The Next Time We Took Care, And Went Off Easily Enough,
And Pulled Aboard.
The crew came to the side to hoist in their
baggage, and we gave them the wink, and they heartily enjoyed the
half-drowned looks of the company.
Everything being now ready, and the passengers aboard, we ran up
the ensign and broad pennant, (for there was no man-of-war, and
we were the largest vessel on the coast,) and the other vessels
ran up their ensigns. Having hove short, cast off the gaskets,
and made the bunt of each sail fast by the jigger, with a man on
each yard; at the word, the whole canvas of the ship was loosed,
and with the greatest rapidity possible, everything was sheeted
home and hoisted up, the anchor tripped and catheaded, and the
ship under headway. We were determined to show the "spouter" how
things could be done in a smart ship, with a good crew, though not
more than half their number. The royal yards were all crossed at
once, and royals and skysails set, and, as we had the wind free,
the booms were run out, and every one was aloft, active as cats,
laying out on the yards and booms, reeving the studding-sail gear;
and sail after sail the captain piled upon her, until she was covered
with canvas, her sails looking like a great white cloud resting
upon a black speck. Before we doubled the point, we were going
at a dashing rate, and leaving the shipping far astern. We had
a fine breeze to take us through the Canal, as they call this bay
of forty miles long by ten wide. The breeze died away at night,
and we were becalmed all day on Sunday, about half way between
Santa Barbara and Point Conception. Sunday night we had a light,
fair wind, which set us up again; and having a fine sea-breeze on
the first part of Monday, we had the prospect of passing, without
any trouble, Point Conception, - the Cape Horn of California,
where it begins to blow the first of January, and blows all the
year round. Toward the latter part of the afternoon, however,
the regular northwest wind, as usual, set in, which brought in our
studding-sails, and gave us the chance of beating round the Point,
which we were now just abreast of, and which stretched off into the
Pacific, high, rocky and barren, forming the central point of the
coast for hundreds of miles north and south. A cap-full of wind
will be a bag-full here, and before night our royals were furled,
and the ship was laboring hard under her top-gallant sails. At eight
bells our watch went below, leaving her with as much sail as she
could stagger under, the water flying over the forecastle at every
plunge. It was evidently blowing harder, but then there was not a
cloud in the sky, and the sun had gone down bright.
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