A Steady, Though Light South-Westerly Wind Carried Us Well Off From
The Island, And When I Came On Deck
For the middle watch I could just
distinguish it from its hiding a few low stars in the southern horizon,
Though my unpracticed eyes would hardly have known it for land.
At the close of the watch a few trade-wind clouds which had arisen,
though we were hardly yet in their latitude, shut it out from our view,
and the next day,
Thursday, Nov. 27th, upon coming on deck in the morning, we were
again upon the wide Pacific, and saw no more land until we arrived
upon the western coast of the great continent of America.
CHAPTER VIII
"TARRING DOWN" - DAILY LIFE - "GOING AFT" - CALIFORNIA
As we saw neither land nor sail from the time of leaving Juan Fernandez
until our arrival in California, nothing of interest occurred except
our own doing on board. We caught the south-east trades, and run
before them for nearly three weeks, without so much as altering a
sail or bracing a yard. The captain took advantage of this fine
weather to get the vessel in order for coming upon the coast.
The carpenter was employed in fitting up a part of the steerage
into a trade-room; for our cargo, we now learned, was not to be
landed, but to be sold by retail from on board; and this trade-room
was built for the samples and the lighter goods to be kept in,
and as a place for the general business. In the mean time we were
employed in working upon the rigging. Everything was set up taught,
the lower rigging rattled down, or rather rattled up, (according
to the modern fashion,) an abundance of spun-yarn and seizing-stuff
made, and finally, the whole standing-rigging, fore and aft, was
tarred down. This was my first essay at this latter business,
and I had enough of it; for nearly all of it came upon my friend
S - - - and myself. The men were needed at the other work, and
M - - -, the other young man who came out with us, was laid up with
the rheumatism in his feet, and the boy was rather too young and
small for the business; and as the winds were light and regular,
he was kept during most of the daytime at the helm; so that nearly
all the tarring came upon us. We put on short duck frocks, and
taking a small bucket of tar and a bunch of oakum in our hands we
went aloft, one at the main royal-mast-head and the other at the fore,
and began tarring down. This is an important operation, and is usually
done about once in six months in vessels upon a long voyage. It was
done in our vessel several times afterwards, but by the whole crew
at once, and finished off in a day; but at this time, as most of it
came upon two of us, and we were new at the business, it took us
several days.
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