid away. It was but quite recently that 
 all of this, but the smoking part, was abolished. 
 
 Sydney is too well known to need any description 
 of mine. It was a large and handsome town in 
 those days, (48 years ago,) finely located, v/ith one 
 of the best harbors in the world before it, with 
 depth of water enough close to the shore to float a 
 frigate. The Paramatta River, which runs down 
 back of the t^wn into the harbor, had then but a 
 sparse population on its banks. It is fair to pre- 
 sume that very great changes have taken place with 
 its immensely increased population, and especially 
 since the discovery of gold there. Then it was 
 hardly known whether New Holland was an island 
 or a continent; now it has no te/'ra incognita., and 
 the people :«re broad-spread over the land ; then 
 there were but a few of the aborigines linj^ering 
 about on the rocks opposite Sydney, — miserable, 
 hideous-looking objectii, nearly naked and covered 
 with hair, much resembliijg the Fuegians in their 
 looks and filth v habits. 
 
 After discharging the cargo and taking in ballast, 
 we had but litlle hard work on board ; the ship was 
 10 
 
 ■ t 
 
 '■M 
 
 ■ ■ f 
 
 ii 
 
 itff 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 iM 
 
 
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 m 
 
 1 
 
 
 If 
 
 
 -', I- 
 
 :4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 :hiH 
 
I4'3 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 % 
 
 kept as trim as possible, the snow-white decks were 
 well rubbed with holystone and sand every morn- 
 ing, the awnings spread fore and aft ; at eight bells 
 the colors were hoisted, and the boatswain piped to 
 breakfast. The ship had six guns, and once a 
 week we went through the battery exercise. We 
 had a good deal of company from the shore to dinner 
 parties, and one night a ball was given on bo.ird in 
 return for similar attentions received on shore, by 
 the Captain and his passenger friends. All of the 
 festivities on board were enjoyed by "Jack," as the 
 music of the quarter-deck answered for the fore- 
 castle dance, and many crumbs of comfort found 
 their way forward. 
 
 The boat expeditions were also kept up — but 
 our gentlemen did not hunt as much here as at the 
 Derwent. Almost every day a boat was sent 
 afishing for the ship's use. I was ordered on one 
 occasion to get the gig ready for a trip up the Par- 
 amatta on a hunt. The Captain had a friend resid- 
 ing at the village of Paramatta, about twelve miles 
 above S} dney, with whom he and the Scotts were 
 to spend a few days ; the boat was to remain there 
 for occasional use ; myself and three others com- 
 posed the boat's crew. 
 
 On arriving at our destination, I had orders to go 
 with the crew to a little public-house near by, get 
 our meals and lodging tlierc, keep the boat clean, 
 and be always ready for a start. I was to go to the 
 Captain's house, about half a mile oft", every morn- 
 ing for orders, and if not wanted for tiie day, we 
 were at liberty to loaf as we liked. The first nigiit 
 
re 
 
 Il- 
 ls 
 
 to 
 
 ^e 
 
 er 
 in 
 
 >y 
 
 le 
 
 le 
 
 id 
 
 IN A REAL BED. 
 
 147 
 
 at the " Red Cow," for such was the name of our 
 inn, I can never forget. Since leaving the Cape I 
 had not known the luxury of a bed ; lying on a chest 
 with my clothes-bag for a pillow, and a blanket for 
 covering, I had not felt the need of any other sleep- 
 ing arrangements. My island life had inured me to 
 enjoy some things which I should now consider 
 hardships. 
 
 Established in comfortable quarters at " our Inn," 
 for about a week we had rare enioyment ; we were 
 seldom wanted by the Captain, and had most of the 
 time to ourselves. The first night, after a good 
 regular supper at a table spread with a white table- 
 cloth, and covered with the usual crockerv and fix- 
 ings to be found at a second-c'ass country inn, all 
 of which was rare to us, we passed the evening in 
 a manner very agreeable sailors on shore, in the 
 enjoyment of a glass of ale, \ pipe, checkers, story- 
 telling and singing, all of which w ore indulged in 
 temperately, as became the crew of t!ie Captain's 
 gig. On retiring for the night, the landlady con- 
 ducted me into a snug little bedroom, the like of 
 which I had not seen the inside of for yea. s. Be- 
 ing the officer in command of the party, and per- 
 haps the best-looking, as well as the youngest of ? e 
 lot, I had the. best quarters assigned me ; the < icrs 
 were disposed of in one room by themselves. Set- 
 ting the light down and directing my attention to 
 the furniture of the room, and hoping I should sleep 
 well,4.he kind and pleasant old lady bid me " good- 
 night" m a manner that at once carried me back to 
 my boyhood's days, bringing so vividly to my remem- 
 
 wn\ 
 
 iitf 
 
 I 
 
 li 
 
 '-^\ 
 
 '*j'' 
 
 iu 
 
 m 
 
SIN 
 
 '1, 
 
 ", 
 
 ilU 
 
 148 
 
 FOJ^E AND AFT. 
 
 brance the oft-repeated endearments of a past and 
 far-distaiit home, perhaps t "• be known no more, 
 that I sat down and gave vent in tears to the swell- 
 ing and strange emotions within. I took a good 
 survey of the premises, which were furnished with 
 a carpet of gay colore, with a regular-built four- 
 post bedstead, high, and with fringed curtains, under 
 which was a feather bed and pillow to match, the 
 coverlet and sheets all as white as snow ; a wash- 
 stand with all its accompaniments; the walls 
 adorned with pictures, and, as it seemed to me, 
 everything which a luxurious taste could demand. 
 At first I thought there must be a mistake ; this 
 could not be for a common Jack Tjr ; she must have 
 thought I was the Captain of the ship, and I waited 
 some time for her reappearance, to correct the 
 erroi ; but hearing nothing more about it, I con- 
 cluded to accept the situation, and make the most of 
 it. In order to take the full benefit of the act, I 
 stripped to " bare jooles," and turned in, and rolled 
 and revelled in a good feather bed in such perfect 
 enjoyment, that I scarcely slept during the night. 
 Often, in later years, when turning into a very com- 
 fortable bed at night, have 1 reverted, in thought, to 
 the feather bed in that little room at the sign of the 
 " Red Cow" at Paramatta ; and vviih ne disparage- 
 ment to the latter. I wonder if that sign still 
 swings, — the comely red cow, with its stub tail, a 
 perfect yiac s/m/7c of a similar aniiial owned by the 
 landlady. I shall never forget then while memory 
 holds its seat. May " peace bo within thy walls, 
 and prosperity within thy gates, ' for thou hast been 
 
STDNET OBSTETRICS. 
 
 149 
 
 "«« an oasis in the desert to the weary wanderer of 
 the sea. 
 
 We had much opportunity to go about on shore 
 if we wished, but we were so comfortable and well 
 contented on board, thai we seldom availed of it. 
 The huntinjr and fishinjj excursions sufficed me for 
 recreation, and we were very shy of the people of 
 Sydney, many of whom were convicts who had 
 served out their penal term, and were allowed to 
 remain in the colonv. Those remaining about the 
 towns were small store and saloon-keepers, loafers 
 in general, not pursuing any particular calling, but 
 waiting for something to turn up which brought 
 game to their nets, and especially on the watch for 
 a ship's crew on liberty. 
 
 Among our crew we had a man called " Old 
 George," who had made one or two voyages to 
 Sydney before this one. On the passage he often 
 related to us many cases of shipmates who had been 
 taken in tow by the -* sharks during the day, when 
 on liberty, shown the lions of Sydney, and as soon 
 as it became dark, being just in a condition to be 
 easily handled, taken to a by-place, stripped to their 
 nether garments, and left to get to their ship as best 
 they could. Especially did he caution us young- 
 sters against being on shore after dark : " For," said 
 he, " they will put you to bed with a cold stone for 
 a pillow, and without covering." Poor George ! 
 he did not benefit by his experience as well as we 
 did by his warnings. One morning, having the 
 watch on deck ju>L at daylight, I saw a small hhore- 
 boat come under the bows, and from this " Old 
 
 m 
 
 ■^:: 
 
ISO 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 George" crawled on board, with nothing on but his 
 shirt ; h ''oped to get on board unnoticed, but failed 
 to do so. The p(^or fellow was frequently reminded 
 of this adventure afterwards ; his was the only case 
 of the kind that happened among us. 
 
 This operation was designated by the Sydney 
 gentlemen as " putting a cove to bed and delivering 
 him of his duds," the midwife being a man. We 
 looked upon the people as a set of piratical thieves, 
 with whom it was dangerous to have anything to 
 do. A shore boatman, who was hired to tend our 
 ship with his boat, one night stole the large cat- 
 block wdiich was used for taking up the anchor, 
 and was hanging over the bows ; taking it to another 
 ship, he sold it for one dollar. A few days after, 
 our mate saw it there and claimed it — the pur- 
 chaser stated how and from whom he bought it. 
 Our officer charged the fellow with the theft. " Oh 
 yes," Teplied the scamp, " it is so, but I will steal 
 it again to-night, and bring it back again." He 
 did so. 
 
1 
 
 VALPARAISO. 
 
 151 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 
 VALPARAISO. 
 
 AFTER remaining at Sydney over two months, 
 we took in as cargo the lower hold full of 
 coal and firewood, and sailed for Valparaiso. Go- 
 ing down the harbor the gang of smokers came on 
 board, and the entrances were closed on a powerful 
 smoke under deck, but no rats made their appear- 
 ance, and we continued on our voyage. About a 
 week out, we discovered that, by a leak in one of 
 our iron water-tanks, our stock was much reduced ; 
 it was therefore determined to call at New Zealand 
 to replenish. 
 
 We came to anchor in xi small bay at the north 
 end of New Zealand. I thin', it was called Sa- 
 miston Bay or Harbor — there was a snug little 
 inner harbor or cove here, where water was to be 
 had, and into which our boats were piloted by a 
 native canoe, which came oti' to us with a variety 
 of fruit, principally plantain and cocoa-nuts. Two 
 boats were sent in in the morning, with empty casks, 
 the second mate in charge. We observed the na- 
 tives clustered on and about the rocks which lay at 
 the entrance, and over which the sea broke with 
 violence, at times washing over them, and sweeping 
 all into the sea. On our ajDproach we saw they 
 were mostly females — they were sporting in the 
 
153 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 surf like the penj^uin of Prince Edwards, and ap- 
 peared to care no more for the breakers than the 
 birds did ; they left the rocks as we passed them, 
 and swimminsT after the boats, evinced bv their mo- 
 lions a desire for us to kind. We anchored the 
 kugest boat at a proper distance, and landed the 
 casks, to fill at a small stream close to the shore. 
 The crew of the boat at anchor had mu^^kets, but 
 were ordered not to use or exhibit them without 
 orders from the officer on shore. We found the na- 
 tives well disposed, and eager to help us, after they 
 ascertained what we wanted. Some trinkets were 
 distributed to those that helped us, and, with the 
 exception of a slight attempt to remove the iron 
 hoops from the water-casks, they gave us no trouble 
 at our first landing. 
 
 I was not in the boat at the second trip, when 
 there were but four or five casks to be filled. The 
 second mate had orders not to leave the boat 
 aground, or run any risks with the natives by leav- 
 ing the boat at all unguarded. The muskets this 
 time were not put in the boat, as there did not 
 seem to be any occasion for them. Several native 
 canoes came round the ship, exchanging their com- 
 modities for iron nails, knives, fish-hooks, etc., and 
 during the day the ship was well supplied with 
 fruit and fish. The Captain or chief mate were 
 watching the gang on shore with the spy-glass, and 
 noticed that the casks were filled and rolled towards 
 the boat, where they were left, while the officer and 
 three men were strolling away from the other three 
 left in charge of the boat. Our Captain did not 
 
u 
 
 • [... 
 
,1 
 
 :i 
 
 
 
 
 I'it 
 
 —-. -»',1->-,i.i,[i.-V! 
 
 ■liiijii :''|ii![!r':!i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 li- I 
 
THE NEW ZEALANDERS. 
 
 153 
 
 
 like the appearance of things on shore, and his 
 anxiety was soon increased by seeing the others 
 also go ofl'in a different direction, in company with 
 a few natives, leaving the boat entirely alone. Or- 
 ders were given to load two of the broadside guns, 
 and fire a blank'cartridge, to call the mate's atten- 
 tion to the boat, but this did not seem to have the 
 desired effect. Shortly after, the natives were seen 
 rushing to the casks, and were beating them to 
 pieces. A twelve-pound shot was now fired over 
 their heads, and soon our people were seen running 
 towards the boat, where they arrived in time to save 
 a part of the casks ; the hoops of the others had 
 been knocked oft' and carried away, while the na- 
 tives were laughing over the affair as an excellent 
 joke. No molestation was offered, but they helped 
 the officer to gather up the staves and push the casks 
 off' to the boat, with which he returned to the ship. 
 It seems that while he was waiting for the tide to 
 rise and float the casks, he, presuming on the good 
 behavior of the natives, thought it safe to go to their 
 huts, leaving part of the crew to guard the boat. 
 The guard were also enticed by the beautiful 
 scenery to go a short distance, but the allurements 
 led them on until the natives took the advantage. 
 After hoisting in the water, we immediately got 
 under-weigh. 
 
 At Sydney the tattooed heads of New Zealand 
 chiefs were frequently offered for sale alongside the 
 ship, but here we did not see a single tattooed face. 
 We were here about thirty-six hours, procured all 
 tile water we wanted, and though no accident hap- 
 
154 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 pcncd, it was not owing to good management. I 
 have often thought how indiscreet our ollicers were 
 on that occasion. I belic\'e our Captain had been 
 there before, and had implicit confidence in the 
 people. In about six or seven weeks we were olV 
 the island of Ju:m Fernandez, and attempted to 
 stop at Cumberland Harbor, but the wind headed us 
 at the entrance, and we bore away for Valparaiso, 
 where we arrived on the third day. 
 
 Passing the point of Angels, and casting anchor 
 in Paradise, I somehow felt that such celestial 
 names must surround us with sweeter influences 
 than had yet fallen to my lot. In about two weeks 
 we had discharged the cargo, put the ship in good 
 order, and were daily hoping to hear that our next 
 destination would be to some part of Europe. 
 There was but one American ship in port — the 
 Armenian^ of Baltimore, and she was bound home ; 
 a single visit to her convinced us that we had better 
 remain where we then were, and prolong our ab- 
 sence from home, than be subjected to the treat- 
 ment which it was likely we should find under the 
 flag of our country, with bad ofiicers, to whom the 
 knocking down and kicking men under their com- 
 mand seemed to be daily pastime. 
 
 In all my changes from ship to ship, and in every 
 situation in which I had been placed, I had always 
 made known my nationality ; a "purser's name," 
 i. <?., a fictitious one, I had never used, and was 
 never treated any the worse for it. Hammond and 
 myself, on entering on board of an English man- 
 of-war, had distinctly informed the executive officer, 
 
 
OUR ^Ilt IS SOLD. 
 
 155 
 
 
 in presence of the crew, that \7c were Americans, 
 that force of circumstances compelled us to enter, 
 and should war occur between the countries, we 
 would not fight against our own ; it was with these 
 stipulations wc went on board, and I have no right 
 to doubt that good faith would have been observed 
 towards us. I had felt a pride on coming into port 
 and seeing the glorious Stars and Stripes waving 
 over the finest-looking ship in the fleet; but unfor- 
 tunately we anchored so near her that we were 
 compelled to witness scenes of brutality that caused 
 us to feel ashamed of our countrvmen. That 
 ship, we know, was not to be taken as a criterion 
 for American ships in general, but we saw enough 
 to cause us to avoid her. We therefore concluded 
 to stick to the Britoniart^ wherever she went, until 
 we could move in a homeward direction in a de- 
 cent ship. 
 
 We had been in port about three weeks, when 
 we were told that the ship was to be sold, and 
 would not leave port again under the present own- 
 ership or oflficers, and that all hands would now be 
 paid off* but a boat's crew. This was sad news for 
 us, as, not being of the original crew, we could not 
 expect to be retained. Therefore Hammond and 
 myself received, with our wages, an honorable dis- 
 charge, together with a certificate from Captain 
 Peach, and countersigned by the Messrs. Scott, who 
 were part owners, " that we were American citi- 
 zens, and were good seamen, obedient and attentive 
 to duty, and recommending us as such." W^ith 
 these documents, and about forty dollars apiece in 
 
 K 
 
 f 
 

 
 i " 
 
 156 
 
 FO/^E AND AFT. 
 
 our pockets, we again found ourselves adrift in a 
 foreign land, poor footballs of fortune, little imag- 
 ining in whicli direction the next kick migiit 
 send us. 
 
 /j'^ a S'.Jlor boarding-house, paying four dollars a 
 week, and in compariy with our shipmates, where 
 we had to keep up our end of the tab)'- in every 
 respect, or appear mean, our money did not last 
 long. In fact, we found that money was as neces- 
 sary, and would go no further, in Paradise than 
 elsewhere. Getting towards 'he end of our rope, 
 we had been anxiously looking out for a siiip, in 
 the hope that an America'.! vessel would come in, 
 and give us a chance to get away ; or that tlie 
 United States ship Pranklin^ the only American 
 man-of-war on the coast, would arrive from Callao. 
 
 We had no intention of calling upon the Gmsul 
 for his kind offices ; but week after week passed, 
 our cash was gone, and CMr best (hids had to be 
 converted into daily bread. Our s lipmates had all 
 joined the Chilian frigate O" fl/\.:gins^ Chili and 
 Peru then being at v;'ar. Lord Cochrane being in 
 command of the Chilian Navy, was daily visiting all 
 the sailor boarding-houses, jingling doubloons in 
 his hands as pc laders to Jack to take service 
 under him. \\\ cutting out the frigate J^smcraldu^ 
 from Callao, the boat expedition, headed by Coch- 
 rane himself, sutlered sevcrelv iu men, and he wa-j 
 now using every ex^ation to repair his losses. A 
 gold doubloon in advance, and a ))romisc of prize- 
 money being the inducements, and the Lord iiim- 
 self being very popular with his crews, for he was 
 
 .? fa I 
 ver) 
 
 mg 
 
-* IB jS I- 1 
 
 SEEING THE CONSUL. 
 
 ■^si 
 
 .•» famouf> fighter, and, at the present time, at least, 
 very familiar, drinking with the sailors, and humor- 
 ing their fancies, he was successful in picking up 
 all the drift stuff in the vale of Paradise. 
 
 Hatnmond and myself held out as long as possi- 
 ble. As a last resource we went to the United 
 States Consul — told him we were American sea- 
 men in di. tress, wanted to get home, and asked his 
 assistance. He inquired what ship we came there 
 in ; we told him : he asked for our Custom House 
 protections; we tokl him they were lost when we 
 were wrecked at the Cape, but produced the cer- 
 tificates from our last Captain. lit- examined them, 
 and said: "They will not answer — you came here 
 in an E'.glish ship, and do not produce satisfactory 
 evidence to me that you are what you represent 
 vourselves to be ; " and would have nothinjj to do 
 with us. We requested him to quest'on r.s about 
 the States we hailed from, and if we coidd not an- 
 swer to his satisfaction, we would give up our 
 claim. An old man writing at a desk said to 
 me : 
 
 '' You say you are a Boston boy, so am I ; now 
 tell me what is the weather-vane on the top of 
 Faneuil Hall, — is it a rooster?" 
 
 '• No," replied I, " it is a grasshopper." 
 
 *' Right," s;dd he ; '• I'll guarantee you for a 
 Yankee." 
 
 But the great Consul. Mr. H., a broken-down 
 Irish Baltimore merchant, would not listen to us. 
 We had been told before going to hisoflice, that if 
 wc would hail for Irish Americans, and Catholics, 
 
 It 
 
 'Ul 
 
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 ;i 
 
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 n 
 
 -if 
 
 
 m 
 
158 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \m 
 
 we would be taken care of, and we told him so. 
 We were ordered out of the office, and went, but 
 not before giving him the benefit of our opinion of 
 his public and private character, without fear of the 
 ^,olice, which he threatened us with ; knowing that 
 we could flee at once to our vScotch friend, who 
 stood ready with his doubloon to receive us. 
 
 In after years, in command of a fine ship in Val- 
 paraiso Bay, I had invited a few friends on board 
 to enjoy a salt-fish dinner; the seedy old Consul, 
 who yet remained there, but out of office, and poor, 
 and who was said to be generally loafing about the 
 ship-chandlers, where the Captains often congre- 
 gated, happened to be there on this occasion, and 
 invited himself to be of the party, and he came. 
 After dinner, wishing to impress me with a proper 
 sense of his long official services, he expatiated on 
 the important benefits he had rendered the country, 
 its commerce and seamen. I responded by saying 
 that of course he never turned a deaf ear to desti- 
 tute American seamen. 
 
 " Never," said he ; " but I have often used my 
 own funds for their relief." 
 
 " Then you must have been quite short, sir, when 
 you drove two poor Yankee lads from your office, 
 and forced them on board of a miserable Chilian 
 man-of-war." 
 
 Then, telling the story, I added that I was one 
 of the lads, and had always hoped for an opportu- 
 nity to remind him of it. I was happy to enter- 
 tain him with the best the ship afforded, and 
 thanked him for his company. Of course he could 
 
!, • k 
 
 IN THE CHILIAN SERVICE. 
 
 159 
 
 not remember anything of the occurrence, but 
 "Jack Walsh," whom everybody knows for his 
 frank and genial hospitality, who has visited Val- 
 paraiso .any time within ten or fifteen years pre- 
 vious to 1849, exclaimed, "If that is not heaping 
 'coals of fire on a man's head,' I am mistaken.". 
 
 We accepted the doubloon, and took service un- 
 der the Chilian flag in the war which was progress- 
 ing between that country and Peru, without caring 
 much which part}' should whip, or be whipped. 
 
 I pass over the disgusting details of life on board 
 a Chilian man-of-war, by saying that it was miser- 
 able in the extreme, but we had no choice between 
 that and starvation, and our intention was to leave 
 it when something better should turn up. After 
 about four months' service off Callao, Hammond 
 and myself, with about twenty others who were on 
 the Doctor's list, were sent to the sloop-of-war 
 Chaccabuco as invalids, to be left at the hospital 
 atCoquimbo. He had received a slight injury from 
 a fall from aloft, and I had a slight cut, obtained in a 
 scrimmage on a boat expedition. Our vyounds were 
 of no account, but we fathered them in such a man- 
 ner that they made a great show, and the young 
 ijrnoramus of a doctor condemned us as unfit for 
 duty ; we were taken to the hospital on litters, 
 though we were actually good for a day's march. 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 UNDER The stars and stripes. 
 
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 i 11 
 
 ON entering the port, our eyes were blessed and 
 our hearts ghiddened at finding in port the 
 ship Nautilus^ of Boston, at anchor, taking in cop- 
 per. The night we were deposited in tiie hospital we 
 were able to leap the walls if we chose to do so, but 
 we kept quiet for a few davs, waiting for our ship 
 to sail. By inquiring, we found the Captain of the 
 Nautilus was staying at the city about five miles 
 from the port, and we were determined to see him ; 
 therefore the Chaccabuco was no sooner out of port 
 than we started at nijjht for the citv, and arrived 
 there early next morning, having slept a few hours 
 on the road. Easily finding the hotel, we inquired 
 for the Captain of the American ship, who soon 
 came to the verandali. He proved to be Captain 
 Charles Pearson, of Beverly ; and when we told lum 
 who and what we were, and of our burning desire 
 to get home, he entertained us kindly, and gave us 
 a note to his mate to receive us on boaril and take 
 care of us. That same night we reached tlie port 
 and got a boat to put us on board, pa^ssing as two 
 of the crew returning from liberty on sliore. We 
 told Mr. Sampson, the chief mate, something of our 
 past history and our present condition, and solicited 
 his assistance, which was promised. 
 
Iff 
 
 ON BOARD THE NAUTILUS. 
 
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 our 
 
 ci 
 
 ted 
 
 The Nautilus was one of the crack China sliips 
 belonging to the Perkins's, of Boston. She was 
 from Canton, had left j^art of her China cargo at 
 Valparaiso, and was at this port taking in copper. 
 We went to work with the crew, and when the Cap- 
 tain came on board he told us that if we went round 
 Cape Horn in the ship, he should put us on the same 
 wages as the others. From this port we proceeded 
 to Iluasco, to complete the lading of copper. 
 Being again at sea "in a Yankee ship witii a Yan- 
 kee crew," it seemed that at last we were in a fair 
 way of being homeward-bound. The cargo we 
 were now taking on board was to be landed in Bos- 
 ton — the chance of our being there also when it 
 should arrive, depended on what might happen to 
 us at the next port : peril of the seas was not in the 
 calculation ; the only peril we could recognize was 
 contact with a Chilian officer who might recognize 
 us. Therefore it was no small relief, on arriving at 
 Huasco, not to find a ship-of-war there. 
 
 We vyere nearly ready for sea again when our 
 hearts sank within us as a ship made her appear- 
 ance in the ofling, bound in, and wo soO^i made her 
 out to be the Chaccaluco. It seemed as if our hopes 
 were again to be dashed, and we had got to return. 
 to Cochrane, cockroaches, and Jerusalem crickets. 
 Mr. Sampson told us to keep out of sight, and not 
 go in any boat, and if the man-of-war should send 
 a boat to our ship he would stow us in a large empty 
 bread-locker. Wc not only watched the move- 
 ments of that ship's boat ourselves, but all on board 
 watched for us. Before dark a boat was seen to 
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1 62 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 In 
 
 push off from the Chaccabuco and pull towards us, 
 with a number of officers in the stern-sheets, and 
 we dove into the bread-lockcr ; but it was a friendly 
 visit. The officers were on a sponging expedition. 
 From our place of retreat we could hear the jingling 
 of gla jCS, and distinguish familiar voices, which 
 sounded best when they said, " Buenos nochcs." 
 
 Before going into the cabin, two of the Chilian 
 officers took a stroll forward, as if examining the 
 ship ; but after they were gone, and we went to the 
 forecastle to supper, the men told us that every one 
 of their faces was closely scr' nized by the officers. 
 The fact of the Nautilus having been in a Chilian 
 port previous to coming here, and they having lost 
 so many men by desertion, caused them to watch 
 narrowly every ship bound off the coast. We felt 
 uneasy ; and being fearful of a night visit to our 
 forecastle, we took lodgings that night in the foretop. 
 No visitors came ; but the next morning, a boat's 
 crew from our ship, being on shore on duty, were 
 tampered with ; gold was offered them to take ser- 
 vice in the Chilian Navy, but without effect: the 
 Yankee crew were well contented with their own 
 ship ; the description we had given of the service 
 did not create a hankering for such a chansre. 
 Twice during the next day Hammond and myself 
 visited the bread-locker ; and when the Captain 
 came on board in the afternoon, with orders to get 
 under-weigh immediately, we sprang to the wind- 
 lass witii a will. Soon, however, we dropped our 
 handspikes; for seeing a boat pulling towards us 
 from the Chaccabuco^ the mate ordered us below. 
 
Til 
 
 HOME WARD-BOUND. 
 
 163 
 
 In our retirement, we heard and knew all that was 
 going on upon deck. The man-of-war's-men as- 
 sisted at the windlass. " Short stay rpeak, sir," 
 called out the mate from between the night heads. 
 "Avast heaving, and loose the sails fore and aft," 
 responded the Captain ; the topsails sheeted home, 
 and the three yards ascended to the mast-head to- 
 gether ; top-gallantsails and royals the same. 
 *' Brace the head-yards to starboard, — after-yards 
 to port," — "coil up the rigging," — "man the 
 windlass and heave away," came again from the 
 quarter-deck, answered with the hearty " Aye, aye, 
 sir," of the mate. Cheering as these sounds were 
 to the occupants of the bread-locker, still more so 
 was the call of" C/iaccabucd's away ; " and now the 
 anchor aweigh, and the cat fall manned to the cheer- 
 ful tune of " Homeward bound," we rushed from 
 our privacy and joined the glad chorus. "A hand 
 to the wheel " ; I sprang aft in obedience to the order. 
 The yards were braced sharp to the wind, and as 
 we stood to sea with a fresh breeze, I am positive 
 that not a weather leach lifted while I was at the 
 helm. Occasionally looking astern, I rejoiced to see 
 the Chilian growing beautifully less, until she finally 
 disappeared behind an intervening headland. 
 
 yvnd now, fairly at sea in a good ship, not expect- 
 ing to anchor again until after passing Boston Light, 
 our joy was too full for utterance. A few days at 
 sea, the chafuig gear all on, and everything snug, 
 we found ourselves as comfortable as could be de- 
 sired. We had good provisions, and plenty of them ; 
 the officers were gentlemanly, the discipline very 
 
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 im 
 
164 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 strict, but tempered with kind words," with an entire 
 absence of profanity or harsh language. The Cap- 
 tain was a man of few words, courteous to his of- 
 ficers, very exacting of every one on board in regard 
 to every duty ; his voice was seldom heard Dy the 
 crew, and he was not very sociable with his officers, 
 but his eagle glance saw everything below and aloft, 
 fore and aft, when he was on deck ; he seldom gave 
 a command, except through tiie proper officer. 
 Thus good order prevailed throughout. A ship 
 was ably commanded when Capt. Charles Pearson 
 *' moved the monarch of her peopled deck." 
 
 Approaching Cape Horn, and consequently cold 
 weather, I felt how poorly provided I was with 
 clothing suitable for a high latitude or a winter's 
 coast ; bed or blanket I had none, thick clothing or 
 boots and stockings "were not among my wardrobe, 
 but I was the fortunate possessor of a heavy Greek 
 greggo, warmly thrummed throughout, with a hood 
 to it. This served for bed, bedding, and thick jacket 
 all the passage home, while our shipmates, from 
 their abundance, furnished us with many articles 
 necessary for our comfort. Experiencing the uf.ual 
 amount of heavy weather and icebergs in doubling 
 the Cape at this season, we passed to the eastward 
 of the Falkland Islands, steering to the northeast. 
 
 About the Cape I again met my old acquaint- 
 ances of Prince Edward's Island, the albatross. 
 They met us in the latitude of the island of Chiloc, 
 and followed us into the Atlantic until past the Rio 
 Plata. A few days after, bearing away to the north, 
 we spoke the American ship Teaplant^ from New 
 
 1/ 
 
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 w 
 
 AT RIO. 
 
 165 
 
 York, for tlie Pacific. She had been in contact with 
 an iceberg, losing her foremast and bowsprit. Siie 
 was now bonnd to Rio Janeiro, under a jury-rig, for 
 repairs. Our Captain olVercd assistance, but none 
 was needed. We now learned that our ship was 
 to call at Rio, to try the market for China goods. 
 
 We arrived at Rio after a fair passage, ship and 
 crew in good condition,^ about the latter part of Oc- 
 tober, and remained here two or three days. Not 
 finding a market to suit, we sailed again after filling 
 our water and obtaining a good supply of fresh pro- 
 visions, vegetables and fruit. While here, the 
 coronation of Don Pedro the First took place. 
 Processions and salutes by dav, and splendid fire- 
 works at night, seemed to occupy the sole attention 
 of the people. Two of us had been to the market 
 with the Captain, and were returning to the boat 
 with bags of vegetables on our backs, with orders 
 to go otV to the ship. On our way we somehovv 
 got mixed in with a procession moving towards the 
 Cathedral in the Plaza, and as our course was in 
 the same direction, we fell into tiie ranks and en- 
 tered the Cathedial with the crowd. We were told 
 the Emperor and the royal family were to be pres- 
 ent at High Mass, and the populace were allowed 
 to be present. Barefoot, with duck frock and trou- 
 sers, and an old Scotch cap for costume (my com- 
 panion in about the same rig), we compared favor- 
 ably with the crowd, and but for the bags of 
 vegetables v/ould have made a better appearance 
 than the majority. We got sight of some wcll- 
 drcssed persons in the galleries, among whom were 
 
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1 66 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 21 
 
 !' ! 
 
 a number of children, ;uul were tolil that tlie group 
 consisted of the Emperor and his family ; but as we 
 could not stop to be presented, we left, taking it for 
 granted that wc had seen the elephants, large and 
 small. 
 
 Soon after leaving Rio wc entered the Soutli- 
 east Trades, and tiie ship was pressed with every 
 useful sail towards the equator. The rigging had 
 been put in the best possible condition previous to 
 our joining her. The wa^^ch in tlie forenoon, and 
 all hands during the afternoon, were principally 
 employed in fancy work. Every block-strap below 
 the tops, and every ring-bolt, were grafted ; every 
 rope's end pointed ; the spare sails were always re- 
 paired and in good order, to replace a split one ; 
 necessary work always had the preference. 
 
 In contrast to this careful policy, I am reminded 
 of a fine Boston ship in later years, in which I was 
 a passenger from Valparaiso to the States. After 
 leaving port, during the passage to the Cape, we 
 had much fine weather. The crew had watch and 
 watch all the time ; the watch on deck were part 
 of the time making fancy manilla and other mats, 
 said to be for presents to the owner's wife, while the 
 ship's work was neglected. The consequence was 
 that while lying-to in a severe gale olV the Cape, the 
 best main topsail being split and blown from the 
 bolt ropes, tiierc was not a spare topsail fit to re- 
 place it. All the spare topsails had to be got upon 
 deck and examined, the best one selected was 
 hauled into the cabin and the'crcw set to work re- 
 pairing it, while the ship, heavily laden with cop- 
 
A SUSPICIOUS CRAFT. 
 
 167 
 
 per, was wallowing in the trough of the sea, and in 
 the absence of this very essential sail, fearfully ex- 
 posed to foundering, with all on board. On board 
 of the Aa«///<r^j everything was in constant readiness 
 for any emergency that could be anticipated, and 
 which the hand of man could provide against. 
 
 In the latitude of Cape St. Roque we were run- 
 ning before tlie wind with everything tct, when one 
 day, about noon, we made a brig aheail lying-to, with 
 her courses up and topsail aback. As we approached 
 her without altering our course, she hoisted English 
 colors, but had a suspicious look, '' long, low and 
 black." She made no attempt to speak us, and we 
 only noticed her by showing our ensign ; we passed 
 within hailing distance, but nothing was said. Few 
 men were seen about her ; but several spy-glasses 
 were observed just above her rail ; those on board 
 were evidently trying to make out the character of 
 our ship, and were imdecided about us imtil after 
 we passed. Our vessel was low in the water, had 
 painted ports, and every sail, from a sky-sail down, 
 was so trimly set, that she might easily have been 
 mistaken, while approaching, for an American sloop- 
 of-war. At half a mile distance from the brig we 
 heard the boatswain's whistle on board; in a mo- 
 ment her rigging was alive with men. She squared 
 away for us, and was soon covered with ii cloud of 
 canvas. Our crew were called to quarters, and all 
 our means of defence were got ready ; the ship had 
 four twelve or iiine-pounders, swivels for each bow 
 and quarter, with a good chest of small arms, all 
 of which were carefully loaded. The boarding- 
 
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 1 68 
 
 FOI^E AND AFT. 
 
 vie 
 
 pikes, which in those days always encircled the 
 maiinnast, were taken down, the cutlasses sharp- 
 ened, and the crew assigned to their stations. Now 
 let us look at the chase. The ship was dead before 
 the wind, which was her best condition for sailing; 
 the course had been changed a few points. To ef- 
 fect this the yards fore and aft were squared to a 
 nicety, the square sails aloft distended by sheets and 
 halyards to their utmost dimensions; the studding- 
 sails on both sides of tiie mainmast, top-mast, top- 
 gallant and royal, with the midship canvas from 
 the sky-sail to the course, and her ladyship, in full 
 crinoline, was "walking the waters like a thing of 
 life." 
 
 A tiling of beauty she certainly was. The best 
 helmsman was at the wheel, to whom the injunction 
 was frequently given " to watch her sharp, and 
 steer small," the mate watching the helm and sails, 
 shifting a studding-sail occasionally, to catch the 
 transient pufls. The second officer attended to the 
 guns, and directed the crew in the use of them, 
 while Captain Pearson, walking the deck in his quiet 
 manner, his usually dark features now some shades 
 darker, with decided determination in his eye, 
 plainly' showed that he meant fight if the brig 
 should overhaul us. 
 
 About 3 p. M. the brig was in our wake, two miles 
 astern, the wind about two points on the quarter, 
 the sails all drawing, except the lee studding- 
 sails forward. For an hour or so the distance be- 
 tween us was evidently decreasing — she was gaining 
 on us ; the dark countenance on our quarter-deck 
 
A STERN CHASE. 
 
 169 
 
 grew darker ; a shot from her bow gun could reach, 
 and might cripple us. ' Keep her dead before the 
 wind, and crowd every sail possible on to the main- 
 mast," was the order, and again the good ship ilcw 
 before a freshening breeze. As the sail siiell of the 
 ocean, whose name we bore, finds, as he spreads his 
 membranous sail on a summer sea, that his greatest 
 speed is before the wind, so it was with us. 
 
 Our pursuer, up to this time, (clt sure of closing 
 up alongside of us ; but a " stern chase is prover- 
 bially a long one," and she found it so. The brig 
 altered her course to conform with ours, and her 
 yards squared accordingly. It soon became evident 
 that they were short of studding-sails; this gave us 
 another advantage. " Shall I wet the sails down, 
 sir?" asked the mate. "No," replied the Captain, 
 *' we are dropping her." The breadth of water 
 was now plainly widening between us. Long be- 
 fore dark the rascally looking craft hauled on a 
 wind to the eastward, and was soon hull down. 
 Our Captain came to the conclusion that she was a 
 pirate, or an outward-bound slaver, looking to ob- 
 tain an outfit of stores and provisions by robbing a 
 defenceless merchantman, which decidedly objec- 
 tionable method was not unusual in those days. 
 
i.m tpt • www ( mv )' w* ' 
 
 170 
 
 FO/?E A AD AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HOME AT LAST. 
 
 AS vvc drew towards tiie Equator wc again 
 greeted the North Star, — this tine in the 
 xvorth Atlantic, where lor \cars I had lon^/ed to be- 
 hold it, for it brought homo ne.ucr. We iiad also 
 taken our leave ot the Southern. Cross, and those 
 mysierious clouds, once the hope, and also the fear, 
 of the early ni.'vi gators. Before passing iJermuda, 
 the tarring, p;n!it'ng, and holystoning had all been 
 gone through with, and the ship was ready to go 
 into port. Northerly winds prevailed after ciossing 
 the Ciulf stream, and the ftrst land made was Block 
 Island, oil' which we fell in with a Vineyard jiilot- 
 boat, and took on l)oard S\lvanus Daggett, a well- 
 known pilot, to take the ship over the shoals and 
 in:o Boston Bay. That afternoon we anchored in 
 IIohn"<i's Hole, to wait a fair wind. This was early 
 in Decj'nib'.'r. The next morning a shore boat, with 
 *' Daddy Linton " and his three blue paintcil iirkins, 
 containing mince pics, fried eels, and \arn stockings, 
 came alongside — a welcome visitor to those who 
 had money, but forward of the windlass there was 
 none of that conunodity. Who ever heard 0" a 
 sailor goiijg to sea without spending all his nujuey 
 at the last port? He wouUl be considereii a lubber, 
 ttnd lose caste with his shipmates were he not to 
 
IN BOSTO.V BAT. 
 
 171 
 
 
 do so. Tliorcforc as we had neither money nor its 
 equivalent to oircr, wc were oblij^cd to liefcr our 
 n^ince pics until we should meet them with a 
 '* Merry Christmas " at home. 
 
 The next mornin^j wr were aj^ain under-wcigh, 
 and, with a stroiig westerly witul, made fine progress, 
 passing around Cape Cod during the niglit ; tlic 
 next Jioon we were becalmed in the bay. Towards 
 sunset, in the eastern horizon a dark, heavy bank 
 was slowly rising, which we telt to be the precursor 
 of an eastcrlv storm ; the wind set in, as davli''ht 
 closed, from the north-east, with snow ami thick 
 tlarkness. Under single reef topsails we hauled out 
 seaward, sadly tlisappointed and sorrowful. The 
 next twentv-four hours we had no favorable change. 
 Tacking siiip anil clearing oil' snow kept the 
 vvatclicsbusy during the time, but at length the snow 
 ceased falling, and the weather partially clearing, we 
 made sail into the bay. At 9 i». m. we were lying- 
 to oil" Boston Light, liring for a pilot ; for about two 
 hours waiting, sending up rockets, and keeping 
 a good light, but none came. Again the easterly 
 sky looked threatening; the Vineyard pilot ollered 
 to carry the ship in, but the Captain declined the 
 oiler, and again we stood olf. After midnight it 
 lighteil up, and we boro away for the Light again. 
 At davlight no boat was to be seen ; so '' Svlvanus" 
 was put in charge, the lighthouse was passed, and we 
 kept up the harbor w ith a fresh breeze from tlie north- 
 cast. Approaching the city, the ship was reduced to 
 the topsads ; and now we witnessed the superior skill 
 of our pilot. Heretofore he appearetl so lifeless and 
 
 ^m I 
 
 .■' ? 
 
 ■' N 
 
 11 
 
173 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 moping, tliat he failed to inspire us with confidence 
 that he could handle a ship. All at once he roused 
 himself, and rattled ofT his orders with a vohibilitv 
 and distinctness that amazed us. " Stations at the 
 braces fore and aft." " Mate, h:.ve your hawser 
 ready on the starboard bow, with good lines on the 
 bow and quarter ; have your fenders over on the 
 starboard side." All of which was done. We ran up 
 past the wharf, and tacked. Now heading the flood 
 tide, we went through a series of evolutions under 
 the three topsails, backing and filling, until in a 
 masterly manner the ship was placed alongside the 
 end of the wharf, and the final order given : '• Get 
 your fasts out, and lower away your topsails." 
 Such a handling of a ship by a Boston pilot in his 
 own harbor, where he is perfectly acquainted with 
 its tides, is expected, as a matter of course ; but our 
 Vineyard pilot did not look like a man equal to 
 such a feat. 
 
 Two hours afterwards I took my way up Central 
 Wharf, after an absence of over six years, with just 
 about wages enough due me from the Nautilus to 
 get a decent suit of clothes, and, thanks to Almighty 
 God for His preserving and protecting goodness, I 
 was in good health, and enriched by a considerable 
 portion of practical experience. On my way towards 
 South End in the afternoon, in search of my kindred, 
 still in company with Hammond, we saw quite a 
 crowd of people clustered around the front steps of 
 a liouse in Summer Street ; on the top step was our 
 pilot, Sylvanus Daggett himself, " pretty well over 
 the bay," — delivering a temperance lecture to his 
 
TO 
 
 THE PARTING OF FRIENDS. 
 
 ^73 
 
 audience. And now I close this long and eventful 
 voyage in parting with my firm friend and ship- 
 mate, with whom I had passed throngli so many 
 scenes of weal and woe. Hammond was a stran- 
 ger in the city, and accompanied me in my visit to a 
 friend's house in Sea Street, where I met a sister ; 
 while I was in a private room with her, he was. left 
 in the parlor entertaining the ladies of the house 
 with some of his sea yarns, occasionally refreshing 
 the inner man with cake and wine ; soon 1 was 
 convinced, by the shouts and laughter of the com- 
 pany, that Hammond was "glorious"; but when 
 he commenced singing, and finding a "ready cho- 
 rus" in the three or four delighted girls who sur- 
 rounded him, 1 thought it time to convey him to his 
 boarding-house. We parted the next day, since 
 wifich time I have never heard of him. 
 
 Finding great changes at home, which had oc- 
 curred during my absence, to which it was hard to 
 become reconciled, and which came suddenly upon 
 me, us I had not heard from home all these long years, 
 and my kindred had long since given mc up as lost, 
 I soon felt dispofjcd to be afloat again on my ocean 
 home. Soon finding a voyage and a vessel to sail, 
 I again shipp'^d before the mast for a voyage to the 
 Mediterranean. Perhaps I might have passed mus- 
 ter for a situation aft, but 1 did not choose to beg 
 for it, and 1 had no " friend at court" to help me. 
 The vessel was nearly new, commanded by Captain 
 Luce; the n?ate's uow.n vvas Luce, and there were 
 three other J^uce's before the mast ; but there was 
 jiothiner /oose about the vessel, the officers or the 
 
 V. 
 
'74 
 
 FORB AND AFT. 
 
 v: 
 
 crew. Tlic voyage to Smyrna and back was pleas- 
 ant and prosperous, but devoid of incident. 
 
 Befriended by my last C-iptain, I was ofiered, on 
 returning to Boston, the situation of chief mate of a 
 brig bound to City Point and Europe. I preferred 
 to go as second, but that berth was filled. I had 
 no doubt of my competency to the duties of the of- 
 fice except in my knowledge of navigation, whicli, 
 although not what it should have been to qualify 
 one for liiat position, was sufficient to enable me to 
 work out what is called '* dead reckoning," and I felt 
 that daily practice, with close application, would 
 soon make all right. I also was deteriiiined that I 
 would go through all the regular grades to the com- 
 mand of a ship, should I ever attain it ; but here 
 there was no chance to do as I desired, and being 
 assured that I was competent by one who ought to 
 have known (my late Commander), I took my fare- 
 well of theyc?rf?-castle and stepped aft. 
 
 In the brig Eunice 1 went to City Point, loaded 
 with tobacco for Cowes and a market, from Cowes 
 to Hamburgh, and back to City Point, performing 
 n y duties, I had reason to believe, w th satistactiou 
 to the Captain and owners. In my previous voy- 
 flire lo Smvrna I had there met with mv old friend 
 of Prmce Edward's, Mr. Burnhum. He was now 
 first mate Kyw board tlie Midas^ of Baltimore, in- 
 tended to sail from thai port for the futuac, aiw! 
 urged me to come tnere and sail with him. On niy 
 return to City Point i decided on doing so, as 1 felt 
 that the position of an officer under him would Nj 
 a good school for me. Arriving tiiere, I wa* siifijr 
 
EXPLANATORY, 
 
 J 75 
 
 to find that he had just sailed in command of a 
 ship ; therefore I kept on to Boston, and engaged as 
 second mate of a ship bound to Rio Janeiro and 
 Europe, carrying out my determination to go 
 through the mill ship-shape. 
 
 My purpose in writing from tiic present time, 
 will be not to describe every voyage or place visited, 
 but in tracing the progress of a cabin boy upward, 
 to give some of the incidents' of a few of my voy- 
 ages vvhicli may be intercsring, as showitig, as they 
 probably will, how liilTerendy voyages were prose- 
 cuted then and now, and also perha[)s seme mate- 
 rial changes that have taken place in various 
 countries, and in things that reh?«^e to the sea. 
 Therefore I refer to my old journals, or the nost in- 
 teresting ones, to furnish what follows. Perhaps 
 some of my seafaring brethren may treat as ridicu- 
 lous the idea of an old sailor's giving to the public 
 an abstract of his vovages, with observations on 
 places, people and things, which are commotiplace 
 and familiar to him, who has travelled over the 
 same ground, and is so well acquainted with similar 
 scenes himself. To such 1 would say, Brother, I 
 write not for vour amusement or edification, buf; 
 the great majority of the reading public desire to 
 have just such information as you and I can impart 
 to them, of '' matters which we saw, and part of 
 which wt were." Instead of sharply criticising 
 and tindiug fault with " Fore and Aft," please to sit 
 down yourself and write out your own experiences 
 in your own wav ; the world mav be the wiser for 
 it. A man who has passed thirty or forty \cars in 
 
 m 
 
 
1 
 
 176 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 roaming over the globe must be laden with rich ex- 
 periences, unless he has passed along with his eyes 
 shut, which, if imparted to the many who have not 
 been much abroad, cannot fail to interest and en- 
 lighten them, and especially the young. Sailors are 
 generally inclined. to reticence on shore in answering 
 questions of landsmen in relation to their adventures, 
 for the reason that many mere matters of fact that, 
 almost incredible to dwellers on the land, are of 
 frequent occurrence in a sea life, seem so ditlerent 
 from anything known within the horizon of home, 
 that the relator of them is apt to be looked upon as 
 drawing a long bow ; or at least he is considered as 
 being a very odd fish, and such he certainly is, for he 
 swims in every sea that divides the continents and 
 washes every shore. Now it seems to me that if the 
 periodical repetition of ''• Letters from the White 
 Mountains," which are so thoioughly done brown 
 every season, continues to interest the public, surely 
 the men of the sea, who can say, — 
 
 *' Far as the winds can blow, the ocean foam, 
 Survey our empire and behold our home," 
 
 may be supposed to bo able to speak and write of 
 matters new and strange, that may interest many 
 and enlighten some. 
 
 The ship in which I now sailed was a tolerably 
 good model for that day, and about 400 tons burden, 
 rather advanced in years, but she was seaworthy, 
 and had comfortable accommodations under deck 
 for officers and crew, where a crew should always 
 be quartered. The ship was insufficiently fitted 
 
t€(l 
 
 A MEAN POLICY. 
 
 177 
 
 out, the provMsIons and stores being nil of the poor- 
 est description. The owners of this ship were 
 proverbial for the meanness of their outfits, and 
 were an exception to all other Boston owners with 
 whom I had to do in after years. Before sailing, I 
 was ordered by the owner to overhaul the spare 
 rigging on board, and report to him. I did so, and 
 stated that several coils of spare running rigging 
 were wanted. 
 
 " What, sir, is there not a great quantity of ropes 
 on board ? " 
 
 *' Yes, sir ; but not a spare piece fit to hang a 
 cat with." 
 
 *' Well, sir, you don't want to hang a cat ; what 
 do you want to hang a cat for ? " 
 
 I could not give any reason for anticipating such 
 an event, but I suggested that it miglit be desirable 
 to hang a studding-sail-yard occasionally. Xo new 
 rigging was ordered. From this specimen of econ- 
 omy may be inferred the character of the general 
 outfit. A weok or ten days out, all hands were 
 taken with severe pains, and bowel complaints; 
 after diligent investigation it was found to be occa- 
 sioned by the use of u villa lous compound called 
 domestic cofiee, burnt, ground, and put wyy in bar- 
 rels. It was a cheap arilclc, and would save the 
 expense of burning, and getting a cofiee-inill. The 
 cofiee, and a good many other articles of like char- 
 acter, were thrown o^'erboard by the Captain's or- 
 ders, during the voyage, and replaced at the first 
 port with a better quality. It is mistaken economy 
 to put on board a ship poor provisions and stores, 
 za 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 
 
178 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 as in sucli cases a portion goes over the lee bow suf- 
 ficient to nudic Ihcni the dearest to the owner ; jjood 
 provisioiks are not wasted on ship-board, — they 
 are worked up clean, — the crew are kept contented 
 and healthy ; when hard worked they do not grnm- 
 ble, and it is far better for the owners. 
 
 Our Captain was a young man on his fust com- 
 mand. A tolerable navigator, but not much of a 
 seaman, he had been pushed forward by influential 
 friends faster than he ought to have been, went 
 cheap, and upon the whole was a clever, pleasant 
 man to get along with, but he was too fond of a 
 glass. This habit was hardly perceptible at the be- 
 ginning of the voyage, but it grew upon him so 
 that twice during the voyage he would have run 
 the ship on shore but for the interference of the 
 mates. A few years after this voyage the poor 
 young man jumped overboard in a fit of delirium 
 tremens^ 'M\i\ *'died as a fool dieth." The chief 
 mate was a good, old-fashioned sailor, who knew 
 his business. " Faithful below, he did his duty, and 
 now he's gone aloft." We also had for supercargo 
 a gentleman who had long been in the China trade, 
 making and losing several fortunes — Bryant P. Til- 
 den, Esq. The ship was chartered by him. lie 
 was always gentlemanly, kind to everybody, and 
 very liberal, thereby contributing very much to ren- 
 der the voyage pleasant to all on board. 
 
 We arrived at Rio in January, discharged our 
 cargo, and took in another of sugar and coffee, and 
 sailed again for Trieste early in March. In speak- 
 ing of Rio as it then was, 1 omit much recorded in 
 
 \i ■ u 
 
^! n 
 
 THE SLAVE-TRADE. 
 
 »79 
 
 our 
 and 
 cak- 
 :d in 
 
 my journal, and will only copy an article on slavery, 
 as I then saw it in sonie of its leatures. 
 
 DminjT our stay at Uio seven slave-sliips arrived 
 from Guinea, deeply freighted with {:jroanin<;, inof- 
 fensive human beings. I went on board one of 
 them to buy some paroquets, and beheld a scene of 
 wretchedness that made me shudder. Tiic ship 
 was American buiil, of about 300 tons burden, and 
 purchased for the slave-trade. When leaving the 
 coast on the present voyage, there were 375 blacks 
 on board, men, women and children, some of the 
 females with infants at their breasts. 
 
 The chief mate of the ship, 1 am sorry to say, 
 was an American, a native of New York. From 
 him I had the particulars which I give, and some 
 others, which, for humanity's sake, I forbear to relate. 
 Part of the cargo was obtained from the chiefs in 
 exchange for rum and mu!-kets ; the balance were 
 kidnapped from their homes by the crew of the 
 ship, not by sailors. A sailor who deserves the 
 name of one, would sooner sink with his bark in 
 the depths of the ocean than pollute her deck with 
 such an abominable cargo. The crew, I am glad 
 to say, were Brazilians and Spaniards, with the 
 single exception above mentioned ; and this fellow, 
 from 1 free State, while giving me the details of the 
 voyage, was superintending the preparation of the 
 cargo for market. 
 
 They were driven upon deck twelve at a time, 
 the bit of cloth around the waist torn oiV, the head 
 shaved ; after which they were made to get into 
 tubs of salt water filled from the head pump, where 
 
 
 ' i 
 
i8o 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 I » 
 
 tlicy were scrubbed and rinsed off, then placed In 
 the Sim to dry before being oiled all over. Ironed 
 togetlier sn paifs, they were tiien taken on siiore, to 
 be solil at auction in tlie public square. '* We have 
 lost," s,aid my infoimant, '' 190 of theni since leaving 
 tlir coast ; being short of water, we bad to let some 
 of them perish." And this ilemon in human shape 
 coulil inquire of me for news from liome and friends, 
 unmindful that he himself had been a principal 
 agent in tearing asunder the holy ties of kindretl, 
 and consigning families to misery, whose only crime 
 consisted in being covered with a black skin. But 
 the same condition of things has existed in portions 
 of my own country, the same disregard <-f human 
 rights, the same scenes of brutality dail) enacted, 
 and bv those who called themselves Christians, and 
 who tried to cover their iniquities by insisting that 
 the condition of the African was bettereil by stay- 
 ing with kind masters to care for them. 
 
 Recrossiiig the Equator, and running across the 
 North-east Trades, we made Saint Mary's, one of 
 the Western Islands, after a passage of 59 days from 
 Rio. This island is the easternmost of the group 
 belonging to the Portuguese. Its ilrst appearance 
 was forbidding, presenting a chain of mountains, 
 without exhibiting any signs of verdure; but on a 
 nearer approach the scene changes — the white cot- 
 tages appear on the hill-sides — groves of orange 
 and other fruit-trees gradually disclose themselves, 
 and manifest their character by the perfume-laden 
 breeze that greets our senses when a few miles dis- 
 
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. 
 
 iSi 
 
 tant from the island. Becalmed here ft)r a day, we 
 felt it rather aggravating that we could not get a 
 taste of the good things that tantalized us with their 
 rich perfumes. Eight days after this we were in 
 sight of Cape Trafalgar, famous as the scene of one 
 of Nelson's victories ; two days liter vvc were run- 
 ning along the south coast of Fpain, with brisk, fa- 
 voring gales, and in smooth water. The variegated 
 scenery of the shore has a lovely appearance. The 
 long chain of the Almeira Mountains, that extend 
 parallel with the Mediterranean Sea, their tops 
 covered with eternal snows, contrast fniely with the 
 fertile and beautiful valleys that slope gently to the 
 shores. 
 
 Another week, and we are between Malta and 
 Sicily ; yesterday wc were coasting along the Sicil- 
 ian coast, about two miles distant from it. There 
 are few objects that more delightfully charm the 
 senses of the weary wanderer of the ocean, than 
 the magnificent picture which opens before him 
 like some lovely dream, on an approach to tl>c 
 Sicilian coast ; from its green shores covered with 
 luxuriant foliage, he inhales mingled perfumes from 
 groves of orange and citron — lields of clover and 
 flowers, and vineyards teeming with grapes, White 
 coita};cv <iot the surface from the mountain top to 
 the hi ore, mid such cidliv»»tion and fertility as make 
 it sccri on',; cotitinnous garden. The turrets of an 
 ancient castle occasionally appear, and the never- 
 failing monastery or convent in a Catholic country, 
 with villages and towns but a few miles apart, to- 
 
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 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 gether with Mount Etna, crowned with its eternal 
 snow shooting from among the clouds. 
 
 And now we are in sight of Zante, one of the 
 Ionian Islands, at the entrance of the Adriatic. 
 These islands formerly belonged to the Turks ; then 
 the seas hereabouts were much infested by pirates ; 
 lately they were ceded to the British on condition 
 that they kept a sufficient force there to drive the 
 villains from their lurking-places. And well has 
 John Bull kept his covenant ; every pirate that fell 
 into his hands went to the yard-arm without benefit 
 of clergy. These pirates were found to be Greeks, 
 almost without an exception. Two days we were in 
 the Gulf of Venice, w^ith light winds and pleasant 
 w jather, the Morea on our right liand and the south 
 coast of Italy to the left. Oil' Ancona we encoun- 
 tered a severe blow from the north, but the water 
 was smooth, and under double reefed topsails we 
 worked up opposite Rovigno, where we took a pi- 
 lot for Trieste, arriving there and anchoring at the 
 Lazaretto on the 4th of June. The passage from 
 Rio had been a long one ; but peace, harmony, and 
 good order prevailed throughout the ship, and the 
 time passed pleasantly. 
 
 We were ordered to perform fourteen days quar- 
 antine. The greatest annoyance which persons ex- 
 . perience in visiting the Mediterranean arises from 
 the quarantine regulations, and these mu-^t be strictly 
 adhered to. The Lazaretto where we performed 
 quarantine and discharged our cargo, was built by 
 Maria Theresa about 1785? ^^ ^ found by an inscrip- 
 tion on the walls. It is cut off from all communi- 
 
IN QUARANTINE. 
 
 •83 
 
 cation with the city by a high wall which entirely 
 encircles it. It has a spacious harbor, well sheltered 
 by a mole, and is strictly guarded. The Governor 
 of the place has a house within its precincts, and 
 makes his rounds night and day, to see that the 
 guardianos attend to their duty. Extensive maga- 
 zines are here, in which to store and air cargoes ; it 
 contains also thirty-two sets of apartments for passen- 
 gers, who are locked up every night. The Captains 
 and crews are allow ed to go on shore in the daytime, 
 attended by a guardiano, and walk on a large shaded 
 enclosed square, separated by a high wall from one 
 appropriated for passengers ; here they walk and 
 exercise most of the day, returning on board before 
 sundown. Every Sunday the crews are allowed to 
 come on shore to church, and attend mass at the 
 chapel of the Lazaret. 
 
 There are also small burying-grounds for all of 
 different religions who die in quarantine. Every 
 ship entering the port is met at a proper distance 
 by the Health and Custom House boats, and exam- 
 ined. Those arriving from the Levant, BarLary 
 Coast, or any suspected place, and subject to quaran- 
 tine, are forbidden to enter the port of the city, and 
 directed to steer for that of the Lazaretto. Imme- 
 diately on arriving, the Captain lands to report the 
 name of his ship, what his cargo is, where from, 
 length of passage, the number of his crew, and, 
 above all, the state of health on board ; if the last 
 item is not satisfactory, he is ordered to sail for 
 Venice, where the hospital, being oa an island, is 
 considered the most suitable place for an infected 
 
 m 
 
184 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 !:. N 
 
 \S'W^ '. 
 
 Si- 
 
 ship. If the report be favorable, the crew and pas- 
 sengers are brought on shore and examined by the 
 physician of the establishment ; standing at a short 
 distance ofT, they expose to him their breasts, smartly 
 striking on them and on their groin, those being the 
 parts in which the plague generally shows itself; 
 should the whole crew stand this test, they are re- 
 manded on board under the watch and care of a 
 guardiano, who lives with them on shipboard. As 
 soon as possible the cargo is exposed to the air, 
 and for the week following no communication is 
 allowed with the shore. This period is called 
 " surino." After the expiration of this the cargo is 
 landed by the crew and placed in magazines, where 
 it is opened and exposed to the air until the termi- 
 nation of the quarantine. The crew are obliged to 
 remain on board during this time, unless the Cap- 
 tain or a passenger wishes to be accommodated in 
 the Lazaretto, in which case he is assigned a pri- 
 vate gua.'diano, without whose attendance he can- 
 not move from his apartment ; here, too, he may have 
 a few days deducted from his time, as, being on 
 shore, he is considered less liable to infection than 
 those on board. Ships from the Black Sea always 
 have a foul bill of health. There were a number 
 in that trade who had not been out of quarantine 
 for six or seven years, discharging their cargoes 
 and sailing again before the time expired to admit 
 them to pratique. The time of confinement is fixed 
 by the Board of Health in Trieste, who are too de- 
 pendent to commit any crying injustice. There 
 has been no infection at Trieste since the comple- 
 
COMFORTS OF CONFINEMENT. 
 
 185 
 
 tion of this Lazaretto. A passenger having rooms 
 here has not much reason to be dissatisfied, other- 
 wise than at his loss of time ; his friends in the city 
 are allowed to send him provisions, wine, books, or 
 anything that may contribute to his comfort ; he has 
 a good room to sit in, a good bed to lie on, and a 
 good fire, if wanted, good provisions, good wine and 
 cigars ; and a man who could be unhappy in such 
 circumstances, unless sick, I should pronounce a 
 natural grumbler. I fully coincided in feeling \yith 
 the writer of the following lines, written on the 
 walls of a room there : — 
 
 I 
 
 iti. 
 
 It 
 
 III 
 
 " By various means we seek from gloom to flee, 
 On land in chariots, in ships at sea; 
 Vain are these arts the joys of life to win, 
 For what we seek without must dwell within. 
 A cheerful mind, exempt from guilt and care, 
 May find its pleasures here or anywhere ; 
 Kings without this in palaces may fret, 
 And joy with this pervade a Lazaret." 
 
 I Mi 
 p I 
 
 H 
 m 
 
 We received pratique, or release from quarantine, 
 about a week ago, and are now moored at the en- 
 trance of the canal waiting for cargo. Much might 
 be said of this fine city and its surroundings, but as 
 that would take me out of my element, I pass to say, 
 that with tt cargo of rags and brimstone we sailed 
 for Boston, arriving there after a fair passage, with- 
 out any remarkable experience. 
 
 !i! (h 
 
i86 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A TRIP TO CUBA. 
 
 AFTER making eight or ten voyages to Europe 
 as chief mate, most of them to Liverpool, I 
 made the last one in this capacity to Cuba, which, 
 as it had some peculiarities, I will describe. The 
 brig Samos was a first-rate vessel, equal in all 
 respects to any other of her class that floated. To 
 the credit of her eccentric but very liberal owner, 
 she was well furnished, in respect to stores and 
 provisions, for a voyage to Havana and Europe. 
 On the morning of our departure from Liverpool 
 Wharf, the crew came on board in good, olcl-fash- 
 ioned shape, each one with a good chest of duds, 
 a clean and neatly-lashed hammock, with clothes- 
 bag to match. To be sure, their landlord came 
 with them, and a part of them were a few sheets 
 in the wind, — one or two might have been con- 
 sidered drunk, — but these drawbacks were charge- 
 able to the miserable svstem of advance-wasfes, 
 which, in general, benefits only the landlord, and 
 is productive of much trouble between officers and 
 men, and frequent loss to the owners. There were 
 enough sober men to loosen, sheet home the top- 
 sails, and get the vessel clear of the wharf. They 
 
 ..': 
 
OLD LUFKIN. 
 
 187 
 
 all had the appearance of good seamen, and would 
 do well enough after the rum was out of them. As 
 they were passing their traps on board, a brother 
 mate, who was there to see me off, pointed to one 
 of the hands among the crew as one who had sailed 
 with him on a long voyage, and said : " There is a 
 man who is every inch a sailor : he is a first-rate 
 seaman, always sober, attentive, and obedient. 
 You will never have any trouble with him." And 
 old Lufkin proved himself during that voyage, and 
 in after years in which I had knowledge of him, 
 to be as fine a specimen of a Yankee sailor as any 
 captain could wish to see. But more of him anon. 
 I knew nothing of Captain C, our commander, 
 previous to sailing, but soon found out there was 
 little prospect of comfort for that voyage. Captain 
 C. was a good marlin-spike sailor, but as for any 
 of the requisites which are considered necessary to 
 constitute an oflBcer in American ships, and espec- 
 ially a captain, he was sadly deficient. Most of his 
 life had been spent in the forecastle of North Country 
 colliers, where he ought to have remained. He 
 was a Scotchman, ignorant, close-fisted, and mean. 
 He was not content to earn and eat his bread be- 
 neath the Stars and Stripes, but sought every 
 occasion to speak disparagingly of the Yankees. 
 Sometimes, of course, this was the occasion of 
 strong argument between us. He could not com- 
 mand the respect of his officers and crew ; and he 
 did not. In contrast with this man, I hold in pleas- 
 ant remembrance many shipmasters and gentlemen 
 of that nation, who were ornaments to humanity. 
 
 it! 
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 if 
 
 
^!!|P.i fuiwji^wi|if.|H!!,f MB mfim^,-.' v.^u'Wfm.'Wf^ffm^^r'^!^' 
 
 ni,i»y!PHi|yi« 
 
 i88 
 
 J^OBE AND AFT. 
 
 How such" a man obtained command of so fine a 
 vessel was always a mystery to me. It might have 
 been that he went for low wages, and reasoned, 
 like his countryman, " It was nae the muckle 
 wages that he cared about, but the wee things he 
 could pick up about decks." If this was so, the 
 result in both cases was probably the same. The 
 wee things paid the best. 
 
 The passage out was remarkable for nothing but 
 its length of twenty-seven days' hard work, hard 
 words, and scant fare. The cabin breakfast, for 
 the entire passage, consisted principally of lob- 
 scouse. Every sailor knows what this mess is, — 
 good, occasionally, when well put together ; and 
 no doubt it was a feast to a person brought up, as 
 our captain used to boast he had been, " on oatmeal 
 burgoo, fed with a horn spoon." But twenty-seven 
 brea^cfasts in succession, of lobscouse, were too 
 much of a good thing for Yankee officers. There 
 were many articles put on board marked " Stores," 
 which are usuall}' found on the tables of American 
 ships, and no doubt were intended for ours ; but as 
 they never appeared there, they were probably on 
 the list of " wee things." 
 
 The crew were mostly Americans, and just such 
 men as I should like to see on a ship's deck, if I 
 was a captain ; but they were badly treated by 
 Captain C, who was continually interfering with 
 the authority and duty of the mates, to the destruc- 
 tion of all discipline. I felt convinced that the 
 crew were determined to leave the ship at the first 
 port 
 
^fUtW^'? Fyy^/M.THIIBIIH l|puiy^^^|ff>H7fyH^')ft^'P(,l "y^i^iyyHjiWji.'twIH^ 
 
 ' f 
 
 THE CREW DESERT, 
 
 189 
 
 We arrived at Havana, and, after the usual 
 preparations, hauled into the quay, to discharge. 
 The method of loading or unloading there was to 
 lie with the ship's head against the quay, with the 
 stage rigged from the bow to the shore. The morn- 
 ing after we were thus connected with the shore, 
 all hands were called at an early hour. The call 
 was responded to by the "Aye, aye, sir," of Luf- 
 kin, and he alone made his appearance. " I am all 
 hands, sir ; there '" nobody else in the forecastle," 
 was his reply, in answer to the call to " hurry up 
 there." Sure enough, on going into the forecastle 
 I found but a single chest. The crew had cleared 
 out, bag and baggage, and had taken the cook with 
 them. I felt vexed at first, but, on reflection, could 
 not blame them, especially as their "dead horse" 
 expired that day. They probably felt they had 
 wori-icd for all the pay they had received, and could 
 reason themselves into the belief that they had a 
 right to flee from such servitude as was before 
 them. So aft I went, and reported to the Captain. 
 Of course he was furious. 
 
 "Go, sir," said he, "and have Lufkin's chest 
 and duds brought aft. He'll go to-night." 
 
 I told him " the man was at duty, and would not 
 desert. If he had intended to do so, he would have 
 gone with the others." 
 
 '• Have them aft, sir, immediately ; and if he says 
 a word, put the irons on him." 
 
 1 went forward and told Lufkin " his chest must 
 be passed aft for safe keeping," and sent the second 
 mate down to help him get it up. After a sufficient 
 
 M 
 
 ,\ 
 
 W >S! 
 
 
-T"*™^ 
 
 190 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 W^ ■ 
 
 n 
 
 
 ^1 
 
 ti , : 'i 
 
 I 
 
 time hatl elapsed, as the chest did not make its 
 appeaiaiicc, I called out to know the reason, and 
 was informed " that the owner would not let it 
 come." I went down, and found the old sailor 
 sitting on his castle, like a man that had a perfect 
 right to do so. 
 
 " Your chest must be taken aft. Such is the 
 Captain's order." 
 
 "What for, sir?" 
 
 "To preveat your running- away." 
 
 Planting himself tirmly on his chest, and straight- 
 ening himself up with the look of an insulted man, 
 he replied : 
 
 " I am only a common sailor, Mr. P., but I am 
 an American. I have been at sea longer than you 
 have. I never sailed under any flag but that of my 
 country ; I fought under it when Captain C. was 
 probably fighting against it. If ever there was 
 cause for a man's running away, it exists here. I 
 never yet deserted from a ship, and never mean to ; 
 but this chest is my own, bought and paid for with 
 my own earnings. It shall not be taken from me, 
 for I have done nothing to forfeit it." 
 
 I felt the justice of his arguments, and made up 
 my mind that if the Captain wanted the chest, he 
 must get iL himself. I made my report accordingly, 
 and freely offered my opinion that the man should 
 be trusted ; but this only aroused the Captain's 
 anger. With oaths, which I will not repeat, he 
 shouted : 
 
 " You are a coward, and afraid of a sailor. I'll 
 have his chest, and go for it myself." 
 
mt/fuy,9*i,' 
 
 THE LAST OF LUFKIN. 
 
 191 
 
 "Well, sir, j'oii may go if yon please, I will not. 
 Ycii may call it cowardice, or what you choose." 
 
 The captain rushed to the forecastle hatch and 
 jumped below, as furious as a tiger ; but in fifteen 
 or twenty minutes he emerged as calm and subdued 
 as a lamb. What the arguments were that produced 
 the change we never knew, but no violence was 
 used. The chest remained in the forecastle, its 
 owner at his duty. 
 
 Old Lufkin finished the voyage in the vessel, and 
 proved himself to be " every inch a man," and so 
 fine a specimen of the Yankee sailor, that I am 
 glad to be able to trace him for many years after the 
 above voyage. His character continued to be such 
 that he is justly entitled to public record. 
 
 About thirteen years after the above occurrence, 
 I sold the ship I was in charge of, and took passage 
 for Boston at Valparaiso, in the ship Chill. On 
 going on board who should greet me at the gang- 
 wav but old Luff. lie was boatswain of the ship, 
 and had been in her more than one voyage. The 
 same stout, hearty-looking tar of former years, but 
 rather gray, — too old to lay out to the lee-earing 
 in a gale, and obliged to use " barnacles " in re- 
 pairing sails on deck, or strapping a block. How 
 long he remained in that ship I know not ; but some 
 three or four years afterwards, when the diggings in 
 California were inducing the desertion of both offi- 
 cers and men from most of the ships that entered 
 the Golden Gate, I read a letter in p. Boston paper, 
 from the Captain to his owners, stating " that the 
 ship Chili was laid up at San Francisco, and that 
 
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 if 
 
 m 
 
 'm 
 
192 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 i\ 
 
 1^ 1m:ifr'^ 
 
 all hands but himself and old Liifkin had deserted. 
 Here wo will leave him, and return to the good brig 
 Santos. 
 
 A shore gang discharged the cargo, and got the 
 hold in readiness to take in. It being necessary to 
 overhaul the rigging, we, /. c. the two mates and 
 one man, had been compelled to work hard day 
 alter day, and all day, under a burning tropical sun. 
 Any Captain of common humanity would not have 
 allowed us to work so in the intense heat. Other 
 Captains, who occasionally came on board our ves- 
 sel, remonstrated against it, telling Captain C. *' he 
 must be more careful of his mates, or he vvould soon 
 be without officers, as no white man could stand 
 such exposure in this climate." His answer would 
 be : " They are paid for working ; they let the crew 
 desert, and now they may do the work themselves. 
 I shall not prevent them, whether they get sick or 
 not." 
 
 There were at least three masters of American 
 ships, at that time, who soon cut his acquaintance, 
 as being an unfit associate for gentlemen. One of 
 them was " Hawser Martingale," a gentleman well 
 known to the community of Boston ns an accom- 
 plished ship-master, an able editor, and an efficient 
 Mayor. 
 
 One forenoon, after a smart, drenching shower, 
 succeeded by a hot, scorching sun, through all of 
 which we were continuing our work, — which was 
 setting up the topmast backstays, — I was taken 
 down with the usual symptoms of Cuban fever, 
 dizziness and delirium,, and was passed aft, under 
 
 li: 
 
DOWN WITH FEVER. 
 
 193 
 
 the awning. The second mate, leavhig me in charge 
 of Luf icin, went on shore, hunted up tlie Captain, 
 and reported my case. His reply was (I will not 
 repeat all of it), "I will not come." And he did 
 not ; but the Captain of the ship Cowper^ of Boston, 
 did. lie, seeing my condition, and learn' , the 
 circumstances, without waiting to confer witu my 
 Captain, called a calcche^ put me into it, and had 
 me conveyed to a quiet, comfortable houbo, where I 
 was well •: ■ued for. 
 
 T well remember that when I returned to con- 
 sciousness, many days after, I found myself on a 
 comfortable mattrass, under a high mosquito-bar, 
 with soft pillows and snow-white sheets, and other 
 et cetera^ which seemed new and strange to me. 
 The room was cool, singing-birds and flowers were 
 in the darkened windows. I thought I must be 
 dreaming. I tried to sit up, but fell back from 
 weakness. I could only remember being carried 
 under the awning ; there my reckoning seemed to 
 be up. Again I looked around, but saw nobody. I 
 made some exclamation. No one replied. I v/as 
 too weak to get to the window, to see if I could tell 
 my whereabouts by observation ; but I did observe 
 that near my bedside was a small table, that on it 
 was a bowl and spoon, that above the edge of the 
 bowl something projected that much resembled a 
 chicken's leg, minus the feet and feathers, 
 
 About the same time I also discovered ti^^t I was 
 
 very hungry. Whatever had seemed like pleasant 
 
 dreams before, there were now two established, 
 
 wide-awake facts, that could not be controverted : 
 
 M 
 
 w 
 
 
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 Mf 
 
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 I 
 
 
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194 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ii. 
 
 I was hungry, and here was something to eat. It 
 was very evident I had been sick, and that some- 
 body had taken care of me ; also, that in anticipa- 
 tion of my waking, something had been prepared 
 for me to eat, — probably chicken-broth. If it was 
 not proper for me, why was it there? For the 
 further elucidation of the matter, I put out my hand 
 to reach the mess, whatever it might be. By get- 
 ting to the edge of the bed, and making a long arm, 
 I just reached the edge of the bowl and got hold of 
 the drum-stick. Accomplishing this, I found it was 
 impossible to get back to bed, as I could not relin- 
 quish my hold without falling on the floor, neither 
 could I hold on any longer. Therefore, in my next 
 effort, the table, with the bowl of broth, was cap- 
 sized in the opposite direction, and I, with the 
 chicken propeller attached to me, fell to the floor. 
 
 As I could not get up, and evidently had undis- 
 puted possession of the floor, I was proceeding with 
 the discussion of the chicken question, when I was 
 interrupted by a voice from the door-way, " Lordy, 
 Lordy, massa die for sartin ! " A jolly-looking, fat, 
 middle-aged black woman stood on the threshold. 
 She wore a checked apron, and a clean fancy hand- 
 kerchief ornamented her head ; this is all I remem- 
 ber of her dress. She was in the next room, heard 
 the crash, and rushed to the scene of the disaster. 
 
 After getting me back to the bed, she sat down, 
 at my request, to gave me a history of myself. She 
 spoke English tolerably well, and I think came from 
 New Orleans. She said : " I was brought there by 
 a good Massa Captain, who had one of his men 
 
 ! H :';: 
 
 8: i 
 
CON VALES CENT. 
 
 195 
 
 sick in an adjoining room ; tliat he liad been to see 
 me every day for tiie last week ; that he had brought 
 old Massa Dr. Osgood to see me, — the best doctor 
 in Havana, — and had provided everything for 
 massa's comfort." I w^as doing nicely, but instead 
 of chicken meat, I was only to have " a spoonful 
 of broff." Then, again, raising her hands, she ex- 
 claimed, " Oh, Lordy, Lordy, massa die for sartin ! " 
 But massa didn't die. In a few days he was able 
 to sit up, and the next thought was, Who could this 
 good Massa Captain be? I supposed that my own 
 Captain had something to do with my being in such 
 good quarters ; but the chicken-broth was against 
 that stipposition. Lobscouse, with a horn spoon in 
 it, would have been his prescription. The problem, 
 however, was soon solved, by the entrance of the 
 good Massa Captain himself; and, as the reader 
 has doubtless been expecting, it was " Hawser Mar- 
 tingale." He it was who took care of me, when 
 deserted by the one who should have cared for me. 
 He it was who then sat by my bedside, whispering 
 words of kindness, hope, and encouragement. 
 Never for a day did he discontinue his visits, till I 
 was nearly restored to health and returned to duty. 
 I was a !=>ranger to him, but that mattered not. I 
 believe that, under God, to him I owe my escape 
 from " Yellow Jack." " May the blessing of him 
 that was reac'y to perish be upon him ! " 
 
 Thou prince of shipmasters, gentle and good 
 " Martingale ! " When you left the quarter-deck, tlie 
 merchant service parted with one of its best com- 
 manders, and poor Jack with the fatherly care of 
 
 m 
 
 \ .Bid 
 
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 ■ 
 
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 fin 
 
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 aJl'n 
 
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Mill 
 
 196 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 one who treated him as a man should be treated, — 
 kindly and justly. May you, when life's voyage is 
 ended, and the old " Hawser " parts its last strand, 
 find good moorings, in a port of peace, where, un- 
 disturbed by sickness, sorrow, or the storms of 
 ocean, one unclouded sky shall encircle all ! 
 
 After waiting a few weeks for freight, we com- 
 menced loading with sugar, and, much to my joy, 
 for the port of Boston, instead of Europe. A new 
 crew was shipped for the passage home ; the treat- 
 ment on the homeward was but a repetition of that 
 on the outward passage. We arrived on a winter's 
 coast, but got safely into port without accident. I 
 remained by the vessel until after the cargo was dis- 
 charged and the Capt in dismissed. In all prob- 
 ability I should have gone in her again, had I not 
 received a louder call from my former employers, 
 to take charge of the Mermaid^ which was vay first 
 command. 
 
IN COMMAND. 
 
 197 
 
 \ 
 
 IN COMMAND. 
 
 •;!' 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 I M 
 
 M 
 
 I- 
 
 vx 
 
 IN March, 1831, I took command of the Mer* 
 maid^ not the Fejeean, but a beautiful brig 
 of the above name, belonging to Robert Edes & 
 Brother, of Boston, bound for Smyrna and else-, 
 where. She was considered an unusually fine ves- 
 sel of her class, being half clipper, and altogether 
 a model of beauty in hull, sparring and rig; she 
 attracted much attention then, and would be quite 
 noticeable now, lying at India Wharf, newly cop- 
 pered, and fresh from the painter's hands, with 
 all her yards aloft, and everything about her just as 
 it shoi.ld be. Admiring sailors, old and young, 
 daily swarme_d around her while loading, to get a 
 chance to go in her, so that I had no difficulty in 
 selecting a choice crew of Americans, all of them 
 young men, who did not intend to be before the 
 mast any longer than was necessary to fit them for 
 officers. We took out, as passenger, a gentleman 
 with whom I had previously made a voyage to 
 Smyrna, whither he was now returning to establish 
 the commercial house of Clarke & Co., accom- 
 panied by his lady, three daughters, and son. 
 After a quick and pleasant passage we arrived at 
 
 
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 (111 
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198 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 Syra, an island of the Greek Archipelagos, and in 
 a few days after at Smyrna. 
 
 The cargo was landed, and while we waited for a 
 return one the plague broke out, and raged so vio- 
 lently in the city as to cause a perfect stagnation in 
 business. The bazaars were all closed, the mer- 
 chants retired to their country residences, or shut 
 themselves up in their city houses, the streets were 
 deserted, and the crews of the ships remained on 
 board. Most of the vessels left to look for business 
 elsewhere, and I was very desirous of getting away 
 from the " plague-stricken city." The only way I 
 could communicate with my merchant was by let- 
 ters ; being passed through a pigeon-hole in the 
 door, they were taken in a pair of tongs and fu- 
 migated over a charcoal fire, before being opened. 
 The answers were received in the same way. After 
 much discussion of the matter, it ws decided that 
 I should go on a wool-gathering expedition to the 
 coast of Barbary. jMi this time the low grades of 
 wool were in greater request at home than the higlier 
 qualities, as those invoicing not over eight cents, at 
 the place of shipment, were free of duty. Consid- 
 erable quantities of the article were brought to 
 Smyrna, in small Austrian and Greek vessels ; but 
 few knew the ports from w^hich it was obtained ; 
 we only knew that it came from the Barbary coast. 
 Therefore, in the hope of doing something while 
 the plague season was passing, I was despatched 
 with 5,000 silver dollars, and instructions to hunt 
 for wool where I thought best. Andreco (a Greek), 
 the interpreter of the house, to which I was con- 
 
in 
 
 2SS 
 
 AT BENGAZI, 
 
 199 
 
 signed, who understood all the languages used 
 in the Mediterranean, was ordered to hire an Ar- 
 menian wool-sorter, who was a judge of the article, 
 and with him to report on board the brig. Having 
 gained all the information which Andreco could 
 get from the boatmen regarding the South coast, 
 we departed from Smyrna on our cruise. Owing 
 to light winds, we were six days in getting past Can- 
 dia, four days after which we made Cape Razat, on 
 the Barbary coast, the land moderately high and 
 barren. On the chart, the port of Bengazi was 
 laid down about sixty miles to the westward of 
 this point, without any intervening harbor. Keep- 
 ing along parallel with the coast, at a mile distant, 
 we ran with a fair wind, about fifty miles to the 
 westward. I found the land now gradually sloped 
 away to a low, sandy desert. Thus far no sign of 
 a human being was seen, nor the least vegetation ; 
 not a rock, tree, or shrub, hill or valley, could be 
 discovered to relieve the sight. 
 
 The chart of the coast being incorrect, I was 
 obliged to keep nearer the land than was agreeable, 
 for fear of runnir.g by the port. At dark, judging 
 myself seventy-five miles from Cape Razat, and see- 
 ing no signs of a place, I hauled off for the night. 
 At daylight next morning, closing in with the land 
 again, I continued the exploration. About 2 P. M., 
 we discovered a large, white object ahead, which, 
 on our nearer approach, we made out to be the 
 castle on a low point, at the entrance of Bengazi 
 Harbor ; soon the red flag with the crescent was 
 displayed from the walls, and responded to by the 
 
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 ••-if 
 
 1 ■ "J 
 
 1; -M 
 
 li! 
 
 ' 1*1 !:'|;i 
 
 •ill 
 
200 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 Stars and Stripes ; shortly after a number of small 
 craft at anchor opened out from behind a ridge of 
 sand. Backing the main topsail when abreast the 
 port, we fired a gun to bring off a pilot. The 
 shore was thronged with a multitude of objects, 
 bearing a near resemblance to human beings, gaz- 
 ing at us with apparent astonishment. We waited 
 for about an hour, during which time a number of 
 boats put off from the shore, and pulled towards us 
 a short distance, then lay on their oars, or returned 
 to the shore. I thought they did not intend to 
 come off, and was preparing to lower a boat, and to 
 sound out the entrance, as many shoal spots were vis- 
 ible from the masthead, when I noticed a boat leave 
 a small Greek vessel, and pull fast towards us. 
 She came alongside, and proved to be the harbor- 
 master's boat. Andreco was soon in communica- 
 tion with the high officials, one of whom was 
 " Veli Khalet Moutkai," port captain, pilot, and 
 superintendent of marine. The individual bearing 
 all these titles was dressed, I presume, in full uni- 
 form, consisting of a dirty strip of cotton cloth 
 about his loins, and a green turban on his head. 
 Another character who had on some clothes was 
 *' Senor Tliomazi Beglier/* Directeur de Medicin 
 for his Serene Highness the Bashaw of Tripoli. 
 It seems the people here had never seen the Stars 
 and Stripes, and the appearance of (to them) a 
 large vessel with an unknown flag, occasioned 
 much consternation and conjecture to the Bey of 
 Bengazi. 
 
 An English Vice-Consul was established here, 
 

 ENTERING PORT. 
 
 20 1 
 
 but was absent. In this dilemma they sent a cour- 
 ier after the Consul, and determined not to allow 
 the brig to enter the port without first knowing 
 who she was, and what she wanted. Fortunately 
 for us, the Greek skipper of a small bombard bailed 
 the Port Captain, telling him that he was well ac- 
 quainted with the flag, and the nation to which it 
 belonged ; therefore the noble " Veli Khalet & 
 Co." repaired on board the bombard for informa- 
 tion. The Greek told him that the Americans 
 were a great nation, and traded largely with the 
 Levant ; that probably this vessel had come here 
 to purchase a cargo of bullocks and wool. Veli 
 could not believe this for some time ; it was impossi- 
 ble that so large a vessel could have dollars sufficient 
 onboard to purchase such a cargo with, — bullocks 
 were two dollars a head, and sheep seventy-five 
 cents. The Greek assured him that American ships 
 sometimes carried dollars for ballast. Veli took an- 
 other look at the brig, and offered to go to her if the 
 Captain would accompany him ; and oft' they came, 
 rowed by six naked Arabs, in uniform also, having a 
 strip of blue cotton tied round the waist of each. 
 Through Andreco, I told him our object was to trade 
 with them, and asked him to pilot us into anchorage. 
 He demanded to know what water the vessel drew. 
 I told him one foot more than she actually did 
 draw. He said " there was not water enousfh to 
 admit her, and he could not take her in uiitil next 
 day." I assured him that the vessel should go in 
 that night. Upon this, he got half way up the 
 fore rigging, and sung out " Boodji" (bear away). 
 
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N. 
 
 202 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 m 
 
 We filled away and steered for the port with the pilot 
 in the rigging, his cotton garment blowing over his 
 shoulders, leaving the most of his body bare, vocifer- 
 ating with rapidity, " Oorsa," or " Boodji," as the 
 occasion required. The passnge was narrow, but 
 well marked outj as the clear water on a white, 
 sandy bottom, plainly told us to avoid the black 
 spots on either side. We anchored and moored 
 ship in eight feet of water, the pilot priding himself 
 on such a display of his nautical ability. 
 
 Next morning I went on shore with my inter- 
 preter, and was met on the beach by " Thomazi," 
 the doctor, and an Italian who held the office of 
 Consul for the Austrian, French, and Sardinian 
 governments ; he proved to be a very clever fellow, 
 and was of much service to us while here. They 
 demanded my papers in the name of " Mahmoud 
 ZusseeflV Bey of Bengazi. My ship's papers I told 
 them I could not part with, but I gave them my bill 
 of health, and that was a foul one ; but, as it was 
 in English, I thought it would not enlighten them 
 much. I was ordered to perform eighteen days 
 quarantine if I remained here, and until the expira- 
 tion of it none of us must go over ten yards from 
 the boat. I ascertained that much wool was to be 
 had here, and concluded to remain and comply with 
 the port regulations, hoping, also, to shorten our 
 quarantine by greasing the doctor's hands. I found 
 here about a dozen small craft, — Greek, Austrian, 
 Turks and Maltese. The Malta vessels came here 
 for bullocks and sheep for the supply of the island. 
 The Austrians bring coarse cottons and French 
 
OPENING TRADE. 
 
 203 
 
 goods of various kinds, which they barter for wool, 
 hides, etc. The Turks trade between Tripoli, Can- 
 dia, and this place, in various commodities. The 
 Greeks were purchasing wool and butter, which 
 they carry to Smyrna, finding there a ready and 
 profitable market ; some of them bring cargoes of 
 wheat and beans from the islands, to barter with 
 the Arabs. 
 
 We marked out our limits on the beach, where we 
 pitched a tent for business head-quarters, to which 
 Andreco was instructed to summon all the wool- 
 dealers at or about Bengazi to come, if they had 
 wool to sell. In two or three days we had as much 
 as we could attend to. The price of wool, at first, 
 was one Austrian dollar for sixteen fleeces. The 
 fleece of each sheep is rolled up separate, and sold 
 for so much per fleece, without regard to weight or 
 quality. The average weight is about six pounds, 
 making the cost just one cent per pound, — the Aus- 
 trian dollar being ninety-five cents. The wool is 
 very dirty, giving a net of clean, when washed and 
 picked, of less than fifty per cent. This would an- 
 swer very well, and we purchased all that was 
 ofiered. The price soon advanced, as we had com- 
 petitors among the small craft, but their funds were 
 soon gone. In a week I had secured half a cargo 
 at very satisfactory prices, and the town supply was 
 exhausted. We had now to watch for the caravans 
 coming across the desert ; we learned that the Arabs 
 kept their wool back, not bringing it in until they 
 heard of vei;sels being at the port wanting to pur- 
 chase. I had hoped to be allowed liberty to go 
 
 t-<*j 
 
81 I 
 
 204 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 with Andreco across the desert and make pur- 
 chases ; but Mr. Warrington, the British Consul, 
 was summoned before the Bey to transhite my bill 
 of health, which informed him that the plague was 
 raging at Smyrna on the departure of the Alennaid^ 
 and I had my quarantine extended in consequence. 
 I protested, as there was no sickness on board, we 
 had been at sea eleven days, and were quarantined 
 for three weeks before leaving our last port. But it 
 availed nothing ; I must submit. I was, however, 
 offered my choice of any spot on the beach, and as 
 large a space as my business might require ; there- 
 fore we selected a point which all the caravans 
 must pass in arriving, with the promise that no one 
 should locate outside of us. Two guurdianos were 
 appointed to watch, and keep us from contact with 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 iV.! 
 
A TANKEE VISITOR. 
 
 205 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A YANKEE VISITOR. 
 
 JULY 3d I had an interview with Mr. Warring- 
 ton, who sent word that he would call upon me. 
 Previous to his coming his servants put up a small 
 tent just without my enclosure, bringing with them 
 sundry baskets, and planting a staff in the sand, 
 with a small English flag on it. The Consul soon 
 made his appearance. A chair was placed on each 
 side of the line for us, and we were soon well ac- 
 quainted. A large waiter was placed between us 
 by his servants, and each helped himself to what 
 was before him, — cold roast chicken, bread, olives, 
 dates, figs, coffee and sherbet ; after which wine 
 and cigars concluded the collation. I had read in 
 the Scriptures that " our fathers did eat manna in 
 the desert," and this reminded me of it. Mr. War- 
 rington is the son of the Consul-General at Tripoli ; 
 his principal business here is to forward supplies 
 of sheep and bullocks to Malta, for the use of the 
 garrison there. I was the first person he had seen 
 for six months with whom he could converse in his 
 native tongue ; he was glad to see me, and promised 
 any assistance he could render ; and said that he had 
 much influence with the Bey. Mr. Warrington had 
 been here about a year, held a commission in the 
 
 1 i 
 
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 m 
 
 ii 
 
 
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 m 
 
2o6 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 navy, and appeared very genial. I was indebted to 
 him for many acts of kindness. 
 
 The same afternoon the dragoman of the Bey 
 came off in a boat with Mr. Warrington, and bade 
 us welcome to the port of Bengazi. Mr. Warring- 
 ton had called upon His Highness, and enlightened 
 him upon the history of America, the result of 
 which was the despatch now received. I was as- 
 sured of being placed on the same footing as the 
 most favored, and any assistance I should need he 
 would.be happy to render. 
 
 July 4th the Mermaid was dressed in bunting, 
 and a salute of thirteen guns fired at noon in honor 
 of the day. Muhmoud thought the salute was in- 
 tended to compliment him in return for the gracious 
 offers made me the day previous ; and again the 
 dragoman made his appearance with the thanks of 
 His Highness for the honor shown him, expressing 
 his high opinion of the Americans, and apologizing 
 for not being able to return the salute, as his guns 
 were so heavy that the concussion might shake the 
 walls of the castle down. He sent me, as a present, 
 a pair of beautiful gazelles ; and, as a further mark 
 of his favor, an officer of his household to act as my 
 guardiano, who was sebcted for his great knowl- 
 edge of the English language. 
 
 I did not undeceive His Highness as to the nature 
 of the salute, and replied that I should be sorry to 
 see the venerable walls tumble down on my ac- 
 count. I thanked him for his presents, including 
 the officer, and then, turning to the distinguished 
 official, I made some remarks, closing by asking 
 
A GREAT LINGUIST, 
 
 207 
 
 him his name and title. " I see," was the reply. I 
 repeated the question, and added, " Do you speak 
 English?" Again it was, " I see," which assertion 
 I was slow to believe, inasmuch as he had only one 
 eye, and that was encircled by flies. But "I see" was 
 the whole extent of his English, and these words he 
 always used in replying when spoken to, and, indeed, 
 on all occasions. I turned him over to Andreco, to 
 sec what he could make of him. "The beast.' 
 said Andreco, after questioning him in five or s'x 
 tongues, receiving for answer to all, "I see : " " he 
 knows nothing but Arab, but he looks iike old 
 Hadgi T^>cy, the Chief- of Police in Smyrna." He 
 was called by that name thenceforth, and whenever 
 the name was called, he responded with '* I see." 
 
 I had been here but little over a week, when I was 
 much surprised and pleased by the arrival of a Greek 
 schooner, which ancliored near by, with the stars 
 and stripes*at the fore. " What schooner is that?" 
 I asked, and the answer came in a well-known 
 voice, " The Admiral Miaulis^ Captain Yarni, 
 Larkin supercargo ; come to bring you more funds, 
 old fellow; how are you, and how is wool?" It 
 seems that shortly after I left Smyrna, my merchant 
 there obtained information concerning Bengazi, 
 which led him to the conclusion that I was there, 
 and doing well, but would probably get short of 
 fmids ; therefore he despatched tlie schooner with 
 Mr. Larkin, the bool keeper of the house, with 
 funds sufficient to load both vessels. Mr. Larkin 
 was just the man needed, — " the right man in the 
 right place"; for, notwithstanding he was always 
 
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 III 
 
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 vm 
 
 !■;'■■ 
 
208 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 if 
 
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 if 
 
 Larking^ he had a clear h.ead, and a ready hand 
 for business. I was soon alongside with my boat 
 and my constant attendant, " Hadgi Bey/' — but 
 must not come in contact; my letters were fumi- 
 gated before reading. I got all the news, and was 
 pulling away, when Larkin shouted out, *' For 
 God's sake, P., take me with you ; I can't stand 
 it here ; I am most starved, and half eaten up by 
 fleas." " I can't take you, my friend," I replied ; 
 " I should be glad to do so, but the guard will not 
 permit it. I'll introduce you to him ; he is a high 
 officer, and speaks English. 'Hadgi Bey' — Mr. 
 Larkin." Captain Yarni and Mr. Larkin plead 
 with Hadgi quite strongly, and awaited his answer. 
 *' I see," said Hadgi ; but he did not see it, and we 
 left poor Larkin to the tender mercies of Captain 
 Yarni and his fleas. 
 
 In a few days we arranged our business, so that 
 every caravan arriving came directly to our depot ; 
 but now stocks were rising, and we had to pay 
 much higher prices than at first. Caravans return- 
 ing across the desert met those coming to the coast ; 
 naturally inquiring the news, they were told that 
 *' a great ship with a gold bottom (referring to our 
 bright copper bottom), and full of dollars, is at the 
 port, and will buy all the wool vse will carry there." 
 Still we bought, and all were satisfied in regard to 
 the business ; but poor Larkin was awfully wrought 
 up at being so long a messmate with Captain Yarni, 
 and so long a bedfellow with Greek fleas ; with a 
 prospect of thirty or forty days more of such en- 
 joyment, he got outrageous. 
 
A WET WAT TO DINNER. 
 
 209 
 
 " You can get me out of this miserable, filthy 
 vessel, if you try. T know you can ; my blood will 
 be upon your head if I remain here another week. 
 Look at my face, punctured all over like the top of 
 a pepper-box, and bleeding at every pore ; see my 
 emaciated form, wasting away upon a diet of beans 
 and rotten olives. There will be murder or suicide 
 soon." 
 
 I promised to do all I could for his relief, and the 
 irrepressible itadgi added " I see." By the use of 
 strong appeals to Doctor Thomazi, in the shape of 
 sundry bottles of a fluid forbidden to Moslem lips, 
 and through the efforts of our friend the Consul, 
 who used " a mighty deal of very delicate diplo- 
 macy " with the Bey, permission was given that 
 Mr. Larkin might be transferred to my vessel after 
 going through the cleansing process. Accordingly, 
 on Sunday morning I went alongside of the Greek 
 with Hadgi, who was to superiiitend the fumigating 
 and purifying of the individual. I informed my 
 friend that the prospect of his release was better, 
 and the next da}' he would probably be able to join 
 us at dinner, adding that I had ordered an excellent 
 one to-day, hoping for his compan}^, recapitulating 
 some of the delicacies which awaited him. *' Let 
 me come now, for heaven's sake ; I'll jump over- 
 board if you will take mc in." " But you are yet 
 considered an infected person," I replied ; " how- 
 ever, upon further consideration, and with the con- 
 sent of the guardiano, if you will jump overboard 
 with all your clothes on, we will accept the act for 
 complete disinfection, and receive you." No sooner 
 14 
 
 /I 
 
 m 
 
' 
 
 2IO 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 Ill 
 
 I *. j 
 
 said than he pulled out his.watch. " Hold that for 
 me, Captain Yarni, and here she goes." Suiting 
 the action to the word, he sprang over the rail, and 
 struck out for the boat. Hadgi thought the sub- 
 mersion was not sufficient, and, on reaching out to 
 help him, gently forced his head under. He had 
 probably heard of the manner by which a fox rids 
 himself of fleas, by backing into the water slowly, 
 stern first, and letting the water drive the vermin 
 towards his bows, and finally, wheh they are all 
 gathered on the end of his nose, suddenly ducking 
 that under, leaving his passengers afloat ; — and our 
 careful health officer, perhaps fearing there might 
 be a solitary flea left, again repeated complete im- 
 mersion, much to the disgust and indignation of 
 the bather. 
 
 While in the enjoyment of the good things of the 
 table that afternoon, and while I was endeavoring 
 to soothe the wounded spirit of my friend, I sent for 
 the one-eyed Arab to take a glass of wine with us, 
 which he was not averse to doing (giving the for- 
 bidden article another name). As he entered the 
 cabin with his usual salutation of " I see," a part 
 of a water-meion from Mr. Larkin's hand struck 
 him full on his only eye, and for a few minutes, at 
 least, his favorite English sentence would have 
 been inappropriate. 
 
 The gentleman above mentioned will, perhaps, 
 read these lines sitting in his arm-chair in State 
 Street ; and I trust that, while admitting their 
 truthfulness, he will pardon the liberty taken with 
 his name. We were then young, but are now old ; 
 
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 1 
 
 
 
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 ■II 
 
 
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 iMuU 
 
A BRITISH FLEET. 
 
 211 
 
 yet never has our friendship, then so pleasantly 
 formed, suffered any decay. *' May his shadow 
 never be less " I 
 
 Much more could be said of adventures at Ben- 
 gazi, and of further mishaps which befell my friend 
 Mr. Larkin, while there, but it would spin out a 
 yarn that might be tedious ; therefore I will close 
 by saying that the Mermaid soon sailed thence with 
 a full cargo, leaving Mr. Larkin and Andreco be- 
 hind to load the schooner and follow me to Smyrna, 
 all of which was accomplished in good season. On 
 returning to the above port, the pestilence was past, 
 and business had revived ; our Bengazi cargoes 
 were landed, the wool washed, picked, and assorted, 
 neatly baled, and reshipped for Boston, resulting in 
 a very profitable operation for the owners, and grat- 
 ifying to myself, this being my first command. I 
 hailed it as being ominous of future success. 
 
 On my passage down the Mediterranean I fell in 
 with a British squadron off' Sicily, bound down to 
 ascertain the situation of a volcanic island which 
 was thrown up from the sea about ten days previ- 
 ous, in the neighborhood of Maretimo and Pantel- 
 laria. In beating down with a westerly wind I was 
 rather near the Admiral's ship about sundown, when 
 the breeze entirely left us ; being on different tacks, 
 we were becalmed within easy hail of the St. Vin- 
 cent^ Sir Henry HoUand's fiag-ship. Qiiite a group 
 of officers was collected on the poop-deck of that 
 vessel, and a number of ladies in the stern and 
 quarter galleries, surveying wMth apparent pleasure 
 the saucy-looking little Yankee who ventured so 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 
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 ill 
 
 i 
 
 
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 f 
 
 ,' ' '■ 
 
 #; i 
 
 212 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 near the majestic wooden walls of England. An 
 officer hailed us, asking many questions, requesting 
 to know the dimensions of the Mermaid^ where 
 built, etc., evidently pleased with her appearance. 
 In comparison we were the gazelle alongside an 
 elephant. Before dark a couple of boats were sent 
 with a request to throw them a tow-rope ; we were 
 from Smyrna, and with a cargo to be avoided in 
 plague time ; they looked upon ours as an infected 
 vessel, and wanted us out of the way. " Don't 
 throw your rope into the boat, but into the water," 
 said the officer ; this indicated what they thought 
 of us. We were towed about five miles on our 
 course, and cast off. A fresh breeze sprang up in 
 the night from the west, and stretching to\vards the 
 Barbary shore, at about lo a.m. we made the volcano 
 right ahead. The fleet at this time were five or six 
 miles to leeward ; here was a chance to take posses- 
 sion, and get ahead of Johnny Bull. I intended to 
 approach to windward, and, if a landing was pos- 
 sible, to plant a Yankee flag on the island and leave 
 it, but was headed off, when it was about three miles 
 distant, by a strong easterly wind which came rat- 
 tling down the Mediterranean, and we squared 
 away on our course. At this time the volcano bore 
 south by east from the vessel, the island of Mare- 
 timo north-half-west per compass, no other land 
 being in sight. The volcano was still active, fre- 
 quent eruptions of dark smoke issuing from the sea ; 
 at one time it cleared away, exhibiting two distinct 
 islands. The British fleet took possession by land- 
 ing and planting Saint George's cross on the island 
 
PERISHABLE PRO PERT Y. 
 
 213 
 
 the same day I bore away from it. The Austrian 
 government claimed it, as a vessel of that nation 
 was nearest to it when it was thrown up ; and the 
 Sardinians also, by right of jurisdiction in those 
 waters. The quarrel among them was assuming a 
 serious aspect, when the question was settled by 
 the island's disappearing without the leave or license 
 of either party. About a year after this I passed 
 with a vessel directly over the spot, finding there a 
 shoal with five fathoms of water on it. 
 
 I continued in the Levant trade, making several 
 voyages in the same employ, visiting for trade many 
 of the Greek islands, and for pleasure many sites of 
 old cities of Asia Minor, all of which have been so 
 well described by various travellers, that I omit any 
 description of them. 
 
 ■A 
 
 
 ■ i 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 If. 
 
i H 
 
 .1 J 
 
 214 
 
 i^t?i?^ AND AFT, 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XIX. 
 
 4 
 
 A SHIPWRECK. 
 
 SINCE I commenced these random sketches I 
 have had the question asked by friends, "Have 
 you no sliipwreck to tell of? There ought to be 
 one, for variety's sake." I reply, yes, not for the 
 sake of variety, but a tale truly sad and sadly true. 
 
 In the Regulator I sailed from Boston for Malta 
 and Egypt, in September, 1835. Leaving a part 
 of the cargo at the former place, I proceeded to 
 Alexandria, having a young gentleman as super- 
 cargo and part owner on board. We had letters to 
 M. Rossetti, Tuscan Consul-General for Egypt, and 
 also a merchant ; he was known to have much in- 
 fluence with Mehemet Ali, and his Prime Minister, 
 Bhogas Bey. Rossetti's father held the same oflice 
 previously, and was in like favor. On our arrival 
 M. Rossetti accepted the consignment, and found a 
 ready purchaser of the cargo in the Minister, who 
 was the great business manager of the Pasha. The 
 history of the Pasha and his Minister is well known. 
 I will only relate a few incidents which I obtained 
 from Rossetti. Mehemet Ali (an Albanian Turk), 
 when an officer in the Turkish army in the Morea, 
 formed a friendship with Bhogas Bey, who was then 
 a sutler in the same service, — both of them of low 
 rank and origin. When Mehemet was sent by the 
 
A PRINCE'S FAVORITE. 
 
 215 
 
 Sultan with the troops to subdue an outbreak in 
 Egypt, his friend Bhogas followed his fortunes. As 
 one rose in rank and power so did the other. Step 
 by step Mehemct advanced to supreme command in 
 Egypt, and his friend became his Prime Minister, 
 whose advice and counsel were always listened to, 
 until one day, when something had gone wrong with 
 the Pasha, and he ordered that the Minister should 
 be tied up in a sack, and cast into the sea. But the 
 guard were bribed, and he was conveyed to the 
 house of Rossetti and concealed. The latter knew 
 the Pasha would soon regret his hasty action, and 
 wish his friend back. This proved to be the case ; 
 he was in trouble, and missed hio able and faithful 
 adviser, and wished he was alive again to set things 
 right. At a proper time Bhogas was produced and 
 reinstated in office, but the guard who failed to 
 carry out the cruel order were put to death. In 
 company with our consignee we had several inter- 
 views with the above officer in relation to the busi- 
 ness of the vessel. He was a fine-looking man, 
 graceful in his manners, and very polite ; it was 
 said of him that he could refuse a favor with more 
 grace than most people show in conferring one. 
 
 We landed the cargo, and were to receive five 
 hundred bags of salt for ballast within a week. This 
 was to be brought from the dried-up lake "Mare- 
 otis," some miles distant from the city. We were 
 to furnish bags, when required to do so, and receive 
 them again at the quay when filled. The donkey- 
 drivers at the landing-places had beqn a most intol- 
 erable nuisance, much more so than the hackmen 
 
 
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 ^m 
 
 1 
 
 Wm 
 
 
2l6 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
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 are in New York. We had daily been obliged to 
 fight our way through their lines on leaving our 
 boat to go up town. On the morning when we 
 brought the bags on shore, according to orders, the 
 fellows with their, animals crowded towards the 
 boat, thinking there was a good job in prospect. 
 Shortly a guard of soldiers appeared in their rear, 
 cutting off retreat. One hundred of the poor fel- 
 lows were pressed into the service of the govern- 
 ment, with their donkeys, each one taking two bags, 
 and were escorted to the lake, where they filled 
 them and returned to the boat. This operation was 
 repeated daily until the amount was completed. 
 For this service we were charged five cents for the 
 man and beast ; they were allowed but three by the 
 government. In a few days the fellows knew our 
 boats, and on their approach would scamper off in 
 a hurry, much to our relief. The Alexandria of 
 thirty-two years ago was a place of but little busi- 
 ness, compared with its present condition. 
 
 Having completed our business, we proceeded to 
 Smyrna to finish loading for Boston, departing 
 thence, and calling again at Malta. The close of 
 the year found us homeward-bound to a winter's 
 coast. The first of February we got oundings in 
 the South Channel, wind south, with a warm, 
 drenching rain. The passage across the Atlantic 
 had been pleasant for the season, and we were now 
 within a day's sail of our port, with a fair wind, 
 and reasonable prospect of a speedy termination of 
 a voyage which had been remarkably favorable, 
 f Every stitch of canvas was spread to the breeze, 
 
TROUBLE AHEAD. 
 
 217 
 
 and a heavy press carried on the vessel in order 
 to get to the northward of the shouls, and into 
 Boston Bay, before a change of wind should occur. 
 About 3 p. M., judging the vessel clear of shoal 
 ground, we hauled north-west for the back of 
 Cape Cod, the studding-sails were taken in and 
 booms sent down. At about 4 p. m., those well- 
 known indications of a sudden change of wind to 
 the north-west warned us that our fair wind and 
 good prospects were soon to be changed for a con- 
 trary gale, and the biting breath of winter. The 
 light sails were all taken in, the topsails clewed 
 down to be reefed, and all possible despatch used 
 to get the vessel snug. Owing to the heavy rains 
 which had continued for the twenty-four hours pre- 
 vious, the sails and rigging were so saturated with 
 water as to retard the work very much. The wind 
 now hauled suddenly to the north-west, blowing 
 furiously, and the cold became intense. In ten 
 minutes every sail was frozen stift'. The rigging 
 and spars were coated with ice, from the mastheads 
 to the deck. One reef was secured in the topsails, 
 and, after ineffectual attempts at a second reef, the 
 men were ordered from the yards, half the number 
 being badly frosted. The gale continued to in- 
 crease, the vessel under a heavy press of canvas 
 driving to the north-east, shipping much water, the 
 ice fast accumulating on the decks and about the 
 bowsprit. At midnight wore ship, and stood in 
 shore. At daylight made Chatham Lights ahead. 
 At 7 A. M. wore ship again, about two miles 
 N. N. E. of the lights, and headed off shore. The 
 
 1 
 
 
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 m 
 
 11 lift 
 
 218 
 
 FOIiE AND AFT. 
 
 cold now became more severe, thermometer at 
 eight degrees below zero throughout the day, and 
 the ice continually increasing on the vessel. The 
 rudder had frozen up ; the rigging, from its in- 
 creased size, was wholly useless ; the vessel had set- 
 tled a foot, by the head, owing to the weight of ice 
 about the head-stays and rigging of the bowsprit. 
 All hands were employed throughout the day, try- 
 ing to clear the vessel of ice. 
 
 Pebruary 3. — During the forenoon of this day 
 the wind moderated, hauling west. All hands at 
 work beating off ice, there being nearly two feet 
 on deck, and the vessel unmanageable, with two 
 streaks heel to starboard. At daylight, succeeded 
 in freeing the rudder, clearing the braces, and head- 
 ing the ship to the south. In the course of the 
 night the wind changed to eastward. At midnight 
 got ihe topsails and foresail set, judging ourselves 
 in the latitude of Cape Ann, and steering accord- 
 ingly- 
 
 February ^^ 10 a.m. — The wind increasing, 
 
 hauled to the N. N. E., and extreme cold weather. 
 At noon made the highlands of Plymouth. The 
 rudder was again choked up by ice, and all our at- 
 tempts to keep it clear were unsuccessful. We 
 could now keep our course for Boston Light, steer- 
 ing the brig by the braces. At this time the weather 
 was clear. If the wind had continued as it then 
 was a few hours longer, we should have been 
 safe in Nantasket Roads. But, alas ! fate decreed 
 otherwise. At 2 p. m. the wind hauled to the north, 
 increasing in violence. Four of the crew badly 
 
 ■ 
 
 '.^■','iA«*^?,"-Ko*V-.--«-. ■.'■". 
 
A NIGHT OF PERIL. 
 
 219 
 
 frosted, the vessel covered with ice arid deprived of 
 the use of her rudder ; working ship was out of the 
 question. We therefore hoisted a signal of distress, 
 and bore away for Plymouth Harbor. Seeing a 
 brig at anchor in safety inside, we had strong hopes 
 of assistance to enable us to reach the anchorage. 
 It was now near low water,' and the sea was break- 
 ing violently across the entrance, threatening de- 
 struction to any vessel that approached it. We had 
 no alternative, as the vessel could not be kept olT 
 shore more than an hour longer, and we accordingly 
 pushed for the entrance. Abreast of the Gurnet 
 Head the wind headed us off, and the anchors were 
 both let go in three fathoms of water, the vessel 
 striking heavily between the swells ; the land, on 
 one side, was less than half a mile distant, between 
 which and the vessel a furious sea was break- 
 ing, which forbade all hope of relief from that 
 quarter. 
 
 About the same distance from us lay a brig in 
 perfect safety ; but as the sea was making a fair 
 breach over us, it was impossible for her boats to 
 approach. Night was fast closing upon us, the 
 breakers were sweeping our decks, the vessel strik- 
 ing on the hard sands everv few minutes with a 
 force sufficient to demolish, at each concussion, a 
 vessel of ordinary construction. The crew were 
 worn down by fatigue and unremitting exertions, 
 a long night of severe suffering and anxiety was 
 before us, and no prospect of relief till the morrow ; 
 and fearful doubts whether the vessel could sustain 
 the severe shocks for an hour, rendered our situa- 
 
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 H 
 
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 220 
 
 FOJiE AND AFT. 
 
 If- 
 
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 !■: it 
 
 i 
 
 5!,l:i 
 
 tion one of the most painful and distressing that 
 can be conceived. 
 
 As yet the hull was unbroken and tight; the 
 sails were secured as well as circumstances would 
 permit ; the yawl got out and veered astern ; tackles 
 got up and hooked on the long-boat, oars and 
 buckets lashed in, and a hawser made fast to her, 
 everything being in readiness to get her out if the 
 brig should bilge during the night. 
 
 About 8.30 P.M., the flood tide making, the vessel 
 lay easy and afloat ; the wind also moderated, and 
 at midnight we flattered ourselves that at daylight 
 assistance could be rendered us from the shore and 
 the brig. As we were unable to do anything more 
 for the preservation of the vessel, the crew were 
 suffered to relax awhile from their severe toils ; the 
 frozen were taken into the cabin, where a fire had 
 been kept in the stove, and their sufferings allevi- 
 ated as far as possible. A kettle of chocolate was 
 prepared, which refreshed and cheered us wonder- 
 fully ; so much so, indeed, that the brave fellows 
 laughed at past toils, and fondly dwelt on the com- 
 forts that were awaiting them, and which their 
 vivid imaginations painted as almost within reach ; 
 but their rejoicing was of short duration. Before 
 daylight the wind increased to a gale from the 
 north, and the tide at that time being the last of ebb, 
 we were again in shoal water with a heavy sea tum- 
 bling in ; the vessel began to strike again violently, 
 every shock taking us oft" our feet, and causing the 
 masts to swing about like reeds in the blast. After 
 thumping in this manner for half an hour, we found 
 
 t 
 
'yf~ 
 
 • ;]''.ip%rt^'rf:^'^'?"" ■ 
 
 A HELPLESS WRECK. 
 
 221 
 
 she had bilged. The sea was now breaking 
 fore and aft ; the long-boat was so heavy, that, with 
 our weak crew, we were unable to g^t hef out. 
 The main topmast backstays, and the weather rig- 
 ging of the foremast being cut, the foremast was 
 cut away, taking with it every spar but the bow- 
 sprit and mainmast; the latter was broken off just 
 above the eves of the risrging. Relieved of this 
 weight, the hull lay easier for awhile, but the sea 
 increasing, the work of destruction continued. The 
 cables were now slipped, in the hope of the wreck 
 driving higher up on the shoal, or over it on to the 
 beach, where she would lay less exposed to a furi- 
 ous sea, which every moment was tearing he?; asun- 
 der. The cabin and forecastle were full of water, 
 and at dav light we found that the keel and many 
 of the planks had left the vessel. She was now 
 lying head to the breakers, and we again attempted 
 to get out the long-boat by cutting away the bul- 
 warks and stanchions, in order to launch her over. 
 Before we could accomplish this, the wreck swung 
 round broadside to, with the gangway to wind- 
 ward, and the wreck of the masts and yards under 
 the lee hanging by the rigging, which we could 
 not get at to cut away, therefore we were obliged 
 to abandon our attempts in that direction. The 
 flood tide was setting athwart the breakers, carrying 
 the fragments of the wreck and drift stuff into 
 smooth water. We had hoped to escape in the 
 long-boat by the help of the current, if we could 
 have launched her. 
 
 We had now drifted to within a third of a mile 
 
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 ill 
 
 
222 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 of the brig at anchor, the crew of which had been 
 anxious observers of our situation all the morning, 
 without being able to render us any assistance. A 
 boat had been despatched early in the morning to 
 our relief. Approaching the wreck as near as the 
 sea would permit them, they lay on their oars wait- 
 ing for an opportunity to rescue us, should any 
 occur, of which there was but a faint hope. Some- 
 times entangled in the ice, they were carried a mile 
 or two from us ; and again worked their way towards 
 the spars and fragments of the wreck, which the 
 current carried clear of the breakers, to see if there 
 were any human beings clinging to them. 
 
 Thq sea was breaking with such violence over 
 us, that we were frequently buried beneath the 
 fragments of wreck ; and now the Angel of Death 
 boarded the ill-fated bark, and began to number 
 his victims. The first sutTerer was a beautiful little 
 Greek boy, about twelve years of age, an orphan. 
 I had known his parents in Smyrna, and took him 
 as an apprentice. When the cabin began to fill 
 with water, I brought him on deck, wrapped in a 
 blanket, and stowed him in one corner of the round- 
 house, which had resisted many heavv seas, and yet 
 
 ■T 
 
 remained entire. The heart-rending cries of the 
 poor little fellow, who was a favorite with all on 
 board, drew tears from the eyes of the hardi:st, 
 and all seemed for awhile to forget their own sor- 
 rows in view of the sullerings of poor Jerome. A 
 tremendous sea at this moment boarded us, the 
 round-house was shivered into fragments, find the 
 poor boy's agonizing shrieks were hash' .i in dcJth. 
 
;i"-'«'K^'^ 
 
 ^^wk!^ 
 
 LOSS OF THE LONG-BOAT. 
 
 
 Ul. 
 
 
 The same sea lifted the long-boat overboard, but 
 did not capsize her, and she lay to leeward of 
 the wreck, upright, but full of water, out of our 
 reach. One of the seamen was also buried beneath 
 the ruins of the round-house, and perished there. 
 The mainmast was still standing, and the rigging on 
 it firm ; to that we now retreated. 
 
 The vessel was fast breaking up. Plank after 
 plank was leaving her. She had broken in two 
 amidships, the cargo was washing out, and every 
 sea was reducing her to fragments. While on deck, 
 with the sea continually breaking over us (the 
 water not being as cold as the air), the ice did not 
 accumulate on our clothes, nor did we feel the cold 
 so keenly as we did after gaining the rigging. 
 Here we were more exposed to the action of the air ; 
 and in a few minutes, with the sea occasionally 
 reaching us, we resembled clods of ice more tlinn 
 human beings. 
 
 Abort this time a refluent sea brought the long- 
 boat near the lower part of the rigging, where 
 three seamen and myself were clinging. Two of 
 ihem threw themselves into her; the other, Augus- 
 tus Tileston, a fine young lad fron Vermont, was 
 on the point of following them, 1/ut, seeing that I 
 had moved towanls the boat and again retreated, 
 he hesitated what to do, until just as the last chance 
 of/cred of reaching her, hearing me express my de- 
 termination not to leave the others who were unable 
 to get into the boat, he embraced my knees in an 
 affectionate manner, and jumped into the boat. In 
 a second she was out of reach again. They now 
 
 
 
.J^'lJy.'^X -i} /:-*^'™,';-,,-s'V*^ ' 
 
 ifc ,^ 
 
 il 
 
 224 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 cast off, or cut the hawser, and drifted astern. At 
 this time I believed that they, and they alone, 
 would be saved. I shouted to them " to get out an 
 oar and keep her head to the sea," but, exhausted 
 by their previous exertions, and chilled through by 
 the ice and water which filled the boat, they were 
 unable to \ -r , The boat was in the trougii of 
 the sea, the - heavy roller capsized her, and they 
 perished before our eyes. 
 
 Five were now dead, and in their sad fate we 
 saw the probable prelude to our own. While in 
 the rigging, I saw the poor boy Jerome washed from 
 the opposite side of the deck, a stiffened corpse, 
 and in a few moments he floated from the wreck 
 with his head jammed to a pumice. 
 
 Finding that we were fast freezing in this situation, 
 I succeeded in regaining a part of the quarter-deck, 
 for the purpose of keeping more under water, and 
 less exposed to the air. To this place I was fol- 
 lowed by the others, with the exception of one 
 poor fellow, whose hands were badly frozen, and 
 his fingers bent like hooks. He had caught one 
 hand over a ratline and lost his foothold, and was 
 dangling in the air, until the top of a heavy sea 
 lifted, and fortunately extricated, him from his sin- 
 gular and perilous situation. 
 
 \V were unable to lash ourselves, but succeeded 
 in getting into the bight of some water-cask lash- 
 ings that were around the quarter stanchions, the 
 casks having washed out of them. Here we re- 
 mained for about an hour, watching with intense in- 
 terest the party in the boats, who for four hours made 
 
 II ' 
 
?vV •*■>■■■ 
 
 VAIN ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE. 
 
 225 
 
 fruitless exertions to rescue us. They were often 
 in imminent danger of being carried by the ice 
 among the breakers, or of freezing in the boats; 
 in vain forcing their way through bodies of ice, 
 impelled by the loud supplications of their suffer- 
 ing brethren to their rescue ; approaching even 
 within the whirling foam of the breakers, but well 
 knowing if they ventured further all would be lost, 
 they again retired, and oh ! with what feelings of 
 agony did we see them return to their vessel ; we 
 hoped they had gone for fresh hands, but again hope 
 died within- us, as we saw them leave their boat, 
 their places not taken by others, and the boat 
 dropped astern. They could not stand idle long ; 
 again our shouts rang in their ears, and aroused their 
 hearts to greater daring. Their long-boat on deck 
 was stowed full of cotton bales ; it /as speedily 
 emptied, and hoisted out, and after what seemed to 
 us an age of time, both boats shoved off again to 
 our rescue, with orders to keep as near the wreck 
 as possible, and remain until they saw the last of 
 us. 
 
 In the meantime the wreck was fast disappearing, 
 — breaking up, or settling in the sand ; and, expect- 
 ing that the next wave would send us into eternity, 
 with what awful suspense did we await their mo- 
 tions ! They approached, with^both boats, to with- 
 in one hundred yards of us ; nearer to the terrific 
 breakers they could not come and live. One of the 
 boats at this time was nearly a mile from us, en- 
 tangled in the ice, and being carried away by the 
 tide. The other one, just without the breakers, was 
 
 H 
 
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 ^ip 
 
i:^^ ■!. *r .■'*T'i 
 
 226 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \ ' 
 
 . I. 
 
 Hi! 
 
 
 i.i' 
 
 watching the drift stuff that came from the wreck, 
 to see if any human being should be clinging to the 
 fragments. 
 
 We were now satisfied that no boat could reach 
 us unless the sea fell, and nothing short of a mir- 
 acle could have effected that, before we had all 
 frozen to death. I had made up my mind that man 
 could not save us, when suddenly we were aston- 
 ished by the unaccountable falling of the sea, which 
 became comparatively smooth. The crew in the 
 Jong-boat seized the opportunity, pulled in to the 
 wreck, we threw ourselves into her, cleared the 
 breakers in safety, and soon found ourselves in the 
 comfortable cabin of the brig Cervantes^ of Boston, 
 Captain Kendrick, and receiving all the kindness 
 and attention that humanity could suggest. The 
 lull of the sea was occasioned, as Captain Kendrick 
 told me, by a large cake of ice drifting by the 
 wreck to windward, the flood-tide setting it athwart 
 the breakers, which kept the sea from breaking 
 while it was passing. 
 
 To the intrepid and daring perseverance of these 
 brave men, under God, we owe our lives. When 
 taken off, we were utterly helpless. The ice had 
 accumulated on our clothes to such a degree, that 
 we could not bend a joint. We felt the blood freez- 
 ing in our veins, and nature was nearly exhausted. 
 Our deliverance was unlooked for, and truly prov- 
 idential. 
 
 The next morning, when the Cervantes got im- 
 derweigh for Boston, nothing was to be seen of the 
 wreck but some of the floor timbers sticking out of 
 
SAFE ASHORE. 
 
 227 
 
 the flats at half tide. The spot where the Regu- 
 lator was wrecked is a hard sand shoal, called 
 Brown's Island, over which, at low '\ater, the sea 
 breaks furiously in northerly storms. Plymouth 
 Harbor was frozen over for some miles below the 
 town, with much broken ice intei-vening ; so that 
 while hundreds of spectators were witnessing the 
 wreck, they were unable to send us relief. A boat 
 was worked over the :ce and reached the vicinity 
 of the wreck after we were taken off, but their ar- 
 rival v^rould have been too late had there been not 
 other help. 
 
 On the morning of the 7th, we were landed at 
 Rainsford Island. Boston Harbor was frozen over 
 nearly down to the islands. Here we experienced 
 every care and attention that our wants required, 
 or hospitality could bestow ; and for the kindness 
 of Mr. Minot and his excellent family, and the 
 medical care of Dr. J. V. C. Smith, the survivors 
 feel under deep obligations. The Humane Society 
 of Boston bestowed gold medals and money on the 
 officers and crew of the Cervantes; and the citizens 
 of Boston, with their accustomed liberality, sub- 
 scribed six hundred dollars for the relief of the mates 
 and surviving seamen of the Regulator. The only 
 article saved from the wreck was a trunk belonging 
 to myself, picked up on the back of Cape Cod. 
 
 ii>i 
 
 ), I 
 
 i| 
 
 * 
 
 'kt 
 
\ 
 
 228 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE. 
 
 .if, 
 
 TN less than six weeks from the time of the dis- 
 -*■ aster, I was again proceeding down Boston Har- 
 bor, with a cargo of ice for the Mediterranean. I 
 was a cripple at the time, from the effects of a 
 frozen foot and sundry contusions, which still neces- 
 sitated the use of crutches. Arriving at Malta with 
 the first cargo of ice ever taken there, an injunction 
 was served on mv consignee at the instance of a 
 Sicilian house, forbidding its being landed there. 
 This house, some two years previously, had ob- 
 tained from the Maltese Government the monopoly 
 of supplying the island with snow for twenty years, 
 to the exclusion of all other parties. This snow was 
 obtained from the sides of Mount Etna, was trans- 
 ported on donkeys to the shore, a distance of twenty- 
 five or thirty miles, then by open boats across the 
 channel about sixty miles more, and the business 
 had proved very profitable. Mr. Paul Eynaud, the 
 American Consul, insisted that we had a right to 
 sell and land our cargo ; tiierefore the matter was 
 referred to the courts. The decision v/as that ice 
 and snow were different articles, and the monopoly 
 guaranteed to the Sicilians for the one article ap- 
 plied to that alone. Accordingly the blue blocks 
 of Yankee ice were landed and deposited in an 
 
 i! 
 
FROM SHIP TO SHORE. 
 
 229 
 
 lie dis- 
 n Har- 
 an. I 
 ts of a 
 I neces- 
 ta with 
 Linction 
 :e of a 
 i there, 
 lad ob- 
 >nopoly 
 y years, 
 ow was 
 3 trans- 
 twenty- 
 •oss the 
 jushicss 
 lud, the 
 risfht to 
 :ter was 
 that ice 
 Duopoly 
 ;icle ap- 
 blocks 
 1 in an 
 
 ancient catacomb near the shore, from which it was 
 speedily distributed among the natives, to their 
 great satisfaction and to the profit of the owners ; 
 but tlie dealers in snow were highly indignant. 
 
 Proceeding to Smyrna, we found the plague pre- 
 vailing to such an extent, that business was almost 
 paralyzed. Therefore after landing the balance of 
 the outward cargo, I was again obliged to fly from 
 the pestilence. With the requisite empty casks, 
 a*nd a gang of Greek coopers, we sailed for the 
 Gulf of Adrymittia, and at a small port took on 
 board about one hundred casks of olive oil, then 
 passed down the straits of Scio to the island of 
 Samos, where the loading of the lower hold was 
 completed with " Samian wine." Returning to 
 Smyrna we found the plague had ceased, and here 
 the balance of the homeward cargo being taken on 
 board, we departed on the passage home, and ar- 
 rived at Boston in September, all well and in good 
 condition. 
 
 And now, for the especial benefit of my seafaring 
 brethren, I will give them a short chapter on agri- 
 culture. 
 
 From my own experience and observation, I know 
 it to be a fact that the majority of sailors, while pur- 
 suing their calling on the deep, are very prone to 
 look forward to the time when they may be enabled 
 " to coil up their ropes and cast anchor on shore " ; 
 how many lonely hours of the night watch are 
 whiled away in " castle building," not in the air, 
 but on terra Jirma^ the climax of all being a 
 farm ; of their hopes and wishes leaping forward 
 
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 U 
 
 m 
 
 cii 
 
 »'t 
 
 
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 1' 
 
 '■■ f' 
 
 >; t w 
 
 230 
 
 FOI?E AND AFT. 
 
 to the exchange of the hoarse midnight cry on a 
 dark, stormy night, for " all hands to reef top-sails," 
 for the sweet voice of his wife singing, — 
 
 '* I'll be mistress of my dairy, a-milking of m.y cow, 
 While my jolly young farmer goes whistling to plough." 
 
 With a snug little farm, a snug little wife, and 
 *' an ambling pad pony to pace o'er the lawn," 
 what more could be wanted? Ir. fact, this seems 
 to be the only legitimate way for the sailor to quit 
 the ocean. With me, this crisis was near at hand. 
 Therefore I purchased a snug little farm within 
 twenty miles of the city, and with the other two 
 requisites above mentioned, I went to work, not as 
 a gentleman farmer, but a worker, — an indepen- 
 dent tiller of the soil. When a boy, I had ridden 
 the horse to plough on the "old farm," had dropped 
 potatoes in drills, had planted corn, — sometimes, 
 when in a hurry to get my stint done, depositing 
 half a pint in a hill, thereby manifesting a talent for 
 "pushing things," — so that I could now manage a 
 farm understandingly. I would have good crops. 
 " I'd have hogs, dogs, cows, sows, turkeys, ducks, 
 and barley-mows." I now laid aside " Bowditch's 
 Navigator" and the "Nautical Almanac" for agri- 
 cultural reports and Thomas's " Old Farmer's Al- 
 manac." The " Coast Pilot" was also rejected, for 
 here it was all plain sailing. 
 
 I navigated very well for a few weeks, until one 
 day I was hauling compost on to a field with a cart 
 and my " pad pony," which, by the way, was a 
 mare named "Jinny," and a hired man helping. 
 
A WRECK ON LAND. 
 
 331 
 
 In ascending a knoll, on the right hand of which 
 was a deep hole full of soft mud, I was helping up 
 hill by applying my shoulder to the wheel, while 
 my man led the horse by the bridle ; old Jinny got 
 stuck, the man let go of her head and jumped to the 
 wheel ; at that moment the starboard wheel cutdown 
 into a rotten stump of a tree, which slewed Jinny's 
 head round shar^^ towards the mud-hole. Being 
 pointed down hill, she could not keep back with a 
 heavy load pressing on her, at an angle of at least 
 forty-five degrees, so she clove into the mud, bury- 
 ing her figure-head and bows, and" there she stuck, 
 as a whaleman would say, '' socket deep." To dis- 
 charge the cargo and capsize the cart occupied 
 some time, during which the poor old buried-alive 
 creature made her exit, not from th^' mud-hole, but 
 from life. 
 
 We then rove a tackle, — blocks and ropes being 
 among my farming tools. Hooking th^; single 
 block to the trunk of an apple-tree, and the double 
 one to her tail., we hauled her out sicrn first; and 
 here I was cast away in a fresh water mud-hole, — 
 old Jinny a total loss, and no insurance. However, 
 the damages were speedily repaired, and all w ■ t 
 well for a while. Then ploughing time came. My 
 new " old horse," named "'Tom Bowling," was not 
 strong enough alone, therefore a yoke of steady 
 oxen were attached to the plough, with Old Tom 
 ahead and a boy on his back. The line of furrow 
 was marked out by a shingle at the end of it, for 
 which the boy was ordered to make a bee line, and 
 6t£ er small. On the first tack we made a straight 
 
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 ^Iff 
 
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 233 
 
 FOIiE AND AFT. 
 
 course without any leeway, but when we had to 
 tack ship it was another matter. The craft mis- 
 stayed, and wouldn't come round. The boy got 
 ofl" the horse to help me ; he said I was on the 
 wrong side of the oxen (just as if I couldn't put a 
 sliip about standing on either side of the deck). 
 One of the beasts seemed willing to come round all 
 ship-shape, but the other backed astern to wear 
 ship, and they both got in the doldrums. The 
 horse turned round with his stern to windward, and 
 stepped outside of the traces, so that altogether we 
 were in a bad fix. 
 
 A neighbor, witnessing the scrape, stepped over 
 and asked what the matter was. He was told there 
 was matter enough, for the larboard ox had got on 
 the starboard side ; Old Tom had got foul in the rig- 
 ging; they were making a stern board, and were all 
 going into the ditch together. The oxen were taken 
 away, and I finished the job with the horse in good 
 shape, with the determination to do all my work in 
 future without the help of the ruminators. The 
 planting was well done, and in course of time the 
 crops appeared. They looked as well as my neigh- 
 bors', while my walks, walls, and fences were a 
 pattern for anybody. What with milking two 
 cows, taking care of pigs, poultry, etc.," I had to 
 work hard. When haying time came, I gave a 
 helping hand to a brother sailor by employing him. 
 
 Captain Bowers, a man of Falstafiian propor- 
 tions, and of an excellent spirit, was my neighbor ; 
 he was out of employ, waiting for a ship, and I 
 shipped him. He was to have a dollar a day, 
 
A CAPSIZE, 
 
 233 
 
 iirh- 
 
 taking liis pay in potatoes at a dollar a bushel. 
 The hay was cut and well made ; then with Old 
 Tom and the hay rigging we were getting it in. 
 In taking on the last load, which was a large one, I 
 told Captain Bowers that he must get on and I would 
 jjitch it up to him. To this he objected, because he 
 was too heavy ; but as he was told that he would for- 
 feit his pay if he disobeyed orders, he was too good a 
 sailor to hesitate, and up he mounted. As the load 
 was rising higher and higher, I heard frequent in- 
 quiries as to how he was to get off. oLill the heap 
 increased, and at last all being on, he called for a 
 ladder ; but no, — he was ordered to " lie down and 
 keep quiet until the barn was reached." "' But," 
 he remonstrated, " I can't do it, — you will capsize 
 me." Regardless of his remonstrances, I started 
 up Old Tom, the Captain calling out, " Now mind 
 your helm, or you'll capsize me, and I know you 
 mean to." But I had no such intention. As it hap- 
 pened, the pin which fastened the bow of the cart 
 down got loose and shook out, so that when the 
 team ascended the road the cart tipped up, and the 
 entire load, with the Captain in the heart of it, was 
 deposited in the middle of the road. He was soon 
 extricated, alive and unhurt, but was ungrateful 
 enough to insist upon it that the capsize was not 
 accidental. The haying was not finished without 
 manv a hearty laugh. 
 
 The crops at the harvesting were as good as any- 
 body's, and the winter passed pleasantly ; but the 
 figuring up of profits was not very satisfactory, and 
 I began the spring work without much enthusiasm. 
 
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 ill 
 
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 Pi 
 
 1 
 
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 234 
 
 FOJ?E AND AFT. 
 
 Now and then something v^ould occur to caution 
 me against parting with my quadrant. For in- 
 stance : while I was working up a pile of compost 
 to cast out on a field, an old retired " sea-dog " came 
 along and bid me good-morning. Leaning on his 
 silver-headed cane, he watched my operations for 
 some tune, and then came out with a remark which 
 stuck in my crop so hard that it did not digest until 
 I was west of Cape Horn. " Well, sir," said he, 
 ''^ there is a good deal of difference between waUiing 
 a fine ship's quarter-deck and turning over a pile of 
 manure with a fork." This cruel speech quite un- 
 settled my agricultural ideas ; but my labor was not 
 relaxed until the final blow came. 1 was hoeing a 
 field of corn, a hot day in July. Getting to the end 
 of a row I sat down to rest. Observing a shingle 
 near by, I took it up and figured out with my pen- 
 cil, as near as possible, what I should realize per 
 day for my vvoik. The yield was promising ; Uiere 
 would be so many bushels, which, at a fair price, 
 would bring a certain sum, from which, deducting 
 all expenses, I should realize twenty cents a day net 
 profit. I jumped up, and tiirowing the lioe as far 
 as I could throw it, walked into the house with the 
 shingle in my hand. 
 
 '• There ! " said I to my wife, " I'll never hoe 
 another hill of corn as long as I live ! " 
 
 " Well, what is the matter now? " asked my bet- 
 ter half. 
 
 " Matter enough. Look at that shingle, — there's 
 the whole story. Twenty cents a day and working 
 like a slave. lam done w'th farming. I am ready 
 
caution 
 For in- 
 compost 
 g'* came 
 ^ on his 
 tions for 
 k which 
 ;est until 
 said lie, 
 waU:ing 
 1 pile of 
 uite un- 
 was not 
 loeing a 
 > the end 
 
 shingle 
 my pen- 
 ilize per 
 g ; ! here 
 ir price, 
 educting 
 1 day net 
 :>e as for 
 with the 
 
 ;ver hoe 
 
 1 my bet- 
 
 — there's 
 working 
 un ready 
 
 AGAIN AFLOAT. 
 
 235 
 
 for a ship, and ' again shall my plough go to plough- 
 ing of the deep.' " 
 
 I sold the farm, with Old Tom, at a discount, 
 and the following January was on the way to Cape 
 Horn. 1 hope my experience given above may 
 benefit some Brother Webfoot who may think of 
 exchanging the ship for the farm. My advice is, do 
 all your plo'igliing with your cutwater in the broad 
 acres of Old Ocean ; when done with that, if you 
 must plant and dig, plant yourself in the arm-chair 
 of an insurance office (if you can), or dig clams, 
 but let alone a farm. 
 
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236 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A CALIFORNIA CRUISE. 
 
 A VOYAGE to California, in tjie years of 
 which I write, was considered a matter of 
 greater importance than it is r.t present. The early 
 history of the country and the Pacific coast, and 
 of the oldest residents and traders there, has been 
 the subject of so many writers of late years, that 
 there is not much left to be said. Not being there 
 early enough to rank as a pioneer trader, I was yet 
 early, comparing the condition of matters and things 
 then and now. In June, 1S40, I arrived at Mon- 
 terey in the ship Alert^ — the same ship on board 
 which Mr. Dana, on a previous voyage, served a 
 part of his " two years before the mast." We were 
 prosecuting a similar voyage. I read his book some 
 years since, and was impressed with the correctness 
 of his description of the manner of collecting and 
 curiuGf a carijo of hides; therefore anvthing I could 
 now say of that business would only be a repetition. 
 1 iic author of that work is charjjed with statin^; that 
 the ship's crew had to skin some thirty thousand 
 bullocks to obtain the cargo. I think Mr. Dana 
 does not make such a statement. I will only say, 
 that the crews, on these voyages, kill and skin only 
 the animals required for the supply of beef for ship 
 use. Passing over the details of the journals of 
 
CAPTAIN SMITH. 
 
 237 
 
 three voyages to California between tiie early part 
 of 1840 and 1S55, with intervals of absence be- 
 tween, I propose only to give a few fragments of 
 history of men and events, which may help to con- 
 nect the paiLt wjth the present. 
 
 In 1S40, one of the fathers of the Missions was 
 still living, who assured me that the older fathers 
 spoke of a tradition handed down to them by the 
 Indians of a generation long since passed away, 
 and which they believed, to the eflect that the time 
 was within their recollection when the " Golden 
 Gates" were not open, and when the water of the 
 great bay passing through the valley had its outlet 
 to the sea in Monterey Bay, near Santa Cruz ; that 
 at certain seasons of the year the Northern Indians 
 were accustomed to emijjrate soutiierlv bv the coast 
 in large bodies, to live upon tl ^hell-fish which 
 abounded on the shores, and the wid Indians in- 
 sisted on the statement that they passed frum Bo- 
 dega to Santa Cruz uninterrupted by water. The 
 large mounds of shells which are still to be found 
 along the coast, seem to confirm the truth of a part 
 of this, tradition. 
 
 At this time there was also living Captain Wil- 
 liam Smith, an ancient mariner, who was contem- 
 porary, and well acquainted with Vancouver, and 
 also with Captain Gray, who discovered the Co- 
 lumbia River, and gave the name of his ship 
 to this grand discovery. Captain Smith was in 
 command of the ship Albatross^ in the North Pa- 
 cific, trading between the west coast, the Sandwich 
 Islands, and Canton. This old veteran was for 
 
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 15 
 
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 238 
 
 rOJ?E AND AFT. 
 
 some months a guest on board the Alert in 1840, 
 and deserves more than a pass' ig notice. By birth 
 a Virginian, but a Bostonian by adoption, he was 
 then seventy-six years old, and had been to sea ever 
 since he was eleven years of age. He began 
 his sea life on board an English gunboat previous 
 to the war of the Revolution, and during that war 
 served on various ships and-vessels in the American 
 Navv. At the close of the war he entered the mcr- 
 chant service, and, at an earl}' period of the present 
 century, was engaged in the sealing business and 
 fur trade of the North-west. In the war of 181 2-15 
 he was still in the Albatross, navigating the Pacific. 
 Ruschenbcrger, in his " Three Yeari; in the Pacific," 
 speaks of Captain Smith as being " a remarkable 
 specimen of an old seaman," and relates a conver- 
 sation .vitli him, in which the old man said that 
 "but two things in this world ever chafed him, — a 
 California saddle and a missionary." Another inci- 
 dent, about which he did not like to be questioned, 
 probably caused him greater irritation than the 
 above. 
 
 When Commodore Porter, with the Essex and 
 Essex Junior,, during the war with England, was 
 lying at Novaheva, in the Washington Group, re- 
 pairing, the Albatross made her appearance, run- 
 ning down for the island, and was telegraphed to 
 the Commodore by his lookout from tiie hill. Cap- 
 tain Smith intended calling there, ' ut was fearful 
 that an English ship-of-war might b-' in the harbor, 
 and therefore approached the entrance cautiously. 
 On board the man-of-war it was thought the ship 
 
 u. 
 
 '-■»■•-«■ 
 
A SEA' CHASE. 
 
 239 
 
 in the offing might be English, and the flag of that 
 nation was hoisted to decoy her in. The Essex 
 yunior (Lieutenant Downes in command) was 
 ready to slip out in pursuit. Captain Smith was 
 at the end of the flying-jib-boom, to satisfy himself 
 as to what was in the harbor as it opened out from 
 behind a headland. " Up helm," shouted the old 
 man ; " hard up and square away the yards, rig 
 out the boom, and pack everything on to her ; there's 
 two infernal Englishmen in there." And away flew 
 the Albatross^ with her white wings expanded to the 
 uttermost. The mate expressed his opinion that 
 the ships in port were not English, but the Captain 
 listened to no one. His own opinion he had been 
 accustomed to stand to when expressed ; he always 
 relied on his own judgment ; he knew that a ship 
 could not safely liave but a single will, and that the 
 will of the master; he was determined to manage 
 his ship in his own way, — he cared not a fig for 
 the opinions of his mates, and was never more bent 
 on having his way than wh .n all hands grumbled, 
 and opposed iiim. Before hi; yards were trimmed 
 to make his escape, the Essex Junior was covered 
 with canvas, and in a few minutes she slipped her 
 moorings in full pursuit. Captain Smith and iiis 
 ship were well known to the Commodore, but he 
 did not intend to let him run away, so pursuit was 
 ordered. *' Preciously rot 'em," shouted the old 
 man, using his favorite expression, " here they come, 
 — 1 knew they were English." The qhase was not 
 a very long one, the pn iier coming up hand over 
 hand. Finding escape impossible, the Captain 
 
 i 
 
 j( i 
 
 $■ 
 
u 
 
 240 
 
 I^'ORE AND AFT. 
 
 turned his attention to his means of defence, con- 
 sisting of "'x six-pounders. " Load the guns and 
 blaze away a' her," he ordered, but the crew refused 
 to do so. " If we fire a gun she will send us to tho 
 bottom," said the mate. " Mutiny ! " exclaimed the 
 Captain, but he was not ol)eyed. Descending into 
 the cabin, he ordered the steward to throw all the 
 cabin furniture overboard, and as piece after piece 
 of his nice Chinese " cumshaws" went through the 
 windows, with, " Rot 'em, they shan't have that," 
 the most valuable articles were selected to ornament 
 the ship's wake. Going on deck'and looking at the 
 advancing " red cross of England," he saw that it 
 was all up with the Aibatross. The quarter-boat 
 and gig had just been nicely painted : " Rot 'em, 
 they shall paint them over again," he said, and call- 
 ing for a black paint bucket, he had them daubed 
 over inside. Just then a gun from the chase caused 
 Captain Smith to look astern, and behold ! the Stars 
 and Stripes were at the peak of the ship in pursuit. 
 When taken on board the Essex jfunior and wel- 
 comed by his old acquaintance. Lieutenant Downes, 
 it is probable that he then chafed considerably. In 
 the closing years of his life the old seaman was 
 quite dependent, but at every house in California 
 he found a welcome. Mr. Sturgis, in sending a siiip 
 to the coast, always requested his captains to offer 
 him a home on board, so that he was transferred 
 from ship to ship, until it was thought best for him 
 to be located on shore. He was kindly cared for, 
 and died at Santa Barbara in 1843 or 1844. 
 
 Prominent among the early visitors to California, 
 
A PIONEER TRADER. 
 
 241 
 
 5, con- 
 is and 
 refused 
 ; to tho 
 led the 
 ig into 
 all the 
 r piece 
 .'.gh the 
 that," 
 nament 
 ■y at the 
 that it 
 Ler-boat 
 ,ot 'em, 
 nd call- 
 daubed 
 caused 
 Stars 
 :)ursuit. 
 nd svel- 
 )ownes, 
 ly. In 
 m was 
 lifornia 
 1; a shi[) 
 to otVer 
 isferred 
 or him 
 oil tor, 
 
 lifornia, 
 
 le 
 
 and the first to open a direct trade between this 
 coast and Boston, was William Alden Gale, Esq., 
 fi descendant of Hon. John Alden, one of the Pil- 
 grims of the Mayjlower^ and o^ historical and po- 
 etical memory. Mr. Gale sailed from Boston in 
 1809, in the ship Albatross^ Captain Winship, and 
 was engaged in the sealing business, in both Pa- 
 cifies, for eight years. During this period he was 
 left with a sealing gang on the South Island of the 
 Farallones, off the entrance of San Francisco Bay, 
 where he remained for many months, obtaining 
 from there, in two seasons, over seventv-three thou- 
 sand fur seal-skins. It was during this voyage that 
 an attempt was made to establish a settlement at 
 the Columbia River, by Captain Nathan Winship, 
 in the ship Albatross,^ who first broke ground and 
 planted corn at that place, although the credit of that 
 transaction has been ascribed to others. Green- 
 how, in his work on " California and Oregon," 
 speaks of the above ship landing a party of hunters 
 there at that time, and states that William Smith 
 was Captain. A more recent writer mentions the 
 ship Winship^ and a Captain Gale, as being in the 
 early trade at the river. Both accounts arc errone- 
 ous ; there was no such ship as the Winship on the 
 coast. I was personally well acquainted with Cap- 
 tain Smith and Mr. Gale, and am able to state, not 
 only from tiieir own lips, but also from the Alba- 
 tross's log-book, the simple facts in the case: 
 namely, that William Smith was mate to Captain 
 Winship, and Mr. Gale was assistant trader and 
 clerk on the same ship. It is singular that in the 
 16 
 
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242 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
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 ill 
 
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 11 Ij 
 
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 ■ \ 
 
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 various hirtories of the North-west Coast, the 
 names of the three brothers, Abiel, Jonathan, and 
 Nathan Winship, who were among the earliest and 
 most active participants in its earliest trade, are en- 
 tirely ignored. 
 
 On his return to Boston, Mr. Gale gave so favor- 
 able an account of the prospects of opening a trade 
 on the coast of California, that a number of enter- 
 prising merchants, among them Bryant & Sturgis, 
 Trott, Bumstead & Sons, and some eight or ten 
 others, fitted out the ship Sachem^ Captain Gyze- 
 laar, of which Mr. Gale was supercargo and part 
 owner, — thus beginning the first direct trade 
 between California and Boston. The ship sailed 
 from Boston, with a cargo of assorted merchandise, 
 in January, 1833. The trade was continued suc- 
 cessfully by Messrs. Bryant, Sturgis & Co., until 
 near the breaking out of the Mexican war. The 
 knowledge obtained through this traffic in a great 
 measure led to the acquisition of California, at the 
 close of the war, by our Government, at a cost of 
 fifteen millions of dollars in gold, — money well 
 spent. Right on the heels of this came the dis- 
 covery of the abundance of gold on its soil, and 
 the immediate emigration consequent thereon, pro- 
 ducing an extension of civilization unprecedented 
 in the history of the world, and a marvel of the 
 nineteenth century, to be ranked with the invention 
 of steam and telegraphic machinery. 
 
 Mr. Gale returned from his last voyage in 1835, 
 but continued his interest in the trade until his 
 death, which occurred in Boston in 1841. Captain 
 
OTHER PIONEERS. 
 
 243 
 
 St, the 
 n, and 
 est and 
 are en- 
 
 3 favor- 
 a trade 
 f enter- 
 Sturgis, 
 or ten 
 n Gyze- 
 ind part 
 ::t trade 
 ip sailed 
 ;handise, 
 .ued suc- 
 :;6., until 
 ■XX. The 
 a great 
 , at the 
 cost of 
 ney well 
 the dis- 
 soil, and 
 eon, pro- 
 cedented 
 el of the 
 invention 
 
 f 
 
 in 1835, 
 
 until his 
 
 Captain 
 
 Gyzelaar was drowned in the attempt to cross a 
 river at Bodega, in March, 1825. 
 
 Mr. Gale was succeeded by Alfred Robinson, 
 Esq., who was interested with Bryant, Sturgis & 
 Co., and managed their business on the coast as 
 long as they continued in it. Mr. Robinson early 
 identified his interests with those of California, by 
 marrying one of its fairest daughters, Senorita 
 Anita Noriega, daughter of Don Jose Noriega de 
 la Guerra, an old Biscayan, one of the best of the 
 old Californians. On the first of the California 
 steamers Mr. Robinson returned to the country 
 after a few years' absence, and was the first agent 
 of the company in San Ej*ancisco. 
 
 In connection with the above, it is proper to state 
 that B. T. Read, Esq., and others, were in the trade 
 for some years previous to the Mexican war. Jo- 
 seph B. Eaton, Esq., also had two ships trading on 
 the coast during the war. These two vessels, with 
 their boats and crews, by cooperation with Fremont 
 and Stockton, rendered important assistance, and 
 so contributed somewhat to our acquisition of the 
 country. *< 
 
 Thomas O. Larkin, and the lady who became his 
 wife, arrived at Santa Barbara in a shio from Bos- 
 ton, in 1833, — Mrs. Larkin (then Mrs. Holmes) 
 being the first American lady to arrive at Califor- 
 nia. Their first child was also the first born in 
 California of American parents. Mr. Larkin be- 
 came established in business at Monterey, where he 
 resided for many years. He held various offices, 
 and was a very useful man to the California and 
 
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 V II 
 
 Ml 
 
 ifliiii 
 
 1)1 I! i 
 
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 244 
 
 FOJiB AND AFT. 
 
 United States Governments. He held the office 
 of United States Consul previous to the Mexican 
 War, and afterwards that of Navy Agent. He was 
 also sent to Mexico by the California Government, 
 as their co.mmissioner, to negotiate in their behalf. 
 Captain John Cooper (a step-brother of Larkin's) 
 was an early resident in Monterey, and an old trader 
 between California and Canton. He married a sis- 
 ter of General Vallego, and owned a fine farm at 
 Petaluma, and a house at Monterey. He could not 
 relinquish the sea altogether, and was placed by 
 the Government in command of their Navy, which 
 consisted of an old schooner named the California^ 
 on which the Commodore hoisted his pennant when 
 ordered to perform any naval duty. The old gen- 
 tleman is still living, and long may he survive ! 
 As he is a rather original character, 1 may as well 
 revive some amusing incidents respecting him. A 
 seaman of the old school, he despised a long-tail coat, 
 and would not discard a sailor's jacket. Known 
 throughout California for his integrity and good na- 
 ture, his honest countenance was always welcomed 
 wherever it appeared. That slouched white hat, 
 blue short jacket, gray satinet pants and cowhide 
 shoes, constituted his every-day dress at all seasons, 
 from year to year, and his uniform on all occasions. 
 " Methinks I see him now," as he one morning was 
 called out of his house to see the Stars and Stripes 
 waving at the masthead of his flag-ship. Com- 
 modore Jones, with his squadron, had arrived the 
 previous evening, and early next morning took pos- 
 session of the fort, town, and government property, 
 
COMMODORE COOPER. 
 
 245 
 
 office 
 Mexican 
 'ie was 
 nment, 
 3ehalf. 
 Lvkiii's) 
 1 trader 
 ;d a sis- 
 farm at 
 >uld not 
 iced by 
 , which 
 ifornia^ 
 nt when 
 old gen- 
 survive ! 
 as well 
 lim. A 
 tail coat, 
 Known 
 good na- 
 elcomed 
 lite hat, 
 cowhide 
 seasons, 
 ccasions. 
 ning was 
 \ Stripes 
 Coni- 
 ived the 
 :ook pos- 
 property, 
 
 including Cooper's schooner. On hearing the news 
 he rushed out of doors, and beholding the change, 
 scratched his left elbow with his right hand, which 
 operation was always indicative of unusual and im- 
 mense excitement. His neighbors, anticipating 
 some extraordinary outburst of passion, awaited 
 the explosion ; but, looking for a few minutes at 
 the old flag which he had sailed under so long in 
 former years, and which still looked so glorious, 
 his old love for it came back, so that his only sor- 
 row was expressed in another scratch at his elbow, 
 and, " Well, I wouldn't care a snap for the loss of 
 the old schooner, if I had only got a well-rope out 
 of her first." He had been digging a well, and a 
 rope for the bucket was needed. 
 
 Once Captain Cooper was ordered to get his ves- 
 sel ready with all possible despatch, to take Com- 
 missioner Larkin down to Acapulco, and await his 
 return from the city of Mexico ; and, as illustrating 
 what was meant by " despatch in getting ready," 
 the California naval department issued an order for 
 the vessel to proceed to the Bay of San Francisco, 
 and there provision the vessel for the voyage. Ac- 
 cordingly, in about three weeks the vessel arrived 
 at the bay, with an order on the mission of Saint 
 Rafael for so many fanegas of wheat ; another on 
 the mission of San Jose for a certain number of 
 hogs ; " Santa Clara" must furnish all the bullocks, 
 while " Dolores " contributed " frigoles," beans, 
 and other vegetables. All these things had to be 
 collected together at Yerba Buena ; there the wheat 
 was to be made into bread, the bullocks into salt 
 
 "ii- 
 
 I 
 
'^t 
 
 ill 
 
 H 
 
 |Li»4li. 
 
 : 
 
 "J! 
 
 iiiiii! 
 
 246 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 beef, and the pork prepared for ship's use. One 
 launch was borrowed from one ship to bring down 
 the wheat, another would be loaned him by some 
 other friendly captain to bring the beef, and the 
 live hogs were to be dressed near the vessel. 
 
 In about three weeks most of these supplies would 
 arrive at the port, with a gang of Indians to assist dur- 
 ing the process of preparation ; the salt, vinegar, pep- 
 per, and barrels necessary wo ".Id be bought, begged, 
 or borrowed from our ships. Jack Fuller, a runaway 
 steward from an English whaleship, and living in 
 Yerba Buena, was a good cook ; to him was confided 
 the putting down of the pork, making sausages, etc., 
 while the Commodore was olF with a gang of 
 " bummers," making requisitions on the missions. 
 In his haste to get ready for the " beare;' of des- 
 patches," the Commodore met with sundry mis- 
 haps. One was in consequence of inviting his 
 friends, during his absence, to call at Jack Fuller's 
 and taste his sausages ; they did so, and the taste 
 suited so well that Jack urgently requested the com- 
 pany to call again, as he could still improve on the 
 seasoning. This invitation was also accepted for 
 the next, and in fact every day until sausages were 
 no more. The friends, by way of compensation, 
 furnished a vessel, and all the material except the 
 pork, and Jack prepared a fine barrel of souse for 
 the cabin use of the swift-winged bearers of des- 
 patches. This was very toothsome, the Commo- 
 dore informed us, but we were not invited to a 
 taste, and "J. F." was ordered to admit no person 
 within his doors while he went to order up hia 
 

 One 
 
 down 
 f some 
 nd the 
 
 i would 
 iistdur- 
 Lir, pep- 
 jegged, 
 Linaway 
 ving in 
 :onfided 
 es, etc., 
 ang of 
 nissions. 
 of des- 
 \vy n;iis- 
 Ling his 
 Fuller's 
 he taste 
 the com- 
 c Oil the 
 sptcd for 
 nres were 
 LMisation, 
 ccpt the 
 bouse for 
 s of des- 
 Commo- 
 itcd to a 
 \o person 
 jr up his 
 
 SOUSED ,yOUSE. 
 
 247 
 
 boat's crew to take the barrel ot) board, and so fear- 
 ful was he that his tormenting friends had designs 
 against it, that, for greater safety, he escorted the 
 Kanakas who carried it to the boat, and accompanied 
 it to the vessel. Once alongside, he shouted defi- 
 ance : " You don't taste this, not a bit of it ; this is 
 all for my tooth " ; but alas for him ! the old proverb 
 of " many a slip," etc., interposed. In lifting 
 the barrel from the boat to the vessel, the boat was 
 pushed off from the side by accident, and the pack- 
 age, which was open on top, fell overboard and went 
 to the bottom. This misfortune was too much for 
 poor human nature meekly to bear in silence, but 
 he found consolation in an extra scratch, and a 
 hearty laugh " in thinking how Larkin would be 
 disappointed." However, when the vessel was 
 ready to leave the bay, all the above losses were 
 amply made up to the kind old man, by his friends 
 of the two Boston ships in port. In about three 
 months from the receipt of the order to " get ready 
 and sail with all possible despatch," Mr. Larkin 
 left Monterey. This was really then considered by 
 the authorities as " pushing things." 
 
 But we will follow our friends to Mexico, and 
 note some of their proceedings while there. Ar- 
 riving at Acapulco, Mr. Larkin invited Commodore 
 Cooper to accompany him to the capital. As he 
 would have to wait his return if he did not go, he 
 concluded to go. When they were in the city, Mr. 
 Larkin and Cooper waited upon General Waddy 
 Thompson, then the United States Minister to Mex- 
 ico. The Commissioner introduced his " Brother 
 
 1 
 
 if 
 
 II 
 
 
 ■M; 
 
 B '1 
 
M 
 
 I i 
 
 .Ill 
 
 I!, 
 Ill 
 
 W 
 i 
 
 li:' 
 ill 
 
 II 
 ''I 
 
 'i 
 If 
 
 !:'■' 
 
 lit 
 
 248 
 
 FO/iB AND AFT. 
 
 John " as " Commander of the California Navy " ; 
 an invitation to dinner followed. Larkin and 
 brother John accepted, — the latter, of course, went 
 in his full uniform. The conversation during din- 
 ner led to t' e d" xussion of wines, practically and 
 .'leoretically. The General, who prided himself on 
 always having the very best, and of the mosi re- 
 nowned vintages, said that he was the possessor of 
 a few bottles of a very superior quality, which he 
 obtained with great difficulty, and at a great price, 
 from a high official, who vouched for its richness 
 and great antiquity. "It is wine, gentlemen, that 
 I only allow to be brought to the table on special 
 occasions, such as the present, and then only to l>e 
 looked at." The guests desiring to see the curiosity, 
 a bottle was produced, antique in form, and con- 
 taining a dark liquid. Mr. Larkin expressed his 
 doubts of the great age claimed for it, and thougl.t 
 some of liis old Calitlarnia was equal to it. " My 
 dear sir," exclaimed the General, "you are mis- 
 taken: tb^ere is not a bottle of such wiae in any 
 other city of the world ; a oingle smell of it would 
 convince you." " I would like to be convinced," 
 said the Commodore. The ancient seal was broken 
 and the bottle opened. General Waddy Thompson 
 poured out the least possible number of drops In 
 his glass, and passed tlie bottle to Mr. Larkin to do 
 the same. *' There, gentlemen, smell of that ; 
 what do you think of it? " " It smells good," was 
 the reply of the Commissioner. "Just apply the 
 end of your tongue to the fluid, — it is not to drink, 
 remember. J. sometimes allow distinguished guests 
 
WINE OF THE MONTE ZUMAS, 
 
 H9 
 
 ibe privilege of sipping a drop, as I now do you." 
 Mr. l^arkin had helped brother John after the man- 
 ner of vhe Minister. " How does it taste, Mr. Com- 
 modore ? ", The few drops had disappeared without 
 attracting his notice. " Pass me the bottle, Tom." 
 It was passed, with many winks from Mr. Larkin 
 to abstain, but they were unheeded. Filling his 
 glass and emptying it at the same moment, to the 
 consternation of Waddy Thompson, the Commo- 
 dore exclaimed, " Good, but I think I have drank as 
 good from my ranche.*' It was in vain urged by 
 the host that that wine was only to be looked at, — 
 a single glass of it was priceless, — it descended 
 from the Montezumas. *' Mr. Minister," said the 
 Commodore, '^' if you put that wine on the table to 
 be looked at, all I have to say is, that you have 
 made a mistake this time. Tom, pass the bottle." 
 The old Commodore will not hear the last of the 
 *' Montezumian wine " as long as he lives. 
 
 
 It;; 
 
 m 
 
250 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 CALIFORNIA IN 184O. 
 
 MONTEREY, in 1840, was the seat of Govern- 
 Ticnt, and the only port of entry on the coast. 
 All ships intending to trade on the coast came there 
 to make the best bargain they could with the au- 
 thorities respecting the duties on goods, gave 
 security for the payment of the same, and received 
 permission to trade at all the ports until the voyage 
 was completed. The duties on an invoice of cargo 
 averaged about one hundred per cent., payable one- 
 half in cash, and the other in " esquilinos," hides 
 and tallow, or goods from the ship. There was 
 scarcely any money in the country at that time. 
 Bryant, Sturgis & Co. not only furnished most of 
 the goods used in California, but also most of the 
 coin for the payment of the salaries of the revenue 
 and military officers, which payments were contin- 
 gent on the arrival of the next ship, — the duties on 
 a cargo always being anticipated by Custom House 
 orders on such ship for their pay, in goods and 
 cash in equal proportion. What a contrast be- 
 tween then and now ! Then gold and silver were 
 scarce commodities; now the precious metals of 
 California not only abound there, but find their way 
 to every commercial city in the world. 
 
A MOMENTOUS 'IF." 
 
 251 
 
 overn- 
 coast. 
 2 there 
 he aii- 
 , giive 
 jceivcd 
 voyage 
 if cargo 
 )le one- 
 " hides 
 :re was 
 it time, 
 nost of 
 
 of the 
 revenue 
 
 contin- 
 uties on 
 [1 House 
 3ds and 
 rast be- 
 rer were 
 ctals of 
 heir way 
 
 It is well known that the great powers of Europe 
 have, for many years, sought every possible oppor- 
 tunity of getting a foothold in California, and sev- 
 eral times have nearly reached success. One of 
 these approximations was in 1840. On our arrival 
 at Monterey we found at the port the United States 
 ship Saint Louls^ Captain French Forrest, and a 
 French corvette. They were investigating the 
 doings of the Mexican authorities, who had ac- 
 cused the foreign residents of conspiring to over- 
 throw the government, and, without a trial or 
 hearing of any kind, had sent about forty of them 
 to Acapulco, in irons. The news of the outrage 
 reached Saint Bias, where the ships of war were 
 lying. They immediately got under-weigh, and 
 came to Alontercy to look into the matter. The in- 
 dividuals so unjustly sent away were mostly Amer- 
 icans ; some were taken from their families in 
 different parts of the country, and treated with much 
 cruelty. The American commander was only au- 
 thorized to take depositions and forward them to 
 his government. Tlie Frenchman, clothed with 
 power and authority to obtain immediate redress, 
 was much disappointed in not finding one of his 
 own countrymen on the list of those sent away ; 
 had there been a single one claiming the protection 
 of France, perhaps the flag of that nation, instead of 
 the Stars and Stripes, might now be floating over 
 California. The Frenchman, with his broadside 
 swung on the town, was only waiting for an excuse 
 to open his battery ; but finding none, his officers en- 
 joyed themselves hugely, for a few days, in giving 
 
 I, 
 
253 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 S3 ^ :■■■" 
 
 and attending parties, which was much more 
 agreeable to the people of Monterey than to have 
 their houses battered down. While our officers, 
 from the force of circumstances, were obliged to 
 manifest a coldness towards the natives which they 
 did not feel, the Frenchmen were on the best of 
 terms with them, and were especial favorites with the 
 fair sex. One morning, at the Old Presidio Church, 
 during some particular service to the Virgin, which 
 called for the attendance of all the virgins of Monte- 
 rev, the French officers were there also, and so 
 marked wer: their attentions to the fair devotees, 
 that the officiating priest ordered the strangers to 
 leave, saying that " they only came there to coquet 
 with the girls." Hereupon arose a tumult. The 
 virgin ilevotees exclaimed, '' Let them stay ; they 
 are as good Christians as we are " ; and the padre 
 had to submit. 
 
 The trading ships, aftsr entering their cargoes 
 and supplying the wants of Monterey, usually 
 proceeded to San Francisco, where, mooring off 
 Yerba Buena Cove, they despatched boats to various 
 points of the bay to bring the Rancheros and their 
 families to the ship. Goods were sold on a year's 
 credit, to be paid for in hides and tallow. 
 
 In 1841, Yerba Buena was in an almost uninhab- 
 ited condition. In the early part of that year there 
 were but four permanent residents there, — J. V. 
 Leese, Nathan Spear, John Davis, and Jack Fuller. 
 Seated on the top of Telegraph Hill, with the whole 
 expanse of the broad bay spread before him, one 
 might look in the direction from Sansitio to Angel 
 
THIRTT TEARS AGO. 
 
 253 
 
 off 
 
 Island, across the Bay of San Pablo to the Contra 
 Coast, and away south towards San Jose and Santa 
 Clara, without seeing a single sail of ship, boat, or 
 any otlier craft moving over its waters, — the only 
 signs of humanity being confined to the few 
 dwellers at the cove. Perhaps, on another day, 
 from tlie same place of observation, might be seen 
 a solitary ship at anchor, seeking for hides ; or above 
 Angel Island an old launch at anchor, two days out 
 from Yerba Buena, bound to Sansitio, where lived 
 Captain Richardson, the Port Captain of a port then 
 without ships, but where it was hoped they might 
 come hereafter. He was also the owner of all the 
 navigation belonging in the bay, consisting of two 
 old launches. Perhaps once a month he would 
 cross the bay in one of then"i, rigged with a tem- 
 porary mast and piece of old canvas for a sail, 
 the crew consisting of himself and two Indians. 
 Dropping down with the last ebb, he calculated on 
 taking the flood tide in the vicinity of Alcatras 
 Island, and, as it swept him far up the bay, he would 
 endeavor to make northing enough to get through 
 Angel Island Straits when a favorable opportunity 
 oflercd, which lie would wait for at anchor. 
 
 As showing the condition of the region round 
 about the cove, 1 may also state that Mr. Lecse 
 came on board the ship one morning to breakfast, 
 and told us that the evening previous an Indian 
 boy, eight years old, was taken away fixsm his yard 
 by a panther, wiiich had been seen prowling around 
 tlie settlement for some days previous. Mr. Lease's 
 house stood where the corner of Dupont and Clay 
 
 j ri 
 
254 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \\r 
 
 Streets now is. The boy was not seen afterwards. 
 Again, during the same same year, the second olli- 
 cer, with a gang of men, was sent on shore from 
 my ship to cut firewood on Rincon Point. At 
 noon they went towards a tree where tliey liad left 
 a lirlvin containing their dinner, and found a she 
 "grizzly" and her cub, with the firkin between 
 them, discussing its contents. Tlie wooding party 
 made for the shore as fast as possible, and hailed to 
 be taken ofi'. This was repeated a few days after, 
 when, with a party well armed, we went on shore 
 to hunt the beasts. We trackcc' he creatures to 
 where they took the water at Mission Creek, and 
 heard no more of them. 
 
 Up to Jidy 27t!i of the same year, the river Sac- 
 ramento had never been ascended by a ship's boat. 
 The Bay of San Francisco was well surveyed by 
 Beechy, but no survey was known to have been 
 made of the waters above the Bav of San Pablo. 
 On the day of the above date, I left the ship with 
 the cutter and six men, well armed and equipped, 
 for the purpose of visiting Captain Sutter, who had 
 begun a settlement about a hundred miles above 
 the bay. I had previously formed an acquaintance 
 with this gentleman, and, from his glowing ac- 
 count of the beauty of the country in that re- 
 gion, and his assurance that a keel boat had not 
 disturbed the waters of the Rio El Sacramento, I 
 felt very desirous to be the first visitor there from 
 the sea. For three months previous, the Captain 
 and supercargoes of the two ships who were to an- 
 chor at the bay, and to whom I proposed the expe- 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 255 
 
 ^rards. 
 a offi- 
 ; from 
 t. At 
 m\ left 
 a she 
 ctvvecn 
 S party 
 ailed to 
 s after, 
 11 shore 
 til res to 
 :ek, and 
 
 v'cr Sac- 
 p's boat, 
 eyed by 
 ve been 
 1 Pablo, 
 hip with 
 quipped, 
 who had 
 es above 
 aintancc 
 ving ac- 
 that re- 
 had not 
 niento, I 
 ere from 
 Captain 
 >re to :i ti- 
 the expe- 
 
 dition, were very eager to join in it, but when the 
 time came to move in the matter, they could not 
 go, and made many excuses. " It was a bad season 
 of the year, the river was low and the weather hot, 
 mosquitoes ravenous, bears were numerous, and 
 the Indians cannibals." I had made my prepara- 
 tions, and I went without them. The remarks that 
 follow are extracts taken from my log-book which 
 I kept at the time. 
 
 Leaving the ship at noon, we crossed the pas- 
 sage with a strong breeze in our favor. We passed 
 through the Bay of San Pablo, the Straits of Car- 
 quines, and ran across the Bay of Sia Suni. We 
 entered the Sacramento just after sundown, passing 
 the outlet of the San Joaquin about a mile inside of 
 the mouth of the Sacramento. The courses by com- 
 pass and the soundings had been observed and noted 
 (which I omit here). There was water enough for a 
 frigate to pass through the Straits, but there were 
 shoal spots between that and the river. With a 
 strong, fair wind, and a bright moon, we kept on 
 until the low " Tule," or Hag bottoms, were passed ; 
 reaching the high wooded banks, we encamped for 
 the night under a large sycamore, where we built 
 a fire and made cotlce. After a hearty supper we 
 spread our blankets, and, regardless of who might 
 be our neighbors, slept soundly until daylight. 
 After breakfast we started again. The camp we left 
 I judged to be about ninety-live miles from the ship. 
 We had scarcely pushed otV from the bank when 
 we observed a good-sized panther smelling around 
 the spot where we breakfasted. I gave him a part- 
 
 ' 1 
 
256 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ing shot, when he moved off, perhaps hit, perhaps 
 not. The greater part of this day wa§ passed in 
 sailing and rowing against a strong tide ; the heat 
 was so intense that we had to stop occasionally un- 
 der the wide-spreading shade of some lofty syca- 
 more. We lay by in the heat of the day, and thus 
 made but little progress. We saw several deer on 
 the banks, but they were out of reach, and many 
 otter in the wver, of which I obtained one. Passing 
 over a somewhat lengthy description of the beau- 
 tiful scenery around us, I resume the narrative to 
 say that the next day, at 1 1 a. m., we arrived at a 
 rancherie of Indians belonging to a tribe under the 
 jurisdiction of Captain Sutter. There were about 
 thirty of them stationed here, to catch and cure 
 fish for the Captain's establishment. The place 
 was afterwards called the " Russian Embarcadero" ; 
 it was about fifteen miles from Sutter's by the river, 
 but less than half that distance by land. 
 
 The heat being quite oppressive, I concluded to 
 rest here in the shade, and send a note across to 
 Captain Sutter, requesting that a horse be sent to 
 me. One of the Indians understood a little Span- 
 ish, and I had no trouble in making'my wishes un- 
 derstood by the old chief, who sent one of his fleet 
 rvmners with my note. In about three hours the 
 Major-domo of Captain Sutter arrived, bringing a 
 fine saddle-horse for me, and I rode with my guide 
 over a beautiful and rich tract of country, abounding 
 with flowers, shrubbery and forest. Coming in 
 sight of the fort, I was unexpectedly received by a 
 military salute ot cannon, and a gay display of 
 
yOHN SINCLAIR. 
 
 257 
 
 rhaps 
 2d in 
 ; heat 
 [y un- 
 
 syca- 
 1 thus 
 jer oil 
 
 many 
 assing 
 
 beaii- 
 ;ive to 
 d at a 
 ler the 
 ; about 
 d cure 
 place 
 dero"; 
 e river, 
 
 ided to 
 :ross to 
 sent to 
 J Span- 
 hes un- 
 lis fleet 
 urs the 
 iging a 
 lY guide 
 aunding 
 ning in 
 ed by a 
 play of 
 
 flags. I received a most cordial welcome, and was 
 soon seated at dinner, which consisted mostly of 
 venison cooked in various ways. Captain Sutter 
 is now too well known to need here a repetition of 
 his history, which I had from himself, twenty-eight 
 years ago. His name and fame as one of the bold- 
 est pioneers, and his connection with the discovery 
 of gold, inseparably link his history with that of 
 California. 
 
 .Vbout three miles from Sutter's Fort, on the 
 right bank of the American Fork, resided Jjahn Sin- 
 clair, who planted himself here shortly after Cap- 
 tain Sutter made a beginning. Sinclair was an 
 intelligent Scotchman of considerable education, 
 hardy and enterprising ; he had been some years in 
 the employ of the Hudson Bay Company, but pos- 
 sessed too much spirit and independence to remain 
 subject to the arbitrary requirements of that service. 
 He left it and went to the Sandwich Islands, and 
 for some time edited a newspaper there, but his old 
 habits of hunting and trapping were too strong to 
 be overcome, and he emigrated to California. In 
 connection with his neighbor, Captain Sutter, he 
 managed to control a number of Indian tribes, 
 among whom they found abundant help in culti- 
 vating their wheat-fields and managing cattle. 
 These two men, 'it the time of my first visit, were 
 the only ones in that region who had " a habitation 
 and a name." 
 
 I spent a week in exploring the river above New 
 Helvetia, as the settlement was called, enjoyed a 
 successful elk hunt with my host, and returned 
 »7 
 
 vS 
 
 .^ I 
 
i' 
 
 111! 
 
 f 
 
 
 11 
 
 IF 1^ 
 
 
 1^1' ""'' 
 
 
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 9 ', M "> 
 
 
 Hi: 
 
 !! 1 
 
 ffia '■' 1 ' 
 
 1 
 
 II' 
 
 i 1 
 
 258 
 
 FO/iE AND AFT. 
 
 down the river much gratillcd with my visit. My 
 good' friends, Captain Sutter and Mr. Sinchiir, had 
 collected a great many beautiful articles of Indian 
 manufacture, such as fnic woven ornamental bas- 
 kets, feather blankets, bows, arrows, etc., which 
 they kindly forced me to accept ; as I was their lirst 
 visitor from the sea, they said I was entitled to' them. 
 Dropping down the river at night, with a bright 
 moon and a cloudless sky, the scene was indeed 
 lovely. It was quite calm ; I let the rowers lay on 
 their oars, to take a nap, w ie the current was 
 sweeping us along. The river at this place was 
 broad ; on either side were spread thick primeval 
 forests, where the sound of the axe had never been 
 heard ; the lofty sycamores threw their broad shade 
 along the margin of the silver surface of the beau- 
 tiful river; but all was silent, save the chirping of 
 the cricket, and the gentle rippling of the eddies as 
 the majestic torrent moved in solitary grandeur to 
 mingle with the sea. I saw the waters run and 
 shoot onward like the course of destiny, and I 
 thought how the tide of time sweeps on to eternity. 
 So passes man! IIow applicable are the lines of 
 Bryant to this solitude. He sang of its sister river, 
 *' Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound save 
 his own dashings." Here the waters are seldom 
 disturbed by the oar or whitened by a sail; the 
 trapper paddles his canoe along the margin to en- 
 trap the beaver, or, monthly, a sail-boat from New 
 Helvetia drops down on her way to Yerba Buena ; 
 all else is silent. We reached the ship on the third 
 day. 
 
A HISTORICAL FACT. 
 
 259 
 
 My 
 
 r, had 
 ndian 
 1 bas- 
 which 
 ir first 
 'them, 
 bright 
 indeed 
 hiy on 
 nt was 
 ce was 
 imcval 
 Dr been 
 J shade 
 e beau- 
 :)ing of 
 Idies as 
 deur to 
 un and 
 
 and I 
 
 ternity. 
 
 incs of 
 
 :r river, 
 
 nd save 
 
 seldom 
 ail; the 
 in to en- 
 )m New 
 
 Buena ; 
 the third 
 
 And iJiis I claim to have been the jfifst passage 
 of a ship's boat on that river., and the first time 
 that the Stars and Stripes tvaved over its waters. 
 
 The United States ship Mncennes., the flag-ship 
 of the South Exploring Expedition, arrived at San 
 Francisco the following August, in charge of Cap- 
 tain Ringgokl, and the first regular survey of the 
 river war begun by him with seven boats from that 
 ship, August 30, 1841. I copy from the Cali/or- 
 nian., the first newspaper printed in the country, 
 edited and published by Rev. Walter Colton, Chap- 
 lain of the frigate Congress., and Robert Semple, 
 who came to California as docttjr in Fremont's 
 Exploring Expedition, the following article written 
 by Mr. Colton, under date of Monterey, February 6, 
 1847 ' — 
 
 " The Sacramento Valley is now fast filling up 
 with an active and industrious population. Civili- 
 zation, with its himianizing blessings, will soon 
 make the wilderness blossom like the rose, and the 
 day is not far distant when the lovely banks of the 
 Sacramento will be dotted with fur cities, towns, . 
 and villages, resounding with the h'lsy hum of agri- 
 culture, commerce, and manufactures. The broad 
 bosom of its waters, which has for ages upon ages 
 been undisturbed, save by the solitary frail rush 
 canoe of the Indians, will ere long be whitened by 
 the numerous sails, or darkened by the smoke of 
 adventurous commerce. In after years, when our 
 
 children are reaping the bh 
 
 ''* 
 
 li 
 
 ■ f 
 
 Hi 
 
 of 
 
 peace anc 
 
 mgs 
 prosperity in this fair region, beneath the broad 
 
|i r:i 
 
 260 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \k 1 
 
 I i 1:1 
 
 folds of the 'Star-Spangled Banner,' should some 
 curious person ask, Who fh*st displayed tlie glorious 
 emblem on this majestic river? for the edification 
 of such we would inform them that Captain W. 
 D. Phelps, of the good ship Alert., of Boston, 
 owned by Messrs. Bryant, Sturgis & Co., with a 
 boat from that ship, for the purpose of trade and 
 discovery, was the first one to ascend the river with 
 a keel boat, and first to exhibit the flag of our 
 country to the wondering savages of these solitudes." 
 
 VV' 
 
THE COMMODORE JONES WAR. 261 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Mi' 
 
 THE COMMODORE JONES WAR. 
 
 OCTOBER 28th, 1842, we were at San Diego, 
 getting the ship ready to load for home, when 
 I received a note trom our supercargo, Mr. Rob- 
 inson, at Santa Barbara, saying that war was de- 
 clared between Mexico and the United States ; 
 that Commodore Jones, with two ships, had taken 
 Monterey and hoisted the American flag on the 
 fort, without any fighting ; that General Michel- 
 tonena, with a large force, had left Los Angelos 
 for San Diego, to seize the American property 
 there. I was instructed to abandon the property on 
 shore if it seemed necessary for the preservation of 
 the ship, but to use my own judgment in the 
 matter. The courier who brought the note, said 
 the troops would be upon us in twenty-four hours. 
 We had over thirty thousand hides on shore, 
 which we had been thirty months in collecting and 
 curing. They were not to be given up without a 
 struggle ; therefore, while a part of the crew were 
 getting the stores on board from the hide-house, 
 others were bending sails, and getting the ship in u 
 condition to leave the port in a hurry, when we could 
 no longer remain. The ballast was all out of the 
 ship, and it would take a week of regular work to 
 
 1 
 
 
 ill 
 
 ifi 
 
r"i33:i 
 
 •'^i^."7trff!^ ^rrTr^y^rifTji-w,i.'\-Ay- 
 
 262 
 
 FORE AND APT. 
 
 1 
 
 get her rcndv to leave, so wc adopted the only meas- 
 ures possible for defence. 
 
 The fort, on a narrow point two rnlles below us, 
 must be passeil within a stone's throw in going out. 
 It 'vas important to secure that. There were five 
 beautiful long brass cighteens and three iron twenty- 
 foms in the battery, but no garrison; therefore to 
 spike tlie guns, pick up a barrel of copper shot 
 that would fit the siiip'sgnnb, and throv/ all the rest 
 overboard, was not a difficult job. The only road 
 kadii:g to tiie beach was by a liigli bank ; tlie ship 
 ^van moored with a view to command this, i^nd all the 
 guns, six in number, placed in position. The next 
 day five canoes came in from sea-otte. hunting ; each 
 one contained two hunters, Ajnericans, who could 
 put a rifle ball through an otter's head at a liundred 
 yards while the boat was in motion. They had 
 four thousand dollars worth of furs from their hunt, 
 which 1 invited them to put on board the ship and 
 there defend them,— which ofler they gladly ac- 
 cev^ted. We had taken on board nearly half of the 
 cargo, by working night and d.ay, and were still 
 driving at ine wck, expecting the next hour to be 
 engaged at 'he guns, when anot!)cr courier arrived 
 with a leUcr, saying that Commodore Jones had 
 made a mistake. He found in an )ld newspaper 
 of more recent date than he had seen previous to his 
 arrival, that war had not been declared ; conse- 
 quently he rehoistcd tlie Mexican flag on the fort, 
 and vsaluted it. Our courier passed Michcltonena 
 fcud his vagabonds, who were intending to pay us a 
 visit, within tv.o hours' march of the ship ; they 
 
SEA-OTTER, 
 
 263 
 
 also received orders whicli turned thim back, much 
 to the regret of my '• boys in blue." Tims ended 
 ** Tlic Commodore Jones Wai." 
 
 The sea-oUer, which were once very numerous 
 on the coast and islands, a.\' nearly exterminated. 
 Scnor Amador, the Major-domo of the Mission of 
 San Jose, told me that, with three or four Inilians, 
 he rode to Point Saint Qiiintcn, on the Sanchez 
 Ranchc, near San Francisco, in 1830, and cau<,dit, 
 by lassooing, thirty sea-otter out of about a hundred 
 which were on the shore. Previous to 1S46 there 
 was 1* small community of these animals t*liat had 
 not been disturbed, about the entrance of Sonoma 
 Creek, and were under the special care of General 
 Vallego, who would not allow them to be hunted ; 
 but, in the above year, some hunters from Santa 
 Barbara were at the Bay, and not having the fear 
 of the General before their eyes, paddled their 
 light canoes to the spot, and shot every one of 
 them. Thcv obtained fortvtwo skins, worth sixtv 
 dollars apiece ; after which " slaughter of the in- 
 nocents " I never heard of one being seen in the Bay. 
 
 In former years the sea-otter, being unmolested, 
 came on shore to brinj:; forth their young. Being 
 much hunted, they abandoned the shores altogether, 
 and took refuge in the thick, tanj^led masses of kelp 
 which abound at a short distance from the land. The 
 hunters, during the summer season, have followed 
 the coast in pursuit of th'Mii. During the forenoon, 
 vyhen it is calm, they soiretimes find the animals 
 basking in the sun on the kelp; but they are so 
 watchful that it is difficult ^o approach them within 
 
 
1 • 
 
 - i. 
 
 ! 1 
 
 111.. 
 
 -._-. **». f 
 
 264 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 shot, — the usual distance at which they shoot being 
 from seventy-five to a hundred yards, — and t'.'.en 
 they are very careful to put a ball through the head, 
 as a hole through the body would spoil the sale of 
 the skin. With the canoe in motion this is great 
 shooting, and only attained by much practice ; yet 
 they tell me they seldom miss. The party referred 
 to as coming on board with their hunt, was com- 
 posed of the most noted canoe luuiters on the coast; 
 they had hunted from vSanta Barbara to a hundred 
 miles south of San Diego, and were now returning. 
 Their method is to launch their canoes in the 
 morning, when it is usually calm, and the water 
 smooth, and hunt until a breeze springs up and the 
 water becomes rough. They then land at the near- 
 est convenient place, haul up their boats, and camp 
 until another opportunity oilers to put out. When 
 in camp they clean and dry the skins, and obtain 
 provisions; they often obtain a deer or other game 
 on shore, while fish abound on every part of the 
 coast and at the islands. 
 
 Sea-otter hunting is considered a perilous busi- 
 ness, as the boats used in its prosecution are necessa- 
 rily quite small. The hunters meet with adventures 
 of a thrilling character on shore. For example, one 
 of this party was a colored man, named Stuart. 
 He was a man of great strength, and a good shot. 
 One day ihey had landed as usual, towards noon, 
 hauled their boats up, made a fire, and, while 
 preparing their dinner, Stuart started olVwith his 
 rifle to look up a deer. He iiad been absent a short 
 time when his companions heard him shoot, and 
 
FIGHT WITH A GRIZZLT. 
 
 265 
 
 expected soon to see him return with his game ; but 
 as he diil not make his appearance, hite in the day 
 some of the party went in pursuit, and at about 
 half a mile distant from tiic camp they found a 
 large grizzly bear, dead, lying on his side, with 
 Stuart in his close embrace, bleeding, and too weak 
 to extricate liimself. The man and bear were sep- 
 arated, and the former taken to camp, where, when 
 his wounds were dressed, and when sr-mcwhat re- 
 stored, he told his story as follows : He had shot at 
 and wounded a deer, which limped olV into a thicket 
 near by. He knew she could not go far, and laid 
 down his rifle to follow her. Discovering his game 
 in a thick brush, he crowded through to get her, 
 when he was suddenly confronted by Grizzly. Be- 
 fore he had time to reach his hunting-knife from the 
 sheath buckled round him, he found himself in the 
 embrace of the bear. The bear had his paws over 
 Stuar's shoulders, with his terrible claws deeply in- 
 serted in his flesh, and had bitten him severely on 
 his breast. Stuart, with both hands, seized the bear 
 by the throat, and endeavored to choke him. This 
 operation kept Bruin from biting again, but the 
 ciaws sa.ik deeper, and the blood flowed freely 
 from the wounds. Thus far it was a stand-up fight. 
 Stuart now thought to release one of his hands from 
 the throat of the bear, and get hold of his knife, but 
 this gave his antagonist the advantage, and he was 
 again in the act of taking another bite, vhcn both 
 hands were successfully applied to the choking pro- 
 cess, an^'i the co-Tibatants fell to the ground closely 
 locked together. Both were getting weaker, the 
 
 \ M 
 
 
 i % I 
 
 ■1; 
 
 \\\ 
 
 II: 
 
H i 
 
 • 
 
 ^6 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 one bv the loss of blood and the other bv chokinjr. 
 Stuart made another attempt to get liis knife, but 
 in the tussle it had worked behind him, so that at 
 every ellbrt to reach it the bear would gain an ad- 
 vantage. Therefore his only chance was to give 
 the animal a long and strong grip before his own 
 loss of blood should cause him to faint ; the grip 
 was maintained until the bear was nearly used up, 
 when the knife was reached, and Stuart's remain- 
 ing strength was exhausted in plunging it up to the 
 handle in the heart of the beast. Thus the bear 
 was dead, and the man had fainted, and in thii con- 
 dition they were found ; the bear with his claws still 
 in Stuart's back, and he, havi..g regained conscious- 
 ness, was too feeble to get away from his enemy, 
 who stuck to him " closer than a brother." 
 
 The fuv-seal, once very numerous about the coast 
 and islands, are wholly extinct. Since their destruc- 
 tion on the Farralones, by Mr. Gale's party, these 
 islands have abounded with hair-seal. The latter 
 were also to be found at most of the inlands I have 
 visited on the coast. 1 have killed manv sea-cle* 
 phants on tht Coronadas, and at the islant. ol Santa 
 Barbara, or their oil, but 1 never saw a tur-scai on 
 shore there. 
 
 Some of these islands formerly had an Indian 
 population, but they have passed away. Tlie «»nly 
 history ( could find of niem was gleuncil fiom iho 
 otter hunters. I copy ti»cir account from my journal 
 written at San Pedro, m 1841 : *' In 1825 the t-sland 
 of San jN icholas was the only one of the gr<nip wiiich 
 had not l)«C(jme depopulated (how they became so \% 
 
THE COAST INDIANS. 
 
 267 
 
 not known). At this time there were on San Nich- 
 oh»s thirty Inchan sTjen ami twcnty-tiircc women. 
 During that year a party of Russian hunters and 
 Kociiaks, ninnherinj:^ twenty-live persons, from the 
 Russian territory on the north-west, were left there 
 to hunt for sea-otter among the islands along the 
 coast, making tliis ihland their depot. 
 
 '* After having many quarrels with th.e Indians re- 
 specting the women, the Russians killed all the 
 men except one, who escaped batily wountled, and 
 took possession of the women. 'I'he Russians lived 
 with theiu about a year, wnen one tlay, when their 
 masters were drunk, they embraced the oppor- 
 tunity to gratify the revenge which may sltmiber in 
 an Indian's bosom, but never dies, and destroyed 
 every Russian and Kodiak in their sleep. Three 
 years ago there weic* but three wt)men, and the man 
 who escapeil the massacre, living on the island " 
 
 Ca|ltain Robbins, from whom I have this account, 
 culled tliere with a vessel, and pcrsuadeil two of the 
 females to leave the island ami go to the main, 
 where they were kindly provided for. The other 
 ran away, and could not be caught, and is now oc- 
 casionally seen by the hunters who visit there, but is 
 too wiKl to be api>roached. The n»an was brought 
 to Mr. Foster's, at San Pedro, where I frequently 
 saw him, much disilgiued, and blinil from his 
 wouiuls. 
 
 After the Commodore Tones war was ended, we 
 wvie IcH to our ^HMceful pursuits, — to load the 
 &hip and wend 010 way homeward. We arrived at 
 Boston with a full cajgo, in a passage of one hun- 
 
 !' n 
 
 •r i\ 
 
""•^"WT" 
 
 '!!■ 
 
 if^iil 
 
 268 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 dred and twenty-tlirec days, after an absence of 
 three years, three montlis, and tliirteen days. The 
 entire crew who sailed from Boston in the ship re- 
 turned in her, excepting a hid, who was drowned 
 while bntliing in the surf. This was the last voy- 
 age fitted out by IJryant, Sturgis & Co., and I had 
 reason to believe it was conducted to their satisfac- 
 tion. To give some idea of the labor and incidents 
 of one of ihose voyages, I will state that we were 
 seven times at vSan Francisco, thirteen at Monterey, 
 three at Santa Cruz, four at St. Louis, seventeen at 
 Santa liarbara, seventeen at San Pedro, five at 
 Refugio, and returned to our depot ten times, fre- 
 quently anchoring at various other places along 
 shore. The bovver anchor was hove up one 
 hundred and thirty-one times, and we killed and 
 consumed, while on the coast, two hundred and 
 three bullocks. In collecting and curing a hide 
 cargo, and, finally stowing the same on board ship, 
 each hitle has to be handled twenty-two times. 
 
 It is much to l)c regretted that the late Captain 
 William Sturgis <iid not prepare and publish a his- 
 tory of the early trade of the North-west Coast and 
 California ; from his own practical experience and" 
 keen observation, he was most eminently qualified 
 to give a reliable and valuable work. lion. Sam- 
 uel Hooper, the junior member of the firm of 
 Messrs. Bryant, Sturgis & Co., informs irc that 
 Mr. Sturgis luai\ed all his old journals to some per- 
 son who was going to the Pacific, and, much to his 
 regret, they were never returned. 
 
THE HUDSON BAT COMPANT. 
 
 26^ 
 
 :nce of 
 i. The 
 ship ic- 
 rovvncd 
 xst voy- 
 .1 I had 
 satisfac- 
 icidcnts 
 ve were 
 :)nterev, 
 ntccn at 
 five at 
 nes, fre- 
 :s along 
 up one 
 led and 
 red and 
 ' a hide 
 ird ship, 
 lies. 
 
 Captain 
 ih a his- 
 oast and 
 !nce and 
 ;pjalifieil 
 )n. Sam- 
 firm of 
 n:: that 
 J me per- 
 ch to his 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY. 
 
 IT is well known that the above powerfid body, 
 in pursuance of their determined system of mo- 
 nopolizing all the benefits of the ftu* trade on the 
 North-west Coast, finally compellctl our ships to 
 relinquish the business. It is true that the Com- 
 pany treated the Americans who came to the coast 
 by land or sea with the utmost kindness and hos- 
 pitality, so long as no interference was oflered with 
 their trade. The weary emigiant or missionary 
 from the United States, or anv other countr\', was 
 well received at the Company's establishments, and 
 assisteil in his object, if it was not of a com- 
 mercial character ; but if a sL^p arrived on the coast 
 for the purpose of hunting, to trap, or trade with 
 the natives, unconnected witii their Company, their 
 whole force was directed against such an enterprise. 
 The price of beaver was three dollars a pi)und 
 throughout the coast. An Anuric.ui ship arriving, 
 the Company's agent would ii^imediately purchase 
 every pound in the hands of trappers and natives. 
 If the ship would ofier a higher price, the agents 
 of the Company would purchase at a higher, or any 
 price, to obtain it. 
 
 Indeed with such an organization, with their im- 
 
 4 
 1 (.' 
 
ti ' 
 
 lil I 
 
 270 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 mcnse wealth, no other company or body of men 
 could compete, and consequently, for many years 
 previous to 1840, the fur trade of the North was 
 almost wholly in their hands. 
 
 At the time when, by convention, it was agreed 
 that our people had equal rights with the Honor- 
 able Company in the waters of the Columbia River, 
 an expedition was fitted out from a port in Massa- 
 chusetts for the purpose of catching and curing 
 salmon at the Columbia. On the arrival of the 
 vessel at the river, Doctor McLaughlin, the Hudson 
 Bay Company's chief factor resident at the Colum- 
 bia, was waited upon by the head of the party, who 
 informed him of their intentions, and hoped that 
 there would be no objection to their establishing 
 their fishery. The reply was, "• We are happy to 
 see you, gentlemen ; the river and the fish are yours 
 as much as ours, — go on with your business, catch 
 all the fish you can ; you cannot interfere with us 
 in the least; shall always be glad to see you at 
 the fort, and to render you any assistance in our 
 power." 
 
 This certainly was encourngin":. The party se- 
 lected a site to put up their cooperage and land 
 their salt, and when they were all ready they began 
 to set their nets in the river. Immediately the ser- 
 vants of the Honorable Company put their nets 
 above every one of the new comers, and prevented 
 the fish from'being caught by the Yankees, — and 
 all this was done in such a very polite manner that 
 ofience could not be taken. 
 
 Not satisfied with driving us from the North- 
 
THE TRADE OF SAN FRANCISCO. 271 
 
 of men 
 y years 
 rth was 
 
 agreed 
 
 Ilonor- 
 \ River, 
 
 Massa- 
 
 ciiring 
 
 i of the 
 
 Iludson 
 
 Colum- 
 vty, who 
 peel that 
 iblisliing 
 happy to 
 ire yours 
 ;ss, catch 
 
 with us 
 you at 
 in our 
 
 larty se- 
 nd land 
 lov began 
 the scr- 
 icir nets 
 M'evented 
 cs, — and 
 nner that 
 
 le North- 
 
 west, tliey followed us to California. In a volu- 
 minous work recently published on California, in 
 speaking of the early trade, the writer says the 
 Iludson Bay Company had the most of the trade 
 at San Francisco in their hands from 1837 ^" 1S41. 
 This is a mistake. Previous to that year their only 
 trade in California had been ^or cattle and wheat 
 from the north side of the bay. They had some 
 parties of trappers and hunters about the Bay of 
 Sia Sune and the mouth of the Sacramento, but 
 with the other parts of the coast they had no inter- 
 course. The cattle jDurchased in California were 
 driven to Oregon, and a vessel came to the bay 
 once a year to bring supplies for their trappers, and 
 procure wheat. 
 
 In Janu'iry, 1842, the Company's bark Cowlitz 
 came to San Francisco with a cargo of goods, to 
 open a general traffic with the people of the coun- 
 try, and, in short, to monopolize the trade of Cali- 
 fornia. With the ship came Sir George Simpson, 
 the Deputy Governor of the Company, and Doctor 
 McLaughlin, the chief factor, together with a num- 
 ber of under officers of various grades. The house 
 built by Jacob P. Leese, with a hundred vara lot 
 of land, was purchased, their cargo landed, and 
 their first trading-post in California was then estab- 
 lished. 
 
 When the sliip left the port, Mr. Glen Rae, an 
 under factor, and son-in-law of Dr. McLaughlin, 
 was left in charge of the business. Mr. Rae was a 
 Scotchman (as most of the Company's officers 
 were), and very socially inclined. We Yankees 
 
 ^1!|' I 
 
 m 
 
rv 
 
 272 
 
 FO/i£ AND AFT. 
 
 Ill 
 
 m 
 
 SSII'HR 
 
 i-H 1 
 
 were desirous of fiiuliiig out the intentions of our 
 powerful competitors, and were often visitors at the 
 establishment of our friend Rae, especially at even- 
 ing, when he was prone to indulge in the " barley 
 brae." At such times he was quite communicative. 
 In one of his merry moods he told us that it cost 
 his Company seventy-five thousand pounds to drive 
 Bryant & Sturgis from the North-west fur trade. 
 *' And they will drive you Yankees," he said, " from 
 California, if it costs a million." Before leaving 
 here, Sir George and other of the Company's offi- 
 cers proceeded down the coast. He had lately 
 crossed from the Atlantic, via Hudson's Bay, to 
 the Columbia River, partly in canoes, visiting all 
 the principal stations and trading-posts on the route 
 from the Columbia to their extreme northern post, 
 touching the Russian territory, thence to the Sand- 
 wich Islands. And now in California he was vis- 
 iting every part of the coast, spying out all business 
 that was doing, and who was doing it, making 
 himself acquainted with the people, dancing at 
 their fandangoes with the pretty Senoritas, and their 
 niothers also, puffing a cigarltto with the old Don, 
 and sparijig no ellbrt or expense to make a good 
 impression for the interests of the great Company 
 he represented. Sir George, in fact, was a man of 
 indomitable energy and perseverance, of free and 
 courteous manners, and a great favorite with all ; 
 but he could not compete with the Boston traders. 
 Their system of doing business was dillcrent, and 
 far better adapted to the condition of the Califor- 
 nians. 
 
of our 
 
 at the 
 t cvcn- 
 barley 
 icativc. 
 it cost 
 o drive 
 • trade. 
 , ^' from 
 leaving 
 ly's offi- 
 \ lately 
 Bay, to 
 iting all 
 he route 
 ;rn post, 
 le Sand- 
 was vis- 
 business 
 
 making 
 ucing at 
 ind their 
 
 M Don, 
 a good 
 
 bmpany 
 man of 
 
 iVcc and 
 
 ,vith all; 
 traders. 
 
 rent, and 
 Califor- 
 
 A SPECIAfEN WRAPPER. 
 
 273 
 
 Doctor McLaughlin, who was chief factor of all 
 the Company's business west of tiic Rocky Moun- 
 tains, was a very modest, unafsuming, and kiml- 
 hcarted man. He had spent most of his life in the 
 Company's service, at the Columbia River. His 
 hospitality and frientiship have always '<ecn ex- 
 tended to distressed emigrants and others. Many 
 of our countrvmen who have visited the Columbia 
 River, speak of him in the higiiest terms. 
 
 At the time of this visit the Company had a trad- 
 ing party of seventy men above tl.e B y of San 
 Francisco, in charge of Mr. Ermitinger, who was 
 Captain of all the Company's hunters and trappers 
 west of the Mountains. I met tills gentleman fre- 
 quently while visiting his friend Rae, at th( Yerba 
 Buena, and was much interested in him. lie was 
 a fair specimen of many who have risen to posi- 
 tions of responsibility by long and laborious service. 
 Beginning at the lowest round of the ladder, with 
 low pay, compelled to perform duty in any capacity 
 and in any place to which they may be ordered, at 
 the desk, or chopping wood, pulling an oar or cul- 
 tivating the ground, the Company's servants are 
 promoted, from time to time, according to their 
 capacity and merit. Ermitinger was a good repre- 
 sentative \,'.."\ of his class, — hardy, vigorous, and 
 active; ertrav/iT^ant in word, thought, and dccd^ 
 heedless o' h;; 'dship, daring of danger, prodigal 
 of the present, and thoughtless of the future. 
 
 Twenty-five years' life as a trapper and a chief 
 of trappers, had accustomed him to perilous en- 
 counters with bears and Indians. His simple and 
 18 
 
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 ^^\%^^ 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
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 1.25 
 
 IK 
 
 ilM IIIIM 
 
 IIM IIIII2.2 
 
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 IIHO 
 
 2.0 
 
 mm 
 
 U III 1.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4')03 
 
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 6^ 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
274 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \ I 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 1 
 
 i I 
 
 frank manner in relating them contrasted singularly 
 with the wild and startling nature of his themes. 
 I was amused at a remark of his, which showed the 
 contempt in which these sons of the wilderness 
 hold the comforts of civilized life. " Captain," 
 said he, " this is the first time I have slept in a 
 house for two years, and last night I did a thing 
 which I have not done for twenty-four years : I 
 slept in sheets, but I was drunk, and Rae put me 
 into them, therefore the sin must lie at his door." 
 
 One evening I was at Mr. Rae's, at a small party. 
 Ermitinger was present. In the course of the even- 
 ing Padre , of the Mission of Saint Rafael, en- 
 tered the room, pretty well " sprung," and began 
 to use disgusting familiarities with the company, 
 such as hugging and kissing the gentlemen after 
 the Spanish fashion, — which is annoying to most 
 people, especially when the parties are both of the 
 male sex. The priest embraced those he knew, 
 and proposed to extend his fraternal caress to 
 Ermitinger, who was a stranger. After an intro- 
 duction, when he made advances for that purpose, 
 the trapper tried to avoid the contact. He told him 
 " he was glad to see him, but he did not allow any 
 man to put his hands on him/' In vain we tried 
 to keep the priest quiet; but as he increased his 
 libations, so grew his foolish persistence. .Making 
 a desperate effort to accomplish his purpose, most 
 unexpectedly he came in contact with the back of 
 the hunter's hand, which sent him sprawling across 
 the room. " Stranger," said Ermitinger, " when I 
 was in the Rocky Mountains I swore that I would 
 
FAILURE OF THE ENTERPRISE. 
 
 275 
 
 ularly 
 lemes. 
 ■ed the 
 ,erness 
 3tain," , 
 t in a 
 , thing 
 ars: I 
 Hit me 
 3or." 
 I party. 
 le even- 
 ael, en- 
 l began 
 mpany, 
 ;n after 
 to most 
 1 of the 
 ! knew, 
 iress to 
 n intro- 
 nirpose, 
 old him 
 low any 
 tve tried 
 ised his 
 Making 
 se, most 
 jack of 
 2 across 
 when I 
 I would 
 
 never allow myself to be hugged by a Blackfoot 
 Indian or a grizzly bear ; but I would suffer the 
 embraces of either in preference to those of a 
 drunken priest." The poor Padre found he was 
 **^barking up the wrong tree ; " and as his cowl and 
 shaven crown found but little reverence in such 
 rude company, he thought he had better leave, 
 which he accordingly did. 
 
 The experiment of the Hudson Bay Company in 
 the California trade was a failure ; their long estab- 
 lished system of cash or barter, and no credit, could 
 not be departed from. The people of the country 
 had no money ; they had been accustomed to buy 
 their goods of the Boston ships on credit, and to 
 pay for them in hides and tallow when they could. 
 With them they knew they could continue to traffic 
 in this manner, so that the Honorable Company's 
 factor found no customers. Poor Rae was discour- 
 aged, and took to drinking freely. I.i about a year 
 he made a bad matter worse, by putting a bullet 
 through his head. He was buried in the yard back 
 of his house, which stood at the corner of Clay and 
 Dupont Streets. Some months afterwards, a ship 
 was sent from the Columbia to take away his family 
 and remove his body, with all the Company's effects. 
 Tiic building and land were sold to Melius & How- 
 ard, in i846, for five thousand dollars. Thus ended 
 the attempt to " drive the Yankees out of Cali- 
 fornia." 
 
 It is a well-known fact, that the fur trade is less ^ 
 productive than formerly in all the territory of the 
 Hi.dson Bay Company, on account of the diminu- 
 
 1! 
 
 fil: 
 
 '1 ' ]' ^ 
 
 'If 
 
 i 
 
 hf 
 
 if 
 ill 
 
 In I 
 
^ 276 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 tion of the number of fur-bearing animals, and es- 
 pecially of the sea-otter of the coast. This may in 
 part account for their evident desire to extend their 
 business operations in the direction of California. 
 The Company are very careful in the management 
 of their hunting districts ; particular portions of 
 them are hunted and trapped over in one season, 
 and then a sufficient number of animals being left 
 to secure a future crop, the district is left unmo- 
 lested for a number of years. Their immense tracts 
 of hunting-grounds, with innumerable lakes and 
 watercourses, spreading from the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific, afford ample room to crop or cultivate the 
 fur fields as thev choose. 
 
 A certain amount of furs is shipped to England 
 each year. 'The quantity of each kind necessary to 
 supply the markets of London and Leipsic, where 
 the greater annual sales take place, is known to 
 the directors, who instruct their factors not to take 
 more furs than is sufficient to supply the demand. 
 In case of a surplus on hand, furs are sometimes 
 destroyed to prevent overstocking the market. Mr. 
 Rae informed me that one year previous to 1840, he 
 superintended the burning of thirty thousand fur- 
 skins which had accumulated above the needful 
 number to ship, the Company's agents having made 
 large purchases to prevent their falling into other 
 hands. 
 
 f - ....-•.- 
 
 L^ 
 
HOW CALIFORNIA BECAME OURS. 
 
 277 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 li 
 
 left 
 
 HOW CALIFORNIA BECAME OURS. 
 
 AGAIN in September, 1S45, I sailed with the 
 bark AIoscow for California, on a trading 
 voyage on the coast, as Captain and supercargo, 
 being also interested as owner. I was also to 
 take charge of and direct the voyage of the ship 
 Sterlings which had been on the coast about a year, 
 and belonged principally to the same owners as the 
 Moscow^ Joseph B. Eaton, Esq., and others. In 
 one hundred and liiirty-six days' passage we arrived 
 at San Pedro; and as the Governor, " Pio Pico," 
 was residing at Los Angelos, I hoped to be allowed 
 entry at this port. This was not permitted, and I 
 was ordered to Monterey, as being the only port 
 of entry. 
 
 Early in March commenced the series of events 
 which resulted in the occupation of the country by 
 the United States forces. I am well aware that the 
 story has been told by a number of writers ^v o 
 were not in the country at the, time, and by some 
 who never have been there, and whose statements 
 in many instances are not as correct as they might 
 have been had the writers been in the vicinity of the 
 operations. Any facts throwing light on the early 
 movements towards the possession of California, 
 
 \ 1 1 
 
 '•vi, 
 
 ■'■'"B 
 
 'I 
 
 bq 
 p 
 
■ 8' 
 
 I 
 
 1=! 
 
 V. 
 
 -s 
 
 278 
 
 r07?E AND AFT. 
 
 may hereafter become of much interest to the histo- 
 rian. Therefore, as I was in that country during 
 the entire war with Mexico, had much to do with 
 both arms of the service in chartering ships for 
 transporting men and material, furnishing supplies, 
 and in various ways cooperating with our forces 
 there, it is fair to assume that my observations of 
 those times are worthy of credit, especially as the 
 occurrences there were of frequent and almost 
 daily record. 
 
 About the ist of March, Fremont, who was then 
 Captain, came to the neighborhood of San Juan, 
 about fifty miles from Monterey, with his exploring 
 expedition, worn down and exhausted by severe 
 toil. His object in coming there was to recruit the 
 party, and ask permission of the authorities in Mon- 
 terey to proceed south to Santa Barbara, to get the 
 stores and provisions which had been placed there 
 for him by the American Consul. Leaving his 
 camp, Captain Fremont, with one or two men, came 
 into town and called upon the Military Comu^andant, 
 Gen. Jose Castro, in company with Mr. Larkin, the 
 American Consul. The request was made and 
 granted. Castro was in^ bed, and pretended sick- 
 ness ; he tcld Fremont to camp in any place he 
 thought proper, and remain in the country as long 
 as he wished. Fremont thanked him, saying he 
 was only desirous of remaining long enough to 
 recruit man and beast, when he should return to the 
 United States, and requested that the permission 
 should be given in writing, so careful was he not to 
 violate any rights of the country. Castro flared up : 
 
THE WILY CASTRO. 
 
 279 
 
 *' He was a Soldato Mexicano ; he was too unwell 
 to write ; his word was as good as his bond." 
 Capt. Fremont was led by such assertions to believe 
 he was dealing with a man of honor. They parted 
 with very profuse offers of assistance on the part 
 of Castro, and Capt. Fremont returned to establish 
 his camp in a suitable place, where the animals 
 were turned out to feed, and the men employed in 
 the usual camp duties. Capt. Fremont sent an 
 officer to Monterey with his compliments to the 
 Consul, requesting a few needful articles to be sent 
 him, and saying that in a few days he should visit 
 him with a few officers to pay his respects, etc. 
 
 And now we will see what preparations Mr. 
 Castro was making, in the meantime, to entertain 
 his guest, notwithstanding his repeated protestations 
 of friendship (which in a Mexican are very wordy, 
 but mean nothing). No sooner had the Captain 
 left town, than Castro immediately set about raising 
 a force to drive the Americans out of the country ; 
 and when the officer with the note from camp 
 arrived in town, Castro was actually on his way, 
 with over two hundred well mounted men, and 
 a field-piece, to attack the camp, calling upon the 
 people of the country to unite with him in cutting 
 the throats of the Americans, whom he designated 
 as robbers, vagabonds, etc., etc. ; all of which, 
 though coming with the utmost ease from a Mex- 
 ican throat, cannot be swallowed with equal ease 
 by a Yankee. I was at the Consulate when the 
 man arrived ; and while Mr. Larkin was preparing 
 an answer I also wrote a no.e to Fremont, with 
 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 % 
 
 I 
 
 u 
 
 \ 
 
 l)j gj} 
 
 v. 
 
 4 
 
28o 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 'h, 
 
 offers of assistance, if an opportunity should occur 
 of rendering it, and telling him that if he should 
 be attacked and driven to any point of the coast, I 
 would proceed there with my vessel and take the 
 party on board. We were indignant at the per- 
 fidious conduct of Castro, but had no fears for the 
 safety of our countrymen, against whom he was 
 breathing destructioti Castro had now collected 
 about three hundred men at the Mission of San 
 Juan. We expressed our fears to Godey, the mes- 
 senger, that he would not return to camp ; but the 
 old trapper, who was used to " playing possum," 
 said " he could work his way where there was grass 
 enough to cover a snake." 
 
 With his force drawn up in front of Capt. Fre- 
 mont's small party, Castro sent a verbal message to 
 the American Commander " that he had received 
 orders from Mexico to drive him from the country, 
 and if he did not move immediately he would 
 attack and destroy every man." Fremont replied 
 *' that he would not be driven away, and furthermore, 
 that he would hold no correspondence with a man 
 who had so shamelessly broken his faith." The 
 Americans removed to a hill, on the summit of 
 which they cut down trees, and partially intrenching 
 themselves, hoisted the Stars and Stripes, deter- 
 mined *'to do or die" beneath its folds. Fremont's 
 force consisted of fifty-four men, six of whom were 
 Delaware Indians, the body-guard of their leader. 
 They had been with him in all his expeditions, were 
 devoted to him, and always kept near his person. 
 Each m^n had seven shots ; /. e,^ a rifle and a six- 
 
PREPARING TO FIGHT. 
 
 281 
 
 shooter pistol, a tomahawk and long knife, all of 
 which they well knew how to use. They were all 
 picked men, accustomed to look death in the face, 
 and they were prepared to do so now. In hourly 
 expectation of an attack, Fremont addressed his 
 men, who with one voice responded they were 
 ready to die with him, but would never surrender. 
 The Delawares arrayed themselves in their finery, 
 put on their red war-paint, and singing their war 
 and death songs, prepared themselves for their last 
 battle. Thus aflairs stood on the ninth of March. 
 All was suspense and curiosity at Monterey, to 
 know what the result would be. A few days after 
 this, a note in pencil was handed Mr. Larkin by 
 some unknown person. As showing the state of 
 things at camp, I make the following extract : — 
 
 " Evening of March 10. 
 
 " I am now making myself as strong as possible, 
 with tlie intention that, if attacked, wc will fight to 
 extremity and refuse quarter, trusting to our country 
 to avenge our deaths. No Californian has come to 
 my camp, and, from the heights where I am en- 
 camped, I can see troops mustering at San Juan 
 and preparing cannon. 
 
 *' We have in no wise done wrong to the people or 
 authorities of the country ; and, if we are hemmed 
 in and assaulted here, we will die, every one of us, 
 under the flag of our country. 
 
 *'J. C. Fremont." 
 One morning Castro formed his line to charge on 
 
 iJ5- 
 
 him 
 
 i! •' 
 
 m. 
 
 lyi.rd 
 
 f 
 
 r 
 
 \ 
 
282 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 the camp, three hundred strong, — well mounted 
 and variously armed. On they came, in full sweep 
 and with loud shouts, towards the apparently de- 
 voted enclosure, which it seemed would instantly be 
 trodden beneath their horses' hoofs. All was quiet 
 as death within ; but a fine bead was drawn along 
 the tubes of fifty-four deadly rifles, by eyes that 
 never quailed at danger. Each one would empty a 
 saddle at a distance, giving time to reload ; a little 
 nearer, and there would be newly-made widows in 
 Monterey. But no, — all of a sudden the Mexicans 
 pulled up short of the death-line, and further they 
 came not. They thought to see the Americans flee 
 in fright, but they were mistaken, and fell back to 
 reconsider the matter. Again the movement was 
 repeated with the same result, until, tired of waiting, 
 Fremont gave orders to saddle up and break camp, 
 which was done, and the party moved away in face 
 of the Monterey braves without being molested. 
 When well out of range, Castro's cavalry made a 
 rush for the deserted camp, picking up so-ne old 
 saddle-cloths which Fremont's men had thrown 
 away ; these they held as trophies. While Fremont 
 was moving off* quietly towards the Sacramento 
 unpursued, his poor, but brave, men, disappointed 
 in their expectations of getting supplies of tobacco, 
 shoes, and clothing, which they thought awaited 
 them in the shops at Monterey, Castro sent in a 
 flaming bulletin to Monterey, saying : — 
 
 *' We have obtained a glorious victory ; the 
 enemy has been assaulted; we have driven the 
 
 !l 
 
FREMONT'S FOLIC 7'. 
 
 283 
 
 banditti from the country ; and he retired so pre- 
 cipitately that he abraidcr.'. d his camp equipage. 
 Viva Mexico. 
 " Written on the field of battle, with gunpowder. 
 
 "Jose Castro, 
 Co7nmanding General of the North** 
 
 (( 
 
 Captain Fremont and party proceeded to New 
 Helvetia, where they found the rest and refreshment 
 they so much needed. I also sailed for San Fran- 
 cisco, where I found the Sterlings and one or two 
 other trading ships. A few days after arriving 
 there I was visited by Lieut. Talbot, one of Fre- 
 mont's officers, who came down from the camp at 
 New Helvetia, to obtain supplies ; a good portion 
 of the requisite articles I was happy to furnish. 
 The scant hospitality and rude repulse received at 
 Monterey afforded abundant occasion to the Amer- 
 ican party for hostile operations, but Capt. Fremont 
 carefully abstained from any act which would im- 
 plicate his command. "When quietly proceeding 
 through the country he ahvays paid in cash, and at 
 high prices, for every article purchased, and it was 
 a standing order in his camp, that no man of the 
 party should enter the house of an inhabitant with- 
 out the permission of the Commander. Recruiting 
 at the Sacramento, Captain (now Major) Fremont 
 moved to the north, continuing his explorations. 
 
 The following June, early in the month, I was at 
 Los Angelos, at the residence of the Governor, when 
 a courier arrived from Mazatlan with despatches 
 from the Mexican Government, informing the Gov- 
 
 ' 'Hi 
 
 fis? 
 
 Mi 
 
 1 
 
 ::!^i^^i.i-:i. 
 
 !l!: 
 
2S4 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ernor of California that " war with the United 
 States would soon be declared, and ordering him to 
 put the country in a good state of defence ; consider 
 every American ship that came to the coast an 
 enemy, and treat her accordingly." I asked Don 
 Pio "what he intended to do about it?" He 
 replied, " What can I do? I have not a dollar or 
 a soldier. The Military Commandant, Castro, at 
 Monterey, has got up a party against me, and is 
 trying to displace me." Pio Pico was an honor- 
 able, v/ell-meaning man, not favorably disposed to 
 the occupation of his country by Americans, vdiile 
 at the same time he received the support of all the 
 foreigners around him. I had his assurance that 
 the ships trading on the coast should not be mo- 
 lested until official information that war had been 
 declared should reach him. 
 
 Returning to Monterey, we learned that fresh 
 trouble had broken out at the north. Gen. Castro, 
 who in his vain boasting probably thought that he 
 had actually frightened Major Fremont, and struck 
 the foreigners with dread, now made a move to 
 establish his character for valor and patriotism by 
 some great exploits which would also tell well at 
 Mexico ; so he issued a proclamation calling all 
 the foreigners in the country thieves and vagabonds, 
 and ordering them to quit California immediately, 
 on pain of death. They we^-e not to take any of 
 their property with them, but leave, all behind, 
 thfeir crops, household stuff, vehicles, and even the 
 animals they brought to the country with them ; in 
 fact, peaceable and industrious emigrants, who were 
 
Iftii 
 
 THE ''BEAR PARTY." 
 
 285 
 
 quietly cultivating the lands they had obtained by 
 grant or purchase, were ordered to leave them, and 
 with their wives and little ones to enter the wil- 
 derness without the means of support or defence. .. 
 Castro also prepared to advance against tliem with 
 a large force, to put his threat into execution. 
 
 Self-preservation com'^oHed the settlers to take 
 up arms against a governs, nt to which they had 
 previously yielded obedience. Sixty or seventy of 
 these men from the '•'acramento, Napa, and the 
 region round about, with a leader named Wm. B. 
 Ide, surprised and took possession of Sonoma, on 
 the north side of the bay, without any opposition, 
 and sent the principal men of the phice to Sutter's 
 Fort as prisoners. They found considerable quan- 
 tities of arms and ammunition here, which they 
 took, but not the least violence was offered to the 
 inhabitants, or any private propert}'^ taken other 
 than their needs required, and for which receipts 
 were given. Ide now issued his proclamation, stat- 
 ing the cause for which they were in arms ; declar- 
 ing it his intention to establish a Free Republic in 
 California, and signing himself Governor. Their 
 flag w^as the grizzly bear rampant, executed on a 
 white cotton sheet with lamp-black. This gave to 
 them the name of the " Bear Party." 
 
 Major Fremont was requested to take command 
 of the revolutionary party, but he was a United ^ 
 States officer, and would serve under no flag but the 
 Stars and Stripes, so he 'esumed his topographical 
 work, and was moving out of California. On June 
 19th, the Cyane^ United States ship-of-war, arrived 
 
 \tW 
 
286 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 !'! 
 
 at Monterey from Mazatlan. In her came passen- 
 ger, Lieut. GillCvSpie of the Marines, bearer of des- 
 patches from the United States. His first inquiry on 
 landing, was for Fremont. Learning that he was 
 on his way to Oregon, he started in immediate pur- 
 suit. Passing through parties of hostile Indians, - 
 with some narrow escapes he succeeded in reach- 
 ing him. In consequence of the intelligence and 
 instructions received from Gillespie, Fremont, after 
 a very severe fight with the Indians, returned 
 to Sutter's Fort and took command. The Bear 
 Flag gave way to that of the United States, and 
 now the war between the two countries was inau- 
 gurated. Had Gillespie been but a few days later, 
 he could not have reached Fremont ; in that case, 
 the results to the emigrant settlers at the north 
 •would have been disastrous. Castro, with a large 
 force, was moving on them, and had reached the 
 south side of the bay of San Francisco ; he had 
 despatched a party of seventy men under the com- 
 mand, of Joaquim de la Torre, to land on the 
 opposite side, intending to follow with his whole 
 force as soon as boats could be provided ; but hear- 
 ing that Fremont had joined the Sonora party, the 
 majority of his men refused to cross. The force 
 already over were fully equal in number to the 
 Americans, but they did not seek an encounter with 
 our people, and the Colonel did not wish to make 
 his attack until Gen^ Castro, with his entire force, 
 had crossed over; he then intended to destrov the 
 boats, to cut off their retreat, and punish them at 
 his leisure. ...... ^. 
 
SHORT SHRIFT. 
 
 287 
 
 ae passen- 
 rer of des- 
 
 inquiryon 
 lat he was 
 ediate pur- 
 e Indians, 
 \ in reach- 
 igence and 
 mont, after 
 3, retnrned 
 
 The Bear 
 States, and 
 5 was inau- 
 ' days later, 
 n tiiat case, 
 : the north 
 ,vith a large 
 reached the 
 ico ; he had 
 ler the com- 
 and on the 
 h his whole 
 i ; but hear- 
 ra party, the 
 The force 
 mber to the 
 counter with 
 ^'ish to make 
 entire force, 
 o destroy the 
 lish them at 
 
 While on the watch for Castro, three Califor- 
 nians were captured by our scouts ; they had come 
 over in a small boat ; they were armed, and had 
 written orders from Castro to De la Torre to " kill 
 every foreigner they found, man, woman, and child." 
 These three men were shot on the spot : one of 
 them was a notorious villain. A few days pre- 
 vious to this affair two of Major Fremont's men, on 
 their way to Bodega with letters, were captured by 
 La Torre's pjirty. After giving up their arms they 
 were tied tea tree, shot, and cut to pieces with 
 knives, and Iheir bodies thrown into a ditch. 
 Upon hearing this, our men were highly exasper- 
 ated. They pursued the Californians night and 
 day. When Fremont passed St. Rafael in pursuit, 
 I had just left there, and he sent me word that he 
 would drive them to Sansilito that night, where they 
 could not escape unless they got my boats. I hastened 
 back to the ship, and made all safe. There was a 
 large launch lying near the beach ; this we anchored 
 farther off, and put provisions on board to be ready 
 for tlie use of Fremont, should he need her. At 
 night tiiere was not a boat on the shore. Torre's 
 party must shortly arrive, and must show fight or 
 surrender. Towards morning we heard them ar- 
 rive, and, to our surprise, they were soon passing 
 with a small boat from the shore to the launch. A 
 small boat had arrived from Verba Buena in the 
 night, and proved to be the salvation of the party. 
 The United States ship Portsmouth was at Verba 
 Buena ; I despatched a note to the Commander, in- 
 forming him of the movement, and intimating that 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 
 I 1 
 
 It 
 I 
 
 1^ 
 
 r 
 
 flrf s 
 I 
 
 ^ \ I 
 
 V 111 
 
 -M 
 
288 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 a couple of his boats could easily intercept and cap- 
 ture them ; but Captain Montgomery replied " that 
 he had not received any official notice of war ex- 
 isting, and consequently had no authority to act." 
 Thus the poor scamps escaped. At first they pulled 
 towards my vessel, but finally altered their course. 
 We had an entertainment provided for them which 
 they would not have relished, had they come to it 
 uninvited. 
 
 Fremont and party arrived, and camped opposite 
 the ship, tiie following night ; they were early astir 
 the next morning, when I landed to visit Major Fre- 
 mont, and were all variously occupied in taking 
 care of their horses, mending saddles, cleaning their 
 arms, etc. I had i-ot yet seen Fremont, but from 
 reports of his character and exploits, my imagina- 
 tion had pictured him as a large-sized, martial- 
 looking personage, towering in height above all his 
 companions, whiskered and ferocious-looking. I 
 took a survey of the party, but could not discover 
 any one who looked as I thought the Major ought 
 to look. Seeing a tall, lank, Kentucky-looking 
 chap, dressed in a greasy deer-skin hunting-shirt, 
 with trousers to match, and which terminated just 
 below his knees, his head ourmounted with a coon- 
 skin cap, tail in front, who I supposed was an officer 
 (as he was giving orders to the men), I approached, 
 and asked if the Major was in camp. He looked 
 around, and pointed out a slender-made, well- 
 proportioned man, sitting in front of a tent. His 
 dress was a blue woollen shirt of somewhat naval 
 style, open at the neck, trimmed with white, and 
 
MAJOR FREMONT. 
 
 2%^ 
 
 and cap- 
 sd " that 
 ' war ex- 
 to act." 
 ey pulled 
 r course, 
 m which 
 ome to it 
 
 I opposite 
 ;arly astir 
 lajor Fre- 
 in taking 
 ning their 
 but from 
 1 imagina- 
 , martial- 
 ove all his 
 »oking. I 
 t discover 
 ijor ought 
 i.y-looking 
 ting-shirt, 
 nated just 
 th a coon- 
 s an officer 
 proached, 
 3e looked 
 ade, well- 
 tent. His 
 krhat naval 
 white, and 
 
 with a star worked on each side of the collar ; over 
 this a deer-skin hunting-shirt, trimmed and fringed, 
 which had evidently seen hard service. His head, 
 unencumbered by hat or cap, had a light cotton 
 handkerchief bound around it, and deer-skin mocca- 
 sins completed the suit, which, if not fashionable 
 for Broadway or for a presentation dress at court, 
 struck me as being an excellent rig to scud under or 
 fight in. A few minutes' conversation 'convinced 
 me that I stood in the presence of the King of the 
 Rocky" Mountains. He expressed keen regret at 
 the escape of De la Torre, and said that his opera- 
 tions were against the military force of J-^e country ; 
 that his government had been outrageously insulted 
 in his person, and that he would compel from Cas- 
 tro a public apology, or hunt him from the country. 
 With Lieutenant Gillespie he went on board to 
 breakfast with me, during which he informed me 
 that he was desirous of spiking the guns of the fort 
 on the opposite point, which commanded the en- 
 trance, as with a small garrison of the enemy it 
 would prevent supplies entering which might come 
 by sea, and he wanted my assistance in boats and 
 men. I told him I had two ships' cargoes trusted 
 out to the people of the country ; I was on good 
 terms with all of them ; I must avoid compromising 
 the safety of the property in my charge, and not 
 knowing that war had been declared, I must ab- 
 stain from offensive acts. The Major satisfied me 
 that war existed, and that he was acting in obe- 
 dience to the orders of the United States Govdn- 
 ment. Upon consideration of the situation of aflitiirs, 
 19 
 
 
 
 1; 
 
 , t 
 
 . \'\ \ 
 
 
 M 
 
290 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 that Castro had decreed the death of all Americans, 
 and the Governor had orders to capture our ships, 
 I concluded it was best to go in, and help, by en- 
 gaging in the trouble, to bring it to a close. There- 
 fore I assented. A large sailing-launch was soon 
 got ready. From my trade-room such tools were 
 selected as would be necessary, — such as crow- 
 bars, axes, and roimd files to spike the guns with. 
 Major Fremont, Gillespie, Kit Carson, and twenty 
 of their best men, including the Delawares, em- 
 barked with my boat's crew, wl.o were to remain in 
 the boat. It was blowing strong, and the landing- 
 place was among strong eddies and breakers. I 
 volunteered to go as pilot. 
 
 Running across the passage, the mountain boys 
 were very quiet. The long, roll of the Pacific 
 forced from them an unwilling tribute to Neptune ; 
 and even the veteran Kit Carson, as he eyed the 
 rollers of the sea tumbling in from the bar and 
 sending an occasional spray over the launch, ex- 
 claimed, " Cap, I'd rather ride on the back of a 
 grizzly than on this boat." The boat was an- 
 chored about a quarter of a mile inside of Fort 
 Point, just without the breakers. One of ^.^ men 
 swam on shore with a rope, and the boat was hauled 
 . as near in as possible, when all but the boat's crew 
 were ordered to jump overboard and scramble on 
 shore as they best could. Between the landing- 
 place and the fort a number of gullies or ravines 
 intervened, over which I had to pick my way with 
 some caution ; but what were obstructions to my 
 web-feet were none to men accustomed to scale the 
 
SPIKING THE GUNS. 
 
 291 
 
 nencans, 
 ur ships, 
 p, by en- 
 There- 
 /v^as soon 
 Dols were 
 as crow- 
 ;uns with. 
 id twenty 
 rares, em- 
 remain in 
 B landing- 
 eakers. I 
 
 ntain boys 
 he Pacific 
 > Neptune ; 
 e eyed the 
 le bar and 
 launch, ex- 
 back of a 
 it was an- 
 ide of Fort 
 of ,.^ men 
 was hauled 
 boat's crew 
 icramble on 
 he landing- 
 or ravines 
 ly way with 
 tions to my 
 to scale the 
 
 Sierras. They were very quiet, and felt out of their 
 element while rolling: in the inconsiderable swell of 
 the Pacific, but the moment their feet were on the 
 rocks they were at home, and skipped over them 
 like goats. Wiiat was amusing to them, and rather 
 mortifying to me, was, that I, who was to pilot them 
 into the fort, could not, by any possible locomotion 
 of my own, arrive there until they had dismounted 
 and spiked the last gun. There were in the fort 
 three brass and seven iron heavy fortification guns ; 
 and that they were effectually spiked could be at- 
 tested by the officers of the Portsmouth; for a 
 few weeks afterwards, on removing the guns to 
 place in a new fort on Telegraph Hill, they had 
 much trouble in withdrawinsf the steel files from the 
 brass pieces, which was only accomplished by cut- 
 ting around them and inserting a copper screw bolt, 
 with a tonchhole bored in it. Then they were 
 again made serviceable. 
 
 There was no garrison at the fort, but seeing a 
 party of horsemen collecting on the hills watching 
 us, we hurried to the boat, embarked without diflS- 
 culty, and the party was landed at their camp at 
 Sansilito, after an absence of about two hours. 
 This was on July ist. 
 
 The following day Fremont's battalion, of about 
 one hundred men, were allowed to come on board 
 my ships and make purchases. They came about 
 twenty at a time. Shoes and tobacco were the 
 prime articles in demand ; after these, any articles 
 of clothing, no matter what they were. Then fiincy 
 handkerchiefs, ladies' shawls, scarfs, blue and red 
 
 w 
 
 \ T-'. ■■■■ 
 
 mm 
 
 f?:! 
 
 '\' ?:; 
 
 ■I ■;■ 
 
292 
 
 FORE' AND AFT. 
 
 cloth, with a great variety of fancy articles ; nothing 
 seemed to come amiss, and, as each party left the 
 ship rigged out in their finery, an eager party on 
 the shore were ready to take their places in the 
 boat. .They were all pretty well supplied, except 
 the long Kentuckian of whom I spoke previously 
 (Dr. Robert Semple, afterwards better known in 
 California as "The Long Doctor"). A pair of 
 trousers could not be found in the ship that would 
 reach below his knees, while his feet covered too 
 much ground to find place in any pair of shoes that 
 I ever saw. The same day Major Fremont broke 
 up camp again to proceed to the crossing of the 
 Sacramento, to hunt up General Castro. 
 
 
TAK/NG POSSESSION, 
 
 293 
 
 lothlng 
 .eft the 
 arty on 
 in the 
 except 
 ;viously 
 own in 
 pair of 
 t would 
 ered too 
 loes that 
 it broke 
 cr of the 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. • 
 
 TAKING POSSESSION OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 JULY Sth, Captain Montgomery received a des- 
 patch from Commodore Sloat, saying " that 
 from information he had just received, the British 
 Admiral was on his way to Monterey, and naturally 
 supposing that Fremont was acting under instruc- 
 tions, he had determined to hoist the flag of the 
 United States there the next day ; " adding, " I would 
 prefer being sacrificed for doing too much than too 
 little. If you have sufficient force, or if Fremont 
 vvill join you, you will hoist the flag at Yerba 
 Buena, and take possession of the bay, the fort, and 
 the region about there, in the name of the United 
 States." This was dated the sixth. Possession was 
 accordingly taken at Monterey, on the seventh, by 
 Commodore Sloat, and at San Francisco, by Cap- 
 tain Montgomery, on the ninth. Fremont already 
 had full and undisputed possession of all the north 
 side of the bay, from the sea to Sutter's Fort. He 
 had prevented Castro from crossing over, thereby 
 saving the emigrant families at the north from de- 
 struction, and strengthening their position so well, 
 that during the whole war they dwelt in safety, re- 
 volt being impossible in that part of the country. 
 July loth, the PortsPioutJC s marines were on shore 
 
 / 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 1' 
 
 % 
 
 m 
 
 
 fx 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 I 
 
 llliirt 
 
 ■'. "ilf- 
 
 i 
 
394 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ' I 
 
 Mil 
 
 doing guard duty, and the sailors, under Lieutenant 
 Misroon, were cutting away a portion of Telegrapli 
 Hill, to obtain room to plant a battery there, to help 
 defend the ships. It was supposed that the British 
 Admiral would interfere with our occupation of the 
 country, and our Commanders were preparing to 
 resist the attempt of any power to meddle with our 
 afiairs. 
 
 On the following day, the lookout from the hill 
 signalled an English frigate (the yuno)^ coming 
 into the bay. The parties on shore hastened on 
 board their ships, the crews were beat to quarters, 
 partitions were knocked down, the guns shotted and 
 run out, the decks sanded and ♦^he boats dropped 
 astern, mine with the rest, as I liappened to be on 
 board at the time. Springs were got on the cable, 
 and every preparation made to give her a recep- 
 tion, should the ship prove hostile. The frigate an- 
 chored at Sansilito, and Lieutenant Bartlett was 
 sent on board to inform the English Captain of the 
 state of affairs, and ascertain his intentions. The 
 Captain informed the Lieutenant that he had no or- 
 ders from his Admiral to interfere in the relations 
 between Mexico and the United States, and that his 
 only object in coming here was to look after the rights 
 of British subjects. Civilities were exchanged be- 
 tween the ships, and on the seventeenth the yuno 
 sailed for Mazatlan. The yuno was an old-class 
 ship, mounting thirty-six carronadc guns. . The 
 Portsmouth was a twenty -gun sloop-of-war, but 
 though her guns were long and heavy, her crew 
 was less in number than the yuno; altogether they 
 
;:■■'■-')-■( 
 
 --ttf ■ 
 
 A MORMON CARGO. 
 
 295 
 
 would have been equally matched. It was very 
 evident that the PortsmoutJi s crew were desirous 
 of a brush, and regretted a peaceable termination 
 of what had promised to be a pretty naval ilght. 
 
 Admiral Sevmour, with the Colllno^wood. of 
 eighty guns, arrived at Monterey about the fifteenth, 
 — a week after the Stars and Stripes was hoisted 
 there. It was expected he would even then inter.ore, 
 especially as the authorities and leading inhab- 
 itants had before made arrangements for a volun- 
 tary transfer of the country to British protection. 
 Sir George Seymour frankly told Commodore Sloat, 
 that if he had arrived previous to the occupation by 
 him, he should have opposed it seriously ; " but as 
 it is, you have played me a \"ankee trick, and there 
 will be no interference by me." Soon after these 
 events had transpired, Commodore Stockton, with 
 the frigate Coitgress., arrived at Monterey, and re- 
 lieved Commodore Sloat. 
 
 The ship Brooklyn., of and from New York, ar- 
 rived at Yerba Buena August 2d, with about fifty 
 Mormon families. I called on board to look at 
 them ; they appeared to be of the middling class, 
 mostly stout men, mechanics and farmers. Their 
 Elder, who, by the way, was not elderl}' looking, 
 but young and dandyish in appearance (Mr. S. 
 Brannon) handed me a Sandwich Island news- 
 paper (they had called at Honolulu), containing an 
 account which he had furnished the editor, stating 
 their views, and the object which led them to Cal- 
 ifornia. They were the pioneers of a large body 
 of their sect who were on their way to possess this 
 
 t 
 
 f 
 
 '■1 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 1 1 1 
 
296 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 land, which a revelation from heaven had shown 
 them they must occupy, and here they must estab- 
 lish a new republic of their own, extend the do- 
 minion of the Saints on the shores of the Pacific, 
 and eventually over India and China. They were 
 sadly disappointed to find the flag of the United 
 States waving here, and that, regardless of their 
 divine right, their " Uncle Samuel " had possession 
 of the promised land. 
 
 The Mormons were prepared to take forcible 
 measures if they found it necessary for this purpose ; 
 they were well armed, and had improved their time 
 during the long passage in infantry drill and the 
 use of the musket ; they had a flag of their own, 
 but as it was not unfurled in California I cannot 
 describe it. laeir arrival, and their own statements 
 of their intentions in taking what they pleased from 
 the people without their leave, caused some excite- 
 ment at first ; but as they did not actually molest 
 any person or property, and soon settled down to 
 various employments, were industrious and well 
 behaved, there was nothing to distinguish them 
 from other emigrants. Their leader turned his 
 attention to more profitable pursuits, and became 
 one of the most energetic and buccessful citizens in 
 the country. Shortly after this a Mormon battalion 
 arrived at San Diego, who served the United States 
 Government during the war, and afterwards con- 
 tinued good citizens. 
 
 Major Fremont, hoping to meet Castro at Santa 
 Clara, crossed the Sacramento at Sutter's Fort about 
 the eleyenth of July, and there heard of Com. Sloat's 
 
 \ 1 
 
MARCH ON THE CAPITAL. 
 
 297 
 
 capture of Monterey. Moving with rapidity around 
 the bay, Castro retreating before him, lie entered 
 Monterey July 19th, with one hundred and seventy- 
 five riflemen, and embarked with them on board 
 the United States ship Cyane., Captain Dupont, for 
 San Diego, to advance towards Los Angelos from 
 that point; while Com. Stockton landed his own 
 crew from the Congress at San Pedro, arrived at 
 Los Angelos, and completed the capture of Cal- 
 ifornia by taking its capital. I arrived at San Pedro, 
 with the jMoscow, the next day after the Commo- 
 dore, with his invading army, had left for the Pueblo 
 Los Angelos. Com. Sloat, in transferring the com- 
 mand of the station to Com. Stockton, divested 
 himself of a great and increasing responsibility, 
 which the latter readily assumed, as he was author- 
 ized to exercise greater power than ever had been 
 conferred on any of our naval Commanders. It was 
 not known that war was yet declared, but on the 
 strength of the offensive or"'*ations in Mexico 
 against Gen. Taylor's army, he inferred that a dec- 
 laration must follow. An officer of the Congress 
 came on board, and informed me that the sailors 
 and marines who had been on shore drilling for 
 land service three or four days, started, the previous 
 day, with Com. Stockton at their head, to capture 
 the capital of California. 
 
 As soon as horses could be obtained for myself 
 and clerk, we started to overtake them. While 
 making preparations for the march, the Commodore 
 received a flag of truce from Gen. Castro, who was 
 in command at the Pueblo, with a larger force than 
 
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 f. 
 
 1^: 
 
 ■ ■ '.7 '11 
 
 i 
 
 
 '■■» 
 
298 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 the Commodore's, requesting to open negotiations 
 with him. To this Stoclvton replied, that he would 
 treat with him after his own flag was hoisted at 
 Los Angelos, and not before. Castro returned for 
 answer, that the American flag should not be 
 planted there wliile a drop of blood remained in a 
 Californian. The Commodore and his oflicers of 
 course thought there would be fighting, and were 
 prepared for it. Castro was also well supplied 
 with field-pieces, and plenty of ammunition ; his 
 men were well mounted, with plenty of fresh 
 horses in reserve, while the Americans, had barely 
 enough to mount their officers. He could have 
 made a good fight, and driven the invaders of his 
 country back, but he wanted j^luck. 
 
 About ten miles from the fort we met a detach- 
 ment of one hundred and fifty sailors returning to 
 the ships. The officer in command informed me 
 that their force camped the previous night at 
 Temple's Ranche, about half way to Los Angelos ; 
 that the foreigners at Pueblo had, during the niglit, 
 sent word to our camp that as soon as Castro found 
 the Commodore had commenced his march, he did 
 not wait to get sight of a foe, but had cleared out with 
 all his force for the Colorado ; consequently a part 
 of the ship's crew were ordered back, and the Com- 
 modore, with about two hundred men, continued 
 the march. Pushing on, we overtook the invad- 
 ing army about ten miles from the Pueblo. We 
 approached them by a siiorter route than they were 
 on. A great cloud of dust marked their line of 
 march, while the high, wild mustard, which at this 
 
AN ARMr OF TAHS. 
 
 299 
 
 foliations 
 
 season covered the plains, hid them from our view. 
 As we cut across the plain, the long and dry stems 
 made such a crackling, as our horses broke through 
 the mustanl, that the force was halted, and with 
 bayonets charged in our direction ; we emerged 
 from the thicket, two of us, to be received not on 
 the bayonet-point, but with a hearty laugh. 
 
 Riding to the front to report myself, I fov.nd the 
 Commander of the detachment, Lieuf. Schenck, to be 
 an old acquaintance in the JNIediterranean, whom I 
 had not seen for twenty years ; he recognized and 
 called me by name I ,'forc I had a chance to speak 
 to him. Lieut. Tighlman and Purser Speidan were 
 also of the party. They were likewise oUl friends, 
 whom it was pleasant to meet. The march was 
 resumed, and here was a novel sight, — a frigate's 
 crew landed, and marching thirty miles into an 
 enemy's country ; an almost unheard-of thing. The 
 fate of the gallant Porter, who was suspended for 
 landing a force to pursue a gang of pirates on one 
 of the West India Islands, did not deter " Fighting 
 Eob," as he was called by the sailors, from taking a 
 similar and broader sweep. No official declaration 
 of war had reached California, and it was not cer- 
 tain that war would ensue. 
 
 Com. St:>ckton was a man not unwilling to assume 
 great responsibilities, and where there was a doubt 
 in the case, to give duty the benefit of it, especially 
 when inclination and a warlike propensity led in 
 th same direction. It was no small matter, and an 
 inr jvation on the service, to transform a crew of 
 sailors into soldiers. "Long Tom Coffin" would 
 
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 "^: fy Is 1 
 
300 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 \ \ i .? 
 
 ■i \ 
 
 have rebelled against it, and his exclamation might 
 have been repeated now with stronger emphasis, •— 
 "May the Lord forgive him for trying to make a 
 sodjer of an honest seafaring man." And speaking 
 as a sailor myself, I cannot help sympathizing with 
 old Tom ; for it seems to me that an old sailor must 
 feel rather ridiculous, with a soldier's fixings on his 
 shoulders, marching after a fellow on shore beating 
 on a sheep-skin. But the Commodore succeeded. 
 His men believed in him, and readily followed 
 wherever he led the wav. The marine officer, 
 Capt. Zeilin, was also a favorite with the crew. 
 Under his able and efficient training, a few days' 
 practice on shore made Jack a proficient in the use 
 of the musket and ba} onet ; he was made also to 
 march and countermarch, wheel, etc., so that when 
 he took his land-tacks on board he could back and 
 fill, or tack ship, in good military shape. 
 
 The invading army, as iL now moved over the 
 plains, presented quite an imposing appearance. 
 First came the full band of music, followed by 
 Capt. Zeilin and his marines ; then Lieut. Schenck 
 and the web-feet ; Lieut. Tighlman, and a battery 
 of four quarter-deck guns, mounted on as many 
 bullock carts ; the carriages of the guns were se- 
 cured by the breechings, and ready for ins'^ant 
 service ; each cart was drawn by four oxen, — the 
 baggage ammunition followed in similar teams ; 
 the Purser, Doctor, and some other officers, — part 
 of them mounted on rather sorry looking horses, 
 the others on foot. The total force was about three 
 hundred and fifty. 
 
„-.,-.y^. 
 
 AN ALARM. 
 
 301 
 
 The previous night, at Temple's Ranche, an alarm 
 was given. The enemy vs^as approaching with 
 yells and shouts. The long-roll was sounded, and 
 the men sprang to their arms. They were thrown 
 into position to repel a charge, and momentarily 
 expected that Castro would appear. The cries and 
 yells continued, but no attack was made ; they 
 remained under arms for about two hours, and 
 probably would have kept so until daylight, had it 
 not been for an old Indian who was in charge of 
 the ranche. He, hearing the rumpus, went to 
 ascertain the cause. As the noise still continued, 
 he was questioned as to the meaning of ic; and, 
 to our infinite disgust, we were informed that it 
 proceeded from u couple of " coyotes," a small 
 animal, something between a wolf and a fox, which 
 abounded in the country. They are accustomed to 
 prowl about in pairs, and from midnight to daylight 
 keep up r. hideous and continuous noise, and of 
 such variety as to resemble, with the howling and 
 yelling of various animals, the shrieks of women, 
 the crying of children, atid the barking of dogs. 
 It was rather amusing, but not very conducive to 
 the good humor of the party, who needed rest, 
 to know, as they did in the course of the morning, 
 that while these two insignificant animals were 
 keeping over three hundred men under arms for 
 two hours. Gen. Castro had fled from Los Angelos, 
 and was in full retreat out of the country. 
 
 At noon the force halted for dinner, and I gal- 
 loped on to join the Commodore, who, with the 
 American Consul, had gone ahead. We arrived at 
 
 
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302 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
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 the government house shortly after the Commodore, 
 and found him sitting on a box in the court. After 
 an introduction, and an offer of my services, he 
 invited me to a part of the box, saying that the 
 vagabonds had stripped the house, not leaving him 
 a single chair. Mr. Larkin, the Consul, had set 
 some Indians to work cleaning up and white- 
 washing the quarters, and before night the resident 
 foreigners and friendly Californians had brought 
 in sufficient furniture, and the Commodore and 
 staff were well accommodated at the house of an 
 American. . 
 
 About 4 p. M., Lieut. Schenck, with the ships* 
 forces, arrived at the gardens outside of the town, 
 and there was joined by Major Fremont, with two 
 hundred of \ s men. He had learned of Castro's 
 retreat, and hoped to cut him off before he coidd 
 reach the Colorado ; but, finding that Castro's horses 
 were much superior, gave up the chase, and came 
 to Los Angelos to join forces with the Commodore. 
 The troops marched into the town, together with a 
 fine band of music, playing " Hail Columbia," and 
 hoisted the Stars and Stripes in the plaza. The 
 ship's crew had their quarters within the walls of 
 the government house, and Fremont's party campetl 
 near the river. I passed the night at the " casa " 
 of one of my old California friends, who was now 
 in Castro's army, but his wife and daughters ex- 
 tended their usual hospitality to me. The houses 
 were mostly deserted on the arrival of the forces ; 
 the people who had not fied retired to a hill just 
 back of the town, where they remained tj see whut 
 
 nil 
 
WAR DECLARED. 
 
 303 
 
 the Yankees would do, but seeing no violence 
 offered, most of them returned to their liomes. 
 The following day guns were planted on the hill 
 commanding the town, and a fort was commenced. 
 Proclamations were issued to the people, and the 
 Commodore no\v^ signed himself " Governor and 
 Commander-in-chief of the Territory of California." 
 
 August 17th, Major Fremont started in p-.rsuitof 
 Gov. Pio Pico ; he had left the Pueblo with Cas- 
 tro, and it was known he had not left the country, 
 but was secreted at his ranche. He had taken 
 away the government archives, and it was desirable 
 to possess them. The same day the United States 
 ship Warren arrived at San Pedro from Mazatlan, 
 with the first official news that war was declared. 
 An officer from the Warren arrived in town with 
 despatches just as the band was leaving the plaza 
 at sunset for their quarters. They were ordered 
 back, and the troops ordered out to hear the news 
 read ; it was received with nine hearty cheers, the 
 band playing " The Star Spangled Banner." 
 
 Feeling that I could now attend to my own busi- 
 ness without any risk, the Commodore gave me 
 jDcrmission to go towards San Diego ; therefore, 
 after visiting the ship, I started the next morning 
 with a good horse, and accompraiied by an Indian 
 *' bucquero," a boy to take care of the horses, and 
 arrived at "San Juan Capistrano" at sundown, 
 calling at a number of ranches, and making the 
 whole distance, sixty-four miles, using the same 
 horse. On the road I passed some of the bellig- 
 erent Californians, who had left Castro, and wanted 
 
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 304 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 to return to their homes, but were afraid to do so. 
 I assured them that they had only to go to Los 
 Angelos and sign their paroles, and they would 
 remain unmolested. At one place on the river St. 
 Anita I came upon a party of soldiers who had just 
 killed a bullock, and were preparing for a feast. 
 Most of them knew me, and, in fact, were my debt- 
 ors for goods. Some of them were under the 
 influence of aquadiente, and could easil}'^ have 
 squared accounts with me by throwing a lasso over, 
 or putting a bullet through me, but no molestation 
 was offered except in a hilarious manner. These 
 people had always been well treated on board our 
 ships, and we hajl confidence in them that was 
 seldom misplaced. 
 
 At San Juan I found two of Pio Pico's officers 
 and relations with their families — Covoruvius, his 
 Secretary, and Ignacio Valle, Administrador of the 
 Custom House. These persons were visiting a sis- 
 ter of Pico's, Donna Isadofe Foster, whose husband 
 was the proprietor of the Mission at this place, 
 both of whom vvere very excellent people. Mr. 
 Foster was an Englishman, long resident in the 
 country ; at his hospitable house, I was always per- 
 fectly at home. The families here now were in 
 great tribulation at the state of their country, and 
 the danger of their relatives. Of course tiiey 
 could not be as cordial as formerly (especially the 
 females), as my countr3'men w.erc in pursuit of 
 theirs, and perhaps to the death. But I, being an 
 old acquaintance, and an intimate friend of the 
 family, met with kindness and attention at their 
 
JK. 
 
 Ill 
 
 305 
 
 D do so. 
 to Los 
 
 f would 
 river St. 
 had JList 
 a feast, 
 ny debt- 
 ider the 
 il)'^ have 
 sso over, 
 testation 
 . These 
 oard our 
 that was 
 
 's officers 
 avius, his 
 or of the 
 ing a sis- 
 husband 
 is place, 
 )le. Mr. 
 t in the 
 vays per- 
 were in 
 ntry, and 
 rsc they 
 cially the 
 n'suit of 
 being an 
 of the 
 at their 
 
 THE TERRIBLE FREMONT. 
 
 hands ; and was enabled, while here, to alleviate 
 their fears, and to convince them that Fremont was 
 not such a man as he was represented to be by Cas- 
 tro. The next day, while at dinner, one of Fre- 
 mont's men came to the door with the respects 
 of the Colonel to Mr. Foster, saying that lie had 
 just stopped, with his party, in the old Vineyard, 
 and requested to have a piece of beef to cook under 
 the trees. The man was pointed to half a bullock 
 hanging up, and told to help himself. The company 
 at the table stopped eating, aud, pale with aflVight, 
 were about retreating to their rooms to avoid appre- 
 hended danger ; but I assured them that if they re- 
 mained they would be agreeably disappointed in 
 the man, and could make favorable intercession for 
 their husbands and brothers who were in arms 
 against him. They remained. I went with Mr. 
 Foster, and introduced him to the Colonel. We 
 found him with only his lidy-guard. In conse- 
 quence of information I had sent him at San Diego, 
 of the official declaration of war, he had left his 
 party there under Lieut. Gillespie, and was hasten- 
 ing to communicate with the Commodore at Los 
 Angelos. He declined an invitation to go to the 
 house, as he was not in a plight to appear before 
 ladies ; but he wished me to say to the people at the 
 house that no injury was intended towards Don 
 Pio ; and he had left a letter to be sent to him, as- 
 surins: him cf safe conduct and honorable treat- 
 ment if he gave himself up, but warning him that 
 if he neglected to do so, he would be liable to 
 be shot. The California gentlemen at the house 
 20 
 
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 306 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 were also advised to go to Pueblo and give their 
 pcT'oles before the di.y of grace should expire. He 
 said " that he v^ras tired, and his people were so 
 much harassed in hunting up fugitives, that if he 
 was compelled to go out after them again he 
 should bring in no prisoners." In the evening I 
 communicated to the families the assertions of 
 Col. Fremont, causing them to feel quite easy, and 
 the gentlemen concluded to join me on my return 
 to Pueblo. On my way to San Diego, I met Pio 
 at his ranche ; he seemed satisfied that entire sub- 
 mission, under the circumstances, was best, and 
 that to keep good faith in dealing with the Amer- 
 ican ofllcers was the best policy for him to pursue. 
 
;>'t''>.' 
 
 i 11 
 
 II 
 
 STORT OF THE WAR CONTINUED. 
 
 307 
 
 ve their 
 ire. He 
 were so 
 bat if be 
 igain he 
 vening I 
 •tions of 
 easy, and 
 ny return 
 met Pio 
 ntire sub- 
 best, and 
 :he Amer- 
 to pursue. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE WAR CONTINUED. 
 
 IN a few days I was at Pueblo, and found Gov- 
 ernor Stockton giving audience every day to the 
 people of the country; and Lieut. Gray, who un- 
 derstood and spoke Spanish, was managing the 
 judiciary department. Everything seemed to be 
 moving on quietly and satisfactorily. There was 
 no apparent necessity for a largcforce remaining 
 at this i^lace, and the Comniodore returned to his 
 ship, with his web-feet regiment. During their 
 stay at Los Angelos, and their march to and from, 
 the conduct of the entire command had been such 
 as to merit the unqualified approbation bf their 
 officers, while the people of the country had no 
 reason for complaint ; private property was re- 
 spected, and no violence oiTered to any one. The 
 Commodore's fine band did as much as, and perhaps 
 more, to induce the people to return to their homes 
 and become reconciled, than all his proclamations 
 of amnesty and protection. The Californians 'are 
 extravagantly fond of music. A full band was 
 never heard before in the countrv, and it was amus- 
 ing to see its effect in di awing them out of their 
 hiding-places. 
 
 The first evening after the occupation, the Com- 
 
 
 III 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 
3o8 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 Jil 
 
 modore sent for me, to* ask my opinion about his 
 proclamations, and as to wiiom, where, and how 
 they should be sent, suggesting, that as I was 
 known to the rancheros, and was a non-combatant, 
 no better rnedium could be found than myself. In 
 turn, I suggested to liim that music by the band for 
 one hour in the plaza each day, about sunset, which 
 all could appreciate, would be more instrumentalxw 
 harmonizing the people than written proclamations," 
 which but few of them could read. My suggestion 
 was adopted, and the results were soon evident. 
 At first the children on the hill ventured down and 
 peeped round the corners of the houses. A few 
 lively tunes brought out the " vivas" of the elder 
 ones, and before closing for the day quite a circle 
 of delighted natives surrounded the musicians. 
 The following afternoon, the people from ranches 
 at a distance, hearing of the wonderful perform- 
 ance, began to come in. I saw the old priest of 
 the mission of San Gabriel sitting by the church 
 door, opposite the plaza, and introduced him to 
 some of the officers. The old man said he had not 
 heard a band since he left Spain, over fifty years 
 ago. " Ah ! " said he, " that music will do more 
 service in the conquest of California than a thou- 
 sand bayonets." 
 
 Before the withdrawal of the naval forces, a fort 
 was erected on the hill, and a small garrison of 
 Fremowt's men left, with Lieut. Gillespie in com- 
 mand. The Commodore, with his ships, sailed 
 for other points of the coast, and, with the Moscow., 
 I left San Pedro for the North. On my way up I 
 
A STRANGE CRAFT. 
 
 309 
 
 called at the little island of Santa Barbara, to ob- 
 tain a supply of elephant-oil. With two boats, I 
 left the vessel at a mile distant from the shore. 
 The landing was so closely packed with hair-seal, 
 that a boat could not be hauled up until a place 
 was cleared for her, by driving otf the seal. As 
 their skins would be worth only fifty cents apiece 
 when cured, it would not pay to take them. 
 
 The sea-elephant were not numerous, or in very 
 good condition ; we killed about twenty of them, 
 took their blubber on board, and the same night 
 anchored at the port of Santa Barbara, on the main, 
 where the blubber was taken on shore and tried 
 out, producing about five hundred gallons of good 
 oil. I have previously described these animals, 
 and the manner of taking them ; the only differ- 
 ence here was that we shot them through the head, 
 as we had no lances. 
 
 At Santa Barbara, Midshipman Mitchell, with 
 ten men from the Congress^ had been left to oc- 
 cupy the place. A few days after my arrival, 
 mine being the only vessel in port, we saw a brig 
 coming in, with Mexican colors flying. Fear- 
 ing that the vessel might be a privateer, we made 
 all the preparation in our power for defence. 
 When she anchored it was evident she was un- 
 armed. Thinking that perhaps she had not heard 
 of the war, I oftered the use of my boat to Mitchell, 
 to capture her, which he accepted. Previous to 
 this, the Captain of the brig and two passengers 
 had landed. They asked why the American flag 
 was flying, and professed ignorance of the war. 
 
 intty 
 
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 / I 
 Pi J 
 
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 I 1 11 
 
 310 
 
 FO/?E AND AFT. 
 
 \U 
 
 One of the passengers stated that he was an English 
 officer from Mazathm, with despatches for his Ad- 
 miral. Detaining the party on shore, Mitchell put 
 a prize-crew onboard, and requested me to keep a 
 watch on her during the night. The next morning 
 he came on board with the bearer of despatches, 
 and informed me that hq should not detain the 
 vessel, saying that he had concluded to let the 
 English officer proceed. I was introduced to Mr. 
 McRay, the person in question, and in a short time 
 I felt justified in stating my opinion to Mitchell, 
 that this person was a Yankee ; that the coat and 
 boots he wore were not made in England, and he 
 ought not to let him go so easy. Inviting him to 
 dinner on board, I quizzed the gentleman till I 
 was satisfied that he was not what he purported to 
 to be. During dinner the cry of " Sail ho ! " brought 
 us to the deck. Looking at the approaching ship 
 with the glass, I reported her to be the frigate 
 Congress. " Then," says Mr. McRay, " I throw 
 off my disguise. I am of the United States Navy. 
 I left Washington the day after the declaration of 
 war, with despatches for Commodore Stockton. 
 In the disguise of a British officer I crossed the 
 continent to Acapulco, and as such engaged my 
 passage in th's brig, which is protected, being 
 owned by British subjects in Mexico." 
 
 Immediately on anchoring, the Commodore 
 made a proposition to charter my vessel during the 
 war ; furnishing an armament, and the requisite 
 men from his ship, and giving me a commission to 
 cruise against privateers and for the protection of 
 
 m 
 
' <->^ . 
 
 i i 
 
 A SMALL REBELLION. 
 
 311 
 
 jinglish 
 lis Ad- 
 lell put 
 
 keep a 
 noruing 
 patches, 
 a in the 
 
 let the 
 1 to Mr. 
 ort time 
 ditchell, 
 :oat and 
 [, and he 
 y him to 
 an till I 
 ported to 
 ' brought 
 iiing ship 
 e frigate 
 
 I throw 
 
 es Navy. 
 ration of 
 Stockton, 
 ossed the 
 raged my 
 ;d, being 
 
 )mmodore 
 luring the 
 requisite 
 mission to 
 ►tection of 
 
 whale-ships ; but my coast business demanding 
 all my attention, I had to decline the offer. 
 Mitchell and his party were taken on board the 
 Congress^ and the garrison on shore was to consist 
 of Lieut. Talbot, of Fremont's party, and ten of 
 his men. Arriving at San Francisco the latter 
 part of September, 1 found here the Congress^ 
 Portsmouth^ and Savannah^ ships-of-war. The 
 ship Sterling was at Sansilito, waiting my orders. 
 With the crews of my two vessels, I put up a house, 
 prepared vats, and what was necessary for curing 
 and drying hides, at Sansilito, and also commenced 
 building a schooner to be used in the bay. ^ 
 
 The first of October, Commodore Stockton re- 
 ceived intelligence from below that the Californians 
 had rebelled, that Gillespie had been attacked by a 
 large force, a number of his men killed, and that 
 he was hemmed in. In the course of the day, the 
 fellow who broughi- these tidings was picked up 
 drunk, and carried to the flag-ship. The only com- 
 munication he had in writing was contained in the 
 wrapping of a paper cigar, which was — " Believe 
 the bearer," with Gillespie's seal. The man said 
 he escaped from the Pueblo in the night ; that four 
 hundred men were besieging our forces there, who 
 would have to surrender, as their supplies and 
 water were cut off. Also, that Santa Barbara and 
 San Diego had been retaken. The frigate Savan- 
 nah., Captain Mervine, was immediately ordered 
 down to relieve Gillespie ; and the Commodore 
 sent a courier after Fremont, who was now at the 
 Sacramento, with instructions to raise all the force 
 
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313 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 i' 
 
 I ) 
 
 
 he could, and hasten to San Francisco, to embark 
 down the coast. The Commodore chartered the 
 Sterling io convey Fremont and his troops to their 
 destination, and then she was to proceed to San 
 Diego to save the hides which I had at that place, 
 and was now fearful of losing, consisting of over 
 20,000 dried and cured, packed away in a hide-house 
 on the beach. On the fourteenth of October, the 
 Sterlings Captain Vincent, sailed with Major Fre- 
 mont and about two hundred riflemen, to be landed 
 at any place designated by Fremont. The Congress 
 sailed the same day for San Pedro. Fremont's in- 
 ^ntion was to land at Santa Barbara in the night, 
 and capture the place, seize all the horses tliere, 
 and by a forced march on Los Angelos, fall upon 
 the Californians before they knew he was advanc- 
 ing on them. Stockton was to land at San Pedro, 
 and going over the same ground again in connec- 
 tion with Fremont's forces, to reoccupy the Pueblo, 
 hoping, also, that Gillsepie would be able to hold 
 out until relieved. 
 
 Oct, i ;th I received a letter from Captain Vin- 
 cent f'om Monterey, stating, that on speaking a 
 vessel from the lower ports, and ascertaining that 
 Captain Mervine had been defeated by the Califor- 
 nians on his march to the Pueblo, and had fallen 
 back to his ship with considerable loss, and 
 that Santa Barbara was retaken by the enemy, 
 and all the Americans there were prisoners, Fre- 
 mont requested him to land him and his party at 
 Monterey, as being the only place where he '^ould 
 procure horses, as all the country below this was in 
 
 I ill 
 
^11 
 
 A BRILLIANT AFFAIR. 
 
 3^3 
 
 embark 
 ■red the 
 
 to their 
 
 to S:in 
 it place, 
 
 of over 
 Ic-house 
 )ber, the 
 AJor Fre- 
 ic landed 
 Congress 
 »ont's in- 
 he night, 
 ,es there, 
 fall upon 
 s advanc- 
 ,11 Pedro, 
 1 connec- 
 e Pueblo, 
 - to hold 
 
 tain Vin- 
 
 aeaking a 
 ning that 
 
 le Califor- 
 ad fallen 
 loss, and 
 
 le enemy, 
 iiers, Fre- 
 is party at 
 e he ".ould 
 ;his was in 
 
 h 
 
 possession of tlie rebels. Commodore Stockton ar- 
 riving at San Pedro, found that Gillespie had been 
 obliged to capitulate, and was allowed to proceed 
 to the port, and there embark on board ship. A 
 whaling-ship happened in there at this time, and 
 was chartered to take them to San Diego. The 
 Congress also proceeded thither to organize a 
 force to march on Los Angelos by land, from that 
 place. 
 
 We now received an account of Lieutenant Tal- 
 bot's expedition from Santa Barbara. The affair, 
 though on a small scale, was one of the most bril- 
 liant occurrences during the war in California. 
 With his small force of ten men, one of whom was 
 sick, he was surrounded by over a hundred Califor- 
 nians, well mounted and well armed, and sum- 
 moned to surrender. He required an hour to 
 consider the question; it was granted: during 
 which time his men entered their barracks and 
 packed their knapsacks. Before the time had ex- 
 pired they came out, bringing their sick man with 
 them. Again the mob ordered them to lay down 
 their arms, or " they should receive no quarter." 
 But these men, though few in number, never had 
 laid down their arms, and they did not intend to 
 do it now. Forming his men in line, with their 
 backs against the wall of the adobe building, the 
 Lieutenant told the Californians that they never 
 would surrender, and were ready for their attack. 
 The enemy made feints of attacking, an! loud 
 threats, but this was all. They knew that at the 
 first onset ten saddles would be emptied, and there 
 
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 M 
 
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I 
 
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 fi 
 
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 '!'■'■ 
 
 iiii ; 
 
 3'^! 
 
 i^ 
 
 314 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 woulfl still remain sixty pistol-shots, which would 
 not be thrown awrf}\ Terms of surrender were 
 proposed and rejected ; still the attack was not 
 made. The Fremontcrs dared them to advance ; 
 they told them they were cowards, and laughed 
 them to scorn, and finally, as they could do nothing 
 better, formed themselves in something of a hollow 
 square, and marched off towards the mountains, 
 carrying their sick man with them. The " caba- 
 leros " accompanied the brave squad, reviling them. 
 Gaining a hill back of the Mission, they halted for 
 a rest, but it was not allowed them. The dry grass 
 around them was set on fire, and again they were 
 compelled to resume their march. At length the 
 mountains were reached, and the brawling escort 
 left them. Crossing the coast range of mountains 
 where best they could, a march was taken up for 
 Monterey, where they arrived, after great suffering, 
 about the tenth of November. 
 
 Fremont was making exertions to obtain horses 
 and cooperate with Stockton, and at length, after 
 much hardship and severe toil, his party left Santa 
 Barbara over four hundred strong, but very poorly 
 mounted, for Los Angelos, while the Commodore 
 was also advancing from San Diego. General 
 Kearney arrived at San Diego, from New Mexico, 
 a few days before the Commodore's force was 
 ready to start. A few days previous General Kear- 
 ney was attacked by a party of Californians under 
 Andreas Pico (a brother of Pio), near San Pascual. 
 This time the Californians made a good fight, iti 
 which the Americans suffered severely ; and but for 
 
REPULSE OF GEN. KEARNEY. 
 
 315 
 
 h would 
 er were 
 was not 
 idvaiice ; 
 laughed 
 » nothing 
 a hollow 
 ountahis, 
 ; " caba- 
 ing them, 
 alted for 
 dry grass 
 hey were 
 Dngth the 
 nsr escort 
 nountains 
 3n up for 
 suffering, 
 
 lin horses 
 gth, after 
 eft Santa 
 ry poorly 
 mmodore 
 
 General 
 V Mexico, 
 orce was 
 
 ral Kear- 
 ans under 
 11 Pascual. 
 fight, in 
 nd but for 
 
 a relief party sent to meet them by Commodore 
 Stockton, from San Diego, the}'^ could scarcely have 
 maintained themselves. They lost two captains 
 and sixteen men Killed, and many wounded. The 
 Californians in this affaii' were commanded by An- 
 dreas Pico, one of the most active and enersfetic 
 men of the country. A few weeks after this disas- 
 trous, and, as many people in California thought, 
 disgraceful, defeat of General Kearney's forces, I 
 met with Pico, and, in speaking of his successful 
 attack, he said that he found Kearney's men 
 straggling in small parties, and without any apparent 
 discipline. He expected only to harass tlicm, and 
 periiaps pick up some stragglers, but they afforded an 
 opportunity for attack which he could not resist. 
 They were probably worn down by a long and 
 tedious march, were near the end of their journe}', 
 and having heard of the conquest of California by 
 Stockton and Fremont, naturall3' supposed that their 
 further progress to San Diego would be uninter- 
 rupted. But the insurrection had taken place, and 
 General Kearney's arrival was during its height. 
 Whether fault or carelessness was the cause of this 
 disaster, I cannot say ; but certainly it was a dis- 
 credit to the American arms. 
 
 The repulse of Captain Mervine was quite 
 another afVair. He arrived at San Pedro with the 
 frigate Savannah^ and found that Gillespie v^•as 
 surrounded at Los Anirclos, and must surrender if 
 not relieved. As many men as could be spared 
 from the ship were landed, and were joined by a 
 small party of riflemen who happened to be there. 
 
 X ''i . ., 
 
 
 fl 
 
 
 
 'I 
 
 
^1 
 
 3i6 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 ■3,-U 
 
 (i 
 
 \ \- 
 
 They could not obtain a horse or a bullock to draw 
 artillery, so they went without any, and all on foot. 
 General Flores, with about three hundred men, met 
 them about a third of the distance from the port to 
 Los Angelos. The Californians, well mounted and 
 having a piece of artillery, advanced to meet Cap- 
 tain Mervine's party at a convenient distance, when, 
 keeping out of rifle range, they alighted from their 
 horses, discharged their cannon at *h ." Americans, 
 who were advancing in a solid i'o;' i'emounted, 
 and run ofT their gun to reload 't, and returned to 
 repeat the evolution ; three or four times this was 
 done. Captain Mervine, at the head of his men, 
 was gallantly leading them on, but could not get near 
 the foe. The fight was all on one side ; his men were 
 dropping at every discharge, seven or eight were 
 killed and others wounded : proceeding at this rate 
 was out of the question, and they were compelled to 
 fall back to the ship, carrying their dead and wounded 
 with them. The Californians did not follo^v i:;\om, 
 for the reason (as it appeared aftervvard.. ■ ;'vv Uie 
 ammunition of their field-piece was expei. k ..' ip- 
 tain Mervine, of course, could not know thu i^^d 
 took what seemed to him to be the only cci.^' to 
 save his men. Captain Mervine, in this aifair, would 
 have been blamed, had he not made the attcmot to 
 aid Gillespie: his zeal and courage impelled him to 
 the rescue ; he cared noth, ng about the enemy, if he 
 could only get at them ; this hn expeclj' to do, bi.t 
 was disappointed. The mis*^ < was in , ; • rving 
 a carriage-gun. 
 
 Having completed 'il," preparations, Commodore 
 
• ■??■■• r-r ■^-'n-; 
 
 --™ 
 
 ROUT OF GEN. FLO RES. 
 
 317 
 
 to draw 
 I on foot, 
 men, met 
 le port to 
 mted and 
 leet Cap- 
 ce, when, 
 •om their 
 mericans, 
 mounted, 
 turned to 
 this was 
 his men, 
 ^t jret near 
 men were 
 io-ht were 
 it this rate 
 npcllcd to 
 I wounded 
 lo'.v j;;\em, 
 th-v ihe 
 k "' ".'-P- 
 thi: -l^^d 
 cc.i.^' to 
 air, would 
 attempt to 
 led him to 
 emy, if he 
 to do, but 
 " nving 
 
 ommodore 
 
 Stockton left San Diego December 29th, with a force 
 of about five hundred men from the ships, fifty 
 mounted riflemen, and sixty United States dragoons, 
 v.'ith six pieces of cannon. All the carts, wagons 
 aid animals to be found at San Diego r.nd the 
 riinchcs in the vicinity, were pressed into the ser- 
 vice. All the condemned wheels of the mission 
 W'^re brought in, and Carpenter Southwick, of the 
 dmgress^ with his gang of carpenters and armorers, 
 wi s employed in improvising a train of wheel vehi- 
 cles of the most heterogeneous character ; spars, 
 blocks, ropes and canvas, from the ships, were used 
 in Ihe construction, and the fitting out altogether 
 had, quite an amphibious appearance. 
 
 The command was cour'.eously offered to General 
 Kearney by the Commodore, but was declined ; the 
 General accompanied the parly. After a march of 
 ten days, they arrived at the Rio San Gabriel the 
 eighth of January, distant from San Diego one hun- 
 dred and twenty miles. The enemy were found in 
 a strong position on the western bank, with six 
 hundred mounted men and four pieces of artillery, 
 prepared to dispute the passage of the troops across 
 the river. The Ct/mmodore ordered the crossing, 
 which Ni'us made u'lder a galling fire from the enemy. 
 The men widcd the river, dragging their cannon 
 after them ; not a shot was returned until the oppo- 
 site shore was gained, when the fighting became 
 general ; a charge was made by the enemy and re- 
 pulsed by our men, who, in their turn, charged up 
 the bank and routed General Flores and his entire 
 force. The next day the march was resumed across 
 
 III 
 t 
 
3i8 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 \ m 
 
 i : 
 
 the plains of the " Mesa," during which Flores 
 made another desperate effort to save the capital. 
 Concealed in a ravine with their artillery masked, 
 the enemy opened on the American flank when 
 within gun-shot, and charged at the same time in 
 "front and rear. The Commodore silenced their guns, 
 repelled the charge, and the enemy fled. The next 
 morning the amphibious army entered and reoccu- 
 pied the town without further molestation. 
 
 Commodore Stockton's skill in naval gunnery is 
 well known. A little occurrence on this occasion 
 showed that such a reputation was merited. One 
 of the eaiemy'sguns had been very annoying on the 
 right flank. The Commodore ordered his gunners 
 to silence it, but a number of shots failed to do so. 
 The Commodore got wrathy ; jumping oft' his horse 
 he sighted the gun himself, and the next discharge 
 dismounted the gun, sending fragments of the car- 
 riage high in the air. The officer who related this 
 to me, added, " I never before believed in sighting 
 a ship's s^nooth bore-gun, but was now convinced 
 that there was skill and science displayed by the 
 Commodore in the matter." 
 
 The flag was rehoisted on the eleventh of Jan- 
 uary. Flores, in fleeing from Stockton, fell into the 
 arms' of Fremont, near San Fernando. The terms 
 of caiDitulation were agreed upon, and a complete 
 surrender made on the fourteenth. This was called the 
 "Capitulation of Cowenga," and was tlia termina- 
 tion of the war so far as California was concerned. 
 Kearney, with his dragoons, left for San Diego on 
 the eighteenth of January, 1847, and Commodore 
 
 
■PR 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZED, 
 
 319 
 
 m\ 
 
 \ Flores 
 capital, 
 masked, 
 ik when 
 ; time in 
 icir guns, 
 The next 
 d reoccu- 
 
 .innery is 
 5 occasion 
 :cd. One 
 msf on the 
 is gunners 
 I to do so. 
 f his horse 
 J discharge 
 )f the car- 
 elated this 
 n sighting 
 convinced 
 ed by the 
 
 ith of Jan- 
 ell into the 
 The terms 
 a complete 
 is called the 
 1(2 tormina- 
 concerned. 
 II Diego on 
 !^ommodore 
 
 Stockton, with an escort, left for the same place the 
 following day. 
 
 There is one point in the history of California 
 which I think will remain undisputed, viz. : that to 
 Stockton and Fremont, with their respective forces, 
 belongs the honor of the capture and conquest of 
 California. Theso tv/o Commanders harmonized 
 with and supported each other. After the departure 
 of Stockton, the battalion was paraded, and the ap- 
 pointment of Colonel Fremont as Governor by 
 Commodore Stockton was read to the troops by 
 Colonel W. H. Russell, who was also appointed 
 Secretary of State. The ships' crews embarked at 
 San Pedro and joined their respective ships. Dur- 
 ing this month Commodore Shubrick, in the United 
 States ship Independence^ arrived at Monterey, 
 ranking and relieving Stockton, and assumed the 
 command of the T( ritory of California. The fol- 
 lowing March General Kearney issued his procla- 
 mation as Governor ; shortly after he received orders 
 to return home, and he was succeeded by Colonel 
 Mason. Then came the regiment of volunteers from 
 New York by sea, commanded by Colonel Steven- 
 son. . The new troops now arrived, together with 
 those previously here, were sufficient for the govern- 
 ment of the country, and the naval officers occupy- 
 ing civil offices on shore were ordered to their ships. 
 
 Chaplain Colton, of the Congress^ had filled in 
 an acceptable manner the office of Alcalda at Mon- 
 terey ; he was also appointed Judge of Admiralty. 
 With the fines collected from the transgressors at 
 Monterey, he caused the erection of a fine school- 
 
 !; :■« 
 
 
320 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 n 
 
 itii 
 
 house, and, in partnership with Doctor Robert Sam- 
 ple, he started and conducted the first newspaper in 
 California. Mr. Colton won the respect and esteem 
 of all who knew him. Lieutenant W. A. Bartlett 
 was Alcalda at Yerba Buena, and I believe per- 
 formed the duty of the office satisfactorily. One act 
 of this officer while in office, was to change the 
 name of the town from Yerba Buena to San Fran- 
 cisco, much to the disgust of the residents. About 
 this time Commodore Biddle arrived with the ship 
 of the line Columbus ; and during the summer three 
 American Commodores' pennants were flying on 
 their respective ships in the same port at one time, 
 the red, white and blue, viz. : the Columbus.^ Com- 
 modore Biddle, the Independence.: Commodore Shu- 
 biick, and the Congress^ Commodore Stockton, — 
 a circumstance which occurcd for the first time in 
 the history of our navy in San Francisco. 
 
 And here I end my reminiscences of the war in 
 California, omitting many details of events which at 
 this late date might fail to interest. In the prosecu- 
 tion of my own business I had loaded and despatched 
 the Sterling to Boston, purchased the prize brig 
 Malek Adhel^ and continued in the regular trade 
 of the coast until the entire derangement of affiiirs 
 in California by the discovery of gold ; in conse- 
 quence of which, crews could not be retained on 
 board ships. Vessels arriving were deserted by offi- 
 cers and men. " Bound to the mines, can't do an}'- 
 thing else," was the answer of every one who was 
 invited to take service in any employment ; and, in 
 short, no one could be trusted to do a day' s work. 
 
 U\ 
 
- |wwy;--i' 
 
 HOME AGAIN. 
 
 321 
 
 ert Sem- 
 paper in 
 1 esteem 
 . Bartlett 
 eve per- 
 Oiie act 
 aage the 
 ;an Fraii- 
 i. About 
 1 the ship 
 mer three 
 flying on 
 ; one tune, 
 bus., Com- 
 adore Shu- 
 tockton, — 
 irst time in 
 
 the war in 
 s which at 
 |ie prosecu- 
 espatched 
 iprize brig 
 rular trade 
 [t of affairs 
 I; in consc- 
 retaincd on 
 :ted by offi- 
 In' t do any- 
 ke who was 
 jit ; and, in 
 lay's work, 
 
 whatever the price agreed upon might be. When 
 the Governor had to take turns with another high 
 dignitary in doing his own cooking, no other com- 
 mentary on the Stat*, of society is needed. 
 
 After twice visiting the mines to find debtors, and 
 for purposes of trade, I embraced a favorable oppor- 
 tunity of disposing of my vessels and merchandise, 
 and leaving the country. Gathering up the frag- 
 ments of two complicated voyages, I left the coast 
 in the bark Tasso for Valparaiso, the twelfth of 
 October, 1S48, but did not reach the United States 
 until the February following, being over four months 
 on the passage by the then most available and quick- 
 est route, taking the English steamer at Valparaiso 
 for Panama, and calling at about a dozen po^'ts in 
 Chili and Peru on the way to the Isthmus; thence 
 by horse to Gorgona on the Chagres, and down the 
 river by canoe to Chagres Port. Here we chartered 
 a schooner to take us to Charleston, S. C. 
 21 
 
 1 1' 
 
 i- iii 
 
 
 i ll 
 
 
 i' 
 
I,-?," M '<•' Ti^,^,'" 
 
 322 
 
 FOUE AND AFT, 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE LAST VOYAGE. 
 
 AS the narrative began with my first voyage, it 
 seems fitting to close it with the last. Many 
 voyages have been omitted in the foregoing pages 
 as being devoid of incident. For instance, ten voy- 
 ages to Liverpool, taking out cotton and bringing 
 back a cargo of salt and steerage passengers each 
 time ; the history of one voyage would be repeated 
 in the succeedhig ones, altogether about as inter- 
 esting as ten trips in a crowded omnibus from one 
 end of the city to the other. The long route was 
 always my choice. Before quitting my "ocean 
 home " for good, I felt a strong desire to wind up 
 with a voyage in a clipper ship around the world. 
 I assured my friends that it should be my last, and 
 they tried to dissuade me from it. " It will be 
 your last voyage, and you will not return from it," 
 said they ; " you had better stay at home." I was 
 told the same when I started as boy on my first 
 voyage. The path of duty seemed plain before 
 me, and I heeded not their croakings. I had en- 
 joyed the comforts of home for over five years, felt 
 I was getting rusty and lazy, and that a change of 
 base was necessary. 
 
 I left Boston on the morning of Christmas, 1854, 
 
THE ''ARCADIAr 
 
 323 
 
 in tlie medium clipper ship Arcadia^ for California 
 and China. ^\\d Arcadia was a new ship, belong- 
 ing to old California associates ; she was well 
 found, and equipped in a most thorough manner ; 
 but when the shipping of the crew came, I found 
 that such sailors as I had found ready at hand in 
 my previous voyages, were not now to be had. It 
 is true that many candidates offered themselves ; 
 all were desirous of going to the land of gold. I 
 wanted seamen, and all who applied claimed to be 
 such ; but the cut of their jibs told a ditTerent story, 
 and day after day they were rejected, until I found 
 that I was reduced to a " Hobson's choice"; so 
 that finallv, if a heartv looking fellow could sav he 
 had been two trips a-fishing, he was allowed to 
 sign himself an able seaman. One trip outside of 
 Cape Cod qualified the ordinary ones, and the list 
 was completed. At the Custom House, on clearing, 
 the articles purported that the crew consisted of 
 three mates and carpenter, eighteen able seamen, 
 and six ordinary ditto, four boys, cook, steward, and 
 "Jemmy Ducks." A moderate and fair wind took 
 us clear of the Cape at dark. 
 
 Before midnight we had a gale from the southeast. 
 The light sails were managed tolerably well, but 
 when it came to reefing topsails, I found that we 
 were in a bad fix. One reef was secured in the 
 topsails, but when a second reef was ordered, there 
 were over twenty men on the yard sea-sick and 
 helpless. The ship was pitching heavily, and the 
 fellows had as much as they could do to hold on to 
 the yard and disgorge their Christmas feast. It 
 
 11 
 
 1 I !9 
 
 ll 
 
 ill 
 
 if 
 
 li 1' 
 
324 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 .u- 
 
 t: 
 
 1 i i 
 
 I 
 
 was impossible to get the ship under snug sail with 
 such a crew ; so, with the topsail-yards on the caps, 
 the reef-tackles hauled out, and the canvas smoth- 
 ered as much as possible, the shif) was allowed to 
 drive to the eastward all night at a furious rate, 
 sometimes driving through a sea, and almost jump- 
 ing over the next. It was a tough night, but not 
 cold ; the decks were full of water most of the 
 time. A stout plank pig-pen was built over the 
 main hatch, raised a foot above it to keep the 
 pigs dry, and was well covered over. Tiiere were 
 thirty good-sized pigs in it. When the gale sub- 
 sided the next morning, twenty-four of them were 
 found drowned in the pen, and the remaining six 
 had their bristles all chafed off by washing about. 
 The prospect was not much improved by the sick 
 and disabled specimens of humanity who had ship- 
 ped for able seamen, and who were now pulled out 
 by the mate fi-om under the long-boat, between the 
 spars and other places of refuge, pictures of misery 
 and despair. And I must say, thr^t on a survey of 
 the field, mingled feelings of despair and vexation 
 came over myself as I now fully realized the extent 
 of the imposition. 
 
 My chief mate was an excellent sailor, a regular 
 hard-fisted, stout down-easter ; and were it not for 
 my interposition, I thought he would, as he pulled 
 the lame ducks out of their hiding-places, have 
 chucked them overboard with the dead pigs, so 
 great was his wrath. With the exception of the 
 mate, there was not one of the crew, including the 
 under officers, who could have passed examination, 
 
ri.'.'IV 
 
 A SCHOOL FOR SAPLORS. 
 
 325 
 
 ii with 
 e caps, 
 smoth- 
 >wed to 
 IS rate, 
 t jump- 
 but not 
 of the 
 >ver the 
 eep the 
 ne were 
 ;;le sub- 
 em were 
 ning six 
 e about, 
 the side 
 lad ship- 
 uUed out 
 ween the 
 f misery 
 urvey of • 
 vexation 
 he extent 
 
 a regular 
 lit not for 
 lie pulled 
 :es, have 
 pigs, so 
 )n of the 
 ludi-ng the 
 Imination, 
 
 according to their rates on the shipping articles, 
 before even a Nautical College. What had become 
 of sailors I could not imagine ; neither can I at this 
 day satisfactorily account for their disappearance, 
 but I know that other ships' crews then were like 
 my own ; whether they have improved since, I 
 know not. However, the male opened his school 
 for their iHstruction, the sessions of which were 
 neither few nor far between. The pupils were 
 well fed, well treated, and well trained, so that 
 before we reached the Equator, their gymnastics 
 aloft would have astonished even Dr. Dio Lewis. 
 Every day brought with it practical lessons, accord- 
 ing to the weather. In calms the boats were low- 
 ered and the oar exercise practised by some, while 
 others were reefing topsails or sending up and down 
 royal yards, rigging in and out studding-sail booms, 
 and the like work. Frequent tacking in head winds 
 familiarized them with their stations, and thus day 
 by day their efficiency was increased, so that when 
 we arrived in the vicinity of Cape Horn, all were 
 useful, and some tolerable sailors. The boys were 
 kept separate in the steerage, and bnd opportunities 
 allowed them to become naviga,' re ; but not much 
 interest could be felt in a crew who, it was well 
 known, would desert the ship the first opportunity, 
 and whose great object in view was to tread the 
 golden streets of California. 
 
 The passage to the Cape was a good one ; and 
 from fifty degrees south in the Atlantic, to fifty 
 degrees south in the Pacific, accomplished in ninety 
 days, was excellent. From some considerable expe- 
 
 !■ 
 
 ! 
 
 li- ;l 
 
 
326 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 % 
 
 , li; 
 
 I I 
 
 rience in these latitudes, I am convinced that the 
 best passages around Cape Horn to the West will 
 be accomplished by keeping in shore, rather than 
 broad off, in less time and with less wear to a ship ; 
 keeping the mountains in sight tiiere is less sea and 
 easterly current to contend with, while broad otf 
 the land strong south-west gales, frequently of long 
 duration, prevail, with a stronger easter-ly current. 
 Being off the Straits of Le Maire, and the condition 
 of tide being favorable, I would prefer to go 
 through to the westward, and, passing inside of 
 Diego Ramirez, make westing, ^ping well in 
 shore. Whale-ships do this, an( ) not remem- 
 
 ber ever hearing of accident to one of them by so 
 doing. The old rule of not bearing away north 
 until eighty degrees west is attained, is not the rule 
 for ships at the present day. It is said that ice is 
 seldom seen with the land in sight ; my own expe- 
 rience leads me to the same opinion. The ship 
 was becalmed one day to the westward of the 
 Cape, and the birds were abundant. Lowering a 
 boat, I pushed off from the ship a short distance, 
 towing astern a piece of fat pork to attract them. 
 In less than an hour a large number of the black 
 albatross (or goneys, as the whalers call them) was 
 obtained, sufficient for three or four days' good 
 fresh provisions for all hands. Passing in sight of 
 Juan Fernandez, we crossed the Equator in the 
 longitude of one hundred and twelve, and after a 
 few days in the " doldrums,", between the two 
 trades, took a favorable breeze, which sent us flying 
 to the north in fine style. 
 
 iH.;, 
 
A WRECK {f). 
 
 327 
 
 that the 
 ^cst will 
 icr than 
 D a ship; 
 s sea ami 
 )Voacl olV 
 ,y of long 
 ^ current, 
 condition 
 er to go 
 inside of 
 T well in 
 ot remem- 
 leni by so 
 way north 
 ot the rule 
 that ice is 
 own expe- 
 The ship 
 ird of the 
 owering a 
 distance, 
 act them, 
 the black 
 them) was 
 days' good 
 1 sight of 
 litor in the 
 nd after a 
 n the two 
 nt us flying 
 
 In the latitude of Cape Saint Lucas we were 
 steering our course with a moderate breeze and 
 smooth sea. A man aloft reported an object ahead 
 resembling a boat; on nearer approach it seemed 
 to be a wreck, low in the water, with men standing 
 on it. A boat was soon in readiness to take them 
 off, — we could count four of them. All of us 
 were animated at the prospect of saving life. Still 
 nearer, none of them seemed to move, and they did 
 not, for the wreck with men on it proved to be a 
 large tree, with four dead limbs sticking up. On 
 the trunk of it weic about a dozen gannets (a bird 
 common on the banks of Newfoundland). I con- 
 cluded there must be fish around it. The main- 
 topsail was backed, and the boat lowered, prepared 
 for fishing or fowling. As we approached, a raking 
 fire from the boat swept off the birds, part of which 
 were killed. The fish were very abundant ; the 
 boat was made fast, and we went to fishing. The 
 fish were of a species called " leather jackets," and 
 they took off all our hooks as fast as they were put 
 over. The grains (an iron tripod) was then used 
 with such success, that we soon caught all we 
 wanted. As we were about casting off to return to 
 the ship, I noticed a large turtle some distance olV, 
 and paddling towards the tree ; we held on and 
 kept quiet; down he came, and, projecting his long 
 neck over the tree, tried to get on it, but did not 
 succeed ; he was evidently very tired, and wanted 
 to rest. If he saw us he was not alarmed, as he 
 paid no regard to our presence. After his repeated 
 failures to effect a landing I threw the grains into 
 
 •11 
 If' 
 
 id' 
 
 ill 
 
328 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 iTi 
 
 \\ 
 
 his neck, and he was hauled on board. When the 
 turtle was first seen he was about a quarter of a 
 mile from us, and he kept on a straight line for the 
 tree. The question is, did he see the object so far 
 off, or. did instinct guide liim to it? However, we 
 returned on board after a very successful hunt. 
 
 We anchored at San Pedro, the port of Los An- 
 gelos, in one hundred and twelve days from Boston ; 
 the passage, though a good one, was lengthened 
 some days by not having a reliable crew to tn^.c in 
 sail, when the ship could have been pressed more 
 than she was. And now again, in a well-remem- 
 bered spot, how familiar everything appeared ! 
 The hills were clothed in green, the plains were 
 waving with an immense sea of wild mustard in 
 full blossom. The colored patches of earth in the 
 far distance marked out, as in former years, the 
 gardens of vSan Gabriel. The old bluff point of 
 theiiarbor, known as ''Don Abe's Nose," was still 
 there, its proportions unchanged by winds or rains. 
 The one adobe, he use, and its w^ooden frame com- 
 panion, were, as in former years, the sole tenements 
 of the port. The cattle and horses had disappeared 
 from the hills ; all else seemed as in olden times. 
 But the days of " hide drogging " were past. Since 
 those days a mighty people had possessed thccoun* 
 try, and though no sign of progress was perceptible 
 at San Pedro, cities and towns with wealth, luxury, 
 and civilization, were fast spreading o^ 'ik the land. 
 My consignee, and part owner of the ship, came l)y 
 the Isthmus to meet me here, and arrived the day 
 previous to the ship's anchoring. While the cargo 
 
OLD FRIENDS. 
 
 320 
 
 Hien the 
 iter of a 
 ic for the 
 ct so far 
 ever, we 
 Hint. 
 
 Los An- 
 \ Boston ; 
 nsthened 
 o to'.w in 
 sed more 
 ll-remem- 
 ippeared ! 
 iiins were 
 111 star d in 
 rth in the 
 ^•ears, the 
 point ot 
 was still 
 or rains, 
 me com- 
 encmcnts 
 appeared 
 en times. 
 Since 
 the coun- 
 rceptible 
 ii, luxury, 
 the land. 
 , came l>y 
 d the day 
 the cargo 
 
 was discharging, I went to Los Angelos to pass a 
 week with my old ••' Amigos." A stage-coach was 
 running over the route daily. I took passage ; the 
 fi^re was five dollars. A few miles from the port 
 the driver, who was also the proprietor, stopped 
 the team and alighted to collect the fare. I handed 
 my money, but it was returned. Mr. Banning, the 
 enterprising proprietor, informed me that an old 
 pioneer on the road was entitled to a free passage 
 in his teams. I failed to see the right or justice of 
 such a distinction, but argument was useless with 
 hi.Ti on the subject, and I did not press it. 
 
 The six vears of mv absence from the Pueblo had 
 produced great changes in the place : many fine 
 buildings had been erected, new vineyards had been 
 planted, the old ones increased, and many q^ the 
 old ranches were cut up into small farms, which 
 were under good cultivation. The population had 
 increased by immigration from the States aiiu else- 
 where, the new-comers outnumbering the native 
 Caiiforniaus, so that the latter appeared as pilgrims 
 and strangers in their own land, I was grieved to 
 find that not a few of the people of the country 
 who, when I was ast here, were well to do in 
 lands and cattle, \ id parted with their property and 
 become poor, not from any faidt of their own, but 
 throi'.gh t!ie bad faith 01' our government in the ac- 
 tion of its Attorney-General, and the sharp practice 
 of the ncw-coricrs. 
 
 \\\ Lhn settlement of land-titles in California after 
 the war, commissioners were appointed at Washing- 
 ton to proceed to California for the purpose of inves- 
 
 ^tJ 
 
 ill 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 * ' 
 
)M 
 
 14 
 
 330 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 tigating and deciding on the claims of landholders 
 at that time. They held their sittings in various 
 parts of the country, and in nearly every case where 
 the old proprietors exhibited a fair claim, the de- 
 cision of the Commissioners was in their favor. 
 Against this decision of the Board appointed by his 
 own government, the Attorney-General appealed. 
 The poor Rancheros knew nothing of the processes 
 of law, and were compelled to employ lawyers to 
 defend their property, in some cases giving one-half 
 the property to secure the other. In all cases a large 
 retaining fee was demanded, secured by mortgage 
 of cattle or land. It proved to be immaterial in the 
 end how the case was decided ; either the Govern- 
 ment or the lawyers took all. ' The name of the At- 
 torney-General was held in execration by most of 
 the Rancheros in Los Angelos county, whether 
 justly so or not I cannot say. 
 
 I spent a few days at the ranchc of an old friend 
 a few miles from the town, anc . partook of an enter- 
 tainment peculiar to the country, and in which most 
 of the party were Californians. There were fami- 
 lies here with whom I had long been intimate in 
 former years, when they were the principal people 
 of the country, and every house was a home to the 
 stranger, the latch-string outside, and the entertain- 
 ment to be found within, furnished without uioney 
 and without price. Now the scene was changed ; 
 the discovery of gold had not been productive of 
 good to the natives. With tlic thousands of our peo- 
 ple who will be a blessing to the country, the irrup- 
 tion of the Goths and Vandals who came in the 
 
A PICNIC. 
 
 331 
 
 olders 
 arious 
 where 
 he de- 
 favor, 
 bv his 
 )ealed. 
 )cesses 
 yers to 
 le-half 
 a large 
 )rtgage 
 I in the 
 Jovern- 
 the At- 
 most of 
 vhethe'r 
 
 1 friend 
 n enter- 
 ch most 
 e fami- 
 nate in 
 people 
 e to the 
 iter tain- 
 money 
 langed ; 
 ctive of 
 our peo- 
 ic irrup- 
 i in the 
 
 same train had proved a curse. It was sad to listen 
 to the relation of the wrongs of the natives, and 
 of the manner in which they were stripped of their 
 property by sharpers. 
 
 Notwithstanding much has been said of the habits, 
 customs and characteristics of the Californians, there 
 always seems room to say a little more. The pres- 
 ent occasion was a " marienda, " — at home it would 
 be called a picnic, — a m.eeting of friends and nei ^h- 
 bors at a pleasant spot, canopied with shady trees, 
 under which a feast and fandango, with much fun 
 and frolic, afforded entertainment for the day and 
 evening. The feats of horsemanship in which these 
 people excel all others I have ever seen, formed, as 
 usual, a prominent pan. The lasso, in the use of 
 which they are trained ni early childhood, is man- 
 aged by them \\ wonderful dexterity. I have 
 watched them often, when lassoing cattle, v\ ith as- 
 tonishment and admiratif'M, and now for the last 
 time the exhibition was none tiie less interesting. 
 
 The lasso is a rope about six fathoms Ion . about 
 the thickness of a man's thumb, and made ot raw 
 hide, with the hair off, the strands made limber and 
 laid together very neatly, with an eye or slip-noose 
 at one end. From the fact that the c '' o are sel- 
 dom folded, they are very shy, and a half wild 
 state, for which reason it has always been necessary, 
 in catching them, to use the lasso. In former years 
 a time was set apart at a certain season of the year, 
 at all the missions and ranches, for the purpose of 
 overlooking, counting, and marking the cattle by 
 branding them on the Hank with the owner's mark. 
 
 If 
 
 iff 
 
 t' I' I 
 
 
 I 
 
332 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 1 !:; 
 
 
 that is, the calves, the increase of the past year, and 
 perform other operations to accustom them to lierd 
 together and prevent their running wild. This was 
 called a "Rodea," and was an occasion at which 
 all the male inhabitantsof the estate and its vicinity 
 were sure to be present, and assist gratuitously, as 
 each farm was visited in turn for the same purpose. 
 The cattle were driven into a large "coral," or 
 fold, at a wide opening on one side ; this was after- 
 wards closed up, a small gateway being left for one 
 animal to pass throigh at a time. The cattle not 
 to be operated upon were made to escape at this 
 gate, singly. A score of boys on the watch outside, 
 to have a frolic with a bull, would no sooner dis- 
 cover one making off than away they would scam- 
 per after him, with their lassos swinging in the air, 
 and in full pursuit ; within point blank (^stance, the 
 foremost throws his lasso over the animal's neck", 
 others over his horns, some entrap a hind leg, others 
 a fore one ; then stopping short their well-trained 
 horses, and bringing taut the lasso, one end of 
 which is made fast to the logger-head of the saddle, 
 the bull tails as if shot, tumbling head over heels. 
 In this state the wildest bull lies motionless, and 
 suucrs any operation to be performed on him with- 
 out any resistance. 1 cannot comprehend the art 
 and skill by which a man at the fullest speed of a 
 horse can throw a noose with such unerring pre- 
 cision as to catch a bullock by either leg he chooses, 
 while he is in full flight from his pursuers. Ask 
 them how it is done, and the reply is, "Qiiien sabe." 
 Early and constant practice can only enable them 
 
li 
 
 THE ''LASSO." 
 
 333 
 
 r, and 
 
 3 herd 
 
 lis was 
 
 wliich 
 
 icinity 
 
 isly, as 
 
 irpose. 
 
 al," or 
 
 .s after- 
 
 for one 
 
 ttle not 
 at this 
 
 outside, 
 
 iner dis- 
 
 d scam- 
 the air, 
 
 Lnce,the 
 
 's neck*, 
 % others 
 -trained 
 end of 
 saddle, 
 heels. 
 CSS, and 
 m with- 
 the art 
 ecd of a 
 ing prc- 
 chooscs, 
 •s. Ask 
 n sabe." 
 ble them 
 
 to accomplish it. The practice of the "lassoers, " 
 indeed, begins with their earliest childhood. The 
 first plaything in a boy's hand is a lasso of thread 
 or twine, with which he essays to ensnare the chick- 
 ens or kittens about the house, and perhaps from 
 these elementary essays the tlieory of the lasso can 
 only be comprehended ; for the rapidity and magical 
 effect with which the real lasso is thrown, leaves 
 no time or opportunity to see how it acts. It ap- 
 pears that to secure (for instance) the hind leg, the 
 large noose of the lasso, which by swinging it around 
 the head is formed into a circle, is thrown so ai to 
 pass under the leg at the very moment when it is 
 elevated in making the spring, while the b'dlock is 
 galloping, and is placed exactly where the foot must 
 fall on coming to the ground ; and when the leg is 
 placed within the circle of the noose, the thrower 
 immediately checks his horse, and gives the lasso a 
 jerk, which draws up and tightens the noose around 
 the icg. Now whether this is the mode of operation, 
 or whether V^c leg is caught while suspended in the 
 air, I know not and 1 never questioned aCalifornian 
 who could tell mc. 
 
 The saddles used are well fitted for the purpose 
 of managing the cattle. They are high before and 
 behind ; a knob, or loggerhead, on which the rider 
 can rest or secure himself, and make fast and coil 
 up his lasso, is well secured to the horse with a 
 strong girth, tightened up by a lanyard through iron 
 rings. The horses are taught to lean over when 
 checked, I'j^ainst the direction in which the bullock 
 draws, ana thereby secure themselves from being 
 
 i . 4 
 
334 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 1 \ 
 
 
 i ! 
 
 I li 
 
 capsized by the sudden strain of the animal when 
 it is brought up by the hisso. 
 
 The bridle used is equally well adapted to the 
 purpose, is most powerfully constructed, and calcu- 
 lated for suddenly checking a horse. It is a single 
 curb of peculiar construction : the bit is doubled up 
 high in the mouth, without a joint ; instead of a 
 curb-chain, it has a solid ring of iron which passes 
 through the upper part of the doubled-up bit within 
 the mouth, and then passes behind the lower jav. — 
 altogrether forming a lever sufficient to break the 
 jaw, if powerfully applied. The use of this ren- 
 ders the horse's mouth so sensitive, and gives the 
 rider such a perfect control over him, that he is 
 checked at full speed instantaneously. It is com- 
 mon amusement for the California youth, when ex- 
 ercising their horses, to ride full speed at a wall, 
 and when the horse's head is within two feet of it, to 
 check him at once and bring him on his haunches. 
 
 The most amusing use of the lasso I ever saw 
 was in this wise : the ship was lying at a taking- 
 ofF place in the canal of Santa Barbara, waiting 
 for a quantity of hides and tallow to arrive from a 
 ranclie, to be taken on board. The pack-animals 
 arrived opposite the ship during the night. The 
 inajor-domo who was in charge, had the goods un- 
 loaded and piled up on the shore, sending the Indians 
 back with the horses, while he remained, with [j 
 one horse, to deliver the cargo and get a receipt. 
 Staking out his horse, he lighted a fire, and pre- 
 pared to spend the night by it; but before daylight 
 his s'lumbers were disturbed by a noise as of some 
 
 9 
 
il when 
 
 1 to the 
 id calcu- 
 , a single 
 ubled up 
 ead of a 
 ;h passes 
 )it within 
 ;r jav. — 
 )reak the 
 
 this ren- 
 ofives the 
 hat he is 
 It is com- 
 
 when ex- 
 it a wall, 
 2etof it, to 
 [launches. 
 
 ever saw 
 t a taking- 
 a, waiting 
 ive from a 
 ck-animals 
 ight. The 
 
 2 iroods un- 
 the Indians 
 lined, with 
 t a receipt, 
 •c, and pre- 
 3 re daylight 
 
 as of some 
 
i 
 
 Pi 
 
 Pli 
 
 
 
 li- 
 
 '< i ' 
 
 
 ;{ 
 
 :f. 
 
 n ' 
 
 ill 
 
 ll 
 
 f 
 
 m 
 
 1 i 
 
 
 p 1 1' 
 
LASSOING A GRIZZLT. 
 
 335 
 
 m 
 
 
 one pulling away the hides, which covered up the 
 bags of tallow. Supposing that Indians were steal- 
 ing the hides, he aroused himself, and, cautiously 
 approaching the spot, found that a grizzly bear had 
 made a hole in a bag of tallow, and was faring 
 sumptuously. The major-domo, who was a little 
 old man, tough and active, quietly reached his 
 horse, and clapping the saddle on him, he sprang on 
 his back, got his lasso ready for action, and waited 
 for daylight. Bruin had transferred so much of the 
 tallow from the bullock-skin bag to his own, 
 that 'he was not in good condition to flee or fight. 
 Don Domingo soon had his lasso around the neck 
 of the burglar, who made no attempt to leave the 
 ground, but placing himself in an upright position, 
 took the lasso in his fore-paws, and commenced 
 hauling in on the man and horse, as a fisherman 
 would on a halibut. The old man took a turn with 
 the ehd of the lasso to the loggerhead of the sad- 
 die, and held on ; but as he was gradually drawn 
 into close quarters with the huge paws, he was 
 obliged to slip hia line and run. The bear would 
 then start oflT, with the end of the lasso dragging on 
 the ground. The mi>n clapped spurs to his horse, 
 in chase ; stooping down he would regain the lasso, 
 take another turn with it, check his horse, and tum- 
 ble the bear head over heels ; Bruin then resuming 
 a seat on his haunches, would again take up the 
 line, and haul in /m game, and again the ranchero 
 had to slip. While this play was being enacted, 
 the mate came down to inform me of it. I went 
 on deck, and, with the glass, could distinctly see the 
 
 ('» 
 
 i'l ' 1 
 
 I 
 
 ^i 
 
33^ 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 I ■ 
 
 ii 
 
 dh 
 
 whole performance, which was about as laiifijhable 
 OS could be got up on any stage. The distance was 
 about a pistol-shot from the ship ; and as the man in 
 his turn tumbled Bruin to the ground, his shout of 
 victory would inform us of the fact. The tongue of 
 the bear hung out of his mouth ; and as he again drew 
 his friend towards him, in spite of the "maldctcs" 
 of the horseman, the brute seemed to be laughing all 
 over his face. We started with a boat and lire-arms 
 to assist Don Domingo, but before we reached the 
 shore he had worked the bear towards a tree, 
 against which the creature backed himself and stood 
 upright ; and now he was where the man had the 
 advantage. With the rapidity of the whirlwind, 
 making the bare end of the lasso fast again, he dashed 
 spurs into his horse and rajDidly described circles 
 around the tree, until the victim was snugly laced 
 up to it, and he was despatched with a knife. Mayor 
 Shurtleff, of Boston, has, or had, his head. 
 
 !i ' 
 
A FAREWELL TO CALIFORNIA. 
 
 337 
 
 rhable 
 :c was 
 nan in 
 
 lOUt of 
 
 rruC of 
 o 
 
 n drew 
 klctcs" 
 iiing all 
 re- arms 
 bed the 
 a tree, 
 id stood 
 had the 
 irlwind, 
 e dashed 
 \ circles 
 [ly laced 
 Mavor 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A FAREWELL TO CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TO return to the ship from Los Angelos with the 
 certainly that I should revisit it no more, leav- 
 ing behind many kind friends, at whose hospitable 
 homes I had always found a welcome, with the 
 thought that never again, in the flesh, should I look 
 upon their faces, could not but occasion a pang of 
 regret. We sailed for Santa Barbara and discharged 
 some cargo there, and thence to Ciiina, leaving the 
 coast of California about the middle of June, 1S55. 
 And now, in taking my farewell of a country with 
 which I had been so many years connected, I hope 
 to be pardoned fo;- going back, to revive a few more 
 recollections of the olden times, showing, of some of 
 the people, their former poverty in contrast with 
 their present condition, their simple habits and hos- 
 pitality, with some of the customs of those living in 
 the vicinity of where the great city now is. 
 
 It is pleasant to revive the memories of other days, 
 and bring to light scenes and incidents that took 
 place twenty-five years ago, among an excellent peo- 
 ple, who 'are now fast disappearing in the over- 
 whelming population of the Great Republic. In 
 those days all persons of respectability were wel- 
 comed on board our ships, and, with their families, 
 22 
 
 if? 
 
338 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 H i 
 
 ii I 
 
 i I 
 
 't^t 
 
 - n- 
 
 entertained as long as their business or pleasure 
 might induce them to stay, without any charge, and 
 these courtesies were reciprocated where we had 
 occasion to travel among them. Previous to the 
 American occupation, money was not needed to 
 travel throughout California. 
 
 In the afternoon I went with a boat and four 
 men to the opposite side of the bay, to St. Lcandry 
 (now Oakland), to kill and salt a few bullocks for 
 ship's use. I took my gun with me to have some 
 duck shooting, it being the season when the ducks 
 and geese were very abundant on the plains. I\Iy 
 friend, Don Vetro, who owned the ranche at St. 
 Leandry, was a very intelligent and clever (^aliior- 
 nian. A few days previous to my visit, he carr o to 
 the ship with his own boat and an Indian crew ; 
 while there a strong south-east gale came on, and 
 through the carelessness of his Indians the boat got 
 adrift, and went to pieces on the rocks. Returning 
 to his home with me, he found that during his ab- 
 sence the tempest had unroofed one of his houses, 
 and the wild Indians had stolen and driven oft' 
 about thirty of his best horses. The value 6f a good 
 horse then was six dollars. Vetro's wife was the 
 youngest daughter of the Martinez family, an old 
 and highly respectable native fiimily, ranking in 
 beauty and natural accomplishments with the best 
 in the country. Vancouver and Beechy make favor- 
 able mention of the Martinez family in the history 
 of their voyages. After a bounteous supper, con- 
 sisting of" came con chile,*' "gesados," "frijoles," 
 "tortillias," and some other nice dishes of the coun- 
 
CALIFORNfA FURNITURE. 
 
 339 
 
 asurc 
 ;, and 
 3 had 
 :o the 
 ed to 
 
 d four 
 -andry 
 ^ks for 
 ; some 
 I ducks 
 
 s. iNiy 
 
 : at St. 
 
 Calaor- 
 
 caii .: to 
 
 1 crew ; 
 
 on, and 
 
 boat got 
 
 cturning 
 his ab- 
 houses, 
 iven oft' 
 f a good 
 was the 
 ^, an old 
 nkuig in 
 tlie best 
 ke favor- 
 e history 
 per, con- 
 frijoles," 
 the coun- 
 
 try, all of which were prepared under the direction 
 of the lady of tl.o house, we began to make arrange- 
 ments for J- .ssingthe night. Another storm seemed 
 to be brewing, and no one coidd think of sleeping 
 out of doors. The pitiless storm had spared the 
 young couple but one house, and that contained only 
 three rooms, which were very sn?all. I felt rather 
 curious to know how we were all to be disposed of. 
 Don Vetro, although having a fine farm of his own, 
 and a few thousand head of cattle, was sadly defi- 
 cient in buildings, while the furniture was scanty 
 cnou<jh to be enumerated at a glance, consisting, for 
 the most part, of two bedsteads and one bod, twcj 
 pinn tables, five or six chairs, a wooden clock in 
 one corner of the principal room, and an open 
 closet opposite, in which, on some rough shelves, 
 were arranged sundry articles of crockery, odd 
 knives and forks, broken spoons, and a row of empty 
 bottles. However poor Calitbrnia ranchcros may 
 be, they always contrive to have one handsoine high 
 post Boston bedstead, and though it generally stands 
 on a ground tioor, it has as good a bed, curtains, 
 etc., as may be found in the best chamber of many 
 well-to-do folks at home, and this bed is always 
 given up to " the stranger within their gates" who 
 passes the night with them, even if the man, wife, 
 and children sleep in the open air, as is often the 
 case, for the Californians are hospitable to the ex- 
 tremity of their means. My host had just started 
 for liimself, and had an excuse for being thus defi- 
 cient of the conveniences of life, which his means 
 limited. 
 
 
 
h 
 
 kVu 
 
 • tA 
 
 
 340 
 
 rORE AND AFT. 
 
 Madame Vetro was quite young, and Inexperi- 
 enced in the art of liousckeeping. I could not help 
 comparing our wants with our necessities, the pres- 
 ent opportunity ailbrding a good lesson. My boat's 
 crew were quartered with the Indians in one room, 
 where, with sides of leather, dried ludes, and deer- 
 skins, they made themselves quite comfortable. Two 
 Fienclimen, ranchcros, who had arrived the day 
 previous, and were waiting for a passage across the 
 bay, took their saddles for pillows and their ponclios 
 for blankets, and stretching themselves on the floor 
 of the room where I was sitting, soon gave evidence 
 of being asleep. Tiie hostess, in the meantime, had 
 busied herself in picking over sundiy bags of wool. 
 She then gathered it up and spread it over the sack- 
 ing l)ottom of the bedless bedstead in the next room ; 
 over this a sheet was spread, and tlie sides tucked 
 under ; the arrangement was completed with clean 
 sheets, blankets, e^c. The room was small — just 
 large enough to con-tain the two bedsteads, which 
 were alongside of each either, two trunks, and two 
 cludrs, leaving scant room for a person to move l)e- 
 twecn them. I was told that my bed was ready, but, 
 instead of being assigned tothv^ temporary one, I was 
 desired ' occupy the cawed mahogany high poster, 
 with the handsome curtains. 1 protested against 
 this arrangement, inasmucli as the one to which I 
 was tlirectcd was mucli the widest, and the other 
 was a vc»y scant paitern for a man and his wife and 
 two cliildrcn. On any other ground 1 should have 
 offended them by saying a word on the subject. As 
 it was, they insisted, and I had to comply. 
 
^:^f^H'fr^fV''P'v^j-!ti*i;ff^yr."\Vf^- 
 
 A PREDICAMENT. 
 
 341 
 
 ;pen- 
 ; help 
 prcs- 
 boat's 
 room, 
 
 I dccr- 
 . Two 
 le diiy 
 3SS the 
 onchos 
 ;c floor 
 ,-idcncc 
 nc, had 
 ,{ wool, 
 le sack- 
 t room ; 
 
 tucked 
 th clean 
 
 II — just 
 whi ch 
 
 md two 
 novc l)e- 
 ,\dy, but, 
 le, I was 
 1 poster, 
 against 
 which I 
 le other 
 wife and 
 uld have 
 ijcct. As 
 
 The next difficulty to my mind was, who should 
 go to bed firs'; ; but a hint from Don Vetro gave me 
 to understand that it was expected^f me ; therefore, 
 bidding theiu a " muey buenas noches," 1 stepped 
 within the curtains and soon disposed of myself. 
 The Don and his lady soon followed my example. 
 As they seemed to have some trouble in the stowage 
 of the children, I urged to have one of them trans- 
 ferred to my bed ; but no, the " Seuor Capitan" must 
 keep his bed to himself. I did so ; lut the idea of 
 dispossessing these kind people of their accustomed 
 comforts (few enough at the best) so troubled me, 
 that it was some hours before I could compose my- 
 self to sleep. 
 
 I was aw-akened at early, daybreak by my host 
 risitig, and mustering his Indians and horses to start 
 ofl' in pursuit of his cattle. I heard them depart, and 
 again fell asleep, hoping that in the meant-me my 
 lady neighbor would make her toilet and vacate the 
 room ; but after sunrise I nscertainc.l that she was 
 still moored in '• blanket harbor, " and as there were 
 no signs of her getting undcrweigh, I felt that I 
 must. Therefore, partly dressing myself within the 
 curtain, I emerged to behold a remarkably pretty 
 young woman sitting up in bed, nursing an infant ; 
 however, as she did not seem disconcerted, I tried 
 not to be ; and bidding her good-morning, I took my 
 gun and departed. This was in my early acquaint- 
 ance of the customs of the country. Afterward sim- 
 ilar experiences came easier. Don Vetro (or Victor 
 Castro), in 1840, owned and resided on the fine 
 ranche where I suppose the city of Oakland is now 
 
mi 
 
 :,] 
 
 '1: 
 
 
 ml 
 
 '-Ttf 
 ' * « 
 
 342 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 located. Vetro then was poor. If now living, he 
 ought to be a very rich man. The adjoining ranche 
 was that of Don J^. Estidillo, whose condition was 
 about the same as Don Vetro's, except that the for- 
 mer rejoiced in the possession of two very pretty 
 daughters, who were verging into womanhood un- 
 der the somewhat singular names of Donna Maria 
 Conception and Donna Maria Jesus. They were 
 both interesting and graceful young ladies, with reg- 
 ular features, symmetrical figures, and their dark 
 eyes flashed with all the intelligence and fire char- 
 acteristrc of Spanish women. The ranche of Don 
 Jose was a pleasant place to call at while in the pursuit 
 of business or pleasure ; the creeks and plains here, 
 at certain seasons of the year, were alive with wild 
 fowl, and as it was at convenient distance from the 
 ship, I frequently crossed the bay to hunt them. 
 I copy from my journal an account of my first visit 
 there, which will answer, with little variation, for 
 some succeeding ones : 
 
 " Proceeding up the winding creek, the left bank 
 of which was covered with a fine forest of oak and 
 butternut, without any underbrush, the opposite 
 bank low and flat, with small creeks and ponds 
 abounding with ducks and geese, at a convenient 
 spot we pitched the tent and made a fire. In about 
 half an hour, within half a mile of the tent, 1 had 
 shot ducks and teal enough to fill a bushel basket; 
 the boys were busy at work preparing some of the 
 birds for dinner, and a delicious repast was soon in 
 readiness. The young and plump teal, nicely picked 
 and cleaned, were split open on the back, and as 
 
A GOOSE-HUNT, 
 
 343 
 
 bank 
 ik and 
 posite 
 ponds 
 ^renient 
 ibout 
 , 1 li;id 
 askct ; 
 of the 
 soon in 
 picked 
 and as 
 
 many pf them spitted on the iron ramrod of a musket 
 as it would contain. These were roasted before a 
 hard-wood fire, the ends of tlie iron rod resting on 
 a couple of crotched sticks driven into the ground, 
 and a boy watching and turning the spit, produced 
 a dinner which even now I hold in pleasant remem- 
 brance. I was joined, during the feast, by Don Jose, 
 whose house was about two miles distant. This 
 gentleman thought the birds were good, but the con- 
 tents of the boat's chest afforded him the greatest 
 satisfaction. I accepted an invitation to supper, and 
 a bed at his house. The Don was a legitimate mem- 
 ber of the Falstaff family, and, in the consumption 
 of his *sack and bread,' used about the same pro- 
 portions as his prototype did. Of his lady, it is 
 enough to say that she was a ' Martinez.* They 
 also had a numerous progeny of smaller fry, besides 
 the two young ladies above mentioned. 
 
 *' The old gentleman gave me two of his tamest 
 horses, that would stand lire, to hunt with. I mounted 
 myself and a boy for a hunt after geese, which were 
 found in great quantities. The method was to sit 
 on my horse and load and fire ; the boy picked up 
 what I killed, loaded his horse with them, and taking 
 them to the boat, returned for more. On the field I 
 was joined by five or six boys on horseback ; they 
 were half-breeds and Californians, from somewhere 
 in the neighborhood. They were well mounted, 
 had their lassos with tliem, and were evidently in- 
 tent on fun. They asked for permission to accom- 
 pany me, which was granted. 1 did not comprehend 
 their object until I fired into a flock of geese, and the 
 
 5 
 
■r 
 
 I 
 
 
 fr 
 
 344 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 wounded birds began to make off, when the 'mucha- 
 chos,' swinging their lassos over their heads, and 
 chipping spurs to their horses, started in pursuit. 
 My wounded birds were hissoed and dragged in. 
 While my boy was throwing a bunch of geese over 
 his horse's back, the animal took fright, and, clear- 
 ing himself of his load, was soon far away, and at full 
 speed for the hills. Our auxiliaries started in chase, 
 and could have caught him in a short time, but they 
 wanted sport ; they like nothing better than to chase 
 a horse, and at the same time frighten him all they 
 can, to increase their fun ; frequently catching the 
 animal by the tail, and taking a turn with it to the 
 loggerhead of the saddle, they would tumble him to 
 the ground while in full run. After harrassing the 
 poor creature until he was wild with fright, and they 
 were tired of the sport, a lasso was thrown over his 
 neck, and he was quietly led back. Before dark I 
 returned to the house, and was kindly welcomed by 
 all the family. 
 
 "After a good supper and a pleasant sociable eve- 
 ning, I was pleased to see that my kind hostess was 
 preparing my bed, which stood in the corner of the 
 room we were sitting in, with clean sheets and pil- 
 low-slips. No one can better appreciate the comfort 
 of a good bed than one who has been all day in pur- 
 suit of his game, across quagmires, through brush 
 and briar, and climbing hill-sides, until night comes, 
 and the excitement over, he is glad to drop on a bed 
 or on the groiuid, too weary to pull off his boots. 
 Such were my feelings while the bed was being pre- 
 pared for me. For the full enjoyment of the snow- 
 
RUDE BED-FELLOWS. 
 
 345 
 
 evt;- 
 vvas 
 
 the 
 
 white sheets and the embroidered fringed pillow- 
 slips, which were drawn over pillows of wool in red 
 silk ticks, I made a successful effort, and, divesting 
 myself of my much-soiled hunting-dress, leaped into 
 bed, sure of a good night's rest. But alas, I soon 
 found I had bed-fellows, and their name was legion. 
 I had blown out the light, and could not see the be- 
 siegers, who seemed determined to drive me from 
 my quarters. I felt their attack at every point. If 
 I had worked hard during the day, the night brought 
 no cessation of labor, for I found that I was literally 
 covered by a host of the most persevering and blood- 
 thirsty fleas it was ever my lot to lie down amongst. 
 I could not account for their being so numerous. 
 I knew the sheets were put on fresh and clean ; 
 whence came the foe? After an hour's kicking and 
 scratching, and calling the villains hard names, I ex- 
 amined (by feeling) the bedding that was under me, 
 and soon ascertained that the under-sheet was spread 
 over a thick blanket ; this blanket was no doubt 
 taken from another bed, and in all probability had 
 been the birthplace and home of the fleas of many 
 generations. I threw the vile thing to the farthest 
 corner of the room, turned the bed over and shook 
 the clothing, scattering regiments of the light 
 troops over the floor, and again tried to rest. But 
 my assailants were not so easily repulsed. They 
 had tasted blood probably better than they had been 
 accustomed to, and they seemed to like it. Partially 
 routed, they formed again, and a few minutes' march 
 brought them back to the field of battle, where, for 
 the livelong night, the conflict was continued, and 
 
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 I- 
 
 i.. 
 
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 ! 
 
m 
 
 ». 
 
 i. * 
 
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 li 
 
 f 
 
 111 
 
 
 346 
 
 i^O/?^ AND AFT. 
 
 much blood shed. I finally concluded to let them 
 have their own way, and draw on me for what 
 amounts they pleased, hoping that they might at 
 length satisfy their demands, and leave me a little 
 rest ; but no — they all seemed to be daughters of the 
 horse-leech, not asking for more, but taking it. I 
 jWished myself anywhere else ; and nothing but the 
 darkness of the night, and the stormy appearance 
 outside, kept me from retreating to the boat. At 
 early daylight I moved to the boat's tent, where I 
 enjoyed a good nap before I was summoned to 
 breakfast. 
 
 " To-day I started in company with the old ranch- 
 ero for a deer-hunt among the hills, from which we 
 did not return until about sundown. We were 
 very successful, obtaining three deer and an ante- 
 lope. We saw a large band of elk, but we being 
 to windward of them, they took our scent and 
 made oft'. At sea, having the weather-gauge gives 
 the advantage ; in elk or deer-hunting, a leeward 
 position is best for the hunter. Returning to 
 the house to sleep, I noticed that the abom- 
 inable blanket was again on my bed, and I deter- 
 mined, as the night was fine, and 1 reall}' needed 
 rest, to find it at the tent; therefore, late in the 
 evening, I sought my quarters. I found the boys 
 all asleep inside, and preferring the open air, I 
 camped on the outside of the tent. About mid- 
 night I was awakened by another attack similar to 
 that of the previous night. Tiie fleas had posses- 
 sion. I thought this was very strange. My blan- 
 ket had not been at the house, and 1 had thoroughly 
 
A ^UEER BIRD. 
 
 347 
 
 them 
 what 
 ht at 
 little 
 3f the 
 it. I 
 ut the 
 trance 
 [. At 
 here I 
 lecl to 
 
 ranch- 
 ich we 
 2 were 
 11 ante- 
 ; being 
 rtt and 
 re gives 
 eeward 
 ning to 
 abom- 
 I deter- 
 needed 
 i in the 
 he boys 
 n air, I 
 ut mid- 
 milar to 
 posses- 
 !kly blan- 
 roughly 
 
 shaken every garment I had on. I shouted to the 
 boys to know if there were any of the pests with 
 them. ' No, sir, not one,' was the reply. I 
 thought there was a fatality about it, but was too 
 tired to discuss the subject, or to be kept awake 
 long. The morning brought to light the whole se- 
 cret. I had been followed by three larjje dojjs from 
 the house the previous evening, unobserved by me, 
 and after I had camped down they did the same, 
 and, lying in close proximity to me, had transferred 
 their passengers, without my permission being 
 asked. 
 
 " On a hill, one day, I shot a monstrous rattlesnake 
 with eleven rattles. These reptiles are very numer- 
 ous throughout the country. The fact is well estab- 
 lished, that, in this country, the rabbit, the ground 
 owl, and the rattlesnake, inhabit the same hole. That 
 one entrance is common to the three parties, I myself 
 know ; what the interior arrangement of the domi- 
 cile is, I know not. Another story is believed by the 
 people of the country, and, as I have heard it from 
 a naturalist of high standing, whom I met in Cali- 
 fornia, as a fiict, I do not doubt it ; which is, that the 
 rattlesnake has a natural and most implacable 
 enemy in a bird called by the Spaniards ' Cona 
 Comino.' It has a body little larger than a robin 
 red-breast, with very long legs, and can keep up in 
 running with a horse on a fast trot. These birds 
 always go in pairs. When they find the snake 
 lying asleep in the sun, as tiiey often do of a warm 
 day, they run about and collect the burs of the 
 cactus, which dry and fall off the parent stem ; they 
 
348 
 
 FORE AND AFT, 
 
 i ■■-• 
 
 ? ( 
 
 f 
 
 are about the size of an English walnut, and are 
 covered with long, sharp thorns ; with these they 
 ' coral,* or fence, the snake, within a circle. If he 
 docs not wake whon the circle is completed, they 
 tlien collect other burs, and, hovering over him 
 with one in their bill, drop them on the reptile, 
 waking him up, when he attempts to escape. 
 Finding that he cannot pass ovor the thorny barrier, 
 and irritated by the bayonets which have pierced 
 him, he turns on himself, plants his fangs in his 
 own flesh, and dies of his own venom." 
 
 It is with a feeling of sadness one bids a last fare- 
 well to a place of which he carries away with him 
 remembrances of the most pleasing character, and 
 to a people to -.vhom he feels indebted for many 
 acts of kindness and hospitality. I think that one 
 of the greatest drawbacks to a traveller is, that in 
 various parts of the world, where business or 
 pleasure leads him, he often forms friendships of a 
 strong character, which, us the scenes and persons 
 are never revisited, are necessarily never renewed. 
 It was with some such feeling that I took my last 
 look at Santa Barbara one morning, when I weighed 
 anchor and lilled away on my course towards the 
 '* Flowery Kingdom." My countrymen had al- 
 ways regarded Santa Barbara with especial favor. 
 There was nothing very attractive in the appear- 
 ance of the place itself, in the buildings, streets, or 
 situation, but the climate was far superior to that 
 of any place north of it, and the principal families 
 there had, at an early date, oflered attractions to 
 visitors which they could not resist. Don Carlos 
 
NOTABLE CALIFORNIANS. 
 
 349 
 
 Canilla, a man whose dignified and noble appear- 
 ance would command observation in any company, 
 and whose high respectabihty vyas never questioned, 
 gave his five daughters to American husbands, all 
 of said husbands being of good and respectable 
 standing; one of them was American Consul at 
 the Sandwich Islands over twenty years, and all the 
 others were his equals. And these husbands also 
 gained wives who would reflect credit on them in 
 any civilized community. The dwellers at Jamaica 
 Plain, of a few years past, will recognize in one of 
 them the noble-looking Spanish lady, now a widow, 
 , and resident there with her beautiful daughters. 
 
 Santa Barbara, ii\ 1840, with its sparse popula- 
 tion, had identified its interests with the States by 
 giving nine of its fairest daughters to be American 
 wives. Don Jose Noriega was one of the kindest 
 and best men I ever knew ; all respectable foreign- 
 ers, who visited the place previous to our occupa- 
 tion of it, can testify to the unbounded hospitality 
 and kind attentions of himself and his good lady, 
 .lie was considered by some as a very austere man, 
 and a bigoted Catholic. From my long acquaint- 
 ance with him I can say that his house was truly 
 a house of prayer, for the frequency and fervor of 
 his devotions were such as to cause me, a Protest- 
 ant, to feel condemned at my own shortcomings. 
 While for strict integrity in all his business transac- 
 tions, it is not saying too much to assert that Cali- 
 fornia, at the present limc, may have his equal, but 
 not his superior. I have no sneer to cast upon 
 those who difler from me in religious matters. In 
 

 j 
 
 II 
 
 k I 
 
 v 
 
 if 
 
 >' 
 
 H 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 I, 
 
 ti 
 
 m 
 
 ~ -i 
 
 350 
 
 FO/?E AND AFT. 
 
 my somewhat extended acquaintance with Catholics, 
 the world over, I am happy to recall as my friends 
 a number whom I knew to possess all the Chris- 
 tian graces that adorn humanity. One of Don 
 Jose Noriega's daugiiters was the wife of a Boston 
 gentleman, previous to the Mexican war. She had 
 completed her education in the United States, and 
 returned with her husband to California, leaving 
 her eldest daugliter at a celebrated school for young 
 ladies, and a son preparing to enter as a cadet iit 
 West Point. always felt that during Seilor Nor- 
 iega's life, if I- should be in distress of any kind that 
 needed the active and substantial assistance of a 
 friend, I should call upon him in preference to any 
 of my own countrymen. As a specimen of his 
 harshness and austerity, I will relate an incident 
 which occurred while he was Commandant under 
 the-Mexican rule. 
 
 During the contraband times, Don Jose had inti- 
 mation that an American vessel was doing an 
 unlawful business at Refugio, just above Santa Bar- 
 bara, and sent some soldiers up to look into the 
 matter. They found the Captain at a ranche sell- 
 ing goods, and brought him prisoner to Santa Bar- 
 bara, the boat escaping to the ship. The culprit 
 was examined by the dreaded Commandant, and 
 found guilty. A sentence of confiscation and im- 
 prisonment was pronounced. All the horrors of a 
 Spanish prison rose before his imagination ; the 
 loss of liberty was certain, and perhaps a lingering 
 death, and the ruin of the voyage highly probable. 
 " Captain," said the judge, " you are guilty, and 
 
A PLEASANT PJilSON. 
 
 351 
 
 dUcs, 
 icnds 
 ;)hiis- 
 
 Don 
 ostou 
 c had 
 3, and 
 saving 
 young 
 idet at 
 r Nor- 
 id that 
 e of u 
 to any 
 
 of his 
 ncidcnt 
 
 under 
 
 ad intl- 
 )ing an 
 ita Bar- 
 nto the 
 he sell- 
 ita Bar- 
 culpiit 
 mt, and 
 and im- 
 ors of ii 
 on ; the 
 ingcrhig 
 robahlc. 
 ilty, and 
 
 mu' t sufler the penalty ; you must <jo from hence to 
 prison, but you may Imve the clioice of confuiemcnt 
 in the calaboose, or of being a prisoner at my 
 house." Of course the latter was preferred, and 
 the treatment received at the hands of his jailer 
 was of tliis kind : the best room, with the best 
 bed in the house, was his place of incarceration. 
 A servant every morning brought to hia bedside, be- 
 fore tl'.e prisoner was up, a bowl of rich chocolate, 
 served up on a heavy silver waiter, all the other ves- 
 sels being of the same material, after which he was 
 politely invited to breakfast with the family. Tlieu 
 followed family prayers, and the *' heretic " was 
 duly presented at the throne of grace, and then in- 
 formed that he could go where he chose, only with 
 the injunction that if he was not back to dinner he 
 would be sent for. The prisoner was allowed to 
 send instructions to the mate to go awav with the 
 vessel, and return in three months. He did so ; and 
 the conclusion of the whole matter was, the Captain 
 was allowed to join his vessel, receiving pay for the 
 confiscated goods from the Commandant, at the 
 highest prices, and he was dismissed with the in- 
 junction to *' go and sin no more." And this was 
 a man whom I have heard named as a bigoted 
 Catholic. Perhaps he was : he was also a Christian 
 gentleman ; and well might the prisoner exclaim, as 
 he was released from the silken bonds, — ''Almost 
 thou pcrsuadest me to be a Catholic." 
 
 Tiie Padre President of the Missiotis in Califor- 
 nia, whom I frequently met at the table of Don 
 Jose, was a quiet, fine-looking old gentleman ; he 
 
352 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 lU 
 
 was regarded by all who knew him as a man of 
 piety and learning, of strictly moral character, and 
 whose life was in accordance with iiis exalted sta- 
 tion. One day at dinner, I notice<l that the good 
 father, instead of using tlie silver spoons and clean 
 knives and forks provided for the company, took 
 from a greasy looking pouch which he carried in 
 his pocket a remnant of a knife which had once 
 been a common table implement, but was now re- 
 duced to about two inches of blade, a fork minus 
 the handle, and an iron spoon, all of which were 
 quite rusty, and seemed to have been his travelling 
 companions for many years. I inquired the reason 
 for this singularity, and was told, that at the 
 departure of each missionary from the College 
 of San Fernando, in Mexico (the mother of all 
 the California missions), they itre provided with 
 these articles ai the expense of the establishment, 
 and are prohibited from using any others. Some 
 of the priests of the Mission are given to immoral 
 practices, according to the showing of their own 
 people. Cannot those of every denomination say 
 the same of their own? 
 
 •f.. 
 

 A VOrAGE TO CHINA. 
 
 353 
 
 lun of 
 r, and 
 d sta- 
 
 good 
 
 clcati 
 ;, took 
 icd ill 
 d once 
 ow rc- 
 
 minus 
 1 were 
 veiling 
 
 reason 
 
 at the 
 College 
 I- of all 
 d with 
 ,hment, 
 Some 
 m moral 
 uir own 
 tion say 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 A VOYAGE TO CHINA. 
 
 A FINE run from the coast brought us to anchor 
 outside of the reef at Honolulu, Sandwich 
 Islands, about the first of July. Having lost a 
 number of my crew by desertion, it was necessary 
 to call here and ootain men. I found quite a res- 
 pcctabh^ looking town, with a decided American 
 appearance ; handsome brick and frame buildings, 
 with numerous stores and shops, and an abundant 
 display of every variety of goods to be found among 
 civilized people. The population, so largely for- 
 eign, among which Americans predominate, pre- 
 sented a wonderfid contrast to the time I first knew 
 the place before a missionary had landed here, and 
 the king and his people were savages. 
 
 On entering the harbor with my boat, I was pull- 
 ing by a whale-ship moored in the cove, and recog- 
 nized in her the EugC7ic^ formerly of Boston, but 
 now hailing from Honolulu. Having formerly 
 sailed in her, I called on board. The Captain said 
 she was a good, sound, and staunch vessel ; he had 
 commanded her six years, and was part owner. 
 In reply to my question, he said she was about 
 twelve years old, but not over thirteen ; and he was 
 quite astonished when I assured hiin that I was 
 23 
 
mmmmtmm. 
 
 \ 
 
 i! 
 
 a 
 
 i ' 
 
 354 
 
 J^O/^E AND AFT. 
 
 
 
 li ' 
 
 second mate of that very ship twenty-nine years 
 ago, when she belonged to John Pratt & Son, of 
 Boston. The builders of that ship may feel grati- 
 fied in knowing tliat the Eugene was so long a 
 substantial witness of their faithful construction. 
 On landing, the principal business of the whole 
 population seemed to me to be in preparing to cel- 
 ebrate the Fourth of July, which was near at hand. 
 I was strongly urged to remain and participate in 
 the festivities, but having obtai'ied my men, and a 
 supply of fruit and vegetables, I sailed again after 
 a stay of tlurteen hours; and 'vjre it seems a fitting 
 place to make mention oT the first celebration of 
 the '• Fourth " ever observed at these islands. 
 
 Forty-five years ag:) the Boston ships 0'Crt/«, 
 Captain Jonathan Winship, Jr., the Albatross^ 
 Captain Nathan Winsbip, and the Isabella^ Cap- 
 tain \Vm. H. Davis, were moored in this snug and 
 then recciulj'-discovered liarbor, where they were 
 shortly after blockaded by the Cherub^ and other 
 British men-of-war, and kept there durins: the 
 whole period of the war with England. The 'ven- 
 der is that these ships were not captured or des- 
 troyed in the port, which fate would have been in 
 character with the cowardly attack and destruction 
 of the frigate Essex in a like neutral port, by the 
 Phxhe and Cherub. The log-book of the Alba- 
 tross^ which 1 have before me, says : " A tent was 
 erected on shore, and a dinner given to whoever 
 may choose to attend. I'hirteen guns were fired 
 from each of the ships at sunrise, noon, and sunset, 
 and were replied to by as many guns from the king. 
 
 .( I f, 
 
T"?T?^T-iPTT^ ~WVW^ 
 
 ''THE GLORIOUS FOURTH." 
 
 355 
 
 of 
 
 The ships displayed their colors, and fireworks 
 were let off in the evening in commemoration of 
 American independence." At that time the only 
 pilot to the new harbor was the King Tamaahmaah 
 the First, who, with his royal double canoes, each 
 seventy-five loot in length, manned by two hundred 
 brawny arms, always iirst boarded each vessel that 
 arrived, and, taking command, brought her within 
 the harbor. Those were famous days when the 
 royal pilot stood up, and, with his sword in hand, 
 directed the motion of a hundred paddles. The 
 brothers Winship were as true patriots as ever 
 sailed under the Stars and Stripes, and, with the 
 consent of the noble savage, they determined io 
 celebrate their nation's birthday. Under a shady 
 grove of cocoa-nut trees, a royal banquet was pre- 
 pared, such as the days of Tamaahmaah only wit- 
 nessed ; mats and tables were spread on the open 
 plain near the King's residence, and His Majesty, 
 the warm friend of the foreigner, ordered his ser- 
 vants to prepare liberally for the feast. In addition 
 to the provision made by the Americans, the tables 
 and mats were profusely supplied by the royal bounty. 
 It was a grand day. Ten thousand natives crowded 
 around to participate and witness the feast. Ever 
 since that day the Fourth of July has been held in 
 high esteem by the natives ; they hail it with joy, 
 and enter with as much zest and enthusiasm into 
 the celebration of American Independence, as if it 
 were their own 
 
 national d; 
 
 'y- 
 
 Three days out from Honolulu we had our cele- 
 bration of the Fourth. Gliding pleasantly on our 
 
 
356 
 
 FORE AND AFT. 
 
 B!. ' -> 
 
 
 course over a summer sea, the too moderate breezes 
 of the trade-winds gently swelling every sail that 
 could be spread — breezes so fixed and steady to 
 one point, that the position of a sail need not be 
 changed for days or weeks — and the weather warm 
 enough to have the awnings spread fore and aft — the 
 monotony of the scene I was glad of an opportunity 
 to disturb. Our supplies of fresh provisions, vege- 
 tables, fruit, etc., were abundant. Therefore the 
 order was given the previous evening to the cook 
 and steward to get up a good dinner for fore and 
 aft. Next morning the colors were hoiste ., half- 
 past eleven, and all hands were called aft to il.rm a 
 circle around the capstan to listen, uncovered, to the 
 reading of the Declaration of Independence by one 
 of the boys (Charlie, a son of Robert Rantoul, Jr.), 
 who was mounted on the bright drum-head of the 
 capstan. At noon the awnings were furled, and a 
 salute of one gun for each State fired. The steward 
 concocted and served out to each one of the crew a 
 tumbler of punch, and then foil'^wed an hour at 
 dinner, and liberty to skylark till eight bells. In 
 long passages I have always embraced such occa- 
 sions to relieve the irksomeness of a long road, and 
 have felt that such a policy was productive of good 
 feeling and harmony all round. 
 
 Owing to -a very light trade-wind, we did not 
 make the Loo Choo Islands until July 30th, and did 
 not get clear of the group until three days after. 
 We entered the " Chusan" group of islands on the 
 coast of China, and taking a pilot outside river 
 Yangtzcekiang, arrived at " V/oosung" August 5th. 
 
A CHINESE PILOT. 
 
 357 
 
 :th. 
 
 In entering Woosung, the ship, having quick way 
 on her, and in charge of a pilot, met a fleet of lai*ge 
 junks coming out; one of them, by the mismanage- 
 ment of her crew, came in contact with ;. < ship. 
 The flues of one of our anchors, and ihe . 'c yard 
 arm, stripped the bamboo masts out of th* * nk as 
 if they had been pipe-stems ; the ship's Headway 
 was not checked, nor a scratch received. 
 
 At Woosung we found the steamer Confucius^ 
 belonging to the Chinese Government. She had on 
 board a part of the ofiicers and crew of the United 
 States Frigate Macedonian^ which wr\s lying at 
 Shanghae, and was bound down the coast to break 
 up a nest of pirates who were committing depreda- 
 tions near by tliis port. After anchoring, I sent the 
 pilot on shore to purchase fresh provisions for the 
 ship. This fellow was an old Scotch sailor, and is 
 said to be as good a pilot as any one on the river. 
 "Mac" has his large and partly-decked boat, with 
 a bamboo house on the stern, of Chinese construc- 
 tion, in which he lives with his family, — that is, 
 what he calls such. I saw a Chinawoman's head, 
 while 'ihe was looking through a bamboo grating 
 of the hurricane house, but what else there was in- 
 side I did not ascertain. Mac returned to the sliip 
 about dark, drunk, and without any supplies. I 
 refused to let him on board, and advised him to drgp 
 his craft astern, and retire to the hurricane house 
 and recruit ; he did so, and there soon appeared to 
 be a hurricane in the house, probably got up by 
 Mrs. Mac. During the evening the pilot had a call 
 from the captain of the junk, which was dismasted 
 
■J9 
 
 
 ■:)f 
 ••,-1 
 
 
 I' 
 
 If 
 
 I ■ 
 
 u 
 
 i 
 
 hi 
 
 35S 
 
 -F(9/?i? ^A'Z? AFT. 
 
 while the ship was entering the port: no doubt he 
 was seeking to recover damages; however, they 
 made such a "bobbery," that the mate cast ofT the 
 pilot-boat rope and let the belligerent parties drop 
 away from the ship, to settle the matter. The next 
 morning the pilot came on board in good shape, 
 when we hove up the anchor and proceeded up 
 river to Slianghae, twelve miles distant, anchoring 
 near the "Bund," or foreign part of the city. 
 
 Calling upon the house of Russell & Co., and 
 consigning the ship to them, I was politely invited 
 to take a room at their house, which in a few days 
 I did, and soon found that the invitation meant that 
 I should enjoy the unbounded hospitality of Messrs. 
 Cunningham and Gray — the gentlemen who rep- 
 resented the house. 
 
 Remained at Shanghae about three months, with- 
 out any incident occuring worthy of record. 
 
 \Vc loaded with silk and teas, and sailed for New 
 York November 14th, clearing the river on the 20th. 
 After passing the islands at the entrance, we took the 
 strong north-east monsoon, and made fine progress 
 down through the channc". of Formosa, and passed 
 Pedro Branca on the 25th. The same morning one 
 of the crew was found dead in his bertli ; he had 
 been sick in port, and never recovered from a weak- 
 ness which waited him away. At noon the colors 
 were iuuitcd at half-mast, the ser\ice for the dead 
 was reaii over him, and his retrains, sc»vcd up iu his 
 hammock, were committed to i: sailor's grave. 
 
 December 5th entered the Straits of Uiinca, and 
 anchored for the night near Great Xankia Island; 
 

 THE END. 
 
 359 
 
 and on the 8th, in the Straits of Sunda, came to near 
 North Ishmd. Here we were boarded by some 
 Mahiy boats from Angier, and from them obtained a 
 huge supply of sweet potatoes, phmtai'i, mango- 
 stecn, pinc-applos and cocoa-nuts, fowls, paddy, 
 Java spa 'rows, and monkeys. We were detained by 
 calms, and did not get clear of the Straits until Jan- 
 uary 1st. Off the Cape of Good Hope, on the 29th, 
 we experienced the severest gale of the voyage, but 
 met with no damage. Two days after, passed t'le 
 Cape of Good Hope with a strong south-easter, 
 having a fine view of Table Mountain. Crossed the 
 Equator February 23d, in longitude 36.50, and ar- 
 rived at New York March 21st, having performed 
 the voyage round without bplitting a sail or losing 
 a spar. 
 
 And now, in bringing these sketches to a close, I 
 desire to express my deep obligations to an over- 
 ruling Providence, who has shielded and protected 
 me in all my wanderings. " Bless the Lord, oh my 
 soul, and forget not all His benefits 1" 
 
 H.