The Owner Of Her Had Had A Good Deal
Of Difficulty With The Government About The Duties, Etc., And Her
Sailing had been delayed for several weeks; but everything having been
arranged, she got under weigh with a light breeze,
And was floating
out of the harbor, when two horsemen came dashing down to the beach,
at full speed, and tried to find a boat to put off after her; but there
being none on the beach, they offered a handful of silver to any Kanaka
who would swim off and take a letter on board. One of the Kanakas,
a fine, active, well-made young fellow, instantly threw off everything
but his duck trowsers, and putting the letter into his hat, swam off,
after the vessel. Fortunately, the wind was very light and the
vessel was going slowly, so that, although she was nearly a mile
off when he started, he gained on her rapidly. He went through the
water leaving a wake like a small steamboat. I certainly never saw
such swimming before. They saw him coming from the deck, but did
not heave-to, suspecting the nature of his errand; yet, the wind
continuing light, he swam alongside and got on board, and delivered
his letter. The captain read the letter, told the Kanaka there was no
answer, and giving him a glass of brandy, left him to jump overboard
and find the best of his way to the shore. The Kanaka swam in for
the nearest point of land, and, in about an hour, made his appearance
at the hide-house. He did not seem at all fatigued, had made three
or four dollars, got a glass of brandy, and was in fine spirits.
The brig kept on her course, and the government officers, who had
come down to forbid her sailing, went back, each with something
like a flea in his ear, having depended upon extorting a little
more money from the owner.
It was now nearly three months since the Alert arrived at Santa
Barbara, and we began to expect her daily. About a half a mile
behind the hide-house, was a high hill; and every afternoon,
as soon as we had done our work, some one of us walked up to see
if there were any sail in sight, coming down before the regular trades,
which blow every afternoon. Each day, after the latter part of July,
we went up the hill, and came back disappointed. I was anxious for
her arrival, for I had been told by letter that the owners in Boston,
at the request of my friends, had written to Captain T - - - to take
me on board the Alert, in case she returned to the United States
before the Pilgrim; and I, of course, wished to know whether the
order had been received, and what was the destination of the ship.
One year more or less might be of small consequence to others,
but it was everything to me. It was now just a year since we sailed
from Boston, and at the shortest, no vessel could expect to get away
under eight or nine months, which would make our absence two years in
all. This would be pretty long, but would not be fatal. It would
not necessarily be decisive of my future life. But one year more
would settle the matter. I should be a sailor for life; and although
I had made up my mind to it before I had my letters from home, and was,
as I thought, quite satisfied; yet, as soon as an opportunity was
held out to me of returning, and the prospect of another kind of life
was opened to me, my anxiety to return, and, at least, to have the
chance of deciding upon my course for myself, was beyond measure.
Beside that, I wished to be "equal to either fortune," and to qualify
myself for an officer's berth, and a hide-house was no place to
learn seamanship in. I had become experienced in hide-curing,
and everything went on smoothly, and I had many opportunities of
becoming acquainted with the people, and much leisure for reading and
studying navigation; yet practical seamanship could only be got on
board ship; therefore, I determined to ask to be taken on board the
ship when she arrived. By the first of August, we finished curing
all our hides, stored them away, cleaned out our vats, (in which
latter work we spent two days, up to our knees in mud and the
sediments of six months' hide-curing, in a stench which would drive
a donkey from his breakfast,) and got in readiness for the arrival
of the ship, and had another leisure interval of three or four weeks;
which I spent, as usual, in reading, writing, studying, making and
mending my clothes, and getting my wardrobe in complete readiness,
in case I should go on board the ship; and in fishing, ranging the
woods with the dogs, and in occasional visits to the presidio and
mission. A good deal of my time was spent in taking care of a
little puppy, which I had selected from thirty-six, that were born
within three days of one another, at our house. He was a fine,
promising pup, with four white paws, and all the rest of his body
of a dark brown. I built a little kennel for him, and kept him
fastened there, away from the other dogs, feeding and disciplining
him myself. In a few weeks, I got him in complete subjection,
and he grew finely, was very much attached to me, and bid fair
to be one of the leading dogs on the beach. I called him Bravo,
and the only thing I regretted at the thought of leaving the beach,
was parting with him.
Day after day, we went up the hill, but no ship was to be seen,
and we began to form all sorts of conjectures as to her whereabouts;
and the theme of every evening's conversation at the different houses,
and in our afternoon's paséo upon the beach, was the ship - where
she could be - had she been to San Francisco?
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