B THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID PENIKESE REMINISCENCE BY ONE OF ITS PUPILS \ "Yea, it becomes a man To cherish memory, where he had delight." Sophocles: Ajax, 1895 FRANK H. LATTIN, PUBLISHER, ALBION N TT COPYRIGHT" 1895 DEDICATION. TO ALL TO WHOM THE MEMORY OF TENIKESE AND OF ITS MASTER IS DEAR. M368675 PREFACE. The material of which this little volume is com- posed furnishes the apology which its author would make for its appearance. It was begun in the summer of 1873, at Penikese Island; and has been retouched, constantly, since then, in the hope that it might, at sometime, be suit- able for publication. As it seems best no longer to withold its pages from the public imperfect though they may be they are now presented to you by The Author. CHAPTER I. THE JOURNEY. Penikese is a name ever to be remembered by me with the greatest of pleasure, for it was there I passed some of the happiest hours of my life. I re- member it all: the ground, with its undulating billows sodded with the sparing green and brown of low grasses or covered with sandy loam; the waters, with their rusty and smutty rocks rearing their jagged edges above the quiet expanse of the bay, or dashed against by turbulent waves; and the boulders, with their whitened faces, lying confusedly as they had been cast upon the wave-beaten beaches or strewn, like ancient sentinels, here and there about the fields; I picture them all as if it were but yesterday. Then the buildings the laboratories, the lecture- rooms, and the professors' house (the last the, most conspicuous of them all), mean in themselves yet dear from their associations, I think of each and I love each. Ah! Shall I ever experience such free, such happy, such truly joyous hours again? But let me tell you how I happened going to Penikese Island, and what I saw, heard, and did there. I had been sitting, one fine morning in early spring, by a cosy grate fire, perusing the columns of my favorite morning paper, when my eyes fell upon a short paragraph which instantly arrested my atten- tion. It was the notice of a ''Summer School of Natural History," and read as follows: 10 PENIKESE. "Mr. John Anderson, of New York, has presented to a body of Trustees, the island called Penikese, in Buzzard's Bay, for the site for a Summer School of Natural History, to be in the charge of Professor Louis Agassiz, whose purpose is to give free instruction, to teachers of the sciences, in cor- rect methods of study in this most important branch of edu- cation." The subject was one of peculiar interest to me, and, as I read, visions of what a grand opportunity would thus be afforded to study Nature so filled my mind, that they took complete possession of my senses. Natural History was always and is now for that matter, my favorite study; one might almost say I had been born and bred a Naturalist. From my earliest recollection I was often made supremely happy by the present of a robin's or a sparrow's egg, or some other similarly common natural object, from the bounteous collection of a friend. To me, if was untold gold. If an egg, I would hold the delicate shell in my fingers, slowly and carefully turn it from side to side, examine its glossy surface and perfect proportions, look at the holes in its extremities to see how thick the shell itself might be, and often though I hardly dare to tell it for fear of being laughed at wonder how much wind had been required to expel its contents. From my first egg I soon reached my hundredth and more. Then I formed the plan of making a general collection in all of the different branches of Natural History which, carried into ef- fect, was successful beyond my most sanguine ex- pectation. Thus, at an early period of my life, in the full glow of scientific ardor, a short and almost insignificant newspaper paragraph insignificant, per- haps, to all save a few appeared at once to open to me a possible path to scientific fame and attainment that, in my youthful ambition, seemed limitless. The opportunity and the Master, the best that the coun- try, nay the world, then afforded! I immediately ap- plied for admission, and received, by return of mail, an answer from Professor Agassiz himself in THE JOURNEY. I I his own hand-writing and with his own autograph at- tached accepting me as his pupil and inclosing full instructions. Thenceforward I could eat, drink, think, and dream of nothing save Penikese. Oh, how I longed for the time to come when I might journey thither. At length the day for my departure arrived. How eagerly and with what a glad heart I packed my trunk and valise and started for the nearest railroad station. My friends must certainly have thought me hard-hearted as I left them, shouting my good-byes from the top of the coach to which I had sprung, with as much apparent joy as if a rich Uncle had just died and bequeathed me a fortune, and I was forth- with going into the possession of it. I was soon on board the train and travelling toward my destination. How slowly we appeared to move. It seemed as if I might easily have outdistanced this or any other train, today, on foot, and yet we must have been going at a fairly rapid speed. Having com- posed myself as best I could I found amusement, for a time, in watching from the window, as they passed in quick succession, the fields, covered with eurling stalks of young grain or downy with soft heads of timothy and other grasses; the new-mown hay lying in loosely scattered heaps or gracefully-curled swaths upon its bristling stubble; or, here and there, a soli- tary person still working at his daily toil. Close by, in a nearer portion of one of the meadows, a tall, lank individual was standing on an immense load of hay, upon which he was stowing away fork-full after fork-full as it was pitched to him by an equally tall, lank individual, who was standing on the ground be- low; while a fine pair of blacks stood, in lamb-like attitude, just in front of the load. Another moment, and, frightened by the noise of the train, the blacks were scouring the fields, like a pair of wild prairie mustangs, bearing with them the fast-decreasing pile, while one of the tall, lank individuals was assisting the other to rise from the ground. Then we dashed 12 PENIKESE. by to where a number of coatless workers were rak- ing the hay, with the utmost diligence, into small, rounded piles, that it might the more easily be pitch- ed upon the cart which should arrive for it. Past these we went, to a large swamp dotted here and there with hummocks where grasses, huge, rough brakes, and delicate ferns grew in luxuriance and abundance; and upon some of them, nearest the track, I could even distinguish wild flowers rearing aloft their slender stems and delicate heads, and tell the species of many of them. Then we came to a long, thickly-wooded stretch, where a forest of trees, large and small, extended far along the track on either side, arching their tops and intermingling their branches as if they would bind us with their mystic spell; but, like a prisoner who would not be bound, we dashed through and by them, only to emerge into the light of still more fields, and still new scenes. Weary with gazing at these, I then, tried to count the telegraph poles as they appeared to whiz by us, or watched the wires as they travelled, or appeared to travel, now up and now down my window, as the height of one pole above another or the inequalities of the road-bed showed themselves. Thus/ amusing myself, now with this scene now with that, we journeyed on, hour after hour, until, at length, the scene materially changed and salt water put in its appearance. Then the houses began to thicken, and the smoke and confused arrangement of a big metropolis loomed in the distance. Presently the train, after passing through a perfect labyrinthine maze of houses, streets, archways, and narrow alley- ways, stopped, and we found ourselves safely landed at the "Hub of the Universe" Boston. From Boston we left directly for New Bedford, where we arrived about seven o'clock that evening and immediately engaged rooms for the night. Here the hotel was alive with excitement. Carriages were constantly arriving with guests, mostly students like ourselves, and bent upon the same errand. Men, THE JOURNEY. 13 both old and young, were going to and fro in all di- rections; porters, carrying huge trunks upon their shoulders, were continually running against the pass- ers-by, or stumbling about under their loads to the seeming peril of a bevy of small boys, who were in everybody's way; and waiters, with white aprons, nicely balancing upon the tips of their fingers large trays filled with dishes, were hurrying here and there in apparently endless confusion. The clerk's desk occupied, very nearly, the centre of the room or long hall in which we found ourselves upon entering the hotel, hence, to the general confusion was added the bustle and crowd attendant upon the registering of our names, and bell-boys showing people to their rooms. Nor should we forget the numerous boot- blacks, who acted their part in the scenes about us. To get my supper, and find my room, and hasten toward the land of dreams, was the work of a com- paratively short time, though it seemed hours to one who was so tired as myself; but it was at last accom- plished. The next morning I awoke very early, refreshed both in body and in mind with my night's rest. It was too soon, as yet, to arise; and so I lay and watched the dancing sunbeams which, through the blinds of my half-closed windows, shone and played merry pranks upon the opposite walls of the room, while the trees outside, stirred by the light off-shore morning breeze, sent shadowy images of fantastic shape moving, here and there, among them. One immense, dumb- bell-shaped sunbeam amused me greatly in its at- tempts to smash a fine vase upon the mantle near by. It would dash at it with unerring accuracy and terrific impetus, only to stop short, within a few inches of it, and return immediately to its former position, leaving the vase wholly untouched. Above this beamed another, now intensely bright now quite dim; and, farther on, two small, active little fellows played hide and seek behind each other, so that the two became one and the one two again each alternate 14 PENIKESE. moment. At length, tired of watching the bright, roguish sunbeams, and animated by a lusty-sounding gong, which seemed to be beaten directly in front of my door, and, consequently, for my express benefit, I sprang from the bed and quickly dressed for break- fast. After the morning's meal I hastened to place my baggage in the hands of the porter whose duty it was to take it on board the little steamer, which was so soon to convey us to our island home, and then started for a stroll about this quiet, quaint, old- fashioned city, there being yet several hours to spare before our departure. I will not attempt to describe New Bedford, as I was in it for so short a time; but I wandered along one or two of its principal avenues, admiring the noble dwellings with their rich, handsome lawns, which, like miniature parks, fronted the streets at the farther end of the town, and then, returning, en- tered one of the small, dirty by-streets that led to a neighboring wharf, to which I directed my steps. What a sight here met my gaze. Vessels of all kinds and sizes, from full-rigged ships to perfect swarms of boats and dories, lay about me in every direction. It seemed as if there were thousands of them, though doubtless barely as many hundreds. Two full-rigged men-of-war, which had just arrived from France, as I learned afterwards, anchored some distance in the bay beyond the rest, seemed like monstrous guard- ians of whaling vessels, steamers large and small brigs, barks, and schooners of all sorts and kinds. Vessels, almost new, shone resplendent with recent coats of bright paint above the rest, but most were so old and worn that you could almost have believed them to be veritable "Noah's Arks." I could not but admire several beautiful pleasure yachts that lay at anchor in the bay. I could see them, rolling about from side to side, showing their smooth planks and well made forms, and bending their masts grace- fully i.n the air or dipping their handsome prows far into the waters which surrounded them. How I en- THE JOURNEY. I 5 joyed the scene. It seemed to have a fascination for me that was irresistible. Then I turned my attentioni.to the wharf itself, which, like most of the others I could see about me, was built far into the water. It was covered with heaps of boards, new and bright, old and dingy, some immense plank, others thin deal, and one very old pile came tumbling down with a noise like thun- der, as I accidentally stumbled over several pieces which extended far beyond the rest; with barrels, ap- parently of oil and tar, whose blue sides and red ends, thickly streaked with an abundance of the same material as that composing their contents, showed up on all sides; and with piles of old iron, ballast- stones and spars and masts of vessels; all of which, with many other things of a like nature, lay scattered everywhere around in endless confusion. At the farther end of the wharf were a group of dirty, bare-footed little urchins, who were amusing themselves with all sorts of doings, one could, at first sight, barely distinguish them from the brown, dirty logs or barrels amongst which they played, and whose hands and faces, as well as their clothes, seemed equally bedaubed and grimy. Some of them were playing at marbles, while others, mere lookers on, were lying about in the mud and dirt, like so many flounders off the pier head at low tide, watch- ing the progress of the games. On a low, narrow stairway, leading to the water, sat several youthful fishers, who appeared in high glee over four or five poor little fishes, barely as many inches long, which they had succeeded in catching with the most primi- tive pole, hook, and line imaginable, and only after long and patient waiting, doubtless, upon their part. On the very end corner of the pier, a most wretched- ly dirty, ragged, and diminutive urchin was amusing himself by throwing stones at the numberless small chips of wood which were tossing about upon the rippling waters beneath him, or occasionally "skip- ping" some particularly smooth, flat pebble, which l6 PENIKESE. he "had selected from the loose earth scattered about the pier around him, to the great delight of a still smaller specimen of existence, who jumped about and clapped his hands, as he counted the skips, most gleefully. It was a characteristic scene for such a place, and I watched it all with idle interest whilst waiting for the whistle of the "Helen Augusta" to summon us on board. From this scene I wandered about amongst the old whale ships, which, like huge ghosts, reared high in air their whitened spars and exposed their bleaching sides to the hot sun, or lay, in various postures, awaiting, as the case might be, the hands of time or the renorvating touch of busy workmen, while upon some the carpenters were already at their labors. Then I walked up and down the narrow streets close by the wharves; I visited many of the shops and small warehouses; and amused myself in every way possible until, at length, aroused by the shrill scream of the tug-boat, I hastened to the scene of hurry and confusion consequent upon our starting for Penikese. On arriving at the wharf, where the tug-boat lay, I found it literally one mass of moving heads and wagon-tops. Everything appeared to be in the wildest disorder and everybody to have lost their senses completely, at least judging from the crazy manner in which people persisted in getting in each others way; nor was the confusion less noticeable on board the steamer, which was small and crowded. There were trunks, hat-boxes, valises, boxes, crates, and baskets; general kitchen-ware, cooking utensils of all sorts, and furniture mixed with Natural History stores and apparatus; all lying tumbled together so promiscuously and occupying so much room, that, in company with several others, I vainly wandered seeking a place of repose and momentary quiet from the human storm which everywhere surrounded me, and was fain almost to envy even the dirty little urchins, whom I had so recently left, their peace and quiet. THE JOURNEY. I/ At length comparative calm reigned, and I found a moment in which to look about me, and to note the forms and faces of those gathered upon the deck and in the waiting-room of our little steamer all of whom were eager for her departure. What a jolly set they were, these strange forms and faces! Old men and young men, elderly ladies and young, fair maidens. A varied group indeed, yet, for all, it looked like an agreeable one. When the second whistle sounded, a particularly shrill and startling one it seemed to me, what a scene ensued; what a profusion of hand-shakings and good-byes were given and taken upon every side; slowly the tide of humanity poured down the boat's side and on to the wharf below. And now the steam- er had completed its load. The dull beat of her paddles and her heavy column of black smoke an- nounced that we had left the pier and were on the move. One by one the wagons started leaving the wharf; one by one the scattered groups of people turned from the dock and followed; then, finally, wharf, people, and wagons grew further and further away as, with regular puff and plunge, the little "Helen Augusta" steamed quietly away from the dull, hot city, and out into a clearer atmosphere upon the fair, heaving bosom of the bay. CHAPTER II. AGASSIZ AND PENIKESE. Buzzards Bay! What a glorious mingling of land and water! Well worthy its illustrious discoverer, the famous Bartholomew Gosnold. In fact, both our little Penikese, and its larger neighbor, Cutty Hunk, have contended successively for the distinguished title of "Gosnold's Hat." Adown the broad bosom of this bay we glide. The passengers crowd the prow and stern of our small craft, to drink in the de- licious draughts of cool, fresh air, that fan the cheek into fairly blushing at itself as it tells, so plainly to all around, its secret joy at this occasion: and this is the group most of whom are to bear me company, during a willing summer exile, in an enterprise which is to unite professor and pupil, heart to heart and hand in hand; hearts devoted, and hands ever ready, to do the work which the Master shall assign them. Our sail to Penikese was a very pleasant one, and now mark our surprise: As we approach the wharf, there stood Professor Agassiz himself, who had thus anticipated our arrival, with beaming face, ready to welcome us; and his warm, enthusiastic shake of the hand, and gentle, winning words, which were ever new and fresh to each one, sent a glad thrill through each heart. How proud he looked. How like the kind, benignant father to us all that he indeed was. After the handshakings, he lead the way, up the old lane or cartpath, to the place of meeting. There all seated themselves save Professor Agassiz, he alone remained standing. What a sight! What a 20 PENIKESE. scene! Would that some canvas might contain that picture. The Hall, or place of meeting, was an old barn still retaining its ancient, barn-like appearance with- out though entirely renovated and somewhat remod- eled within. Great pains had been taken to leave its side and rafters as they had been, and bare, yet per- fectly clean. By a partition, was made a small, square room, at the farther end of which were ranged the chairs in which the pupils and company sat; in front was a long table, extending nearly across the room, around which the more highly honored guests were placed; behind and near the center of the table, stood Professor Agassiz, with head uncovered with the fingers of one hand barely touching the table with their tips, and the other hand within the breast of his coat. In a moment all were silent: "Then the Master, With a gesture of command, Waved his hand;" and Professor Agassiz addressed us: "My friends!" he said, "you know not what a pleasure it is for me to meet you all here today! I have looked forward to this as being a very happy event in my life, and I am not disappointed; but, before proceeding with our business, let. us look to the giver of all our good things in thanksgiving. I know not any of you, therefore cannot feel free to ask of any of you that favor which I otherwise should do. I will ask you all, therefore, to join with me, for a few moments, in silent prayer." Bowed heads and silence responded to the call, as all joined in that solemn occasion, and the waves dashing upon the rocks, seemed like the utterances of those un- spoken words while a thousand white-winged gulls, upon noiseless pinion, filled the air, and seemed like messengers from Heaven, awaiting only to catch the spirit of those words that they might bear them up- ward. AGASSIZ AND PENIKESE. 21 After a few moments the professor addressed us. He thanked us all for coming to meet him on that far off, lonely island; and he thanked himself for being able to be present; he thanked the kind giver of the island and its endowment, Mr. Anderson, for himself and for all, that he had been moved to such a generous bestowment of property and happiness to the community; and he thanked the friends there present at its opening for their sympathy with the plans of the trustees for the institution, as well as for their hearty co-operation in furthering those plans: Then he thanked God for his goodness to them all. After this, speeches were made, and many prominent public men took part in the tributes of praise that were bestowed freely upon all interested in the school, whether teachers, pupils, or any that sym- pathized with the grand work thus initiated, and the company broke up, happy and pleased with their first public introduction to Penikese. Our first day at the Island, thus it began! It was intensely warm, and the sun shed down its almost vertical rays upon a soil, dry and sandy, with scanty vegetation, though with a liberal supply of rocks and boulders, which were scattered everywhere about the place. Viewed simply in itself, it was a most unat- tractive spot, and at first I could scarcely persuade myself that I should enjoy my stay here, yet for all the unattractiveness of the place, a secret something filled my mind with pleasant thoughts, and I found, even in the rocks and boulders, and the dry, sandy soil, with its occasional patches of green, a solace for all the objectionable features of the situation. We had met together upon this desolate island, a band of brothers, stranger brothers as yet, to be sure, but, although still unacquainted with each other, a common bond of sympathy was drawing us nearer and nearer one to another master and pupil in a friendship that was to last a life time. Thus, at the very beginning, each rock, each grain of sand, each blade of grass even, was invested with an interest 22 PENIKESE. which increased daily as the Master's hand directed our attention, and his thoughts our thoughts, to the to us at least hitherto unimagined wonders of the objects lying everywhere about us. Drawn by a common union of mind, sentiment, and purpose, there had met together, from all parts of the United States, two score and ten specialists old and young, men and women teachers to be instructed of teach- ers. All faults and differences were forgotten, if in- deed there were many to forget, by mutual consent, as each worked for the common good of mankind. No wonder that the influence of these persons is felt today everywhere, throughout the length and breadth of the land, as they reflect the light of that wonder- ful man, Louis Jean Rudolph Agassiz.. Love makes even duty a pleasure. One short hour and we loved our instructors and our companions we loved our little sea-girt island, for all its barrenness. We looked upon everything about us with a sort of rev- erence. All had a meaning now. Do you wonder that I remember those days as some of the happiest of my life? But active preparations for dinner are going on, it would amuse you to see them. Our first dinner had, for the most part, been pre- pared in New Bedford, and brought over with us in the boat. The room in which we were to dine was almost square; and the doors opened near the centre of one side of the building and next to the partition, which separated the dining-hall from the kitchen. Close to the windows, upon either side, were two long tables running lengthwise of the hall, which were intended for the students; a third table, running crossways and with its ends directly in front of the entrance, was for the use of the professors and their families. There were rough, homely chairs placed evenly and closely to the white table cloth and neatly set tables; the dishes were plain, though not coarse; and the food simple yet healthful. All things seemed exactly fitted to the occasion. Were we inclined to grumble a little, at first, at both our food and our AGASSIZ AND PENIKESE. 2 3 accommodations; we who had been accustomed to the best? If so, nobody complains now, when profes- sor and pupils share alike. The Hall was crowded that first day. As soon as one had finished, new plates were laid and ano'ther occupied the place; but our waiters were so well trained, that we scarcely had occasion to remember this as a first meal. Al- though taking some time to accomplish it, our party were at length all well provided for; and the visitors, after having given and taken most hearty and cordial adieus, hastened on board the little steamer once again, and were soon on the way to their respective homes. The school had been advertised to begin upon a certain day. Up to within a few weeks of its commencement, almost nothing had been accomplised saving the transfer of the island from Mr. Anderson to its trustees. The friends of the institution were despondent. The day for the opening arrived, every- thing was ready. The enterprise was a grand suc- cess. It was with a strange feeling that I watched the "Helen Augusta" as she left the wharf, and steamed far out into the bay. I had taken my station irr the old fort, upon the highest part of the island, it looked as if it might be centuries old, perhaps built by the famous Bartholomew Gosnold himself, the early discoverer of these regions; and from thence I watched her as she grew farther and farther away, then her hull and smoke stack became fainter and fainter; then a long line of smoke, hanging heavily along the horizen, with a small, dark speck just be- yond it; these, too, soon disappeared. Then, for the first time, I realized that school had begun. After considerable delay, our baggage was trans- ferred from the wharf, in the most primitive manner imaginable by a yoke of oxen, and an odd, old- fashioned tip-cart, to the door of the dormitory; then came the rush for claiming property. To have seen the scrambling, one would hardly have believed this to be part and parcel of the quiet orderly, assem- '24 PENIKESE. I blyof but a few hours previous. How each box, bag, and trunk found at last its respective owner is a mystery that I will not attempt to explain, yet it was at last accomplished, to the complete satisfac- tion of all parties. Our dormitory, though a strange looking affair, was most admirably adopted for the purpose for which it was intended. It was a long, two-storied building, standing, if I remember correctly, northeast by southwest. The upper floor was, as yet, in an unfinished condition, though the carpenters were now busy completing it; the lower room, like the up- per, long and narrow, was divided into two compart- ments, of about equal length, by means of sailcloth suspended from a cord running high up across the room. Of these two apartments that facing the bay was occupied by the ladies, that facing the island, by the gentlemen. The inside arrangements were simi- lar in both. The interior of the men's apartment was arranged with a long aisle extending from the door through the centre of the room, upon either side of which were ranged a dozen or more cot beds. At the foot of each bed facing it, with but a narrow passage be- tween, stood a bureau; and a little to one side of its head a small washstand, with its accompanying nec- essary furniture. A chair, and a simple tallow dip and tin candlestick, with a few matches in it, com- pleted each person's outfit. Our trunks were placed behind our bureaus, and our valises anywhere that room could be found for them. We were obliged to pass our first night almost in the open air. The window-sashes were without glass, and the cool breeze swept through the long room unrestrained; but it was not uncomfortable, and we did not mind it greatly. It was late in the afternoon before I had unpacked and satisfactorily arranged the books, clothing, shooting and other materials which I had brought with me. When it was at last accomplished,! threw a shawl over my bed, put on my AGASSIZ AND PENIKESE. 2 5 slippers, and lay down to rest. I had placed the pillow at the foot of the bed, that I might the better -drink in the delightful air and the broad ocean scene which spread itself, in all its freshness, before me. What a lovely view it indeed was! My eyes rested upon a gently sloping bank of the most delicate, vel- vety green appearing the more beautiful from the scantiness of the surrounding vegetation extending to the sea itself, which rolled long lines of low surges lightly toward it. Further on, dancing billows and light whitecaps played merrily in the sunlight of the departing day. Then the surface of all the water was tinged with the most fascinating shadows from the dark, fleecy clouds above; they changed constant- ly; yet their very changes only made them the more beautiful. In the far distance, sail after sail would appear and disappear as a mere speck of light, visi- ble only by long watching. Now a sail would shine, white and clear, before my very eyes, another and another, farther on; the shadows had hidden them before. There were nineteen of them in all and, in the distance, two large, three-masted schooners. Then a .steamer left a long, dark haze of smoke .upon the sky poking its tall, black stack into sight for a moment only to disappear, like many of the sails,in a long umbre cloud which lay against the horizon. At last satisfied by the scene, and fanned by the deli- cious atmosphere wafted in at my window, laden with that peculiar salt sea air, so intoxicating to a true sea lover, I fell asleep, to dream that I was far out upon the ocean, in a small schooner, and being softly rocked to and fro from the "Nest," high up on the foremast, by the winds and gently rolling waves. I do not know how long I slept, but I awoke with the most delightfully refreshed sensation that one can imagine, and ready for almost anything that should present itself. I will not here enter into a discussion of the question, as to how much sleep the human frame needs, at what times, and for how long a time; for I am a firm believer in the theory, that 26 PENIKESE. nature herself will not only inform us as to when we should sleep, but will also determine for us how long we should sleep. So far, at least, my theory has never failed me. And now, after a most refreshing slumber, I awoke and returned once again to the realities of life. Upon arising, I found my companions still busy arranging their effects. Though everything seemed in apparently the most endless confusion, with every- body and everything in everybody's way, there was not a person present whose face did not glow with happiness, and the most eager and intense enthus- iasm. Each seemed specially to have -partaken of the spirit of our leader, who was everywhere, en- couraging, aiding, and directing. The workmen were completing their unfinished labors, and he was guid- ing them. What a sight to watch him! He was neither haughty nor reserved, as many who were un- acquainted with him would fain have had us believe; but he mingled freely with all. His genial face, and the sincere, earnest tones of his voice, attracted everybody; while his approval of the work already done, and the directions for the furtherance of his plans, were given as if to equals rather than to ser- vants paid to obey him, nor did I hear a word of complaint spoken against Professor Agassiz for any cause whatever, by anybody, while I was upon the island. CHAPTER III. PENIKESE- AND AGASSIZ. Supper time at last, our second, though real- ly our first, meal at Penikese. The cooks had come to the island in the same steamer that we ourselves had arrived in, and were hardly yet fully established in their new quarters, one could hardly expect everything to be perfected at once. It was no easy task, that of opening and arranging boxes, bags, and barrels, and sorting and storing their contents. Then preparing the food for the* table, with the limited supply of culinary articles yet at their disposal, would have taxed the patience of much more angelic individuals than those same "colored brethren" were supposed to be; but the supper, like the dinner, was on time, as was everything that Professor Agassiz superintended. There is a trite old Latin adage, that reads, "Fames bene condimentum est," better known as "hunger is the best sauce " and I do not believe that there was one amongst us that night who did not fully enjoy all that had been provided for the occas- ion, notwithstanding the difficulties under which it had been prepared. After supper "the school" scattered about the island in every direction, singly or in groups which were all soon lost sight of behind the hillocks and surrounding rocks. As to many the position and general appearance of Penikese may be unfamiliar, I will try to give you a glimpse, though a very imper- 28 PENIKESE. feet one, of its location, its surroundings, its beau- ties, and its attractions; yet how I wish that you might have seen it as I saw it, and known it as I knew it. Penikese Island is situated almost directly south of New Bedford, though perhaps inclining a few points, as the sailors say, to the westward, and is fourteen miles from land. About three miles south of it lies Cutty Hunk, which was, at the time our school first opened, owned, in part at least, by a New York club, the members of which spent their sum- mers there in fishing, hunting, and in yachting. About the same distance from Penikese, and east of Cutty Hunk, lies Nashawena. It is an immense is- land, and is nearly fourteen times the size of its little near neighbor, our Penikese. Still farther eastward lie Pasque, Naushon, Nonamessett, Uncatina, and the minute Weepecket, ranged, with the exception of the last, one after another, in a crescent, and the last separated by only a narrow strait of water from Wood's Hole, as it is on the maps, though someone has perverted it into Wood's Holl, the extremity of the mainland in this direction. The "old-timers," of New Bedford and its vicinity, arrange the names of these islands in a little verse which, they say, enables them the more easily to remember them. It is as follows: "Naushon; Nonamessett, Uncatina, Weepecket; Nashawena, Pesquinese, Cutty Hunk, and Penikese." Of course we cannot see all of these islands from our school; for, unless the day is unusually fine, we see very little excepting old ocean, calm and glassy as a mirror, or tossing, tossing, tossing, all the day. Yet the air is always delightful, we have no smother- ing hot days, there are no mosquitoes to keep one within doors of an evening, and, after a steady day's and evening's work perfect rest! PENIKESE AND AGASSIZ. 29 Penikese, itself, is an hourglass-shaped little islet, and, in general appearance, though evidently not in size, "Gosnold's Hat" indeed, with all its pokes and crinkles, and just as its owner, having ' grasped it in his hand, had tossed it into the broad, placid bosom of the bay. When I said that it was four- teen miles from land, I should have said, that it was fourteen miles from New Bedford, for it is much nearer the little village of Quansett, directly north- west of it; and when I said that it resembled a hat, I should rather have likened it to two hats placed side by side, the one smaller than the other, the smaller one lying nearest to the mouth of Buzzard Bay, and both running parallel to the shore. Little Gull Is- land is a minute near neighbor. Thus are we situated. The beauty and attractions of Penikese Island are not, at first, apparent; yet no lover of nature can look upon green slopes, browned and whitened rocks, plains and hillocks, or the variety in contour upon our sea-girt, rocky island, without seeing in every- thing both beauty and attractions. To us, it is a Morgana's fairy isle, with always something new to engage our attention, and wherein we would willingly remain our hundred years or more, and never grow old. We wander about it. On every crag the sea swallows build their nests, and in every bank the bank swallows dig their holes wherein they lay their eggs and rear their young. The turnstone and the plover linger all day among their dear pebbles, and the sandpiper brings forth its nestlings amidst the sparce vegetation of the sanded beach above. Birds, birds, birds everywhere! The ground, the air, and the waters, abound with them; and the sound of their notes is incessant. The cricket and the grass- hopper sing from their grassy coverts, and all nature smiles. These are some of the beauties and attrac- tions of Penikese. Thus did we, I, all of us, find it on that first night, as we strolled here, there, every- 3