As It Was Now Low Tide, There Was
No Danger Of Their Falling Into The Water, And As Fast As They Came
To Ground, The Men Below Picked Them Up, And Taking Them On Their
Heads, Walked Off With Them To The Boat.
It was really a picturesque
sight:
The great height; the scaling of the hides; and the continual
walking to and fro of the men, who looked like mites, on the beach!
This was the romance of hide-droghing!
Some of the hides lodged in cavities which were under the bank and
out of our sight, being directly under us; but by sending others down
in the same direction, we succeeded in dislodging them. Had they
remained there, the captain said he should have sent on board for
a couple of pairs of long halyards, and got some one to have gone
down for them. It was said that one of the crew of an English brig
went down in the same way, a few years before. We looked over,
and thought it would not be a welcome task, especially for a few
paltry hides; but no one knows what he can do until he is called
upon; for, six months afterwards, I went down the same place by
a pair of top-gallant studding-sail halyards, to save a half a
dozen hides which had lodged there.
Having thrown them all down, we took our way back again,
and found the boat loaded and ready to start.
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