The Second Morning After Leaving Monterey, We Were Off Point Conception.
It Was A Bright, Sunny Day, And The Wind,
Though strong, was fair;
and everything was in striking contrast with our experience in the
same place two months before,
When we were drifting off from a
northwester under a fore and main spencer. "Sail ho!" cried a
man who was rigging out a top-gallant studding-sail boom. - "Where
away?" - "Weather beam, sir!" and in a few minutes a full-rigged
brig was seen standing out from under Point Conception. The
studding-sail halyards were let go, and the yards boom-ended,
the after yards braced aback, and we waited her coming down.
She rounded to, backed her main topsail, and showed her decks
full of men, four guns on a side, hammock nettings, and everything
man-of-war fashion, except that there was no boatswain's whistle,
and no uniforms on the quarter-deck. A short, square-built man,
in a rough grey jacket, with a speaking-trumpet in hand, stood in
the weather hammock nettings. "Ship ahoy!" - "Hallo!" - "What ship
is that, pray?" - "Alert." - "Where are you from, pray?" etc., etc.
She proved to be the brig Convoy, from the Sandwich Islands,
engaged in otter hunting, among the islands which lie along
the coast. Her armament was from her being an illegal trader.
The otter are very numerous among these islands, and being of
great value, the government require a heavy sum for a license to
hunt them, and lay a high duty upon every one shot or carried out
of the country. This vessel had no license, and paid no duty,
besides being engaged in smuggling goods on board other vessels
trading on the coast, and belonging to the same owners in Oahu.
Our captain told him to look out for the Mexicans, but he said
they had not an armed vessel of his size in the whole Pacific.
This was without doubt the same vessel that showed herself off
Santa Barbara a few months before. These vessels frequently
remain on the coast for years, without making port, except at
the islands for wood and water, and an occasional visit to Oahu
for a new outfit.
Sunday, January 10th. Arrived at Santa Barbara, and on the
following Wednesday, slipped our cable and went to sea, on account
of a south-easter. Returned to our anchorage the next day. We were
the only vessel in the port. The Pilgrim had passed through the
Canal and hove-to off the town, nearly six weeks before, on her
passage down from Monterey, and was now at the leeward. She heard
here of our safe arrival at San Francisco.
Great preparations were making on shore for the marriage of our
agent, who was to marry Donna Anneta De G - - - De N - - - y C - - -,
youngest daughter of Don Antonio N - - -, the grandee of the place,
and the head of the first family in California. Our steward was
ashore three days, making pastry and cake, and some of the best
of our stores were sent off with him. On the day appointed for
the wedding, we took the captain ashore in the gig, and had orders
to come for him at night, with leave to go up to the house and see
the fandango. Returning on board, we found preparations making for
a salute. Our guns were loaded and run out, men appointed to each,
cartridges served out, matches lighted, and all the flags ready to
be run up. I took my place at the starboard after gun, and we all
waited for the signal from on shore. At ten o'clock the bride went up
with her sister to the confessional, dressed in deep black. Nearly an
hour intervened, when the great doors of the mission church opened,
the bells rang out a loud, discordant peal, the private signal for
us was run up by the captain ashore, the bride, dressed in complete
white, came out of the church with the bridegroom, followed by
a long procession. Just as she stepped from the church door,
a small white cloud issued from the bows of our ship, which was
full in sight, the loud report echoed among the surrounding hills
and over the bay, and instantly the ship was dressed in flags
and pennants from stem to stern. Twenty-three guns followed in
regular succession, with an interval of fifteen seconds between
each when the cloud cleared away, and the ship lay dressed in her
colors, all day. At sun-down, another salute of the same number
of guns was fired, and all the flags run down. This we thought
was pretty well - a gun every fifteen seconds - for a merchantman
with only four guns and a dozen or twenty men.
After supper, the gig's crew were called, and we rowed ashore,
dressed in our uniform, beached the boat, and went up to the
fandango. The bride's father's house was the principal one in the
place, with a large court in front, upon which a tent was built,
capable of containing several hundred people. As we drew near,
we heard the accustomed sound of violins and guitars, and saw
a great motion of the people within. Going in, we found nearly
all the people of the town - men, women, and children - collected
and crowded together, leaving barely room for the dancers; for on
these occasions no invitations are given, but every one is expected
to come, though there is always a private entertainment within the
house for particular friends. The old women sat down in rows,
clapping their hands to the music, and applauding the young ones.
The music was lively, and among the tunes, we recognized several
of our popular airs, which we, without doubt, have taken from
the Spanish. In the dancing, I was much disappointed. The women
stood upright, with their hands down by their sides, their eyes
fixed upon the ground before them, and slided about without any
perceptible means of motion; for their feet were invisible, the hem
of their dresses forming a perfect circle about them, reaching to the
ground.
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