To
prevent it, in the way of caulking and leading, a forecastle with
only three dry berths for seven of us. However, as there is never
but one watch below at a time, by 'turning in and out,' we did
pretty well. And there being, in our watch, but three of us who
lived forward, we generally had a dry berth apiece in bad weather.(1)
- - - - - - - -
1. On removing the cat-head, after the ship arrived at Boston, it was
found that there were two holes under it which had been bored for the
purpose of driving tree-nails, and which, accidentally, had not been
plugged up when the cat-head was placed over them. This was sufficient
to account for the leak, and for our not having been able to discover
and stop it.
- - - - - - - -
All this, however, was but anticipation. We were still in fine
weather in the North Pacific, running down the north-east trades,
which we took on the second day after leaving San Diego.
Sunday, May 15th, one week out, we were in latitude 14° 56' N.,
long. 116° 14' W., having gone, by reckoning, over thirteen hundred
miles in seven days. In fact, ever since leaving San Diego, we had
had a fair wind, and as much as we wanted of it.
