Frequently, Too, We Were Obliged To Wait Several Hours
On Shore; When We Would Haul The Boat Up On The
Beach, and leaving
one to watch her, go up to the nearest house, or spend the time in
strolling about
The beach, picking up shells, or playing hopscotch,
and other games, on the hard sand. The rest of the crew never left
the ship, except for bringing heavy goods and taking off hides;
and though we were always in the water, the surf hardly leaving us
a dry thread from morning till night, yet we were young, and the
climate was good, and we thought it much better than the quiet,
hum-drum drag and pull on board ship. We made the acquaintance
of nearly half of California; for, besides carrying everybody in
our boat, - men, women, and children, - all the messages, letters,
and light packages went by us, and being known by our dress,
we found a ready reception everywhere.
At San Pedro, we had none of this amusement, for, there being but
one house in the place, we, of course, had but little company.
All the variety that I had, was riding, once a week, to the
nearest rancho, to order a bullock down for the ship.
The brig Catalina came in from San Diego, and being bound up to
windward, we both got under weigh at the same time, for a trial
of speed up to Santa Barbara, a distance of about eighty miles.
We hove up and got under sail about eleven o'clock at night, with
a light land-breeze, which died away toward morning, leaving us
becalmed only a few miles from our anchoring-place.
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