Large Boats, Manned By Indians,
And Capable Of Carrying Nearly A Thousand Hides Apiece, Are Attached
To The Missions, And Sent Down To The Vessels With Hides, To Bring
Away Goods In Return.
Some of the crews of the vessels are obliged
to go and come in the boats, to look out
For the hides and goods.
These are favorite expeditions with the sailors, in fine weather;
but now to be gone three or four days, in open boats, in constant
rain, without any shelter, and with cold food, was hard service.
Two of our men went up to Santa Clara in one of these boats,
and were gone three days, during all which time they had a
constant rain, and did not sleep a wink, but passed three long
nights, walking fore and aft the boat, in the open air. When they
got on board, they were completely exhausted, and took a watch
below of twelve hours. All the hides, too, that came down in the
boats, were soaked with water, and unfit to put below, so that we
were obliged to trice them up to dry, in the intervals of sunshine
or wind, upon all parts of the vessel. We got up tricing-lines
from the jib-boom-end to each arm of the fore yard, and thence to
the main and cross-jack yard-arms. Between the tops, too, and the
mast-heads, from the fore to the main swifters, and thence to the
mizen rigging, and in all directions athwartships, tricing-lines
were run, and strung with hides.
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