The Between-Decks Were High Enough
To Allow Of Jumping; And Being Clear, And White, From Holystoning,
Made A Fine Dancing-Hall.
Some of the Pilgrim's crew were in the
forecastle, and we all turned-to and had a regular sailor's shuffle,
till eight bells.
The Cape-Cod boy could dance the true fisherman's
jig, barefooted, knocking with his heels, and slapping the decks
with his bare feet, in time with the music. This was a favorite
amusement of the mate's, who always stood at the steerage door,
looking on, and if the boys would not dance, he hazed them round
with a rope's end, much to the amusement of the men.
The next morning, according to the orders of the agent, the Pilgrim
set sail for the windward, to be gone three or four months. She got
under weigh with very little fuss, and came so near us as to throw
a letter on board, Captain Faucon standing at the tiller himself,
and steering her as he would a mackerel smack. When Captain T - - -
was in command of the Pilgrim, there was as much preparation
and ceremony as there would be in getting a seventy-four under
weigh. Captain Faucon was a sailor, every inch of him; he knew
what a ship was, and was as much at home in one, as a cobbler in
his stall. I wanted no better proof of this than the opinion of
the ship's crew, for they had been six months under his command,
and knew what he was; and if sailors allow their captain to be a
good seaman, you may be sure he is one, for that is a thing they
are not always ready to say.
After the Pilgrim left us, we lay three weeks at San Pedro, from the
11th of September until the 2nd of October, engaged in the usual port
duties of landing cargo, taking off hides, etc., etc. These duties
were much easier, and went on much more agreeably, than on board
the Pilgrim. "The more, the merrier," is the sailor's maxim; and a
boat's crew of a dozen could take off all the hides brought down in
a day, without much trouble, by division of labor; and on shore,
as well as on board, a good will, and no discontent or grumbling,
make everything go well. The officer, too, who usually went with
us, the third mate, was a fine young fellow, and made no unnecessary
trouble; so that we generally had quite a sociable time, and were
glad to be relieved from the restraint of the ship. While here,
I often thought of the miserable, gloomy weeks we had spent in
this dull place, in the brig; discontent and hard usage on board,
and four hands to do all the work on shore. Give me a big ship.
There is more room, more hands, better outfit, better regulation,
more life, and more company. Another thing was better arranged
here: we had a regular gig's crew. A light whale-boat, handsomely
painted, and fitted out with stern seats, yoke, tiller-ropes, etc.,
hung on the starboard quarter, and was used as the gig. The youngest
lad in the ship, a Boston boy about thirteen years old, was coxswain
of this boat, and had the entire charge of her, to keep her clean,
and have her in readiness to go and come at any hour. Four light
hands, of about the same size and age, of whom I was one, formed the
crew. Each had his oar and seat numbered, and we were obliged to be
in our places, have our oars scraped white, our tholepins in, and the
fenders over the side. The bow-man had charge of the boat-hook and
painter, and the coxswain of the rudder, yoke, and stern-sheets.
Our duty was to carry the captain and agent about, and passengers
off and on; which last was no trifling duty, as the people on shore
have no boats, and every purchaser, from the boy who buys his pair
of shoes, to the trader who buys his casks and bales, were to be
taken off and on, in our boat. Some days, when people were coming
and going fast, we were in the boat, pulling off and on, all day long,
with hardly time for our meals; making, as we lay nearly three
miles from shore, from forty to fifty miles' rowing in a day.
Still, we thought it the best berth in the ship; for when the
gig was employed, we had nothing to do with the cargo, except
small bundles which the passengers carried with them, and no
hides to carry, besides the opportunity of seeing everybody,
making acquaintances, hearing the news, etc. Unless the captain
or agent were in the boat, we had no officer with us, and often had
fine times with the passengers, who were always willing to talk and
joke with us. 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.
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