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IN JAPAN.'

PHILADELPHIA

THE

NORTH PACIFIC
SURVEYING AND EXPLORING

EXPEDITION;

OR,

MY LAST CRUISE.

WHERE WE WENT AND WHAT WE SAW:

BEING AN ACCOUNT OF

VISITS TO THE MALAY AND LOO-CHOO ISLANDS, THE COASTS

OF CHINA, FORMOSA, JAPAN, KAMTSCHATKA, SIBERIA,

AND THE MOUTH OF THE AMOOR RIVER.

jf Af*V

*flEUT. U. 8. NAVY,
AND LATE OF THE NORTH PACIFIC SURVEYING AND EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

PHILADELPHIA :

J. B. LIPPIffCOTT & CO
LONDON : TRUBNER & CO.

1858,

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.

in the Clerk's Office ot the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.

MY BROTHER OFFICERS

WHO PERISHED IN THE UNFORTUNATE

BBIG-OF-WAB PORPOISE,

PREFACE.

ONE of the most prolific sources of loss to the
merchant, and, through him, to the world at large,
exists in the incorrectness of many of the charts by
which his ships are sailed. There are also many
coasts of which we have no charts at all, and there
are various currents with whose strength and direc
tion we do not pretend to be acquainted.

Besides, there are some few branches of our com
mon family of whom we know little or nothing, and
there is also a vast extent of the earth's surface yet
awaiting the first pressure of the explorer's foot.

To test the accuracy of charts extant, to prepare
others of unknown coasts, to follow the trackless
path of the wayward current, to lift the veil that
hung between civilization and the customs and habits
of isolated tribes and nations, and to collect data
from unfrequented parts of our globe for the advance
ment of science, the Government of the United

PREFACE.

States sent out the North Pacific Surveying and
Exploring Expedition; and the following pages are
simply intended to show where it was that we went,
and what it was that we saw, while engaged in the
attainment of these objects.

And now, in presenting them to the public, I ad
vance but one claim to its approbation : i.e. their
contents, though limited, and confined mostly to
personal observation while serving successively on
board of several vessels of the squadron, are strictly
matter-of-fact, and, though slightly coloured by the
excitement of feeling consequent upon my having
participated in most of the scenes of peril and ad
venture which they will be found to contain, yet is
the colouring honest, and not at all calculated to
impart incorrect impressions.

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

INTRODUCES the reader to the Expedition, and carries him to the Cape
of Good Hope ; after which he is taken back to the Cape De Verde
Islands, and from thence again to the Cape of Good Hope 13

CHAPTER II.

We receive a visit which is not intended to inquire after our health, and
make the acquaintance of " Lieutenant Paget, R.N. ;" after which the
purser and myself "smell a rat" and fire at a catbird,, to the infinite
terror of some Hottentot women , 23

CHAPTER in.

We make up a party to visit Cape Town, and take our seats in a chariot
We read poetry in four languages, and think that it must be a fine
thing to be a Mormon We make the acquaintance of an eager gen
tleman, and conceive a high idea of the hospitality of Cape Town 37

CHAPTER IV.

We leave Simon's Town and sail for Batavia, where we receive a visit
that does relate to our health, and see a remarkable gun ; after which
we listen to several astonishing accounts from an English resident,
and again put to sea 54

CHAPTER V.

We reach Gaspar Straits, and commence our survey by firing a gun I
am ordered on temporary duty, which lasts four months and enables me

8 CONTENTS.

PA3E

to visit Singapore Vast preparations of an alarmist to receive pirates,
and the way in which we learned the meaning of the Malay word
"man-ar-r" 74

CHAPTER VI.

We are deserted by the Hancock and Kennedy, and find ourselves alled
upon to enjoy a moonlight walk, which proves to be so pleasant that
we continue the exercise for two days We visit a Malay village, and
are cautioned against the ferocity of Chinese dogs 92

CHAPTER VII.

We arrive at Hong-Kong, and find more repairs wanted Commander
Ringgold returns to the United States in bad health, and Lieutenant-
Commanding John Rodgers takes the command of the Expedition
Something about human life and ducks in China, and how we were
liberally entertained by the foreign merchants of Canton... 113

CHAPTER VIII.

How we talked of " visiting Pekin by water," and how the " old John''
and Cooper were pressed into the corps diplomatique How an old
tub amused herself by rolling her masts out, and how a New- York
pilot-boat weathered a gale How we visited the great city of Fou-
Chow-Foo, and how we saw cormorants catching fish 127

CHAPTER IX.

We arrive at Shanghae, whence we sail with the commissioners for the
Pi-ho We pass over the Yellow Sea in fine style, anchor in sight of
the mouth of the Pi-ho, and send in the smaller vessels We fail to
"reach Pekin by water," and return in disgust to Shanghae, where
the old John's engine "runs down" 143

CHAPTER X.

We hear a distressing rumour and are greatly dispirited We are re
quested by the merchants of Shanghae to attack a piratical squadron,
and evince a praiseworthy readiness for action The "old John"
astonishes the Chinese of the Wan-chew River, after which she visits
Formosa and liberates two Chinese convicts.... ,. 159

CONTENTS. 9

CHAPTER XI.

PAGi
Something about the Anakirima group of islands, and climbing hills

Also a word in regard to Loo-chooans, and two missionaries who
resided among them, and how it was that we left Loo-choo and
arrived in Japan 180

CHAPTER XII.

We land in Japan, and visit a number of Americans and one Russian
" Mahomet and the mountain" differ as to the most pleasant direction
for a stroll, and finally part company, to the evident annoyance of
the latter 203

CHAPTER XIII.

Something about buying and selling in Japan, and how they used Com
modore Perry's treaty to swindle us Also, how they ask foreigners
to let people enjoy their meals in quiet, and how a foreigner felt
unusually small 221

CHAPTER XIV.

Something about baths and bathing in Japan, and how they objected to
our surveying their coasts How we overcame their objections, and
how Tatz-nosky took several long rides How Bunsby discovered
land, and how the "old John" crossed the Straits of T'Sugar 241

CHAPTER XV.

How brass buttons are valued in Japan, and how partridges are there
transformed into singing-birds How we visited a sea-god's temple,
and how a German explorer preferred remaining outside How some
Americans leaned on Commodore Perry's treaty, and how it gave
way under them 270

CHAPTER XVI.

We pass before the great city of Matsmai, to the wonder of the Japa
nese, continue to the northward along the west coast of the island of
Jesso, beat a Japanese officer on the head, and finally arrive at the
town of Tomari, where we have a good look at the Ainu, or "hairy
Kuriles" The last of Japan and the commencement of a heavy fog... 295

10 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVII.

PAGE

We reach the peninsula of Kamtschatka, follow its west coast to the
northward, and discover a coal-mine and a half-buried village After
which we prove a new-fashioned bootjack, and take a dip into the
science of geology We find that shower-baths are not always
cleansing 317

CHAPTER XVIII.

We leave the coal-mine for a hunt, and encounter another party simi
larly engaged We return with them to the village and are hospitably
entertained The headman not an advocate of the Maine liquor-law
How we "coaled ship," and how we ran a race with a flood-tide... 343

CHAPTER XIX.

We enter the Gulf of Penjinks and reach our highest northern latitude,
after which we return to the Okotsk, and cross over to the coast of
Siberia We narrowly escape shipwreck, and finally arrive at a place
called Ola, where we are regaled by the sight of bullocks and the
taste of milk 372

CHAPTER XX.

Some other things about " Ola," showing the reader how an old woman
nearly lost her favourite milch-cow, and how they catch fish in that
out-of-the-way part of the world, etc. etc. We arrive at Fabius
Island, Bay of Taousk, and regale ourselves upon whortleberries 393

CHAPTER XXI.

We visit Armen and buy turnips "by the patch," encounter a vitupera
tive gentleman and some very pretty young ladies, and return on
board After which we steam farther down the coast, pay a nocturnal
visit to another settlement, and end by attempting to wade a Siberian
ford 408

CHAPTER XXII.

We waylay a Siberian bear and narrowly escape "catching a Tartar;"
after which we engage in a stampede, climb a very steep hill, and
then descend again to our boat 426

CONTENTS. 11

CHAPTER XXIII.

PAGE

We arrive at Ayan and fall in with some old acquaintances After
which we narrowly escape being feasted to death by the Russians,
are told some "stunning" yarns, see a whale struck, and finally get

to sea 449

CHAPTER XXIV.

We visit the Tschantar Islands, partake largely of wild rhubarb, and
capture one of the inhabitants After which we sail for the Amoor
River, where we fall in with the boats of the Russian squadron, fail
to pass through into the Gulf of Tartary, and finally return into the
Okotsk Sea 483

CONCLUSION.

We commence our homeward-bound voyage and are stopped by a north
east gale, after which a westerly hurricane comes to our assistance
and frightens the " old John" into unusual activity We are attacked
by the scurvy, arrive at San Francisco, and hear various kinds of
news The last of the " old John," and an idea of the results of the
cruise 495

MY LAST CRUISE,

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCES THE READER TO THE EXPEDITION,' AND CARRIES HIM TO THE
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ; AFTER WHICH HE IS TAKEN BACK TO THE CAPS
DE VERDE ISLANDS, AND FROM THENCE AGAIN TO THE CAPE OF GOOD
HOPE.

THE United States Surveying and Exploring Expedi
tion to the North Pacific, China Seas, &c. &c. sailed from
the port of Norfolk on the 21st of June, 1853, and com
menced its wandering and perilous cruise.

It was commanded by Commander Cadwallader Ring-
gold, of the navy, and consisted of the five following
vessels, viz. :

The sloop-of-war Yincennes, (flag-ship,) of eight hun
dred tons, ten guns, and some two hundred men.

The screw-steamer John Hancock, of five hundred and
thirty tons, three guns, and seventy men.

The brig-of-war Porpoise, of about four hundred tons,
five guns, and some seventy men.

The schooner J. Fenimore Cooper, of eighty-eight tons,
one gun, and twenty men.

And lastly, the store-ship John P. Kennedy, of five

14 AN EARLY BREAKDOWN.

hundred and twenty tons, three guns, and forty men.
On board of the last sailed the writer of the present
volume.

The first four of these vessels proceeded to Simon's
Bay, Cape of Good Hope, via the island of Madeira,
while the latter touched at the Cape de Yerde Islands on
her way to the same destination. On the 20th of Sep
tember we had all joined company at that extreme of
Southern Africa, and were expecting soon to continue
our voyage, when to our extreme chagrin it was an
nounced that every vessel of the squadron, with the
exception of the little " Cooper," was in need of extensive
repairs : we had been sent to sea in a miserably unsea-
worthy condition. Of course these repairs were at once
entered upon with energy and spirit ; but such was their
extent, and such the difficulty of obtaining skilful work
men and proper material at that port, that it was not
until the 9th of November that we once more found
ourselves clear of the headlands and fairly pointed for
the locale of our future work.

The passage of the Kennedy as far as Porto Praya,
Cape de Yerde Islands, was remarkably pleasant, though
presenting but two occurrences worthy of note. These
were meteorological phenomena, the following descrip
tion of which I take from my journal under date of
July 1 :

" The last two nights have each been remarkable for
an interesting display of meteorological phenomena. The
first of these, as seen night before last by Mr. Kennon,
the master, consisted of a meteorite or fire-ball, which,
commencing its flight in the vicinity of the constellation

METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA. 15

of the Scorpion, measured a segment of at least sixty
degrees, and finally exploded into a dozen or more
burning fragments, each of which was distinctly observed
obeying the laws of gravity. The light emitted during
its flight, previous to the explosion, was a greenish blue
of rare brilliancy, that pained the eye by its unexpected
appearance and intensity of power, and illuminated our
decks as effectually as if a blue-light had been burnt on
each mast-head and yard-arm. At the time of its explo
sion it could not have been distant more than a mile, and
yet he heard no attendant report. It was like the burst
ing of an immense rocket, and as the flaming fragments
fell in curves towards the sea he listened in vain for the
expected sound.

" The second of these was seen by Captain Collins and
myself last night, while the first watch was dragging to
its close.

" Though undoubtedly the most rare and singular of
the two, it offered scarcely any ground for description.
It was without motion, and wanted the beautifully-varie
gated colour of the former. It presented a most perfect
representation of the human eye, though visible for not
more than a second at the utmost. We distinctly saw it
contract and dilate twice during that limited period, im
mediately after which the lids, as it were, closed, and shut
it out from view."

What now was this phenomenon ? A comet without a
train or more than a momentary existence ? A shooting
star or meteorite without motion ? or an ignis fatuus in
mid-heaven ? One more conversant with the stars than I
must answer the question. * * *

16 WATERING SHIPS.

Upon our arrival at Porto Praya, on the 14th of July,
we proceeded to get in a supply of wood and water ; while
thus engaged, a limited opportunity only was offered us
for making observations. I find the following remarks
in my journal in regard to that port:

" Soon after letting go the anchor, we proceeded to raft
our water-casks and tow them on shore, where we em
ployed negroes, the slaves of negroes , to fill them and float
them out to the boats. And here let me say a word in
regard to ' watering ship' at this and other similar ports.

" The process, though not at all impracticable, is at
tended by many disagreeable, often fatal, drawbacks. On
account of the heavy and constant surf which lines their
coasts, boats can only land at particular points ; and, when
these points do not happen to be near a stream of fresh
water, you have to land on the open beach. In this case
it becomes necessary for boats with water-casks in tow to
let go their anchors some distance outside of the surf,
and then drop in towards this latter as far as is consistent
with safety. The line by which the casks have been
towed is then cast adrift, when the latter are quickly
washed upon the beach, while the crew jump overboard,
wade on shore, and roll them through the hot sand or
over the slippery shingle to the watering-place. There
they are filled, and, the bungs being tightly driven, they
are rolled back to the beach, rafted together a second
time, and finally towed back to the ship, where several
men in a boat pass slings around them, hook on the yard-
tackle, and they are hoisted on board.

""We find but one small coasting-vessel at anchor,
though the consul tells us that he has seen as many as a

ROCELLA TINCTORIA. 17

hundred from his parlour-window, most of which, were
whalers. We are told that the only article with which
ships are ever freighted from Porto Praya is a dye-wood,
or rather dye-moss, if I may so call it. It is of the lichen
family, grows upon the rocks and trees in the shape of a
heavy, dense moss, and yields a rich purple colour. This
colour, however, though beautiful beyond conception 'in
its richness, is, unfortunately, not durable. For export it
is bruised between stones and then combined with lime
and urine. Its proper name is Eocella tinctoria, and the
quantity annually exported does not exceed fifty or sixty
tons a year.

"Yesterday Captain Collins called away his gig, gave
out that he was going on shore, and offered a passage to
any of the mess who might feel like going along. So
Purser Kitchie and myself took advantage of it, and were
pulled to the landing. We then indulged in a hot walk
of twenty minutes along the beach and up the stony road
of the bluff, and at the end of that time found ourselves
in the roomy and well-ventilated apartments of the Ame
rican Consulate.

" There we looked around in vain for Mr. Morse, the
acting consul, and finally settled down into his large arm
chairs and commenced to recover a reasonable amount
of coolness ; after which we partook of his stone-filtered
water, and, despairing of his speedy return, sallied out
to accomplish the main object of our visit, to see our
washerwoman, and reimpress it upon her mind that our
clothes must be on board before the hour of sailing.

"The purser and myself were now walking through
Porto Praya for the first time, while the captain, being an

18 A REMARKABLE YOUNG LADY.

old cruiser on the African station, guided us through the
narrow and filthy streets. We observed that the houses
were mostly built of rough stone, were two-storied, and
possessed of a singularly-unfinished appearance. They
had to me the look of houses that had 'been hurriedly
built while the art of masonry was yet in its infancy.

"I have said that the < streets were narrow and filthy;'
they were also disgraced by the shameless gambols of
naked children of all colours, and the loitering presence
of indolent, half-dressed adults -of both sexes. One of
the latter, a girl of at least fifteen, and clothed in the
lightest possible style, lounged by us with a bold and inqui
sitive stare, and without the least evidence of shame or
attempt at concealment.

"A walk of ten minutes through such streets and
scenes as these took us to our journey's end, when we
entered a half-finished house of rough stone-masonry,
and were presented by the captain to three females, a
mother and her two daughters, old friends of his, and
pro tern, our washerwomen. He introduced them jest
ingly as 'one of the first families of the place,' and gave
as his reasons that the mother and her elder daughter
slept on a bedstead that had been ordered all the way
from Lisbon, and that the younger one had married the
'military commander' of the place. This latter was a
young African, an advocate of the long-cherished desire
of some of our ultra abolitionists for the amalgamation
of the African and Caucasian races, and was, I heard, as
noble a specimen of the ' buck' order as one would wish
to see.

"I looked upon the olive complexion, the sparkling

OLD IRONSIDES. 19

eyes, and the delicate form of the negro's wife, and felt
an involuntary prayer rise to my lips : < Lord, that such a
revolting relationship may never exist in the great world
that lies over the Western waters.' She was the first
white woman I had ever seen who had placed her hand
in that of a thick-lipped, long-heeled negro.

" We soon concluded our business and again continued
our walk. We saw nothing more than has been written
of by dozens of previous writers, and I will therefore step
at once upon the beach on our return to the boat. We
experienced a sense of indescribable relief as we left the
dirty streets and thin half-clad occupants behind us, and
drew long breaths of the freshening sea-breeze before it
had been contaminated by their ever-exhaling miasma.

" That night I kept the mid-watch ; and, while it was
rolling slowly by, a ship's light made its appearance
around the point to seaward, and shortly after the dark
hull, lofty spars, and white sails of a frigate loomed
through the surrounding gloom, holding her steady way
across our stern.

" c Ship ahoy !' hailed a hoarse voice.

"'Hillo!' I answered.

"< What ship's that?'

"I gave our name, and the hoarse voice returned
theirs.

" She proved to be the United States frigate Constitu
tion; old Charles Stewart's bridge to his Nelson-like
reputation, 'Old Ironsides,' as she Was affectionately
called by those who had sailed in her over that glorious
path. As she crossed our stern and rounded to on our
quarter, she burnt a blue-light to satisfy herself as to the

20 A FRIENDLY SWELL.

locality, and shone out, a noble specimen of the concen
tration of war's power on the sea, while the lambent flame
lit up her double row of guns and brought out in bold
relief her dark and heavy rigging.

"The next day we talked with old friends; with mess
mates of bygone years. We talked of our wandering
and perilous cruise, of the strange people we were going
to see, of the lapse of time, and of our final return. "We
talked as if death were a thing of the past, as if there
was no possibility of his striding through our midst and
carrying away in his fleshless grasp hearts that then beat
strong with youth and the glowing hope of that final
return. We talked of all this, and of much more, and
the next day again unfurled our sails to the friendly
trade-wind, and urged our old ship from those barren
shores.

"The breeze falling light as we got away from the
land, it took us two days to sink the peak of Fogo Island,
which, with its elevation of nine thousand seven hundred
and fifty-nine feet, offers a beautiful landmark to the
navigator. At the end of this time, however, it sank
slowly below the northern board, and we bade adieu to
land until the Cape of Good Hope should break the even
surface of a more southern horizon. Things now went
on very smoothly until we had crossed the line and ran
to the southeast trades, when we fell in with a heavy swell
from that direction, which indicated a probable gale.
Warned by this friendly forerunner, we were on our
guard, and when it came it found us ready. Still, we had
a hard time of it; we were as near foundering as was
pleasant, and came out of it with the loss of our deck-

AN OLD-FASHIONED SEA. 21

load, a heavy loss to the expedition, as it consisted of all
our spare spars.

" This gale itself was nothing remarkable : it was the
really awful height and steepness of the seas that alarmed
us. I look back to it now and wonder how we lived
through it, and, as I wonder, I shudder. At one time we
took on board such a sea that the old ship hesitated to
lift it up; had another followed it, we must have gone
down. It was time to think of lightening her; so we, at
the risk of various broken legs, cut adrift the forty tons
of deck-load, and managed to get it overboard at the cost
of a single leg: the owner of that one, however, made
noise enough to bring up the doctor without his hat, who
soon abused him into silence, after which he splintered
it with tender care, and got him comfortably stowed away

in a cot. Poor H , rough of speech and tender of

heart! We lingered sadly under a granite shaft which
rears itself over your narrow home in the unknown land
of the Eastern heathen.

"At the end of three days the weather moderated,
after which we had a calm, and, finally, a fine breeze on
the quarter : we made all sail and boomed away towards
our longed-for port.

"No one can tell how much we enjoyed the first day's
moderating weather. WQ had suffered so terribly during
the gale from the effects of bilge-water that some of the
mess had been thrown on the sick-list by it ; and, now that
fair weather was returned, we knew its fumes would settle
down with the sea. It had a fair sweep at us as long as
the gale lasted; for, having to batten down all of the
hatches, we were without both light and air; and when

22 BILGE-WATER.

the battens were at length removed, the hatches opened,
and the cool, fresh ocean air, and the bright light of a
sunny day permitted to enter our long-closed apartments,
we found that our white-paint-work was entirely ruined.
It was as black as ink, a kind of bluish black, and most
unpleasantly damp and greasy to the touch.

" Our first object was to get our bedding and clothes
up on deck for an airing, and our second to get our mess
and state-rooms as dry and free from bilge-water as
possible. "We therefore commenced breaking out our
clothes ; and our horror may be imagined when we found
that the blackening fumes had ruined most of our uni
forms, and .had rendered unfit for use (previous to passing
through the hands of the washerwoman) the greater part
of our under-clothing. A cry arose as general as that
which swelled through Egypt for the loss of the first
born: no one had escaped. Some of us lost hundreds of
dollars from the effects of the destroying effluvia; all had
lost something.

"In a few days another gale crossed our path, then
another calm, then another fair wind : finally, we rubbed
our eyes one fine morning and looked upon the blue out
lines of Africa's extreme southern point, and the next
day we were well in with the land. Here we were again
headed off by a three days' spell of bad weather, at the
expiration of which we stood in for the harbour of Si
mon's Town, and were so fortunate as to pick up Mr. John
Koutze, the pilot, who took us into a snug anchorage just
as another gale was beginning to sing through our rig
ging. We were the first arrival : they knew nothing of
the rest of the squadron."

CHAPTER H.

WE RECEIVE A VISIT WHICH IS NOT INTENDED TO INQUIRE AFTER OUR HEALTH,
AND MAKE THE ACQUAINTANCE OP "LIEUTENANT PAQET, R.N. ;" AFTER
WHICH THE PURSER AND MYSELF " SMELL A RAT" AND FIRE AT A CATBIRD,
TO THE INFINITE TERROR OF SOME HOTTENTOT WOMEN.

WE had scarcely let go our anchor when we were
boarded by one of the boats of the English frigate, the
officer of which stepped over the side as if he had lately
suffered from an attack of rheumatism, or pride of birth,
it was hard to say which. He introduced himself as
Lieutenant Paget, Royal Navy, and was immediately con
ducted down to the captain by the affable officer of the
deck, with the intention of making him known. We
found the captain and doctor engaged in some general
conversation, and I was just preparing to introduce my
friend with a proper amount of empressement, when he an
ticipated me : " Lieutenant Paget, sir, of the Royal Navy.
Happy to see you, sir. The admiral's compliments,
ahem ! ah ! "

u Glad to see you on board, Lieutenant Paget. Permit
me to present to you Dr. Hamilton," replied the captain,
with one of his easy smiles.

Now, "Lieutenant Paget" must have thought that the
captain took him for the port health-officer, or he must
have been greatly wanting in politeness, one of the two ;
for, instead of shaking hands with the man of pills, or

24 ARRIVAL OF THE SQUADRON.

noticing the introduction by the ramrod-like bow usual
on such occasions, he gave an affected start, and, in the
drawling tone cultivated by many would-be high-bred
Englishmen, observed, " Ar-ar-rea-1-ly, but ar-r, in fact,
ar-r I didn't come ar-r to inquire after the health."
After which he indulged in a few quite commonplace
remarks, drank a glass of wine, and was bowed over the
side. The doctor subsequently remarked, in a confidential
manner, that he never in his life felt more like doing any
thing than, at that moment, like knocking his confounded
"ar-r-s" down his cockney throat: nevertheless, he con
trolled himself, and left the cabin in a high state of dis
gust with England, the English, and with Lieutenant
Paget, U.K., in particular.

Two days after our arrival, the Yincennes hove in sight,
came in to her anchorage very prettily, and made signal
for our captain to repair on board. Day after day they
now dropped in; first the little Cooper, then the Por
poise, and, finally, the old John Hancock. On the 20th
of September we were again together.

Then it was that we discovered the dilapidated condi
tion of our own vessel ; while the Vincennes, Porpoise,
and Hancock were each reported as being in want of
repairs. "We commenced ; and I think, before the last bill
was sent in, the repairs of the "squadron" must have
ranged as high as $20,000, and we just from the out
fitting care of the navy-yards of New York and Norfolk.

While all this work was going on, and we necessarily
detained in our sheltered anchorage, Purser Ritchie and
myself one day took it into our heads to take a tramp
over the hills in search of some unfortunate antelope,

OLD BUST-PROOF. 25

" hundreds" of which, we had been told, were easily to be
found. Stimpson, the energetic naturalist of the Vin-
cennes, had also spoken of several flocks of quail; and we
therefore looked forward to returning with any quantity
of game. The purser had a shaky-looking seventeen-
dollar American gun, that he had bought to destroy can
vas-back ducks with on the Chesapeake Bay some years
back, and I was provided in pretty much the same style;
the. only difference being that mine had been bought
several years later, and for only fifteen dollars. "We were
jested unmercifully by the mess whenever we appeared
with those dangerous weapons, and so always found it
convenient to get off upon our hunts as quietly as pos
sible. This being our first attempt, we were off our
guard, and came in for an extra allowance :

" There go the two ISTimrods! Now we'll feast on
game!" exclaimed a disagreeably-loud voice, so loud
that the whole mess were at once upon us.

"Just see how the purser shoulders old bust-proof!"
exclaimed a sarcastic voice.

"Habersham, you'd better walk astern of old bust-
proof: he'll go off backwards with the first heavy load,"
remarked a voice of friendly caution.

"That wont make it any better for the purser," re
marked another. " Habersham's gun only cost fifteen
dollars, and is warranted to shoot through both ends."

Through these and similar salutations we ran the
gauntlet of our admiring messmates, turned a deaf ear
to all that we were not forced to hear, and, finally, found
ourselves stowed away in the stern-sheets of the dingy
and out of reach of their attentions. The dingy was

26 DANGEROUSLY TIGHT TROUSERS.

pulled by two very small boys encased in very tight
trousers, who got us on shore after a while by the
greatest exertion, and then returned despondingly on
board to repair damages.

We at once made for the hill-side and commenced
beating the bush for antelope with the most "new-broom"-
like energy; and, to have seen us as we thus started, one
would have thought that we were following a most
reliable pointer, and that we were expecting a bird to
rise under our noses at every step, so ready were our
guns and so watchful were our eyes. As I now look
back upon that tramp and recall its various drawbacks,
it seems without exception the most disagreeable thing
of the kind that I ever undertook. Such a total absence
not only of game but even of animal life ! and such walk
ing as it was along the sides of those rugged hills ! I shall
never forget the feeling of satisfaction with which I went
to bed that night.

Imagine the sloping side of a mountain-range three
miles in length, covered by a thick undergrowth reaching
up to one's shoulders; millions of loose round stones
underfoot ; stationary rocks in the shape of o'erhanging
cliffs and huge boulders around and overhead; deep
ravines every one or two hundred yards, running from
the ridge to the sea, a regular alternation of ridge and
ravine ; and imagine us walking over those loose stones
which we could not see, and through those thick and
tangled bushes which we could just see over, and one
has a very fair idea of the "hard road" which we had to
travel. And travel it we did, with a pelting rain and strong
wind in our faces, and growing disgust in our hearts.

FINE-CUT. 27

After thus walking along the side of this rocky moun
tain for a mile or more, and just as disgust had grown
about as strong as expectation, we stopped under the lee
of one of the huge boulders, to draw a moment's breath
and wonder where all the antelope could be, and where
the ground was upon which Stimpson had started a flock
of quail and killed ten of them.

!N"ow, while we were thus wondering without deriving
the slightest satisfaction from it, we noticed a gentleman
of Hottentot visage approaching us with a spy-glass in his
right hand, through which he had probably long since
satisfied himself as to the likelihood of our being persons
who carried tobacco ; for he had no sooner joined us and
made a polite bow, than he commenced to express him
self at some length in favour of the consumption of said
article, and ended by indicating a perfect readiness on his
part to accept a small piece of it, "if we happened to
have any." The fact of this personage living in an Eng
lish colony will account for his speaking the language.

I had a small tobacco-box in my pocket containing
a quantity of John Anderson & Co.'s "fine-cut;" and
that I offered freely, knowing how much one often longs
for a single " chew," and hoping, moreover, to loosen the
honest strings of his tongue in regard to the whereabouts
of the game.

I was right in both my impression as to his longing for
a chew and as to the loosening of his tongue in regard
to the game, though I cannot say much for the amount
of honesty about this latter. He glanced doubtingly at
the fine-threaded preparation at first, but had no sooner
carried it to his nose than his whole face relaxed into a

28 AN ADMIRER OF AMERICANS.

confiding smile of the utmost complacency, under cover
of which he put at least half of my supply into his capa
cious mouth, and was at once seized with a severe fit of
coughing, the result of his being unacquainted with the
particular knack of using that valuable but likely-to-
choke-you luxury. Then, after recovering himself in a
measure, and with a face that would doubtless have been
red had it not been almost black naturally, he com
menced to tell us that " between the spot on which we
stood and the house of Mr. John Koutze, the pilot, there
was no lack of game, but that a great difficulty some
times existed in jMing it; that he felt confident, how
ever, that, in spite of this difficulty, we could, by continu
ing our walk a mile or two farther, start up several
spring-boke and any number of quail: he himself had
just passed over the ground and seen several." He
ended by telling us most emphatically, and with an air
of great apparent candour, that "he liked Americans,"
and that we might thank our nationality for the informa
tion just received. Englishmen, he said, were " no good,"
but Americans ah ! he sighed a deep sigh, which, com
bined with a look, such a look ! was doubtless intended
to produce another chew ; but the purser and myself had
both been around Cape Horn already, and were now
rounding that of Good Hope ; so the box remained un
opened.

At first we thought that by "spring-boke" he must
mean the ordinary African hare ; but, upon our intimating
as much, he hooted at the idea, assuring us that " he no
speky lie," and that they stood as high as the knee, and
had horns. At this we concluded they must be antelope ;

SMELLING A RAT. 29

and, upon his saying that he had heard them called by
that name, expectation put disgust to a precipitate flight
imparted fresh vigour to our limbs, and carried us bravely
over the huge potato-patch.

During this time we saw one rat; and, just as we had
crossed a deep ravine and were looking up at the rugged
path we were called upon to ascend, we smelt another-: we
began to think we had been humbugged ; and so disgust
rallied, overcame expectation beyond further hope, and
caused us to make the best of our way down the ravine
to the beach, along which ran a fine hard road from
Simonstown to the pilot's country residence.

Once clear of the rough walking, we gave up all idea
of hunting farther, and, remembering an invitation which
Mr. Koutze had extended to us to visit him, took it lei
surely along towards his cottage.

Now, however, that we were no longer hunting, it
seemed that we were to begin to burn powder ; for we had
not walked a hundred yards along our fine road, before
it took us across a little rivulet that followed the wind
ings of one of those interminable ravines, crossed the
road, and then disappeared through the thick bushes,
down, down, into the most snaky-looking locality that
we had yet seen.

"Hillo! there's a catbird!" exclaimed Kitchie, in an
excited whisper.

""Where?" I asked, in the same tone.

" Where ? In the bushes ! Don't you see him ?"

"No, I don't!"

"Nor I either, now! confound it! He's got away. Sup
pose you fire into the bushes at random and let me take

30 COME ON, MAN.

him on the wing as he comes out. We must carry some
thing back at any rate."

So I fired into the bushes ; and oh ! such a scream as
saluted our affrighted ears in return ! one would have
thought that half the women in Africa had been shot all
over except in their tongues and throats, and that the
other half were helping them to scream.

" There ! now you've done it !" exclaimed my instigator,
as he took to his heels and ran with a speed indicating
any thing but his having tired himself over the potato-
patch. "Come on, man !"

I did not wait for a second invitation, but followed
his example with the spasmodically-braced muscles of
alarmed excitement. We really thought I might have
killed some one ; and the cruelty of running away with
out rendering him, her, or them, any aid that might have
been in our power, did not strike us until after we had
put several hundred yards between us : then we called a
halt, concluded to return, and did so nearly as fast as we
had left.

We found that I had fired pellmell in among a dozen
or more Hottentot washerwomen, without drawing a
drop of blood or otherwise harming them, except by a
slight stinging; and, when we had acknowledged the
mistake, they rubbed themselves, seemed perfectly satis
fied, and went quietly on with their washing, while we
bade them a smiling adieu and continued on our way to
the pilot's. He received us quite warmly, treated us to
as much pure fresh milk, butter, and bread as we could
dispose of, showed us all through his whaling establish
ment, and ended by asking us to dinner. This latter we

THE RETURN. 31

declined, however, as it was getting late and our walk
was long ; but we consented to a second attack upon the
before-mentioned viands, plus a glass of fine old rum,
during the discussion of which he found time to assure
us that there were not, had not been for years, and were
never again expected to appear, a dozen quail on that
side of the mountain, and that as for "spring-boke," they
never crossed the ridge, a piece of information rather
calculated to strengthen a suspicion as to the veracity of
our Hottentot friend which had assailed our minds at the
time of our " smelling a rat."

"We now started upon our return, but had not walked
five minutes before we were overtaken by about the
hardest shower of rain that I ever stood under ; and I do
really believe that if the gentleman of colour who ex
pressed himself so freely in favour of Americans had
passed at that moment, he would have been startled, by
an explosion of fire-arms and a sharp pain about six
inches below his waist, into a far different conclusion as
to American character ; at the same time that the purser
would have found himself minus a load of powder, a cap,
two patent wads, and an ounce or more of mustard-seed
shot. Fortune favoured him, however, and he went to
bed (?) that night weighing some half-ounce less than if
we had met. We reached the ship just before dark, and
stepped at once into a perfect hotbed of annoying obser
vations.

"Hillo! here comes old bust-proof and his master,"
said one.

"And Habersham and his fifteen-dollar gun!" ex
claimed another.

32 ODORLESS FLOWERS.

"And not a feather!" put in a third. "Fine hunters
you are, to-be-sure." And thus were we passed around,
until I really began to feel rather small and cheap than
otherwise.

"Now, stop your talking for a moment," said the
purser, "while I tell you of our hunt." He then
gave them a very flowing account of it, imitated the
screaming part to perfection, and ended pretty much as
follows :

" "We saw during that tramp much more than you did
who remained on board. "We saw hard walking, oceans
of the most beautiful and brilliant, but odorless, wild
flowers, huge rocks hundreds of feet above the present
sea-level, the general form and appearance of which
indicated beyond a doubt that they had been at some
remote period subjected to the wearing action of a con
stant surf. Hence, one may reasonably conclude that
the sea has retired, or that the rocks have been lifted to
their present elevation by some powerful convulsion of
nature. "We saw all of this and much more, not forget
ting the catbird and the terrified females ; and what is
there more distressingly beautiful than terrified females
(pretty ones, I mean) upon the verge of several fainting
fits?"

He stopped for want of breath, gave old bust-proof to
his boy to clean, and retired into his den amidst the
cheers of the audience.

There were two things that surprised us greatly on our
arrival at this port, and those were the almost total ab
sence of natural trees of every description, and the great
abundance of sweet oranges. Though able from our

A MOST APPROPRIATE NAME. 33

mast-head to overlook quite an extensive section of the
southern point of Africa, and see natural shrubs and un
dergrowth in abundance, I much doubt if the eye could
have rested upon a dozen trees which had not been trans
planted.

Some of the shore mechanics, however, who were work
ing on board, told us that there was no lack of timber
farther down the coast, and that it existed in considerable
variety. The kind most esteemed by them for working
into vessels is something between the teak of India and
the live oak of Georgia and Florida ; but there is a wide
difference in one respect, i. e. in the smell, which places
it entirely out of the power of even the most superficial
observer to confound it with either. When moist, this
smell is absolutely sickening ; and, if you attempt to burn
it while in that condition, the fumes drive all, even the
most seasoned noses, from the immediate vicinity of the
fire. I can give no idea of that odour, unless it be by
comparing it to a combination of sulphur and assafoetida,
and even that does not do it justice.

On account of this peculiar property, the early settlers
indorsed it with a name which will not bear translation
into the English of the present day, but which, a hundred
years since, when people were not so particular, would
have been called "ye stinke-woode;" and this I regard as
the most appropriate of names, inasmuch as it gives you
a better idea of the wood than could otherwise be ob
tained, except through the medium of the sense of smell,
a source of information to which no one has ever been
known to apply twice.

The Mandarin orange of China, as well as the well-

34 THE TWO TOWNS.

known species of the West Indies, flourish here in great
perfection, a rather singular fact when the latitude is
taken into consideration. As far as my own experience
carries me, the northern shore of the Mediterranean and
this extremity of Africa are the only high latitudes where
this fruit is cultivated in the open air.

Simon's Town and Cape Town the former situated on
the east side of the Cape of Good Hope, and the latter
on its west side are the two settlements of the English
on this extremity of the continent, and are often con
founded. They are, notwithstanding, separated by the
entire width of the promontory, which is there some
twenty miles wide, and are totally different; Cape Town
being the door through which pass both exports and im
ports, while Simon's Town is simply a naval station, and, like
all other naval stations, a small town has spread itself
around the walls of the dock-yard : nothing more.

Unlike most English ports, we found this latter without
a good beef-market. The article can be obtained in any
quantity, but its poor quality renders that fact almost a
misfortune. In the words of the doctor, "a little of it
went a great way." We seldom had it on the mess-table,
therefore, but devoted ourselves to the mutton, which
was equally plentiful, cheap, and certainly the best mut
ton I ever ate, that of even the Valley of Virginia not
excepted.

The population of Simon'sTown is only several hundred,
who live in some eighty or a hundred neatly- whitewashed
houses that presented a striking contrast to those we had
lately left at Porto Praya. Among them I counted four
churches, five government buildings, sixteen grog-shops,

THE CAPE MALAY. 35

three taverns, &c. &c. I don't know, therefore, that I can
well give the place a name for any great morality ; for,
while four churches require a certain amount of true or
worldly religion to keep them up, the sixteen grog-shops,
the three hotels, and the &c. &cs., call for even a greater
amount of sin and dissipation. Each one of the churches
to which I have alluded was the place of worship of
different denominations. In the first place, there was
the Church of England, composed of most of the "first
people of the place," evidently the fashionable church, the
place where the richest dresses and the brilliant uniforms
were to be seen. Then came the Mormons, with their
seducing doctrines; next the Methodists; and both last
and least came the Eoman Catholics. With the excep
tion of the Mormons', these churches are attended by
persons of all classes; but the prolific followers of
Joseph Smith, with very few exceptions, have succeeded
in turning from the way of darkness (?) only members of
a certain race. The "Cape Malay," a people of whom I
had never heard before our arrival, grasped eagerly at
the demoralizing doctrine of a plurality of wives, and
crowded around the sacred men who could uncurb the
bit of sensuality and render null and void the restrain
ing laws of bigamy.

And I was informed by Mr. Holmes, the American
consul at Cape Town, that, although the converts to that
creed were generally persons of no individual influence,
still, from the simple fact of the contagion spreading far
and wide, it was rapidly becoming of importance from
the sheer force of numbers. The same gentleman also
informed me that upon the first arrival of the two

86 MORMONISM IN AFRICA.

" elders" at Cape Town they had paid him a visit, wishing
him, as the American consul, (they themselves being
Americans, who had been sent from the Great Salt Lake
to "preach the word,") to back them up with his counte
nance through the colony, and that he had been forced
to politely deny their request. He did not tell me, how
ever, that he had said to them, "Well, gentlemen, your
request is rather a singular one ; but if you will return to
morrow you shall have an answer." And he further
neglected to tell me what that answer was. "I have
thought seriously over your very singular request, Messrs.
Mormons," he said, "and I think it a humbug, (your reli
gion, I mean;) and, as the representative of the great
American people, I can't support a humbug. Good-moin-
ing, gentlemen!"

And this last interpretation of the affair I got from a
married friend of his, who seemed to think that Mrs. H.
had had something to say about the Mormons and their
institutions during the night which followed their first
interview with him. So much for the commencement of
Mormonism in Africa.

CHAPTEK

WE MAKE UP A PARTY TO VISIT CAPE TOWN, AND TAKE OUR SEATS IN A CHARIOT
WE READ POETRY IN FOUR LANGUAGES, AND THINK THAT IT MUST- BE A
FINE THING TO BE A MORMON WE MAKE THE ACQUAINTANCE OF AN EAGER
GENTLEMAN, AND CONCEIVE A HIGH IDEA OF THE HOSPITALITY OF CAPE
TOWN

AFTER having been a week or more at anchor, several
of us concluded to pay a visit to Cape Town. A party was
therefore made up, consisting of Dr. Stuart, of the Por
poise, Lieutenant Bliss, of the "Old John," and Mr. Lea
and myself, from the Kennedy. Our mode of conveyance
consisted of a two-wheeled vehicle, a Dutch driver by the
name of Peter, four fearfully-rawboned animals that had
four legs each and were evidently more like horses than
any thing else, and a certain amount of traces, bridles,
reins, and whips. This uncertain "turn-out" was digni
fied by the name of the "Mail-coach," a high-sounding
title which had alone carried confidence to our unsuspect
ing hearts and caused us to pay for our seats in advance.
And now, when I add that this "mail-coach" was with
out springs, just like an old ox-cart, and that nine unfor
tunates were crowded into it, some skeptic may be so
bold as to say that a two-wheeled vehicle without springs,
and drawn by horses, would be apt to spill said nine un
fortunates out of its stern while being hauled up a hill ;
and so, for the information of that awful class of society,

I will add yet something more about our vehicle.

38 T'OTHER HOLDS T'OTHER UP.

True, it only had two wheels : but then an ox-cart has
no more ; and it is a well-known fact that this latter can
not tilt backwards turn a half back-somerset without
entailing serious inconvenience on the oxen that draw it.

"Yes, but oxen are yoked, and horses are hitched"
remarks the skeptic.

"Not always, by any means," is my reply. The oxen
with us are yoked to their carts, and at the Cape the carts
are yoked to the horses : that's the only difference. It sounds
singular, truly ; yet, let us see how they accomplish it.

In our case, the four animals were hitched up exactly
as four horses are generally attached to a wagon, with the
single addition of a curved and flat bar of iron, which
was secured to the pole just back of the fore-legs of the
after-ones, and which fit under them just as snugly as
the half of a hoop would around a barrel.

And thus much for the ingenious peculiarities of the
"mail-coach" that ran daily between Simon's Town and
Cape Town, and in which we were induced to " make
ourselves comfortable" when we saw that there was no
help, for it.

It was not long before I was struck with the ingenious-
ness of the foregoing device for preserving the parallelism
of two planes ; but I could not help hinting to Peter of a
fear which had arisen with it in my mind as to the con
sequences which might result in case of a stumble.

"Lord bless you, sir!" was his reply: "vy, that's the
very time ven it comes in. Don't you see, it a'n't likely as
how they'll both fall at oncet ? and so t'other holds t'other
up." I was struck with the force of his argument, and,
lighting a cigar, began to make notes of things in general

PETER. 39

as they crossed our heavy path. And now I will show
the reader how it was that we got into our singular
vehicle, and how the " animals" were persuaded to make
a start.

It was at the Fountain Inn, the head-quarters of the
mail-coach line, that we had agreed to rendezvous ; and,
having assembled there at sunrise on the appointed morn
ing, we exchanged four shillings sterling for as many
cups of warm water, about seven grains of coffee, half an
ounce of rancid butter, and four slices of stale bread,
which we called breakfast; and then, providing ourselves
with a bunch of Manilla cheroots each, climbed up to our
seats, and told Peter that he was at liberty to " crack his
whip."

Upon receiving this piece of information, the individual
to whom it was addressed produced a strange sound,
somewhat between a whistle, a grunt, and an exclama
tion of surprise, which, much to our astonishment, acted
like a charm upon the four raw-boned animals. Without
waiting to impart a gradual motion to the " coach," they
started it with a jump ; and, since Jupiter, the goddess
of Fortune, or some youthful member of the rising genera
tion, had put a large stone immediately in front of our
left wheel, we started with a most awful jolt, which, on
account of the absence of springs, was enabled to give
the warm water, grains of coffee, stale bread, and half-
ounce of rancid butter, a very fair idea of what they had
to expect should our road prove rough.

By the time we had driven a mile, both the doctor and
myself were on very sociable terms with our Saxon
driver ; and, before I proceed any further in this veritable

40 THAWING PETER.

narration, I will, for the benefit of all unfortunate "mail-
coach" passengers, relate the devices we resorted to to
overcome his lofty reserve of manner, i. e. the stupid air
of importance which small people filling small stations
often assume towards better people who are for the time-
being at their mercy. Who is there who at some time
has not been offended, has not had his comfort uselessly
interfered with, by the conductor of a railroad, the mate
of a mail-steamer, or the driver of a "mail-coach" ?

In the first place, then, knowing that I was driving over
a strange road with a hungry note-book in my pocket, I
saw the necessity of being on communicative terms with
some person who could answer questions ; and, as Peter
was the only one in the coach who could answer said
questions, he " was the man" to be thawed. ISTow, as soon
as I had brought the doctor to my way of thinking, we
commenced the attack, I being armed with the ability to
drive even four "animals" in hand, and with a bunch
of cheroots; while the great medicine-man shook aloft a
much more terrible weapon of offence in the shape of a
pocket-pistol, not one of the murdering inventions of
Messrs. Sharpe, Colt, or Allen, but a reasonable, single-
barrelled fellow, who only had one true aim, which was to
keep always full of good old brandy.

With these as our weapons, we soon overcame the
enemy's reserve, I having offered to drive for him while
he poured out the doctor's brandy, and subsequently
handed him a cigar with an overcoming suavity of man
ner. Our ammunition was not half expended before his
face was wreathed in smiles and his tongue loosened into
absolute loquaciousness.

PETER'S GRIEVANCES. 41

" What !" he exclaimed, in answer to a question which
the doctor now hazarded, " what ! Don't you know what
that fence is made of?"

The doctor puffed his cheroot, and assured his "Chris
tian friend" that he was indeed in a state of blissful
ignorance as to the material of which it was composed.

" Why, them's whale-ribs, and they lasts longer than
any wood you can find."

"Do they, indeed?" smiled the man of pills; but he
said nothing. It is astonishing how far a pleasant smile
will go. This one seemed to tickle Peter amazingly : he
again indulged in the strange sound which we had heard
at starting, and then his tongue ran from subject to sub
ject with amazing agility. At last he came down to hia
domestic affairs, and every one in the coach was soon
aware of the following facts connected with them.

Peter was a married man. Peter had no children.
Peter never expected to have any children. Peter's wife
didn't love him. Peter never went home more than once
a year. Peter was a new and zealous advocate of the
Mormon doctrine. Peter thought that woman was made
for man, and not man for woman. And last, but not
least apparently, Peter was desperately in love with a
feminine whose name was not Mrs. Peter.

About the time that he had enlightened us thus far,
the "mail-coach" came to a halt in front of a most sin
gular sign. It was at least ten feet square, and hung from
a long pole that projected over the door of an unpretend
ing wayside inn. It was intended to tell the traveller
all that he had to expect, without putting him to the
trouble of asking questions. On its double face there was

42 I-HE GENTLE SHEPHERD OF SALISBURY PLAIN.

painted a house, in the open window of which stood a half-
emptied bottle and an inverted glass : the door also was
open, supposed to be the exponent of the boundless hospi
tality which awaited the wayfarer upon entering. There
was also on its face the figure of a Charles II. cavalier,
with a shepherd's crook in his warlike hand, and a most
feline-looking dog crouching at his feet. There was,
moreover, a horseshoe nailed on its bottom-edge, to scare
away all Dutchmen's ghosts ; two verses of poetry in the
centre, to tell the nature of the " treatment" that was to
be expected; and, finally, written under the feet of the
cavalier, the following sentence: "The Gentle Shep
herd of Salisbury Plain." The poetry, which was written
in English, French, Latin, and Dutch, is well worthy
of preservation. It was "got up" at the shepherd's
especial request by an English army-officer who was
fond of fun. Here is how it reads :

" 'LIFE'S BUT A JOURNEY; LET us LIVE ON THE ROAD,' SATS THE GENTLE

SHEPHERD.

" Multum in parvo, pro bono publico ;
Entertainment for man and beast all of a row.
Lekker Kost as much as you please ;
Excellent beds, without any fleas.

"Nos patriam fugimus; now we are here,
Vivamus, let us live, by selling beer.
On donne a boire et a manger ici :
Come in and try it, whoever you be."

Upon drawing up in front of the establishment from
which this rare signboard was hung, we were received
by the Gentle Shepherd of Salisbury Plain in person, and

CONGRATULATING THE SHEPHERD. 43

had it not been for a forewarning of Peter's in regard to
the quality of his "lekker," we would most certainly
have been inveigled, by his polite invitation and bland
smiles, into entering his bar-room and paying him a shil
ling sterling each. As it was, however, we contented
ourselves with congratulating him upon the non-existence
of fleas in his beds, (as per signboard,) wished him a
polite good-morning, and drove out of hearing before he
could command words to express himself pleased or an
noyed by our remarks. We inferred the latter to be the
case, however, from the fact of his looking very red in
the face and shaking his fist at our retreating conveyance,
as well as from a comment indulged in by Peter upon his
appearance : "Yell now, old man's mad, I tell you."

"Never mind the old shepherd, Peter; you take
another drink of this good brandy, and then crack your
whip : we're getting late," said the doctor.

So Peter smilingly complied, and then once more
"got off" the "undetermined sound."

It is twenty-one miles from Simon's Town to Cape Town,
and the first seven miles that we had driven over was
the best of roads at one time and the worst of roads at
another. It was what is understood by a "beach-road,"
so that the hauling was over hard sand at low-water and
through hub-deep sand at high-water : the latter happened
unfortunately to fall to our lot. The last fourteen miles,
however, we travelled over the most beautiful road / ever
saw, and I do not think that I ever rode over a beautiful
road before with such true pleasure. This was owing to
the fact of our " chariot" (Peter even called it "the cha
riot" sometimes) being minus springs; for I could not

44 A VAEIETY OF COLOUKS.

a^oid imagining the horrible succession of jolts to which
we should have been forced to submit had we been run
ning over any but a perfectly-macadamized road.

In addition to the perfect smoothness of this road, we
found, after passing the Half-way House, an avenue of
fine old oaks spreading their branches between us and
the sun, which, meeting overhead and twisting among
each other in every imaginable form, formed a cool, shady
djive, that was crossed every now and then by a noisy
little stream of limpid mountain-water, that washed our
tires and added to the general coolness of the road.
This avenue reached almost to Cape Town : it must have
been eight miles long. And just imagine an avenue of
heavy, solid old oaks of that length: it was a perfect
treat to drive through it. And then the numbers of the
fair sex (?) that we were continually passing, some of
them quite pretty, and, again, some of them horribly ugly.
They were of all colours, too. They were white, copper-
coloured, black, and undetermined, and seemed to resort
to this avenue as their favourite morning walk.

I soon began to be attracted by Peter's manner as we
fell in with these fair pedestrians : I noticed that if they
were young and pretty, our newly-fledged Mormon in
variably knew them, whereas, if they were the contrary, such
was never the case. To some of the former he would
give a nod; to others, a "good-morning, miss!" while
with others again I even saw him go so far as to indulge
in a wink ; but, when either age or ugliness drew towards
us, he always found that his horses were not going fast
enough, that it was necessary to gather up his reins, shake
his dilapidated whip, and produce the startling noise, the

WHALES AND WHALING. 45

" undetermined sound." And if they came towards him
too closely, as if determined to catch his eye, he would even
turn his head to answer an imaginary question, thus pre
senting his hack to their anxious gaze. Noticing all of
this, I could not help hinting that I feared Mrs. Peter
had good cause to avoid doting on him ; but he replied,
with great earnestness of manner, that the greater part
of them were Mormons, and consequently his spiritual
sisters. So I thought, "What a fine thing it must be to
be a Mormon !" and thereafter held my peace.

Previous to our arrival at the Gentle Shepherd's, we
had passed a small sea-side village, called Cork Bay, which
Peter told us was inhabited entirely by whale-fishermen
and their families. We subsequently saw another of
those whaling-establishments at Cape Town. These two,
with that which we had previously visited at the pilot's,
comprised all that we could hear of in the locality.

Those engaged in the business do not own vessels
which they send in search of the whale, but accomplish
most of their work in open boats. They lounge about
the beach until some unfortunate whale is discovered
in the bay, when they man their boats, attack him with
harpoon and lance, and, if victorious, tow him to the
beach, where he is hauled up by oxen, stripped of his
blubber, and otherwise roughly handled. We were told
that they were getting very scarce of late years, however,
and that the business no longer held out the promise of
even a reasonable gain. We now ceased to wonder where
so many whale-ribs had come from, the road having been
lined with fences made of them, during the first part of
our drive.

46 FAST CATTLE.

Talking of hauling the whale up with oxen reminds
me that I there saw as many as sixteen of the latter yoked
to a single cart; and we were subsequently informed by
the consul that they could travel without difficulty as far
as forty or fifty miles a day before a heavy load. They
are yoked like those of South America, the yoke being
lashed on in front of the horns.

Shortly after leaving the whale-rib fences behind us,
we began to 'find a more elevated country; and soon after
this we pulled up in front of the "Half-way House,"
where we exchanged our "piles of bones" for four others,
that looked even more unpromising than the first, but
which astonished us by getting over the beautiful road
with a very fair speed. We now began to see rich, taste
ful, and romantic-looking country-seats peering through
the planted woods on either side of our avenue, also two
or three small villages, and as many brick-kilns. These
latter produce a very inferior brick, however, if I may
judge from those which came under my inspection. The
country-seats belong to the more wealthy residents of
Cape Town, are of the English style, and are generally
surrounded by extensive groves of pine-trees, planted in
rows like Indian corn. As we drove along between those
beautifully laid-out grounds, we were more than ever
struck with the absence of natural foliage.

At last we began to enter Cape Town, after a drive of
three hours and twelve minutes, and, having taken rooms
at the "Masonic," commenced preparing for an official
visit to Mr. Holmes, the consul. He received us with
great politeness, and, as is usual on such occasions, the
visit terminated with an invitation to dinner, at "six

SIX SHARP. 47

sharp;" and we were just being bowed out of tbe con
sulate, when a most gentlemanly-looking Englishman of
some fifty years entered, and was introduced to us as Mr.
Eager. The name of this gentleman seemed most ap
propriate ; for he took advantage of the first pause in
the renewed conversation to ask us to dine with him
at " six sharp," which caused us to smile as we told him
of " six sharp" No. 1, and begged him to accept it as
our excuse. He seemed quite disappointed at this, and
begged us to let him have the pleasure of our company
at the same hour on the following day ; but there, also,
three of us were forced to disappoint him, as our leave ex
pired at that time. The doctor, however, accepted " with
pleasure," and, after pointing out the most pleasant direc
tion for strolling, our polite acquaintance took his leave.
"We never subsequently met his equal : we hope to meet
him again.

Having nothing to do but hunt for what was to be seen,
we followed the direction he had pointed out, and soon
arrived at a stone gateway that opened into a most shady
and picturesque walk. It proved to be some five hundred
yards in length by about fifty feet in width, and was
limited on either side by closely-planted oaks of gigantic
proportions, the same apparently that had sheltered us
on our way down. Had not the days of Aladdin's lamp
and ring been among those of the past, one might readily
have imagined this second avenue of noble trees to have
been a section of that beautiful road that had been trans
planted for our express benefit.

At the far-end of this walk we found another gateway,
which, like the first, was guarded day and night by ram-

48 REMARKABLE RAMRODS.

rod-like sentries, whose particular business it is to salute
officers and to keep out brindled cows, fierce dogs, and,
what is nearly as bad, presuming rowdies, so that ladies
and children may enjoy a quiet walk without the fear of
encountering the attentions of either of the foregoing
parties.

On the left of this delightful promenade is located the
Government house and grounds, while the space on
the right is occupied by a botanical garden. Both of
these are enclosed by tasteful fencing ; and when you get
half-way up the avenue you come to two gates, the one
directly facing the other, before which two more dressed-
up ramrods walk up and down and bore all who pass in
uniform, by "presenting arms" with a clang that often
startles weak-minded officials into a state of nervous
politeness and takes away greatly from the pleasure of
any one's walk. This soon became such a bore that we
were glad to get out of our feathers and emerge once more
from the " Masonic" in the reasonable costume of free and
enlightened citizens. Previous to this, however, we used
said feathers to open the gates of the garden, through the
well-kept walks of which we lounged, to the intense admi
ration of a dozen or more nurses and probably double
the number of children, until the arrival of the hour for
lunch.

During this lounge we did not notice any foreign plants
or flowers; but those indigenous to the country were
both so numerous and beautiful that their presence was
not at all necessary. "We were told by the keeper that
that garden was not supported by either the home, colo
nial, or city treasury, but by the voluntary subscription

DISGUSTED SHEEPISHNESS. 49

of various families, who thus secure to themselves and
friends a quiet, retired spot in which to stroll at pleasure.
Then each of these subscribers has furnished him any
number of tickets, which are presented to "distinguished
strangers" to gain them admission; but, in spite of this,
there are shingle-notices stuck up and through the garden
to the effect that "strangers are admitted without tickets,"
so one would say they are of no use. When the music
is under way, however, the shingle-notices cease to be of
effect, and the ticket is required. Some of our officers
found themselves in a most mortifying situation on this
account : they were in uniform, the garrison-band was in
full blast, and the garden was crowded with "the fami
lies/' Of course they made for the gate with as dignified
a step as possible, to join in the scene, when invidious
Fate, in the shape of the gate-keeper, stopped them, and
asked for their tickets.

Of course they could only look angry or sheepish, and
they chose the former ; but - old Fate was not to be
alarmed. They were therefore about to act like sensible
men and retire, when several of the officers of the gar
rison, seeing their dilemma, left the ladies who were
hanging on their arms, and advanced to their assistance ;
but their efforts were of no avail, and they were forced to
return to the fair ones, while our fellows walked off in a
state of disgusted sheepishness. The English officers
seemed as much mortified, however, as they were, and a
few days later a long apology reached the squadron from
his excellency the governor, in which he attributed all
the blame to the stupidity of the gate-keeper.

Well, as soon as we had got out of our uniform, we

50 A CAPE TOWN BOOKSELLER.

again sallied out. this time in search of a bookstore, where
we hoped to find a standard work that we were in search
of. We were surprised to find but one establishment
of the kind, and at being there informed that they
only imported similar works " to order." I could not help
comparing this yawning reply, the store, and the "im
porter" himself, with the Yankee bookseller of the pre
sent day. I could not help thinking how in a port like
that, where no duties were levied, the latter would soon
open their eyes to the "Young America" way of carry
ing on that business.

We now returned to the hotel, where we found several
Dutch officers, whose vessel had reached Simon's Bay
since our arrival, engaged in discussing a late lunch in
the only sitting-room. Of course we had to intrude our
company upon them or retire to our rooms ; so we chose
the former. It is a singular fact that naval men, of what
ever nation, become acquainted as the most natural thing
in the world : in the present case, five minutes had not
elapsed before several bottles of ale were consumed and
double the number of cheroots ignited. Then we com
menced to talk of our past and future movements quite
smoothly; and when they left in the "mail-coach" a
half-hour later, one would have imagined that we were
old acquaintances. We learned one thing from those
gentlemen which struck us as being but just and reason
able : their men-of-war are kept seven or eight years in
commission when once sent to a distant colony like Ba-
tavia, (they were then on their homeward-bound voyage
from that station,) and after that, such officers as desire it
may retire from service on reduced pay ; a proceeding

STARTLING INFORMATION. 51

which, if applied to our own navy, would render it both
effective and comfortable.

Tahle Mountain has been drawn so often both by pen
and pencil, and Cape Town, which slumbers at its base,
is so well known, that I shall pass lightly over both and
hasten on to other regions.

We met Mr. Holmes at the appointed hour, enjoyed a
very fair dinner, and had the pleasure of conversing
during said enjoyment with Captain Jamison, R.N., an
accomplished Englishman, and a man of great general
and local information. Having resided over twenty years
in the colony, and being known as a gentleman of unex
ceptionable character, I feel that I may safely give circu
lation to parts of his very instructive conversation.

Among other things, he told us that the tribe of Kaffirs
proper did not number over forty thousand fighting-men,
but that in their conflicts with the English they could
double or treble that number by calling in other South
Africans, drawn chiefly from the Bushmen and another
tribe the name of which has escaped me. The Hotten
tots, he said, were almost extinct. In regard to wild ani
mals and reptiles, he said that the cheetah, the leopard,
and the antelope, still existed in the vicinity in consider
able numbers, but that a lion was now very rarely en
countered. Puff-adders were abundant, and the cobra di
capello was often killed on the mountain-sides measuring
from ten to fourteen feet.

This latter was a piece of information that sounded
much more agreeably to my ear at that time than it would
have done some days previous, when the purser and my
self were "smelling a rat" at the head of a deep ravine,

52 SLY, SIR, DEVILISH SLY.

with at least half a mile of undergrowth between us and
the open road.

Captain Jamison next spoke of the great superiority
of the Kaffir over the Bushman, and placed the latter in
turn over the Hottentot. "The Kaffir," he said, "has
considerable mind, is brave, and differs from the negro
in many essential points: in colour he approaches the
Moor. The Bushman is * regular negro,' passably brave,
but of no mental capacity ; while the Hottentot is remark
able for nothing but high cheek-bones and a most mar
vellous development that would put to shame the most
exaggerated of old-fashioned bustles."

Somehow or other the conversation here turned upon
Peter, our Mormon driver; and the captain laughingly
gave us a short history of him. Peter, he said, was
widely known as a clever and obliging fellow, but, like
Joseph Bagstock, he was " sly, sir, devilish sly." Having
been unmercifully " kicked" by a young lady of Dutch
parentage, he had rushed to the feet of a Hottentot belle
and dragged her to the nuptial broomstick in a state of
mind bordering upon desperation. Alas for Peter ! He
had not been married a week before he made the start
ling discovery that he was not her "first love;" and this,
combined with the fact of his brandy-bottle always giving
out when he still thought that it should be half full, pro
duced a gradual change in his feelings which finally re
sulted in his embracing the Mormon faith. Poor Peter !
I'll venture to say that you still sit behind those piles of
bones, still urge them ahead with that ejaculation of
surprise.

It was a late hour when we shook hands with our host,

WHAT A VAG MR. PETER IS ! 53

and the next day at 2 P.M. we were again in the " chariot,"
on our return to Simon's Town. During this drive we were
struck with the great number of brilliantly-plumaged
birds that crossed our path, as well as by the fact that
none of them seemed to be of the singing order. I asked
Peter the reason of this, and he replied that they had
given up singing since the English had taken the country
from, his people, an answer which caused a young
female in a linsey-woolsey garment of very limited length
to say, " What a vag Mr. Peter is !" " What's it to you ?"
asked the latter, turning sharply around and scowling
upon her with crushing disdain. The lady was not
pretty. We are again on board ship. So much for Cape
Town and Peter.

CHAPTER IV.

WE LEAVE SIMON'S TOWN AND SAIL FOE BATAVIA, WHERE WE EECEIVE A
VISIT THAT DOES RELATE TO OUR HEALTH, AND SEE A REMARKABLE GUN J
AFTER WHICH WE LISTEN TO SEVERAL ASTONISHING ACCOUNTS FROM AN
ENGLISH RESIDENT, AND AGAIN PUT TO SEA.

IT is the 9th of November, and we are again getting up
our anchor. The Hancock and Cooper sailed some days
since for Batavia, and we are now to follow them in the
Kennedy, while the Yincennes and Porpoise proceed to
Hong-Kong via Australia. From Batavia we are to pro
ceed in company with the first two vessels to the neigh
bouring Straits of Gaspar, survey them, and then join the
Yincennes and Porpoise at Hong-Kong. And now, be
fore we leave Simon's Town, let me say a word in regard
to the "Cape Malay."

Surprised to find this race in such numbers so far away
from their island-homes, I questioned Captain Jamison on
the subject, and learned that when the Cape was in pos
session of the Dutch they had been imported from the
islands of Sumatra, Borneo, &c. as slaves, and that, being
remarkably prolific, they had increased tenfold. That
when the English succeeded the Dutch, and they were
emancipated and thrown on their own resources, they
had turned their attention to making honest livelihoods,
and were now very creditable members of society. I could

not but compare their conduct and success as freemen
54

A PAINTED SEA. 55

with, the conduct and failure of the African slave of my
own land when similarly released.

There was another subject one of nature's numerous
phenomena that excited both our surprise and admira
tion while anchored off Simon's Town.

The whole surface of the harbour would at times be
covered by a greasy, frothy, variously- coloured substance,
that gave the water a most uncleanly appearance during
the day, but which, at night caused it to resemble a lake
of molten gold. How deep it extended we could not tell,
possibly the whole depth of the harbour.

"We had observed the same phenomenon while ap
proaching the coast, and had at first been at a loss what
to attribute it to. The whole sea was sprinkled with
the variously-hued patches, and as we sailed through
them we left a wake of fire that was apparent even under
the glare of the mid-day sun. It was like sailing over a
painted sea in the daytime ; and at night, when the seas
lifted up their lambent crests in all directions, the effect
was truly grand. We subsequently attributed their
existence to the presence of vast masses of a migrating
infusoria, the minute and phosphorescent forms of the
largest of which we could readily detect in a drop of the
water by placing it under an ordinary magnifier.

And now when we again " launched out upon the sea"
we, and the Yincennes, and the poor doomed Porpoise we
looked around in vain for those living fields those green
and' golden and purple plains which had extended for
miles around us and been composed of an infinite number
of living animals, animals which exist only in the micro
scopic world, and which are of such infinitesimal dimen-

56 MAN OVERBOARD.

sions that we are told five millions may pass through the
eye of a cambric-needle at the same time without elbow
ing each other. So much for the Cape of Good Hope ;
with its ugly women, songless birds, and odorless
flowers.

I have already remarked that it was November 9, and
that we were again at sea. The first day out, while we
were all three running along before a glorious breeze, the
Yincennes suddenly lost a man overboard, and a most
lively scene ensued while picking him up. Helms were
shoved hurriedly down, studding-sails slapped and flapped
in the most approved style, boats were lowered, ships
came up into the wind, and, finally, the unfortunate
clumsy was rescued from "a watery grave." Night
closed around us, and we parted company: the Vin-
cennes and Porpoise to skirt the coral reefs of southern
latitudes, and we to make the best of our way to Batavia.

One of those singular accidents which sailors in parti
cular are disposed to regard in a miraculous light now
occurred on board, and gave us something to talk about.
We were eating our first sea-breakfast : all of the mess,
save the officer of the deck, were at the table, and the ship
was beating slowly to the eastward against a light breeze.
Suddenly our assistant hydrographer, Mr. Samuel Potts,
of "Washington, remarked that he had " dreamed a dream"
about his box of clothes, which, having failed to reach
him before sailing from home, his friends had promised
to ship to China. "I dreamt," he said, "that we were
lying becalmed near a merchant-ship, that we lowered a
boat and boarded her, and that the boat returned with
my box." Nothing more was said or thought on the sub-

A DREAM VERIFIED. 57

ject for several hours, when, strange to say, we found
ourselves becalmed within a mile or two of a deeply,
laden bark which showed American colours.

" That fellow looks as if he might be from New York,
with a load of coal and a few stray newspapers," remarked
Russell, the third lieutenant. "I'm going to ask for a
boat to board him."

So he asked, got a boat, boarded the strange sail, and
returned with Mr. Potts' 's box. She proved to be the bark
Roebuck, of Baltimore, eighty-four days out, loaded with
coal for Perry's squadron.

Our passage to Batavia presents little of interest to the
general reader. I take a few extracts from my journal,
simply to avoid slighting that portion of the cruise.

"Nov. 15. Lat. 35 37' S., long. 28 25' E. A fresh
breeze from south to southeast. Weather overcast and
cloudy, the water of a greenish tinge. The following
birds have hovered around the ship during the day:
albatross, Cape-pigeons, gulls, blue jays, (a sea-bird re
sembling its shore-namesake,) sheer-waters, sea-crows,
petrels, and whale-birds ; not so many by far as yester
day. Where have they gone to ? They generally hang
by a ship to pick up the scraps that are thrown over by
the cooks, and I have been often struck by the uncer
tainty of their presence. I have at length attributed it to
the proximity of other ships; for I have noticed that
whenever a vessel comes in sight they invariably become
scarce. They soar to such heights that many miles of
space that are below our horizon become open to them,
besides which they have a clearer sight than man, and
instinct in addition. The consequence is that they always

58 HARD UP THE HELM.

see a ship first; and I feel confident that the approach of
many vessels might be predicted by following the old
Eoman idea of consulting the flight of birds."

" Nov. 16. Saw a school of white porpoises during the
afternoon watch, who played about us with great ease,
darting ahead or astern as it pleased them, though we
were running at the rate of ten knots. One of the men
Corcoran, an old whaler got a harpoon over the bow,
and put it entirely through one of them ; but our speed
was so great that it tore out with the first jerk, and the
wounded animal started frantically off at right angles and
was followed by the entire school. He marked his path
by a bloody streak."

" Nov. 18. The weather has been dark and threaten
ing for the last twenty-four hours, and the barometer
sinking with a determined uniformity unpleasant to
behold. "We knew that ' something was in the wind,'
but thought we should be able to drag along quite com
fortably under double reefs or something of that sort.
"We contented ourselves, therefore, with hauling up the
mainsail, stowing the jib, arid setting the topmast-stay
sail ; but it soon came a little harder than we had bar
gained for, and it was 'up helm and run before it' with
unpleasant suddenness. We now shortened sail to a
close-reefed maintopsail and foresail, and 'let her slide.'
This latter sail was new, and therefore gave us no con
cern, but the topsail was half worn and not to be trusted.
Suddenly the cyclone (it was blowing fearfully by this
time) boxed around forward of the beam, and the old
maintopsail blew into a hundred pieces. The lee sheet-
block was snapped off with the report of a young cannon,

THE CYCLONE'S CENTRE. 59

and went singing to leeward with furious velocity.
' Hard up the helm, to keep her before the gale :' and,
as the wheel turned heavily around, I saw a beautiful sight.
It had been blowing a moderate gale for the last twelve
hours ; a heavy swell had been rolling directly against it,
and the gale of course had got up its own sea, which
ran against and on top of the swell. Now this sudden
shifting of the wind brought its new direction almost at
right angles with both sea and swell, besides getting up
a crms-sea ; and, as one of the former came tumbling on
our quarter, (the ship herself hopping about like an
India-rubber ball,) a violent squall got under its curved
crest, and, lifting it bodily up, seemed all at once to change
from a squall to a furious whirlwind. The result can be
better imagined than described. This vast volume of
water, held in suspension, as it were, by a powerful cur
rent of air that seemed to revolve upon its own axis,
and lifting itself between us and the dazzling rays of a
meridian sun, reflected the various hues of the rainbow
for a moment, and then, torn and scattered into giant
drops and driving mist, made the sea foam under its
descent and saturated us with its whirling spray. It
was a beautiful sight, and, though in or near the centre
of one of the dreaded cyclones, we took time to ad
mire it." /.-<? i

" Nov. 21. I borrowed ' old bust-proof from the purser
this morning and went on deck to shoot an old Cape-
albatross, gray with age, and measuring at least twelve
feet from pinion to pinion. He swept within thirty or
forty yards of me several times, but could never be per
suaded to 'turn his back' so that the shot might pene-

60 A LARGE WHALE.

trate up along his feathers. He was evidently a very
polite old gentleman, or he had a great weakness for his
tail, it was hard to say which. I was forced, therefore,
to fire as he presented his side in turning, and this I did
several times with no effect ; he did not even shake his
valued tail. The No. 4 shot evidently glanced from the
smooth and polished coating. At last he forgot his
breeding, turned his tail upon me, and was notified of
his breach of etiquette through the agency of both
barrels. This seemed to cause him considerable an
noyance for a short time, but at the end of a minute
he ceased to shake his caudal appendage and became
as majestic in his movements as ever. I now went
below and got some BBB shot, determined to 'try the
virtue of stones ;' and, like the boy in the apple-tree, he
came down at the first summons. I looked at his heavy
body and snowy plumage as he floated by, and felt a
pang of remorse for having so wantonly destroyed so
noble a bird."

"Nov. 27. Here comes a 'fish-story.' One of our
old quartermasters, Peterson by name, told me a few
moments since, with the most serious face in the world,
that a whale had come as close as ten paces to the ship
during his watch, and that he was as long as the ship
within a few feet. I asked him how much he meant by
* a few feet,' and was amused at his answering, l Ten or
twelve, sir !' He thus made his whale over a hundred
feet long, and evidently believed what he was saying.

" ' His wake was like that of a ship,' he said ; ' and when
he lifted to blow, his head was at least ten feet above
the sea.' I give his yarn a place here because the old

MAMMOTH SEAS. 61

fellow would not imagine any thing unless for a * con
sideration;' and, if there is such a thing as a whale over
a hundred feet long, I "believe he has seen him, in which
case it is worth mentioning."

" Dec. 4. I observed indications of a strong current
on the tops of the heavy westerly swells as they rolled
by us. One of them which I measured roughly from
the mizzen-rigging my eye being elevated twenty feet
above the sea-level' proved to be ten feet high, or
twenty feet from its top to the bottom of the valley, and
to be about one hundred yards from the one that fol
lowed it. Its velocity was about thirty feet a second.
These swells, so different from the short ones of the
Atlantic and other confined bodies of water, came under
our stern with a power acquired from the immense
stretch of space over which they roll, and lift the ship
upon their rising breast, urging her ahead with an in
creased velocity, and leaving us bow up and stern down,
to be similarly treated by the next in turn. Ugly com
panions they would be among the broken rocks of a lee
shore." And now for the Malay Islands.

It was on the 24th of December, 1853, that we sighted
that of Java, and the next morning we were at anchor
off the town of Anger, situated on its western extreme.
We stopped there to get a pilot, if possible, to take us on
to Batavia ; and, though there was none to be found at
that time, we bought a late coast-chart from the authori
ties, by which we worked up to Batavia the next day.
We found the Hancock and Cooper already there, and
the following day the former left for our surveying-
ground, distant now only a few hours' sail, ordering us

62 ANGER.

to follow as soon as possible. We had been at sea forty-
six days, and were amply prepared to enjoy the few short
hours thus considerately granted us.

Let me make an extract from my journal in regard to
Anger.

"We had anchored near it during the night "At day
light a beautiful sight spread itself out before us : a low,
undulating country, backed by the blue mountains of the
interior, and fronted by dense groves of the cocoanut,
of the mangosteen, and of the banana, had taken the
place of our interminable sea-horizon, and refreshed the
vision while it also promised an abundant supply of the
most delicious fruite.

" "While I yet admired this grateful change through a
glass, a dozen or more Malay boats pulled alongside of
us, whose occupants soon gave us to understand that
they were a most noisy set of people. Their boats were
laden to their gunwales with fruit, vegetables, and ani
mals of a dozen different species, live stock in abun
dance for the table, and various unknown animals to
tempt the curiosity of the naturalist.

"We found every thing very cheap: chickens one
dollar the dozen ; eggs ditto the hundred ; and the fruit
absolutely being thrown away. Everybody smiled com
placently, looked ahead two hours, and made an ima
ginary breakfast upon broiled chickens, soft-boiled eggs,
and mangosteens. ' '

Header, have you ever eaten a mangosteen ? It is by
far the most delicious fruit in the world; it puts the
chirimoya of Peru to the blush, and doesn't show
strawberries-and-cream the shade of a chance : it is worth

THE FRUIT OF FRUITS. 63

living even in the East to eat the mangosteen. "While
I was opening one of them and putting the four sections
into my mouth one after the other in rapid succession, I
was saluted by a young Javanese of Mongolian cast of
features, rather below the middle size, and showing a
horribly-black set of teeth black as ink when he
wished to appear amiable. He told me that he was the
second captain of the port, and that he had called to pay
his respects and see if we wanted any thing. I subse
quently found that he was a dealer in poultry, &c. ; and
as soon as he found we didn't want any tiling having been
previously supplied he took himself off in high dud
geon. Before he went, however, I had, with my usual
curiosity, questioned him as to the colour of his teeth,
and been told that all of his people's teeth were the same,
resulting from the excessive chewing of the betel-nut.

"I liked the looks of their boats and canvas. They
were very cleanly built, and were propelled by both oars
and sails. The former were very short and broad, almost
paddles, and the latter which generally consisted of a
single or double lug were made of grass-matting sewed
together, that was lighter -and more flexible even than
canvas.

"Like most half-civilized or savage people, the occu
pants of these boats expressed themselves in quick, loud,
and energetic language, accompanied by violent and
frequent gesticulation. To stand at a distance and see
several of them carrying on an ordinary conversation, a
stranger would imagine them upon the verge of a free

Wliile approaching Batavia, the wind was very light,

64 UNPLEASANT "BACKING AND FILLING."

and the sun so hot as to make the deck unbearable for a
person with thin soled-shoes. I again turn to my
journal:

"At 1.45 P.M. we heat through the narrow passage
that separates the small island of Amsterdam from that
of Java, and escaped going on shore hy the skin of our
teeth: the fine working-qualities of our ship were all
that saved us. There are more small islands around us
now than I ever saw before, mere knots of earth with
little or no elevation, a very dense growth of wood, and
averaging probably five hundred feet in circumference."

I subsequently learned that these islands are let out
by the Dutch authorities to the highest bidder, who then
cuts the wood and supplies the market of Batavia.

" They seem to be densely populated ; and the houses
which are low, and built of bamboo and grass are
situated in snug-looking, shady nooks, and seemed so
cool and airy from our heated decks, that one almost
forgot the half-blistered feet upon which he was back
ing and filling around in search of a shady spot upon
which to put them. As I write, I hear the laughing
voice of our assistant hydrographer : ' I say, doctor, you
should have been with us when we landed at Anger this
morning: there were more than a hundred Malays on
the beach to receive us, and I know I could have carried
all the clothes they had on, on my left arm, at a single
load. They seemed to think that nature, like beauty,
"when unadorned was adorned the most."

Poor fellows ! One of them now slumbers in the
fathomless depths of the coral sea ; and the other, his
.honest heart beat its final throb upon the unknown shore

HOW TO WEATHER HEAT. 65

of heathen Japan, and, as his wasted frame was lowered
into its Christian grave amidst the urned ashes of infidel
millions, the words of hope " I am the Resurrection and
the Life" floated solemnly through the silent air, and
told the lounging priests of the Buddhist temple that
reared its quaint form over the stranger's grave, that the
reign of their gods of stone was drawing to a close.

"We have just anchored between our two consorts,
and have already been boarded by the boat of a Dutch
man-of-war, the officer of which speaks English perfectly.
He has been so polite as to give us some useful informa
tion in regard to this proverbially-unhealthy port. He
says that their squadron, consisting of five steamers and
a frigate, has at present several hundred men and officers
in the hospital, cases of Java fever, and that as a sani
tary measure all vessels anchoring here are advised to
observe the following rules.

" Firstly : to have natives to pull in their boats, so as
to expose the men as little as possible :

"Secondly: to do no work between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
that takes the men out from under the awnings.

"Thirdly and lastly: to spread the latter as soon
as the sun begins to dissipate the overcast sky, to keep
them spread until the sky again becomes overcast in the
evening, and then to trice them up so that the heat may
radiate from the deck before night. In that way, he
said, they managed to keep so cool as often to be able to
get to sleep before midnight: neglect these precations
and the lower decks would be like ovens. We thanked
our adviser, and he took his leave."

I shall say little in regard to Batavia: the road has

66 CHEAP LIVING.

been travelled too often. I turn to my journal and select
the few following extracts :

" The ship's sides and decks are so hot that one almost
melts in his bunk, and to sleep on deck in the dew is said
to be certain sickness."

Bliss, the third lieutenant of the Hancock, and myself
had determined to go on shore.

"We had at our disposal one of that vessel's boats,
over which was spread a fine awning, and which was
pulled by Malay boatmen hired by Captain Rodgers from
the Government for the small consideration of one rupee
each a day. A rupee is equal to from thirty-six to forty
cents, and each man must pay fifteen of those cents to
the authorities for being so kind as to hire him out.
Thus he has only some twenty-two or three left as pay
ment for pulling about all day under a broiling sun.
This, however, is good pay ; for ten doits three cents
will give him food for a day, and then he has the rest to
gamble with. They are the greatest gamblers I ever
saw, except, perhaps, the Chinese.

"After pulling a mile or more from the ship, we
reached the mouth of a canal, up which we passed to
the landing. We were told that it was a most danger
ous thing to cross the bar at its mouth when it was
blowing fresh, as there was always a bad sea breaking,
and hundreds of sharks and crocodiles ready to pick up
the inmates of a swamped boat.

"These animals, it seems, abound in great numbers
about the bar, the sharks outside and the crocodiles in
side, and feed upon the refuse of the city as it is swept
down to them by a two-knot current, sometimes making

ANY THING BUT SPRING-WATER. 67

a dessert of some capsized unfortunate. The shark never
crosses the bar, and the crocodile never goes up higher
than the first houses ; so the natives hathe in perfect se
curity in the part of the canal running through the city.
The water of this stream is of a dirty grayish- white colour,
holds in suspension the sweepings of the city, and smells
horribly. One would scarcely imagine it conducive to
cleanliness to bathe in it ; and yet it is the water fur
nished to shipping for drinking-purposes. It is also used
after passing through stone filterers by the entire
population of Batavia, a fact which causes many l first-
comers' to say very little about thirst for several days
after their arrival.

"I judged, from various indications, that the Dutch
have these people in complete subjection. Even the
natives, their own fellows, who are so fortunate as to
be in the Government employ, are respected, feared, and
obeyed as though they were superior beings. This was
exemplified even in the conduct of our temporary boat
men, who, when we would get fouled among other
boats, the canal was always crowded, cleared a track
for us with curses, threats, and frequent blows, and were
scarcely scowled upon in return. I thought this strange,
as my previous idea of the Malay character was that of
a wild, untamable, treacherous, and warlike race."

We have landed at the lower town, and hired a con
veyance to take us up to the city.

" Our carriage was a comfortable, strongly-built, double
buggy, that ran on four very small and solid wheels and
was drawn by two very small and solid horses, horses
about the size of a large Shetland pony. Our driver was

68 OPPRESSIVE CLOTHING.

a Malay, who was very warmly clad for that country.
He had on a large oval-crowned straw hat, a gown-like
garment of fancy calico, and was protected from the sun
by the extensively-projecting roof of the vehicle. He
carried a long whip, which, he told us, the law required
him to crack at every bridge, corner, or approaching car
riage, and, further, that at night every carriage had to
drive before a blazing torch, held aloft by a man who
rode behind. All of this was to guard against the risk
of unpleasant contacts. Unfortunately, he did not thus
enlighten us until we had rewarded him with an extra
rupee for putting himself into a perspiration in his en
deavours to 'make good time,' as we thought, while in
reality it was the law which caused him to crack his whip
at such a fearful rate. At first we could not imagine
what could make every one in such a hurry : every coach
man that we passed was cracking his long whip over the
heads of his apparently crack-proof ponies."

After driving a half-mile or so, we pass through an
enclosure in which are the Government storehouses.

" While passing through these grounds, Bliss pointed
out to me a heavy gun, apparently a thirty-two-pounder,
which he said a Dutch officer had told him was much
reverenced by the native women.

"It seems that, like the ancient Athenians, these
people have an idea that effect may exist without cause;
or, rather, when the occurrence of a certain every-day
event is looked for in vain, it may be brought about by
prayers, offerings to some deity, or the observance of
some superstitious form. The Malay ladies therefore,
having invested this gun with some miraculous power,

A USEFUL GUN. 69

are under the impression that they have only to recline
upon it for a few moments, invoke the assistance of its
powerful influence, stick their offerings in the ground at
its rear, and then return home with an almost certainty
of their prayers being answered. 'The Dutchman said
that that gun had been there ever since the English had
given up the colony/ continued Bliss, c and that there is
no telling how much longer it will remain. See there,
the flowers and fruit and pieces of gilded paper lying
around the breech !' "

I had taken a chew of "betel-nut," and, having never
heard of the fruit before, inquired concerning it, and
wrote in my journal as follows:

" The betel-nut is used by the natives of both sexes,
very much as we use cavendish, the only difference
being that they swallow much of the saliva. It is a sti
mulant, and is said to impart strength when weak from
hunger, without any unpleasant reaction. It grows upon
a tall, shaft-like tree, which often attains a height of from
one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. It is per
fectly free from branches, knots, or even great irregulari
ties of the bark. It is a single shaft from the ground
until within a few feet of the top, when a few branches
shoot out and produce the nut. One of them might be
taken by a stranger for a very tall and straight cocoanut-
tree. The preparation which they chew, and which is
generally supposed to be simply a piece of the nut, is
composed of equal parts of lime, the leaf, and the nut.
It has an acrid, burning taste at first, and is far from
unpleasant. The burning sensation proceeds from the
leaf.

70 THE BETEL-NUT.

"The use of this nut gives to its consumers a most
disgusting appearance about the mouth. They carry the
* quid' between the lower front-teeth and the lip ; and, as
it is often as large as the half of one's thumb, and dyes
the lips and inner membrane a bright red, they look as
if they had just received a crushing blow in the mouth.
It is passing strange that while the juice thus stains the
mouth red it should convert the teeth into ebony. I
asked one of our boatmen why he chewed it, and he said
it was to make their teeth black. Dogs had white teeth,
he said, and they wished to be different from dogs. He
gave as another reason that they were ordered to do so
by their Koran ; but this I do not believe, as they get
their Koran from the Arabs."

"We had made the acquaintance of a Mr. L. M. Squires,
an American resident of eleven years, and who sub
sequently joined the Hancock in the capacity of assistant
naturalist. "We were smoking our cheroots in the porch
of the Amsterdam Hotel.

"While we were thus smoking in the cool evening
breeze, we were joined by several gentlemen, acquaint
ances of Mr. Squires's, and who were presented to us.
The usual comments on the state of the weather were
got off with happy success, and then every one began to
wait for his neighbour to say something else. Finally,
one of the new arrivals, an Englishman, asked me, ab
ruptly, if I had ever seen a native under the influence
of the { muck.*

"'The what?' I asked.

" 'The muck! the running muck. 9

THE RUNNING MUCK. 71

"I replied in the negative, adding that I had never
before heard the expression.

" He expressed great surprise at this, and proceeded to
tell us that the running muck was often productive of
many deaths.

" I thought this a rather singular piece of information
to come by itself, but contented myself with observing,
4 You don't say so !'

" The Englishman cleared his throat, swelled very
large, called for a glass of c 'arf-and-'arf,' and continued
as follows :

" i Some few of the natives here consume quantities
of opium in various forms ; and the result is that, in due
course of time, their features become sharp, the skin is
drawn over them like parchment, and, losing their
minds, they become more ferocious and bloodthirsty
than the tigers themselves. Armed with the long and
flexible kreiss, (a sharp dirk-knife, whose edges are
wavy and of beautiful temper,) they rush frantically
from their houses, and run as swiftly as their limbs will
carry them, sometimes naked, sometimes clothed,
always mad. Hushing through the crowded streets in
this way, their only aim seems to be to destroy life,
stabbing, biting, cursing, kicking every one whom
chance throws across their path.

" 'As soon as he is seen in this state, terror proclaims
the news far and wide. "Amoak! amoak!" is screamed
by the whole population, just as "fire! fire!" is in our
own cities. Every man grasps the first weapon that
comes to hand, and follows the flying path of the com
mon enemy. Very long spears are, however, preferred

72 DEATH TO THE TIGER!

to the shorter kreiss ; and with these they pen him up
in a corner, and lance him to death with as much or
more gusto than they would a tiger. As many as forty
persons were once killed by one of these maniacs before
he could be " cornered ;" and yet there is no law against
the use of opium.' '

The word "muck" is a corruption of the Javanese
" amoak," to kill ; and this latter is seldom heard, except
when some poor wretch is ranging the frightened town
with strained muscles and starting eyes, and with death
closing around his path at every stride.

In regard to tigers, another of the party remarked
that as many as eighteen hundred had been killed on
the island in a single year; but I subsequently learned
that eleven hundred was the greatest number for one
year. The Government pays so much a head for each
one that is destroyed, and keeps a regular account of the
number. These animals are very destructive to cattle,
and numbers of the natives also lose their lives yearly by
them.

In the interior of Java there is yet a native prince,
who holds his power from the Dutch, receives a regular
salary, and keeps up the shadow of their ancient cus
toms. He has the title of Sooletan, and we somehow
found ourselves talking about him. My journal says :

"Out of his salary he must support an army of at
least two thousand men, as quite that number is re
quired to make up one of his grand tiger-hunts. Then
he has his household expenses, his harem, his dancing-
girls, &c. Singular beings are these dancing-girls.
Taken at a tender age from the mother's care, they are

MALAY J)ANCING-GIHLS. 73

turned over to a class of men whose only duty it is to
arrive at the one end of having their bones and muscles
in such a state, by the time they are matured, as to admit
of the form being thrown into almost any position.
They are described as happy, cheerful creatures, in spite
of the cruelty of their early training."

One more extract in regard to Java, and I have done.
"We were talking of pirates Malay pirates who hung
around Gaspar Straits, the very place we were going
to survey. The subject was interesting, especially to
nervous people who were about to venture among them:

" 'They are getting scarce, now, since war-steamers
have visited us,' remarked one of the party. 'It is only
once or twice a year that we hear of their attacking a
ship : still, they are known to exist in numbers. You
will have to look out for them in your little schooner:
they would make short work of her. 1 I thought of the
high sides of the Kennedy, and felt comfortable. I
little thought that in less than a month I should be
ordered, with a boat and six men, to join the Cooper :
had I known it, my feelings might have been a shade
less placid."

We are again under all sail, beating up for our work
ing-ground.

CHAPTER V.

WE REACH GASPAE STEAITS, AND COMMENCE OUR SURVEY BY FIRING A GUN
I AM ORDERED ON TEMPORARY DUTY, WHICH LASTS FOUR MONTHS
AND ENABLES ME TO VISIT SINGAPORE VAST PREPARATIONS OF AN
ALARMIST TO RECEIVE PIRATES, AND THE WAY IN WHICH WE LEARNED
THE MEANING OF THE MALAY WORD " MAN-AR-R."

IT was on the morning of the 10th of January, 1854,
that we fired our first gun for " base by sound." We
were in Gaspar Straits, lat. 3 19' S., long. 106 40' E.
The "rear division" as we called our portion of the
squadron had begun the long-talked-of survey. I will
indulge in a few remarks in regard to this work, and
then pass on to more interesting matter.

These straits which are the door through which nine-
tenths of the world's trade with China passes had never
been properly surveyed, were said to be full of hidden
dangers, and were known to be washed by strong and
uncertain currents.

We bent to our task with the spirit and energy of
"new brooms," worked through rain, wind, sharks,
tigers, snakes, &c. and on the 15th of May it was done.
We came out of this work without the loss of a man, and
the result of our labours was satisfactory in the extreme.
We found some parts of some charts correct ; but, generally
speaking, they were woefully out. We found dozens of
rocks and shoals where all the charts gave safe water, and

HOW UNDERWRITERS ARE SWINDLED. 75

we found blue water where all the charts located rocks
and shoals. We found, also, evidences of fraud and
rascality on the part of ship-masters toward the
underwriters. In regard to the latter let my journal
speak:

" Captain Rodgers has just found the wreck of the
* Memnon,' lying off the northwest point of Pulo Leat,
(Leat Island.) When the water is smooth and polished,
you can look down from a boat and see every thing very
plainly; and, as there was a fine, heavy anchor lying
under her bow, Bridge hitched on to it with the launch
and hoisted it up. It is now on board of the Hancock,
and will probably sell in Hong-Kong for two .or three
hundred dollars : quite a healthy sum to be divided among
sixty men the first time they go on shore.

" The captain of this vessel reported, when she was
lost, that he ' had struck on a rock that was some miles
from any land and put down on no chart:' hence, the
underwriters paid the loss. Had they known that an
ignorant or careless man had run his ship upon a rock
within pistol-shot of a large island during broad daylight,
they would have saved their money. Of course, we will
hunt no more for the 'Memnon Rock,' the hidden
danger on which the ship was said to have struck."

During the survey we made several discoveries similar
to this. We erased from the chart all such imaginary
dangers, dotted it with others which really existed and
which had previously been unknown, and really accom
plished a vast amount of work during the four months
that we were engaged upon it. Too much credit cannot
be awarded to Commander John Rodgers for the manner

76 THE LITTLE COOPER.

in which our work was laid out, or to those who assisted
him in its execution.

During these four months we met with various adven
tures; some amusing, some exciting, others that were
full of peril to life and limb. Let me again open my
journal :

" Jan. 14, 1854. Yesterday morning, the schooner
ran under our stern, and hailed us to the effect that
Commander Eodgers had ordered an officer and boat to
be detached from the Kennedy, to assist in their part of
the work. There was some hesitation at first as to who
the officer should be ; but, as I had, unfortunately, once
expressed myself in favour of small vessels, I was finally
sent. I had a boat and six men placed under me, and
was ordered to report myself to Captain Stevens, the
worthy officer in charge of the schooner. The latter
being too small to stow either my boat or the crew, the
former is towed astern at night, while the latter find
beds about the spar-deck as best they can. This is all
very pleasant as long as fair weather lasts; but when
men have been working hard for fourteen hours they
don't fancy sleeping in the rain during the remaining
ten. Stevens, myself, and Baber, the master, are the
only occupants of the cabin; and there are twenty
men on the berth-deck, and six about the upper in
spots. So much for our little schooner and her
hardy crew. May she steer clear of piratee and heavy
seas!"

We have been hard at work for some weeks, are run
ning short of wood and water, and find it necessary to go
somewhere to obtain supplies :

AN UNPLEASANT MOUTHFUL. 77

"At 7 A.M. all three vessels got under way and ran
down for an anchorage under Selio Island, where we
came to, abreast of a stream of fresh water and a perfect
forest of seasoned firewood that Stevens had discovered
a few days previous. This island is some four miles in
length by one in width, and differs from all others we
have yet visited in having lakes in its centre and running
streams dividing its beach. In consequence of the fresh
water, various wild animals abound in its jungle, among
which I may mention deer and wild hogs as the most
plentiful. There are any number of snakes also ; and a
greater variety of insects than is pleasant. Of these latter
there is a mammoth spider, formidable if only through
his size and extreme ugliness. He spreads his heavy web
across nine open spaces (the jungle is hardly penetrable)
out of ten, coils himself away in its centre, and is ready
to dart upon his prey or have his fabric destroyed by the
passer-by, as the case may be. Running once after a
wounded hog, I was so unfortunate as to get one of them
half-way into my mouth, and before I could get clear of
him I had to shell out of my coat and knock him off;
with his long legs he had crawled over upon my back."

A great hunt came off on this island before we carried
the vessels there. Baber and myself, wishing to try
"camping out," took the boat and remained on it all
night, after one of our day's work. The men also were
in high glee at the idea of shooting the deer before they
were awake: it was a regular spree. "We carried with
us a camp-kettle, a piece of salt pork, bread, coffee, &c.,
and, upon arriving at the beach, got our tent pitched and
a large fire kindled just as night came on. The tent we

78 A MATINAL BATH.

made out of the boat's sail; and for a bed we had
two thicknesses of cotton canvas between us and the
ground.

We made a very comfortable supper, smoked our pipes,
lay down with our feet to the fire, and imagined that we
were going to sleep. One hour later we were all in the
boat, the fire grew dim, and the mosquitos and sand-
bugs danced the dance and sung the song of a bloody
victory: we had been literally driven off. The next
morning we awoke at break of day and proceeded to
land.

It had been low-tide when we returned to the boat ; it
was now quite high : the water had been knee-deep then ;
it was now over one's head. One of the men, in his sleepy
drowsiness, stepped out of the boat to lift the anchor and
wade her to the beach. The result may be imagined : a
heavy plunge, much subsequent puffing and splashing,
and a great deal of hearty laughing.

It was hardly daylight when we entered the jungle, and
we hunted bravely until near noon. During this time we
fired at several heavy short-legged deer, put a drove of
wild hogs of all ages and sexes to a grunting flight, killed
several ugly snakes, and finally returned to the ship in
great disgust.

Selio is not inhabited, but is visited periodically by
Malay fishermen for the purpose of catching and drying
the fresh-water fish which exist in its lakes by shoals.
The growth of trees upon it is remarkable, many of them
being upward of one hundred and fifty feet high. We
killed a number of large wild pigeons in their branches, and
subsequently found this bird so plentiful on other islands

PERILOUS POSITION OF " BUST-PBOOF." 79

that two men with muskets killed several hundred as an
evening's work.

Two days sufficed to fill us with wood and water, and
on the third day we were again at work. And now we
experienced a terrible fright on account of old "bust-
proof," his master, and Lieutenant Russell. They had
left the ship, as usual, at an early hour: it had soon come
on to blow hard, the sea had risen with singular rapidity,
and twenty-four hours had passed without their return :
we began to fear they might have swamped. "With his
usual readiness of action, Commander Eodgers got up
the Hancock's anchor and ran down to leeward in search
of them. The next day he returned with their boat in
tow.

They had had a hard time; old "bust-proof was
irreparably rusted by the rain, and the others were
awfully hungry and distressingly seedy. They had
been able to keep the boat afloat only by constant exer
tion, and were about to succumb when the Hancock
hove in sight. Old "bust-proof didn't go out again for
some time.

After we had been working some two months, the
schooner was ordered to proceed to Singapore, (distant
some three hundred miles,) to communicate with the
consul, and return as soon as possible. I was so fortunate
as to remain by her during the trip, and on the 7th of
March we found ourselves at anchor off that city.

While Stevens and myself were stepping into a sampan
to go on shore, a light row-boat pulled alongside, in the
centre of which stood a very black Hindoo with a very
white turban around his head. He introduced himself

80 WE VISIT SINGAPORE.

as follows: "Me Mohammed! consul-man. Plenty,
oh! plenty letter at consul-house for American man-war."
But I will say nothing more of letters ; for there was but
one for me, and that a half-year old.

We went to the consul's, and thence to the London
Hotel, where we tasted a bottle of sour Bordeaux, drank
another of pale ale, and engaged a room at two dollars a
day.

I will be brief in regard to our treatment while in that
city. I will only say that, from the governor down to
the ship-chandlers, there seemed to be a determination
that we should never dine at the hotel. Such hospi
tality I never saw before. In company with the consul,
we went to call upon the governor's family shortly after
our arrival.

"We got into our undress uniform, then into a car
riage, which we hired for a dollar a day, and after a five
minutes' drive commenced winding around the hill
which towers over the city, and upon the crest of
which stands the palace. This spiral road was a mile
or more in length, and wormed through the tastefully
laid-out grounds in the centre of which stood the
edifice. We drove through groves of the fragrant nut
meg and of the luscious mangosteen, crushing the pre
cious fruit under our wheels and breathing the perfumed
air that cooled our brows. It fully realized my idea of an
Eastern scene : it was one of those drives that flush the
cheek of the invalid and diffuse a dreamy languor
through the frame of health; it was grand. As we
thus wound -around the hill, we gazed upon a con
stantly-changing scene. We saw the whole of Singa-

THE PALACE HEIGHT. 81

pore twice over; for the palace rose out of the centre
of the town almost, overlooking every thing. Thus we
looked down upon the city by piecemeal at first, and
finally, upon reaching the summit, took in ' the whole'
at a revolving glance, the city, the bay, the opposite
land, the back-country with its dense jungle, and the
immediate grounds around our feet. This also was
grand.

" We were ushered into the reception-room by a
fancifully-liveried native, and were soon after met by
the ladies. "We found Mrs. and Miss Butterworth most
accomplished personages, and passed a pleasant fifteen
minutes. They showed us a stone which had lately
been brought from a mountain in the island of Banca,
(one of those around which we were surveying,) and
which exerted a powerful influence over the needle :
every one called it a loadstone. Stevens, having found
that it would not attract a cawinc-needle, pronounced it
a singular iron-ore ; and such subsequently proved to be
its. nature."

We had been riding around in our one-dollar vehicle
to see the sights. Here ia one of them, a Chinese
temple :

" As we entered through the massive stone-work, we
were followed by a dozen or more loafing Chinamen,
who stopped their gambling (gambling in the very
porch of their temple !) to watch our movements. We
were very respectful at first, for fear of alarming their
jealousy, throwing away our cigars and taking off our
hats. These loafers, however, motioned us to light
other cigars and to resume our covering, and were so

82 THE SPIRITS OF GOOD AND EVIL.

attentive as to bring us fire. They also spit on the
smooth and polished floor, to show us, I suppose, that
we were at liberty to do likewise. In addition to all
this, they advanced to the chancel and commenced a
series of violent bends and gesticulations for our in
formation. They were showing us how they paid their
devotions. They stood before a massive altar, decked
out after the manner of the Romish Church, having
upon its right a colossal statue of a very benign old
gentleman, and upon its left a similar one with the
most hideously-diabolical expression that I ever saw.
The one on the right shone as the concentration of
every thing good, and extended his left hand in an
endless blessing. He of the left the rampant power
of evil settled his gaze of eternal hate and defiance
upon the averted eye of the first, and grasped a bleeding
heart in his uplifted hand. It was to this latter that all
the devotions were addressed: no one looked at the
other. We gave them a half-crown for putting them
selves into a perspiration by their furious pantomime,
and continued our drive."

We were driving out to the hospital of Dr. Little,
where many of our men were on their backs. It seems
that over two months of exposure, toil, and privation,
had done its work. Seven out of the twenty men
composing the crew had been taken with the fever
previous to our arrival, and been sent on shore as soon
as possible to give them the benefit of comfortable
quarters. Stevens, too, was placed hors de combat by
a bruised hand, and Baber and myself were taking it
turn-and-turn-about to indulge in chills or something

HAD ENOUGH OF SURVEYING. 83

of that sort: we were fit for any thing but a return
to our labours.

As a general thing, one of us made it convenient to
visit our helpless shipmates daily. They were a superior
class of men to the general run of sailors ; they could all
read, and they derived great satisfaction from the papers
which we took them. This hospital of the doctor's was
situated outside of the city, in the midst of his vast nut
meg-plantation ; and as we now, in the continuation
of our drive, passed through a wide gateway and en
tered upon the latter sweet-smelling hundred-acre lot,
we met the owner on his way into town. He turned
and accompanied us back to the hospital, where we
found two men delirious but the others doing better. I
may as well remark here that, after keeping the schooner
at anchor some weeks in hopes of their recovery, we
were finally forced to leave three of them in charge
of the consul, with instructions to forward them to us
should they recover. They did recover during the next
month, and, having had enough of surveying, took care
to forward themselves off by the first ship. They de
serted, and I could not blame them; for the work on
which we were to be steadily engaged for years was
enough to break down jackasses, and they were not
paid half the wages they could command in merchant-
ships for doing half the amount of work. It is to be
hoped that Congress will reward the men who were too
honest to desert, and who returned to their homes after
that miserable cruise with bowed heads and broken
frames, the wrecks of what they were at its com
mencement.

84 NUTMEG PLANTATIONS.

As we returned through his orchard of nutmeg-trees,
the doctor indulged us with a few remarks in regard to
their culture, &c. ; and, as nine people out of ten use
nutmeg in some form, I will repeat here what was then
said about them.

It took the planter twenty years to get his trees well
covered with fruit, he said, as he had to raise them from
the nutmeg itself. The process was this :

A man bought a hundred acres of ground, and planted
nutmegs over it at a distance of from twelve to twenty feet
apart. At the end of eight years the trees have grown
and many of them bear fruit, and he can thus tell the
male tree from the female. All of the former (one to
every dozen females excepted) are now dug up and cast
away and another nutmeg planted in their place. Then,
at the end of eight more years, another culling process
takes place, and more nutmegs are planted. In this
way the twenty years are soon consumed.

The doctor added that if either of ns would rig a
purchase for distinguishing between the male and female
nutmeg, we might make millions of money by going
around to the different plantations, picking out the
latter, and thus enabling men to get a plantation under
full headway in eight instead of sixteen or twenty-four
years.

"These trees," he continued, "bear all the year through.
You must have men to go daily from one to the other,
picking the fruit as it ripens. It is generally the first
thing done in the morning. In this way each tree will
give you several nutmegs daily, probably as many as
twelve hundred during the year." So much for nutmegs.

THE LAST OF THE OPIUM SMUGGLERS. 85

Taking dinner one day with. Dr. Xittle, we were
associated with a Captain and Mrs. Francis, the former
of whom I could not but admire as a bold seaman and
successful trader, while the latter challenged the admira
tion of every one by her extreme beauty and elegance of
manner. They were the last of their band, this opium-
smuggler and his beautiful wife.

"Why don't you give up the trade, Francis?" asked
the doctor. "Don't you see that your brig is the only
one left out of twenty-two sail? and don't you know
that all are beggars who have gone before you ?"

"No; I don't know any thing of the sort," replied
Francis. "There is , and , who are comfort
able yet; and I have got some thousands of pounds
myself to fall back upon when I break down. As long
as the brig lasts I'm bound to hang by her."

I looked at his wife, and I thought I saw a brightening
of the eye and a swelling of the breast as he thus spoke of
the future. I looked at him, and saw the last of a resolute
and desperate band who for years had defied the Chinese
authorities and held the slow poison to the lips of the
opium-smoker. I looked, and knew not whether most
to admire or condemn this the last of those resolute
adventurers, half merchant-captains, half pirates, who
had for years devoted themselves to the perilous service
of the Calcutta and Bombay merchants. Here is what
that service was :

The demand for opium in China caused great quanti
ties of it to be shipped from Calcutta and Bombay. The
Chinese authorities, seeing the injury it was effecting on
the whole nation, stationed war-junks along their coasts

86 RECKLESS SAILING.

to prevent its being landed. Keckless men, with armed
followers and fast vessels, stepped forward, and engaged
to land the poison under the very bows of the war-junks
and to bring back silver in return. Their vessels were
armed as well as their followers; they received high
wages, and threw away their money in riot and dissipa
tion. If necessary, they went through blood : the opium
must be landed at every risk; the lives of a few dozen
Imperial sailors were nothing. While at sea, they kept
clear heads, and devoted their entire attention to the one
great thing of making a quick passage. Masts and sails
were nothing to them: time was all they looked to.
They gloried in heavy weather when it urged them
ahead, and became fretful and desperate when it threw
them back. It wanted reckless men to lead such a
reckless life. "Prudence is the better part of valour"
wouldn't have applied to them.

Our little schooner was a source of wonder and sur
prise to both the foreign and native population of Singa
pore. The former pulled around her in their light sam
pans, admired her beauty, and complimented us upon
our reckless hardihood in trusting our lives to such
an atom for a cruise around the world; the latter com
pared her to a large phrau, and accused us of having
stolen the lines of that peculiar vessel before building
her. Both parties laughed at the idea of her weathering
a typhoon : they knew not how much it took to smother
a New-York pilot-boat when she lies-to under a close-
reefed foresail.

Let me again turn to my journal:

"A singular worm is to be seen on the surface of this

AN OCEAN CENTIPEDE. 87

harbour when the water is smooth and polished, during
the absence of all wind. It is from three to four inches
in length, has its body made up of a hundred joints
apparently, has hundreds of centipede-like legs along
its entire sides, is covered with a short fine hair or fuzz,
and swims quickly and with a zigzag track. The natives
fear their bite greatly, and invariably destroy them wlien
they can. They have bright red eyes, and are altogether
most disgusting-looking wretches. One of the boatmen
dipped me up several, which I transferred to a bottle full
of spirits of wine, much to their annoyance. They died
hard, and emitted a bluish fluid, which the natives said
was poison. These latter gloated over their spasmodic
and protracted efforts to escape from the spirits, pretty
much as old sailors admire the expiring agonies of a
dying shark."

On the 23d of March, Stevens concluded that he
had waited long enough for the sick to recover, and
got up the anchor on our return. "We had a fair passage
to Selio Island, where we were to have fallen in with
the Hancock and Kennedy, but, seeing nothing of them,
had to' start off on a hunt. "We found them, at the
end of twenty-four hours, snugly stowed away under the
lee of a number of pigeon-islands, and, after telling
them the news, asked theirs in return.

We found that they had passed through several ad
ventures during our absence, some unpleasant and one
quite amusing : but let them speak for themselves.

" Dr. Alexander, of the Hancock, was attacked by
sharks while wading on a reef in search of shells, and
came near being carried off. Fortunately the water was

88 A FIGHT WITH SHARKS.

only knee-deep, and he, retaining his presence of mind,
was enabled to keep a pretty firm footing, while by well-
directed thrusts with a long bowie-knife, which he drew
from his back, he succeeded in keeping them off' until
the boat came to his assistance. Then he got into her
with amazing agility and inquired into his damages. He
found himself minus his right boot-leg, a large piece
of the right leg of his drawers, and a small piece of the
skin from his right calf. The shark had evidently a
fancy for his right leg below the knee."

Shortly after this adventure the Hancock ran short of
coal and returned to Batavia for more, leaving the Ken
nedy at Selio Island to make tidal observations. These
observations were to be made on a rock known as
"White Rock," some miles from the ship and entirely
cut off' from the island. Lieutenant J. H. Russell was
ordered upon the duty, and had with him a small boat,
three men, a tent, and cooking-utensils. The boat was
also armed and provisioned, as was the general order, in
case of some unlooked-for accident, and they got along
very smoothly for some days. Let my journal tell the
rest :

" One morning he rubbed his eyes and looked in vain
for the boat. Then he called in vain for two of the men,
Finally he searched in vain for enough provisions to
make a breakfast for himself and his remaining com
panion, and then began to feel that he had been
weathered. Smith and Loughead had loaded the boat
with every thing edible and drinkable, and departed for
4 parts unknown:' our work was too hard for them.
This discovery was no sooner made than they began to

MORE DESERTION. 89

think they might by some means starve during the next
week, and so resorted to several ingenious devices for
attracting attention to their situation. A mere accident
relieved them during the next day." The ship was im
mediately got under way for Batavia, from whence a re
ward was announced among the different islands, which
resulted in their final capture and they and the boat
&c. being forwarded to us at Hong-Kong. They had
landed on an island, in a very hungry and used-up state,
and had tried to pass themselves off as shipwrecked
sailors; but the police were too well informed as to
their true character to admit of their yarn being ac
cepted.

The amusing incident was as follows :

" The Hancock, having anchored near an island about
which she had been surveying during the day, was left
in charge of thirty fathoms of chain and the officer of
the watch, while every one else had gradually retired to
their beds. There had been much talk about this time
in relation to 'Malay pirates,' how they boarded ships
in their phraus at night, murdered all hands, &c. &c. ;
and the possibility of such an attack caused us to keep
constantly on guard, simply as a measure of prudence.
There was really no cause for men of even ordinary
firmness to feel nervous, however; but, unfortunately,
there was an 4 alarmist' on board, who was always imagin
ing his throat cut, a snake under his pillow, or something
of the sort ; and who never went to bed without screw
ing in his air-port, (thermometer at 100,) locking the
door of his state-room, and arming himself in the most
formidable manner. He had gone to bed this night as

90 WHAT "MAN-AR" MEANS IN MALAY.

usual, with a Sharpe's rifle, double-barrelled gun, two
revolvers, a bowie-knife, &c. &c., and was just getting
into a doze when the quartermaster's hoarse voice
reached him from the deck,

" ' Boat ahoy-y-ye !'

"He grasped his guns, first one and then the other,
and finally sat bolt upright, a revolver in each hand.

"'Hey, fellows! what is it?' he asked of several as
they passed his room, purposely exclaiming that pirates
were approaching.

"'A swarm of phraus are pulling toward us,' an
swered a hurried voice, as its owner passed rapidly to
the upper deck ; ' bring your arms along.

"In a few minutes all hands were on deck, gazing
curiously toward the suspected objects, while the
quartermaster was getting hoarser and hoarser with
continued hailing. They looked like boats moving
stealthily toward the ship.

"'Hail them in Malay, Mr. Squires,' said Commander
Rodgers.

" Squires threw himself back and drew a long breath :
'Phrau man-a-a-ar!'

"No answer. 'They must have some bad object, or
they would answer,' hazarded the unsteady voice of a
semi-alarmist.

'"Phrau man-a-a-ar!' Still no answer.

"'Say phrau man-ar ahoy, Squires,' suggested a laugh
ing voice at his elbow.

" ' Get out with your fun !' exclaimed the hailer, in a
voice of half-forced jocularity; 'don't you know that
man-ar means ahoy ?'

FLOATING ISLANDS. 91

"A^ general laugh here caused him to cough nervously
and renew the hail: 'Phrau man-a-ar!'

" 'Lower a boat, Mr. Bridge,' at length ordered the
captain, ( and send her to see what they are ; we may hail
here all night.' So the boat was lowered and pulled off
toward the piratical phraus. They proved to be small
floating islets of brushwood and densely packed grass
drifting with the current; and the discovery was no
sooner made than our alarmist was on deck.

"'"Why, where are your guns?' asked one.

"'Jist mind your own bisness, will ye?' Fortunately
for the navy, our alarmist subsequently became disgusted
with the expedition, and left the service of his country
for the retirement of a country-life."

These and many similar incidents were now laid before
us in return for the letters we had brought; and, as 1 a
kind of dessert to the reunion, they showed us a sick-list
which seemed to proclaim the survey at an end : nearly
half our force was hors de combat, and the other half
was composed of men whose overtaxed muscles moved
slowly to the daily work Still, we hung to it bravely, and
were soon rewarded with the most entire success: the
survey of Gaspar Straits was ended. The Hancock and
Kennedy left for Hong-Kong, via Singapore, with their
crippled crews, toward its close, and left the Cooper and
my boat to fill in a few soundings and sail for the former
place direct in a few days. We were destined to pass
through some suffering and a vast deal of alarm and
anxiety before the expiration of that time ; but we knew
it not then, and went on our careless way.

CHAPTER VI.

WE ARE DESERTED BY THE HANCOCK AND KENNEDY, AND FIND OURSELVES
CALLED UPON TO ENJOY A MOONLIGHT WALK, WHICH PROVES TO BE SO
PLEASANT THAT WE CONTINUE THE EXERCISE FOR TWO DAYS WE VISIT
A MALAY VILLAGE, AND ARE CAUTIONED AGAINST THE FEROCITY OF CHI
NESE DOGS.

WE were now alone, we and our little schooner, and
our still smaller boats, alone upon the confines of our
past working-ground, to linger there a while and then
follow our consorts. We immediately entered upon the
execution of the task which had been left us ; we again
commenced the interminable soundings, the frequent
angling, the prolonged night-work over the skeleton
chart and the smooth deck-board. Time rolled on.

On the evening of a dark and stormy Saturday night
we anchored near the island of Banca, spread our thin
cotton awning between us and the driving rain, and
looked with thankfulness to the day of rest which stood
between us and any further work. That night we slept
well and refreshingly ; Stevens, myself, and Baber, in the
contracted cabin, and our twenty-five men upon the far
more cramped and uncomfortable berth-deck. The next
morning the storm was over, a bright sun ushered in the
sacred day and lit up the gloomy depths of the tropical
jungle near which we were anchored.

There were tall trees growing out of the dense under
growth, and patches of short, smooth grass between it
92

THE OCCUPANTS OF THU JUNGLE. 93

and the shining beach. Altogether, it -had a most inviting
look. So, after we had eaten our plain breakfast and got
through with the usual Sunday muster, the captain and
Baber took our two boats and landed for a stroll : it was
so pleasant to have nothing to do and to stoop for shells
upon a shining beach.

The boats pulled in different directions, but returned
about the same time; they had a common object draw
ing them back, a Sunday dinner. The last of our
roosters, an old weather-beaten fellow who had crowed
alone for weeks around the limited deck, had breathed
his last.

They came back and gave me such glowing accounts
of the green grass, and of the rustling of the wind
through the tall trees, that I longed myself to roll upon
the smooth turf, to pick up shells upon the hard sand
beach, and to listen to the rustling of the wind through
the overhanging foliage. So another party was arranged,
and, after the rooster had been attended to, we got into
the cutter and pulled on shore. The party consisted of
Stevens, myself,' and a number of the crew; and we were
all armed with carbine and pistol, though not with any
idea of hunting. We armed ourselves simply as a means
of defence^ for Baber and his whole boat's crew had been
chased from a pool of rain-water by " some large ani
mal," while two of the captain's men had seen the tail
and hind-legs of a tiger. The captain himself had also
seen the tracks of deer, hogs, monkeys, and panthers, or
tigers, he could not say which; and, as Tanjong-Brekat
(the name of the promontory under which we were
anchored) was known far and wide as the haunt of

94 A CONVINCING ARGUMENT.

various wild animals, we thought it better to be pre
pared.

Upon landing, we hauled up the boat above high- water
mark, after which Stevens gave orders for all hands to be
back by sunset, and cautioned them to keep together as
much as possible, as there were known to be both pan
thers and tigers in the jungle of those large islands. He
ended by pointing out the tracks he had seen in the
morning, and repeating his caution in regard to their keep
ing company. The sight of those huge hollows, which
had evidently been imprinted since the last tide, caused
some of them to glance back at the schooner as they fol
lowed a small path that took them through the jungle to
the opposite beach : the sight of the tracks had had the
desired effect; they kept as close together as the nature
of the path would admit.

"We now started for a point of the island that was
about two miles off, keeping upon the hard sand of the
beach, and, with the exception of a few projecting points
of rock that caused us to wade through the water,
had a cool and shady walk. At the end of a mile we
crossed a running stream of cool, fresh water, and, after
rounding the point, came upon another. This latter
oozed through the sand on our right, and caused us to
ascend the elevation to see where it came from. We
found a beautiful little pond, into the upper end of which
the waters of the low back-land emptied and subse
quently worked their way through the sandbank into
the sea.

The beach of this pond was of a dark-blue sand, and
its inner banks were of a soft and velvet-like turf: the

ADMIRABLE LEECHES. 95

heavy trees spread their densely-leaved branches over it,
and shut out the sun even from its centre. It was not
more than a hundred yards in circumference, and its
waters were singularly clear and limpid. It was one of
the most beautiful little natural basins that I ever saw.
It looked so cool and inviting that we took off our heavy
boots and waded into it up to our knees. Singular to
say, the water was very warm, and we soon found it to be
swarming with leeches ; a most admirable specimen of
leech, too, if we might judge from the activity with
which they attacked us. "We got to the beach in a very
few strides, and pulled them off from our bleeding feet :
they had cut through the skin at the first bite. My
journal goes on to say:

"It still wanted a half-hour of sunset when we got
back to the boat, and, finding but one man returned, we
rolled back on the grass to let the time pass. The men
came in slowly, in fours, in threes, never less than in
pairs. Two were yet missing, and it was already dusk.
We waited until dark, and then began to tremble for
their safety. The last three men who had come in now
spoke up, saying that they had left them on the other
beach some three hours back, and that they were still
walking away from the boat when they themselves had
struck through the jungle, to return by a shorter cut, as
they imagined: that was all they knew about them.
They themselves, having got lost in the bushes, had
climbed a high rock to sight the beach if possible, and
while there had fired a gun in hopes that some one
would answer them. Their gun had no sooner exploded
than an awful roar had burst out near them, causing a

96 WE STOP AND TREMBLE.

hurried flight, as they thought, toward the beach they
had left, hut which fortunately took them to that on
which the boat was.

"We now fired several volleys without any answer, save
a dismal howl, and returned on board to get more ammu
nition and prepare for a night's search. We thought
they might have retreated to the branches of some tree
along the edge of the other beach, and that if we walked
up it several miles, firing volleys and shouting, they
might hear us and come out. We feared to penetrate
the jungle at night: it would have been madness.

"Another half-hour passed and found us again on
shore. We were seven able-bodied men, all armed to
the teeth, and confident of being able to face even a
tiger: we entered the narrow path and crossed the jungle
to the opposite beach. We found their tracks and fol
lowed them up the beach for an hour or more, keeping as
near the water as possible, so as to have a broad, open
space between us and any animal that might spring upon
us from the jungle, and firing volleys and shouting every
ten minutes.

"At the end of this hour's walk we suddenly lost the
tracks, and, going back to regain them, found that they
led into the jungle. The pale moon came out about this
time and showed us a third track, smaller and rounder
than the others, the track of some animal, an animal
that had claws. A thrill of horror passed through our
hearts as we bent over this last track: it followed the others
into the jungle, and the pale moon strove in vain to light
us farther ; we stopped and trembled.

"About this time one of the men remarked that he

OFFICERS SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE THE LEAD. 97

smelt a goat, and another sprang violently from the
jungle. We heard a rushing sound, too, like that made
by a large animal bursting through the bushes, and the
man who had sprung back said, in a faltering voice, that
he had seen a tiger. I remembered once hearing Squires
say that a tiger smelt like a goat, and felt hope die within
me. The captain cast an anxious glance into the dark
forest ahead of us, and slowly stepped back to the water's
edge. 'Come!' he said; 'there is no use going farther:
we will do what we can for them to-morrow.' So we
returned on board, and after five hours' sleep were again
on the tramp.

" The party was still composed of seven men, and as
we struck boldly into the jungle the morning sun gave
us but a subdued light, no ray. We entered in" single
file, the captain leading and I bringing up the rear, a
most unpleasant station, after I had recalled to mind the
fact that a crouching tiger always waits for the last man. I
began to feel very brave, and to remark, in a careless
manner, that c officers should always take the lead.' The
captain only laughed : he imagined very well what I was
thinking about.

" We walked all that day, fired volley after volley, and
made ourselves hoarse with shouting: still no answer,
save an occasional howl similar to the one we had heard
the preceding evening. We killed several ugly, flat-
headed snakes, a huge, poisonous-looking lizard, and a
small deer : the latter we cooked for dinner. We found
the jungle getting thicker and becoming broken by
swampy flats as we progressed, and had discovered a

leaden-coloured snake that seemed to live coiled round

98 TERRIBLE WALKING.

the branches of the lower bushes just about as high as
we usually carried our heads : this was particularly plea
sant, worse even than being the 'last man.' I think of
that walk even now and shudder. It was after dark
when we reached the schooner; and we returned without
hope. Before turning in it was determined to start again
on the morrow, leaving but one well man and the sick to
look out for the vessel. "We thought to find some sign
that could determine their fate ; at any rate, we could not
give them up without another trial.

" The morrow came, and our swelled feet and aching
muscles moved us slowly into the boat. We had walked
some twenty miles on the previous day, through the
dense jungle and miry swamps, and over broken rocks
and abrupt elevations, and were hardly fit for another
tramp. We had wrung blood from our stockings when
we had bathed our feet at dinner-time, and yet sunrise
found us again entering the jungle.

" The boat which landed us we sent some miles up the
beach, with orders to anchor at a certain point and keep
up a regular discharge of musketry until sundown.
Three men were detailed for this service, and they were
ordered to fire every half-hour.

" The rest of us ten in number were fully armed, and
carried, in addition to our own provisions, a two-pound
tin of meat-biscuit, in case we should find the men in an
exhausted state. We now gave up the single-file idea,
and tried to spread over a wide area by walking abreast
of each other, keeping from ten to twenty paces between
each man and the next on either hand; but the utter
impossibility of progressing in that style soon demon-

I CONCLUDE NOT TO DRINK. 99

strated itself and forced us back to following in each
others' tracks. Stevens, myself, and three men, were
now all that were left of the previous day's party ; two
of them, having been unable to move, were left on board,
and the fresh hands who had joined us, with Baber at
their head, kept up such a brisk pace that it was with
difficulty we could keep company. In the course of a
few hours, however, they quieted down considerably and
gave us the lead again.

" Suddenly, we were brought to a halt in a most gloomy
and unpromising locality ; a rough, black, perpendicular
wall of granite rose directly in front of us, whose
height was probably fifty feet, whose broken front was
hung with an ivy-like growth, whose right and left ex
tremes disappeared in a jungle more gloomy and closely
packed than ever, and whose partially-visible base was
washed by a sluggish and half-stagnant pool. !N"o ray of
sunlight reached us there ; the most that the vertical sun
could do was to diffuse a subdued light like that of a
stormy evening. Every thing else was bushes and water
and rock.

"We had walked long without water, and, as we stopped
on the edge of this pool, which was filled with old leaves
and limbs of Mien trees, I stooped down to try its taste
and temperature. I soon arose without drinking ; for a
small, three-inch snake, doubtless alarmed at the disturb
ance, swam away directly from under my mouth. I was
only too thankful .that he had not swum into it. I now
turned around to look for a leaf large enough to make
a cup of, and, seeing one of the men passing some I
thought would suit, asked him to pick me one. I then

100 THE AGONY OF TERROR.

turned to find a clear place to dip from, a place iu
which three-inch snakes would be apparent if there. In
the mean time, the rest of the party had been arrested by
the wall farther to the left, and were singing out to know
if it could be passed on our side. Suddenly, I was stag
gering sideways toward my rifle with a confused idea
that I should have it in my hands, and my face turned
toward my companion.

"A scream such a scream as never before reached
me, such a one as I hope never to hear again was ring
ing in my frightened ear its painful notes of agonized
terror. It drove the tumultuous blood to my startled
heart and sent a shivering feeling of despair through my
unnerved limbs. It reached our distant friends and was
echoed back by their alarmed rally-cry <A tiger! a
tiger!' and the sound of rushing feet that bore their
owners to the doubtful rescue. It was one of those cries
of dire extremity, of helpless agony, that drag man to his
fellow-man in spite of difficulty and danger and death.
I turned upon the scene with levelled gun.

" It was an awful one : the agony of terror is always
awful.

"With bent frame and livid and distorted features, a
strong man was gripping between his knees a bleeding
hand. Terror had almost deprived him of speech and
seemed to have shaken his ordinarily stolid brain. He
could only rock himself back and forth and mutter, in a
hoarse whisper, 'A snake bit me! a snake bit me! a
snake bit me !'

" It was a fearful sight. I looked around me for its
author, and in my then excited state of mind quailed

AN UGLY CUSTOMER. 101

/ .

before the angry flash of its leaden eyes. The snake
was coiled around the half-stripped twig from which I
had requested the man to pull a leaf, and, as the branch
sprung back and forth after the violent jerking away of
the hand, he moved his flattened head and outstretched
neck in keeping with the motion : his whole appearance
was indicative of anger and readiness for further combat.
I looked upon its flat head, its leaden body, its hostile
eye, and its projecting fangs, and then turned to the
bleeding hand. I felt that it was one of the deadly sort,
and that a few hours more would probably add another^
to the missing men.

" By this time I had recovered my presence of mind,
and knew that the best thing I could do would be to
restore his courage a little, and try to get him to suck
the wound. This I proceeded to accomplish by the use
of sundry abusive epithets, sprinkled here and there by a
sneer at his cowardice, which soon gave him something
to think about. I then made him drink a pint of raw
gin, and ended by forcing his hand to his mouth and
telling him to suck it. He shrank from it at first, but
finally commenced, after which he sucked so hard as to
bring half the blood of his body into his face.

" I then strove to make light of the whole affair, tell
ing him that people were bitten by snakes every day,
and that they never made children of themselves; at
which he got quite angry, though the force of habit kept
him from replying as warmly as he would have been
justified in doing.

"'Just see, now, how I will shoot that fellow's head
off!' I suddenly exclaimed; and, to give his mind occu-

102 I STAND VERY STILL.

pation, I commenced blazing away with my revolver,
while the snake swung back and forth and watched me
with a constant glare. My nerves had been so unstrung
that I missed him every time.

" While I was still firing, the captain and the rest of
the party came tearing through the jungle, some without
their hats and covered with spider-webs, some with rent
clothes and cocked guns.

" * Look out !' I cried ; ' mind that snake ; he's bit Wil
liams, and looks ready for any one else.'

"'Blow him away with your rifle,' said Baber; 'he's
swinging about too much for the pistol.' The rest of
the party gathered around the wounded man.

" I advanced, and, putting the muzzle within a foot of
his head, pulled the trigger. The smoke hung about the
thick brushwood for a while and finally passed off. There
was no snake to be seen.

"'Hunt for him, boys,' said the captain; 'I want a
piece of him to put on Williams' s hand.'

" We began peering cautiously into the bushes, moving
them aside with our guns and gradually passing in
among them. We no longer feared an enemy whom
we believed blown in half at least, but thought his mate
might be on some other bush. Suddenly one of the men
discovered him. ' Stand still, Mr. Habersham !' he ex
claimed ; ' he's got his eyes on you.'

"I immediately acted upon the caution; I don't
think I ever stood so still before. The speaker lifted his
cutlass "and brought him to the ground with a broken
back. I had- simply jarred him to another branch with
my rifle, and the cutlass th'at had at last brought .him

GLOOMY FACES. 103

down had passed within two feet of my head. He now
bit furiously right and left, tried the cutlass, which proved
rather hard, and finally sank his fangs into his own
broken back ; and all the while it seemed that his angry,
glittering gaze was fastened on me. I could not but
wonder if he recognised in me the enemy who had blown
him from his first position.

" The captain took a piece of his flesh, bruised it between
two knives, and bound it and a piece of tobacco over the
wound. Then he told the man, 'There ! it's all right now.
That'll draw the poison out, I know;' and this gravely-
asserted result, combined with the pint of gin, so restored
the poor fellow's nerves that he took up his carbine and
expressed himself ready to continue the march.

" I never saw a more gloomily-desponding set of faces
than those which now looked toward the captain. We
were almost certain that our two men had been devoured
by wild beasts, and now here was a third bitten by a
snake which every one inwardly acknowledged to be
poisonous : who could tell when this man would drop
in convulsions, or who was to be the next victim?
Death seemed to lurk on every hand, in the lair-like
caves of the hill-side, in the water we stooped to drink,
in the rotten logs under our feet, even in the foliage that
constantly brushed our faces : it was horrible.

" < Come ! come !' said Stevens ; * we must be getting
along ; this is our last chance : we shall be broken down
to-morrow.' So we passed on around the right of this
massive wall, crossed a small ridge, and commenced the
passage of an extensive swamp.

" Hours more passed, and we came out suddenly upon

104 MEETING WITH NATIVES.

the beach. We threw down our guns under a large 1 oak-
tree and stretched ourselves upon the yielding, moss-like
grass. We were pretty well used up, some of the party
entirely so : "Williams, too, complained more and more of
his hand, which was now quite swollen. We ate our cold
dinner, laid back drowsily for a half-hour, and then pre
pared to cross the jungle to the opposite beach, where
we hoped to find the boat in sight. One of the men, who
had taken off his boots when we first stopped, now went
to the beach to wash his bleeding feet before putting
them on again. Suddenly we heard his voice :

" < Here's some Malay boats down the beach, sir !'

" This was a very acceptable piece of information. We
had been longing to fall in with some of the natives to
offer them a heavy reward for the discovery of the men,
if alive, and a moderate one for their bones if dead : we
thought they would be more likely to succeed in their
native wilds than we.

u Every man sprang to his feet with renewed strength
and started up the beach, some, however, very slowly.
Among these latter were poor Baber and our interpreter,
the former of whom had been suffering from the jungle-
fever for the last month, and the latter of whom, having
just left a counting-room, was poorly prepared to stand
fatigue. In my anxiety to inquire about the men, I walked
rapidly ahead, while the captain brought up the others at
a more moderate gait.

"A half-hour's walk under the broiling sun (thermo
meter at 101 on board the schooner) brought me to the
nearest phrau, when, as I could not speak the language, I
commenced making friendly gestures. The men who

ARRIVAL OF THE "HEADMAN." 105

were poling her along then shoved in to the beach, when
one of them strapped on his parang and came forward
to meet me. He approached without distrust, evidently
regarding his parang as equal to my Sharpe's rifle, and,
after making their usual salam, put his hand on his pa
rang and gazed inquiringly at me.

" I replied to his look by holding up two fingers, then
pointing to myself, and finally to the jungle. I wanted
him to infer that two of my countrymen were lost in the
latter, and he seemed to comprehend at once. He held
up one finger, touched his face, and then the brown
stock of the rifle ; after which he held up a second finger,
touched my shirt-wristband, and pointed up the beach.
From this I understood that he had seen two men, one
white and the other brown, and that they were farther up
the beach. Now, as one of the missing men was white,
and the other a mulatto, the men he had seen must be
those we were in search of; I threw up my cap and gave
a whoop that reached the stragglers along the beach and
was echoed back by their joyful reply.

" When they came up, Stevens took his seat under a
large tree near the jungle, and awaited the approach of
' the headman' of the party, who had for some time been
running toward us from the more distant phrau. The
interpreter stationed himself at his side, and our party
in general cast themselves upon the grass for another
rest.

"When the headman arrived, he bent on one knee
before the captain, made the same salam, and shook his
outstretched hand with marked respect. Then he turned
to the interpreter and spoke with great volubility for as

106 NEWS OF THE LOST ONES.

much as a minute. This latter soon filled himself with
the news, and then commenced the process of disgorging.

" Two of the headman's people, he said, had met the
men some miles farther up the beach: they were lost,
and knew not which way to turn. Their feet were much
swollen and bleeding, their clothes in tatters, and they
themselves much exhausted for want of food. They had
taken them to their village, given the,m food, washed
their feet, given them a house to live in, and were now
on their way to find the vessel to which they belonged.
All that they had been able to understand from them
were the words * American phrau' and 'Brikat;' and
from those they had concluded that an American vessel
was somewhere near Tanjong Brikat. They did not
know but that she might be wrecked and in want of
assistance : they had come to see.

" Stevens now inquired if there was water off their vil
lage deep enough to admit of the schooner visiting it, and,
upon being answered in the affirmative, made the head
man an offer if he would pilot us around. This was
accepted, with the proviso that two of his relatives should
be allowed to accompany him, when we at once set out
upon our return. One of the natives being sent through
the jungle to order the boat to return to the point, the rest
of us continued on down the beach, preferring its regu
lar though heavy walking, and the hot sun, to the boggy
swamps and confined heat of the jungle. There was a
fine breeze blowing outside, but none of it could enter
those solid masses of interwoven brushwood.

" On this return-walk we suffered greatly from heat and
thirst ; so much so, in fact, that Baber and several of the

BLAST THEIR EYES ! 107

men gave out, and, throwing themselves down on a shady
spot, declared that they could go no farther. Several of
us therefore pushed on to the nearest water; and, after
satisfying our own thirst, returned with two bottles of it
to their relief, after which they exerted themselves, and
with occasional assistance reached the boat.

" The total revulsion of feeling which had followed the
announcement of the two men's safety was amusing in
the extreme.

"'Blast their eyes!' said the man who had torn his
clothes in rushing to the snake-scene, (all along it had
been nothing but 'poor fellows!' 'poor fellows!') 'I wish
I had the nigger by the throat ; I'd show him what it is to
make white people hunt him through the woods for three
days.'

" 'I wish he had the rest of that snake shoved down his
throat !' continued he who had been bitten, and whose
wound had been pronounced poisonous, but not fatal, by
the natives.

" 'I hope the captain pays fifty dollars each for the kind
treatment they've had from the natives, and charges it to
their accounts,' put in the man who had started back so
violently from the edge of the jungle on the first night of
our hunt.

"'Silence!' exclaimed the captain; 'you ought to be
thankful that half of us a'n't dead.' "

I will now pass over several pages of my journal until
I come to our arrival on board with the headman and
his two relatives :

" It was quite late when we reached the schooner, and
we experienced considerable difficulty in persuading the

108 FEAR AND ADMIRATION.

headman to descend into the cahin. After much press
ing, however, he commenced by bearing his weight
warily upon the first round of the ladder, then stooping
down to get a good look at the place he was descending
to, and finally reaching the bottom; for five minutes
after which he trod as if he were walking on eggs,
trembling violently and glancing around in evident
alarm. Presently his alarm subsided into admiration, and
he began to examine the satin wood bulkheads, the book
cases, the bunks, &c.; and finally, when the interpreter and
his two relations were brought down, he became quite
self-possessed and talkative. He could not tire of exa
mining every iking. The most ordinary article seemed to
excite his curiosity; but that which carried his delight
beyond all bounds was the action of a revolver which
Baber fired six times in as many seconds and then
handed him to examine.

"<Ask him how he likes the cabin,' said Stevens.

"He replied that it was grander than any thing he had
ever yet seen. He did not know if he was in a house or
on board of a phrau : he should like to bring his father
on board very much."

I pass over other pages, and my next extract relates to
our visit to their village, off which we anchored that
night:

"It struck 8 P.M. as we left the schooner, the captain,
the interpreter, four men, the natives, and myself. Upon
arriving at the beach we found the mouth of an extensive
lagoon instead of the bamboo houses which we had been
led to expect, and, passing through this and crossing the
lagoon itself, we came to the mouth of a narrow and

EXCITEMENT BY MOONLIGHT. 109

gloomy-looking creek. Here again we were disappointed :
there were still no houses; and, as the boat shot into the
dark and gloomy opening, the captain whispered me
to shoot the native nearest me upon the first sign of
treachery. We began to think that we might be paying
a moonlight visit to a nest of Malay pirates.

""We found the creek so full of logs and banks, so
dark and so narrow, that we could no longer use our
oars : we therefore had to * point' them and pole the boat
against the current. I have remarked that it was moon
light ; but then the bushes were so thick, both over and
around us, that this luminary might as well have been
behind a constant cloud : we could scarcely see the oars
with which we were poling. Sometimes the hanging
bushes would brush us in the face, or catch the upper
ends of the oars as they were lifted up ; and upon these
occasions I could not but wonder if more than one snake
might not coil himself around hanging bushes, and if
they might not snap at us as we brushed by, or drop
down upon us as the oars struck the branches overhead.
It was a most exciting moonlight visit.

"After poling a mile or more through this darkness, we
came out upon a little basin, on the right side of which
was a bamboo wharf. We landed at this wharf, and, leav
ing two men by the boat with orders to warn off every one
unless they heard English spoken, took the other two and
the interpreter, and followed the headman up a broad and
winding road, which he said led to the long-looked-for
village. We were now well in for it : if there was a trap
we had only to make a running fight. This was what we
thought as we got farther and farther from the boat ; but

110 A FORMIDABLE WALKING-CANE.

we soon found that our suspicions were totally unfounded :
they were a village of the most harmless and friendly
people that I ever saw, in spite of their being Malays.

"After five minutes' walk we sighted the first house a
few yards on our left, and just as this occurred a large
dog made a rush at the interpreter and was driven off
by our guides.

" i Take care, captain !" exclaimed the alarmed linguist.
' You'd better get sticks, gentlemen : these Chinamen's
dogs are very fierce.' And, suiting the action to the
word, he provided himself with a small log a half-
grown tree and closed up to us, probably to afford us
protection. (?)

" We found the village to contain a population of some
eighty or a hundred souls, half of whom were Malays
and the other half Chinese. They came out in crowds
to meet us, men, women, (very pretty women, some of
them,) and children. "We shook hands with spasmodic
friendship, without regard to age or sex: we were
still in an unpleasant state of doubt as to their true
character. We found two styles of houses looming up
through the moonlight, one being built on the ground,
as is ordinarily the case, and the other elevated on
posts to the height of several feet. It was into one of
the former of these that we were now ushered with re
spectful eagerness, and we soon forgot every feeling of
distrust.

" Our headman now left us in charge of his Chinese
friend and went out in search of his father, with whom
he shortly returned and informed us that the wanderers
would soon make their appearance. The old Malay

CHINAMEN AMONG THE MALAYS. HI

saluted us reverently, and then retreated to the side of
his son, of whom he seemed very proud.

"And now, while some bad tea is being drunk without
either sugar or cream, as we await the men's appearance,
let me condense some of the interpreter's remarks in
regard to the mixed people among whom we found
ourselves so suddenly thrown."

I will preface this condensed matter by a single
observation : As the Irish and German emigrants turn
to this land of America by hundreds and thousands, so
turn the Chinese to the fertile shores of the Malay
Islands. There is one difference, however: they leave
their wives behind them and carry their customs with
them. The Malays provide them the former, but retain
their own prejudices. The two are often, as in the
present case, found living together, sometimes for pro
tection, sometimes for trade : the latter was the case in
this their town of Eangou.

The headman of these Chinese spoke as follows,
through the interpreter: "Our village is small. It
has only about one hundred and thirty souls. We are
equally divided, and each people has its own leader. I
am the chief among the Chinese: the headman is the
chief among the Malays. We are equal, and are elected
every year by the people. The old men give us advice
when necessary. Your men were brought here in great
distress, and we treated them like brothers until they
troubled our women, when we told them they should
remain in their house or we would tie them. We tried
to do our best. Have we done right?"

The captain replied warmly in the affirmative, adding

112 HOW THEY GOT LOST.

he was only sorry they had not fulfilled their threat of
tying them when they behaved badly; and, as the men
entered at the moment and heard themselves thus con
demned, they advanced with a most sheepish expression
of countenance and waited to be questioned.

""Well, what have you got to say for yourselves?"
asked Stevens, severely.

" Got lost, sir. We tried to cross through the woods
to t'other beach, and was in them all night," &c. &c. &c.
The reader must imagine the rest.

Now came some more hot and tasteless tea; then a
general shaking of hands ; then the furious barking of
dogs; then a dark and dismal poling-match down the
winding creek; and finally the schooner. The next
day we were again under way, heading for Gaspar
Island, where we filled our water-tanks with rain-water
from the cavities of rocks, and finally crowded sail
for our port of rendezvous, Hong-Kong, China, dis
tant some eighteen hundred miles.

The time passed heavily enough now that we had
nothing to do ; but two weeks cannot last forever, and
we finally found ourselves in smooth water. We en
tered at night, and our pilot, being a great jackass,
allowed us to drift afoul of an English vessel's hawse,
which gave us work until the change of tide : then we
got clear of her and anchored, kicked the offending
Celestial into his boat, and turned in for the night.

CHAPTER VIL

WE ARRIVE AT HONG-KONG, AND FIND MORE REPAIRS WANTED COMMANDER

RINGGOLD RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES IN BAD HEALTH, AND LIEUTE
NANT-COMMANDING JOHN RODGERS TAKES THE COMMAND OP THE EXPEDITION
SOMETHING ABOUT HUMAN LIFE AND DUCKS IN CHINA, AND HOW WE WERE
LIBERALLY ENTERTAINED BY THE FOREIGN MERCHANTS OF CANTON.

OUR nocturnal arrival once more effected a reunion of
the squadron. "We found familiar hulls all around us
when we went on deck the next morning, and that " first
day in port" was devoted to climbing their sea-rusted
sides and talking over the events of the last few months.
On board of the Yincennes we were shown a huge snake,
a boa-constrictor, that had been brought from Batavia by
the Kennedy, and which was now confined in a strong
bamboo cage on the quarter-deck. As we advanced
toward him they were about giving him his breakfast,
which consisted of quite a tough-looking old rooster, who
struggled violently as they forced him in between two of
the slats. Upon being let go he immediately occupied
the opposite corner of the cage, and lifted his neck-
feathers as roosters do when acknowledging their defeat.
There he stood, feathers, spurs, and all ; and I watched
curiously for the result. The snake began by fixing a set
tled glare upon his victim, working his coiled length slowly
back and forth, and apparently preparing for a spring.

Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, he threw two of

those working folds over the frightened bird and drew

8 113

114 GREEK MEETS GREEK.

him into his coil ; as near as I could see he had sprung
from his head and tail. The rooster gave one frightened
cry, and then the folds began to close around him, closer,
closer. Finally he was mashed into an oblong mass,
covered with a glutinous saliva, and swallowed, " tail and
all." I wondered if they ever grew large enough to pre
pare men in that way, and if there was any prospect of
our visiting the jungles which they inhabited.

This was all very fine for the snake as long as he had a
trembling chicken to deal with ; but upon a subsequent
occasion, when a fine young roasting-pig was introduced
to him, the tables seemed turned. I did not see the latter
myself, but was told that the pig ensconced himself in
the chicken's corner, and exhibited such a warlike front
that the boa was completely nonplussed. They seemed
mutually afraid of each other, and remained upon a
watchful guard until the former was released from his
uncomfortable quarters : a whole night, I think, they were
together.

Finding it inconvenient, as well as expensive, to retain
the snake alive, he was finally taken on shore to the gar
dens of the naval-storekeeper, where a noose was passed
over his head, then over the limb of a tree, and finally
"hauled taut" by Stimpson, the energetic naturalist of the
Expedition. In this way he was soon put an end to, after
which he was deprived of his skin for future stuffing.

My service in the schooner had now expired, and, when
I returned to my long-closed room on board of the Ken
nedy, every thing looked strange and unnatural : I had
been away nearly five months, and bilge-water and the
moth had not been idle. The former of these had at

AJfOTHER BREAKDOWN. 115

length become so unbearable that permission had been
asked and received to break out the cargo of stores and
try to remedy the evil. The attempt was made, and
resulted in the discovery that the ship was rotten,
totally unseaworthy. She was subsequently condemned
and turned over to the East India squadron as an armed
vessel, to be moored off the city of Canton for the pro
tection of American citizens during the frequent out
breaks of rebel violence.

The Porpoise also had been discovered to be in a very
rotten condition, and was undergoing extensive repairs
when we arrived. Her captain had been deprived of his
command, very unjustly, it was thought, and had left
for the United States; Lieutenant Henry Rolando, of the
Vincennes, succeeded him.

In the mean time Commodore Perry arrived from his
famous voyage to Japan, and felt himself called upon to
take some action in the affairs of the "Forth Pacific
Expedition." Our squadron was totally separate and
distinct from his ; but then he was the senior officer pre
sent, and, from all that he heard in regard to the health
of Commander Einggold, he felt himself called upon to
interfere. A board of surgeons having reported it as
"very delicate and in need of quiet and retirement," or
words to that effect, he ordered him home, and the com
mand naturally devolved upon Commander John Rodgers,
the officer next in rank. And now commenced a total
reorganization of our expedition. Captain Collins, Lieu
tenant Carter, and Dr. Hamilton, of the Kennedy, Cap
tain Rolando, of the Porpoise, and several officers from
the other vessels, left us and joined one or more of the

116 REORGANIZATION OF THE SQUADRON.

vessels of Perry's squadron. The Kennedy was sent up
to Canton, and her officers divided among the other
vessels to fill vacancies. An indescribable state of un
certainty and confusion existed for weeks : no one knew
which vessel to prefer, or where to stop when he had his
orders. Every day some officer was getting tired of his
ship and applying to be ordered to another; or sickness
or a detachment from the squadron would force Com
mander Eodgers to order some one temporarily to fill the
vacancy. We knew not where to keep our clothes, where
to pay our mess-bill, hardly where to eat : it was nothing
but change change change ; and, what made it worse,
it was nearly all necessary change. Finally, things seemed
to be settled, and I awoke one morning to find Stevens
in command of the Hancock, and myself as her first
lieutenant. And now, as the remainder of this book
will be chiefly made up from what I saw and did while
attached to that vessel, I will give a list of her officers,
&c., and then a brief idea of the old tub herself:

Lieutenant Commanding, H. K. STEVENS, Captain.

Acting Master, A. W. HABERSHAM, Lieutenant.

" W. VAN WYCK, "

" H. ST. GEO. HUNTER, "

" E. 0. CARES, Sailing-Master.

Purser, GEO. H. RITCHIE.

Assistant Surgeon, GERARD ALEXANDER.

Draughtsman, A. E. HARTMAN.

First Assistant Engineer, E. LAWTON.

Second D. B. McCoMB.

Third " L. WILLIAMS.

Assistant Naturalist, L. M. SQUIRES.

THE OLD JOHN. 117

The above were the officers of the ship, and, in addi
tion, she had some sixty souls, petty officers, firemen,
seamen, ordinary seamen, landsmen, and boys. And now
for the vessel herself. Her description should go on
paper ; her dimensions should never be lost.

"The Old John," as we soon came to call her, was pnce
an honest old water-tank and anchor-hoy, and for years
acquitted herself with deserved eclat in that humble voca
tion. She belonged to the Boston Navy-yard, and was
really a very useful vessel. She had a steam-engine in
her and a propeller under her stern, and used to scull
about the harbour of Boston, to the infinite terror of all
catfish. In short, like many other things in their proper
sphere, she was a marvel of good behaviour and success.
After a while, people began to talk of sending her to
sea, and she did actually get as far as the West Indies,
when her officers, like sensible men, turned around and
came back. They had had enough of her.

Then it was said that she wanted length, more sail,
&c. &c. ; and, while she was thus the subject of doubt
and uncertainty, she was selected as one of the contem
plated expedition. This was no sooner determined upon
than she was subjected to what the Government called
"great improvements," after which she was rated as a
"screw-steamer of the third class," and proclaimed a sea
worthy vessel. These great improvements consisted in
her having been lengthened to a fearful extent, while
her breadth of beam and power of engine remained the
same, and of her having a third mast put in where no
mast was wanted. Those were all, and she was then

118 PLAYFULNESS OF THE OLD JOHN.

ordered to join the hazardous undertaking of a surveying
and exploring voyage around the world.

Even now, as the mind runs back to scenes which
were then in the future, seated as I am behind my pen in
a strong brick house, and with ; miles of dry land between
me and the waste of waters, I tremble at the dangers
which seemed to seek us from every quarter, but which
in reality were mostly called into existence by her own
want of the usual qualities which constitute a seaworthy
vessel.

She was one hundred and seventy feet long, some
thing less than twenty-two feet beam, and drew thirteen
feet when full of coal. Heard ever any one of such out
landish proportions ? She was bark-rigged, and so crank
that forty-five tons of pig-ballast had to be stowed in her
to keep her from "turning turtle;" and, even with that
great weight to steady her, she would list a half streak
either way when a boat was hoisted, and careen as if
under a heavy press of sail when lying at anchor across
the wind and tide. She would dive into seas when in a
gale as if without the most remote idea of ever corning
up again, wallowing in the trough, and dipping in whole
cataracts at every roll. She had an unpleasant way of
carrying her helm hard up when lying to in a gale, and
in light weather she often amused herself by luffing into
the wind with the helm hard up, every thing aft shaking
and every thing forward full. In short, she was a dis
grace to the country, the laughing-stock of foreign offi
cers, and a constant source of anxiety to those who sailed
her. As long as our coal lasted we could manage her
very well ; but as soon as that gave out we could only

WHEN SHALL WE THREE MEET AGAIN? 119

wait for a fair wind. More than once she put me in mind
of one of those Chinese junks which make but two trips
the year, sailing before the monsoon to their port, and
then waiting for the opposite monsoon to bring them
back. Without steam she was like a log.

Here I am, then, on board of the " Old John" at last;
and, by turning back to the " list of officers," the reader
will see that old ''bust-proof" and his master are keep
ing me company. "We three kept together during the
whole of that eventful cruise, although the former did
attempt my life on more than one occasion, and the
latter never could be persuaded that the fault was any
where but in my own carelessness. And s now, while we
are "preparing for sea," let me touch lightly upon the
four Eastern ports of Victoria, Macao, Whampoa, and
Canton.

These places all lie within a circle of one hundred
miles, Macao, the most central, being in lat. 22 14' ^".
and long. 113 32' E., according to Raper. The first is a
colony of the English, more generally known under the
name of Hong-Kong, and situated on an island of that
name ; the second, an old colony of the Dutch, and
situated on a promontory about half-way between Vic
toria and Canton ; and the fourth, a large city which
every one knows to be on the Canton River. Add to
this the fact of its having an execution-yard, a small
hotel, and a few foreign merchants with their club-room,
and the reader knows nearly as much about it as I do :
the rest he will see shortly. The third, Whampoa, I
mention last because least, and will here make an end of
it by simply remarking that it is a Chinese bamboo

120 THE GKEAT SLAUGHTER-HOUSE.

town, situated a few miles nearer the sea than Canton,
and possessing the only dry-dock in that part of China.
Heavy ships cannot go ahove Whampoa on account of a
barrier across the river : hence its importance.

The view about Whampoa is beautiful from an upper
point of the river. The opposite sketch, from the pencil
of Mr. Edward Kern, gives a most truthful idea of it.

Hong-Kong is more of a European settlement than
any thing else, and the same is pretty much the case
with Macao. The former of these is remarkable as the
residence of money-makers of all nations, and a few
ramrod-like English soldiers, who to use the words of
an old messmate walk up and down the Queen's Road,
encased dingy-boy like in dangerously-tight trousers,
and amuse themselves by switching the dust from them
with very delicate canes. Macao is remarkable for its
pure air, cool temperature, fine summer retreats, and as
the residence of Portugal's great epic poet, the second
Milton, Camoens the beautiful. We visited his cave,
the birthplace of his most glorious lines, and went away
with sad thoughts of his brief though brilliant advent.

So much for the first three. And now for Canton, the
city of a million or more, and the grand centre of
butchery, the great slaughter-house through which passes
much of the surplus population of China, entering as
men and cast out as headless trunks, the victims of
civil war. I again turn to my journal, the Hancock
having been ordered up the river for a few days :

"We left our ship, which was anchored above the
'Factories,' and pulled toward the < gardens' through
such numbers of boats that it was almost impossible to

CAMOENS'S CA VE-(M ACAO.)

THE VALUE OF LIFE IN CHINA. 121

make any headway. "We were half an hour in accom
plishing a distance which, had it not been for those
closely-packed sampans, could have been passed over in
five minutes. "While thus elbowing our way through
them we passed a junk, upon the bow of which several
Chinamen were standing with long bamboo poles in their
hands: they seemed to be bearing something clear of
their cables, something which the tide had swept afoul
of them. This something proved to be the dead bodies
of three Chinamen, bodies without heads,-, bodies of
men who had been decapitated by either the mandarins
or rebels, tied together by the feet, and then cast into
the river to save the trouble of burial. They were shoved
clear of the cable, and then went drifting on, borne upon
the changing flow of the muddy stream, to be returned
again by the rising flood, like any useless barrel or water
logged piece of driftwood. Such is life in China. I once
heard from good authority that it was no uncommon thing
for a person to take the place of the condemned unfortu
nate, provided said condemned would pay a stipulated
amount to the friends of the self-offered victim.

"Leaving this revolting scene behind us, we pulled
into a basin on the river's bank, the mouth of which was
guarded by a floating log, and the quiet bosom of which
was covered by scores of the light egg-like boats known
as sampans or Tanka-boats. These admirable little pas
sage-boats are sculled by a single girl generally, though
they are often the homes of a whole family. One would
be surprised to see the great number of Chinese who live
in boats. This basin was probably a hundred feet in dia
meter, and after crossing it we reached a flight of heavy

122 HOW WE WERE ENTERTAINED.

stone steps which led up into the ' gardens.' These pro
bably covered as much as two acres of ground, consisted
of a single enclosure, in spite of the plurality of the name,
and were quite refreshingly sprinkled by shade-trees and
patches of grass. The walks were wide and shady, and
paved with large squares of granite, and it was backed
by a row of massive buildings after the ordinary ware
house style. These were the * Factories,' or i Hongs,' the
great doorways of the world's trade with China, and the
'business-places' of the foreign merchants. We never
entered them.

"There was also a fine club-house in the left corner of
the gardens, but we were equally unfortunate in entering
that. It did not pay to be polite to officers unless the city
was about to be sacked, in which case fighting-men were
in great demand for the protection of the property of
-citizens of the United States,' and consequently entitled
to proportionate consideration. In spite of all this, the
'Canton merchants' have a great reputation for their
'princely hospitality,' Let us turn to more worthy sub
jects.

" The most attractive (?) object in Canton is the exe
cution-ground or slaughter-yard. There you may go
weekly, almost daily, and see heads fall by the score,
sometimes by the hundred. You come to a rude enclo
sure at the gate of which a crowd of Imperial lancers
stand in knots, inside of which kneel the miserable vic
tims, and in the corners of which are piled the heads
of former sufferers in various stages of decomposition.
Shreds of tangled hair, too, human hair, is kicked
about under foot, and the snarling dogs linger around

THE SWORD OF CIVIL WAR. 123

and tear tne flesh from pallid faces or lap their meals from
the crimson streams of human blood. The sanguinary and
callous executioner strides over and among the bleeding
trunks, kicks a head out of his way here, steps into a
pool of blood there, and sweeps his dripping sword over
the head of the next in turn. Men and women, some
times children, age and ugliness, youth and beauty, suf
fer without distinction. A head is a head, and so many
heads have been ordered to fall. The manner in which
they obtain the requisite number is hardly to be credited ;
and yet it is true; so true that I tell it without fear of
contradiction.

" These executions are generally the result of a desire
to retaliate upon the rebels for some similar act. When,
therefore, it becomes known to the mandarins that the
rebels have cut off so many Imperial heads, they at once
march out an equal number of prisoners and restore the
equilibrium. If they have not enough prisoners, they
send a company of troops and seize and bind the first
poor dozen or twenty countrymen whom fate throws in
their way, bring them into the city, and the next day they
are kneeling in the slaughter-yard with bowed heads and
fettered limbs. It makes little difference which side they
are on : they may protest themselves to be the best ser
vants of the emperor, and the only answer is,

"'Why were you outside of the wall while the rebels
have possession of the surrounding country ?'

"The stained sword drips again, and a Government no
tice is pasted up to the effect that 'such and such a great
victory has been obtained over the rebels, and that so
many prisoners have had their heads cut off.' This

124 TAI-PING- WANG'S RELIGION.

notice soon reaches the rebels, and results in similar
scenes at their hands. It is hard to say which is the
worst, the mandarin or rebel party."

Much sympathy was excited in Europe and America
some three years since (in 1853, I think) in favour of
these rebels of whom I have been writing. It was as
serted that Tai-ping-wang, their leader, was a Christian,
a convert of the missionaries, and that his followers were
all converted Chinamen, and that their object was to
spread the light of the gospel over that heathen land.
!N"ow see the true state of the case.

Tai-ping-wang, when a boy, attended the schools of the
mission at Shanghae, learned to speak, read, and write
English tolerably well, and got a very fair idea of the life
and religion of our Saviour. As is often the case, this
knowledge did him more harm than good : he cursed and
swore, felt himself above other Chinamen of his class,
and finally left the school-room for a life of starvation,
work, or rascality. The first of these not agreeing with
him, he was forced to the second. He engaged as a
horse-boy in the employ of some European at Shanghae,
but, finding work too troublesome, set his brains to work
in the line of rascality. The next thing that we hear of
him he is the commander-in-chief of the rebels, calling
himself the elder brother of our Saviour, and, as such,
claiming the respect and veneration due to a God. He
says that Christ and Mahomet were both divine spirits,
and that their religions did well enough until he came :
now, however, he is commissioned to modify their teach
ings, and none but his is the true doctrine. What his
modifications consist of I do not know ; I only know the

GIVING DUCKS THEIR EDUCATION. 125

above, which I learned from Bishop Boone, the head of
the Episcopal mission in China. But to return to
Canton.

"We are on our return-trip to Hong-Kong, and I make
another extract of something I saw while passing down
the river :

" "We were now running along the edge of an exten
sive rice-field, and the pilot called my attention to a
queer-looking boat that was fastened to the bank. l That
is a duck-boat,' he said : l did you ever see one before ?'

"I replied in the negative, and he then pointed out
hundreds of ducks working their clumsy way through
the half-grown rice.

"'They live in that boat,' he continued, 'with the
man and his family who own them, the people in the
middle and the ducks in those side-pens. They are let
out to feed whenever the boat drifts by a good place,
and when the man whistles they get back as fast as they
can. The last one that gets back is whipped.'

" ' Whipped ?' I exclaimed.

" < Yes ; he slaps him hard, and then the next time he
doesn't come last.' '

I give the above as it was given to me, and as it is
given to almost every one visiting China, and must add,
in confirmation of it, something of the kind which I
witnessed myself.

We had left this first duck-boat well astern and were
approaching a second. The man of this second had
apparently "whistled," for his ducks were returning
in an awful hurry.

"They were apparently making the most desperate

126 HEELS OVER HEAD.

efforts to regain the boat. Some of them were half
flying, half swimming through the mud, weeds, and water
of the field; others striking out like good fellows across
a little creek that separated them from their home. All
seemed anxious to arrive first ; and, as they gained the
boat's side, they tumbled in, heels over head, without
the least apparent regard to life or limb. I watched,
with the pilot, to see one of them slapped; but, to his
evident chagrin, there seemed to be no ' last duck' that
time."

So much for Southern China and ducks. That same
night we anchored in Hong-Kong, and began to count
the hours that were yet to pass before our departure for
more northern latitudes.

CHAPTER

HOW WE TALKED OF " VISITING PEKIN BY WATER," AND HOW THE ",OLD
JOHN" AND COOPER WERE PRESSED INTO THE CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE -
HOW AN OLD TUB AMUSED HERSELF BY ROLLING HER MASTS OUT,
AND HOW A NEW- YORK PILOT-BOAT WEATHERED A GALB HOW WS
VISITED THE GREAT CITY OF FOU-CHOW-FOO, AND HOW WE SAW
CORMORANTS CATCHING FISH.

THERE was a great talk in Hong-Kong about this time
as to the possibility of a commissioner going to Pekin in
person and obtaining an interview with the brother of
the sun and moon, the celestial Heinfung, the Emperor
of all the Chinas. The object of this desired interview
was to put into the Imperial ear certain proposals, &c.
which could never reach it in writing, or which, reaching,
would never be acted upon, from the fact that the man
darins or rebels would stop the despatches, or that the
former would influence the Celestial mind against the
proposals of the encroaching "Fanqui," or barbarians, as
all foreigners are contemptuously called in China.

Many were the schemes projected and abandoned to
attain this important interview, until it was finally deter
mined to try and reach Pekin by water. Pekin was situated
near the Pi-ho River, and the Pi-ho River emptied into
the Gulf of Pichili, and the Gulf of Pichili in turn
emptied into the Yellow Sea : why might not vessels-of-
war go to the mouth of the Pi-ho, and from there de
spatch boats, or even smaller vessels, upon a visit to the

127

128 A COMBINED EFFORT.

great capital ? and why might not the commissioner go
in those boats ?

No one could object to this arrangement, because no
one had ever been to the mouth of the Pi-ho; and so
Mr. Robert McLean, of the United States, and Sir John
Bowering, of England, gave it out as their intention to
attempt to " reach Pekin by water."

The next thing to be done now was to find the vessels;
and Commodore Perry, Commander Rodgers, and Ad
miral Sterling were each called upon to assist the cause.
The former placed the steam-frigate Powhatan at the
disposal of Mr. McLean, the second gave the "old John"
and the little Cooper, while the latter furnished Sir
John Bowering with the screw-steamer Rattler and a
hired lorcha, a vessel about the size of the Cooper, but
drawing much less water. It was hoped that the two
latter might be able to ascend the river with boats in
tow, and thus give an air of greater force than could have
been attained with boats only. These arrangements
having been made, we were ordered to prepare for
sea with all despatch. We were to go to Shanghae, vid
the river Min, and await the arrival of Mr. McLean in
the Powhatan, and to take advantage of all oppor
tunities for making surveys. We were detailed on
"special service," but that did not prevent our going
on with our regular work. The Yincennes herself
and the Porpoise were to survey around the Bonin,
Loo-Choo, and Japanese islands, and we were all to
rendezvous at Hong-Kong in the spring. It was now
September, 1854, and we were ready for sea, the " old
John" and the Cooper to sail first. Suddenly, Lieu-

THE BLACK PAGE. 129

tenants J. H. Kussell, of the Porpoise, and William Van
Wyck, of the Hancock, imagined that their mutual
interests would be consulted by changing ships, and
accomplished their wish during the hurry of our de
parture; and this pregnant exchange was no sooner
accomplished than we took the Cooper in tow, and stood
out to sea on our stormy road to Shanghae.

We left the Vincennes and Porpoise at anchor. We
Jiave never seen the latter since; and, as her image floats
by me, enveloped in the dismal and shadowy shroud of
its unknown fate, it drags with it the names and features
of lost friends and messmates, endeared to my heart by
scenes of common peril and long years of brotherly
association. I close my eyes, and recall those well-
remembered features ; and, as they crowd before me, they
are changed : oh, how changed ! The startled imagination
paints them paled and distorted by the hideous emotions
of the last struggle, a struggle in which man, having
exhausted the vast resources of his godlike brain in vain
efforts to surmount a danger which is literally insur
mountable, folds his arms of useless muscle upon his
troubled heart and calmly bides his time to die. I close
my eyes, and see those fearful shadows crowd around
me, and the burning tear of powerless pity leaks through
the unsteady lids and blots the swimming paper. It
is a brotherly tear, shed over the unknown fate of
generous hearts, who sank in the fathomless depths ot
the coral sea, or lingered upon the barren rocks of some
desert island until life faded slowly from their weakened
grasp. ;. v

Our passage to Shanghae proved even more stormy

130 TEN MISERABLE DAYS

than we had expected : it was the equinox, and we had a
right to look for heavy weather, but we never imagined
that we should suffer as we did. We were soon forced
to cast the Cooper adrift, and the second night out we
ourselves dipped into a heavy sea and twisted off the
head of the bowsprit, rolling out the topgallant-masts at
the same time. We had a head-gale to beat up against,
and of course made little or no headway ; and, in addi
tion to this, Stevens would insist upon our dancing
attendance upon the Cooper, lest something might befall
her. This unnecessary guardianship I never could un
derstand, as the latter vessel was making a much better
weather of it than we were, and a quick passage would
have been consulted by letting each of us "make the
best of our way."

After losing our masts we rolled fearfully, and for ten
days our rooms were afloat. We were ship], ing seas con
stantly, and having the most unpleasant time I ever expe
rienced; while the Cooper under her close-reefed foresail
was riding upon the very crests of the towering seas, and
keeping as dry as a bone. More than one eye glanced
toward her as the safer as well as the dryer of the two.

Finally, we arrived off the mouth of the river Min,
upon the banks of which, and thirty-four miles above the
sea, is situated the great and slightly-known city of Fou-
chow-foo, or rather Fou-chow City, the word " foo" meaning
city. The latitude of the mouth of this river is 26 08' K.,
its longitude 149 42' E., and it is situated about half-
way between the port we had left and the one to which
we were bound. Fou-chow is rapidly becoming the great
door of export of the vast empire of which it is one of

THE PAGODA OF LOAII-SING-TAH. 131

the largest cities, and as such is entitled to unusual con
sideration : in addition, it has never before been written
of, to my knowledge, hence another claim to being made
the subject of the next few pages. I turn to my journal
for extracts :

"It is fortunate that we touch at Fou-chow, for the
equinoctial gales have bruised and battered us consider
ably; they still blow very heavy, and our coal is already
running short, we having had to keep up constant steam
or drift helplessly to leeward. We will now be able to
repair damages and fill our bunkers with wood, possibly
with coal.

"While standing in for the supposed mouth of the
river with the Cooper in tow, we ran aground on a sand
bank, and while hauling off into deep water were boarded
by a number of piratical fishermen, one of whom con
sented to pilot us in. He anchored us about a mile below
the pagoda of Loah-sing-tah shortly after dark.

" This pagoda, which is situated on a pleasantly-wooded
elevation near a turn in the river, is twenty-five miles
above the sea, and within nine of the city itself. It is
one of the lingering monuments of unknown ages, and
is at length beginning to crumble beneath the constant
action of time and the elements. Here it is that mer
chant-vessels anchor, receiving their teas by huge cargo-
boats which come to them on the ebb-tide and return
with the flood. We found the American bark Hun
garian at anchor, the captain of which boarded us and
hailed our arrival with great joy. We also found a large,
heavily-laden English ship, the captain of which offered us
a thousand dollars if we would tow him around a certain

132 OPIUM RECEIVING-SHIPS.

point upon which he feared being cast by the current : we
refused the offer with a show of unwilling dignity, but
subsequently did him the service for nothing. He was
loud in his thanks, and promised we should hear from his
owners when he arrived at Liverpool ; but he must either
have died on the passage or wilfully neglected us, for we
are still waiting : the name of the ship was the ' Lord
"Warrington.' '

In consequence of advice received from the captain of
the Hungarian in regard to the tides, we .determined to
visit Fou-chow with the next flood. This required us to
get up before daylight, and I make a few extracts from
the account of our trip :

""We found two of the light and buoyant sampans of
a neighbouring village awaiting us at the gangway, in
one of which rowed the pilot, who accompanied us as
guide through the crooked streets to the American con
sulate. These two boats seemed to have been made
expressly for our party of six, who now buttoned out
the cool morning air and got into them, so closely did
we fit together along the single thwart-ship seat. Three
of us there were in each boat; and we had a bamboo
frame overhead, upon which was spread a protecting
mat, and two large men and four very small boys to
urge us along, one large man and two small boys in
each boat.

"It wanted yet an hour of daylight as the driving
flood-tide swept us by the towering pagoda, and the next
thing that attracted us .was the reveille of an English
opium-receiving ship, one of the floating but perma
nently-anchored strongholds whose only duty it is to

MAGNIFICENT SCENERY. 133

shelter and dispose of the poison as it is delivered from
the i armed vessels of reckless men' previously spoken of.

" At half-past five it was broad daylight, and we could
look around us : the entire sky was of one uniform rosy
tint. Even the zenith was of this colour, and the con
trast between the brilliant heavens and the deep blue ,of
the distant mountains was magnificent: I never before
saw the outlines of the mountains so clearly defined,
never their blue so deep, never the sky so brilliant. They
lifted themselves in their stately grandeur far into the
morning sky, towering over the hills at their base with
protecting care, while these in turn hung over an undu
lating country that waved itself almost imperceptibly
into the low rice-fields along the river-banks.

"Nor was it in one direction alone that this view met
the eye ; the panorama was perfect. We had ascended
the windings of the river sufficiently high to place even
high mountains between us and the sea, and now the
smooth surface of the river, unbroken by either isle or
rock, and slightly rippled by the morning air, presented
the appearance of a small lake rather than of a running
stream. "We had a jutting point below us, another
about a mile ahead, and the river itself seemed to widen
between them ; hence its similarity to a lake.

"As we passed over this quiet basin of water and
turned the upper point into another lake, the bosom of
the water was no longer unbroken.

"Uncouth-looking boats, with noisy boatmen and
Happing sails, were sprinkled plentifully over its saffron-
coloured breast, while schools of fish leaped bodily into
the air and made the water foam again in the.ir descent

134 THE BRIDGE OF BRIDGES.

" The sides of the mountains and hills along this river
were literally covered with the sweet-potato vine ; and,
from their peculiar manner of cultivating it, there could
be no loss of soil from the zigzag course of the impover
ishing gully.

" Take a flight of steps six hundred feet high, each
step being twenty yards broad and six feet higher than
the lower one, and ranging from fifty to a hundred yards
in length.

"Now, manure well the surfaces of these giant steps,
and you get a series of fertile patches. Then, imagine
the whole slope of a mountain dug into, smoothed oft',
' got up' in that style, and you have an idea of how so
many people manage to live in China. Did they only
cultivate what we call arable land, half of them would
starve. It was a rare sight to turn in whatever direction
and see thousands of hill-side acres thus converted into
level tracts and rising and retreating before the eye like
the successive seats of a vast amphitheatre."

After skipping several pages of my journal, I find the
following :

"Shortly after passing the ruined temple just de
scribed, we came to a turn in the river whence we first
sighted the famous granite bridge of Fou-chow. And
such a bridge as it was !-^one oblong mass of apparently-
solid granite, with square holes cut at regular intervals
to permit the flow of the four-knot tide, and with booths
and si i ops of every description built upon it from one
end to the other, built upon the up-river half of the
bridge's surface, while the lower half is given to the
thousand* who daily cross it. Such bridges are not built

FISHING-CORMORANTS. 135

in China now ; they were built by the men who raised
those strange columns known as 'pagodas.' The rivet
at this bridge is two thousand feet wide, and there is an
island near its south bank over which the bridge passes.
It is only on this island, and within certain limits on the
left bank, that the houses of the foreign merchants ,are
allowed to be built."

We were passing under this bridge, and saw a novel
sight.

" As we passed under the massive blocks of gray gra
nite upon the foaming breast of the rising tide and shot
out into the expanding river beyond, we saw a long low
raft of bamboo moored under the lee of the heavy pier
to our right, on which were a Chinese fisherman, a
basket, a paddle, and five duck-like birds, which we at
once imagined to be some of the celebrated 'fishing-
cormorants' of the East. We also imagined that this
might be our only opportunity for witnessing their sin
gular mode of fishing, and consequently stopped in the
hope that the Chinaman would gratify our curiosity.
We were not disappointed.

" Scarcely had we i rounded to,' when he reached out
his hand toward the birds, the nearest of whom at once
waddled up to him and stepped into his open palm. He
now smoothed his feathers with the right hand, bent his
mouth to his arched neck for a moment, and then put
him upon the edge of the raft. There the bird dipped
his bill in the water once or twice, snapped liis head from
side to side, shook his tail several flirts, and ended by
diving suddenly into the turbid water that washed his
feet.

136 A PROUD BIRD.

" In the mean time, the four remaining cormorants were
huddled together on the far end of the raft, drying their
feathers, switching their tails, and looking altogether quite
cool and comfortable. After being down from ten to
fifteen seconds, the absent explorer hopped suddenly out
of the water with quite a good-sized fish in his mouth,
swam to his master, gave up the half-swallowed prize,
and hopped upon his knee, where lie shook himself
while the fish was being put in the basket. His master
then stroked him down as before, much to his apparent
delight, whispered again in his ear, and placed him
once more upon the edge of the raft.

" Again he dived, and again he came up with a fish.
He then underwent a similar process of caressing, and
was once more placed on the water's edge. Now, how
ever, fortune seemed to have left him. He had no fish
when he arose after a protracted absence, and seemed at
a loss what to do. He turned himself around in the
water several times, keeping his dark eyes fixed on his
master's as if asking permission to try it again. Sud
denly the latter made a motion with his hand, and down
he went. When he came up he brought quite a large
fish, eight inches long, say, which struggled violently,
as though surprised at the unusual situation in which he
found himself. He too was put in the basket, the
proud cormorant once more caressed, and then placed
gently in the centre of the raft instead of upon its edge
as formerly.

"This seemed to tell him that his services were no
longer required, and that he had acquitted himself with
considerable credit ; for he moved oft* to the other end

THE UNLUCKY FISHERMAN. 137

of the raft with the stately step of a conqueror, while the
next in turn advanced to supply his place. They seemed
to regulate their movements by a nod or motion of the
hand from their master. Cormorant No. 2 was not as
sprightly a looking bird as his predecessor; nevertheless,
he brought up a fish after the first dive, gave a flirt with
his expanded tail, and swam to his master to give up
the prize. He was taken out as before, relieved of his
mouthful, and subsequently placed gently on the edge
of the raft. There he sat a few moments perfectly mo
tionless, but, seeming suddenly to see a fish, dropped oft*
like a piece of lead, and nothing more was seen of him
for at least fifteen seconds. Then he came to the surface
with a spring that took him almost out of the water, but
having no fish. His actions now expressed his dis
appointment almost as plainly as words could have done.
He did not swim toward his master as formerly, but kept
sculling about in a small circle with his bright, unsteady
glance fixed on him, at the imminent risk of twisting
oif his neck.

" The master pointed down with his finger, and down
went the unsuccessful fisherman. Still no fish. Once
more, and still no success. Finally, he was taken back
upon the raft, slapped soundly on the head, and thrown
angrily down. He immediately made tracks for the
other end, stumbling heels over head and looking very
much ashamed of himself. The next in turn now wad
dled forward ; but, having seen enough, we continued on
our way. I could not but wonder at their beautiful
training, and, as I saw the unlucky explorer receive his
slaps, my mind returned to the Canton River and to

138 THE HOME OF FORGOTTEN MILLIONS.

what the pilot had told me in regard to the ' last duck.'
It began to look like the truth."

Two minutes after leaving the bridge we landed on
the south bank, and, after a ten minutes' walk through
narrow, dark, and filthy streets, found ourselves ascend
ing an elevation in the rear of the town, upon which was
the Consulate. We were received with great politeness,
drank a cup of good coffee, and were invited to take a
walk before breakfast. My journal says :

" And now we undertook a walk while breakfast was
preparing, we and the four dogs, slim Mr. Clark, the
consul, and extremely stout Mr. Sloan, his jovial partner.
"We passed through the back-entrance and found our
selves upon the edge of an immense graveyard, an old
graveyard of the oldest nation under the sun : the whole
face of the outspreading country was mounds, mounds,
nothing but mounds. Away over, on a shady elevation,
Mr. Clark pointed out the burial-place that had been
allotted to foreigners, and here and there you could see a
house, or a solitary tree, or a huge rock ; but every thing
else was graves, nothing but graves for miles and miles.
Footpaths without number ran over and through these
oblong hillocks, and a long heavy grass grew in rare
luxuriance over their uneven surface. We walked through
those hard-beaten paths and saw hundreds of bare-legged
women and children cutting and bundling the grass that
shaded their ancestors, and carrying it to the opposite
city of eight hundred thousand souls. They looked at
our uniform curiously as we passed, and smiled and
laughed with great good-nature. During this walk Mr.
Sloan gave me much information in regard to the people

RASCALLY WANTONNESS. 139

among whom he was living. He said that it was only six
years since any foreigner had heen allowed to live there,
and that even now they ran the risk of insult and loss of
life when going through ' the city.' In consequence of
this they generally went in sedan-chairs ; but even these
had been known to be opened and the occupant spit- on
in mere wantonness.

" '"What did he do ?' I asked.

"'Do?' he replied; 'he looked straight ahead, like u
sensible man as he was : had he struck his in suiter he
would have been torn to pieces/ "

I did Mr. Sloan the injustice at the time to think this
might be exaggerated, but subsequently had good cause
to believe that things were even worse. And now, since
our return to the United States, I have seen in the Phila
delphia Evening Journal of September, 1856, a long
account of the death of a Mr. Cunningham, under the
most wanton and unprovoked circumstances. This gen
tleman had treated us with marked courtesy during our
visit to Fou-chow, and was a quiet, inoffensive personage.
He was murdered by an infuriated mob of the residents
of the small island which I have spoken of as being near
the south bank of that river.

I learned further, from Messrs. Clark and Sloan, that
the exports from Fou-chow were annually doubling them
selves ; and that, from the fact of its being the nearest
seaport to the great tea-district of China, it must eventu
ally become the great point of export.

After breakfast we took sedan-chairs and were carried
over the bridge and into the densely-packed city beyond
it. I never before saw such crowds of people as blocked

140 VALUABLE WINE-GLASSES.

up its narrow streets ; and, after we had been carried some
three miles, we got out at the head of one of the most
quiet-looking to stretch our limbs. We were soon sur
rounded by a crowd of several hundred; but, though
they followed us, laughed at us, and even frowned in
some cases, we got back again without being "spit
upon." We saw some singular sights in the shops of
that no longer " quiet street." My journal says :

" We entered the open door of this old-curiosity shop
as much to avoid the crowd as any thing else, and looked
around us to pass the time. The first thing I saw was an
oval frame of glass, under which were two very ordinary-
looking wine-glasses that were evidently regarded by the
shopman as rare and valuable. To satisfy my curiosity,
I asked him the price of them, and was told five dollars :
they could be bought in the United States for fifty cents
the dozen, if not less."

We saw also some beautiful specimens of lacquer-ware
in another shop :

" This man, who was a skilful workman, and whose
wares were all sent to Pekin (at least a thousand miles)
as fast as they left his hands, showed us a tray containing
twelve oval lacquered boxes about as large as one's fist,
for which he asked fifteen dollars a set: we admired them
greatly, buttoned up our pockets, and retreated to our
chairs. There were four in a set."

We returned to the Consulate in time for dinner, and
the next day were again climbing the wall-like sides of
the unfortunate "old John."

We remained at our anchorage near the pagoda
several days, during which time we made a partial survey

DEATH. 141

of the river, and had the misfortune to lose a highly-
esteemed messmate in the person of Acting Lieutenant
Henry St. Geo. Hunter. This officer had suffered with
the disease of the country for some months, and was now
carried off by it in the flower of his manhood. His
untimely death cast a gloom over our social board, and
deprived the Expedition of a valuable officer. We buried
him in the shady graveyard of the foreigners, and paid
for the erection of a granite monument over his lamented
remains. Poor Hal !

The weather having now moderated and our bunkers
being full of wood, we again put to sea with the Cooper
in tow, and continued our voyage to Shanghae. It proved
but a passing lull, however, and at the end of the first
twenty-four hours we again found ourselves beating to
windward against a northeast gale. The reader already
knows how the "old John" was wont to acquit herself
under such circumstances. Like a huge disabled crab, she
drifted helplessly to leeward, and we thought ourselves
more than fortunate when we were able to take shelter in
a place called Bullocks' Harbour, which we surveyed and
made ourselves comfortable in for the space of twenty-
four hours. There we bought four fine bullocks for seven
dollars, a large quantity of sweet potatoes for a few pieces
of fat pork, and sailed again the next day before a light
breeze.

Our glory was short : we had scarcely got sail set when
the wind hauled in our teeth again, and we were forced
to send down all } 7 ards and masts, and steam in under the
la.nd to avoid losing ground. This was ticklish work:
sometimes we ran in such shoal water that we could see

142 A CLOSE SHAVE.

the bottom, and yet if we had kept out from the laud we
would not have been able to steam against the sea : our
only hope was to keep in smooth water, carry as much
steam as possible, and try to get to Shanghae before our
coal gave out. All the wood which we had taken in at
Fou-chow was soon expended, and, before commencing
on the remnant of coal, we burnt up all the spare timber
about the decks, chicken-coops, old chairs, pieces of
masts, &c. &c., and, finally, the few tons of coal. We
reached our port on the 7th of October, with a few bags
of coal, the sweepings of the bunkers. Had we been
two hours later, we would have drifted helplessly about
until the arrival of a fair wind.

CHAPTER IX.

WE AERIVE AT SHANOHAE, WHENCE WE SAIL WITH THE COMMISSIONERS
fOR THE PI-HO WE PASS OVER THE YELLOW SEA IN FINE STYLE,
ANCHOR IN SIGHT OF THE MOUTH OF THE PI-HO, AND SEND IN THB
SMALLER VESSELS WE FAIL TO "REACH PEKIN BY WATER," AND
RETURN IN DISGUST TO SHANGHAE, WHERE THE OLD JOHN'S ENGINE
" RUNS DOWN."

UPON our arrival at Shanghae, we found the " Pekin
party" awaiting our arrival with the most intense
anxiety. Mr. McLean, in particular, having heard a
most doleful account of the inefficiency of our " screw-
steamer-of-war of the third class," began to give us up,
and had made up his mind to sail the next day should
we not arrive. The consequence was that we had to
work day and night coaling ship, and, when that was
accomplished, the Powhatan took both the schooner
and ourselves in tow, and walked off with us at the rate
of eleven miles an hour. The Rattler followed with
the hired lorcha, and thus we boomed it over the smooth
and polished surface of the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of
Pichili, until one moonlight night we found ourselves
anchoring in six fathoms of water and no land in sight.

The next morning we got under way and steamed
into four fathoms, when we could just see some low
land in the distance, which our observations told us
was about the mouth of the Pi-ho River. We had not
had a breath of wind since leaving Shanghae, and had

143

144 THE OLD JOHN "FEELS HER OATS."

come several hundred miles. The sea had been like a
broad expanse of polished glass.

The "old John" now began to feel herself of vast
importance : we only drew twelve-feet of water, and could
consequently go much nearer the river than the other
steamers ; so we took the lorcha and Cooper in tow and
stood in for the land. We ran into thirteen-feet water,
and then cast off the vessels, which continued on before a
light breeze, the lorcha getting safely into the river, and
the schooner, which drew a foot more water, grounding
on a bank near its mouth. We were a week getting
her in after that, some of the hardest work I ever
engaged in. Then, after both she and the lorcha were
safely anchored inside of the mud forts, the secretaries
of the commissioners took up their residence on board
and communications commenced.

The Chinese seemed very averse to have any thing to
say to us at all, and humbugged us to such an extent
that some of us advocated the idea of forcing our way
up to Pekin and demanding an interview in person.
As we were not the confidential advisers of the minis
ters, however, our opinion had little weight, none at
all, I fear.

Thus passed several weeks ; and, while the diplomatists
were making themselves hoarse with talking, we made a
beautiful survey of the locality, the schooner attending
to every thing inside of the river, and our ship the bar and
adjoining coasts. The schooner had Carnes our sailing-
master and his boat to assist her; and upon one occasion,
when they were trying to ascend the river as high as pos
sible, they came to a barrier of junks with only a passage-

WE FAIL TO " REACH PEKIN BY WATER." 145

way of some twenty feet wide between the two tiers, and,
upon their attempting to go through it, they were assailed
by crowds of Chinese armed with spears and match
locks, and found themselves under the necessity of re
treating quietly or shedding blood. They chose the
former, as the latter might have put a stop to all com
munication. Besides, the officers had no orders, and
did not feel themselves empowered to " declare war."

We found the Chinese of that region a powerful and
athletic set of men, very different from those of more
southern latitudes : the women we did not see. Lieu
tenant Raper, ILN"., locates the mouth of this river in
lat. 38 58' N. and long. 117 47' E., and we found ten
feet of water on its bar at high-tide and twelve or four
teen fathoms inside. From all that we could see, there
was no reason why an ordinary river-steamer might not
ascend it to within a few miles of Pekin, this city being
situated some distance from the bank.

Our commissioners had one or two grand "powwows"
on the beach inside of the river, which we all attended
in full uniform, after which they steamed away in dis
gust, leaving the " old John" and the Cooper to con
tinue the survey toward the Great Wall of China, now
only some hundred miles to the northward and eastward
of us. As far as I have been able to learn, our " attempt
to reach Pekin by water" was followed by no results;
but this failure must not be placed at the door of Mr.
McLean and Sir John Bowering : it was entirely owing
to the determination of the Chinese to keep all foreigners
out of the centre of their empire.

We now spent several days working up to the Great

146 TIDAL OBSERVATIONS.

"Wall, during which time myself and a boat's crew nar
rowly escaped drowning. My journal says,

"At 10 A.M., every thing in the shape of provisions,
water, ammunition, &c. being in the boat, and the crew
amply provided with pea-jackets and blankets, we shoved
off and dropped slowly astern, while the Phenomenon
herself (the ' old John') began laboriously to gather her
sluggish headway. Soon we heard the engine-bell ring
four times, (ahead strong,) and then voices began to die
away and faces to be confused by the increasing dis
tance. We were left alone upon the proverbially- trea
cherous bosom of the Gulf of Pichili, with a clumsy and
leaky boat, a six-pounder howitzer mounted forward,
a week's provision, (in case of being lost,) and water
stowed about in spots, and a dozen ashen oars, one mast
and sail, with which to protect ourselves against said
proverbial treachery.

"Our orders were to anchor where we were left and
make tidal observations during the day, after which we
would be picked up by the Phenomenon toward night,
a most unpleasant prospect for a cold, raw day.
Down went the anchor, however, as soon as said Phe
nomenon cleared us, over went the lead, and the mono
tonous employment commenced. It consisted of sounding
every ten minutes, the time and depth of water being
noted in lead-pencil at each cast ; and the hours passed
heavily enough, as may be imagined.

" It was one of the most quiet days I ever passed,
quiet, not only so far as work and noise were concerned,
but also in the perfect rest of the elements. Not a pass
ing cloud interposed itself between us and the welcome

A RISING GALE. 147

rays of the sun ; not a fitful breath of disturbed air
chilled our blood, or darkly ruffled the smooth and
placid surface of the sleeping gulf. All was quiet : nature
lived her inanimate life around us in the form of water
and sky only ; for the low land of Pichili, though visible
from the deck of the steamer, had sunk below the clearly-
defined horizon as we descended into the boat, and the
ship herself had slowly steamed from us on her trackless
path, until, from a mere speck upon the opposite horizon,
she had finally disappeared entirely. Neither the air
nor the water showed a sign of life. We were alone
upon the motionless surface of an unknown sea, with
the silent repose of nature for our only companion. At
noon I got an altitude of the sun, and then, leaving the
coxswain to note the soundings, stretched out for a nap
in the sunny corner of the stern-sheets. An hour passed,
and its last minutes found me shivering with cold and
gazing anxiously at a lowering change which had come
over the face of awakening nature.

"The sea was no longer smooth and polished, but
broken by rising waves and of an inky hue ; while the
sun was hidden by dense masses of driving clouds whose
lurid edges indicated the commencement of a northern
gale. The wind was already blowing quite fresh, and
the boat rolling uneasily in the rising sea, dipping in the
spray-crests occasionally, and jerking at her anchor as if
asking for more chain. I began to think we might be in
an awkward predicament, but kept my fears to myself,
and ordered more chain veered. Then we unshipped the
howitzer and got it in the bottom, after which she rode
easier. Anxious eyes now began to be cast in the sup-

148 A MOST UNPLEASANT SITUATION.

posed direction of the ship, but even her smoke was not
to be seen. There was a smoky appearance, truly, but it
was that of the rising gale ; and, as we wrapped our blan
kets around our shivering frames, we knew that there was
anxiety, and work, and danger, possibly death, in the
voice of the leaping waves and in those lurid masses of
hurrying clouds.

" The water was now coming over the bow quite fast ;
so we commenced baling, served out an extra allowance
of grog, and continued watching for the ship.

"And so another and another hour rolled by, and the
gloom of approaching night began to deepen that of the
rising gale. Ours was now a most unpleasant situation.
The water was swashing over either beam at every roll,
curling over the bow at every dive, and giving us sharp
work with both buckets to keep it from gaining on us.
After a while it did gain on us, and men's faces began to
turn pale. I felt that things were getting desperate, and,
adjusting a glass, swept the eastern board in the vain
hope of catching a glimpse of the expected smoke : there
was nothing to be seen but a bank of moving mist.

" Our circle of vision had by this time been narrowed
down to a diameter of some two miles, and we were just
fearing that the ship might miss us in the fog, when sud
denly, like a meteor shooting into the clear sky from
behind a passing cloud, she burst through the bank of
thickening mist into a glorious full view. She was distant
not more than a mile, was smoking like a young volcano,
was under a crowd of sail at the same time, and, in short,
evidently doing her best to reach us. A long-drawn breath
seemed to relieve every one. A few minutes later we

"SPECIAL SERVICE" AND "EXTRA PAY." 149

were alongside, with the boat half full of water, ourselves
soaked to the skin and half numbed with cold, but still
safe.

" ' Glad to see you !' said the captain, as we crawled
heavily over the side. 'Bad weather came up very sud
denly : didn't it ? !N"ever mind ; it'll rub off when it gets
dry : besides, this is special service, for which Congress is
to give us extra pay. Heave the ship to with her head
off shore, Mr. Russell/ So much for this unpleasantly-
near approach to a long swim.'*

We now experienced a continued spell of bad weather,
which forced us to relinquish the idea of reaching the
Great Wall, and drove us with tingling ears from the Gulf
of Pichili into the Yellow Sea. I have already remarked
that the surface of this sea was like a vast expanse of
polished glass when we crossed it in tow of the Pow-
hatan, and that we had not felt a breath of wind during
the passage ; but now, alas ! how changed was the state
of affairs ! The sea was dark and broken, and gale suc
ceeded gale in place of the endless calm. There were
some doubtful islands in this sea which we wished to
satisfy ourselves in regard to before returning to Shang-
hae, and several more days were devoted to searching for
them. We were unsuccessful ; and, finding time running
short, squared away on our return-trip.

This was during the latter part of November, 1854, the
28th, I think ; and that night we had a fearful time. Let
me describe it.

Imagine yourself upon the restless ocean with the
destroying hurricane breathing its furious breath around
your labouring craft ; with the rugged rocks and boiling

150 A HARD CHOICE.

surf of the dreaded "lee shore" looming upon the misty
horizon, and warning you of the necessity of " holding
your own" against the gale, while friendly miles of space
yet lie between you and their fatal dangers. Imagine
yourself watching the strained canvas and the complain
ing spar, the hauling gale, the heavy dive into the green
seas, and the distant land, which, as the gale hauls, is
fast changing into the dreaded "lee shore." Imagine
yourself at the commencement of a dark and stormy
night, with the position of your ship but poorly defined
upon an unreliable chart, suddenly called upon to run
her through a narrow passage, before the gale, while yet
its direction enabled you to do so, or remain " hove to"
with the strong probability of being wrecked on the
rocks before morning. Imagine yourself in circum
stances similar to these, and you can readily appreciate
our feelings as the shades of such a dark and stormy
night closed around us and left us to choose between
those two evils.

"We had scarcely squared away when the weather,
which had been overcast and threatening for some days,
came on very thick and heavy, and combined with un
known currents, want of observations, and doubtful
charts, to render our position perilous in the extreme.
We had been several days without a glance at any celes
tial body when we kept away, and the consequence was
that we did not very well know where we were running to
at such a grand rate : we might soon find ourselves on a
pile of rocks for what we knew; so we wisely hove to
under a close-reefed maintopsail, and with just enough
steam on to keep the old tub from falling off into the

THE KESULT OF A " WEATHER-ROLL." 151

trough of the rapidly-increasing sea. Even with the
assistance of steam, however, we did not make half the
weather of it that the little Cooper did, who, with her
close-reefed foresail only, climbed over the threatening
seas with the lightness of a feather and "held her own"
beautifully ; while we, like a huge crab, drifted bodily to
leeward, as usual. The consequence of this was that in a
very few hours we lost sight of her light, and when we
next saw it it was off the town of Shanghae. I turn to
my journal for an account of our subsequent doings:

"We drifted along quite miserably in this way for
some time, our decks being no sooner well clear of one
sea than another would slap her on the bow, curl over
the rail, and sweep aft through the lee gangway. We
had taken the precaution to batten down all of the for
ward hatches before the arrival of night, and at about
four bells in the first watch (10 P.M.) began to wish that
we had done likewise by the after ones. At that hour a
heavy weather-roll brought in a sea over the main chains
that deluged the quarter-deck, filled the ward-room and
our state-rooms six inches deep, and swashed up into
our bunks with so much effect as to soak our beds and
awaken us most thoroughly.

"Having the mid-watch ahead, I had turned in an
hour before, and was annoyed, though not at all sur
prised, at my nocturnal bath : it was not the first thing
of the kind by any means, and, being easily pleased, I
was fast becoming reconciled to it as one of the neces
sary accompaniments of that interesting cruise. Buckets,
dippers, and swabs, were now in great demand, and a
quarter-watch called quarter, I suppose, because it means

152 HOW WE SLEPT DURING BAD WEATHER.

half the watch that are on deck was sent below to pass
up the water, while the others helped the carpenter to
batten down the offending hatches.

" "While the men were thus baling, while the old ship
rolled horribly, and while I was turning over my mattress
in the partially-successful search for a dry spot upon which
to coil myself away for the next two hours, while all of
this was going on, I heard a knock at my state-room door,
and then the voice of the quartermaster of the watch :

" * Mr. Habersham !'

"'Well?'

" * The cap'n wants you, sir.'

" ' The mischief he does ! How many bells is it?'

" < Gone four, sir !'

" ' Very well ! Any thing wrong ?'

" 'No, sir! Only it's a-blowin' a livin' gale, and she's
mighty uncomfortable. The cap'n wants you in the
cabin with Mr. Russell and the master : they're all over
the chart now.'

"'All right!' I exclaimed; but I buttoned up my
monkey-jacket over a vast deal of disgust and dissatis
faction as I stepped down into the half knee-deep water,
and made my way aft through a confused mass of broken
chairs, floating spittoons, and baling men. I never felt
so out with the sea, so great a longing to quit it for a
shore-profession, as I did during that groping walk ; and,
as I put my hand upon the cabin-door, my mind was
pretty well made up never again to engage in a surveying
and exploring expedition around the world.

" ' Sorry to disturb you, Mr. H ,' said the captain,

as I opened the door and took off my cap ; t but the truth

UNPLEASANT INFORMATION. 153

is, we are getting into another of our tight places, and
want to advise together as the best course to avoid it.'

" l You haven't disturbed me at all, sir,' I replied ; ' the
water got the start of you : our rooms are all afloat again
in the ward-room.'

" < So I hear. Well, I'm afraid we'll have to steam up
and get her off before this gale. We are making such a
bad weather of it that we have parted company with the
Cooper. The gale blows stronger every minute, and
hauls too : if it continues thus for two hours, it will make
the coast of China a lee shore. We must run through
between the capes before it heads us off, or stand our
chance of holding our own sufficiently well to keep off
the land. E and C and myself have been talk
ing it over, and think we'd better run for the China Sea,
in spite of the strong chance that exists of our running
down one or the other of the capes. We don't know
where we are: we have only dead reckoning to work
upon, but we think it the best chance. Have you any
thing to advise ?'

" I looked at Carnes. He had made two black spots
on the chart, and joined them by a straight line.

" 'We have every reason to suppose that we are on this
line,' he said, in answer to my look of inquiry ; i but upon
what exact part of it we cannot say. The chances are
about two out of three that we are between the spots ;
hence we may be outside, and, if we are outside and con~
elude to run, we are lost. We propose steering a south
course, which will take us between the capes and into the
open sea, if our supposition is right. If I have allowed
too much or too little for drift and current, or if the chart

154 A GKEAT SATISFACTION.

is much out, we will strike on the east or west cape, &$
the case may be. If we remain here and the gale goes
on hauling, we will be on a lee shore before morning, and
you know what the old beast would do then. My voice is
for running on a south course. Voila! the elephant!'

" He shrugged his shoulders, half Frenchman as he is,
and indulged in a muttered imprecation, as the ship made
a heavy lurch that almost threw us from our feet.

" <I think, too, that our best chance is in running, sir,'
I replied, as Stevens again asked my opinion; 'it's an
ugly night, and we are as likely to feel the capes as see
them : still, it won't do to remain here.'

"'Well, then, run it is; we have the satisfaction of
knowing that we are all agreed, at any rate. Tell Mr.
Lawton to get up plenty of steam ; and have all hands
called to wear ship. Goose-wing the foresail, secure
every thing about the decks, batten down the cabin sky
light, and let me know when you're ready for putting the
helm up. There's an awful sea running, but we must
try to find a smooth time, and then get by the trough as
soon as possible.'

" So we left him and went on deck, where an active
and exciting scene at once commenced. The clear, shrill
whistle of our only boatswain's mate first arose over the
howling of the gale, and called every man to his station
for ' wearing ship.' Then commenced the preparations,
lights floating around the gloomy decks, and only serving
to render every thing more gloomy than before; men
hurrying here and there ; the flapping of sails, the creak
ing of blocks, the slapping about of the running rigging,
and the unnatural voice of the speaking-trumpet striving

ANXIOUS MOMENTS. 155

in vain to make itself heard over the battle of the ele
ments. Nor was this all : the thick sheets of descending
rain, the heavy seas which now often broke over half the
length of the ship, and the visible darkness, whose gloom,
as I have said, seemed only increased by the flitting lights
that danced around the decks, combined to render the
whole affair any thing but pleasant, and promised us an
anxious night.

"The men, too, became frightened, and Russell, who,
as second lieutenant, had his station on the forecastle, find
ing them afraid to ascend even to the foreyard, sprang
into the rigging in the hope of shaming them into bold
ness. The device succeeded, and in twenty minutes
from the commencement every thing was ready. The
captain now took his position near the wheel, while I
climbed into the weather mizzen-rigging and commenced
to watch anxiously the towering seas as they rolled by,
partly under our keel, partly over our decks. Those
were some of the most anxious moments of my whole
life, as we thus awaited the arrival of a period of com
parative quiet to enable the helm to be put up with safety*
It was so dark that we could not see the seas until they
were nearly upon us, and we could only hope to feel, by
the change in the ship's motion, when the proper time
was arriving. Finally, I judged it at hand, and, as the old
ship recovered herself after a more than usually heavy
lurch and dive, gave the orders, 'Hard up the helm! Go
ahead strong with the engine ! Brace in the after yards !
Haul aboard the fore tack!" And then every thing was
done that we could do. It now became the turn of the
head sails, of the helm, and of the propeller, to do the

156 HOLD HARD!

rest. If she went off before the wind previous to the
arrival of another heavy sea, we were all right ; if she
hung in the trough, we would, in all probability, founder
in five minutes. In either case, nothing more could be
done to help her: the die had been cast.

"I grasped the rigging more tightly, and strained my
eyes toward the labouring bow; but every thing was so
dark and impenetrable that I could only hope that she was
falling off. Suddenly I felt the wind drawing abeam,
then abaft it. I began to breathe freely. * * * *
What a glorious thing a propeller is ! When the helm
had been put up, the old tub was lying like a log in the
troubled ocean, and yet the rushing waters of the whirl
ing screw, acting upon the lee face of the rudder, turned
her as upon a pivot, thus bringing both wind and sea abaft
the beam sooner than we had any reason to hope for.
Yes ; the dreaded trough was passed quickly, and yet not
a second too soon ; for it was no sooner accomplished
than the heaviest sea of any that had yet struck us came
rolling up under our weather quarter, broke completely
over our decks, and caused the old ship to vibrate as if
every timber in her had been started.

" It was a beautiful as well as a fearful sight, to see that
sea rear its tottering crest over the very quarter, cast
itself bodily upon our trembling decks, and then rush for
ward, half of it in-board, half of it out-board, along our
weather bulwarks, sweeping with it arm-chests, gratings,
spare spars, yelping dogs, squeaking pigs, empty chicken-
coops, struggling men, in short, every thing that was
movable. Some of these it swept completely overboard ;
others it lodged in the ropes along the bulwarks, or piled

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET. 157

in a confused mass under and about the launch. All
along our weather bulwark it broke also, from the very
quarter to the distant stem, pouring in over the rail like
a young Niagara, loosening spars from the chains, and
twisting off the wing of the crow-like eagle that had for
years adorned (?) our bow. It was a fearful shock, and
we feared for the ship after it. "What would have been
our fate had it struck us fair on the beam ? At the same
time, it was productive of a good result ; for, as her stern
settled down as its body passed from under us, we were
urged forward with a velocity which, combined with the
action of the propeller, threw us before both wind and
sea and told us that the danger of the trough was passed.
"We actually astonished the barnacles and rudder-fish by
flying before the gale at the rate of eleven knots the
hour; and, even after disconnecting the propeller, we
found her speed but slightly reduced, so heavy was the
gale and sea that drove us ahead.

"And thus we ran the gauntlet of those rugged capes,
through that dark night, that blinding rain, that shriek
ing hurricane, and before those angry seas that growled
and broke and rose again under our flying stern. The
night seemed longer, and darker, and more dismal, than
any night I had ever passed before ; but daylight came at
last, and with it the conviction of safety. At noon it was
clear weather once more, and we got observations that
fixed our position on the chart. Then we drew a straight
line due north from it ; and it was frightful to see how
closely we had shaved the left cape, so closely, that bad
steering alone might have cast us upon its hopeless rocks,
and then "

158 THE GOVERNMENT SAVES $250.

It would be unjust to end this adventure without ac
cording due credit to him whose close navigation and
sound judgment carried us safely through it, Mr. E. 0.
Carnes, the sailing-master of the ship, then a passed-mid-
shipman, and now the occupant of a Wall Street office.
The hardships of that cruise, combined with a latent dis
taste for the sea, disgusted him with the navy and caused
him to resign his warrant. Fortunately for the Expedi
tion, he could not hear of the acceptance of his resigna
tion by the Government until our arrival at San Francisco,
when he was thrown upon his own resources and allowed
to find his way home as best he could.

"We now shaped our course for Shanghae, and while
entering the "Woo-sung River the propeller suddenly
"ran down," and forced us to anchor to avoid drifting
on shore. "We could not imagine what caused this sin
gular stoppage, and resorted to every device to get it to
start again. "We finally had to blow off' steam and trust
to our sails to get us up to the city, which was only a few
miles off. It took us several days to accomplish this ; and
we could not but wonder what would have been our fate
had it failed us during or immediately after the gale.
"We were subsequently engaged more than two months
repairing it, a great loss of valuable time, and the source
of considerable expense to the Government.

CHAPTER X.

WE HEAR A DISTRESSING RUMOUR AND ARE GREATLY DISPIRITED WE ARE
REQUESTED BY THE MERCHANTS OF SHANGHAE TO ATTACK A PIRATICAL
SQUADRON, AND EVINCE A PRAISEWORTHY READINESS FOR ACTION THE
OLD JOHN ASTONISHES THE CHINESE OP THE WAN-CHEW RIVER, AFTER
WHICH SHE VISITS FORMOSA AND LIBERATES TWO CHINESE CONVICTS.

WHILE we were working our toilsome way up the
Woo-sung Kiver, a painful rumour spread itself around
our decks and weighed us down with a shapeless and
horrid fear. It was said that the Porpoise was lost; hut
how the news came, or who had spoken positively of it,
no one could tell. A startled feeling of doubt, and sur
prise, and distressing uncertainty, pervaded every heart.

While in this gloomy state of mind, we were one day
greatly relieved by the arrival of the Cooper, whom, it
will he remembered, we had left in the Yellow Sea, exposed
to the fury of a heavy gale and the dangers of a probable
lee shore. We had been so disheartened by the report
of the loss of the Porpoise, that our fears for the safety
of our little consort had been morbidly increased, and
we were now proportionately inspirited by her appear
ance. She anchored near us to see if she could be of
any assistance, (we were aground,) but, finding us obliged
to wait the rising of the tide, got under way again and
stood on up the river. A few days later we reached the
city ourselves, when we received a visit from the consul,

who confirmed our worst fears in regard to the Porpoise.

159

160 WE PREPARE FOR WAR.

There seemed to be no doubt as to the truth of the
rumour. Still, we found it difficult to give up our con
fidence in her as a sea-boat, or in her officers as skilful
and able men. We remained in a painful state of sus
pense for months.

"We now found it necessary to put the Hancock into
dock before we could ascertain what affected the pro
peller, and by the time she got out again the month of
December was passed and we found ourselves commenc
ing the year of 1855. We were no sooner ready for sea
than a report reached Shanghae that an English opium-
clipper was blockaded by pirates in the Wan-chew River ;
and, as it was only slightly out of our route to the island
of Formosa, the captain readily complied with the wish
of the merchants that we should touch there on our way
and rescue her from their clutches. We consequently
hurried our departure, and, after fighting many imagi
nary battles to get our hands in for "deeds of blood and
valour," we arrived at the spot and found that the pirates
had retired and that the schooner had gone to sea some
days since. We now reworked our way through the
numerous sand-banks that guard the mouth of that
rarely-visited river, and shaped a course for Keilung, a
harbour in the northern end, of the unknown island of
Formosa. But, before I leave Wan-chew, let me say a
word in regard to the "sensation" which the "Old
John" created among the crowds of astonished Chinese
who lined the banks of that river to see a vessel sailing
head to wind and current without any apparent motive-
power.

Persons who are in the daily habit of seeing a balloon

WE ASTONISH THE NATIVES. 161

ascend, of wondering over the strange secrets of electricity,
or of witnessing the silent progress of a propeller-steamer,
will have to reflect a moment before they can appreciate
the feeling of alarmed curiosity which fills the semi-
civilized or savage breast when for the first time it
beholds such apparent miracles. In the present case, we
had our sails furled, were steaming with anthracite coal,
which made no smoke, and were running through a
strong current and against a light breeze. There was
nothing in the world to give ignorant minds the slightest
clue as to how we got ahead : they were as much con
founded as we would have been to have seen an ox-cart
going up-hill by itself. As we thus ascended the winding
river, the villages which teemed along its banks poured
forth their excited inhabitants to witness the strange spec
tacle, men, women, and children, hurrying to the water's
edge, watching our mysterious progress, and then return
ing slowly to their homes as if they had seen enough to
think about for the next week. After we had anchored,
they approached us warily in their boats, refusing to
come alongside, and keeping their eyes on our every
movement. They were evidently in doubt as to our
terrestrial origin, or rather as to that of the Old John.
Finally, we landed at a village abreast of our anchorage,
and they began to get more reconciled, closing around
us in great numbers and pointing to the ship in con
tinued wonder. They were evidently seeking informa
tion, which we could only impart by signs.

While entering this river, we picked up a fishing-boat
and compelled one of its owners to pilot us in ; and it

was he who had anchored us off this village, declaring

162 HIGH LIVING.

that we could not get any higher up on account of
sunken rocks, the captain having been anxious to anchor
near the principal town. We could see from this village
quite a large walled town which was between us and the
larger city, and Hartman and "Williams that evening
climbed its wall and promenaded its streets, to the in
finite terror of the female and juvenile portions of the
population. They described it as being very thinly in
habited, evidently an old city that was being gradually
deserted. The latitude of this river is about 28 !N"., and
its longitude 120 38' E. It will never probably be any
thing more than a haunt for pirates.

We had a fine run to Keilung, where we fell in with
the Cooper, she having sailed direct for that port, and
where we found quite a snug anchorage for one or two
sail. We also found ducks, vegetables, and oranges
quite plentiful, the latter being as fine as any I ever ate.
We had also been told of the existence of coal a few
miles in the interior; but, upon applying to the authori
ties, (such as they were,) they gave us, as usual, the most
evasive answers. The captain was, however, determined
to get some specimens ; so he and one or two of the mess,
with his Chinese steward as interpreter, started back into
the country to discover the deposit. They were soon
encountered by two men, who offered to guide them to
the spot, provided they might be allowed to go to Hong-
Kong in the ship ; and, as it seemed a simple case of buy
ing and selling, the captain consented. They told him
that there was a law forbidding any one to show the way
to the coal-mine, upon pain of death; but, upon our
arrival at Hong-Kong, we learned that Keilung was a

THE MAN-EATERS OF FORMOSA. 163

penal settlement of the Chinese, and that those two fel
lows were convicts who thus escaped their punishment.

I will say nothing more about Formosa for the present.
We left its shores about as wise as we were upon our ar
rival, and it was not until our second visit that we picked
up what little information now exists upon the files of the
Expedition in regard to it. Upon leaving Keilung for
Hong-Kong we kept along the east coast of the island, in
the vain search for a reported harbour. There was nothing
to be seen but an iron-bound coast with range after range
of lofty mountains lifting themselves above the heavy
surf that broke along the entire beach. One day we
thought we had discovered it : we saw ahead the smoke of
distant villages rising back of a bight in the coast which
looked very much like a harbour; but, upon approaching
it, we found ourselves mistaken. "We, however, lowered
a boat and attempted to land, but the surf was breaking
so furiously that it would have been madness to have
entered it. Besides, the beach was crowded by naked
and excited savages, whom it was generally reported
were cannibals, and into whose company we should con
sequently have preferred being thrown with reliable arms
in our hands. The two convicts, whom the captain had
taken in the boat to interpret in case of his being able to
land, became so frightened at the savage appearance of
those reported man-eaters, that they went on their knees
to him, protesting, through the steward, that the islanders
had eaten many of their countrymen, and that if he went
?ny nearer they would do the same by him and the
boat's crew. Finding it impossible to pass the surf, the
boat returned on board, and we squared away for Hong-

164 THE END OF HOPE.

Kong, where we arrived on the 13th of February, 1855,
and found the Yincennes alone at her moorings. "We
looked with straining eyes and sinking hearts for the
well-known hull and spars of the devoted brig. They
were nowhere to be seen. "We sighed and closed our
glasses with a shudder. The Porpoise was lost.

We found that the Yincennes herself had passed
through an unusually severe cruise during our separa
tion ; and as the unfortunate Porpoise had kept company
with her up to a certain time, since when she has not
been heard of, I make the following extract from a letter
lately received from Lieutenant John M. Brooke, of the
Yincennes, in regard to the manner in which they sepa
rated, &c. ; and I am sorry to say to the friends of those
who were lost in her, that this extract contains all we
know of her melancholy end :

"The facts relating to the Yincennes and the Porpoise,
and the fate of the latter, are simply these :

" The two vessels in company were struggling with the
northeast monsoons in the China Sea. Occasionally the
veering wind and changing barometer indicated the pas
sage of a cyclone : the increasing fury of the wind and
these indications governed the courses of the vessels. At
length they found themselves between Formosa and the
main, and, during the night of the 20th of September,
they held on near mid-channel ; but in the morning the
Yincennes, then to laeward, bore up for the Bashee pas
sage. It was presumad that the Porpoise would follow.
While the Yincennes was thus running before the wind,
towing hawsers astern to break the sea should she cross
the banks, the Porpoise was enveloped in a driving mist

THE LAST OF THE POEPOISE. 165

and lost to sight. This separation was regarded as of
little moment, for the brig was well manned, and her offi
cers, individually and collectively, were men of the first
ability and courage : you knew them all.

"It is generally understood by seamen that sound ves
sels are safer alone than in company; for the whole at
tention of the commander may be devoted to the care of
his vessel without those modifications of plan required
when acting in concert. In those seas the obscurity of
the night rendered it difficult to distinguish light, and
the sound of cannon would be lost in the roaring of the
winds and waves. Therefore, neither surprise nor special
anxiety was experienced on that occasion.

"The Yincennes, having passed the Bashee passage,
entered the Pacific, and, until her arrival at the Bonin
Islands, experienced fine weather. The arrival of the
Porpoise a dull sailer was daily expected. Meanwhile
there came on, at night, one of those characteristic storms
of the Bonins, a hurricane or cyclone. It came unhe
ralded, except by the slightly-increased sound of the surf
on the outer rocks ; and it was not until the fitful gusts
that, by their peculiar tone, are recognised by those who
have heard it, swept from the hills over the ship, that we
were aware of its proximity. Nearly shut in by moun
tains, the Yincennes, with lower yards and topmasts struck
and four anchors down, trembled from the vibration of the
masts and rigging. There was no shrill whistling of the
wind, but a deep and hollow roar ; the crests of the waves
were caught up, and whitened the air with drift. The
falling barometer and the veering wind presented all the
indications of a cyclone sweeping toward the north. It

166 CONJECTURES.

was remarked by the ablest seamen of the Vincennes
that she, good sea-boat as she was, would scarcely have
survived the hurricane at sea.

"In the confined China Sea near the Pescadores, the
wind blowing toward the coast of China it would be
singular indeed if no vestige of a ship wrecked or lost
there should be found. It is not probable that the
Porpoise was lost until she reached the vicinity of the
Bonins.

"She bore the character of a good sea-boat, but was
short and deep in the waist, therefore liable to broach to,
or to be brought by the lee, to fill and founder."

And this is all ! This gloomy account, similar to that
which was laid before us on our arrival at Hong-Kong,
contains in its hopeless lines all that is known of the fate
of the time-worn old brig and her crew of near a hun
dred souls. The subsequent search which was under
taken by the Hancock, and in which we persisted at the
imminent risk of our ship and lives, resulted in nothing
save disappointment, danger, and loss of time. That
dense and driving mist which enveloped her in its shroud-
like embrace may have veiled from the curious eyes of
her receding consort an unequal conflict, waged between
man's godlike brain on the one side and the power of
the elements and some untoward accident on the other;
or she may have followed the stormy path of her more
fortunate consort, and perished within a day's sail of
the Bonin Islands. Certain it is that no ordinary combi
nation of circumstances would have sufficed to bring
about her uncertain fate. That brig, and the man who
controlled her slightest movement with the experienced

WE LOSE A VALUABLE OFFICER. 167

will of his well-balanced brain, had now rested after the
labours of their perilous cruise, had not some insur
mountable danger crossed their path, against which all
human precautions were of no avail. Peace eternal
peace be to the glorious manes of those who share her
unknown grave, and to those mourning friends whose
dearest hopes, whose fond longings for an earthly re
union, are blighted by the withering evidence of time's
onward roll ! There is no more room for hope.

We were now once more in Hong-Kong, the Yin-
cennes, ourselves, and the Cooper. Further changes
soon began to be talked of as to the officering of the
different vessels, the result of the wasting hand of
disease, which was by this time thinning our ranks. We
had buried Lieutenant Hunter in the vast burial-ground
of Fou-chow-fou, and now Acting-master R. R. Carter,
of the Yincennes, was lying dangerously ill at the
house of a friend .on shore. He was partially restored
to health after a protracted illness, and finally succeeded
in reaching his Yirginia home ; but he never again did
any duty in the Expedition, nor will he, I fear, ever
regain his former strength. After the loss of the Por
poise, the detachment of this accomplished officer was
the greatest misfortune that the Expedition experienced.

This vacancy on board the flag-ship caused Lieu
tenant Russell to be ordered to fill it; and Lieutenant
McCullom, having grown tired of keeping guard off Can
ton, in the Kennedy, was induced to join the Hancock in
his place. He was my senior officer, and as such un
willingly relieved me of the combined duties of first
lieutenant, boatswain, and gunner of a shaky old steamer

168 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

at which people looked and wondered that she was still
afloat.

"We had all been so roughly handled during our late
cruise that considerable time was now required for re
pairs; and while these were going on a third set of
astronomical observations were obtained by Lieutenant
Brooke, the astronomer of the expedition. They were
culminations of the moon, and the mean of the three
sets was satisfactory in the extreme. Finally, the spring
set in, and found us again ready for sea ; and, in order
to run over as much space as possible, each vessel was
assigned a separate track.

The Vincennes was to proceed, via the Bonin Islands,
to Loo-choo, the Cooper to take in some islands to the
northward and eastward of Formosa on her way to the
same port, and the Hancock to search for the Porpoise
in the Formosa Channel, to survey the southwest and
east coast of that island, and then join the other two
vessels at their port of destination. From thence we
were to proceed by different routes to the port of Hako-
dadi, island of Jesso, the Cooper going through the
Japan Sea, and the Yincennes and Hancock through a
long chain of islands, touching at Simoda, island of
Nipon, and finally joining the Cooper at Hakodadi.
From thence the Yincennes was to pass along the east
coast of Kamtschatka and Asia, through Behring's Straits,
and into the Arctic; the Cooper was to examine the
Kurile, the Fox, and the Aleutian Islands; and the
Hancock to survey the entire circumference of the
Okotsk Sea, the great centre of the American whalers.
It was understood that the middle of October was to

SEARCH FOR THE PORPOISE. 169

find us again united in the harbour of San Francisco,
California.

It was another stormy season as we again put to se?
from Hong-Kong, and we had a most uncomfortable
time working up against strong northerly gales. As
already observed, we were bound to the Pescadore
Islands, and thence around the south cape of Formosa.
"We were hunting for the missing brig, or for a stranded
plank or floating cask that should tell us of her fate.
We had little or no data to assist us in this search. A
black spot pricked upon the chart of the China Sea by
Commander Rodgers was our only guide. "It was
there we left her," said he: "go and seek our brother-
officers, and may Heaven prosper your search!" We
arrived at the harbour of Makung on the 26th of March,
and remained there two days. Makung is the largest
settlement of the Pescadores, and is inhabited by
Chinese. We communicated with them through our
Chinese Servants, could hear nothing of the Porpoise,
and left for the coast of Formosa. Upon sighting the
latter, we were overtaken by a heavy gale, against which
we tried to steam, but, finding ourselves near founder
ing, put up the helm and ran down along the land
toward a village this side of the south cape. As we
closed in with the land the wind seemed to head us
ttff, and we were glad to reach our destination without
being blown to sea.

And now, before I turn to my journal for a few pages
in regard to our experience while coasting around this
island, let me enlighten the reader as much as possible

170 HISTORY OF FORMOSA.

in regard to it from other sources. The Encyclopaedia
Britannica says,

"The Dutch at an early period established a settle
ment on this island.

" In 1625, the viceroy of the Philippine Islands sent an
expedition against Formosa, with a view of expelling the
Dutch. It was unsuccessful. . . . About the middle of
the seventeenth century, it afforded a retreat to twenty
or thirty thousand Chinese from the fury of the Tartar
conquest. ... In 1653, a conspiracy of the Chinese
against the Dutch was discovered and suppressed; and,
soon after this, Coxinga, the governor of the maritime
Chinese province of Tehichiang, applied for permission
to retire to the island, which was refused by the Dutch
governor ; on whictt he fitted out an expedition, consist
ing of six hundred vessels, and made himself master of
the town of Formosa and the adjacent country. The
Dutch were then allowed to embark and leave the
island. . . . Coxinga afterward engaged in a war with
the Chinese and Dutch, in which he was defeated and
slain. But they were unable to take possession of the
island, which was bravely defended by the posterity
of Coxinga ; and it was not till the year 1683 that the
island was voluntarily surrendered by the reigning prince
to the Emperor of China. ... In 1805, through the
weakness of the Chinese government, the Ladrone
pirates had acquired possession of a great part of the
southwest coast."

The Encyclopaedia Americana says,

" The island is about two hundred and forty miles in
length from north to south, and sixty from east to west

THE COUNT DE BENYOWSKY. 171

in its broadest part, but greatly contracted at each
extremity. That part of the island which the Chinese
possess presents extensive and fertile plains, watered by
a great number of rivulets that fall from the eastern
mountains. Its air is pure and wholesome, and the
earth produces in abundance corn, rice, and most other
kinds of grain. Most of the India fruits are found here,
such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, guavas, cocoanuts,
and part of those of Europe, particularly peaches, apri
cots, figs, grapes, chestnuts, pomegranates, watermelons,
&c. Tobacco, sugar, pepper, camphor, and cinnamon,
are also common. The capital of Formosa is Taiouan,
a name which the Chinese give to the whole island."

In addition to the foregoing extracts from standard au
thority, we have a most marvellous account of this island
from the pen of Mauritius Augustus, Count de Benyowsky,
a Polish refugee from Siberian exile, who visited its east
coast in 1790 in a small armed vessel containing about
one hundred men. The account by this nobleman is
interesting in the extreme, but unfortunately he is guilty
of one gross and palpable falsehood, which necessarily
throws a shade of distrust on his entire narrative. He
speaks " of anchoring in several fine harbours on the east
coast;" whereas we of the Hancock searched in vain for
any such place of refuge along that entire shore. On the
north and west coasts they are quite plentiful.

After anchoring in one of these "fine harbours," the
count goes on to give us an idea of the people who re
ceived him : they were Indians, savages, and very fierce,
so much so that they soon attempted the murder of a
party that had visited their village. He now killed a

172 A BEFEESHING VIEW.

great many of them, got up his anchor, and went to an
adjoining harbour, where he was most graciously received
for having slain so many of their enemies of the place
they had just left. Here he fell in with a prince, who
persuaded him into an alliance against another prince,
and thus they fought for some time. Finally, he drags
himself from the island, much to the distress of the prince
his ally, who loads him down with gold and silver. It is
impossible to read the count's narrative and say what he
did see. He was evidently a blood-relative of the Mun->
chausen family.

And now, having shown what others say in regard to
Formosa, let us return to the "old John," whom we left
at anchor under shelter of its west coast, at the close of a
stormy day. Here is what my journal says in regard to
our arrival, and to what we saw and did upon the follow
ing days :

"We could see nothing that night save an extensive
stretch of white sand-beach backed by a sloping green,
in the rear of which we imagined we saw a village slum
bering under the deepening shadows of a high range of
mountains. But this village existed, many said, only in
the vivid imaginations of a few, and it was not until dark
ness had become sufficiently dark to reflect its many
lights that the fact was generally admitted. The next
morning, however, we had a most refreshing view spread
out before us, -green slopes and waving fields of grain,
broken here and there by extensive tracts of table-land,
over which we could see the cattle roving in their lazy
search for the more tender mouthfuls of the abundant
grass.

HIGH CONDITION OF BUST-PROOF. 173

"It is a beautiful sight for any one to look upon these
landscapes composed of sloping lawns, waving fields,
grazing cattle, a village here and there, and the moun
tain-sides glistening with the sunlit spray of rushing
waterfalls. But when to all this is added the fact of one
being just from the sea, and gazing upon lands seldom
beheld by the eye of civilization, it becomes a scene well
calculated to drive the blood through the veins with
increased velocity. One feels like rushing wildly through
those waving fields, and throwing his salt-impregnated
frame into the mountain-stream, or rolling childlike
upon the green grass, and feeling himself away from the
sea at last.

" This was all very beautiful, very desirable, but unfor
tunately just then quite unattainable. For the gale still
raged through, over, and around it all, most effectually
preventing our ' rushing into the mountain-stream or
rolling upon the green grass.' So we amused ourselves
by overhauling our guns, which had been pronounced
perfectly ready for service the night before, adding more
ammunition to our already large supply, resharpening
our bowie-knives, which had always been like razors, and
in the various other useless though ingenious occupations
of restless minds. 'Old bust-proof looked more service
able that day than I ever saw him before.

"During the night the gale fortunately abated, and the
next morning bust-proof and his master, several others
of the mess, and myself, ventured into our best-pulling
boat and struck out boldly for the beach. It was a hard
and wet pull; but something over three-quarters of an
hour sufficed to cross the stormy half-mile that separated

174 DEGENERATE POSTERITY OF COXINGA.

us, and, as the keel grated with welcome harshness on the
sand, we felt ourselves once more on shore. "What if
the boat was half full of water, and we like half-drowned
rats ? we were still on shore.

""We landed upon this strange and crowded beach
without fear, simply from the fact that, while yet some
distance off, we had readily recognised the natives as
Chinese, and, although they were all armed with either
the matchlock or bow and arrow, we knew too much
of their race to anticipate violence. This crowd, which
received us in a most noisy manner, was composed of
men, women, and children, the males of almost every
age being armed. We had taken the precaution to bring
one of our Chinese mess-boys with us ; but, their language
being neither the Mandarin, Canton, or Shanghae dialect,
he at first found great difficulty in making himself
understood. After a while, however, by the aid of the
few words common to each and a fearful amount of
violent pantomime on our part, we succeeded in exchang
ing ideas with tolerable freedom.

"From all that we could learn from them in this way,
it seems that they exist in a state of perpetual warfare
with their savage neighbours of the east coast. The
island being very narrow there, the latter find no diffi
culty in crossing the mountain-ridge which, like a huge
backbone, divides the two territories, capturing cattle,
making prisoners, burning isolated habitations, and then
retreating into their mountain-fastnesses, where they are
never followed by their unwarlike victims. Thus we
always found the latter armed with sword, matchlock, or
bow and arrow, and confining themselves strictly to their

HARTMAN WHISTLES A POPULAR AIR. 175

fields and pasture-grounds. Whenever we evinced a dis
position, to ascend the bushy sides of the neighbouring
hills, they became greatly alarmed, caught hold of our
clothes, threw themselves in our paths, and made signs
to us that our throats would be certainly cut and we
roasted for supper by bad men who were very strong and
fierce and who wore large rings in their ears. We did
not know what to make of all this at first ; but Hartman,
who had wandered off by himself in search of snipe,
rejoined us shortly before dark, and opened our eyes.

"Having unconsciously wandered over the low land
and ascended a neighbouring elevation, he had seated
himself upon a fragment of rock, and was admiring the
view which opened before him, when his ear suddenly
caught a sound as of some animal making its way cau
tiously through the bushes. He turned quickly, and saw
a party of three, whom he had no difficulty in recog
nising as 'bad men who wore large rings in their ears.'

"Here was a fix for our innocent sportsman : he must
either retire with an imaginary tail between his legs, or
face boldly the unlooked-for danger. Fortunately, he
was a man of nerve, and was moreover armed with a
shot-gun, bowie-knife, and revolver. Choosing, therefore,
the latter alternative, he arose with a great air of non-
she-lan-cy, (as I once heard the word pronounced by an
American who had been to Paris,) and advanced to the
nearest, a tall, fine-looking fellow, who rested upon his
bow and fixed his gaze curiously upon him. Hartman
says that he whistled with considerable success portions of
a popular air as he thus went, as it were, into the lion's
mouth, but never before felt such a longing to be safely on

176 THE "KED-MAN" IN FORMOSA.

the distant decks of the much-abused 'old John.' He
soon joined this princely-looking savage, and as the others
drew near he made a careful but hurried survey of their
personal appearance, exchanged a Mexican dollar for the
bow and arrow of one of them, evidently against the will
of the surprised owner, and then leisurely retraced his
way until an intervening clump of trees enabled him with
safety to call upon his legs to do their duty. It is need
less to remark that the vocal music and the air of ' non-
she-lan-cy' expired in each other's arms at this point. He
ran for a mile or more before evincing the slightest curi
osity to know if he was followed."

He described them as being of large stature, fine
forms, copper-coloured, high cheek-bones, heavy jaws,
coarse black hair reaching to the shoulders, and boasting
no clothing save the maro, and a light cotton cloth over
the shoulders, very much like our North American In
dians, he thought. ~No wonder that such a miserable race
as the Chinese should hold them in dread : in fact, the
only wonder is that they have the courage to remain on
the same island. I suppose that our innocent sportsman
is the first member of civilization who has had a close
view of these reputed cannibals since Benyowsky, the
Polish count, cruised along their shelterless shores in
1790, since which time they have been more out of the
world even than the Japanese. These singularly-cap
tured bow and arrows are now in the collection of the
Expedition.

The setting sun looked upon us as we returned on
board, and before he had again shone on those sloping
greens we were well on our way around the south point

UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO LAND. 177

of the island, in search of a landing among the savages
in their own country. This, I regret to say, we never
found, the whole east coast being one continued line of
foaming breakers, that carried death upon their rolling
crests to every thing like a boat. "Where were the fine har
bours of the Count de Beny owsky ? The roaring of the surf
was our only answer. More than once, however, impelled
by our excessive curiosity to learn more of these unknown
people, did we attempt to land; and more exciting at
tempts at shore-going I never participated in. Upon one
of these occasions we entered upon the dangerous trial
with two of our best boats ; but, upon nearly losing the
inner one, with all who were in her, we wisely returned
on board. We got more than one near view of the
savages, however, heard their voices, and answered their
signs ; but all this only increased our desire to know more
of them, for now we saw that they were veritable red
men; and what were red men doing on the island of
Formosa?

As we pulled back to the ship after our narrow escape,
we could not but think it providential that they of the
inner boat had failed in landing through the surf; for,
even had they succeeded in gaining the beach with whole
bones, their arms would still have been rendered unser
viceable by salt water, and, had the crowd proved un
friendly, we in the outer boat would certainly have
kicked prudence overboard and pulled in to share their
fate ; and the probability is that we should all have "had
our throats cut, and our bodies roasted for supper, by ' bad
men who wore large rings in their ears.' "

From what I could see over the distance which sepa-

178 AN UNPLEASANT CONVICTION.

rated our boat from the crowded beach, I found the pre
vious description of our S* innocent sportsman" substan
tiated by my own eyes and those of others. "We saw an
excited crowd of fine-looking men and women, copper-
coloured, and possessed of the slightest possible amount
of clothing, the former boasting only a cloth tied around
the head, while the latter had but a thin loose garment
that seemed to gather around the throat and extended
no farther than the knee. Some of the men were armed
with bow and arrow, others with very serviceable-looking
matchlocks; the women held various articles in their
hands, probably for barter, and, as we pulled away after
our narrow escape, they evinced their sorrow and desire
to trade by loud cries and the most violent gestures.
Our Chinese boy had almost fainted from fright as the
inner boat backed into the surf in the attempt to land :
he could only tremble and cry out, "Dey eat man ! dey
eat man !" His friends on the other side had evidently
impressed him with that unpleasant national character
istic, and hence his fright when apparently about to be
rolled helplessly to their feet by a boiling surf.

The same day upon which we made this our last
attempt to land among them, we steamed along up their
coast, keeping as close as was prudent, in fact closer,
and examining with our glasses as far back as we could
see. In this way we saw small but apparently comfort
able stone houses, neatly-kept grounds, what looked like
fruitful gardens and green fields, all being cultivated by
" Chinese prisoners who had not yet been eaten," we were
told on the other side ; or rather we were told that their

WE ARRIVE AT THE LOO-CHOO ISLANDS. 179

friends, when captured, were made to work until needed
for culinary purposes.

We were surprised at this air of comfort among half-
naked savages, and could not but wonder how they could
have built such nice-looking houses, until we finally con
cluded that their prisoners had been made to turn their
hands to masonry as well as gardening. Thus ended our
second and last visit to Formosa, and all that we learned
in regard to it may be condensed into a few words, viz.:

We found it two hundred and five miles long by about
sixty average width. It runs 1ST. by E. and S. by W., has
a range of mountains running along its entire east coast,
and is peopled by two different races of men, Chinese
and red men. The former possess the north and west
side of the island, the latter the east and south, and they
exist in a state of constant hostility. The country in the
possession of the former is undulating or low, that of the
latter rugged and mountainous. There are harbours on
the north and west side, and none on the east. All else is
conjecture. So much for Formosa and its mysterious red
men. We continued our survey, and arrived at the port
of JSTappa, island of Great Loo-choo, on the 9th of April.
Neither the Yincennes or the Cooper had yet arrived.

CHAPTER XL

SOMETHING ABOUT THE ANAKIRIMA GROUP OF ISLANDS, AND CLIMBING
HILLS ALSO A WORD IN REGARD TO LOO-CHOOANS, AND TWO MIS
SIONARIES WHO RESIDED AMONG THEM, AND HOW IT WAS THA.T WE
LEFT LOO-CHOO AND ARRIVED IN JAPAN.

WE found considerable difficulty in working our way
through the sand-banks which guard the harbour of
Tappa, as the pilots which Commodore Perry had made
the Government promise to keep on the look-out did not
approach us until we were near the anchorage. Then
two of them boarded us, and begged by signs that we
would not report their neglect to the authorities. We
could not imagine for some time what caused them to be
so much in earnest : we were subsequently enlightened
on the subject by a missionary. Let me make an extract
from my journal in regard to our arrival at this place:

" At 4 P.M. we anchored in this harbour, nine fathoms
water and muddy bottom. McCullom, the first lieutenant,
was at once sent on shore to see the governor, present
our compliments, and ask for a quantity of wood with
which we purpose steaming while surveying a neigh
bouring group of islands. Our coal is already running
short ; and, remembering how well we steamed with the
wood obtained at Fou-chow-fou, we hope to use no more
coal for some time.

"McCullom had scarcely reached the beach when a

180

VALUE OF A SINGLE LETTER. 181

messenger arrived from the governor, bringing the card
of his excellency and inquiring most affectionately after
the health of the captain. This messenger's name was
Kagador, and he was a Loo-choo gentleman of the first
water. His bearing was even courtly : he spoke in a low
voice, almost a whisper, and possessed a singular air of
good-breeding and cunning combined. Our decks were
soon crowded by his suite, at least thirty or forty in num
ber, and not a word above a whisper from any one of
them : had the same number of Chinese been on board
one could not have heard himself speak.

"]^"agador spoke English well enough to make himself
understood ; and there were several others who knew a
few words. They had learned it from the missionaries.
"We find two of these latter here. One is a member of
the Church of England, an Englishman ; and the other
a priest of that of Rome, a French Jesuit. Singular to
say, the latter is the last-comer in this case. They say
they are treated kindly by the natives, but make few con
verts : time, they hope, will give them success. Those
Loo-chooans who speak a little English pronounce it with
more ease than any foreigners I ever saw. Unlike the Chi
nese, they pronounce the letter r without difficulty. I re
member once being put to the blush by a Chinese servant
at Macao: he was handing around a dish of rice, and
attracted my attention by a nudge of the elbow, and
asking, * You wanchy lice ?' I did not eat any rice that
day."

I shall dwell lightly on Loo-choo. Commodore Perry's
mammoth narrative leaves little to write about. I will
only remark that they are a simple and inoffensive people,

182 THE "FAIR SEX" SHUN US.

rather shy, extremely cringing in manner, and super
latively cunning. As far as my observation went, they
have no arms of any description. In cunning, however,
they excel even the Japanese. "We tried to get some
fresh provisions, a few potatoes and chickens, from them,
but failed most signally. They complained of poverty,
drought, thick population, and finally let us sail with two
goats which they presented to us. Some of the women
are very pretty ; but, as they invariably ran, or turned
their faces to the wall when too high to be climbed,
we saw little but their backs.

As soon as we had filled our bunkers and decks with
wood, we steamed over to the Anakirima group of islands,
distant some twenty miles to the eastward of Nappa,
and spent two weeks in surveying them. During this
time we were troubled more than ever with our leaking
boilers, having often to keep the ship anchored several
days after blowing the water out of them to let them get
cool enough for workmen to enter : then, probably, im
mediately after getting steam up again, a new leak would
show itself and the same work have to be repeated. This
was very harassing to the men and detrimental to the
survey ; but, like a great many other things, we had to
get used to it, for it continued till the last day of the
cruise. This group of islands having never before been
even examined, I devote a few lines to them. Their cen
tral latitude is 26 12' K, longitude 127 14' E., and
they are thinly populated by a lower order of Loo-chooans,
while a few goats and deer range their rugged heights.
The unpretending villages of these poor people are found
in various seaside coves, or pnugly stowed away in re-

GOING TO PAY A VISIT.

THE ANAKIRIMA ISLANDS. 183

treating ravines or concealed valleys, as if they were
anxious to remove as far as possible from the observation
of strangers. Their year is divided into the calm and
windy seasons, and it was our fortune to visit them during
the former. Like most of these islands, those of this
group are of volcanic origin, and offer but slight promise
of agricultural yield along their steep and bare or densely-
wooded sides. Some of the valleys, however, grow fine
rice, and a few of the slopes were planted in sweet potato.
The largest of them is not more than three miles in length
by a mile in breadth, and altogether they do not number
over a dozen, including islets. Some of them rise to an
elevation of several hundred feet, and abound with deadly
snakes : more than once we made narrow escapes from
their fangs while climbing the precipitous heights to
obtain angles for the survey. It was any thing but
pleasant to climb those hills often on one's hands and
knees and to grasp a bunch of grass to secure your
footing, while under the very next bunch you probably
saw a snake coiled snugly away. Let me relate an adven
ture of this kind : it will give an idea of the scenes
through which we passed while thus " surveying around
the world."

I turn to my journal for assistance:

"April 14. I came unpleasantly near breaking my
neck yesterday. McCullom, Carnes, and myself left the
ship at an early hour to scale three heights where we
were to measure base by sound and take a round of
angles. Having landed at the foot of that which had
been assigned me, and seen the boat hauled up above
high-water mark, I left her in charge of three of the

181 A TOUGH CLIMB.

crew, and took the remaining two along to carry the spy
glass and a signal, I myself having a sextant-box under
my arm, a revolver through my belt, and a pair of six-
pound expedition-boots upon my heels. The revolver I
carried because it was a standing order to go armed, and
the boots I dragged along because the natives had warned
us of the existence of snakes whose bite always put people
to sleep, which latter we interpreted as meaning death.

" Our road at first was quite navigable, not that there
was any road, but simply from the facts that the under
growth was not absolutely impassable, and that the moun
tain-side was sufficiently sloped to let one hold on without
resorting to his hands.

"At the end of a half-hour's tramp, however, things
began to look different. "We were about half-way up the
mountain, the thick undergrowth was rapidly giving
place to rock, ravines, and spare patches of grass, and
what earth there was was of that crumbling nature that
makes a climber feel well before he trusts his weight on
the advancing foot. We came to a halt, set our various
burdens on the ground at our feet, drew a long breath,
and commenced looking around. It was our first attempt
at climbing for some months, and our knees already
began to shake, while the upward prospect was more
stupendous than ever.

" 'How in the world are we ever to get up to the top of
that peak ?' we asked ourselves, as the eye searched in
vain for a favouring ridge or firmer foothold.

" It was a hard question, one that could only be an
swered by trial; and so we resumed our burdens and
undertook its toilsome solution.

-OO-CHOO COUNTRY-PEOPLE-CANAKIIMMA

GROUP.)

HOW WE PROGRESSED. 185

" Another half-hour passed, and we still gazed upward
at the point of destination, and called another halt ; for
the friendly bushes, whose firmly-imbedded roots had
heretofore offered a secure hold for our unemployed
hands, had now given place to thin clumps of grass,
that a good jerk would pull out, roots and all. The
earth, too, had become even more crumbling and un
reliable as we got higher, and the rocky ravines deeper
and more frequent as well as more unsafe of approach.
Again we continue the arduous ascent, and again call
a halt from sheer fatigue. Now, however, we no longer
halted in company ; for I happened to be ahead when my
knees failed, and the two men no sooner saw me down
than they followed my example. It was now indeed
diflicult to see how we were to get along any farther ;
nevertheless, as the entire work of the day would be
injuriously affected did we give it up, I could not
well avoid making another trial. At it we went, there
fore, with renewed vigour; and the way in which we
progressed was after this wise :

"I, having been joined by Rose and Burke, left my box
with them and climbed some feet higher, from whence
I reached down for all the burdens, and, having de
posited them at my feet, climbed still higher, while
Rose and Burke ascended to the place I had just left
and passed them up to the new elevation. This was
ticklish work, but it was also the best that we could do.
I look back to it now, and think what a great booby I
was. Then I regarded myself as a very energetic sur
veyor, generously risking my bones in the cause of
science.

186 AN UNPLEASANT SITUATION.

"At last we could get no higher ', and, what was worse,
we began to think that we might find some difficulty in
getting down again. "We couldn't well make up our
minds, however, to remain all night upon the mountain's
side, and so proceeded at once to make the attempt. I
had often heard the expression, 'It is much easier to
ascend than to descend a precipice,' and had frequently
tested its truth in my own previous rambles ; but I had
never before glanced around me and felt that there was
a strong probability of my breaking my neck within the
disagreeably-short space of ten minutes.

" Each one now selected his own road down, Burke
throwing his burden ahead some hundred yards, and thus
getting the use of both hands, while I was so unfortunate
as to select the worst road that could have been found.

" I thought that, with only one hand to steady myself,
I should do better along the rocky edge of a neighbour
ing ravine; but, after some little time, the projecting
footholds of rock became less frequent, and their places
were taken up by the crumbling earth and loosely-rooted
bunches of grass. Still, as there now remained but some
eight or ten feet between me and a bed of rocks, from
which the ground sloped off quite safely, I determined to
trust to the light soil for a partial support to my foot,
hoping to sustain much of my weight from a more
healthy-looking bunch of grass, whose roots felt quite
solid under the grasp.

" It was a fatal mistake.

" The earth gave way entirely under my cautious foot.
I tried to recover myself when too late, and was left with
my whole weight suspended from the grass. Should

A DISAGREEABLE ALTERNATIVE. 187

that also fail me I should slide helplessly into the
rugged and apparently-fathomless fissure, which was
now just midway between me and the bed of rocks,
which formed one of its broken sides. There was no
time to think, either, for at any moment the roojs might
draw, and then what ?

"The rocky bed already alluded to was now some four
feet lower than my feet, and about five or six feet to
the right. It was full of holes, and the sharp-pointed
rocks peered up here and there through a rank under
growth in which a thousand snakes might have coiled
themselves without being seen ; and, as we had already
killed one most villanous-looking rascal while sunning
himself in a similar locality, I shuddered at the idea of
springing bodily over the yawning fissure into the un
inviting berth, whose only recommendation was that
it was level, and whose drawbacks were so numerous.
Besides, I was not certain but that I might fall short in
my spring and drop into the fissure instead of upon its
far edge; for, having no foothold to spring from, I
should have to cast myself bodily from the side of the
mountain by means of my elbows, chest, knees, and,
subsequently, my hands and feet. It was about the
tightest place that I can look back upon during that
eventful cruise, and as I look back I shudder.

" That bodily leap was a most disagreeable alternative ;
but I had either to accomplish it or finally slip, from
sheer exhaustion or the uprooting of the grass, into the
fissure that was under me.

" My first thought was to tax the strength of the grass
as little as possible ; and, to that end, I let the box slip

188 AN INSANE QUESTION.

from under my left arm, dug my elbows and knees into
the soft earth, pressed my breast close to that of the
mountain, and, feeling the friction thus created relieve
my arm of considerable weight, began to think.

" In the mean time, Rose and Burke were in a terrible
state of excitement. The noise of the falling box
caused them to look around and discover my almost-
pendent position, while, from the nature of the ground,
they felt totally unable to render me the slightest assist
ance. I do believe that their feelings were as unpleasant
as my own, though probably a shade less vivid. Rose,
seeing the utter hopelessness of effecting a rescue, re
solved himself into a fit of spasmodic suggestiveness,
commencing his advice by cautioning me to ' hold on
hard,' while Burke immediately commenced reclimbing
to the scene of action, singing out, 'Stand by to jump,
sir, if you slip,' both of which admonitions only served
to give me a darker idea of what was before, or rather
under, me.

" The fissure was at least three feet wide, and the
pointed rocks upon which, if successful, I was to alight
face first were any thing but inviting. I fancied, too, that
every motion of the bushes that grew around them was
caused by some alarmed reptile preparing to receive me,
and shrank from the uncertain leap. Then at times I
thought the grass was failing, and this would start the
perspiration to my brow and cause a sickly shiver to
pass through me, carrying with it half of my strength
and courage.

"About this time, Rose asked me if I couldn't jump
between two of the bayonet-like rocks ; but I thought

I AM HELPED TO JUMP. 189

such a feat extremely improbable, and continued my
occupation of getting up a certain amount of friction
between myself and the mountain. I hung in this way
probably as much as a minute, listening to Rose's excited
suggestions and feeling far from comfortable. I felt
what was to be done, but revolted from the idea. The
prospect of breaking several bones, of being run through
the body by one of the 'bayonets,' or of alighting
among several nests of snakes, was almost as bad as
that held out by a pitch down the fissure. At last I
was helped to action in a most unpleasant way. My
right hand grasped the bunch of grass, and before making
the leap I must take it in my left, as the fissure was to
my right. Cautiously I commenced the exchange, watch
ing the straining fibres with an anxious eye, and keep
ing my muscles braced for the jump should they fail me
before I was ready.

" Just then I caught the sullen glare of two other eyes,
sullen and leaden, and yet bright and sparkling also
with alarmed rage. They belonged to the flattened head
of an ugly-looking snake, whose sinuous body and up
lifted front indicated an active readiness for either flight
or attack.

" I gazed and shuddered. I shudder now as the mind's
eye returns to those flaming specks of rage which flashed
their angry light within a foot of my nerveless hand. I
looked back to the commencement of time, and read
the truth of Holy "Writ in their expression of deadly
hostility : 'And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.* After

190 GREAT ABUNDANCE OF ANTELOPE.

a lifetime of hesitation and unbelief, I ceased to hesitate,
and believed that God was God and that I was but dust.
The prayer of extreme peril, 'Lord, have mercy upon
me, a miserable sinner,' struggled in my troubled heart
and nerved me to the desperate leap.

*****

" It was over. The very edge of the fissure received
me on its shelving side, bruised, panting, weak as an
infant, and yet with whole bones and safety. It seemed
as if the strength of a dozen men had rushed through
my frame and thrown me bodily from the glaring eyes
of that lifted crest, leaving me with the cold drops upon
my brow and a sickening feeling of overtaxed muscle
throughout my limbs.

" Slowly I regained my feet, rubbed my bruised side
with half-numbed hands, looked back for the now-
absent snake, and at the friendly clump of grass, whose
torn and drooping blades gave ample proof of the service
they had rendered ; and, as I picked my way through
the * bayonets' and thick undergrowth, silently vowed
never again to volunteer for an exploring and surveying
expedition round the world."

This and similar scenes were alarming drawbacks to
our pleasure while surveying the Anakirima group ; but
there were also others of a repaying nature. One day,
for instance, we came to an island where several of us
had fine sport shooting antelope while wood was being
taken in at an opposite village. Old bust-proof and
his master went into ecstasies over the abundance of
game, and slew them right and left. We killed some
thing like a dozen, and then learned that they were the

A LOO-CHOO STAMPEDE. 191

property of the Regent of Loo-choo, the offspring of
parents that had heen imported from China and put
upon that and another island to breed. Having ended
our work, we returned .to Nappa, where we found the
Vincennes and Cooper, and where we offered to pay
for the slain deer; but they refused, though we subse
quently had good reason to suppose that they charged
for them in our wood-bill.

We now commenced to get in another supply of wood
for the continuation of our voyage; and, as the Loo-
chooans sent it off very slowly, we found ourselves
masters of more spare time than the most sanguine had
hoped for. We took advantage of these idle days to
roam through Nappa and the surrounding country, and
it was almost painful to see how the people shunned us.
It was only those who lived near the water, or who had
been thrown in contact with foreigners, that did not fly
from us as if we had been evil spirits.

Upon one occasion we were following a winding street,
which brought us suddenly out upon the plaza, or market
place, of Nappa; and such a stampede as ensued I never
before witnessed. The plaza probably covered a space
of two acres, and it was crowded with country-people,
their packhorses, truck-carts, and articles which they
had brought in for sale. The citizens of all ages and
sexes were there also, making their purchases in their
usual noiseless manner, and apparently wrapped up in
their bargains. Suddenly a confused feeling of alarm
pervaded the whole square: strangers had appeared
among them. Those who were near the opening of
the street down which we came rushed pellmell from

192 AN ALARMED SPECIMEN OF ANTIQUITY.

us on either side, just as a crowd makes a passage for
a mad bull. They left most of their things behind,
though there was one fellow who took time to sling
a pig over his shoulders, and one tall, finely-formed
woman who gathered up her bundle of rice and walked
off with majestic dignity. Those who were more distant
from us mostly disappeared down neighbouring streets
or into friendly houses, though there were some who
had the courage to remain to pack their wares hurriedly
before flight. The cattle, too, became alarmed at the
general commotion, and added their antics to the con
fusion of the scene. I never before saw such a state of
"undecided alarm."

Being unwilling to cause any more inconvenience than
they had already subjected themselves to, we stood per
fectly still and called out the names of several of their
officials, hoping that the familiar sounds would quiet
their fears and cause them to return to their property.
In this we were eminently successful, and we soon had
the pleasure of walking among them, though it was
still impossible to gaze at any but an averted face.

Upon another of these occasions, when we had lost our
way among the crooked, alley-like streets of JSTappa, we
more than once found said streets ending in private
houses, to the infinite terror of their half-clad occupants ;
and before we had worked our way out of the labyrinth
we nearly frightened to death two " unprotected females"
whose fortune threw them in our path. One of these a
very old and decrepit specimen, apparently we encoun
tered suddenly upon turning a corner, and so startled her
that she could only gaze at us in stupid wonder until we

THEY ARE ALARMED AT OUR APPROACH.

HOW A COTTON WRAPPER BECAME VIVIFIED. 133

had passed her, when she gave a scream and took to
flight with unlooked-for activity.

The other was "a young lady of sweet sixteen," and*
she came gayly around another corner just as the old
woman was disappearing behind the one we had passed.
Her apparel was remarkable for its extreme simplicity
and uncleanliness, and she no sooner saw us than she
turned her face to the wall, which was inconveniently
high to leap, and, trembling like the restless leaf of the
poetical aspen, allowed us to pass without even deigning a
smile. Then, as soon as we were beyond her she followed
the old woman's example, being suddenly transformed,
from a shrinking figure of fear, into a flying mass com
posed of a thin cotton wrapper, a pair of arms and legs,
and a head of dishevelled, jet-black hair.

Finally we emerged from the city into the outskirts,
then into the by-paths of the fields, where we met with a
Loo-choo gentleman and his servant upon their way, as
we subsequently inferred, to spend the day with a friend.
The boy carried his master's " chowchow-box" which
contained his dinner, saki, &c., as it is the fashion in Loo-
choo for the guests to carry their meals along. This
gentleman directed us by the shortest cut to the high
road to the capital city of Shudi, which we were in search
of, and at the end of an hour's walk we found ourselves
entering under the heavy archway which is stretched
across the road at the edge of the city, though there are
no gates to close, and no walls extending from it to be
defended. It looks more like a consular triumphal arch
than any thing else. "We had now walked some four

miles over a road some forty feet broad, which was

194 WE VISIT SHUDI.

paved, like most of our streets, with round stones, and
lined on both sides by grassy sidewalks. During this
, time we passed many of the country-people, similar in ap
pearance to those on the opposite page, most of whom
would drop their bundles and run from us, though there
were some who had the boldness to pass us with bent
forms and eyes resting on the ground. Some there were,
too, of the higher classes, who encountered us as con
fidently as anybody ; but these were mostly the officials
who had mixed with Perry's squadron and become recon
ciled to the sight of strangers. We spent several hours
walking through Shudi, but derived not the slightest
benefit from 'it, as we could no sooner enter a crowded
street than the alarm would spread like wildfire, and in
the snap of one's finger it would be empty and the doors
of every house strongly barred. Finally we arrived at a
huge pile of gray granite, that reminded us strongly of
the feudal castles of old. It was surrounded by a heavy
stone wall that was thirty or forty feet high in some
places and had but one gate, that we could see. Through
this gate we looked, and saw a number of officials loung
ing around the grounds with fans in their hands, and
looking altogether quite comfortable; but, though we
looked longingly through the bars, and resorted to various
ingenious devices to attract their attention, we failed in
our object, and returned slowly to the ship, rather dis
gusted than otherwise with our visit.

Our reduced squadron now began to show the effects
of hard work and heavy weather. The ships looked
rusty, our boats were bruised and battered, and we our
selves looked miserably seedy and overworked. We

THE OFFICIALS OF THE TEMPLE.

MAGNIFICENT HARBOURS. 195

kept up the flagging spirits of the men by reminding
them of the extra compensation which we had been
assured Congress would grant us, and again put to sea.

We were now bound for Ha-ko-da-di, Japanese island
of Jesso, and the Cooper was to survey the west coast of
the great island of Nipon, while the Yincennes and Han
cock, pursuing different routes in order to cover as much
space as possible, were to attend to every thing to the
eastward. The two latter vessels were also to touch at
Si-mo-da, east coast of Nipon ; and, before reaching that
half-sheltered port, we surveyed a number of islands
hitherto unexplored, and lying in the path from California
to China. As we worked our way slowly through those
unknown lands to the northward, we passed one active
and several extinct volcanoes, and finally arrived at
Ousima or Treble's Island. The Vincennes had examined
the east coast of this island during her cruise of the pre
vious year, and found it, like that of Formosa, totally
wanting in harbours of any kind. It was now reserved
for the two ships in company to encounter a succession
of the most magnificent ports of shelter as they surveyed
along its west coast.

One of these, situated upon the northwest extreme of
the island, is well worthy of a passing notice. In the
first place, it is undoubtedly the most sheltered anchorage
in the world; secondly, it is the most convenient locality
for a coal-dep6t, should steamers ever run from California
to China ; and, thirdly, it is the dividing-line between
the Loo-choo and Japanese islands. There we found
both of these people, the former on the southern shore of
the double harbour, and the latter on its northern, the

196 MAMMOTH RASPBERRIES.

former receiving us with fear and trembling, the latter
with suspicion and distrust. Upon visiting the former,
we were timidly asked, through our interpreter, " Why
have you arrived at our small island?" and upon landing
among the latter we were obliged to intimate our readi
ness for fighting before they would get out of our way
and let us ascend a neighbouring peak with a theodolite.
Here we found fresh supplies of a magnificent raspberry,
similar to some we had encountered at the Anakirima
Islands, and which I neglected to speak of while writing
about that group. They were of two different species,
one of a brown colour and as large as a small apricot,
the other yellow and about the size of a Malaga grape.
The former grew on a vine that ran along the ground or
twined itself around bushes ; while the latter hung in
clusters from small bushes that generally stood off by
themselves. The leaf of the larger was often from seven
to eight inches in diameter, and one which I brought
home with me is always mistaken for that of the grape.
We gathered quantities of these berries; and as we had
previously failed to get fresh provisions from the Loo-
chooans, and subsequently failed to do so from the
Japanese, in spite of Commodore Perry's much-talked-
of treaty I have no doubt that they warded off the
scurvy from us for months. The latitude of the splendid
harbour around which these berries grew is 28 30' ST.,
its longitude 129 32' E., and it must eventually become
a place of importance.

Leaving this quiet retreat, we once more put to sea and
continued the survey, by separate routes, to Si-mo-da;
arrived off which port, we sighted a vessel entering ahead

WE ARRIVE AT SI-MO-DA. 197

of us, which, our glasses proved to be the Yincennes.
"We had expected to arrive some days before her, but the
"old John" had had to contend against headwinds, and
had, as usual, drifted to leeward. Poor "old John"!

The Yincennes anchored in the mouth of the unpro
tected harbour; and, as we passed her at the astonishing
rate of six knots, and answered the hail of Commander
Rodgers as to the health of the ship, &c., we noticed a
Whitehall row-boat towing at her stern, and several
strangers in European costume mixed among the officers
and assisting them to admire (?) the graceful outlines and
killing pace of our poor old tub of a steamer.

As we rounded to and let go our anchor well in with
the shore, we wondered what that clean-looking "White
hall boat was doing in Japan, and who those admiring
strangers could be ; and in regard to these two wonders
our minds were soon set at rest.

Scarcely was the anchor down than they came along
side in the Yincennes' gig, and, a barge-load of Japanese
officials boarding us at the same time, our hands were
filled so far as entertaining was concerned. We imme
diately took the combined party down into the ward-room
and began to find out who the former were, while the
latter, with their usual prying policy, began to try to
ascertain why we had visited their unfrequented shores.

Our "admiring strangers" proved to be Americans of
the nomadic stamp, who had lately arrived from the
Sandwich Islands with, an assorted cargo destined to
meet the wants of whaling-vessels, and who, upon the
discharging of their vessel, were to have reloaded her
with Japanese goods and sent her to San Francisco,

198 AMERICANS IN JAPAN.

while they themselves remained in Japan with their
embryo ship-chandlery.

Their party numbered nine in all : Mr. and Mrs. Eeed
and two children, Mr. and Mrs. Doty, and Messrs. Edger-
toii, Bridleman, and Peabody. They were at present
living 'in a temple on shore, and invited us to make their
quarters our lounging-place.

The manner in which they came into possession of this
temple in fact, the only reason why they were allowed to
land at all is worthy of note, more especially as a very
wrong conclusion is jumped at on page 454 of the other
wise very truthful work resulting from the labours of
the squadron under Commodore M. C. Perry. Before
noticing this wrong conclusion, I will make a simple
statement of the manner in which they awoke one fine
morning and found themselves temporary residents of
Japan. Commodore Perry's treaty had nothing whatever
to do with it.

* '

Shortly previous to their arrival, the Russian frigate
Diana had been seriously injured by an earthquake while
at anchor in the harbour of Si-mo-da, and had subse
quently foundered while being towed to the more pro
tected port of Hey-da for repairs ; and her crew, being thus
left upon the hands of the Japanese, who feared an armed
body of five hundred men, were necessarily compelled
to have quarters assigned them, and provisions furnished,
until such time as a ship should arrive to take them
away.

A large temple at Kaga-zaki (a small village of some
hundred and fifty houses near the mouth of the harbour)
was therefore placed at their disposal, which, subjected to

A WRONG CONCLUSION OF COMMODORE PERRY'S. 199

a few alterations, made them a most comfortable resi
dence ; and they were still lounging through its roomy
saloons and passages when our admiring strangers ar
rived, and were, to their surprise, boarded by a Russian
officer instead of a host of Japanese officials. .N"ow, these
Russians had saved their small-arms, &c., as well as their
lives, when their frigate went down, and, being several
hundred in number, were a source of constant dread to
their usually-tyrannical but now obsequious hosts, who
no sooner saw the arrival of a vessel than they advo
cated the idea of their taking passage in her away from
Japan.

As she was not large enough, however, to take them
all at once, it was determined to let all of her passengers
and cargo be landed, toward the simple end of obtaining
more room in which to stow a greater number of the
obnoxious Russians ; and it was further determined that,
as long as their schooner was employed in the transporta
tion of said Russians, they, the Americans, should have
the free use of the temple with and after the Russians,
and be further granted a house in which to store their
cargo. Upon the return of their schooner after her last
load L e. after she had done Japan the service to rid her
of her unwelcome guests they were to restow their cargo,
and take themselves off, with any Japanese goods which
they might be able to sell them. And this is a correct
account of the manner in which Americans first resided
temporarily in Japan ; although, as I have previously
said, one would arrive at a far different conclusion from
reading Perry's comments on the subject. In regard to
this treaty I have to add another word : it grants much

200 RUSSIAN GRATITUDE AND FRENCH PUNCH.

more than even the most sanguine mind had reason to
expect; and yet, from the utter faithlessness of the Ja
panese themselves, many of its articles are rendered null
and void. The commodore will have to be sent back
with a moderate force and full powers, and not with an
overwhelming squadron and his hands tied with Govern
ment tape.

And now let us return to our mess-room, where the
Japanese, the nomadics, a Russian officer, and "the.
mess," were opening bottles of French punch, to the
especial delight of the former.

The Russian just spoken of had been left in charge of
the temple with several men, when his companions had
retired to the more secluded port of Hey-da, to avoid
being discovered by the English and French cruisers, and
he was now almost as delighted to see us as were the
Americans themselves. He spoke with great feeling of
the kindness of the officers of the U. S. steamer Pow-
hatan to his shipwrecked companions, in giving them
clothes and provisions, and finally became so affected by
the combination of Russian gratitude and French punch
that he threw his arms round Games, the master, de
claring, in broken accents, that "he never before saw
such fine sailor-men, and that we must come on shore to
his house at once."

This specimen of fraternizing was not lost on the
Japanese portion of the assembly, who, having drunk at
least double as much as any one else, were quite pre
pared to take advantage of any such demonstration to
relax their sober countenances and assume a "hail-
fellow-well-met" style of demeanour, more in keeping

THE 'FINEST SWOKDS IN THE WORLD. 201

with the occasion. "When they had first drawn up
around the table, (with the dignity of gentlemen, it must
be confessed,) we had intimated, by unmistakable signs,
our desires to see their swords, of the beautiful polish
and temper of which we had heard so much, and they
had universally refused to draw them, expressing their
surprise and wonder in horrified glances and mysterious
shakings of the head. Now, however, they readily gave
them into our charge, making signs that they could not
eat and drink with comfort while bothered with them,
and pointing to the state-rooms as places of safety where
they might be laid. Of course we went into those state
rooms, and with closed doors examined their beautiful
workmanship and temper to our hearts' content.

"I'll tell you what it is!" said the Russian, as he
watched with reluctant gaze the rapid inroads which
they made in the precious punch : " these fellows talk
very smoothly now, and promise you every thing you ask
for ; but wait until the time comes to fulfil their promises
and see how they will act. The only way our admiral
could get along with them was by getting the men under
arms and threatening to march them upon Yeddo when
ever they promised without acting ; and, if you ever ex
pect them to bring you half the provisions they have put
on that list, your commodore will have to do the same
thing."

And he was right ; for, as long as we were in Japan,
we could never succeed in getting any thing but a few
eggs, now and then a tough chicken, and occasionally a
quart or two of fresh beans. Rice, soya, and saki were
the only three articles they ever furnished in abundance.

202 WE RECEIVE PERMISSION TO GO ON SHORE.

Tatz-nosky, the interpreter, who was seated directly
opposite to our Russian friend while he thus belaboured
his nation, and who understood probably about one-half
of what was said, took it all in good part, but, as the
party was breaking up, revenged himself by whispering,
in a confidential manlier, "Russe no good! Ameliken
very good !" After which he and his companions took
their departure amidst most energetic protestations of
regard and friendship. The last thing Tatz-nosky did
was to tell us that the governor had given us permission
to go on shore for a little while, but that we must not
ramble far, a piece of information that so annoyed the
captain, that he called him back and indulged in an im
promptu speech to the following effect :

" Commodore Perry had made a treaty with Japan,
and we had a copy of it on board ipr our guidance.
That treaty granted us the privilege of going on
shore when it suited us ; and, though we fully appre
ciated the attention of the governor in noticing our
arrival, still, we could not look to him to regulate our
movements," &c. &c.

Tatz-nosky understood enough of this very proper
speech to show him that we were conscious of our rights
and determined to exact them, but whether it ever
reached the ears of the governor it, is hard to say.

THE PRETTY GIRLS WHO WELCOMED US.

CHAPTER XH.

WE LAND IN JAPAN, AND VISIT A NUMBER OF AMERICANS AND ONE RUS
SIAN "MAHOMET AND THE MOUNTAIN" DIFFER AS TO THE MOST PLEA
SANT DIRECTION FOR A STROLL, AND FINALLY PART COMPANY, TO THE
EVIDENT ANNOYANCE OF THE LATTER.

AND now we were in Japan, among the mysterious
people who for the last three hundred years had amused
themselves by tying and otherwise harshly treating all
shipwrecked mariners of whatever nation, and with whom
the world was now beginning to renew its acquaintance
after an isolation of centuries. It was a thrilling thought
the very idea of landing among them; and, although
it was raining when our guests of the last chapter left,
several of us armed ourselves with umbrellas and took a
boat for the beach. "We landed between Ka-ga-sa-ki and
the sea, and followed the beach until we reached the out
skirts of the former, when we began to be struck by the
great number of children and pretty girls that came for
ward to welcome us. They seemed quite anxious to see
strangers, coming out of their houses, and lining our
path with their fancifully-painted umbrellas overhead
and their awkward stilt-like sandals underfoot. There
was considerable pertness, too, as well as curiosity, in their
glances, but as a general rule their bearing was marked
by any thing but boldness. The people of this particular

locality had seen so much of our countrymen, and appa-

203

204 HOW WE CONVERSE.

rently formed so favourable an idea of them during the
two visits of Commodore Perry, that they now viewed us
without fear: indeed, to have heard their questions and
seen their pantomime, one would have imagined that the
majority of them had been personally acquainted with the
worthy commodore. They would pronounce his name
quite plainly, (Comdo Pelly,) and ask us, by signs, if we
had ever seen him, giving us to understand, in return, that
they regarded him as a very powerful personage. Even
the little children had now become reconciled to us,
(through associations with members of his squadron,
we inferred,) and approached us with perfect confidence.
They would collect from all directions, as we passed,
hold out their hands with the salutation, "How do you
do?" or, "Ohio!" and, if noticed by a good-natured
shake, would retire among their less adventurous com
panions with the steps of young heroes. They also, in
many cases, evinced the utmost eagerness to pick up a
few words of our language.

One little fellow I remember in particular, who learned
to count as high as ten in as many minutes ; and the next
day I found him on the sandy beach with a sharp stick,
with which he was tracing 1, 2, 3, &c. as readily and accu-
rajely as many thick-headed school-boys after a month of
daily drubbings. He held in his left hand a slip of paper
on which I had written him the numbers on the previous
evening, and, recognising me as soon as I approached,
made signs that he had no longer any use for those, and
wanted me to put down some more. I looked at his
childish frame and bright, sparkling eyes, and began to
conceive a high idea of Japanese brains. It is needless

THE PORTAL OF THE TEMPLE. 205

to add that myself and friend seated ourselves on a piece
of ship-timber, and wrote him down the numbers ad in-
jinitum, which he had no sooner received (the lead-pencil
being added, to his lively joy) than he commenced count
ing on his fingers as high as each number, when, as we
bent our heads in assent, he put the Japanese character
opposite to each, and, the whole being translated in that
way, he smoothed off a place on the beach, and went to
work with his sharp stick and a will that caused me to
look back to my own truant-playing days and blush.
But all this has nothing to do with the visit which we
went on shore to pay.

A walk of some ten or fifteen minutes through the two
rows of houses that lined the beach brought us quite
unexpectedly in front of a large wooden structure, to
which several of the crowd that followed us pointed with
the explanatory exclamation of "Roos!" "Koos!" which
we took to imply that it was the quarters of the Russians,
and that it would be but polite in us to stop and pay them
a visit. As we had gone on shore for that purpose, we
took their advice and turned at right angles into the
broad and shady avenue, which, after a length of some
fifty or sixty yards, terminated at the foot of a massive
flight of stone steps, at the top of which was an equally
massive-looking portal, guarded on either hand by an
unknown monster of frightful exterior, carved out of
wood, and most fancifully painted/

We passed between these fierce-looking unknowns,
and entered upon a square and level space of something
like an acre in extent, from the back of which the
thickly-wooded hill-side arose, while in the centre was

206 A JAPANESE GRAVEYARD.

built the temple. Between this latter and the hill-side
in fact, extending up into the bushes was a Japanese
graveyard, a most singular-looking graveyard to stranger
eyes, and yet incapable of being mistaken for any thing
else.

It was laid out in walks and beds something after the
fashion of a flower-garden, and contained thousands and
thousands of small stone images that varied in size from
six inches to two or three feet. These were arranged
about in spots without much regard to the beauty of
effect, being piled together like so many bricks, or scat
tered about in the most convenient corners and crevices.
Some I even saw stuck up in the spreading branches of
the trees, and others again that, having been put at the
foot of a tree between two roots, the latter had grown
around them and rendered their removal no longer pos
sible. We were given to understand, by one Japanese,
that these images contain the ashes of defunct officers ;
and, by another, that they were intended simply as tomb
stones to mark where the ashes had been laid. And this
latter authority I rather incline to, though it is dangerous
to believe any thing that a two-sworded Japanese tells
you.

As we entered upon the cleanly-swept space in front
of the temple and looked around us, we saw a dozen or
more of these two-sworded gentry lounging about the
yard, while a number of others were engaged with their
pipes in the spy-house. These latter were the superiors,
who, in that dreamy state of enjoyment, awaited the fre
quent reports that were brought to them by the former in
regard to every movement of the occupants of the temple.

.
HOW WE ARE COUNTED. 207

These informers no sooner saw us all inside of the gate,
than they made a note of our number with their paint
brush-like pencils, and, as we were received on the steps
of the temple by the Americans and him who "had
never before seen such fine sailor-men," we saw them
sink upon their knees and hand their slips of paper \o
the lazy smokers of the spy-house.

"You see they have counted you already," said one of
our hosts, as he welcomed us to the immense mansion ;
"and when you go away the same thing will be done
over again. From the moment you enter their ports,
they station boats to watch your ships. When you leave
your ships, you are counted and watched. When you
land, you are followed ; and when you return on board,
you are again counted to see that there are none left on
shore. If a less number return than landed, a search is
at once got under way and the missing ones are always
found. We sometimes amused ourselves by passing, like
the Frenchman's cat, ' incessantly ins and outs of ze cat-
hole,' (a gate in our case,) thus causing these sentnes
to keep up a perfect stream of reports. They couldn't
understand it at first, but after a while smelt a rat, and
contented themselves with reporting only about every ten
minutes. The children used to baffle them considerably
also, for in their childish sports they would often get
beyond the grounds of the temple and mix with the
Japanese of their own age, much to the annoyance of
the officers."

By this time we were seated in a large and spacious
room, one of whose windows looked out upon several
fresh-looking monuments that lifted themselves from a

208 ONLY TWO SHORT YEAKS.

sjight elevation on our left, while the others opened into
the grand hall of the temple.

"Well, it is singular!" exclaimed one of the party, as
he gazed through the former upon the civilized-looking
monuments. " Look here at these granite monuments,
with their emblems chiselled upon them, and the fel
low's history cut in, exactly where with us would be put
* Sacred to the memory,' &c. They look exactly like the
monuments you would see in any Christian graveyard.
I thought the Japanese burned their dead and stowed
the ashes away in jars ?"

"So they do, as a general rule," remarked the Russian.
"But these are not Japanese monuments that you see
there. Four of Commodore Perry's men and one of his
officers are buried under them. The monuments them
selves were made by Japanese, from drawings by Ame
ricans."

" Do you remember what the name of the officer was ?"
asked an interested voice.

"Hamilton, Dr. James Hamilton," was the careless
reply.

I looked back to the jovial mess-room of the Kennedy,
(only two short years,) and,* as my eye rested on the
glorious hearts that then beat around our social board, I
felt it dim and moisten over the memory of more than
one that was now pulseless and cold. Hardships and dis
ease, combined with the destroying breath of the uncurbed
typhoon, had even then sadly thinned our ranks. One
slept his noiseless sleep among the unknown depths of
the coral sea, and now the lasting monument of another,
towering over the Buddhist images, proclaimed on its face

THE RUSSIAN PROVES A TRUE PROPHET. 209

a gospel truth, strange words to be seen in that infidel
land.

" Poor Hamilton !" said one pensive voice. The others
passed lightly on to other subjects; and, as night ap
proached, we took our leave and returned on board,
several two-sworded officials attending us to the beach.
Thus ended our first day in Japan.

We awoke the next morning with the very reasonable
hope of having a fresh breakfast, soft-boiled eggs, a
broiled chicken, or something of that sort ; but there was
no such good fortune in store for us. "We ate our usual sea-
breakfast, and then began to abuse Tatz-nosky. " "Well,
you may abuse him as much as you choose," said Cavi-
losky, our Russian friend, who came on board just at the
time : " did I not tell you yesterday that they would bring
you nothing?" The Russian was right; for, during the
several months that we were in or about Japan, we never
once received fresh provisions for the crew, and only
rarely a stray chicken or a duck for ourselves. Rice,
soya, (a very fine fish-sauce,) and saki, (a strong and not
unpleasant liquor made from rice,) were the only things
they ever furnished us in abundance ; and, had it not
been for 'the former of these, we should have been in a
starving condition.

Upon one occasion we saw several hundred chickens
in a bamboo pen in the very centre of Si-mo-da; but,
before we could find the proper person to order some
sent on board, they had disappeared. Upon complaining
of this to Tatz-nosky, his excuse was that they had been
previously sold, but that we should certainly have some

before long. This indefinite date never arrived. Upon

210 WE ARE OFFERED A HORSE FOR BEEF.

another occasion we saw dozens of the finest bullocks
ranging the neighbouring hills, and, when we wanted to
buy some of them, were informed that they were used as
beasts of burden, but that if we wanted a, horse we could
have one.

"We had not been many hours in Si-mo-da, when Com
mander Rodgers was applied to by the "nomadics" to
force the Japanese to respect a certain article of Com
modore Perry's late treaty ; but that officer very properly
regarded the disputed point as a question for future dis
cussion between the two Governments, and contented
himself with making an official appeal in their behalf.
The result of this was that the nomadics were informed
that the treaty-phrase "temporary residence" was under
stood to mean a day's stroll through the city or into the
country, and that they could never be allowed to settle in
any part of Japan. They therefore got on board of their
schooner when she returned, and sailed to Ha-ko-da-di,
where, meeting a similar refusal, they returned to San
Francisco in very high and just dudgeon. But I am
getting ahead of my narrative.

Finding that we were unable to buy beef and vege
tables, we turned our attention to articles of Japanese
manufacture, such as china, lacquer- ware, &c. ; and, having
exacted a promise that a bazaar should be got up for us
as soon as possible, we sat down patiently to await its
fulfilment. In the mean time we surveyed the harbour
and adjoining coasts; which accomplished, we resorted
to daily walks into the interior as the most profitable way
of passing the time. We were much annoyed during
our first walks by the Japanese officials, who, after drink-

MORE "TIGHTLY-ENCASED SMALL BOYS." 211

ing all of our French punch on board ship, would en
counter us on shore and dog our steps to prevent our
communicating too freely with the country-people. Let
me recall one of these walks :

It was upon a clear and cool morning, that ushered
in a warm day; and the hour was sunrise. Lawto'n,
our chief engineer, Bridleman, one of the nomadics,
and myself, stepped into the dingy and pulled for the
upper landing upon the edge of Si-mo-da. The reader
probably remembers th,e word "dingy." It is the name of
a boat, just such another small boat, pulled by two other
similarly-encased small boys, as carried old bust-proof,
his master, and myself on shore at Simon's Town to
frighten Hottentot women and startle catbirds. In the
present case we were pulling leisurely over smooth water,
however, and the trousers "held their own" bravely.
We were armed for a long tramp, very large walking-
sticks, heavy expedition-boots, &c. &c. ; and, in addition,
we carried concealed revolvers for defence, and our
watches, to excite curiosity in the country-people.
Finally, we had a very poor idea of where we were going
or what we were going to do.

"Let's just start directly back into the country," said
Lawton, "walk right straight ahead until twelve o'clock,
then eat our lunch alongside of some romantic stream,
throw the crumbs to the fish, and return by a new road.
If we do lose our way and have to sleep among the Ja
panese, why, we'll at any rate do what no untied foreigner
has done for centuries."

"I think I'd rather sleep in my bunk," I said, "unless,

212 THE RESULT OF AN APPEAL.

indeed, we could carry a tent with us and go upon a regu
lar voyage of discovery for a week."

"That's a goo d.idea," said Bridleman ; "but, as we are
now half-way on shore, we'd better put it off to another
day."

The boat here ranged up to the rocky and picturesque
landing, and we stepped ashore under the heavy foliage
of unknown trees, and wended our interesting path her
tween their sturdy, live-oak-like trunks and under their
sheltering arms. It was the third time we had been on
shore in Si-mo-da; but we could not tire of that shady
walk or of looking around every bush and corner for
something new. The reflection that we were among a
people who for hundreds of years had existed entirely
among themselves lent an interest to every object that
crossed our path, and caused the blood to flow through
our veins with the nervous excitement of intense curi
osity.

The first object of note that we passed was a Govern
ment spy-house, a small bamboo building, which had
been erected near the landing, since our arrival, for the
express purpose of enabling the Government spies, who
occupied it, to note every American who came on shore
and cause him to be followed or watched by one or more
of their number. We had, upon both of our previous
visits, been excessively annoyed by these spies, and had
complained to the governor of being thus watched; but
he excused his Government with the barefaced assertion
that "they were sent along with us to keep us from get
ting lost, and not as spies upon our movements," adding
that "if we did not want them we had only to send them

* I

MAHOMET AND THE MOUNTAIN. 213

away." This was all very fair, apparently, but when we
had "sent them away" they wouldn't go, affecting not to
understand us ; and so this time we had gone on shore
determined to give. the first fellow who couldn't under
stand our signs to return, a good kicking, and, if neces
sary, a thumping besides. The opportunity for resorting
to this practical mode of explanation soon presented itself.

"We had not passed the spy-house more than a hundred
yards, when a couple of two-sworded officers were ob
served to be following us, and before walking another
hundred they were within speaking-distance. "We
stopped to let them come up, but they also came to a
halt : it was evidently a case of " Mahomet and the
mountain," and so Mahomet boldly returned to the
mountain.

This action on the part of the prophet was evidently
regarded in a threatening light by the two who composed
the mountain : they looked just like over-curious ser
vants detected by their master in the act of eavesdrop
ping.

Mahomet took half of the mountain by the shoulders,
caused him to "right-about face," and then made signs
that we were going north, and that they, the mountain,
were expected to move off in a southerly direction. This
they "couldn't understand" through the medium of the
senses of sight and hearing, and so Mahomet resorted to
his heavy boot and the half-mountain's sense of feeling.
I never saw such a kick in my previous life, and but one
subsequently that at all approached it. It caused one-
half of the mountain to tremble to his very base and
then take up his uneven flight for the friendly shelter of

214 VERY MUCH CONFUSE AND SOMEWHAT FATIGUE.

the spy-house, where he sank exhausted upon the soft
matting, and as we looked hack we could see him ges
ticulating violently in our direction ; and it caused the
other half to place his hand indignantly upon his sword
until Mahomet made a demonstration in his direction,
when he followed his more hulky companion with alarmed
activity. Our path was crossed by no more mountains
that day, many rough hills, and no end of watercourses
and rocky roads; but no more mountains. Mahomet
looked as large as two ordinary men after the successful
accomplishment of this feat, and as we crossed the broken
waters of the river Inodzu-gama by a bridge of planks
nailed on the heads of numerous piles, we talked quite
triumphantly of our victory, and almost wished that we
had another two-sworded officer to exercise upon.

Our friend "Mahomet'* was no other than Lawton; and
since that kick I have entertained the most profound ad
miration for his understanding.

It was a beautiful valley that we were now ascending,
wildly beautiful in its strange isolation from the world,
in its irregular formation, in its short and angular turn
ings, in the clear and limpid stream which, flowing
through its highly-cultivated centre, followed its every
turning and here and there approached the jutting feet
of the mountains on either side ; wildly beautiful in the
dense and unknown foliage, in grove after grove of the
wax-like japonica, in the startled flight of brilliant birds,
in the sudden dash of the mountain-trout, and in the
shady cottages of the unknown people.

We had much to see, more to think about, still more
that was lost to us. "Who ever yet saw all that was worth

HOW TO EXCITE JAPANESE CURIOSITY. 215

seeing during his first walk in the strange land of a still
stranger people ? Sometimes we would leave the highway
that followed along the river's bank, and, following a
winding footpath, come suddenly upon some rural habi
tation and its startled occupants. Then what a scene of
noise and confusion would ensue! Dogs barking and
slinking off behind corners, children screaming and
clinging to their mothers for protection, while the mo
thers themselves, in some cases, wrung their hands and
blubbered like so many children, everybody and every
thing flying from us as if destruction existed in our very
appearance. By the men only were we, as a general rule,
differently received; and even they often avoided us, or
approached with distrustful glances, as their retreating
household left them alone with the " Amelikins."

We generally commenced these interviews by exclaim
ing "Ohio," (good-morning,) then shaking hands with
friendly energy, next addressing them as "John," and
finally producing a cigar for each of the party. These
they would light with great difficulty, watching our mo
tions very closely, soon tire of smoking them, put them
aside carefully, and end by lighting their own small pipes
and offering us a puff, while waxing bold enough to
feel the texture of our clothes, examine our boots, &c. &c.
About this period of the action we would produce a watch,
revolver, box of matches, or some equally, to them, un
known* principle, and explain its mechanism or use ; and
before ending we were generally surrounded by the entire
family, women, children, and dogs, all apparently (not
even excepting the latter) equally curious to see "what
the row was." What wonders the feeling of curiosity

216 "NIPON" AND "AMELIKA."

will effect ! It was our most powerful lever in working
ourselves into the good graces of those singular but I
mean the masses well-meaning people.

The motion of the watch seemed to afford them more
satisfaction than any thing else ; and, by pointing to the
sun and the hour-hand alternately, making various signs,
and using a few disconnected words of their language,
which we would acquire expressly for these walks, we
generally gave them a very fair idea of its use and value.
They were also much amazed at our revolvers, making
signs that one American was more than equal to six Ja
panese, and that "Nipon" and "Ainelika" must always
be friends.

When we would get up to leave, after all this, they
would press around to shake hands, and often accompa
nied us some distance on our walk. They seemed to
pass at once from a state of distrust to one of perfect
confidence, and would laugh heartily at other parties
who, seeing us suddenly round a corner, would drop
their baskets or bundles and run for dear life, until re
assured by a well-known voice or familiar face. We
could not avoid the conviction that the officials had im
pressed the people with the idea that we were cut
throats, &c., and that they would best consult their own
safety by avoiding all communication. At any rate, they
always received us distrustfully and parted from us in
the utmost good -humour.

It was in this way that we continued our walk up the
romantic valley until 1 P.M., when we reached a wayside
tavern, where we wiped our heated brows, pulled off our
heavy boots, and stretched out upon the clean-looking,

A JAPANESE PUBLICAN. 217

cushion-like mats with which the floors of their houses
are always spread. There are wayside taverns in Japan
as well as in the rest of the world, reader, and the pub
lican of this particular one was a fine-looking old man,
with an upright frame, an expansive forehead, a mild
blue eye, and a general cast of features that partook' as
much of the Caucasian as of the Mongolian race. He
received us without the slightest hesitation of manner,
in fact, with polite self-possession, (he had evidently been
thrown in contact with foreigners before, possibly with
members of Perry's squadron at Si-mo-da,) and drew us
off several cups of saki from one of his numerous hogs
heads. He also called his wife and daughters to see the
"Amelikins," and they approached without the usual
signs of distrust, smiling good-humouredly, and giving
utterance to several connected words, which, judging
from the morning compliments usually indulged in by
the ladies of our own land, we concluded had some bear
ing upon the "general state of the weather and upon the
heat of our walk in particular;" but of this we were
never fully satisfied.

In the mean time, the old gentleman began spitting
several fine specimens of mountain-trout and sticking
them upright before the fire, intimating, by signs, that
they would soon be done, and that they would agree well
with the saki. We very shortly proved the truth of his
signs, to our entire satisfaction.

We then, in turn, produced our lunch, of which they
all partook sparingly, tasting each different article, such
as cold ham, sardines, loaf-bread, claret, &c., and then
passing it to their next neighbour. They seemed pleased

218 VOTE OF THANKS TO "MAHOMET."

with them all, save the claret, over which they made
awfully wry faces there is no denying that it was a
little sour and compared it to vinegar, which latter is
with them an article of great consumption. We passed
an hour in this way very pleasantly, and then hauled on
our boots, which had previously been passing the rounds
as objects of great admiration, bade our kind hosts fare
well, and, leaving the river at right angles, struck over
the mountain for the sea, supposing it to be distant about
two or three miles.

We had a tough climb up the ravine-paths ; but the
work of surveying had well used us to exertion of that
nature, and at the end of an hour we were looking down
from a rocky pass, between two neighbouring peaks,
upon the distant sea. We were surprised at its great
distance, at least three or four miles to the beach, and
six or eight more along the beach to Si-mo-da. We
began to think that we might have, to sleep on shore
after all ; but, by driving steadily ahead, having the good
fortune not to get lost, and resisting the temptation to stop
at the inviting villages through which we passed, we
reached our boat in good time, and took our friend Bri-
dleman on board with us to a dinner by candlelight.

That same night the affair of "Mahomet and the
mountain" spread around the mess like wildfire, and
resulted in a vote of thanks being tendered the former
for his gallant bearing, and a resolution that "we do
likewise to the first two-sworded officer who presumes to
follow us hereafter."

It was not long before an opportunity for testing our
determination to "do likewise" presented itself; and

CONVERSATION AFTER ANOTHER KICK. 219

this second argument was urged with even more spirit
and determination than the first, simply from the fact
that we now felt convinced there would be no fighting,
whereas, in the first attempt, no one knew but that we
might have been " catching a tartar*' instead of kicking
a Japanese. This second affair occurred some miles
from Si-mo-da, near another roadside inn. I take the
following extract, as to what followed it, from my
papers :

" Having thus, by a healthy kick and a show of further
violence, relieved ourselves of our noble companions, we
now passed a quiet hour with our plebeian friends and
then continued our now unmolested walk. Our conver
sation with said * scum of the earth' (as the officers call
all of the swordless class) was necessarily carried on by
the usual signs, grimaces, &c., sprinkled here and there
by a few words which we knew by heart or had written
on paper ; and yet one would be astonished to see how
well people can often get along in that way. Among
other things, we had no difficulty in comprehending the
following pieces of information :

" < We are very glad that you kicked him ; but, had one
of us done so, his head would have been cut off.'

" ' We work, and they walk around. We have to give
them money to buy food with/

" < We would like very much to know all about you, to
buy and sell with you, but they won't let us.'

"'"We cannot do what the officials do not want us
to,' &c. &c."

Now, from the above and various other remarks,
which I do not remember, we could not but conclude

220 A GRAND CHANCE FOR

that the people of Japan are as ripe for revolt as the most
violent flibustier could desire, while, at the same time,
we were forced to acknowledge that they were kept under
more effectually than any nation under the sun. Pro
bably, a latent inclination to revolt among the masses
first gave rise to extreme severity on the part of their
rulers, as a precautionary measure. In speaking of the
masses, I include merchants, (many of whom are worth
more money than many of the nobles,) farmers, priests,
artisans of every description, tailors, sailors, fishermen,
publicans, and, in short, everybody in Japan whose birth
or services to the state have not given him the right of
wearing two swords stuck through his sash.

So much for strolls through the country adjoining
Si-mo-da.

CHAPTER TOTT.

SOMETHING ABOUT BUYING AND SELLING IN JAPAN, AND HOW THEY USED

COMMODORE PERRY 5 S TREATY TO SWINDLE US ALSO, HOW THEY ASK

FOREIGNERS TO LET PEOPLE ENJOY THEIR MEALS IN QUIET, AND HOW
A FOREIGNER FELT UNUSUALLY SMALL.

BEFORE I commence to sh,ow how it was that we went
to the bazaar and how we were swindled in various ways,
it will be necessary to give the reader an idea of the
comparative value of Japanese and American money;
and this calls for a slight digression.

It had been the "Japanese fashion," from time im
memorial, to make presents of every thing that left
the country; that is, a strange ship would arrive off
one of their ports, and, while refusing to let her an
chor, they would nevertheless furnish her, free of
charge, with all such things as wood, water, provisions,
&c., and then order her away. Of course I except in
this the regular vessels of the Dutch, which arrived at
N"an-ga-sa-ki twice every year, and with which they traded
quite largely, though under certain very degrading re
quirements at the hands of these latter. For instance,
they were confined to their ships, guarded with insult
ing closeness, and required to be basely deferential to
their stupid customs and arrogant officials. And these
sycophantic Netherlander were, and had been since
the expulsion of the Jesuits, the most favoured of nations.

221

222 ITZABU VS. DOLLAE.

Commodore Perry's treaty, however, having just been
signed before our arrival, we now had the liberty, through
it, of landing and walking where we would. Hence it was
supposed that we had the right to enter any man's store
and purchase that article which most suited our taste
and pocket. But, as the merchant would in this case
receive all the profit, the sleepless policy of that astute
Government had taken care to introduce a defensive
article in the treaty, which provided that "Americans
should purchase every thing through the officers of the
Government." After which, vendors of all ranks and
classes were given to understand that they were not to
sell to any American except through an officer, upon pain
of losing their heads. Thus they had it arranged quite
smoothly for the Government, and the revenue thus
resulting was at least worth the trouble attendant upon
the conception and execution of the idea, which idea
amounted to the following in plain English :

"These Americans," they said to themselves, (those
of Perry's squadron,) "know a great deal about China.
An American dollar is worth in China from fourteen to
sixteen hundred cash, and a Japanese itzabu is worth in
Japan sixteen hundred cash, also. An American dollar
has a little more silver in it than three of our itzabu ; so,
if we can make it by treaty equal to only sixteen hun
dred cash, we can receive them in payment at that rate,
pass them through the mint, and presto! they are
divided into three, each of which is worth as much as
what we received it for."

Now, so far as I can see, there is nothing but a very
grand rascality and considerable cunning in the concep-

ONE OF THE RESULTS OF " PERRY'S TREATY." 223

tion of the above idea ; but it is passing singular that
they should have executed it successfully against Yankee
forethought, or even, indeed, against ordinary common
sense.

How was so great a mistake committed by Commodore
Perry? One asks in vain. We only know from sad
experience ih&t it was committed, and that the conse
quence of this depreciated value being attached to our
coin results in a duty of just two hundred per cent, being
paid to the emperor on all American silver that enters
Japan from American pockets, and that we Americans
are the ones who pay that duty.

When payment was made in gold we lost this same
two hundred per cent., but the emperor gained little
or nothing. The reason of this was that the difference
between the value of gold and silver was much less than
in other parts of the world. So much for the way in
which Commodore Perry was weathered; and now for
the fleecing consequences which it entailed on us.

We made quite a grand display as we landed from our
ten or a dozen boats and formed in marching-order
under the dense shade of the grand old trees that lined
the landing, while two drums and a fife took the
head of the column and enlivened us with " both vocal
and instrumental music." We were all in uniform,
swords and cocked hats being the order of the day;
and, to judge from the great numbers of the fair sex
that crowded the streets through which we passed,
there were weak heads in Japan also, who, like two
out of three similar heads in other parts of the world,
were too apt to judge birds by their feathers.

224 A JAPANESE BAZAAR.

And now, as we approach the bazaar, let us take a
bird's-eye view of its construction and general appear
ance.

It was never my fortune to see either a saw-mill or
pit in Japan ; and yet this building was got up with
very fair pine boards that had evidently been sawed. They
were rough and unplaned, truly; but then that only let
one see that they had been sawed and not hewn. The
building itself covered about three-fourths of an acre

of ground, was perfectly square, some fifteen feet in
height, one-storied, and enclosed an immense square
court, whose area was probably greater than that of
the building itself. Its roof was thatched and sloped to
ward the court, and it was possessed of but one entrance.
In short, it was nothing but four equally long, wide, and
high sheds put together so as to form a square, and
having a door left in one of said sides near one of the
corners. It had, like the spy-houses, been built solely
for us and since our arrival, and would, like them, be
torn down after our departure.

WQ entered at the solitary door, and, like so many
children in a toyshop with an unexpected supply of
pocket-money at their disposal, looked around upon
the brilliant display, and confused ourselves by wonder
ing which we were to admire most, which we were to
pass by, and which to linger over.

Two of the four shed-like sides of the building were
divided off into stalls, one of which was furnished to eaeh
merchant to enable him to display specimens of his wares to
the best advantage ; while the spaces immediately in front
of the stalls were covered by boxes containing the wares,

CONTENTS OF THE STALLS. 225

of which those on the shelves were only samples. They
evidently expected us to purchase largely, thinking pro
bably that we came as much on a speculating voyage as
any thing else. Of the remaining two sides, one was
vacant, while the other was divided into one large and
two small, apartments, the former of which was neatly
covered with cushion-like matting and given to us as a
lounging-place, while the two latter were appropriated
by the Government-officials who had charge of the
affair as an office and spy-room. It is needless to say
that the spy-room joined the gate : they saw every thing.

As we passed leisurely from one stall to another, we
remarked a great sameness in their general appearance.
There was but one which differed materially from the
others, and there the difference consisted in its being
filled with china instead of lacquer-ware. But such
china as it was ! superior by far to the most delicate
French porcelain, and infinitely more cheap, in spite
of the depreciation of our money.

The other stalls were just like so many " old-curiosity
shops," a little of every thing Japanese being to be found
on their shelves, from the purchase of which the least
possible amount of use was ever to flow. Like the
porcelain, the lacquer-ware was of the most beautiful
description, and exceeded that of China as greatly as did
said porcelain the most ordinary stone crockery. One
pi^ce I remember in particular, the gorgeousness of
whose colouring attracted the admiration of every one as
he passed it. It was a most happy and truthful imitation
of an ordinary " red-fish" (such as are caught in the Gulf

of Mexico) of some eighteen inches in length ; and, upon

226 PAPER UMBRELLAS AND RAIN-CLOAKS.

attempting to take it up by the side-fin to examine it more
closely, two-thirds of its top-side was lifted off, showing
it to be a dish capable of holding a large boiled or baked
fish. They told us it was made to hold such a dish at the
feasts of the "big bugs" of Japan, and that the lacquer
was so fine that hot water exercised no power upon it.
This they said, of a great deal of their best lacquer-ware,
and the truth of their assertion we subsequently proved
at our own mess-table. From what we then and have
since observed, we all came to the conclusion that they
are infinitely superior to all other nations as far as regards
the quality of their porcelain, lacquer-ware, and swords.

Among a number of other articles, all well worthy of a
passing notice, we saw umbrellas and rain-cloaks, both
of them being made entirely of the bamboo-plant and a
vegetable oil the name of which I now forget. They
make paper from the above useful plant which is as
strong and lasting as the best calico, and which, when
well oiled, becomes perfectly water-proof. Expose your
self to an hour's hard rain with one of those hooded
cloaks on, or with one of those umbrellas over your head,
and you come out of it as dry as you went in. I myself
used one of the former on constant boat-service during a
period of several months, and found it to answer admi
rably ; and, at the end of that time, I drew forth warm
thanks from a friend in San Francisco to whom I pre
sented it : it was still water-proof.

There were also a great variety of a species of litho
graphic engraving exposed in piles for sale on some of
the shelves, of which several of us purchased largely.
They did not exhibit any remarkable art as far as the

THE EMPEROR BECOMES ALARMED. 22"

"getting up" was concerned; but we valued them aa
specimens of the art, nevertheless. ."We had heard much
of the accuracy of the Japanese pencil and brush ; but
their lithographs did not argue any great beauty in the
originals. They generally referred to Fu-si-ya-ma, (their
sacred mountain,) to scenes from city and country life,
to their various games, to distorted male and female
figures, or to public buildings. These latter were appa
rently truthful; but all of the others partook more of
the nature of caricatures than of natural appearances,
and were undoubtedly calculated to impart an exagge
rated and distorted idea of most of the subjects to which
they referred ; as, for instance :

There was one scene of a trial of strength between
two wrestlers, in which they must have weighed (com
paring them with the figures of the audience) from seven
to eight hundred pounds each, while their surplus fat
hung about their huge necks and shoulders like the folds
of the skin of the rhinoceros. These fellows were
wrestling on the "sawdusted" pit of an immense amphi
theatre, the seats of which were crowded with an ad
miring audience, while the referees stood off in two
separate parties.

While we were looking at these lithographs, orders
came from Yeddo to stop the sale of them ; and this, of
course, only made us more anxious to buy. The shop
men, however, would no longer sell, and, upon our apply
ing to Tatz-nosky, he replied that the emperor thought
they would give top good an idea of what was going on
in Japan, and had ordered that they be all returned to
Yeddo. Upon hearing this, we at once went through the

228 WHAT THEY DO NOT SELL.

different stalls before they had a chance to pack tLem
away, and took under our arms every picture that we
could lay our hands upon. Of course the merchants said
that we could not have them ; that they were not for sale,
- only to be looked at ; that they would not receive pay
for them ; that their heads would be cut off, &c. &c. : but
we nevertheless carried them quietly on board, and the
next day they, in as quiet, matter-of-course a manner,
received payment for them, while their heads were still
in their usual place.

Thus it was that pictures of every description were
added to' the list of articles which, by express orders of
the emperor, were not to be sold, bartered, or given to
persons living outside of Japan. And, while making
this remark, I may as well mention as many of those
reserved articles as I can recall. In the first place, then,
there were their swords; secondly, every thing in the
shape of an offensive or defensive weapon, all of the
tools of the various trades, and the coinage of the country.
Then there were these engravings descriptive of Japanese
life, and a variety of other articles which I cannot now
remember. And as fast as any thing was thus embargoed
it was immediately packed up and sent back into the
country.

It took us several hours to see enough of the varied
and beautiful display of the rare specimens of their un
known workmanship that were crowded upon the shelves
and floors of every stall ; but the thing which surprised
us most was to see the prices of the various articles
marked on them in dollars and cents, just as one sees
them pinned on goods exposed as samples in the win-

TATZ-NOSKY AND NOAH WEBSTER. 229

dows and at the doors of our own shops. I subsequently
learned the secret of this from Tatz-nosky, who with an
unabridged edition of Noah Webster's dictionary, and an
immense pile of scattering pieces of information in the
shape of symbols, detached words, and sentences obtained
from the officers of Perry's and our squadrons, at his
elbow was rapidly, and with dogged perseverance,
informing himself as to our language and customs in
general. I could not but conclude that the Japanese
would soon know much more about us than we ever
should about them, unless another treaty should more
fully open their ports. Once let Tatz-nosky and his
brother-interpreters master the English language, once
let books be introduced into Japan, and the day of their
stupid seclusion will be past.

When I asked him how these prices had been ob
tained, he was candid enough to acknowledge that the
different merchants had requested him to write them on
slips of papers, and that they paid him quite hand
somely. He had his pocket-book at the time filled with
slips of bamboo-paper, on which he wrote different values
in both Japanese and English as he was applied to by the
merchants. Tatz-nosky was evidently wide awake as to
the propriety of turning an honest itzabu.

The merchants, therefore, having to pay for these tal
lies, were loath to let them go with the goods. Thus, when
any thing was bought, they invariably took them off and
stowed them away as one would a bank-note ; but many
of us, wishing to pack our things just as they stood, objected
to this practice, and were, in return, often charged from
fifty to a hundred cash (three to six cents) for this luxury

280 HOW THEY SET TRAPS IN JAPAN.

of letting bur friends at home see their presents just as
we had seen them in Japan.

They were cunning enough, too, as far as disposing
of inferior goods was concerned, for they only brought
out these at first, reserving the others for the last few
days of our stay. We did not see any of their " numher
one" specimens during our first or second visit, and,
when we asked in regard to them, they would insist that
" we saw all ; they knew of nothing else," &c. They were
evidently anxious to dispose of the inferior lot first, after
which they knew that we would not fail to be disgusted
with our purchases as soon as the higher-priced ones
should be exposed, and then We would be certain to lay
out more money. And they were right; for, although
the most of us returned on board the first day without
making any purchases,^ still, we "caved in" on the second
day and bought quite freely. Then, on the third day,
they commenced bringing in the high-priced articles,
and we began falling into the trap.

Day after day, therefore, as we returned and lounged
through the crowded showrooms, new articles of unex
pected beauty and rare excellence of workmanship would
rise before us at every turn, cast a shade over every thing
of the kind' previously bought, and cause us to long for
heavier pockets or more reasonable charges.

Oh ! they were a cunning, a most dishonest set of fel
lows, those very Japanese merchants, holding up their
wares before us, and tempting us to board the shrinking
purser for various sums until we finally found ourselves
heels over head in debt! They would watch us with
"crickets' eyes," while we examined their various articles.

PUT HIM IN A BOX. 231

judge with astonishing accuracy as to those with which we
seemed most struck, and the next day all similar articles
would be advanced in price, sometimes as much as a
hundred per cent. They would take the tallies off at
night, and put on others with higher marks on them,
and then insist, with their usual barefaced disregard for
truth, that "all the same as yesterday." This was all
very provoking, truly ; and yet what could we do ? We
had either to consent, in the first place, to be swindled
by the treaty, and, in the second place, by the merchants
themselves, or we must leave Japan without purchasing
presents of their rare and beautiful workmanship for our
absent friends. "We chose the former of the two, and,
with the unenviable feelings of men who are aware of
the fleecing they are being subjected to without the
most remote hope of being able to protect themselves,
we continued our daily selections.

"We were even denied the pleasure (?) of haggling
over the price of things with any prospect of success.
There was nothing like that there. There it was in bold
relief, written in the plainest of both English and Ja
panese ; so we only had to say the magic words, " Put
him in a box," or, "Put him in paper," or pass on to
some other article more or less expensive. Those
"magic words" require a word of explanation.

As a general rule, the Japanese make neat boxes of a
species of white cedar for their lacquer-ware, &c., when
it is of ordinary, fair, or No. 1 quality; but for the in
ferior articles they use paper as wrappings. While ex
posed for sale, all of the former were set on the top of
their empty boxes, while the latter were stowed en masse

232 NO PUT HIM IN A BOX !

and treated generally with much less consideration. As
soon, therefore, as a thing would be bought, we would be
more than likely to say, " Put it in a box," or, " Put it in
paper," or something of that sort; and their watchful
ears soon caught these sounds, while their observing
eyes told them that whenever they were uttered some
thing was always bought. So, with a very imperfect
idea of what "put him in a box" meant, they would
watch us with their glittering eyes as we lingered over
their wares, and encourage us to purchase by using that
expression from time to time as they observed us to
hesitate. After a while, they arrived at its exact mean
ing, but had got so used to it by that time, that, when
any thing whose quality did not entitle it to a box was
bought, they could only hold it and remark, in a manner
of nonplussed inquiry, "No put him in a box!" which
we found to mean that they could only afford to wrap it
up in paper*

As we selected the different things in this way, we
were followed by one, two, or three boys, as the extent
of our purchase might call for. As fast as an article was
bought, we entered its name (having often to coin them
for ourselves) and price on our list, and passed on to
something else, while our watchful attendant picked it
up and followed us around as long as we lingered in his
particular stall. "When we had tired of one merchant,
we crossed the court to the sitting-room of those who
had charge of the affair, (the officials,) where we always
found them sitting a la Turque around a metallic brasier
containing live coals, at which they, from time to time,
lit their diminutive pipes or warmed their sugarless tea.

WHAT THEY GAIN BY THE TREATY. 233

They would also make a list of the articles brought by
the boys who followed us, count the cost, compare their
amount with ours and that of the merchant, and then
receive it in silver dollars. The goods were then de
livered to us, and an acknowledgment given to the mer
chant to the effect that the Government owed him -an
itzabu for each dollar that had been paid in.

As night approached and business was closed for the
day, all the dollars that had been received were counted
in the presence of the several officers and spies, boxed
up carefully, and immediately forwarded to Yeddo,
where they went into the mint as itzabu only, and came
out multiplied by three and a fraction. An itzabu for
every dollar received was then sent back to Si-mo-da,
and the acknowledgments redeemed.

Thus it will be seen that if a merchant sold one hun
dred itzabu worth of goods, he received his money in
full, and in good time ; that the Government cleared a
fraction over sixty-seven cents on every silver dollar that
entered their ports, and that we and our poor old Uncle
Samuel were really the only sufferers. For, though one
hundred dollars was marked on the goods as their price,
still, it was with the understanding that a dollar, though
more than three times as heavy, was still only equal to
an itzabu, and the same goods would have been sold to
us at thirty-three dollars, could we only have converted
that weight of silver into its real value equal to one hun
dred itzabu.

"I'll tell you what it is," I remarked to one of -the
officers while paying my first bill ; " the first thing you
know, some American will imitate your die, and come

234 COMPARATIVE VALUE OF GOLD AND SILVER.

here with a shipload of itzabu to buy your goods with :
then you'll have to receive your own money for what it is
worth."

He smiled calmly at my evident greenness, as he re
plied, through Tatz-nosky, as follows : " It is not possi
ble for Japanese itzabu to go out of Nipon : how, then,
can they ever be brought back again ? If we saw you
with itzabu, we would know that you had made them ;
hence we would not be forced to receive them. They
would not be our coin in that case." After this
" sogdollager"-like argument, he quietly lit his pipe,
handed it to me, and smiled a smile of careless in
difference.

I have previously remarked that silver was much more
preferable to them than gold; and the reason was this:
a gold-piece of theirs, valued at four itzabu, weighs
about as much as one of our quarter-eagles. Hence,
if an article was marked $2 50, and was paid for with a
quarter-eagle, the gold received would only be equal
to four itzabu ; but, were it paid for in silver, this latter
would be equal to seven and three-quarters itzabu, or
nearly double. From this it will be seen that gold is
less valuable in Japan than in other countries ; and,
were it not for the peculiar policy of that people, this
difference might be speculated on to great advantage
by outsiders; but, as there is no possibility of one's
buying it up and getting it out of the country, the fact
loses much of its importance.

Tasked Tatz-nosky, among other questions, why gold was
not more valuable ; was it as plentiful as silver among them?
&c. &c. : and he replied it was as hard to dig one as the

HOW THEY ANSWER QUESTIONS. 235

other ; from which I inferred that he had answered my
last question in the affirmative: but, when I said some
thing to that effect, he added an ambiguous remark
that left me as much in the dark as ever: "They are
both in the ground: how, therefore, can we tell?" or
words to that effect. The above gives a very fair idea
of the cautious manner in which they answered our
questions.

Upon one occasion, when we were making home-
purchases, one of the nomadics (Mr. Edgerton) offered
a gold eagle and one silver dollar in payment, and it
was flatly refused. "Why do you refuse it?" he asked.
" The treaty says that * payment shall be made in gold
and silver/ I fulfil its conditions by giving you ten
dollars in gold and one in silver, and you break it by
insisting on receiving eleven silver dollars. You won't
be satisfied until we bring a thousand fillibusters from
California to see you and teach you what's right. Tell
them so."

Poor Tatz-nosky, at this period of the action, looked
remarkably small and confused.

"Do you not see that I am only the interpreter?" he
asked, in his imperfect English. " I only tell you what
I am told. It is not my fault if the emperor prefers
being paid in silver."

"Confound your emperor's tastes !" continued Edger
ton, as he reluctantly hauled out the silver. "I came
here on the strength of the treaty, bringing nothing but
gold with me; and now I find it won't pass. What
kind of a treaty do you call that ? Commodore Perry '11
come back here some day and blow you sky-high."

236 WHY THEY SIGNED THE TREATY.

"Japanese like Commodore Perry very much," re
plied Tatz-nosky, " but not understand him all. Japanese
will do what Commodore Perry speak," &c. &c.

And yet, while thus invariably protesting their willing
ness to fulfil the requirements of the treaty, they scarcely
ever did so. They are certainly politically speaking, at
any rate the most dishonest and untrustworthy people
in the world; and, in my opinion, a good flibustiers'
drubbing is the only thing that will ever introduce them
to honesty. The great bugbear of the Government is
the fear of a foreign war. They are well aware of the
one which the English waged so successfully against
their neighbours the Chinese, and are nervously afraid
of experiencing similar treatment at the hands of any
nation they may be so unfortunate as to offend. There ia
no manner of doubt in my mind that this fear was a
powerful, though unacknowledged, auxiliary in bringing
them to the signing of any treaty at all. I firmly be
lieve that they signed it as the lesser of two evils; that they
knew at the time exactly what it meant, and that there was
a "mental reservation" on their part to respect its pro
visions only so far as they should be forced to to keep
out of trouble. And this is not my opinion alone, but
that also of all with whom I have conversed who were
there with me, and who, like me, suffered from their
unfaithfulness. And now let us turn to the stalls once
more.

One of the objects most worthy of admiration was an
artificial bird, an ordinary chicken-hawk ; and it was de
cidedly the most naturally-executed thing that I ever saw.
No feather-work specimen of Rio Janeiro, Madeira, or any

A SINGULAR FABRIC. 237

other part of the world, ever excelled it. It was the first
thing of the kind that we had seen or heard of; but we
were told that they were quite plentiful in Yeddo. This
fellow sat upon an ivory perch, to which he was secured
by a chain of the same, and was invariably, when first
seen, taken for a live bird : every thing was perfect

There was also in one of those stalls a most beauti
ful fabric, which, for want of a better name, we called
crimped crape. It was in the form of a scarf, some four
feet in length by six inches in width, was of a brilliant
crimson colour, and capable of being stretched to a length
of twenty feet while retaining its width unimpaired. Upon
being let go, after being thus elongated, it would spring
back, India-rubber-like, to its former length. We subse
quently observed that the women used it largely for tying
up their hair, and that after a time its elasticity became
greatly impaired. "What a sweet spring-scarf it^would
make !" exclaimed a young lady of Philadelphia, upon
seeing a sample of it, which I had brought home simply
to show the fabric.

And now I will conclude this account of the bazaar
with a general remark upon the utter uselessness of the
great majority of the articles made by the Japanese for
export. They themselves have no use for many of them;
and, when asked why they had been made, would reply
that they were copied from drawings or patterns ob
tained from the Dutch, and that they the Dutch
bought them in large quantities and carried them
away.

As we walked among them, such expressions as the
following might be heard at every turn : " It's a very

238 HOUSES, DOORS, AND WINDOWS.

beautiful piece of work, truly, but then what use can it
be put to ?" "I don't believe they would know what to
do with it themselves," &c. &c. ; and it was really singular
how many things there were to which similar remarks
would apply.

And now let me end this chapter by giving a rough
idea of the Japanese houses. They are generally built
of rough stone-masonry, or upright poles placed very
close together and plastered over like laths, and they
are from one to two stories in height. They are some
times thatched, but more generally tiled, and at Ha-ko-
da-di these tiles were in turn covered by tons of different-
sized stones, apparently sufficient in some cases to crush
in the whole roof. They are partitioned off into several
mysterious apartments, and have doors hung on iron
or wooden hinges and which fasten with the ordinary
string-latch. The floors of all those which I entered were
raised about a foot, and covered by oblong sections of
stuffed matting, which fitted so snugly together that there
was no danger of getting the foot into the cracks. These
mats were as soft as the seat of an ordinary hair-sofa,
and were always kept beautifully clean, persons leaving
their sandals in a square earthen cuddy-hole before step
ping upon them.

These rooms receive light and ventilation through
most ingeniously-contrived windows, and many of the
partitions and doors are after the same idea. Having no
glass, they are forced to use a very strong and semi-trans
parent bamboo-paper, which they stretch over the frames
very tightly and then paste down. These frames are just
like ours, only the surface of the cross-pieces is flat, to

UPON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. 239

enable the paper to adhere. They work back and forth
in the side of a house like folding-doors, and give more
light than one would imagine. They are so strong that
I have snapped my finger against the centre of the (paper)
pane with considerable force and had it rebound from it
as from a tightly-snared drum-head.

Of course the inmates cannot see what is going on in
the streets, but then they have the satisfaction of know
ing that they are equally protected. If they want air or
are curious, all they have to do is to slide the frames side
ways. The dwelling-houses are generally from twenty
to thirty feet square ; but some of the temples, with their
outbuildings, cover upward of two acres. These latter
are not used solely as places of worship, but are often
appropriated as the quarters of the retainers of powerful
princes during their journeys.

Some of the more pretending houses have piazzas,
which are tiled over as usual, and slatted up along the
sides so that the passion-flower and other creepers may
protect them from the sun. I was once passing one of
those cozy-looking two-story establishments toward the
end of a solitary ramble, when, hearing music overhead,
I was suddenly seized with a desire to see what was going
on, and, without stopping to consider upon the breeding
of the procedure, at once climbed up to the roof of the
porch and looked into the open window of a room on the
second floor. There I saw three musicians seated on the
inner side of the matted floor, while in the centre of the
room was a large lacquer-ware tray of viands, around
which were seated a middle-aged Japanese and a young,
highly-dressed, and very pretty girl. They were attacking

240 I RECEIVE A LESSON IN POLITENESS.

the contents of the tray with unmistakable relish, and I
should probably have joined them with pleasure had not
the man got up with a dignity which put me to the blush
and shut the window in my face. I really felt ashamed
of myself, and arrived at the end of my walk, with the
determination to respect the privacy of others, even if
they were only half civilized.

CHAPTER XIV.

SOMETHING ABOUT BATHS AND BATHING IN JAPAN, AND HOW THEY OBJECTED
TO OUR SURVEYING THEIR COASTS HOW WE OVERCAME THEIR OBJECTIONS,
AND HOW TATZ-NOSKY TOOK SEVERAL LONG RIDES HOW BUNSBY DIS
COVERED LAND, AND HOW THE "OLD JOHN*' CROSSED THE STRAITS OP
T' SUGAR.

THERE is a wide-spread idea in regard to the profligacy
and lewdness of the Japanese as a nation ; and, though it
must be confessed that there is little or no modesty
among the middle and lower classes, we had no oppor
tunity of judging in regard to the higher, still, I never
during our entire intercourse with them saw any indica
tions of a lack of practical morality. Natural depravity
and impurity of taste is perceptible at almost every turn
in the shape of lewd engravings and a disregard to expo
sure of the person ; hut then it must be remembered that
they are half-civilized Orientals, and heathens at that.
As far as their acts are concerned, the women are per
fectly correct in their intercourse with strangers, which is
more than can be said of the Chinese, though they do
what the latter do not, they bathe promiscuously with
the opposite sex in the public baths, because, I suppose,
their ancestors did so before them, and their primitive
ideas recognise no harm in so doing.

These people are, like most Orientals, a nation of
ducks, their greatest luxury consisting in vapour, warm,
or surf bathing, and much of their time is devoted to

16 241

242 HOT 5ATHS IN JAPAN.

their enjoyment. Even in the small town of Si-mo-da
there are four bathing-establishments, where persons, for
the sum of two Japanese cash, (about one-eighth of a cent,)
may dip into an immense tub of warm water, or, when it
is too hot, may seat themselves on beams extending over
it and be subjected to the influence of the rising vapour,
after which they return to the outer apartment and con
clude their bath by emptying or causing to be emptied
over them a dozen or more buckets of cold water.

They are, with the exception of the Malays, some of
the Pacific Islanders, and the followers of Mahomet, the
most cleanly people I ever saw. They are even unneces
sarily cleanly ; they bathe too often for health : one would
think that they were anxious to make up in purity of
person for the undoubted depravity and impurity of their
tastes.

They have also hot and medicinal springs throughout
the country, to which those who can a'fford it resort for
the enjoyment of their real or supposed virtues. One of
the former of these is situated about two miles up the
valley that runs back from Si-mo-da, and is well worthy
of a passing notice.

It is situated at the foot of a lofty hill, on the southern
side of the valley, and comes boiling from a fissure in the
rock with a power indicative of a bountiful source. This
boiling forth, we were told, however, was by no means
constant ; at times there being a very limited flow, and
at others a spasmodic soda-fountain-like action that pro
jected great quantities. The Japanese made signs to us
that the water was much hotter when thrown out by the
soda-fountain-like action, and that persons unaccustomed

'.v './.-.'

IN JAPAN

A SULPHUR HOT-SPRING. 243

to it were wont to hold their noses on account of a bad
odour that prevailed at such times. I tried to arrive at
the nature of the odour, but could only learn that it was
possessed of a choking sensation, and that it could be
tasted in the water; and I was thinking of passing a few
hours in the vicinity, hoping for an opportunity of judg
ing in person, when one of our party drew a match across
the bottom of the box to light a cigar, and the odour was
immediately recognised by the owner of the bath as that
in regard to which he had been making signs. It was
sulphur.

I at .once stooped down, and, leaning over the pool,
tried to get a cupful of the water before it became
tainted by admixture with that in which the bathers had
been floundering all day; but, from the peculiar construc
tion of the bathing-place, I found it impracticable. This
latter was partly hewn out of the rock, and partly walled
up with boards, the seams of which were tightly calked.
It was some three or four feet deep, and had a bamboo
joint running through the wall at that height, which
d as a constant drain to let escape the surplus water.
The fountain itself was in the bottom, and consequently
three or four feet under water ; so it was no easy matter
to get an uncontaminated cupful. At last I gave up the
attempt : the risk was too great of my tasting water that
had been in contact with the skin of various bathers ; I
was not sufficiently devoted to science to encounter it. I
put my hand in it, however, more than once, and tried in
vain to detect the existence of sulphur through the sense
of smell.

It was quite warm enough even now, while the boiling

Itw
join
acte

244 ANOTHER CAUTIOUS REPLY.

was so beautifully even and regular; but they made signs
to us that, when it burst forth a la soda-fountain, the
bathers took good care to give the fissure a wide berth,
for fear of being scalded. They gave us also to under
stand that, when the water was drawn off at night and
the fountain thus relieved of the pressure of the superin
cumbent three feet of water, it spouted forth in the form
of a jet d'eau of several feet in height; but this we never
had an opportunity of seeing.

This immense tub, or rather bathing-pool, had a bam
boo house built over it, and benches of the same reed
ranged round its sides ; and, though we seated ourselves
on those benches with the ever-existing feeling of curi
osity in regard to every thing connected with those iso
lated people, no difference did it make to the unblushing
bathers. All ages and sexes divested themselves of their
garments in the most matter-of-fact style, and mixed un
concernedly in the common centre of attraction.

They not only did that much, but they also acted the
part of body-servants to each other, without the slightest
regard to either sex or age; and this same absence of
every thing like propriety was observed, not in that place
alone, but upon all other occasions where our officers had
an opportunity of judging. It prevailed throughout all
of the bathing-establishments of Si-mo-da and Ha-ko-
da-di, and was to be observed in the every-day life of the
people wherever we fell in with them. I once asked
Tatz-nosky, the interpreter, if the higher classes were
equally shameless; and he replied, in their usual "beat-
the-bush" manner, that at Yeddo and other large cities
"things were not as we found them at Si-mo-da." Go-

CAVILOSKY GETS EXCITED. 245

lownin, the Russian captain, who was their prisoner for a
long time, remarks, however, that they were woefully
wanting in modesty, and makes no exception in favour of
the higher classes. It was revolting to see such a total
absence of that "beautiful exponent of a nation's degree
of civilization and purity.

"While watching the bathers of the "hot spring," I
heard something else denied which had always existed in
my mind as a fixed fact.

"This is the way you bathe in Russia, I believe?" I
said to Cavilosky, the Russian officer who had accom
panied us. " I should think it productive of a most de
moralizing tendency."

" My dear sir, you were never more mistaken in your
life," he replied: "we are as proper in Russia as they are
in any other part of Christendom. Where did you get
such an idea from?"

I referred him to the " Iconographic Encyclopaedia" as
my authority, and added a few words in its praise as a
work of standard reference.

"Pshaw! pshaw! The c Iconographic Encyclopaedia,'
indeed ! the work of a musty-headed Dutchman, whose
brains had long been deadened by lager-bier before the
idea of getting up such a book presented itself. Give us
some better authority."

I saw readily that he was prejudiced by a feeling of
combined shame and annoyance at such a national cha
racteristic being attributed to his countrymen, and so
changed the subject, with the unalterable conviction that
the " musty-headed Dutchman" was right and our choleric
little Russian wrong.

246 WE VISIT A BATHING-HOUSE.

"While this conversation was going on, I searched in
vain for any silicious or other matter which the water
might precipitate when coming in contact with the air,
and was thence forced to the conclusion that the smell of
sulphur spoken of by the Japanese was owing to the
escape of some noxious gas, which, finding a vent through
the fissure with the water, thus produced, at times, the
soda-fountain-like action before spoken of.

This was the only hot spring near Si-mo-da that we
heard of; but the interpreters spoke of them as being
very common in other sections of the country.

Surf-bathing seems to be peculiar to the lower classes
that reside near the sea ; and it is probably the attendant
exposure which bronzes the skins of those who indulge
in it, until the stranger wonders why the natives along
the coast are so much darker than those of the interior.

I have seen as many as several hundred men, women,
and children, the entire population of villages, appa
rently, rolling about in the surf in one promiscuous
heap, and all the while yelling and screaming like so
many savages.

The inhabitants of the cities of the interior, on the
contrary, scarcely ever approach the beach, but patronize
the bathing-houses twice, sometimes three times, a day.
Several of us once visited one of the most respectable of
these latter, to examine its arrangements, &c. ; and, having
been told that they were seldom frequented during
the heat of the day, we chose that hour for our visit.
Upon arriving at the establishment, we found it just
being vacated by a most dilapidated and hideous-looking
old woman, while another, who did not seem much better

CHEAP BATHING. 241

off so far as good looks were concerned, held open the
bamboo door and motioned us to enter. Thinking, pro
bably, that we had come to see their mode of bathing, she
made signs that there were no bathers just then, but that
there would be shortly, and that we had better seat our
selves around the sides and make ourselves comfortable.

We made her understand, with considerable difficulty,
that our object was to see the arrangement of the hot-
water apparatus, &c., whereupon she pointed to a dark-
looking hole at the back-end of the room that resembled
a huge, old-fashioned wood-fireplace with the back
knocked out, and motioned us to pass under it and see
for ourselves. So we took advantage of the permission,
and, at the expense of wet feet and the inhalation of a
considerable quantity of a steamy, disagreeable atmo
sphere, accomplished the object of our visit.

"We found the inner apartment into which the chimney-
like passage opened to be a room of about from eight to
ten feet in size, and containing an immense caldron in
the centre built around with mud and stones. It was
filled to overflowing with water, from which the steam
arose in clouds and circulated between a dozen or more
rafters that were just high enough from the stone floor to
let one walk upright under them. From what we could
learn, they did not fill this caldron more than three times
a day at the utmost, it being so large that the water
retained its heat several hours. Then, as it cooled
gradually and lost a portion of its purity with each suc
cessive bath, the price of admission decreased to a single
cash.

In the corner of this apartment was also a smaller

248 TIIE BATH-KEEPER REFUSES A DIME.

vessel, into which a constant stream of cold water emptied
through a bamboo joint that kept it in' an overflowing
state unless the bathers were unusually plentiful. From
this they dipped bucketsful of water, which they carried
into the next room to have poured over their heads after
the hot part of the bathing was ended. They would
hand their two buckets of water to the nearest friend,
and stoop down on the concave stone flooring, while said
nearest friend would get as great an elevation as possible
and pour the contents over them; then the water ran
through a two or three inch hole in the centre of the
floor.

As we concluded our examination of the inner apart
ment, and again stooped under the chimneyplace-like
passage-way into the outer room, we came upon several
persons of all ages and sexes, who had entered since our
arrival, and who were then engaged in the process of
disrobing preparatory to taking a dip in the inner tub.

Our appearance did not seem to cause them either sur
prise or confusion ; but, on the contrary, as we tried to
prevail on the woman of the house to accept a dime in
return for what we had seen, they crowded around in
their primitive costume to see what the dispute was about.
And here was another demonstration of the despotic
manner in which the masses are there ruled: that old
woman made signs to us that were she to accept a single
cash from us her head would be in danger. And it is
more than probable that half of those who crowded around
us were spies, who would have reported her to the Govern
ment, had she done so.

Japan is worse than Jesuitical Kome or iron-heeled

WE GET THE BETTER IN AN ARGUMENT. 249

Austria, as far as her police-department is concerned.
There the friend spies upon the friend, the relative upon
the relative. The word confidence is not known among
them : every thing is caution and suspicion.

So much for Japanese baths and morals ; and now let
us pay a visit to the secluded port of Hey-da, to which, the
Eussians had retired to avoid discovery by the French
and English cruisers. When the Japanese found that the
"old John" was about to go there, they objected vio
lently, throwing themselves back upon Commodore
Perry's treaty, with great apparent regard for its every
feature, and giving us to understand that if we went to
Hey-da it would be clearly a piece of bad faith on our
part, as the treaty expressly provided that Americans
were to visit no Japanese ports save those of Ean-ga-sa-ki,
Ha-ko-da-di, and Si-mo-da.

To this, Commander John Rodgers replied, with equal
force and wariness of regard for the provisions of the
treaty, that, among other things, that instrument permitted
American vessels in distress to fly for refuge into any
port of Japan, and that that liberty would be worse than
useless if we were not to be allowed to make charts of
all such ports for the benefit of all such distressed
vessels.

"While running in for refuge, without a chart, he said,
the vessels might strike upon a sunken rock, or reef, in
which case they would have done much better to have
remained outside in the storm. This would be a poor
kina of protection to extend to American vessels in
distress.

Still the Japanese refused : they always refused every

250 WE VISIT THE SHIPWRECKED RUSSIANS.

thing, even what the treaty expressly provided for ; and
the only way we ever got along was to do what we
wished to without asking any questions, and then refer
them to the treaty for our authority.

So, if we expected to accomplish any thing by our visit,
we had to act just as if we had full authority from the
emperor, or make up our minds to do nothing at all ; and,
as we had already sailed several thousand miles to get at
this work, we couldn't well go away without accomplish,
ing it. So, at it we went, commencing the southern end
of our survey at Hey-da, on the island of JSTipon, and
ending at the town of Tomari, on the northern extremity
of the island of Jesso, a coast-line of over a thousand
milesj accomplished through all kinds of weather, and
against all manner of obstacles that were thrown in our
way by the cunning of the Japanese. But let us return
to Hey-da and the shipwrecked Russians.

On the morning of the 24th of May, 1855, we left Si-
mo-da before a light land-breeze, and, under all sail and
low steam, worked our way slowly to the southward,
keeping well in with the land and sketching in its wind
ings from point to point. Several Russian officers, who
had crossed the mountains on foot to Si-mo-da to pay the
squadron a visit, took passage with us, and added to the
interest of the trip by pointing out and naming various
villages that we passed, and indulging us with accounts
of their experience among the Japanese.

These accomplished officers and gentlemen mostly
spoke French fluently, and some of them even under
stood our own language quite well. I had always regarded
Bussian officers as rather illiterate and boorish than other-

VOILA LA FU-SI-YA-MA! 251

wise, and was consequently now the more surprised to
find them our equals in polish as well as in classical and
scientific acquirements.

Our time passed pleasantly enough, as we steamed over
the distance of forty miles, and we were beginning to
think that some signs of the harbour ought now to be
heaving in sight, when we suddenly found ourselves
within a mile of its very mouth. So beautifully was it
hidden from the sea, that a strange vessel might have
" backed and filled" about its locality for days without
imagining the existence of any such place.

" Voila la Fu-si-ya-ma !" exclaimed one of the Russians,
pointing far down the coast to a magnificent mountain,
which, suddenly relieved, by a passing squall, of its dense
envelop of clouds, now lifted its snowy head far into the
mid-day sky.

A magnificent sight it was, truly. Imagine a vast
truncated cone, whose even slope to the northward was
washed by the rolling waters of the bay, while its
southern base dropped gradually back for miles and tens
of miles into the unknown interior. Its snow-capped crest
reflecting the weakened rays of the evening sun, its un
even belt of constant clouds around its centre, and below
that the distant blue of its sweeping sides, fill up the pic
ture. I say, with the Russians, " Voila la Fu-si-ya-ma !"

"It is their great object of reverence, I might almost
say of worship," continued the Russian. "You find it
stamped upon most of their porcelain and lacquer- ware,
and hung in tapestry about many of their altars. Its
sides, that now look so blue, are said to be remarkably
fertile : its summit is always covered with snow, and is in

252 SOMETHING TO ADMIRE.

bad weather generally hidden from view by the clouds
which hang around it. It serves them also as a very re
liable barometer. "When several hundred of their boats
were towing our cripple'd frigate from Si-mo-da to Hey-da,
the day was beautifully clear, and we were getting along
quite smoothly, when suddenly a white cloud hid it from
our view and threw the whole line of boats into the wildest
state of confusion. They cast off their lines and pulled
for the shore in such haste that it was with difficulty that
we could keep enough with us in which to save ourselves
and crew. When the hurricane which the white cloud
indicated broke upon us, we were safe in under the land ;
but the old Diana foundered in a few minutes. Their
knowledge of the weather was all that saved us."

We were now approaching the curved and narrow
entrance of the harbour ; and, as is usual when entering a
strange port, all hands mustered on deck with glasses
and wide-awake eyes, to see what was to be seen, and to
imagine a great many things which were not to be seen.
And the changing panorama that presented itself on every
hand was one well worthy of admiration. The day was aa
calm as a perfectly-motionless atmosphere could make it,
and just warm enough to make it pleasant. Ahead of
us there was opening a green and picturesque valley, with
the locale of its hidden villages indicated by groves of
closely-planted shade-trees, and with the glassy surface
of a winding stream breaking out here and there and
reflecting the slanting rays of the western sun. On our
left, the southern range of mountains that formed one
wall of the valley stretched their broken length down
into the very sea, lifting their uneven ridge several hun-

HEY-DA VS. SI-MO-DA. 253

dred feet above its level, and telling the mariner of bold
water along their rugged sides and friendly shelter under
their protecting breasts.

On the right, a long, low, and curved fragment of land,
some one or two hundred yards in width, and densely
covered with the heaviest timber, stretched itself ffom
the northern shore toward the mountain-range already
alluded to, coming to an abrupt termination just in time
to leave a passage of fair width opening into the inner
harbour, and forming, with the remaining shore-line, a
magnificent anchorage, in shape something like the num
ber 6. Then, to complete the panorama, astern of us,
miles away upon the clearly-defined horizon, where the
dark blue of the sea and the azure hue of the heavens
joined to limit the circle of vision, loomed out the undu
lating land that, stretching far out into the sea from the
downward slope of Fu-si-ya-ma's northern side, formed a
horseshoe bay of huge dimensions, whose unknown shores
might, to our excited fancies, have contained a dozen such
quiet anchorages as the one we were now entering.

Eeader, if you have ever entered a quiet, millpond-like
harbour after a week or more of hard and stormy wea
ther, you can well imagine our feelings as we rounded up
into this landlocked little cove, which was so perfectly
protected that not even a ripple was to be seen upon the
cool and shady-looking beach. It was so totally different
a harbour from that of Si-mo-da, so infinitely superior in
every respect, that we could not restrain the exclamation,
"Oh, if Commodore Perry had but selected this as
one of his three ports of entry, ships arriving at Japan
would at any rate be assured of safety from the elements,

254 THE EIGHT WAY TO TREAT THE JAPANESE.

if nothing else." We wondered in vain why Si-mo-da
had been chosen when Hey-da was so near; and we have
not yet ceased to wonder.

As we steamed slowly up into this figure-of-six har
bour, the Russian boats, which had been saved when the
Diana foundered, were seen safely moored along the quiet
beach ; but the Russians themselves were nowhere to be
noticed. They subsequently acknowledged that they had
taken us for an English or .French steamer under Ame
rican colours, and repeated the oft-complained-of proceed
ing of the former, who had entered the harbour of Petro-
polowski with our flag at their peak, made a hasty survey
of it, and then put up their helm and steamed out again
while hoisting their true colours and firing a gun in bra
vado. We had not seen the act ourselves, but had heard
of it so often that we finally began to regard it as having
taken place beyond a doubt.

As soon as we had let go our anchor, the captain's gig
was placed at the disposal of our passengers, and after
they had been on shore a few minutes we began to see
swarms of their countrymen crowding the beach, many
of whom came off in their boats to extend the civilities
of the port to us. One would have imagined it a posses
sion of the Czar instead of a Japanese seaport town, so
completely had the Russians made themselves at home.
They laughed at the idea of our not visiting them at their
quarters because the Japanese objected to it, and offered
to take us in their boats if we wished to respect their
foolish fancies.

That night we had them, as well as several Japanese
of rank, on board, and introduced them to a bowl of hot

SOMETHING MORE ABOUT SWORDS. 255

whiskey punch ; and, as this latter disappeared, we ac
quired considerable information of their nation at large,
from the Japanese, through the Russians, some of whom
had already made considerable progress in the language.

Among other things, we learned one of the great se
crets in regard to the beauty and remarkable polish of
their swords. It was not every Japanese sword that was
good, the vice-governor told us : it was only a certain
number, that had been made by a workman who lived
A.D. 1750, that were so highly prized : any others could
be had for a trifle, from ten to thirty dollars.

The old fellow had drank pretty freely of the punch
before expressing himself thus liberally, and another
glass or two upset his reserve and dignity completely.
He slapped us on the back in a most "hail-fellow-well-
met" style, and drew his sword when requested, without
the slightest hesitation. This latter was certainly the most
beautiful specimen of steel that I ever saw : put any light
fabric across it and sweep your arm through the air, and
its divided parts floated upon the disturbed atmosphere.
The governor seemed unusually proud of this sword : it
was made, he told us, by the great maker of 1750, and
had come to him from his father, who had long since re
tired from public life. I tried to ascertain if swords, &c.
fell to the lot of the eldest son in Japan, but failed to
convey the question in an intelligible form.

The party broke up at a late hour, and the next day
was devoted to the survey of the harbour, which being
accomplished, the restless anchor once more appeared at
the cathead, and the " old John" again pointed herself for
the sea.

256 A PRACTICAL EVIDENCE OF ZEAL.

That evening we were again at Si-mo-da, the Japanese
appearing not to care a farthing about our having visited
Hey-da, although they had opposed it so violently before
it was accomplished.

Our stay at Si-mo-da was now drawing to a close. We
had resurveyed the harbour, compared our work with
the chart of Lieutenants Maury and Bent, of Perry's
squadron, and found that the destructive earthquake and
its attendant sea-wave which had reduced Si-mo-da to
ruins since the visit of that squadron had not perceptibly
altered its formation or soundings.

As an evidence of the zeal by which both officers and
men were filled during this cruise, I will remark that,
about this time, the idea of exploring and surveying the
coast of Nipon from Si-mo-da to the northeast point of
the island, and then crossing the stormy Straits of
T'Sugar to Ha-ko-da-di, island of Jesso, in an open boat,
was originated by some one and subsequently executed
with happy success. The coast-line to be thus examined
was nearly five hundred miles in length, their charts
were very unreliable, and it was the season when violent
gales were likely to cross their track at any moment. It
was undoubtedly a most hazardous undertaking.

As soon as the expedition was proposed, volunteers
sprang forward from every quarter, and, as soon as the
officers and crew were selected, the boat was prepared
for the unusual service and proclaimed ready for sea.

She was the largest boat carried by the Yincennes,
was known as "the launch," and measured probably
from four to five tons. They had built a light forecastle-
deck forward, knocked up a few lockers aft, and rigged

THE VINCENNES, JR. 257

her as a sloop. She carried a twelve-pounder boat-
howitzer on a pivot, one or two boxes of fixed ammuni
tion, a change of clothes for each man, and the regular
Government-ration of beef and pork, bread, rice, whiskey,
&c. for twenty-one days. Her crew numbered from fif
teen to twenty souls, all armed to the teeth and ready to
go anywhere in spite of any thing the Japanese might say
or do ; for these latter, with their usual annoying policy,
had strongly objected to such a thing as a boat of light
draught running into all the nooks and corners where a
large vessel could not go, and it was therefore necessary
to do it against their wishes.

Of course we would not have persisted at the expense
of life, but then we knew well enough that the Japanese
were like a large, savage, but quiescent dog: walk by
him in a quiet, cool, unconcerned manner, and he will
probably content himself with keeping his eye upon you ;
whereas, if you hesitate in your advance, he will more
than probably spring at your throat

And thus it was with them and us. As soon as we
stopped to show them the consideration of asking their
consent to the most simple measure, they would begin to
clear their throats and advance more difficulties than an
ordinary man could think of in double the time; and
these difficulties were always so trivial, and the desire to
bother and retard us so apparent, that we generally left
them in anger and did what we had in view, without the
slightest regard to them or their opposition.

The launch was now dubbed the "Vincennes, Jr.,"
and put under the command of Acting Lieutenant John

M. Brooke, of the Yincennes, Sen., who had associated

258 UNPLEASANT NAVIGATION.

with him in the risky undertaking Messrs. Edward Kern,
artist, and Richard Berry, sailmaker, in addition to the
regular crew.

Finally, the day of sailing arrived, and we all put to
sea, leaving the nomadics, their schooner, which had
now returned from Petropolowski, and Cavilosky, the
Russian, in charge of the harbour. The Hancock sur
veyed a group of islands on her route and then made
the hest of her way toward Ha-ko-da-di. Arrived near
the northeast point of Nipon, we fell in with fogs and
heavy weather, which made the navigation any thing but
safe. Let me turn to my journal for an idea of this un
pleasant navigation :

"We were running along the northeastern coast of the
island of Mpon, under both sail and steam, had had no
observations for some days, were enveloped in a fog that
might apparently have been 'cut with a knife,' knew
that strong and unknown currents swept around us, had
no chart from which to get even an idea of said northeast
ern coast, were any thing but certain as to our locality,
felt that a gale of wind was coming down upon us, and
were nervously anxious to reach shelter in the harbour
of Ha-ko-da-di before night. This harbour was supposed
to be some fifty miles off; that was where our dead
reckoning placed it : but then dead reckoning was pro
verbially unreliable, and the unknown currents already
alluded to only added to this uncertainty. We were
steering what we also supposed to be the right course to
make the northeast point of Nipon, before starting to
cross the straits that separated it from Jesso, so that we
might use it as a fresh starting-point in finding our way

WHERE ARE WE RUNNING TO? 259

through the fog; but we had expected to discover it
before breakfast, and it was now getting toward noon,
and there was still nothing to be seen but fog, fog, and
occasionally a heavy-winged sea-bird breaking through
its dense folds, hovering over us for a moment, and then
darting away from sight as suddenly as it had appeared.

" We were going along very fast, too, for the ' old
John,' at least eight or nine knots the hour; for the
wind and sea were both astern, and, like any other col
lection of matter, she could not have stood still under
such circumstances had she been so disposed. Besides,
we had also got up steam that morning, and the boiling
water under her Dutch galliot-like stern told that the
propeller was also lending a hand to urge her ahead. No
wonder, then, that she waddled along through the water
and fog at the above unusual rate.

" This unusual rate was a very pleasant thing as long
as we had reason to suppose that we were steering the
right course, for the faster we went on said right course
the sooner we should arrive at our. port of shelter ; but,
after we had run for an hour or two beyond the time
when we should have sighted the northeast point, we
began to get anxious and to fear that we might be run
ning blindfold toward some rock beyond the cape, or
upon some shelterless lee shore, which might at any mo
ment be discovered with unpleasant suddenness ; in either
of which cases it would have been a < clew up and furl'
game with the 'old John' and all connected with her.
The captain and Carnes, therefore, put their heads toge
ther over the imperfect chart, and concluded to change
mr course so as to sight the land along which we were

260 PORT ! HAR-R-R-D A-PORT !

running, and which we knew to be to the westward of us,
though how far we could only conjecture

" The helm was therefore put to starboard ; some of
the lighter sails were taken in ; the others were braced
for the wind on the port beam, and every thing kept in
active readiness to change back to our old course as
soon as the land should be discovered ahead. In this
way we ran on for an hour or more, the first lieutenant
having the trumpet on the quarter-deck, the officer of
the deck, whom he had relieved, being in charge of the
forecastle, to help the look-outs keep their eyes open,
and to superintend things in general in case of the
sudden change of course which was momentarily ex
pected, and the crew being at their stations for c wearing
ship?

" Suddenly, a seaman by the name of Corcoran,
with whom Dickens must have been acquainted before
creating his character of 'Bunsby,' and who stood
near the officer in charge of the forecastle, looked very
wise, and said he heard the breakers. This caused every
one to listen intently and open their eyes still wider ; but
they heard nothing. Presently he said he saw them ;
and, as others now heard them just as he said he saw
them, the officer in charge took his word for it, and
bellowed out to the quarter-deck, ' Port ! har-r-r-d a-port !
Breakers ahead!' and, as the ship fell rapidly off under
the influence of both propeller and sails, a long white
line of boiling surf appeared along our port bow and
beam, and caused us to congratulate ourselves upon the
sharp senses of 'Bunsby.'

"The deep-sea lead, which had been kept going as

KEEP A BRIGHT LOOK-OUT AHEAD! 261

fast as it could be hauled in since our change of course,
now gave fifteen fathoms as the depth of water! and,
as the beach was not more than four hundred yards off,
we did not think it prudent to close in any more, but
ran along with it at about that depth and distance,
keeping a good look-out on each cathead and a hand-
lead going from each of the fore-chains.

"As we had closed with the land while standing in,
the fog had seemed to lighten considerably, and we now
ran along at our old speed, keeping the breakers just in
sight, and straining our eyes through the fog ahead to
discover our long-looked-for northeast point. This was
a most trying kind of navigation. For, suppose that we
should have been running before that wind and sea into
a fathomless bay, where we could not have anchored ; or
suppose a reef had suddenly been found, making out
from the land right across our path !

" ' Haul by the wind and beat out of such a dis
agreeably-tight place/ I think I hear some seaman
answer.

"'Yes; that would do very well; but, unfortunately,
the < old John' could never be persuaded to acquit her
self after that style,' is my answer. She was like a crab:
she always went astern or sideways in all sudden emer
gencies, confound her! Suddenly, as we looked, the
vague and undefined outlines of a dark detached object
arose before us, and then another, farther in the fog, as
the first became more distant.

"'Land ho!' sang out the look-out. 'Two islands
right ahead, sir!' shouted the officer in charge of the
forecastle.

262 BKEAKERS AHEAD! ANOTHER TIGHT PLACE.

"'Port!' said the ready voice of the first lieutenant
to the man at the wheel. ' Brace up the head-yards !
Quartermaster, let the captain know there's land re
ported ahead.'

"'Ay, ay, sir!' and, as the messenger disappeared
down the cabin-hatch, the old ship, as if conscious of
her danger, swerved slowly from her course until she
brought the newly-discovered objects out upon her lee
bow.

" ' Steady there !' exclaimed the first lieutenant. ' How
do you head now ?'

" * $Tor'-nor'east, sir/ replied the helmsman, as he
'met her' with the lee wheel and fired an admirable
shot at a distant spittoon.

" 'Very well. Keep her so.

" 'Ay, ay, sir.'

"The after-yards were now braced for the wind on
the starboard quarter, and we were soon running on
our new course with but slightly-diminished speed.

" ' That's the point we're looking for,' said Carnes : 'I
know it by those islands. "We're all right now.'

" ' Breakers ahead ! breakers on the weather bow !'
shouted the startled voices of both look-outs at this
moment.

" ' Haul by the wind, Mr. McCullom,' said the captain,
who now came on deck, 'and take in the topgallant-sails.'

"So we hauled by the wind, took in topgallant-sails,
and passed the word to fire up strong. The poor ' old
John' was apparently in another of her endless 'tight
places,' and steam was the only thing we could ever
hope to help her with.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT? 263

We were now 'by the wind/ with the beach along
which we had been running looming up upon our
weather quarter and astern, with the three islands (an
other having come out of the fog as we neared them)
on our lee quarter, and with what was an apparent
reef of rocks, over which the surf was breaking furiously,
extending from the outer of the three islands along our
lee beam and well forward on the lee bow, almost dead
ahead, in fact. The wind also had increased to a young
gale ; that is, we felt its force much more then, that we
were no longer running away from it ; and, had we not
got in the topgallant-sails as soon as we did, the masts
would certainly have gone over the side. Our headway,
too, was entirely deadened, and, in spite of the assisting
propeller, it soon became apparent that we were drifting
on to the reef.

"'What do you think of it, Mr. Games?' asked the
captain. ' Is it a reef, or only the strong current break
ing around the point? The sailing-directions speak of
three islands, but of no reef.'

"'It looks miserably natural, sir,' replied the master,
as he continued regarding it through his opera-glass;*
* but I don't see how it can well be any thing, if this is
the northeast point : that's the difficulty.'

"We were at this moment in a painful state of doubt
and uncertainty, and would have gladly hesitated, had it
only been to gain time to think ; but, as we were all the
while drifting toward the reef, immediate action was
what was wanted. Fortunately for our peace of mind,

* Opera-glasses are rapidly superseding the ordinary "spy-glass" on
ship-board, especially at night.

264 "BUNSBY" ON SPARROWS AND TAILORS.

the fog lifted while we were yet talking, and enabled us
to discern other objects that established pretty well the
fact of its being the point, when we at once knew that
the reef must be but a tide-rip, and so determined to run
through it.

"'I'd trust to the sailing-direction for there being no
reef off this point, and run through it,' said the master.

" 'So we will !' said the captain. 'Hard up the helm,
Mr. McCullom, and point her for it.

" So the helm was put hard up, and in less than three
minutes more we were entering the threatening streak,
carrying no bottom at thirty fathoms all the while, and
with the leaping waters breaking over our bulwarks in
all directions, and in such quantities as to cause us to
tremble for the safety of the Vincennes, Jr., whom we
knew would have to round that same point in a few days,
and under, possibly, similar or worse circumstances.
Another minute, and the supposed danger was behind
us, when we again breathed freely, set the topgallant-
sails, royals, and all studding-sails, and shaped our course
for Ha-ko-da-di at the rate of ten and a half miles the
hour. It was a strange thing for our old craft to be
moving at that rate, and I am almost afraid to tell of it ;
but then it must be remembered that we were under all
sail and steam, and that a rising gale of wind was follow
ing us in its squally strength.

"'Well! I never seed such cruisin' as this/ remarked
Bunsby, as he turned over his tobacco and looked back
at the surf-like tide-rip that crossed our track. If the
Lord, that looks out for sparrows and tailors, a'n't got
this old thing under his speacil wing, I don't know/

WE RUN ON SHORE. 265

" A general laugh followed this characteristic ebullition.
Bunsby had long since become the acknowledged ' ship's
growler.' We subsequently returned to this point, and
made a perfect survey of it, as well as of the entire
straits.

"We were now but some forty miles from our port,-
the diagonal width of the Straits of T'Sugar, and,
could we but keep up our then speed for seven or eight
hours, we should get in that night. So we held on to the
straining canvas and kept up full steam, for there was a
five or six knot current running against us ; and, though
the gale continued to increase, and consequently to urge
us ahead at a more headlong pace than ever, still, it also
created a very high and dangerous 'chop-sea,' which
broke continually over our bulwarks, flooding our decks,
and in one case filling a quarter-boat so full as to create
fears for her safety. We again thought of the poor little
Vincennes, Jr., of her brave and adventurous officers and
crew, and wished them safely across a passage which was
often threatening the safety of even a ship of our size.

" That night we reached our destination in safety, but we
had a hard run of it ; and, if we had been forced to pass
the next twelve hours in darkness and at the mercy of that
gale and six-knot current, there is no telling where the
thirteenth hour would have found us. As it was, we
got a glimpse and it was only a glimpse of a moment's
duration of the promontory of Ha-ko-da-di, just as the
twilight was leaving us ; and then we ran in after dark by
guess-work. It is not surprising, therefore, that we should
have run on shore, which we actually did do, though it was
fortunately well inside of the capacious bay, where the

266 SAFE ARRIVAL OF THE VINCENNES, JR.

water was smooth and the mud soft. That same night,
however, we hauled off again, and the next morning
steamed up to the regular anchorage off the town, where
our store-brig, an American whaling-hrig, and an English
surveying-schooner, were quietly stowed away among a
fleet of the clumsy-looking Japanese junks."

As day by day now rolled on, bringing in first the Yin-
cennes, and then the Cooper, we continued to tremble for
the missing launch, and to think that the risk had been
almost too great.

Finally, she arrived, to our great satisfaction ; and the
next day brought in the nomadics also, who told us that
couriers had arrived daily at Si-mo-da after our departure,
reporting the launch at her various stopping-places along
the coast, and causing the officials a vast deal of annoy
ance. Here is what we learned from the combined gossip
of the two vessels. My journal says :

"The Yincennes, Jr., left Si-mo-da on the morning of
a fine day, and for some time had a continuation of plea
sant weather and easy sailing. They passed the first
night in a small bay some miles above Si-mo-da, with
their boat anchored near the beach and their tent pitched
upon a grassy knoll, before which a bright fire was soon
kindled and a warm supper subsequently discussed. The
natives of a small village near at hand received them
quite civilly, but took care to send a courier over to Si-
mo-da, reporting their arrival and asking for instructions
as to what they should do. The arrival of this messenger
at Si-mo-da is said to have caused no little annoyance to
th*> pompous officials before whom he presented himself,
and they immediately started Tatz-nosky in hot haste to

TATZ-NOSKY RIDES POST. 267

drive our explorers to sea. They had no difficulty in
recognising the launch, from the drawing which was
sent of her, as the boat which had left their harbour
in the morning, and to which they refused permission
to survey along their coast. Tatz-nosky rode upon
a Government-horse, and doubtless 'used him' as hard
as Government-horses are generally used under similar
circumstances; but, when he arrived at the end of his
journey, the Yincennes, Jr., had stood out to sea, and
he had the pleasure of riding back again. Had he been
a well-read European, he would doubtless have hummed
upon his return-journey the once-popular ditty of which
this is a part :

' The King of France, with twenty thousand men,
March'd up a hill, and then march'd down again.'

" Our explorers were equally fortunate on the second
evening of their cruise, so far as passing a quiet night was
concerned. They found another little cove, into which
they retreated before the approach of a squally night, and
entailed a long ride upon a second courier; which, in
turn, mounted poor Tatz-nosky again upon his Govern
ment-hack. But he had not proceeded half-way on his
road this time before he was met by a third courier, who
informed him that their visitors had departed with the
early dawn. They were like the Irishman's flea : < put
your finger on him, and he isn't there.'

" In this way they cruised along quite smoothly, making
good time during the day before favourable winds, and
seeking shelter at night in quiet little coves which they
generally were so fortunate as to fall in with toward

268 GREAT PERIL OF THE VINCBNNES, JR.

evening. After awhile, however, *a change came o'er
the spirit of their dream/ in the shape of a gale of wind,
when they would fain have run into some of the * quiet
coves' that had befriended them so far ; but unfortunately
they had arrived at a long stretch of iron-bound coast by
that time, that warned them that their greatest safety now
consisted in keeping at a reasonable distance from the
land : so they had to work through it as best they could,
eating cold and uncooked provisions, being knocked
about in a most dangerous manner by the heavy seas,
and passing altogether any thing but a pleasant time.

"Now, as long as that state of things lasted, they were
in great danger; but they were fortunately included
among Bunsby's tailors and sparrows, and got to the end
of the iron-bound coast in safety, after having narrowly
escaped foundering one unusually stormy night. The
heavy weather still continued, however, and made the
rest of the passage rough and dangerous in the extreme :
still, they accomplished it with safety, if not comfort, as
far as the northeast point, where they encountered the
tide-rip which had caused us of the t old John' so much
annoyance, but which their little craft then crossed quite
easily, there being only a moderate breeze by that time,
while we had had a gale following us.

"In short, she arrived safely in Ha-ko-da-di on her
twenty-first night out, much to our relief and greatly to
the surprise of the Japanese fishermen, who wondered
greatly to see a craft of her size cruising along their
stormy coasts. That same day she was unrigged and
hoisted into the Yincennes again, and thus was her
perilous voyage happily terminated. The foregoing is a

OUR LAST SUPPLY OF COAL AND PROVISIONS. 269

very fair specimen of the manner in which we were often
exposed during that surveying cruise around the world."
We were now to remain about Ha-ko-da-di from fifteen
to twenty days, taking in coal and salt provisions from the
Hamburg brig Greta, which we had chartered at Hong-
Kong to meet us at this point, and surveying the harbour
and Straits of T' Sugar, (erroneously pronounced Sangar,)
after which we were to separate to meet no more until
our arrival at San Francisco.

CHAPTER XV.

HOW BEAS8 BUTTONS AEE VALUED IN JAPAN, AND HOW PARTRIDGES ARE
THERE TRANSFORMED INTO SINGING-BIRDS HOW WE VISITED A SEA-
GOD* 8 TEMPLE, AND HOW A GERMAN EXPLORER PREFERRED REMAINING
OUTSIDE HOW SOME AMERICANS LEANED ON COMMODORE PERRY'S
TREATY, AND HOW IT GAVE WAY UNDER THEM.

WE found Ha-ko-da-di a very different place from Si-
mo-da, at least treble its size, and situated at the foot of
a curved and towering promontory, which, joined to the
main by a long low neck of land, forms one of the
largest and finest harbours in the world.

We now turned our attention to the Greta, and several
days were devoted to transferring her cargo of coal to
our exhausted bunkers and replenishing our supplies of
provisions for the use of the crew. As for ourselves,
the officers, there was no such luck in store. During
this time we walked over most of the surrounding coun
try, to the infinite terror of old women and small chil
dren, and made daily hauls with our seine along the
inner shore of the bay, to the great annoyance of the
Japanese authorities and to our own especial edification
about meal-hours.

During one of these walks, Hartman and myself bar
tered away a number of brass buttons for several articles
of religious worship, and returned on board in high glee.

The next day the doctor, while upon a similar excursion,
270

HOW THEY VALUE BRASS BUTTONS. 271

met a countryman with a wicker-basket containing ten or
a dozen fine plump partridges ; and, as they were eating
which we had not enjoyed for many months, he hauled
out several silver dollars on the spur of the moment and
offered to "buy the lot." The man refused, however,
and was walking off, when some one exclaimed, " Try
him with the buttons !" at which the doctor hauled out a
handful of them and made signs that he would barter.
The fellow now halted, and, after examining them, inti
mated that he would give a partridge for a button, and, to
the delight of the party, handed over the entire basket for
a dozen or so of buttons. The next day they were eaten
with great gusto, and, just as we got up from the table, a
high officer came on board with the interpreter, and com
plained that "some Americans had been many miles
back in the country and bought some poor people's
household gods, and that another party had forced a poor
man to sell them all of his singing-birds:" at the end of
which he hauled out every button that we had traded, re
turning them to the captain, and requested that the
"household gods" and "singing-birds" be returned.

Now, here is a beautiful specimen of the cunning of
those people. There was an abundance of partridges
on the island of Jesso ; and, had that officer come on
board and demanded the return of a poor man's birds,
we should have said, " Why do not you officers provide
us birds to eat?" and he could have answered nothing:
whereas, when we now asked the question, he shrugged
his shoulders, arid said singing-birds were never eaten.

Fortunately it was too late to return them ; but, the
captain having asked Hartman and myself seriously in

272 THEY OBJECT TO OUR HAULING THE SEINE.

regard to the household gods, we could not deny that we
were the parties, and were consequently requested to give
them up. We had great luck in seine-hauling, and this,
too, seemed to trouble them considerably. They evi
dently envied us the boat-loads of fine salmon, trout,
perch, and flounders which we daily carried on board,
and determined to stop the sport. They told the captain
that the people in and about Ha-ko-da-di were very
poor; that they lived almost entirely upon fish, and
that if we went on in that way much longer they would
be in a starving condition. This was simply absurd, as
there were dozens of their own seines being hauled in
the harbour every day, and one of theirs was as large as
half a dozen of ours would have been. Probably " absurd"
is too mild a term; but, as I am "talking behind their
backs" as it were, I will content myself with it.

The captain replied carelessly that if they would sell us
what fish we wanted the seine should be used no more, but
that if worthless or half-decayed fish were sent they would
be thrown overboard and a seining-party sent on shore
at once. To this the high officer replied that we should
thereafter be regularly supplied with fine fresh salmon ;
and the next day he sent on board three of that kind of
fish, which looked very well at a distance, but which we
refused to accept upon a closer inspection, as their gills
were already turning green and four dollars were asked
for them. They were consequently thrown overboard
and the seining-party once more landed on the beach.

We had not got our first haul half-way on shore when
several two-sworded officials, attended by some ten or fif
teen inferiors* gathered about the spot, apparently actu-

ANOTHER KICKING-MATCH. 273

ated only by curiosity. After a while, however, they took
it upon themselves to drive off some poor people who
were picking up the refuse fish, at which I beckoned to
the three men nearest me, and considerably emboldened
by the action of " the prophet" at Si-mo-da gave the
officers several hearty kicks, when they ran off in great
confusion, tripping over their swords and being followed
by their ten or fifteen attendants. "We then called the
poor people back, one of whom was so delighted at the
turn which things had taken that he at once commenced
eating his fish raw, to our extreme disgust. He would
pick a six-inch fellow up out of the sand by the tail, give
him a flirt through the water to wash the sand off, and
then commence by biting off the entire head, after which
he went regularly down to the tail, which he only threw
away to enable him to grasp another. In justice to the
Japanese at large, however, I must say that this was the
only thing of the kind we ever saw.

The kicking which we had administered to the officials
seemed to have had the desired effect. They did not re
appear to trouble us, and we shortly returned on board
with a well-loaded boat, and continued our sport daily as
long as we remained. In this way one boat and a dozen
men supplied our entire ship's-company with fine fish;
while, had we consented to be browbeaten by the arro
gant officials, they would have furnished us an uncertain
and stale supply at a greater cost than a butcher in the
United States would charge for supplying a ship's crew
with beef and vegetables.

At Ha-ko-da-di we found public bathing conducted

exactly as at Si-mo-da, and in all other respects the people

274 WE PREPARE TO VISIT A SEA-GOD'S TEMPLE.

seemed similar. As a matter of course they were even
more wild, for they had seen less of foreigners ; and, if
possible, the two-sworded gentlemen evinced a stronger
disposition to follow our tracks, but one or two properly-
applied kicks soon cured them of that weakness.

"We found several objects of interest around the shores
of this magnificent bay, the most prominent of which
was a marine cave of vast dimensions chambered out of
the rocky breast of the towering and surf-worn promon
tory of Ha-ko-da-di by some past convulsion of nature,
and now dedicated by the Japanese fishermen to their
sea-god, whose aid they there invoke to calm the raging
of the sea or to bless their coast with endless shoals of
salmon. The very existence of this half-submarine, half-
subterranean place of worship would probably have
never been known to us had our ship been any thing but
a surveying-vessel ; but the nature of the service required
at our hands took us everywhere, and, if the "old John"
couldn't go herself, she sent one or more of her six boats
to act for her.

It was in this way that the archlike entrance to the
cave was discovered, one of our boats, while engaged in
the survey of the harbour, having entered just far enough
to determine that it was a cave, and one, too, of no incon
siderable extent. As soon, therefore, as the survey was
completed, an exploring-party was organized to enter and
examine it thoroughly, and to that end quite extensive
preparations were necessary.

It was reported as being horribly dark, even at the
mouth, could only be entered in a boat, and that the roar
ing of a heavy surf or waterfall had been heard from the

WHAT SOME OF US HAD BETTER DO. 275

outside. Our informant also stated that a heavy swell
rolled into it, that its rocky mouth was whitened by a
sulphurous vapour, and that, from the current which set
into it, there was evidently another outlet : should this
other outlet prove to be a whirlpool, or even an ordinary
waterfall, a boat-load of human beings, without light and
utterly ignorant of the locality, would find themselves
most unpleasantly situated. We consequently armed
ourselves with lanterns, matches, lines, knives, hammer
and nails, e. before leaving the ship, and, as the crew
had been worked hard lately, took the dingy and her two
boys to pull us to the scene of action.

The party consisted of nine, all told, quite enough to
crowd into a small boat that was going to feel her way*
through a darkness like that of night, to the bottom of
an unknown cave. Six of us were officers of the ship, a
seventh was the German supercargo of the Greta, and
the remaining two were the dingy-boys, the same two
dangerously-encased juveniles who had landed Mahomet*
Bridleman, and myself so successfully at Si-mo-da upon
the occasion of the former persuading the mountain to
"move off" in a southerly direction.

Our German friend was quite talkative at first, indulg
ing us with vivid descriptions of various European caves
which he had explored in early life, and enlarging upon
the feelings of intense interest which such enterprises
were calculated to create in the inquiring mind. As we
drew near to the cave, however, he became rather taciturn
than otherwise, and, as we reached its mouth and the
order was given to "hold wa,ter" with the oars while
the plan of procedure was being determined upon, he

276 ONE OF THE PARTY DOES NOT LIKE IT.

hazarded the remark that " some vones more better make
stops outside ze rocks, vile ze uzzer vones goes in ;" but
in this he was overruled at once, and, a deep-sea lead-line
having been securely fastened to a projecting fragment
of rock, we backed boldly in under the gloomy and re
sounding archway. Keeping a light strain on the line, to
"hold on by" should the possible whirlpool prove a
reality, the oars were taken in, and, with boat-hooks and
hands, we urged her cautiously through the thickening
gloom.

And now the German proved to be right in one thing.
It was "intensely interesting to our inquiring minds," as
the boat dropped slowly away from daylight, rising and
falling over the heavy swell and grating harshly against
unseen projections of the rocky sides. "We began to
think that the roof of the archway might get lower with
unpleasant suddenness as we progressed, and that the next
swell might inform us of the fact by mashing our heads
against it; for it was so very dark that, even with our
lights, we could not see the rugged walls against which
we were scraping. The feeling at last became so intensely
interesting to the supercargo himself, that he again be
came communicative. "Vel! vel! I don't loiks zis!" he
said, nervously; "much better take some vone out of ze
boat. "Tis var small boat for so many peoples. I vaits
outside for some time. I not loiks zis."

I must confess that I didn't "loik" it myself; and the
feeling, passing . down into my fingers, caused them to
tighten their grasp around the line, until the boat came
to a stand-still.

"Hillo! what's the matter?" asked Games.

SQUIRES THINKS HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S ABOUT. 277

"Slack the line, H , and let her go in," said the

doctor. (Said H , who was seated in the bows, with

his feet braced firmly against the stem, thought he'd
much better hold on to the line until he could see where
he was going to slack her to.)

"I feel bottom !" exclaimed Squires, who was leaning
over the side with a boat-hook.

"You feel the mischief!" said Lawton. "You're feel
ing the boat's bottom."

"I suppose I know what I'm about!" retorted the in
dignant feeler : " darkness don't keep one from feeling."

"I not loiks it!" broke in the German; "much better
vone, two, three, at vonce. Boat var small."

"Well, let's haul out again and leave half on the
rocks," said another, who evidently began to think with
him.

"Well, all right!" exclaimed several more of the party.
I didn't say much, but hung back on the line with such
effect as to change night into day in a most amazingly
short space of time. I didn't like the gurgling noises in
our rear: they sounded too much like a subterranean
watercourse to make it pleasant.

" Vel, I gets out," said the German, as we ranged up
alongside of the entrance.

"Oh, no! you'd better hold on," said he who had
accused Squires of feeling the boat's bottom.

"No, but I loiks better here," replied the former
explorer of European caves, as he jumped upon the
rocks and advised that " vone, two, three, more better at
vonce."

One by one the party followed his example, until there

278 EXCITEMENT, DARKNESS, AND BATS.

were bat four of us left to make the second attempt,
the doctor, the master, he who had accused him of the
boat-hook of feeling the wrong bottom, and myself.

Backing in as before, we progressed backward quite
smoothly until arrived near our former stopping-place,
when the doctor wisely remarked that "we'd better hold
on a minute until our eyes became accustomed to the
darkness: probably we might be able to see." So my
fingers again tautened around the line, and the party
came to another halt. The wisdom of this proceeding
soon made itself apparent, and then we began to wonder
why some one hadn't thought of it before. The dark
outlines of a vast and dome-like apartment became now
every moment more distinct, until, with the assistance of
our lights, we could see passably well. "Humph!" said
one; "there's no whirlpool, after all: it's only the surf
rolling in among the rocks." "I don't believe there's
any current sets in, either: it's all humbug," said another.
"Give her a shove astern, H ."

So I slackened the line, and, trusting to the eyes in the
other end of the boat, gave her a most energetic shove.

"There it is!" "Now we're in for it!" "Trim boat!"
" Haul out, H !" " Confound the bats !"

These confused and excited exclamations were the re
sult of three things. The "energetic shove" had landed
the old boat's stern on a sunken rock, which we subse
quently found to be located exactly in mid-channel. Se
condly, the swell leaving her there, she canted over and
came within an ace of spilling us all out. Lanterns were
let fall, the better to enable their holders to look out for
"No. 1," and the candles took advantage of the occasion

WE SUCCEED AFTER A TERRIBLE FRIGHT. 279

to go out. Thirdly, a hundred or more bats, alarmed by
such unusual noises, left their various stow-holes, and,
flying in our faces, added their disgusting contact to the
general drawbacks of the adventure. I began to wish
myself with the German, and, in order to gratify the
longing, hauled heavily on the ever-friendly line, and
with the next swell we righted to an even keel and
surged ahead clear of the rock. We were no sooner
again upright, however, than our courage returned, and
we came to another halt and began feeling about for the
lanterns and matches. These found and lit, we noticed
that the fright had considerably sharpened our sense of
vision : I suppose our eyes had by this time adapted
themselves to the darkness.

We now backed in again, slackening the line with
more confidence, and poling her clear of the sunken rock
with boat-hooks. Once inside of that, we were all right,
and the next moment the party jumped on one of the
large boulders of massive granite that apparently com
posed the flooring of the cave, while I returned for the
outsiders in a most triumphant mood.

This time we got in without any difficulty, one of those
already there having remained on the boulder with his
light, to warn us as to the bearing of the sunken rock,
which, being between him and the entrance, was plainly
visible as the swell broke over it.

Leaving one of the boys in the boat to keep her clear
of the rocks, we now lit our candles and commenced
climbing over the boulders toward the centre of the
dome, where we could see the dim and uncertain outlines
of a truncated cone, upon the top of which was perched

280 WHAT WE SAW IN THE SEA-GOD'S TEMPLE.

something very much like an ordinary dog-kennel. This
was by no means pleasant climbing, as one every now and
then put his hand upon a king-crab, a young bat, or some
object equally pleasant to the touch: still, we climbed on,
and finally reached the top.

It proved to be a rugged mound, half rock and half
earth, and the dog-kennel to be a grotesquely-carved josh-
house, within whose closed portals we discovered a finely-
executed bronze casting of their sea-god. A number of
copper cash were around about his sacred feet, and a
gilded serpent twined around his head and reared its
wide-spread jaws over the stupid Oriental eyes of the
image. Altogether it was a most singular-looking "josh,"
and more than one of the party (as it was subsequently
acknowledged, though every one protested at the time
that it would be a wanton outrage against the Japanese)
came to the secret determination to get possession of it
before leaving the port. ]N"o one had the face to molest
it then, from the simple fact that we knew that the Ja
panese spies had kept their glasses (they get these
through the Dutch at Nan-ga-sa-ki) on our every movement
since leaving the ship, and that they would visit the cave
immediately after night to see if we had carried off any
thing. So we went away empty-handed, if I may except
an unfortunate young bat which was mercilessly crowded
into a large-mouthed bottle by our enterprising assistant
naturalist and acting junior engineer, L. M. Squires, Esq.

While making our exit from this heathen temple, we
noticed that the archway which led to it was about
one hundred yards long, crooked like an elbow, from
five to ten yards in width, and of an average height

THEY RETURN THANKS TOO SOON. 281

of about fifteen feet; while the water measured seven
fathoms at the mouth, decreasing as you neared the
rotunda.

Knowing all this, it was very easy for me to return
for Mr. Josh a few days later : but the sleepy old fellow
had disappeared ; and, whether the Japanese fisherman
or one of our own party had anticipated me, I have
never learned to this day.

Among other shell-fish we found a very fine mussel
along the shores of this bay, which took the place of
inferior oysters admirably. I don't know what we
should have thought of them had we had access to
an ordinary market-place; but, living on salt beef as
we then were, they proved any thing but unacceptable.

Having almost completed the survey of the Straits
of T'Sugar, which separate the great island of Nipon
from that of Jesso, the Yincennes and Cooper now
sailed upon their last cruises previous to our arrival
at San Francisco, while the " old John" remained quietly
at her anchor. Seeing the Yincennes and Cooper thus
put to sea, and knowing we were to follow their example
upon the following day, the Japanese "chin-chined
Josh" to an alarming extent, thanking their idols for
relieving them of the foreign vessels. The sound of their
huge drums and shrill wind instruments had scarcely
died away, however, when a fresh arrival took place in
the shape of three English war-steamers, one of which
was towing a fourth. This latter we at once took to be
the Russian steamer Yostock ; but, as she drew nearer,
she proved to be our old friend the Tartar, with whose
officers we were acquainted. We therefore went on

282 HOW THE "BEGGARS" LEAVE CASTRIES BAY.

board to pay them a visit and hear the news; for the
last time we had seen them (during our survey of the
straits) it had been reported that the English and French
cruisers had discovered the Eussian squadron stowed
away in the Bay of Castries, and we thought, of course,
that there had been a grand battle.

Upon reaching the deck we were received by the most
disgusted-looking set of warriors that I ever looked
upon. "We shook hands warmly, and tried to get them
to tell us about "the fight;" but all we could get out
of them for a long while were the following words :
" The beggars cut stick in a heavy fog, and left us suck
ing our fingers." After a while, however, they became
more communicative, and we learned as follows :

While Admiral Sterling, in the Winchester frigate,
with the assistance of the steamer Hornet, was block
ading the Russian vessels moored in Castries Bay, a fresh
gale blew on shore, causing him to haul his wind for
an offing; and, when this gale with its accompanying
fog had passed over, the Russians had disappeared, ships
and all. The Hornet immediately landed a party, who
found things in great disorder, there being all the ap
pearances of a hasty flight. Bread just done to a turn
was found in the oven. Twenty barrels of good flour,
a quantity of spars, and, lastly, some ladies' dresses and
trinkets were also found : these latter were retained by
the captain of the Hornet to be restored to their owner
on a future occasion. A daguerreotype of a lady was
also found which had been taken in London.

Our friends told us all this, and ended by saying that
the " beggars" must be somewhere in the Gulf of Tartary,

X LEATHER BUST-PROOF AND HIS MASTER. 283

and that they would soon find them again ; but we of
the "old John," some three months later, learned, from
one of the Russians themselves, that they passed through
the head of the gulf and into the Amoor River, where
they had fortified themselves in the hope that they would
be followed. It had always been a received truth that
there was no passage between the island of Sagalien
and the mainland ; hence the mistake of the Allies.

On the 29th of June, 1855, we left Ha-ko-da-di through
a dense fog, in order that, when the usual clearing-away
at noon took place, we should be in a position to con
clude our survey of the Straits of T'Sugar, having been
directed to end that work previous to proceeding up
the west coast of Jesso. In order to facilitate the ac
complishment of this task, I was ordered to take the
armed launch, twelve men, a week's provisions, tent, &c.,
and follow the coast as far down as a station known as
"West Point," where we were to be picked up by the
ship at the end of three days.

By means of various ingenious devices such as
enlarging upon the great number of deer that we would
fall in with while " camping * out," &c. &c. I was so
fortunate as to secure the companionship of old bust-
proof and his master for this expedition ; but, before
it was over, the latter lost all confidence in my predic
tions, and concluded to oil up his favourite and stow
him away for an indefinite period when he should re
turn on board. "We also carried along with us one of
the tightly-encased small boys of dingy notoriety, to
take charge of the contents of our camp-kettle, &c.
His name was Mr. John Jeremiah McCarty, and he

284 A CI-DEVANT TAILOB, STANDS POST.

was equal to all the other boys in the ship as far as
juvenile rascality and activity were concerned.

The fog clearing off at noon, we left the " old John" in
high glee and commenced the work. West Point proved
to be about half-way between Ha-ko-da-di and the larger
city of Matsmai, and was reached toward the close of
the second day, when we pitched tent for the second
time, and amused ourselves by breaking one of the
agreements appended to the treaty by shooting several
finely-flavoured wild ducks, with red legs and feet and
pointed bills. When subsequently spoken to about
thus breaking the treaty, I threw the blame on the
Japanese officers themselves, who, probably from a desire
to see how our guns carried, had strongly advocated the
act by unmistakable signs and gestures. It is astonishing
how well people can make themselves understood upon
agreeable subjects, though unable to speak a word of
each other's language. In this case we understood them
perfectly.

Our first night at camping out was one of some excite
ment. We had been refused permission at Si-mo-da to
do the very thing in which the launch was then engaged,
and, from a most unpleasant custom of the Japanese, i.e.
the seizure and binding of strangers, and their removal
to Yeddo, we entertained reasonable fears of at least
being disturbed in our slumbers. In order therefore to
avoid as much as possible all communication with the
natives, our tent was pitched at least three miles from
any visible habitation. A large fire was soon kindled
with drift-wood, supper cooked and dispatched, and a
ci-devant tailor (armed to the teeth) placed upon post-

WE RECEIVE A NOCTURNAL VISIT. 285

with orders to call the purser and myself in case of any
arrivals. I have every reason to believe that this " mari-
nized seamster" went immediately to sleep ; for, after we
had vainly devoted hours to the same end, we suddenly
heard voices at a distance, and, upon leaving the tent,
found him seated after the fashion of his craft, and un
able to answer.

Upon reaching the elevation of the bank, and looking
in the direction from which the voices came, a beautiful
sight presented itself to our eyes : no less than forty or
fifty Japanese, each bearing one of their fancifully-painted
lanterns, were moving toward us at a rapid pace. They
did not seem to fear detection ; but, in order to "provide
against all precautions," we got under arms, six of us
being at the boat and eight at the tent.

As they continued the.ir approach, they talked in very
loud tones, (to give each other courage, one of the men
remarked ;) but, as soon as they saw us awake and pre
pared, a halt took place, and one of the party advanced
alone. Upon being met by me without any blood flow
ing, he was followed by others of his company, and, the
purser now joining with bust-proof and the tent-guard,
we were soon engaged deeply in the mysteries of pan
tomime.

It would be tedious to explain the numerous signs
which the constant necessity of driving from their coasts
strangers with whom they cannot exchange a word has
placed at the disposal of these people : it will be enough
to say that in the present case, assisted by the few words
of their language picked up at Si-mo-da and Ha-ko-da-di,
we made ourselves very fairly understood. And the fol-

286 THEY ORDER US TO SAIL AWAY.

lowing is the result of a half-hour's pantomime, sprinkled
over with some twenty words.

Japanese, (with a look of command.) "Put up your
tent, put every thing into your boat, and sail away."

American. " We are going to sleep here to-night and
sail away in the morning."

Japanese, (look of command changing to one of affected
terror.) " You can't sleep here to-night : if you do my
head will be cut off by the governor."

American. " Oh, no ! we have been to Si-mo-da and
Ha-ko-da-di, and know that it is only one of your strata
gems to get strangers away without resorting to force."

Japanese, (with a most funeral-like expression of
countenance.) " It is true : we never joke : I must lose
my head."

American. "I am very sorry: we will all cry very
much. But, as the wind is against us, we will sleep here
to-night, and sail away to-morrow if the fog clears away.
If the fog remains, we remain."

Japanese. "How many of you are there?"

American. "Fourteen men, fourteen rifles, and four
teen revolvers."

Japanese, (with great vivacity of manner.) "All right.
You are going in the morning. Don't go back into the
country. Go to sleep. We'll be back early. Good
night."

And, thus saying, the party retraced their steps, talking
in a very lively manner, very unlike men upon the brink
of decapitation. Just as they were moving off, the
purser heard a noise on the bank above, and, climbing up
with "bust-proof through the rank grass, reached the

THEY OBJECT TO MATINAL BATHING 287

summit just in time to see some forty or fifty others
scampering away among the bushes. They had surrounded
us without our being aware of it, although the " inarinized
seamster" did hold out that, if there was any direction in
which he had watched, that was it.

True to their promise, they did return the next morn
ing, and at a most fortunate moment. The day was just
breaking ; it had come on to blow since midnight ; the
launch was gradually dragging in the heavy surf, and we
had either to haul her up on the beach or put out into
the bay. As it was still very foggy, the former was
determined upon, in spite of the danger attending it, and
they arrived just in time to assist us. They found twelve
of us up to the neck in the surf, while the remaining two
guarded the arms ; and, though the most violent panto
mime failed to induce them to take to the water, while
assisting us to haul, they nevertheless did good service at
the end of the boat's painter. They seemed perfectly
reconciled to our stay, and the head-ofiicer laughed
heartily when asked as to the method he had adopted
in rejoining his head to the trunk.

They partook sparingly of our breakfast, evinced the
usual curiosity in regard to every thing in our possession,
understood with apparent pleasure that we were making
charts of their islands, praised the accuracy of the sketches
which the yeoman of the ship (who accompanied us) had
made, and finally begged that we would fire one of the
rifles at a mark.

Fortunately, one of the boat's crew was a really fine
marksman, and there was no objection to gratifying their
curiosity ; so, a piece of drift-wood being put up some

288 THE JAPANESE IDEA OF AMERICA.

hundred yards down the beach, he put a ball very near
the centre with "the utmost non-she-lan-cy."

This shot caused them the greatest wonder at first, but
was shortly attributed to chance, and it required a repeti
tion of the exploit to convince them of its commonplace
nature.

They remained with us some time, making signs upon
various subjects; and I was surprised to observe the
amount of knowledge possessed by this evidently-infe
rior class of officers in regard to European affairs, or
rather in regard to the affairs of the world outside of
Japan.

They were not only aware of the existing war, but had
a very fair idea of the causes which led to it. They said
that Russia was very large and France and England very
small, and asked "why America didn't join one side or
the other and put an end to it at once."

They have an idea that the whole "Western Continent
belongs to the United States, and that we are more power
ful than any other two nations put together : of course
we did not undeceive them in this respect. They were
fully aware of the railroad then in progress / across the
Isthmus of Panama, knew that the discovery of gold in
California was a late affair, and, in short, asked so many
unexpected questions, that one was forced to the conclu
sion of their being in more frequent communication with
the outer world than is generally supposed.

In reply to their question as to America joining in the
war, I told them it was peace and commerce which had
made us so powerful, and that it was our policy to be
friendly with all nations as long as they acted fairly by

WE LOOK WISE AND SHRUG OUR SHOULDERS. 289

us ; that, when they abused our citizens or violated trea
ties, then we declared war. This allusion to breaking
treaties seemed to give them some uneasiness. They
asked if Nipon (in speaking of Japan or the Japanese
Government they always use the word Nipon) had yet
broken the treaty made with Commodore Perry, and,
upon being answered in the affirmative, cast their eyes
upon the ground and looked hypocritically sad. They
next supposed that, as Nipon had broken the treaty,
America would fight !N"ipon as soon as the ships could
come out. This was a difficult question to answer: we
could find neither words nor signs to express ourselves,
and therefore looked very grave and shrugged our shoul
ders with evident effect.

I now in turn began to question the headman. I
asked him why he had caused us to be surrounded the
previous night, knowing as he must that America and
Kipon were friends; and his answer was characteristic
of their well-known policy. They who we thought had
surrounded us were poor country-people, the scum of the
earth, persons to be spit upon by such as us, (he and my
self,) &c. &c., and that they had come of their own accord
simply to see what was going on.

His manner, however, contradicted this explanation;
and, upon my accusing him and Mpon in general of in
sincerity in most of their dealings with us, he laughed
cunningly, as if it were a fine trait we were discovering
in their character, and returned to the subject of our
"going away."

This pertinacity annoyed me almost to the kicking-
pitch, but I contented myself with informing him that

290 MR. <J NO. J. AND A FROWNING OFFICIAL.

we should leave when we were ready, and not before ;
and that as for persons prowling around a tent at night,
Americans often mistook them for wild beasts and fired
their guns accordingly. This information, or rather the
manner in which we were forced from lack of words to
impart it, (to wit, pointing the gun at his breast, and
then advancing rapidly till it came in pretty sharp contact
with his 'fifth rib,) threw the headman into a staie of
indignant reserve, which proved even cherry-brandy-
proof for as much as five minutes, i.e. until the bottle
began to look empty.

In this manner the morning passed along drowsily
enough, only one thing occurring worthy of note. This
was the passing by of some high mandarin and retinue,
who were transporting an extensive lot of matchlocks in
the direction of Ha-ko-da-di. To this u big bug" the
Japanese in our vicinity went on their knees while giving
what we supposed to be a history of our arrival, deten
tion, &c. ; and the "big bug" himself, after hearing said
history, frowned loweringly upon our party, much to the
indignation of Mr. John J., who gave vent to his feelings
through various contortions of the body and countenance,
accompanied by a well-known sign, supposed to be of
Masonic origin, and addressed (behind my back) to the
angry official. It was singular to see a dozen grown-up
men on their knees before a stupid-looking official, while
a stranger boy, almost a child in years, was indulging in
the most ridiculous pantomime at his expense.

This party consisted of some fifty men, and probably
of as many horses, many of the former carrying lacquered
poles with gilded heads, to which were attached streamers

< x

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S5S= V m=.

^ I
I

^fc_ %W

=^--^, ==^t=^ -^^^^^>

OPP.C.AU COMMON, CAT, NG WITH A SUPER|OR .

A WORD ABOUT THE ARMY OF JAPAN. 291

of different colours and shapes; while some of the horses
carried the more important personages of the party, and
the remainder burdens of matchlocks secured on eacb
side in the shape of packs. And here I will remark
upon the great number of horses which exist upon this
island. Almost every village has several droves, some, of
which are used under the saddle by officers and couriers,
but the greater number in the transportation of dried
fish, &c. In height they average only from fourteen to
fifteen hands, but are compactly built, and most mule-
like in their powers of endurance. You see them travel
ling along the beach under their packs, in single file, and
with the bridle of one fast to the saddle of another. In
this manner one or two men easily drive any number.
They are shod and unshod as the nature of the road
demands, not with iron shoes, but with a .socket of
platted grass, which, singular to say, lasts several days.

I embraced the opportunity presented by this somewhat
military display, to make the best inquiries I could as to
the army of Japan, and, from what I learned, combined
with like information received from Tatz-nosky, came to
the conclusion that they had no army at all. The feudal
system of Middle-Age Europe prevails here with a
healthy if not an increasing vitality, and in the existence
of this system is found their much-talked-of army. The
Government, for instance, has a fort to be taken or de
fended. The work is given to some particular prince or
nobleman, who, with his peasantry, or, more properly
speaking, his slaves, proceeds to obey his orders. If his
force prove insufficient, a second high officer is ordered
to join the undertaking ; and so on. And in this lies the

292 A TERRIBLE DISAPPOINTMENT.

secret of their army of two millions, against which so
many timid people in the United States were afraid to
send so small a squadron as Perry's. I sincerely believe
that Commodore Perry, with the force he then had at his
command, could have waged a successful war against the
whole empire of Japan.

At 2 P.M., the weather moderating and the fog lifting,
we struck every thing in haste, and proceeded on for
West Point. Just before shoving off, however, we re
ceived a present from the "headman," in the shape of
two ordinary chicken-cocks, which caused us to rub our
hands as the hour for supper crossed our minds. I don't
know what we should have done, in lieu of rubbing our
hands, had we known to what respect their extreme age
and toughness entitled them : they proved impenetrable
to even our scurvy-threatened teeth.

This is one of the many rewards attendant upon a
cruise of that nature. We were forced to live upon salt
beef, ditto pork, and insipid preserved meats, for (in this
case) eight months, with forty gallons of lime-juice on
hand to retard the arrival of the scurvy. But to return
to more pleasant subjects.

Three or four hours carried us into a small cove in the
vicinity of West Point, partially sheltered from the surf
by sunken and other rocks, in which we dropped anchor,
pitched tent, and made other preparations for passing the
night. It was here that we discovered the great anti
quity of our presents; and, a new set of the ever- watchful
Japanese coming on us about this time, and signing us to
shoot some ducks, we readily complied with their intima
tion, producing them a momentary gratification and our-

MORE AMERICANS IN TROUBLE. 293

selves a fine supper. The next day we were picked up
by the elongated anchor-hoy commonly known as the
"old John," and the day following saw the conclusion
of the survey of the Straits of T' Sugar.

As I remarked in the last chapter, we found three
foreign vessels at anchor among the Japanese junks.
These were the Hamburg brig Greta, which we had
chartered at Hong-Kong to bring us a supply of coal and
provisions, the English surveying- schooner Saracen, who
was engaged on work similar to ours, and the American
whaling-brig Leveret, which had arrived some days pre
vious, on the strength of Commodore Perry's treaty, to
land her cargo and its owners and then continue on her
whaling-voyage. The supercargo of the Greta, who was
a very agreeable companion, in spite of his fondness for
exploring caves, (?) showed us a list of liquors, cigars,
&c., from which we could supply our mess for months
at an advance of fifty per cent, over Hong-Kong prices,
But when it came to provisions we were woefully disap
pointed. There was nothing in that line save the regular
Government-ration ; and some of the mess sighed heavily
as they looked forward to eating salt pork and beef for
the next several months and probably arriving at San
Francisco half disabled from the scurvy.

We found the passengers by the Leveret in as much
trouble with the authorities about setting up a ship-
chandlery on shore as the nomadics had been in at
Si-mo-da ; and Commander Kodgers was now boarded by
both parties, praying that he would see the governor and
insist upon the treaty being respected. The result of
this was a forcible appeal on our part in their behalf; but

294 HOW T1IEY COMPLY WITH THE TREATY.

it was unsuccessful, and both vessels soon sailed in dis
gust, the Leveret on her whaling-voyage, and the noma-
dics for San Francisco.

And now I will end this chapter by showing how these
unfortunates, men who had been regularly swindled, by
what purported to be a treaty, into investing "their all"
in a venture to Japan, I will show, I say, how our Go
vernment left them in the lurch and upheld the cunning
interpretation which the Japanese placed on a phrase of
said treaty.

Upon arriving at San Francisco and applying at Wash
ington for indemnification for the losses they had sus
tained through the palpable treachery of the Japanese,
they were informed that the phrase "temporary resi
dence" did not mean temporary residence; that they had
nothing to complain of; that the phrase meant, as the
Japanese said, "a day's walk into the country," or "a
few days on shore," or something equally absurd. I
wonder when any more Americans will risk their capital
upon this treaty, which cost us several millions ?

CHAPTER XVI.

WE PASS BEFOKE THE GREAT CITY OF MATSMAI, TO THE WONDER OF THE
JAPANESE, CONTINUE TO THE NORTHWARD ALONG THE WEST COAST OF
THE ISLAND OF JE8SO, BEAT A JAPANESE OFFICER ON THE HEAD, AND
FINALLY ARRIVE AT THE TOWN OF TOMARI, WHERE WE HAVE A GOOD

LOOK AT THE AINU, OR "HAIRY KURILE8" THE LAST OF JAPAN AND

THE COMMENCEMENT OF A HEAVY FOG.

IT was on the 1st of July that we ended the survey
spoken of in the last chapter, after which we continued
along the west coast and anchored that night off the
great city of Matsmai. There we found only an open
roadstead, and we did not approach near enough to take
interest in the appearance of either land or city.

The running survey upon which we were engaged was
in itself a prohahle violation of the treaty, and. the cap
tain was naturally averse to any further infringement of
it in the shape of going on shore, except for the purposes
of wooding ship or obtaining astronomical observations
necessary to our work. He therefore, expecting some of
us to make a terrestrial demonstration, and disliking to
refuse the necessary permission, anchored several miles
off, evidently to discourage all shore-going parties ; and
this must account for my passing Matsmai with only a
few words. The same inconvenient though doubtless
proper restriction, being to a greater or less extent con
tinued up the whole coast, deprived us of many oppor
tunities of observation and relaxation, which, joined to

295

296 THE GEEAT CITY OF MATSMAI.

the unavoidable drawbacks attendant upon all cruises of
this nature, made us long more and more for San Fran
cisco and a month's respite. We had seen enough of
"Japan and the Japanese."

The next morning at an early hour we had hove up our
anchor, and were again under steam, standing in for the
land, intending to skirt the face of the city as close as
the depth of water would permit.

Matsmai, from all that we could see of it while thus
passing, is a city of considerable extent and imposing
appearance. Situated in lat. 41 25' N". and long. 140
02' E. of Greenwich, its inhabitants enjoy a temperate
climate and that greatest of luxuries, an abundant supply
of pure and cool water. This water, as it flows from the
springs which the purser and myself found around the
base of every hill, is actually too cold to drink in any
quantity. Ice, though covering the summits of the moun
tains, which lift their whitened crests over the inland por
tion of the city, has no charms for the people of Matsmai.

Situated under the west point of the roadstead, and
extending along the beach some two miles to the east
ward, having its feet washed by the surf, and retreating
some half-mile back among the hills, the elevated por
tions of the city rising from gentle undulations or from
the summits of sloping hills studded invariably with
fresh and green-looking trees, Matsmai presents a most
pleasant scene for the eye to rest upon. It is upon these
hills and undulations, surrounded by regularly laid-out
grounds, groves of shade-trees, and apparently-beautiful
gardens, that the Government-buildings and residences
of the higher class appear to be located. There was one

THE " OLD JOHN" AGAIN ASTONISHES THE NATIVES. 297

large pagoda-like structure in particular, which, with its
grounds, seemed to occupy the whole of the highest hiL y
and which, from its imposing elevation, would make pro
bably does make an admirable signal-station. Perched
upon its very summit, the greensward, sprinkled here and
there with shady groves, extended from it in every direc
tion until a white paling-fence, (it looked strange at first
to see our well-known paling whitewashed fence in Japan,)
forming a circle of probably a mile in circumference
around the base of the hill, seemed to bar its farther
extent.

In addition to this, I counted no less than four large
temples or josh-houses, each having its grounds and
groves, its greater or less elevation, and its neat paling-
fence. It is a beautiful spot to look at ; and, in spite of
my experience at Si-mo-da and Ha-ko-da-di, I could not
avoid thinking that it would bear a closer inspection as
far as cleanliness was concerned. "We passed along
before Matsmai under low steam, carrying safe water
well in with the beach, and watching through our glasses
the excited natives who crowded the water's edge to see
"the large junk that sailed with her sails furled." Like
the Chinamen on the Wan-chew River, it was " a huckle
berry above their persimmon."

Leaving the master, with an armed boat and his astro
nomical instruments, at the point making out from the
west end of the city, the ship herself devoted the rest of
the day (plus four hours of the night) to the examination
of two islands on the southern horizon, and, after return
ing for the boat, continued on to the northward with the
first gleam of day. It was this kind of service which

298 THE REMAINS OF A " LATE BREAKFAST.'

tried the powers of both men and officers, working from
daylight until dark on those long days, and then often
devoting half of the night to finding a safe anchorage at
which to sleep through the remaining darkness. Many
persons who read these lines by a comfortable fire may
possibly think that they would enjoy the excitement and
novelty of an "exploring cruise around the world:" I
can only say that I thought so once myself.

On the 6th inst. we found ourselves near a prominent
point, and, the weather being favourable, the master
landed again with his instruments. There being a hilly,
well-wooded country coming down to the very beach,
the assistant botanist was ordered to strap up his port
folio and land also. This point was the southwest ex
tremity of a passably-fair bay in which we found anchorage
for the night. Besides his various vegetable discoveries,
the assistant botanist made several in the animal line.
He chased, unsuccessfully, several hare, (such as are
found in Lower California,) gave a wide berth to several
savage-looking natives, and finally fell in with a gray
wolf making a late breakfast from a slothful hare. This
fashionable repast he interrupted through the instru
mentality of a well-directed stone, and secured what was
left (one hind-leg) for preservation in spirits of wine.

As I have already remarked, we anchored in that bay
for the night, and there the miserable policy of the
Japanese was more glaringly demonstrated than ever.

Two bateaux, paddled each by two of the lower class
of Japanese, (the people,) came alongside after much per
suasion, with great trembling and evident fear, and,
mistaking our signs of welcome for applications for a

BRUTALITY OF JAPANESE OFFICIALS. 299

few clams in the bottoms of their boats, readily passed
them on board, accepted a few trifling articles in return,
and were becoming quite lively and pleasant, when a third
bateau, paddled also by two men, came rapidly within
hail. The after-paddler of this third bateau, calling to
them in a threatening and brutal tone, beckoned them
off from the ship with the most violent gestures, and, not
content with thus driving them away, confiscated their
paddles, with which he beat them severely over the head,
made their boats fast to his, and thus towed them in
shore, where a severe bambooing probably awaited them.
I had the satisfaction, ten minutes later, of using a boat-
hook in conjunction with the shaven head of one of
that fellow's brother-officers, who, while I was sounding
around the ship in obedience to orders, had the impu
dence to wave his "ten-scull" boat to be sculled alongside
of our cockle-shell of a dingy so as to render oars per
fectly useless. His object was to prevent our going any
nearer the shore; and, after motioning him out of the
way several times without success, I resorted to the boat-
hook application with most satisfactory results. These
people propel their bateaux (most Japanese boats merit
the appellation of bateau rather than boat) with from one
to twenty sculls ; and it is astonishing with what skill they
will manage them. They progress either ahead, astern,
sideways, or diagonally, as circumstances may call for;
and, if they wish to prevent a strange boat from proceed
ing in a certain direction, all they have to do is once to get
alongside, and the progress of that boat is at an end until
a boat-hook or something of that sort is called into requi
sition. But to leave generalities. After receiving one

300 THEIR UNDOUBTED COWARDICE.

blow they got out of the way even faster than they had
got into it, and proceeded toward the ship with a caution
that indicated the fear of there meeting a similar recep
tion.

There were five mandarins in this boat, each armed
with two swords, when I raised the boat-hook; and, in
stead of offering to draw them, they tumbled one over th e
other out of reach of it in a most wnmandarin-like style,
and did not resume their stupid haughtiness of manner
until clear of all possible contact. I don't know that I
should have been half so determined had previous expe
rience not stamped their class as the most arrant cowards :
as it was, I returned on board and blew my trumpet as a
man of great readiness of action.

At this place we saw, for the third time, the Ainu, or
"hairy Kurile." The first specimen was seen at Ha-ko-
da-di, where he had drifted as one of the crew of a coast
ing-junk; the second lot received a " wide berth" from
the assistant botanist; and now they were becoming quite
plentiful. I will, however, defer their description until
we come to a place under the northeast point of this
island, where we remained a day taking in wood from
their boats, and where they literally crowded our decks
during that occupation.

Leaving our anchorage, after having bought some four
cords of wood for as many yards of broadcloth, we con
tinued along the coast toward Strogonoff Bay. It had
been the custom of those people from time immemorial
to hurry off all ships anchoring in their waters by giving
them wood, water, and a few provisions, gratis, and then
telling them to go to sea at once or entail upon the

HOW THEY FORCED BUNSBY ON HIS KNEES. 301

"headman" the unpleasant necessity of having his throat
cut. And this was exactly the manner in which they now
acted to us, even though the treaty says that "payment
shall be made in gold and silver." After we had received
the wood they positively refused to receive any thing in
return, and the cloth was only accepted because we would
not bring it on board again.

It was most amusing to see how quietly they permitted
us to walk through the town on the following morning
after having tried to prevent our even sounding in the
bay during the previous evening : my impression is that
a firm bearing, backed by even a small force, is all that is
required to cause these officers (not the people) to behave
with respect and consideration to any stranger.

Our ci-devant whaler, "Bunsby," told us that a few years
back he cruised in these latitudes, and that, upon landing
at Matsmai for supplies, the whole boat's crew were forced
down upon their knees before a stupid-looking dignitary,
and retained in that position until the withdrawal of the
great man set them at liberty. With us, however, the
case was widely different. When we landed at this last
place, a dense crowd of Kuriles and the lower class
of Japanese pressed from all quarters to see us, and were
driven away (evidently to show us respect) with brutal
blows and violent language. One fellow in particular
dealt his blows around with such utter disregard to the
safety of heads and limbs, that many of the shrinking
crowd either jumped or were pressed off the mole ; and
I noticed one little girl who was thus injured so as to re
quire being helped out of the water. But to go on with
my narrative.

302 WE KECEIVE A NOCTURNAL VISIT.

Running along the shore during the day, we, as usual,
anchored at night near a small town, and about 9 P.M.
were boarded by a bateau sculled by two Japanese, one
of whom seemed, from his dress, to belong to the class of
officers. He wore no sword, however ; and it may here be
worthy of remark that since leaving Matsmai, up to the
present time, we have stopped at no village (the one of the
boat-hook exploit escepted) where were persons residing
entitled to wear two swords.

"Well, this nocturnal arrival came over the side in an
easy, lounging style that was quite new in a Japanese,
and, the captain being on deck, several of us accompanied
him into the cabin with the new-comer. He displayed
some uneasiness when the door was closed, but regained
his off-hand manner as soon as he saw a decanter and
glasses join the party. The first thing he did was to take
from his capacious garment a bundle of lacquered cups and
saucers, which he presented to the captain, at the same
time pointing to the decanter and glasses and intimating
his desire to be presented with one in return. At this we
all laughed heartily : the fellow had evidently boarded
vessels with a like object before. Seeing us laugh, he
looked a little annoyed, and gave us to understand that " it
was only at night that speculating visits were permitted
in Nipon." I can't imagine what he thought we laughed
at. The conduct of this man gave us a good opportunity
for remarking a most unfavourable peculiarity of this
undoubtedly deceitful and treacherous people. While
we were laughing at his expressive pantomime toward
the glassware, his companion came down, and, crouch
ing on the deck, looked anxiously in the same direction.

HOW THEY ACCEPT PRESENTS. 303

They were both longing to be presented with a glass ; but,
when one was held out to each, both shrank back in well-
feigned alarm, and, holding up the right thumb, gave
us to understand that to accept was as much as their
heads were worth; and yet in less than ten seconds after
this they both had their glasses stowed away under their
garments. This they accomplished by concealing them,
in apparently a hurried manner, while their heads were
alternately turned away; and that this turning away of
the head was "Nipon custom" there is no doubt: in fact,
they told us as much. Shortly after this successful feat
they took their departure, but again returned shortly
after midnight, and yet again upon the following morn
ing in company with the headman of the village. On
this latter occasion one of the cruets disappeared from
the captain's stand, though unfortunately the discovery
was not made until too late to expose the thief. The re
sult of this was an order to let no more Japanese boats
come alongside unless upon business. That was the first
and only case of theft that we experienced while among
them.

"We were surprised to find here immense droves of
deer in the immediate vicinity of the town ; and the
doctor with his Kentucky rifle, and the purser with
everlasting "old bust-proof," went on shore the morn
ing after our arrival to try to bring some on board.
They had seen some of the skins stretched against the
sides of the houses, undergoing the process of drying;
and the people had made signs to them that the dense
cane-brake which backed the town was full of them,
and that they were at liberty to shoot as many as they

304 THE "OLD JOHN" is COMPLIMENTED.

desired. They therefore entered the brake in high
glee ; but, though they saw a few here and there, and
heard hundreds of them rushing through the canes, the
growth was so dense as to render such a thing as taking
aim impossible. They consequently returned empty-
handed and in great disgust, to be informed by Martin,
the steward, that our preserved meats were almost ex
pended, and that, if "the gentlemen" didn't shoot some
thing soon, we would be in a starving condition.

At this place we took in another supply of wood,
saving our coal for the Okotsk Sea, and here succeeded
in making payment in the shape of tea, sugar, rice, &c.
Here we also caught a fair supply of small rock-cod,
which rendered the breakfast-table so attractive as to
open the state-room doors half an hour sooner than
usual.

Continuing on to the northward with a leading wind,
we passed the English frigate "Winchester and brig
Bittern, apparently beating down for Ha-ko-da-di. As
usual, we were running quite close in with the land,
and they, ever on the look-out for the absconding
Russians, came well in before the unmistakable pro
portions of the elongated anchor-hoy convinced them
that we were not the Vosgoth under American colours.

The southern corner of Strogonoff Bay gave us
shelter during the following night, and the next day,
taking advantage of a moderate southeasterly gale, we
succeeded in sighting Cape Eomanzoff, the northwest
extremity of the island. We found this cape very
well located on the chart; and, had the weather been
clear, the eye might easily have crossed the Straits of

A DISAGREEABLE COMBINATION. 305

La Perouse and rested upon the southern shore of
Sagalien. This latter island, which is larger than Cuba
and smaller than Nipon, is said to be divided between
the Chinese and the Japanese, the latter holding the
southern half, while the former claim the northern. Its
native population are the Kuriles; but, whether they
are entirely or partially subject to their double mas
ters, I am unable to say. I conversed in Ha-ko-da-di
with an English officer who had lately landed near the
centre of the west coast of the island, and who spoke
of them as "wild-looking fellows, very hairy, clothed
in a coarse sack, and fearful of coming out of the bushes,
from which they peeped at his party like so many wild
cattle."

As usual, Carnes was landed at Cape Romanzoff with
his instruments; and, while the astronomical observa
tions were going on, the ship herself ran down to two
islands on the western horizon, hoping to sound around
them both before dark. In this, however, we were
woefully disappointed, for the sun left us before the first
circle had been completed, and we had the pleasure
of feeling our way back through a combination of water,
fog, and darkness. And here it may be well to caution
all vessels passing through the Straits of La Perouse to
give Romanzoff a berth of at least a mile and a half, as
there is a reef making out to the north-northwest from
that cape, whose length is a mile or more, and of which
no indication exists on the chart. "We anchored some
time after midnight, and the shivering master, upon his
return on board, expressed himself in emphatic language

against all such nocturnal excursions.

306 WHY JESSO WAS CONQUERED.

The next day we attempted to follow the shore of
Romanzoff Bay, toward Cape Soya, to the eastward, but
found so many hidden dangers in the shape of reefs and
sunken rocks that we gave up the idea and steered
straight for the town of Tomari. Here we anchored
for the night, and devoted the remainder of the day
and part of the next to wooding up. Any vessel seek
ing shelter in this bay cannot be too careful with look
out and lead. It is the worst ground we passed over
during that cruise ; and yet Golownin speaks of it as " a
fine large bay, having regular water and good holding-
ground," &c. Possibly we may have devoted too short
a time to its examination, for we found this writer
generally remarkable for closeness of observation and
accuracy of statement.

The town of Tomari, situated in this bay and im
mediately under Cape Soya, the extreme north point
of the island, is one of the numerous fishing-settlements
of the Japanese, which line the coast from Matsmai up.
In fact, this latter city itself was settled centuries since
simply to establish a firm footing on an island singularly
remarkable for the quantities of salmon which fed along
its shores, and which on the more northern end " were
often so plentiful as to be dipped out with hand-nets
and paddles." Whenever you see an indentation in the
coast, there you find one or more of these villages: I
don't think we could have passed less than several hun
dred of them. And this great population along the
sea-shore certainly renders probable the assertion of
Golownin, to the effect that the island of Jesso is with
out population in the interior, the nature of the country

WHAT THE JAPANESE EAT. 307

being unfavourable to cultivation. And, from what we
ourselves have seen of the diet of these people, the sea
shore must be their most desirable location. I doubt
if two Japanese out of three ever eat any article (rice
and sweet potatoes excepted) which they do not obtain
from the sea. Fish, shell-fish, gelatine, and almost
every variety of sea-weed, are regarded as wholesome,
and some of the latter are really very palatable. Almost
every one has, when confined to a sick-room, relished a
bowl of Irish or Ceylon moss ; and much of the Japa
nese sea-weed, when cooked, resembles that preparation.
May not the succession of villages along an uncultivated
sea-shore, as seen by all vessels passing on their voyages,
have given rise to the prevalent idea of the marvellous
population of the empire ? And does not this succession
of mountain after mountain, of range rising above range,
indicate the existence in their bosoms of great mineral
wealth? I am no geologist, and therefore am not en
titled to an opinion ; yet, from what I saw, heard, and
read while in and about Japan, I believe that gold, quick
silver, and coal exist in abundance in the mountains of
Jesso. But to return to the town of Tomari.

This, as I have before remarked, was a fishing-settle
ment, and contained some hundred houses, with a pro
bable population of from six to eight hundred : of these
some fifty or more are Japanese, and the remainder the
native Kuriles. Of these latter we had seen several
hundreds at our various "wooding-up" places; and now
I will proceed with my necessarily incomplete description
of their general appearance, habits, &c.

Dr. Pritchard, in his excellent work entitled " The

308 THE AINU, OR HAIRY KURILES.

Natural History of Man," has, upon the authority of
various writers, the following page in regard to the
subject :

'The best account of the Ainos that we have yet
received is to be found in the narrative of Yon Krusen-
stern's voyage.

" Some particulars respecting them were given by La
Perouse and Broughton. The former of these writers
says that ' the Ainos are rather below the middle stature,
being at most five feet two or four inches high. They
have a thick, bushy beard, black, rough hair, hanging
straight down ; and, excepting in the beard, they have the
appearance of the Kamtschadales, only their countenance
is much more regular. The women are ugly enough:
their colour, which is dark, their coal-black hair combed
over their faces, blue-painted lips, and tattooed hands,
allow them no pretensions to beauty.

" La Perouse says ' they are a very superior race to the
Chinese, Japanese, and Mantschoos, and their counte
nances are more regular, and more similar to those of

Europeans The inhabitants of the Bay of Crillon

were particularly beautiful and of regular features.' The
same writer adds, that ' their skin is as dark as that of
the Algerines.' Broughton says 'they are of a light
copper-colour ;' but Yon Krusenstern declares that they
are nearly black.

"But the most remarkable circumstance in the physical
character of the Ainos is, that, though the eastern Asiatics
are in general very deficient in hair and almost beardless,
they are the most hairy race of people in the world.
'Their beards,' says La Perouse, 'hang upon their breasts,

EXTRACT FKOM GOLOWNIN'S WORK. 309

and their arms, neck, and back are covered with hair. I
observed this circumstance,' he adds, 'as a general cha
racteristic, for it is easy to find individuals equally hairy
in Europe.

" Broughton declares that their bodies are almost uni
versally covered with long, black hair, and that he observed
the same appearance even in some young children."

The foregoing is what Dr. Pritchard says on the sub
ject; while Golownin, writing from personal observation
during his strange captivity, remarks :

" The appearance of the inhabitants of Matsmai, (Jesso,)
and of the other Kurile islands, shows clearly that they are
of one race ; the features, the uncommonly-brown colour
of the hairy body, the black, shining hair, the beard,
every thing, in short, indicate a common origin. The
only difference between them now is, that the Ainu of
Matsmai are handsomer, stronger, and more active than
the Kuriles, to which, perhaps, a more active life and
abundance of good food have greatly contributed; for
the Japanese have traded with them for these four centu
ries, and bring them not only rice, but even articles of
luxury, such as tobacco, sage, &c. The other Kuriles,
particularly the northern ones, live in indigence, feed on
roots, sea-animals, and wild fowl, of which they, indeed,
are never in want ; but idleness often hinders them from
collecting a proper stock, so that sometimes they pass

several days without food, in indolence and sleep

In trifles the Kuriles like to imitate us: thus, for exam
ple, they shave their beards and wear long tails. The
Ainu, on the contrary, wear their beards, and cut their
hair like the Russian wagoners, only something shorter.

810 CONTINUATION OF EXTRACT.

Our Ku riles wear Kussian dresses of all fashions, as they
receive them; for the Ainu, on the other hand, the Ja
panese prepare a certain dress, according to the Japanese
cut, and of hempen cloth, which resembles our coarse,
unbleached sailcloth. The elders receive cotton and silk
dresses. If one of them particularly distinguishes him
self, the Japanese Government rewards him with a splen
did dress embroidered with gold and silver, or with sabres

in silver scabbards The Government has ordered

that the Ainu shall not work for any Japanese, not even
for the crown, without payment. For every kind of
work a price is fixed, with which they are, however, not
content, because it is not answerable to their labour."
And again: " The Ainu live in winter in what are called
jurten, or huts of earth, and in summer in straw huts,
in which they have no benches or seats, but sit on the
ground, either on the grass or on Japanese mats. Their
food consists of rice, which the Japanese supply them
with, of fish, sea-animals, sea-cabbage, wild herbs, and
roots. Many have gardens in the Japanese fashion ;
others employ themselves in the chase : they kill, with
their spears and arrows, bears, deer, and hare, catch

birds, and also eat dogs The Ainu are, in general,

extremely uncleanly. They never wash' their hands,
faces, or bodies, except when they have to go into the
water to do some work : they never wash their clothes.
.... Polygamy is allowed among them : they have two
or three wives, and the elders still more.

" They have no writing, and, consequently, no written
laws : every thing is handed down from one generation
to another The total want of words of abuse in

HOW OUR OBSERVATIONS COMPARED. 311

their language is a proof of their mildness of manners.
.... The sun and moon are their divinities. But they
have neither temples nor priests, nor any religious laws.
.... They have here [Matsmai] oaks, firs, yew, cypress,
birch, lime, various kinds of poplars, maple, aspen, moun
tain-ash, and many others Of quadrupeds there

are bears, wolves, hares, rabbits, deer, wild goats, sables,
and field-mice ; in summer, geese, ducks, and swans visit
them. In general, all the same sorts of land and sea
birds are found here as in Kamtschatka."

My own observations proved the gentlemen from
whose works the foregoing have been so freely quoted,
to have been well informed in the first case (except it be
in the case of universal hairiness of body) and a true
observer in the last ; while, at the same time, they enable
me to make a few general comments.

The hairy endowments of these people are by no
means so extensive as the foregoing quotations lead one
to suppose. As a general rule, they shave the front of
the head a la Japanese, and, though the remaining hair is
undoubtedly very thick and coarse, yet it is also very
straight, and owes its bushy appearance to the simple
fact of constant scratching and seldom combing. This
remaining hair they part in the middle and allow to
grow within an inch of the shoulder. The prevailing
hue is black, but it often possesses a brownish cast,
and these exceptions cannot be owing to the sun, as
it is but reasonable to suppose that they suffer a like
exposure from infancy up. Like the hair, their beard
is busjiy, and from the same causes. It is generally
black, but often brownish, and seldom exceeds five or

312 EXAGERATION OF EAKLY WRITERS.

six inches in length. I only saw one case where it
reached more than half-way to the waist ; and here the
owner was evidently proud of its great length, as he had
it twisted into innumerable small ringlets, well greased,
and kept in something like order. His hair, however,
was as bushy as that of any other. As this individual
was evidently the most "hairy Kurile" of the party, we
selected him as the one most likely to substantiate the
assertion of Broughton in regard to " their bodies being
almost universally covered with long black hair." He
readily bared his arms and shoulders for inspection, and
(if I except a tuft of hair on each shoulder-blade of the
size of one's hand) we found his body to be no more hairy
than that of several of our own men. The existence of
those two tufts of hair caused us to examine several others,
which examinations established his as an isolated case.

Their beard, which grows well up under the rather
retreating eye, their bushy brows, and generally wild ap
pearance and expression of countenance, give them a
most savage look, singularly at variance with their mild,
almost cringing, manners. When drinking, they have a
habit of lifting the hanging mustache over the nose ;
and it was this practice, I suppose, which caused an early
writer to say, " their beards are so long as to require lift
ing up." Though undoubtedly below the middle height
as a general rule, I still saw several who would be called
quite large men in any country ; and, though the average
height be 'not more than "five feet two or four inches,"
they make up the difference in an abundance of muscle.
They are a well-formed race, with the usual powers of
endurance accorded to savages indicated in their expan-

THE AINU, OR HAIRY K U R I L E S.

THE DAKK SIDE OF THE PICTUKE. 313

sive chests and swelling muscles. Their features partake
more of the -European cast than any other. They are
generally regular, some even noble, while all are devoid
of that expression of treacherous cunning which stands
out in such bold relief from the faces of their masters,
the Japanese and northern Chinese. I cannot but agree
with the author of the foregoing remark as to their
superiority over those nations.

The clothing of those who came under our obser
vation never consisted of more than three articles,
and seldom of more than one. Generally, a dressing-
gown-like garment, made from the inner bark of an
abundant tree, reaching as low as the knee and confined
round the waist by a sash of similar material, constituted
their entire suit. Occasionally they wore grass sandals,
sometimes even leggings of woven bark reaching as
high as the knee ; but these cases were rare. Krusenstern
says that "they clothe themselves with the skins of dogs
and other animals in winter," but we saw no signs of
any such garments. Probably they clothe themselves
lightly in summer in order to appreciate the warmth of
skins during severe changes.

The Ainos are unpleasantly remarkable as a people in
two respects, viz. : the primitive nature of their costume
and their extreme filthiness of person. I doubt if an
Ainu ever washes; hence the existence of vermin in every
thing that pertains to them, as well as a great variety of
cutaneous diseases, for which they appear to have few or
no remedies. There is. another side to the picture, how
ever, and it is a bright one. Their moral and social
qualities, as exhibited both in their intercourse with each

314 THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE PICTURE.

other and with strangers, is beautiful to behold. They
are a people who, if once restored to the freedom of
which they were so glaringly deprived, would be pecu
liarly fitted, both by superiority of intellect and natural
mildness of disposition, to receive the truths of a gospel
against which sensuality and innate rascality close the
eyes of the nations w r hich surround them. I am not un
aware of the fact that years have elapsed since the intro
duction by the Russians of the tenets of the Greek
Church into their more northern islands, and of the very
few sincere converts which that doctrine has obtained:
but what more can be expected when the priest visits his
flock but annually, remains a few days, and then leaves
them to the association of sailors and Russian hunters,
the nature of whose lives is by no means calculated to
impress them favourably in regard to their religion ?

"Love to one's neighbour," true generosity of disposi
tion, a general cheerfulness of manner, and a modest and
retiring bearing, are general characteristics which strike
the eye of even the passing stranger. It is greatly to be
lamented that a single bold stroke of villany on the part
of the Japanese should have degraded a great part of
their race to an apparently- endless servitude.

I cannot account for Broughton's assertion in regard
to their being of "a light copper-colour," unless he re
ferred to a few isolated cases. As I have previously
remarked, we saw several hundred men, women, and
children, and these were all of a dark brownish-black,
with one exception ; which exception was a male adult,
strongly suspected of being a half-breed. In regard to
the several quotations which I have inserted from the

, THEIR MODES OF SALUTATION. 315

truthful pages of Captain Golownin, I see nothing
that clashes with my own experience. From our own
observation since arriving in Japanese waters, we have
all been forcibly struck with the remarkable truthfulness
of the contents of that writer's pages : it is undoubtedly
the best work extant on Japan, (Commodore Perry's not
excepted,) and as such may be read with confidence by
all who feel an interest in that mysterious people.

The Ainu mode of salutation at joining and parting
company is worthy of remark. They bring the tips
of the fingers up to the eyes, cast the latter upon the
ground, and, in a low voice, indulge in quite a lengthy
harangue, while stroking the beard from the eyes down
ward. This latter operation is repeated as long as the
harangue lasts, at the end of which they glance toward
the person saluted, and, if he is looking another way,
the process is repeated until they catch his eye. This
also seems to be their manner of returning thanks for
any present received. Their sign of farewell, however,
consists in a repeated elevation and depression of the
extended hands, something after the manner of an
Irish nurse dancing her charge at arm's length without
regard to consequences. (I have had a latent feeling of
revenge against all Irish nurses ever since one of them
"danced" me out of her arms upon a brick pavement
some thirty years since.) In addition to this, when one
is leaving in a boat, they throw after her receding form
curiously-carved sticks of spruce, whose fine shavings
drawn curlingly to either end give them very much
the appearance of a calker's paying-mop previous to
saturation in the boiling pitch. What this ceremony

316 WE LEAVE JAPAN AND THE JAPANESE.

means, or what was the nature of their mumbled words,
we were never able to learn.

So much for the "hairy Kuriles:" and now for the
winding-up of our survey along their coasts.

Having filled up with wood at Tomari, (for which the
Japanese would receive nothing,) and fixed the astro
nomical position of Cape Soya, the northeastern ex
tremity of Jesso, we rounded this latter under steam,
and filled in the coast-line as far to the southward as
Cape Shaef, when, a dense fog putting a stop to all
further work, the head of the old ci-devant anchor-hoy
was again pointed to the northward, and, after we had
crossed the Straits of La Perouse, we anchored near a
rock known as " dangerous" since the time of the unfor
tunate La Perouse. At least, our dead reckoning and the
distant bellowing of seals indicated us to be in its vicinity ;
but whether we were or not the dense fog rendered it im
possible for us to say. This was the same fog that had ar
rested our work on the previous evening, since which time
our circle of vision had certainly not exceeded one hun
dred yards in diameter ; and, if it was to be the exponent
of the weather we were to expect throughout the Okotsk
Sea, we were indeed entering upon a desperate work.

"Blindman's buff," among children, is undoubtedly a
pleasant species of recreation ; but, when it comes to be
indulged in between vessels and rocks, its character
assumes quite a different phase. "We were now clear
of Japan, and at anchor upon the verge of the Okotsk
Sea, awaiting a fair wind to carry us across it to the
southern point of Kamtschatka.

This was the 15th of July, 1855.

CHAPTER XVTL

WE BEACH THE PENINSULA OF KAMTSCHATE^., FOLLOW ITS WEST COAST
TO THE NORTHWARD, AND DISCOVER A COAL-MINE AND A HALF-BURIED
VILLAGE AFTER WHICH WE PROVE A NEW-FASHIONED BOOTJACK, AND
TAKE A DIP INTO THE SCIENCE OF GEOLOGY WE FIND THAT SHOWER-
BATHS ARE NOT ALWAYS CLEANSING.

WE bad not long to wait for our fair wind; and,
though anxious to locate "dangerous rock" astronomi
cally before leaving those unknown shores, we finally
despaired of the fog clearing away, and called, "All
hands up anchor!" The location of that rock would
have been a most appropriate winding-up to the vast
amount of work which we had accomplished since the
commencement of this portion of the survey at the
quiet port of Hey-da.

The end of a half-hour saw us under all sail and no
steam, with the propeller disconnected, and a fine breeze
on our quarter, progressing at the promising (?) rate of
four and a half knots an hour upon our foggy path of over
six hundred miles. Poor " old John !" miserable old tub !
Months have passed since I and my companions in
misery left your fated hull to the tender mercies of the
officials of the San Francisco navy-yard, and thus de
prived you of the power of drowning us some fine morn
ing; but I saw, by the Philadelphia "Evening Bulletin"

of April 30, 1856, that you have been provided with a

317

318 WE BEACH KAMTSCHATKA.

new set of flesh-and-blood machines and sent up to
Puget Sound to engage in warlike deeds with the
Indians, instead of being broken up for firewood. How
have those officers and men rendered themselves ob
noxious to the "powers that be," dear John, that they
should be thus sent to sea in such a miserable old craft
as you are? Are we so plentiful and useless just at
present that a few from our midst won't be missed ? or
is it that the Government can't afford to break you up
and build a safe vessel ? But my feelings are running
away with me, John ; and so let us return to our passage
across the Okotsk Sea; which having accomplished in
eight days, sharp work for you, John! we rub our
eyes one morning about three o'clock, and, shading
them with the right hand from the rays of the rising
sun, gaze upon a long, low sand-beach, which our
chronometers tell us is the west coast of Kamtschatka.
It was on the morning of the 24th of July that we,
cautiously feeling our way with the lead toward the
expected shore, discovered the low sand-beach already
mentioned. Further than that there was nothing to be
seen, the weather being so hazy as to shut out entirely
the high land of the interior. Toward noon, however,
it lighted up, and enabled us to get good observations
on the beach ; after which we hoisted up the boat and
steered a north-by-west course along the beach, keeping
it in sight at from one to two miles' distance, and carry
ing beautifully-regular soundings over a fine anchoring-
bottom of mud and sand. These soundings we made
at regular intervals of ten minutes, and for hours and
hours there would not be the fourth of a fathom differ-

REACHING THE OCEAN'S BED. 319

ence between them. It was a vast marine plain that we
were sailing over, and the land itself was low and level
and not elevated more than a few feet above the sea. I
had expected to find a country of volcanoes and a dangerous
and variable bottom. Possibly there were volcanoes in the
interior and an uneven bottom farther out to sea ; but,
for the last few days of our passage from Japan, the lead
had told us that we were sailing over a beautifully smooth
and inclined plain. "We were agreeably disappointed in
all this ; and, the heavy " chop-sea" through which we had
rolled for the last week having left us, and the day still
continuing beautifully clear, we began to flatter our
selves that coasting along Kamtschatka was going to
be a very fine thing. But, before I follow this coasting
any further, let me say a few words about the depth of
water, &c. between the Straits of La Perouse and the
point where we rubbed our eyes, some one hundred
miles to the northward of Cape Lapatka, the southern
extremity of the peninsula along which we were run
ning.

As I have already remarked, we were engaged eight
days in the passage, being under sail only, as it was
necessary to reserve our coal for the actual work of sur
veying. During these eight days we sounded with deep-
sea twine whenever the ordinary line failed to get bot
tom, and thus kept up the "line of soundings" with great
success : only once did we fail, and then twelve hundred
fathoms were run out with no sign of bottom ; the breeze
blew quite fresh, and caused us to drift away from the
lead too fast. Both before and after this failure, how
ever, less line brought up specimens of the ocean's bed.

320 A SINGULAR WORM.

These specimens generally consisted of mud and sand,
dead shells, and small stones, the former often containing
a singular worm, incrusted in a brittle shell resembling in
form the figure 8, and which, upon being broken out of
said shell, twisted about the deck in a most lively man
ner. They retained life in the atmosphere several minutes
after being thus exposed, longer than one would have
imagined, when it is recollected that they had previously
existed under several hundred fathoms of water.

Many persons have an idea that in the high latitudes
of Kamtschatka and Siberia even the summers are cold:
our thermometers during the passage gave us an ave
rage temperature of 50 degrees, while we subsequently
found it uncomfortably warm. And this was in lat.
60 N". "We found the weather, as a general thing, very
changeable, sometimes disagreeably cool, and then
again quite warm.

On the 26th, having run some two hundred miles to
the northward, we came to the first high land yet seen ;
and here our soundings began to lose their beautiful
regularity, and the coast, taking a bend to the eastward,
caused us to change our course to "N. by E. Before
doing this, however, we came to anchor, lowered a boat,
and placed her at the disposal of the master, to enable
him to land on the beach and fix the position of this
point by astronomical observation. A number of the
mess, curious to feel the soil of " despotic Russia" under
their feet, or hoping to shoot an eatable animal of some
sort, took passage with him, while we, the remainder,
amused ourselves by fishing.

A number of fine flounders, and one immense crab, re-

A GLOKIOUS OLD CRAB. 321

warded our exertions, while the shore-party returned
shortly after noon, full of glowing accounts of black -bear
and gigantic salmon, but without either the one or the
other : they had neither killed or caught any thing, and
were in high glee at the prospect of fried flounders and
lobster-salad to be made from the enormous crab, whose
legs had to be broken off to get him into our largest pot.

This fellow, I think, deserves more than a passing
comment ; for I have subsequently searched in vain for
his counterpart through various authorities, and am
forced to the conclusion that they are a half-crab, half-
lobster freak of nature, larger even than the latter, and
existing only on those or similar unfrequented shores.

I say "they," because the shore-party reported the
beach as being crowded with similar shells, the meat
having been most probably scratched out by the bears,
which abound along that coast in great numbers. Some
of the shells seen were from seven to nine inches in
diameter, almost round, and quite thick and strong. It
was in the claws that the animal resembled the lobster,
every thing else being more like the crab. When the
fellow that we had caught alongside was spread out on
the deck upon his back, his legs measured three feet two
inches from tip to tip ; and when we turned him over he
raised himself on those tips several inches above the deck,
as if to command a better view of things in general. His
smallest legs were as large as one's little finger; and it
was in one of these that the hook had accidentally caught,
the shell being strong enough to lift him over the ship's
side. Taking the taste of the bears for good authority,

we immediately boiled and transferred him into a crab-

322 THE CRAB'S REVENGE.

lobster-salad, sufficient for the whole mess, and, unlike
the lobster, remarkably juicy and tender. The doctor
listened to several writhing applicants during the suc
ceeding night.

After all, it seemed that our shore-party had narrowly
escaped a most unpleasant time. Upon arriving near the
beach, the surf was found to be running very high ; but
they went at it boldly, and, jumping out at the right
time, the boat's crew ran her up "high and dry." They
were very well content to get wet no higher than the
knee.

The master then occupied himself with his observa
tions, while the ramblers started with their guns and
revolvers back into the country. The sight of large and
numerous bear-tracks served to create a feeling of affec
tionate companionship which kept them pretty* well
together: they had no idea of attacking Bruin on his
own soil, singly, and advanced with prudent caution as
they neared a ridge or turned the bend of a ravine.
Finally, they came to a river a broad and noble-looking
stream whose snow-fed waters seemed alive with salmon
of the largest description and capable of floating a liner
for miles into the interior. They did not reach its
mouth, however, and could not say if it was free or
crossed by a bar : from our past observation we inferred
the latter.

They found the country sandy, undulating, and mise
rably barren ; not a sign of habitation, and, in short, a
most cheerless-looking spot. They returned to the boat,
after an hour's tramp, with a few semi-transparent stones
as their only prizes, and were there received with the

AN UNFORTUNATE CHANGE OF WEATHER. 323

information of "a dozen or more bear" having been
seen by the boat's crew farther down the beach.

"What a pity we didn't go that way!" said one.

"Maybe it's better we didn't," said another.

" Pm going after them now !" said a third.

"And the boat's going on board," said the master, as
he closed his boxes and beckoned to the crew.

"Just like our luck!" exclaimed the last speaker, in a
voice of fleeting disgust: " we might as well have stopped
on board."

Ten minutes later, and the boat was at her davits,
while the shrill whistle of our only boatswain's mate was
ringing around the silent decks, calling the wearied crew
to the oft-repeated work of heaving up the anchor, and
telling of work, work, nothing but work, as long as the
daylight lasted. Another ten minutes, and we were
again under way, continuing through rain and wind the
interminable coast-line, a stormy end to an unexpected
spell of good weather.

We had not worked along thus many hours when the
wind hauled ahead and increased to a gale ; so we had to
heave to and let it blow by. It lasted all that night,
and we were rapidly losing much of our hardly-gained
ground, when the weather fortunately moderated, and we
were enabled once more to close in with the beach and
continue the survey. As. we thus worked our toilsome
way to the northward, we found the low, flat land along
which we had been hitherto running, gradually changing
its nature to that of bold and towering heights that lifted
their snow-clad crests far into the foggy sky and shoved
their rocky bases well out into the sea in the shape of

324 EXCITEMENT OVER "FRESH BEAR-TRACKS."

rugged promontories, whose frequent ravines were filled
with melting snow and dark, shapeless rocks, and whose
ridges and sides were covered by a dense and luxuriant
vegetation. It was singular to see the snows of the
North and the rank vegetation of the South existing
alongside of each other, where we had expected to find
nothing but the former and a stunted growth of the
arctic pine.

Every now and then we would pass a turbid stream
that owed its periodical existence to the melting snows
of the last winter; and we would generally see a wander
ing bear, or flock of geese or ducks, near its mouth, when
we would amuse ourselves by sending a Sharpe's-rifle
messenger to notify them of our proximity, though the
distance was always too great to enable us to fire with
any precision.

As we thus ran along over that unknown ground, with
a good look-out, bad charts, and an active lead, as our
only pilots, we would often stop off the mouths of those
rivers, or under the sheltering heights of those rugged
promontories, to get astronomical observations; and,
upon these occasions, our assistant botanist would accom
pany the shore-party, and generally return with some rare
or previously-unknown arctic plant, while the gunners of
the party would often get highly excited over "fresh bear-
tracks," and probably bring back with them something
more substantial, in the shape of a brace of finely-fla
voured ducks, or some unfortunate goose.

The observations which were thus obtained invariably
proved our best charts to be dangerously incorrect. Upon
one occasion I remember that we found the ship's posi-

UNEXCITING SHIPWRECKS. 325

tion (on the chart) to be some distance in-shore. This
we regarded in the light of a most innocent shipwreck,
and enjoyed it accordingly. When this took place,
we were in lat. 58 40' K and long. 158 43' E., the
beach bearing from northeast to southwest of us, and dis
tant about five miles. We subsequently experienced
many similar shipwrecks, and upon one occasion found
ourselves upon the side of an extinct volcano that was
actually more than sixty miles from the sea. So much
for the amount of reliance that can be placed upon the
best charts of that region. Those which we then ob
tained data for, and which will shortly be forthcoming
from the able hands of Commander Rodgers, will conse
quently be of rare value to our whalers, who frequent that
coast, and annually lose one or more of their fleet simply
from the want of good charts.

As we thus made a running survey of those unknown
regions, we took good care to obtain and preserve not
only specimens from the hills and beach, but from the
bottom of the sea also. We had two species of "patent
leads" for this latter work, and they both acted admirably.
One of them was intended for bringing up specimens of
the bottom when the depth of water exceeded two or
three hundred fathoms, and did actually once bring up
a thimbleful of sand and mud from the enormous depth
of three thousand five hundred fathoms. That was in
the North Pacific. The other was intended to be used
in from one fathom to one or two hundred, and it often
brought up a pint or more at a single haul. It was
curious to wash out these specimens in a bucket of
water and hunt for shells and other " wonders of the

326 BROOKE'S DEEP-SEA EXPLORER.

deep" in mud and sand that had existed at the bottom
of the ocean for centuries in their undisturbed seclusion.

It is also worthy of remark that both of these admi
rable inventions sprang from the brains of two of our
own officers, the shoal- water one having been made in
Hong-Kong, under the immediate direction of Com
mander Eodgers, while the "deep-sea explorer" was got
up by Passed Midshipman (now Lieutenant) John M.
Brooke, the able astronomer of the expedition, and who
is even now trying to bring it before the notice of Con
gress.

In anticipation of these leads "working well," we had
provided ourselves with several hundred small vials, in
which every thing worth preserving was stowed away,
after which it was sealed up and labelled carefully, for
future examination.

There was one remarkable fact which we noticed about
the soundings along that entire coast: this was their re
markable regularity, without regard to the greater or less
elevation of the land along which they were obtained.
Generally speaking, (as in the case of the northern and
southern shores of the Mediterranean,) soundings are
found to vary with the nature of the land ; that is, deep
water is generally found off bold headlands, and shoal
water off low ranges: but in this case we found only
ten or twelve fathoms abreast of the highest points,
which was no increase to what we had carried along ex
tensive tracts of country whose greatest elevation was not
probably more than fifteen or twenty feet.

These towering, precipitous, and black-looking points
presented a totally different appearance, when you were

POETKY OF FEELING VS. GALLINIPPERS. 327

abreast of them, from what they did when their sides
only were exposed to view. It seemed as if they were
mountains of loose black rock that had been lightly
covered by a fertile soil, and then the end of them that
projected into the sea broken off and transported to "parts
unknown," leaving their black-looking faces in striking
contrast with their green sides and snow-filled ravines.
We found them occurring at intervals of several miles,
invariably enclosing long strips of a shingle or sandy
beach, from which the green lowland retreated into an
undulating country which was itself backed by the blue
mountains of the distant interior. These latter were
generally either perfect or truncated cones, and combined
with other unmistakable signs to establish the fact of
previous volcanic action.

It was an interesting occupation to watch these
changing scenes through our glasses ; and as we watched
them, we admired the native grandeur of those towering
promontories, the shining beaches darkened here and
there by mountain-torrents flowing from the ravines of
melting snow, the undulating country covered by its
short-lived but rank vegetation, and the distant cones of
heavenly blue, and could not but regret the prevalence of
those arctic winters which for eight out of the twelve
months cover such a beautiful region with one vast
mantle of dazzling snow. This poetical state of mind,
however, received a severe shock on our first landing,
through the instrumentality of thousands of swarms of
the gallinipper-breed of mosquito, who, regarding us in
the light of most welcome visitors, soon succeeded in
stinging us into a far different mood of feeling. These

328 HOW WE OBTAIN A GOOD APPETITE.

attentions of theirs brought vividly before my slumber
ing memory the assertion of a long-unseen messmate, to
the effect that "the mosquito, though a small insect, had
often been known to move a man weighing over two
hundred," and, further, caused us to return on board with
good appetites, the result of the unlooked-for exercise
which we had been forced to indulge in in sheer self-
defence.

We not only saw mountains and green grass as we thus
cruised along, but would often fall in with one or more
wandering whale-ships, sometimes homeward bound with
full cargoes, sometimes hove to under reduced sail while
their boats were chasing a whale, and at other times
riding to their uneasy anchor off some rocky shore while
engaged in "trying out" the oil of some captured mon
ster, whose huge carcass, after being deprived of its
blubber, would be cut adrift from the ship's side and
allowed to float unheeded before the wind and sea, while
another of his ill-fated companions, who had all along
been moored securely astern, would then be hauled up to
undergo a like "stripping."

We would generally heave to or anchor near all such
vessels, and communicate with them, in the hope of get
ting information in regard to a reported coal-stratum that
we were in search of, or to give them tracings of our sur
veys, and were more than once amused at their peculiar
mode of navigating. Upon asking one of their captains
how he found the charts, he replied, in an indifferent,
don't-care sort of way, "Oh, pretty fair; I don't find
any thing much out:" and, upon our telling him of some
of our previously-mentioned "innocent shipwrecks," he

ONE REASON WHY SO MANY WHALERS ARE LOST. 329

expressed great surprise, and guessed that he'd "better
be taking another observation soon;" and, upon being
pressed a little further on the same subject, he candidly
acknowledged that he had not used his chronometer for
a month, having been too busy with whales to pay any
attention to the position of his ship. At that we ceased
to wonder over the loss of so many whalers : our only
wonder was that so many ever reached home in safety.

I have already remarked that we were in search of a
reported coal-mine. We had heard from a whaling-cap
tain that it existed along the northern part of that coast,
and that he had once picked up a boat-load of it on the
beach, which burned beautifully in his stove, &c. &e. But
unfortunately he had not taken any observations for some
weeks at the time of his discovery, and was consequently
unable to give us its latitude within any thing like rea
sonable limits. We only knew, therefore, that there was
said to be coal along that coast at some point, and that,
unless we found it, the "old John" would soon be left to
depend upon her sails alone for motive-power and our
chances of ever reaching San Francisco be alarmingly
decreased. We consequently kept a good look-out as we
ran along the broken shore, and in the end were amply
rewarded for our pains.

It was about two hours after the noon of July 30
that we threw our maintopsail to the mast, stopped the
engine, and hove to off the entrance of what promised
to be a fine and extensive harbour, which we subse
quently determined to be in lat. 61 15' K and long.
161 31' E. We had followed the coast down very closely
heretofore ; and, as the general appearance of the land

330 HOW WE PULL BEFORE A SWELL.

about this entrance gave greater indication of the exist
ence of coal than any we had yet seen, the captain de
termined to run in for the night at any rate, and leave
again the next morning should we fail in discovering
any.

As we had no chart of this harbour, however, as we
could see a huge pile of rocks off its mouth, and as there
was a very heavy swell running in at the time, it would
have been any thing but prudent to have risked the ship
by entering without some previous examination ; and so
a boat was lowered, and I, having the watch below, was
called to go in her. We had a fine time getting in after
we were once started, for the light whale-boat skimmed
over the heavy swells like a feather, sinking out of sight
in their deep valleys, or being lifted on their rolling
breasts, as the case might be. We stopped every two
minutes to get a cast of the lead, until the water began
to shoal to ten or twelve fathoms, when we began to cast
it as fast as it could be hauled in.

As we thus pulled in toward the passage, the harbour
opened beautifully, and I began to think that we were
finding a magnificently-protected anchorage on those
inhospitable shores, when suddenly the lead gave but
four fathoms, then three, and lastly only two, as the
depth of water. So we immediately turned and pulled
at right angles to our former course, when the water
again deepened, seeming to promise a fair anchorage
under the huge pile of rocks already alluded to, and
which we now found to lie right in the centre of the
entrance to the bay. As we pulled in this new direction
and looked back at the harbour, there could not have

DESCRIPTION OF THE ANCHORAGE. 331

been presented a more promising appearance of good
entry and subsequent shelter.

It was in the form of a pot-hook, the handle being
represented by the mainland, and the hook-part by a
towering and curved promontory, while the "huge pile
of rocks," which proved to be one immense irregular
mass surrounded by an infinite number of smaller ones,
was situated equidistant from either of those points, and
about a mile seaward of an imaginary line drawn from
the point of the hook to the opposite side of the handle.
At this latter extremity of the line, where it joined the
mainland, were to be seen several mound-like objects,
having posts and poles stuck in and around them, and
looking very much like one of the half-buried villages
which we had read of as being common to Kamtschatka.
"We could see no smoke, however, and thence concluded
it to be uninhabited.

In passing the rock for which we were now pulling
back, I had expected to find good water inside the hook ;
but, upon arriving at our imaginary line, it had shoaled,
as I say, to two fathoms, and so, having given up all hope
of finding an anchorage for the ship inside of the hook,
we were now looking for one under the shelter of the
rock. This latter, though quite small when compared
with the false harbour, was nevertheless quite large
enough to break the sea as it rolled in, thus creating a
kind of uneasy anchorage under its lee, that was only
acceptable from the fact of there being no other; and I
therefore picked out a twelve-fathom hole, having a mud
bottom and passably-smooth surface, and, having let go
our little anchor near its centre, hoisted a flag as a signal

332 PHILOSOPHY VS. THE PHALACROCORAX CRISTATUS.

to the ship, which had been following the boat slowly
in, that she might come thus far, at any rate, without
danger. In about ten minutes after this, she was
alongside of us, when she let go her anchor, and com
menced to roll with such energy that we experienced no
little difficulty in approaching and climbing her rusty
old sides.

The noise created by the chain in running out after
the anchor, seemed to cause considerable alarm to im
mense numbers of a large and black duck-like bird, that
had their thousand nests in the crevices of the rock under
which we had anchored, and who left said nests with a
sharp discordant cry, as the unusual sound startled them
in their isolated haunt and caused them to fly over and
about us in inconceivable numbers. They proved to be
the aquatic fowl vulgarly known as the shag, and to the
ornithologist as the " Phalacrocorax cristatus" a crested,
long-necked cormorant, that we subsequently shot in
great numbers as an article of food, (don't start, reader,)
though I must acknowledge that the captain and a few
other philosophers were the only ones that ever succeeded
in the treble task of swallowing, keeping down, and pro
perly digesting their (to me) unsavory flesh. From the
immense numbers of this bird which covered this pile of
rocks, we called the principal one "Shag Rock," and, as
such, included it in our survey.

We had no sooner furled sails and got the ropes laid
up about the decks, than two boats were called away, one
to go in search of coal along the inner shore of the
curved promontory, and the other to follow down the
mainland to the bottom of the pot-hook. In the first

THE NORTHWEST PARROT. 333

of these boats went the captain and Lawton ; while in
the stern-sheets of the second reposed the master and
our indefatigable doctor, with his small-bore Kentucky-
rifle to keep him company. Some of us also took the
tomtit, (a boat smaller even than the dingy,) and pulled
over to Shag Rock, with a heavy ship's musket and
revolver each, where we soon commenced blazing away
among the unfortunate shags and northwest parrots, with
an energy of action and destructiveness of aim that
promised to fill our boat before long.

Though I had pulled in from the ship through hun
dreds of this latter bird while feeling the way for her, I
have, until now, neglected to mention them, simply be
cause it was not until our landing on Shag Rock that we
were enabled to get a close view of them. I have, since
my return to the United States, searched through more
than one writer on birds, hoping to find a description of
this particular rarity, but without success. In the shape
of its bill it approaches the puffin, and, in the arrange
ment of its head-feathers, the little parrakeet-auk ; but in
other respects it differs widely from both of these birds.
The opposite sketch is a mathematical drawing of the
male and female, one-sixth life-size. I must therefore
conclude that it is, at any rate, a rare specimen of the
feathered tribe, and hence well worthy of a passing
notice. The male is about the size of a large teal-duck,
is covered with dense masses of variously-coloured
feathers, and has the head and bill of a parrot, (hence
the name given it by whalers,) surmounted, in the case
of the female, by a rooster-tail-like crest of several
inches in length, and, in the case of the male, adorned

334 A TEREIBLE DISAPPOINTMENT.

by two side-tufts as in the engraving. It is web-footed,
has red legs, and in brilliancy of plumage is not excelled
by the well-known Mandarin-duck of China, or the
beautiful wood-duck of our own country. It was a
fine sight to see them falling around us at every shot;
and, as we took them up and felt their great weight
and plumpness, we looked ahead a few hours, and our
mouths watered as we saw them at the head of an im
aginary dinner-table, with the savory steam rising from
their well-browned breasts, and the ready knife hovering
over the upright fork.

But alas for all human anticipations ! When we came
to taste them, they were so tough, so fishy, and so musty,
that it was impossible for the greatest lover of game
among us to approach them : even the philosophical
eaters of the less pretending " shags" shrunk aghast
before this terrible disappointment, and loaded their
plates with the black-looking fragments of the latter in
preference.

"When I say that our northwest parrot had the head
and bill of the ordinary tropical bird of the same name,
I must except the hole under the lower jaw, and the
thick, black tongue of the latter ; but in all other respects
the resemblance was very close.

When we returned on board with a load of them after
our impromptu shooting-excursion, we found that the
exploring-parties had got back ahead of us, and that they
had discovered a very accessible stratum of coal on the
inner face of the promontory ; also a small river, empty
ing into the bottom of the hook, whose mouth was not
blocked up by salmon, as we had been led to suppose by

NOR'WEST PARROTS"-(MALE AND FEMA

LE, ONE-SIXTH LIFE-SIZE.)

THE VILLAGE PROVES TO BE INHABITED. 335

whalers ; and they further told us that the " mound-like
objects having sticks and poles stuck over and about
them" had proved to be very comfortable houses, in
which a number of natives were living. These latter
were all males, however, and the entire apparent popula
tion of the village did not exceed fifteen souls. What
they had done with their women and female children we
never could ascertain, though we remained with them a
week, during which time we traversed much of the sur
rounding country without seeing a sign of another living
creature, not even so much as a bear. We finally con
cluded that they had some inner settlement, to which
they had sent them for safe-keeping, and wisely gave up
all idea of ever learning any thing on the subject. But
let us return to Shag Rock.

While we were seated around our long mess-table,
gazing vacantly at the overrated parrots, and slowly
making up our minds to commence the attack upon a
huge piece of salt pork, the quartermaster came down
and reported that the tide had already fallen five fathoms,
and that it was still falling. So, as we had heard from the
whalers of these tides sometimes falling so much as to
leave a ship anchored "high and dry" upon the rocks, we
hurried on deck to see what it meant. Upon looking
around, we were surprised to see the whole hook of the
harbour some distance above the surface of the water,
while pointed rocks had sprung up between us and the
larger one under which we were anchored, like magic.
This was the more singular, as we had noticed no upper
current indicative of such a great rise and fall of tide,
and we wondered without well knowing what to make

336 WE ATTACK THE COAL-STRATUM.

of it or what to expect next. Fortunately, we still had
seven fathoms under us, and, as it only fell one more, our
minds were put to rest.

The morning after our timely discovery of coal, we
"called all hands" bright and early, and sent Lawton, our
chief-engineer, with his twelve firemen and coal-heavers,
to attack it with pick and shovel, and to pronounce upon
its quality.

He had orders to continue digging if he found it
adapted to our furnaces, while the first lieutenant himself
was ordered to have the bags and boats in readiness to
bring it on board as it was dug ont by the shore-party.
Now, this was going to work without delay ; but, as the
first day would be likely to pass before they could get out
enough to make it worth while to commence the trans
portation, several of us took advantage of the unexpected
holiday to shoulder our guns and take a boat for the coal-
stratum, which we proposed examining first and then
starting back into the country for a bear-hunt as soon
as our curiosity should be satisfied.

The wind was blowing quite fresh from seaward as we
started; a heavy swell was also setting in through the
channel which we had to cross, and the tide was falling
so rapidly that we feared grounding inside of the hook
before we should be able to reach the landing. It was
quite cold, too, the air being down as low as 45 Fahr.,
and the water at about 48 ; so that it would have been
any thing but comfortable to have grounded near the
middle of the extensive mud-flat and found ourselves
under the necessity of wading on shore, or remaining in
the boat with the retreating water breaking over us and

HOW TO CURE THE CHILLS. 337

the freshening breeze blowing it through our clothes lor
several hours, and, in the words of Hartman, chilling us
fearfully. Nevertheless, this unpleasant alternative proved
to be in store for us ; and we only escaped it through the
generosity of the boat's crew, who insisted upon jumping
out as soon as we struck, thus lightening the boat greatly,
and enabling them to wade her up to the nearest point of
the beach. When we had thus reached the dry land, how
ever, they paid severely for their kindness, in the shape
of several severe cases of chills, which the doctor at once
took in hand with, professional activity and "knocked
spots out of" at once. Being debarred access to his medi
cine-chest by a mile or more of salt water, he hauled a
bottle of brandy out of his pocket, and, having divided it
into six doses, told them to "drink that," after which they
expressed themselves considerably "warmed up;" and,
when we reached the blazing coal-fire which Lawton had
already got under way, they might be said to have been
in better condition than when we started.

Upon looking around us we noticed three or four coal-
strata, instead of one only, and found, also, that they
were quite extensive. They were from eighteen inches
to three feet in width, ran at an inclination of about forty-
five degrees with the surface of the sea, in a northwest
and southeast direction, (which was about parallel with
the trend of the valleys,) and passed entirely through the
promontory. This latter was from three to four hundred
feet in height, was possessed of very steep and precipitous
sides, and was reared upon several most singular forma
tions. There was feldspar, argillaceous iron-ore, and a

kind of secondary sandstone, a petrifaction evidently,

338 INTERESTING PETRIFACTIONS.

for it existed in every stage of hardness. It was to be
found all along the beach in the shape of perfectly-round
balls of about the size of an orange, as well as in huge,
shapeless fragments of rock. Some of these balls were
so soft as to flatten easily under the foot, like potters' clay,
while others were as hard as granite. These latter, if
thrown forcibly against a large rock, would rebound with
the elasticity of a billiard-ball, or shatter into a dozen
fragments ; and in the latter case they were invariably
found to contain petrified clams, oysters, various other
marine shells^ and the impressions of a great number of
ferns and other plants, many of which seemed no longer
to grow on the hill-sides : at least I could not find any.

As for the shells of the clams and oysters, they were,
generally speaking, perfect: they seemed to have become
filled with earth, and then to have been gradually in-
crusted with it until they were perfectly round. In those
which flattened under the foot we could seldom find
shells, the half-decayed leaves and stems of plants being
found to form most of their centres, around which, snow
ball-like, the outer coatings seemed to collect as they rolled;
but how it was that they were rolled, unless by the ebbing
and flowing tide, we could never imagine. It was sin
gular to break open some of these hard, cannon-like balls
and find oysters and clams inside of them, while there
was not at the time to be found living specimens within
miles of the spot. In fact, we never met with oysters
along the whole coast. But the thing which surprised
us most was the existence, in spots, of a greasy kind of
clay, the like of which I had never before read of or seen.
Walking along the beach, one would put his foot on what

A NEW-FASHIOXED BOOTJACK. 339

was apparently the backbone of a bed of dark-gray gra
nite or sandstone, when, presto ! instead of feeling a solid
rock under his foot, he would find himself boot-top
under; and, upon being assisted to haul his leg out, he
would either leave his boot behind, or drag it out be
smeared with a greasy paste, just for all the world as if
he had stepped into a tub of soft soap. It acted the part
of a bootjack for us more than once, and with admirable
success.

In some places this singular substance ran from the
mountain's side just like so much fat, not in a stream,
for its consistency was too great to admit of flowing;
but we often found basins of it that had apparently
soaked through the earth, and in these cases it was so thin
as to admit readily of being stirred with a stick. In
other places it was found in a more dense state; and
in this latter stage it often proved a great drawback to
us in our mining-operations, for, as it generally existed
in layers over and between the strata of coal, we had
to dig it away with shovels before we could get at this
latter. It was so sticky that it often refused to leave
the shovel, and the men complained greatly of its
straining their arms. One man who attempted to heave
a shovelful of it down the hill-side, while his footing
was none of the firmest, had it stick to such an extent
as to carry him down, shovel and all, upon the boggy
pile,' where he stuck horizontally upon all fours until
some of his fellow-shovellers hauled him out. And
there were two others who resorted to a "clinch" as
the readiest mode of reconciling a difference of opinion,
when the weaker party, falling upon his back with the

340 NOT THE BEST WAY TO SETTLE A DISPUTE.

clay under him and his antagonist on top, was left iu
that position by his now-satisfied foe without the most
remote prospect of ever getting up through his own
unaided exertions. He might just as well have been
tied down, as was the great Gulliver, for even his hair
stuck so fast that he could not lift up his head: all
that he could do was to roll his eyes about and work
his arms, which only served to "fit him" to greater
advantage. Upon being assisted to his feet, he was
heard to express himself against "clinchin"' as the
best mode of settling a dispute "upon sich ground
as this."

Before leaving, I rolled up a ball of the singular sub
stance, intending to preserve it for future analyzation,
but, unfortunately, lost it before an opportunity presented
itself. This ball, which was at first of about the consist
ency of working-putty, soon became as hard as soap-
stone and susceptible of receiving quite a polish. It
was of the colour of a yellowish-white clay, and without
odour.

The general formation of the promontory was of sand
stone of several different varieties. Along the beach,
and projecting from the side of the cliffs, it was to be
seen in the shape of huge boulders or pointed fragments,
that had become blackened through the combined action
of time and the elements and rendered as hard as granite ;
while in the beds of the ravines and gullies it was found
in a secondary state, so soft that the water in running
over it loosened the minute particles, and, carrying them
along in suspension, rendered itself totally unfit for
either bathing or drinking purposes. Catch a cupful

DISAPPOINTED IN A SHOWER-BATH. 341

of it as it fell clear and sparkling in the shape of a
picturesque-looking cascade, and, before it was suf
ficiently settled to be drunk, there would have col
lected a teaspoonful of a greasy, paste-like sediment
in the bottom ; and, when we once went to take a
refreshing shower-bath, as we flattered ourselves, under
said picturesque cascade, it filled our eyes, ears, and
hair to such an extent that we were glad to take a dip
in the less-promising surf that was rolling at our feet.

The soil which existed on this sandstone as a base
was of a loose sandy nature, and was sprinkled about
quite liberally with patches of the "bootjack clay," which
rendered running, leaping, and jumping along the
mountain-side any thing but comfortable. We soon
learned, however, to detect the presence of "a bog,"
as they shortly came to be called, and to guide our
steps accordingly. These patches on the hill-sides almost
invariably supported a hoarfrost-like growth, which,
seeing nowhere else, we had but to walk around and
keep on firm ground. Having no such warning along
the beach, however, we did not fare so well. There it
not only came up in the shape of a ridge of rock, as I
have already observed, but it also existed in quick
sand-like formations which there was no avoiding.
Then, if you did not recover yourself with active
readiness, you would soon be "boot-top under." I
myself once "got my foot into it" so deep that, in
bracing myself on the other to haul out by, the edge
of the hard sand that supported me caved in and left
me knee-deep, with a very small prospect of getting out
without foreign help. I could lift either foot half-way

342 1 AND MY BOOT PART COMPANY.

out easily enough; but the angle made by the lower
and upper parts of my leg (the knee being the vertex)
would then become so small as to deprive me of the
power of lifting it higher, and, when I attempted -to
bear my weight on it to haul up the other, I only
worked down deeper.

I was glad enough when a couple of strong arms lifted
me bodily out, minus one boot ; and, after thanking my
stalwart friend, lay cautiously down upon the hard part
of the beach, and shoved my arm down after the miss
ing article, which, singular to say, I drew out perfectly
empty. It had collapsed as soon as my foot left it ; and
all that I had to do was to pull it quietly on and walk
more carefully in future.

As soon as I had stamped my foot well down into the
softened leather, and scraped off a pound or more of the
adhering patent bootjack-mixture, I took a long stick
and shoved it down the half-filled hole from which I had
rescued my boot, to see how far I might have sunk had
not a " friend in need" been at hand. It had gone down
only about two feet when I felt a rock or some other
hard substance ; and we- subsequently found that these
"patches" seldom extended to a greater depth, so that,
though considerably inconvenient, they were not at all
dangerous.

CHAPTER

WE LEAVE THE COAL-MINE FOR A HUNT, AND ENCOUNTER ANOTHER PARTY
SIMILARLY ENGAGED WE RETURN WITH THEM TO THE VILLAGE AND ARE
HOSPITABLY ENTERTAINED THE HEADMAN NOT AN ADVOCATE OP THE
MAINE LIQUOR-LAW HOW WE "COALED SHIP," AND HOW WE RAN A RACE

WITH A FLOOD-TIDE.

THE last part of the previous chapter was chiefly devoted
to the different formations about the coal-strata in general,
and the "patent bootjack-mixture*' in particular; and
now I will leave Lawton and his dozen firemen digging
away at its gum-like strength, and carry the reader along
with the doctor and myself as we started to follow the
swampy bank of the small river that emptied into the
bottom of the hook at high-water, and which at low tide
ran a mile or more over the flats of said hook, until it
finally reached the sea at the imaginary line previously
spoken of.

This hook, as I have already said, formed an inner
harbour at high-water and an extensive mud-flat when
the tide was down ; and, as the river widened its channel
considerably while running over it, thus decreasing its
depth in proportion, there was no difficulty in crossing
in a straight line from the coal-mine to the opposite vil
lage at low tides. In the present case, however, we de
termined to follow the river up into the mountains, in
the hope of crossing the track of some bear or other

343

344 WE ARRIVE AT A CONCLUSION.

game, and finally visiting the village on our return.
So we left this latter on our right and the coal-mine in
our rear, and trudged along through the soft and spongy
turf and over the rugged tails of ridges that ran down
and terminated at the river, until we had pretty well tired
ourselves out, and arrived, not at the mountains, but at
the conclusion that we had walked along the boggy bank
quite far enough, and that if we expected to visit the
village and regain the ship before night it was full time
for us to be turning back and "stirring our stumps."
So we took advantage of the first fordable part of the
river to wade across, and soon found ourselves climbing
the hills on the opposite side.

From the top of these hills we now looked toward the
village over a treeless expanse of undulating land, whose ,
broken surface was covered with a dense but dry turf, in
which the foot sank over the ankle at every step, and
whose occasional ravines were hidden by groves of dwarf
pines, under which a long and wiry grass grew, and
twisted, and turned, and retwisted itself, in such a man
ner as to render it any thing but an easy matter to work
our way down, over, and up to the opposite heights. Still,
even that was better than the muddy, spongy walking
along the river's bank ; and so we continued 011 over the
yielding turf and through the' tangled grass until we had
crossed the last ravine and ascended to the extensive
prairie-like plain upon the sea-edge of which the mound-
like houses of the village were located.

We had not walked many hundred yards over this
beautiful carpeting of grass before our attention was
attracted by a shout upon our left, and, as we turned in

WE ENCOUNTER NATIVES. 345

that direction, we beheld a party of five persons, among
whom we recognised Hartman and another of our mess
mates, while the remainder were buckskin-clad natives,
who apparently had been pressed into their service as
guides. These latter we found to consist of a father and
two sons, the former of whom carried a smooth-bore
flint-rifle, to which was attached a permanent rest in the
shape of a wooden prong, pivoted at its vertex to the
^stock near the muzzle, while in his belt was stuck a
short knife, and down his right leg, outside, in a socket
worked in his leggings, a very long one. His sons were
rigged out in a similar style, with the exception of
having no gun; and they gave us to understand that
when the old gentleman wounded a bear with his gun
they drew their long knives to assist him in the conflict
which followed. The short ones they used for cutting
and eating.

As they joined us, we regarded them as curiously as
they did us, for they were the first of their kind we had
seen, though we had read much of their habits and seen
many engravings of Kamtchadales in such works as
Dr. Pritchard's "Natural History." I was surprised to
find them entirely differing from those engravings ; and
my surprise lasted until we reached Ayan, when " old
Frybark" the Eussian officer in command explained
it all away.

The Kamtchadales proper, he said, were mostly con
fined to the interior and east coast of the peninsula, while
the few people found on the west coast (where we were)
were a mongrel-breed, springing from Kussians and the
Ee-ah-couts Indians, and presenting the ethnologist with

346 HOW THEY CLOTHE THEMSELVES.

a most puzzling diversity of feature and general appear
ance.

These particular three whom we now joined and, in
fact, all of those whom we subsequently encountered in
the village were of ordinary stature, flat-featured, and of
a sallow, olive complexion; and that is about all I can
say of them. They were dressed in loose garments of
reindeer-skins that had been well cured, with the hair
inside, and the red and polished buckskin turned outside
to bid defiance to every thing in the shape of briers, and
almost to old Time himself. It was difficult to imagine
how such clothes could ever wear out, so preserving a
polish had they received from the combination of dirt
and grease with which they seemed to be brought in con
stant contact.

Their trousers and boots or rather, I should say, moc
casins were made in one, and a smockfrock-like gar
ment came down half-way to the knee and was confined
around the waist by a buckskin belt. This frock was
provided with a hood, which usually hung down the back,
but which could be hauled over both head and face at the
pleasure of the wearer. When thus rigged out they were
cold-proof, and in fact water-proof also, as long as they did
not wade where it was more than waist-deep. Some of
their clothes were sewed with waxed thread, obtained
probably years back from wandering whalers, while
others were more perceptibly, but with equal neatness
and far greater strength, stitched together with threads
drawn from the sinews of the reindeer or mountain-elk.

Although our examination of Hartman's companions
was so very close, it was not a whit more so than theirs.

EXTRAVAGANT DELIGHT OF THE HEADMAN. 347

They mixed with us in perfect confidence, (though they
had at first mistaken us for Frenchmen come to bombard
their town, and now only had our word to the contrary,)
and examined every thing about us with the greatest
curiosity. And there I was surprised to see how well the
French were known, and how totally the English were
unknown. "Franco no dobre," they would say, French
no good; but we could not get a word or even a look
from them when speaking of the English. They drank
a glass of brandy with undoubted gusto, and then com
menced to examine our clothes, boots, weapons, &c. &c.
"What surprised them most, and excited their admiration
to the highest pitch, was the fineness of the grains of our
powder, which the father of the party could not cease
comparing with his own, asking by signs if we had any
to give away. We gave him to understand in return that
we would give him a capful of it if he would shoot us
a mountain-elk and bring it on board, upon which he
danced around in frantic delight, partly from the effects
of brandy and partly from those of joy, I suppose, and,
when he had in a manner recovered his composure, in
formed us that as soon as he could get a horse in from
the country he would mount him and ride away, after
which we might soon expect to see him returning with a
buck on said horse's shoulders. His manner of explain
ing to us that he was talking about a horse was simple in
the extreme. He only straddled the forefinger of his left
hand with the fore and middle finger of his right, neighed
very horse-like, then clucked with his mouth, and, finally,
belaboured an imaginary animal most unmercifully with
his hide-covered heels.

348 WE REACH THE VILLAGE.

After all this he went on to inform us that he should
be perfectly contented when he should become possessed
of so much powder ; that it would certainly last him to
his grave, and that when it was gone he would be willing
to die. He never fired more than once at a deer, he said ;
and, throwing himself on the ground flat on his face, he
planted his forked rest firmly, showed us how he called
the deer toward him, how he took aim, motioned us to
imagine him covered with bushes so that he could not be
seen, and, having satisfied us fully on all these points,
recovered his feet with the agility of a monkey, and fol
lowed us as we walked toward the village.

As we approached this latter, a number of shaggy dogs
barked and howled at us as they retreated behind the
piles of earth which we had justly taken to be the houses ;
and we were expecting to see crowds of women and chil
dren alarmed by said barking and coming out to see
"what the row was," when our friend of the smooth-bore
flint-rifle suddenly opened a door and motioned us to
enter. It was a long, dark, and narrow archway, down
which we peered as the door was opened ; and a greasy
smell of whale-blubber, half-cured fish, &c. that broke
upon our noses, combined with the dim light of a murky
fire in a distant apartment at its end, took away every
thing that might have been pleasant in the prospect of
resting our wearied limbs in a warm atmosphere. And,
as we "hang back" at that door and look in one another's
faces, as much as to ask, Shall we brave that odour?
let me give the reader an idea of the outer appearance of
those singular habitations.

They resembled the half of a long-necked gourd, one

DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HOUSES. 349

that has been split in half to make two drinking-cups
of, and having a dozen or more pins stuck in the out
side of the bottom of the cup, which, in this case, cor
responds to the roof of the house. Altogether, they
were most outlandish-looking houses outside ; but, when
you once entered them, the philosophy of their peculiar
construction became beautifully apparent. The long,
dark, and narrow archway down which we looked
proved to be a passage of some four feet in width by
forty or fifty in length, and was flanked on either side
by angular spaces resembling the wings of a garret,
which were admirably adapted for the storage of winter
provender in the shape of dried seal and deer-meat,
smoked salmon, whale-blubber, &c. &c., besides adding
largely to the air-room if I may be allowed the ex
pression of the house in general; and the " pins" proved
to be poles connected with the cavity which answered
the purpose of a chimney.

As we passed through this lengthy and gloomy passage
way, the "greasy odour" before alluded to grew stronger
and stronger; and I for one had made up my mind, as
we emerged from it into the spacious and bowl-like
apartment, that my stay was to be of exceeding limited
duration. Imagine my pleasant surprise, therefore,
when I found that the air of this larger apartment was,
comparatively speaking, quite pure. I drew a long
breath of it as I became aware of the fact, and, ad
vancing toward the fire, seated myself on a pile of deer
skins and began to look around me.

The first thing that I saw was a large and circular
apartment, possessing a diameter of probably forty feet,

350 THE HEADMAN'S FAMILY.

a height of some fifteen in the centre, and which de
creased dome-like as it neared the ground-part of the
sides. In the centre of the curved ceiling there was
quite a large aperture, and directly underneath this
were piled a number of hearth-stones, over and about
which a lately-built fire was smoking itself into a state
of fitful "blaziness" in honour of our discovered ap
proach and subsequent arrival.

Two boys, of about the ages of eight and ten, were
seated upon their haunches near it, watching its growing
power, and adding dry fragments of fuel as occasion
called for. Like those who accompanied us, they were
dressed in tanned (?) skins, with the hair inside, and,
though of very small stature, were still rigged in every
respect like their more elderly companions : . they even
had the two knives stuck in sockets worked in their
trousers below the knee.

"We soon found that we were in the house of the man
of the smooth-bore rifle, and that these little fellows
were his youngest children, while the other two whom
we had first met were his elder ones, the four con
stituting the male portion of his family. "Where were
the fair sex, those fireside-ornaments? "We looked
around and asked in vain, the only satisfaction we
obtained being a wave of the headman's hand toward
the mountains; and this we took to infer that they
had been sent back into the country for safe-keeping.

As the fire now blazed up brightly and lit up the
gloomy recesses of the extensive apartment with its
uncertain light, we made the discovery that there were
two rooms in one; that is, the fire was built in the

THE INSIDE OF THE HEADMAN'S HOUSE. 351

centre of a circle of some twenty feet diameter, which
put me very much in mind of the ring of a circus, the
circumference of said circle being marked by upright
posts that reached to and supported the ceiling. These
posts were planted about four feet apart, and between
them and the earthen sides of the house there was- a
raised platform of whale-ribs, rough planks, flat pieces
of drift-wood, &c., over which were spread any number
of bear- and deer-skins, upon which we were more than
once invited to recline; but, as there were strong in
dications of the existence of vermin within their hairy
depths, we confined ourselves to seats on the edge of
the platform, which latter, being about a foot high,
made a very comfortable seat as long as we kept our
feet upon the earthen flooring of "the ring."

The posts to which were nailed the inner ends of the
scantling upon which the platform was laid were rough
logs from the dwarfed arctic pine, with the bark peeled
off and the knots smoothed away with a knife ; but they
had been smoked for so long a time, and taken hold of
by so many greasy hands, and rubbed against by so
many greasy clothes, that they had become as black
and polished as so many pieces of ebony.

After we had been seated a few minutes in this
singular and uninviting habitation, the smoke began
to get so thick as to cause us to rub our eyes and finally
to weep outright; which the headman perceiving, he
spoke a few words to one of his sons, who went and
opened the door at the outer end of the long passage,
when in less than a minute our enemy vanished through
the aperture. The door was again closed, the passing

352 THE REMNANT OF THE POPULATION.

current of air died a natural death, and the fire again
began to warm the chilled atmosphere and to fill the
room once more with smoke. They had to resort to the
process of opening the door about every fifteen minutes
after that; and upon one occasion they not only ad
mitted a relieving current of air, but also the remnant
of the then population of the village, consisting of two
men and one small boy, who shook hands with us most
affectionately, and pronounced the word " brandy" several
times with remarkable aptitude, while with their hands
and mouths they went through the process of drinking
with equal success. There was no mistaking their
meaning, and so the doctor produced a quart-bottle
of French punch and gave them a pretty stiff horn all
round. This they enjoyed excessively, even the three
small boys crowding around to share in the unusual
treat.

The doctor, however, did not relish the idea of giving
strong drink to such small men, and told their father as
much by signs ; but the latter only laughed, and motioned
him to let him have the bottle and cup a moment, when
he poured out about a gill for each, and slapped them
on the back as they coughed over its unexpected strength.
Then he poured out all that was left, drank it down like
water, and pitched the empty bottle to one of his still-
choking offspring, who stowed it away in a mysterious
corner for future use. It was subsequently a source
of great surprise to see how much those people could
drink and still not appear the worse for it. This head
man, in particular, I once saw drink a quart-bottle of
gin in less than half an hour, and the only difference

THEY GET READY FOR DINNER. 353

it made in him was that he became more rough in his
manner toward those under him and slightly unsteady
in his gait. I tried to imagine how it was that they
could drink so much without being made intoxicated,
and could only attribute it to the greasy nature of their
food and to the excessive cold of their winters, which
call for a vast amount of animal heat.

Soon after the entrance of the "remnant of the popu
lation," and immediately following the destruction of the
bottle of punch, the headman made signs that he was
about to cook us some dinner; and, as we were both
hungry and curious to see their mode of cooking, we ex
pressed ourselves highly delighted at his hospitality. I
don't suppose, however, that any of us thought for a mo
ment of eating any thing he might get up, though we were
quite hungry ; for every thing around us looked so greasy
and dirty that it was hard to imagine any thing about the
premises capable of being cleaned.

There was a fine fire under way by this time ; and the
first thing they did was to plant a tripod-like structure
over it, from the vertex of which hung a long iron pot
hook, from which, in turn, was evidently to be suspended
some as yet unseen vessel. One of the small boys next
rummaged this unseen vessel out of the same mysterious
corner into which the empty bottle had disappeared,
when, to our surprise, it proved to be a very civilized-
looking iron pot, which the young explorer at once
commenced to clean with great energy. This cleaning
he accomplished through the instrumentality of quantities
of fresh water, several handfuls of sand, and three or four
bunches of clean, dry grass; and when he gave it its last

354 WE CONCLUDE TO EAT.

rinsing out the pot was evidently clean : there was no fault
to be found with it. I began to think that some of us
might partake of their cooking, after all.

We asked them where they had got their pot from, and
were told that a whale-ship had presented it to them
many years back in exchange for a mountain-elk that
they had carried on board, and that they would like to
carry another mountain-elk on board of a ship and bring
another pot on shore. So we entered into such an agree
ment, to our mutual joy.

Their next proceeding was to haul several halves of
fine-looking salmon out of a greasy-looking sealskin bag,
which they cut into pieces as long as one's hand, on a
clean piece of board, washed well in a pail of water,
packed into the pot, added a pint or so of water, sprinkled
a little salt over all, (they collect salt from crevices in the
rocks along the sea-shore at low-water and after a hot
sun has shone for some hours,) put on the broken lid,
and finally hung it on the pot-hook, where it soon began
to simmer away in fine style and give forth an odour
that was any thing but unpleasant. The fact of the fish
having been taken from a greasy-looking sealskin bag
was the only drawback to our appetite; and that was
speedily overcome, for we had walked over many heavy
miles, and it was long past our usual dinner-hour.

When the headman, therefore, took half of the lid off
and picked out a piece for each one, which he put upon
fragments of the "New York Herald" that one of us had
carried along, we all held out our hands as he passed
around, and fell to work, cautiously at first, but, finally,
with a most hearty will. The natives, too, attacking

THE HEADMAN AGAIN GETS EXCITED. 355

what was left in the pot with their knives, fingers, and
teeth, the "several halves of fine-looking smoked sal
mon" were soon among "the things that were;" and,
another bottle of punch being opened and pipes lit, we
began to enjoy ourselves, while thus helping the expiring
fire to get up the usual amount of smoke.

We all had our own pipes, fortunately, we having
carried some that we had got in Japan, and our hosts
having theirs, which had been obtained through the
Russians. Their tobacco, however, was running alarm
ingly short, it seems; and I never saw men indulge in
more extravagant demonstrations of joy than they did
when Hartman pulled out a pound-plug and told them
that he would not only give them an iron pot, but that
he would fill it with similar pieces, in return for one of
their long-talked-of mountain-elks.

The headman, immediately after regaining a state of
comparative composure, reached for his gun, took aim at
an imaginary elk, and clucked his tongue, as much as to
say, " Wait until I get a chance : won't I fetch one down ?"
after which he replaced it carefully and intimated his
readiness for another drink. In this way we rested our
selves and smoked away for an hour or more; when,
after bartering a few pieces of tobacco and the second
empty bottle for several of the cleanest-looking skins, we
passed again through the long passage-way into the open
air, and, accompanied by our hosts, crossed the mud-flat
in advance of the rising tide, and reached our friends at
the coal-mine just as they were about to return on board
for the night. We therefore rewarmed ourselves at their
blazing fire, reshouldered our guns, and skins, and ac-

356 HARD SERVICE FOR BOATS.

companied them along the beach to meet a boat that was
coming up with the tide to take us on board.

"We soon reached her, when our native friends bade us
farewell, with the promise to visit us on board and to
bring with them one of their famous elk, the quality of
whose meat we were anxious to compare with our usual
diet of "salt junk" and sour bread. It is useless, I sup
pose, to repeat "the old story:" how they got their iron
pot stuck full of plugs of tobacco, how we continued to
luxuriate upon salt junk and sour bread, and how the elk
continued his leaps from crag to crag to the imminent
terror of imaginary beholders.

The day following this ramble, Lawton reported a suffi
cient quantity of coal as being ready for embarkation,
and "all hands" and boats were consequently devoted to
that work. "We soon found it to be any thing but a
pleasant job, however; for, having to carry the boats to
the very foot of the coal-stratum in order to fill them, and
then to pull back over the mud-flat to deep water, the
ebb-tide often got the start of us, and left us sprinkled
about over said flat, sometimes with full boats, sometimes
with empty ones, and always with the pleasant alternative
of remaining in the boats to be half frozen, or of walk
ing through the cold mud to the distant fire. Moreover,
there was all this time lost, besides straining the boats if
they happened to be loaded when thus left "high and
dry ;" and our boats were valuable in that out-of-the-way
part of the world, more particularly as every day that
passed only served to strengthen our minds in the con
viction that the " old John" herself was destined to play
us a trick before we could get her safely into San Fran-

HOW WE CHANGE DAY INTO NIGHT. 357

cisco. We were therefore naturally disposed to be tender
with them, so that we should have something to depend
upon when our dilapidated old craft should " turn turtle,"
drift upon a lee shore, founder in a sea-way, or indulge
in any similar species of recreation.

It was soon determined, therefore, that some more sum
mary process would have to be resorted to ; for under the
first arrangement we had to pull so far with our loaded boats
before reaching the ship, that, by the time their coal could
be hoisted on board and they sent back, the tide would
be falling, and they consequently likely to ground on the
flat before getting half-way to the mine. It was there
fore thought best to get the ship herself under way every
morning at daylight and run into as little as three
fathoms, hovering off the edge of the mud-flat as long as
there was water enough for the boats to pass back and
forth, and then to return to the anchorage under Shag
Rock until the rising of the next tide should allow them
to move over it again.

This apparently-rational course had no sooner been
determined upon than it became evident that we would
have to consult the state of the tides in the selection of
our working-hours ; and so, as it was mostly low- water
during the days, and the reverse at night, we capsized
our habits of life and began to sleep during the former
and to eat and work during the latter. Fortunately, dark
ness was not of long duration, as the twilight lingered
until near eleven o'clock and the early dawn began to
show itself about three hours later. It was, nevertheless,
very trying to both officers and men ; and, when at the end
of five days the coal-bunkers were proclaimed full and

358 WE TRY TO BRIBE THE

the boats had been hoisted in, the captain looked around
upon his exhausted ship's company, and caused the word
to be passed that the next twenty-four hours would be
devoted to a resting-spell, instead of to the continuation
of the survey, as we had all feared.

As I looked around the decks and saw the weather-
beaten frame of the old forecastleman and the half-de
veloped form of the youthful " ship's boy" stretched side
by side in the heavy sleep of protracted toil, I could not
but rejoice over the order which had granted such neces
sary repose.

We had found little or no difficulty in getting out the
coal ready for shipment; but our boats were so small,
and the tides so uncertain, that we had been induced to
press into service the headman of the village, its " entire
population," and a huge skin boat of theirs, which, with
proper management, might' have been made to carry at a
single load as much as all of our boats put together ; but,
after the first trip, the old fellow imagined that the coal
would soon cut through her bottom, and consequently
refused to lend her any more. We tried to bribe him by
the offer of tobacco by the pound, and even did violence
to our ideas of right and wrong by adding a bottle of
brandy ; but he made signs that their boat and harpoons
were their only means of killing seal, the meat of which
is their chief article of food, and we, of course, could
not think of forcing him to hire her against his will. We
had therefore to fall back upon our own boats, in con
sequence of which the work progressed slowly and
laboriously.

A RARE OLD BOAT. 359

This boat, which the headman was so fearful of
injuring, is well worthy of a passing notice.

In the first place, she was built entirely of the skins ol
wild animals, and long, withe-like poles, the former
being sewed together with water-proof stitches, while
the latter were joined to each other, and twisted, and
bent, and retwisted, and doubled back, arid finally tied
into something that looked very much like the frame of
an ordinary boat that is ready for planking. In sewing
these skins together they used sharpened pieces of bone
for needles, and fibres of the sinews of wild animals
for thread ; and the regularity of the stitches thus made
was really astonishing. When they had thus connected
together some forty or fifty skins in one immense sheet,
they encased the frame in it, and allowed it to dry ; and,
in drying, it hardened like raw hide ; after which, they
gave us to understand that it never became loose or soft
any more as long as they took proper care of it. Of
course, that part forming the bottom of the boat became
soft after she had been in the water any length of time ;
but that did not matter, as they stepped upon the withes
when moving about in her.

This particular boat was from forty to fifty feet in
length, some seven or eight in breadth, drew only about
an inch of water when no one was in her, and carried
her gunwales some three or four feet out of the water.
Singular to say, she did not seem at all " top-heavy." A
dozen or more two-inch poles that were lashed from gun
wale to gunwale were the only things in the shape of
seats that she offered; and on these sat the oarsmen,
having under them a thick piece of bear-skin to guard

360 HARTMAN AND MYSELF FEEL INSECURE. .

against the otherwise almost certain caudal irritation.
The headman himself found a similarly-dangerous seat
on either quarter while guiding her course with a long
and trailing oar. She floated on the water with the
lightness of a distended bladder, and had a most singular
way of twisting herself about, bending her long back
over the short seas, seeming to be giving away under
one's foot, &c. &c., and altogether imparting a feeling of
unpleasant insecurity.

Upon one occasion, Hartman and myself were anxious
to go on shore, while there was but one of the ship's
boats alongside, and the headman, noticing our dis
appointment, for we could not leave the ship without
any boat for fear of accident', (a man falling overboard, or
something of that sort,) made signs to the effect that if
we would get into his with a bottle of brandy in our
pocket he would give us a passage : so we provided our
selves accordingly and stepped over the side. There was
no wind blowing at the time, but there was still the same
old swell setting in through the channel, and, as we rode
lightly over them, she felt to us, who were accustomed to
our ungiving boats, as if she would break her back at
every jump. She would bend as much as fifteen or
twenty degrees; and, if you happened to step anywhere
save on one of the withe-like timbers, the softened skin
would sink under the foot and cause you to catch for the
gunwale under the suddenness of the impression that
you had found a hole and were about to try the depth of
the water. Then, her motion w r as so supple and snake-
like that one could not for some time rid himself of the
idea that " something was wrong," and that it behooved

THE HEADMAN LOOKS OUT FOR "NO. 1." S6l

him to keep a sharp look-out. Altogether, she was a
most singular specimen of naval architecture, almost as
singular as the " old John" herself.

At length we found ourselves safely on shore, with the
headman in a fine flow of spirits, and the bottle half
empty. He had attacked it at almost every stroke of the
oars, refusing to give his companions even a single taste :
he was evidently a very selfish old fellow, and one who
knew how to keep those under him at a distance. So
much for the headman and his village. And now I will
say a few words about this coal, relate an adventure
which several of us met with quite unexpectedly, and
then leave Kamtschatka for the eastern coast of Siberia,
the western boundary of the Okotsk Sea.

The importance of this combustible to the world at
large has been so fully demonstrated within the last few
years, that its discovery in unknown localities must ever
be a source of interest to nine people out of ten. I shall
stop in my narrative for a moment, therefore, to mention
a few facts in regard to this which we discovered along
the wilds of Kamtschatka. Most of that which came
under our inspection was what is understood by " surface-
coal ;" but the last that we took on board came from a
very fair depth, and looked as bright, and hard, and glit
tering, as the best anthracite. It was semi-bituminous,
of several degrees of excellence, and burned with a bright
blue flame, emitting little or no smell of sulphur, giving
very little smoke for bituminous coal, and leaving few
cinders and ashes. Much of it, upon being broken open,
was found to contain a bright substance resembling
amber, pieces of which, as large as a large buckshot,

362 THE GOVERNMENT EXPECTS TOO MUCH.

often fell out when it was thus fractured : as a genera,
thing, however, it prevailed in the shape of veins of
greater or less extent.

This bright substance we took to be pyrites ; but
whether the sulphuret of iron, copper, cobalt, or nickel,
I was not sufficiently versed in mineralogy to determine.
And here I must stop to ask the following question :
" Would it not have been worth the while of the Govern
ment to have offered a liberal salary say three or four
thousand dollars a year to men of fair proficiency in the
various branches, and thus obtained, as our ' right-hand
men,' persons who would have been prepared at the time
to take advantage of, and to explain and note for future
investigation, the various freaks of nature which daily
crossed our path in those unfrequented parts of the
world?" We often felt the want of an able mineralo
gist in particular ; but it seems that the Government ex
pected its officers men whose whole lives have been
spent upon the sea to possess a sufficient " smattering"
of all sciences to answer the purpose. But to return to
the coal. We were sorry to meet with this sulphuret, as
that in which it is found is more or less liable to spon
taneous combustion, and we had no idea of arraying
another of the elements against the slim chance which
the "old John" held out of ever landing us safely in
San Francisco. We already had enough fire in the fur
naces, without bringing any more on board in a latent
state.

I have said that this coal burned with a bright blue
flame, that it gave out little or no sulphur, made very
little smoke, and left few ashes ; and such was actually

NATURE OF THE COAL. 363

the case when it was piled on the blazing fire that kept
us warm while digging it out ; but, as soon as it was tried
in our small-flue furnaces, its nature seemed to undergo
an entire change. Instead of burning brightly, it smoked,
and smothered, and ran into clinker, and gave forth sul
phur in a most provoking and choking manner, the con
sequence of which was that it got up steam very slowly,
kept it up very poorly, choked the flues with soot so as
to force us to "haul fires" about every six hours to clear
them, and accomplished generally a vast deal that was
provoking to our tempers, injurious to the health of the
firemen, and detrimental to the work of the Expedition.

As far as our experience extended, therefore, we came
to the conclusion that it would never be adapted to burn
ing in small-flue boilers, that it might answer well in fur
naces intended for burning soft coal, and that it un
doubtedly did burn well in the open air as an ordinary
fire and in a blacksmith's forge. And now for the ad
venture which several of us encountered so unexpectedly.

We had been on shore, hunting all day, and the officer
of the deck had sent a boat for us toward evening with
orders to await our return and bring us on board. The
firemen and boat's crews, having worked at the coal as
long as the tide would permit, had returned on board
shortly after noon for the purpose of getting a few hours'
rest previous to the arrival of the next tide. Now, the
coxswain of our boat, instead of keeping her at the end
of the promontory, where there was always water enough
to float her, had pulled in over the mud-flat and hauled
her up on the beach about half-way between that point
and the coal-mine, where he left her, and, with the rest

364 THE DOCTOR GETS EXCITED.

of the crew, walked a mile or more along the boggy
beach to the expiring fire, which had been left by the
firemen when they returned on board. There they piled
on a fresh supply of coal, and, seating themselves around
it, began smoking their pipes, spinning yarns, and
making themselves as generally comfortable as the cold
air and their wet feet would allow them to. And this
was the state of affairs when our party arrived and
asked,

"Well, boys, where's the boat?"

"Down along the beach, sir!" said the guilty-feeling
coxswain, as he jumped to his feet and started off toward
her. "We hauled her up nicely clear of the water before
we came up, sir, and buried the anchor in the sand : she
can't well get away."

"I suppose not," I replied. "Why didn't you stop at
the point, or leave half of the crew in her to keep her
afloat ? There is a mile or more of mud between her and
the water by this time." And such really proved to be
the case ; for, when we had turned a point and got her in
view, we saw the whole flat before us without a sign of
water near it, thus finding ourselves under the necessity
of waiting for the next tide, three or four long, inactive
hours to be passed in the cold air, with our wearied limbs
and empty stomachs as our only companions. The idea
of dragging the boat over a half-mile of mud and rocks
to the point was of course out of the question.

"A stupid piece of work, altogether," remarked the
doctor, in an irritated voice : " it is singular how many
jackasses there are in this world!"

At this stage of the proceedings the coxswain looked

WE IMAGINE OURSELVES COMFORTABLE. 365

more guilty than ever, and, to hide his confusion, sud
denly discovered an imaginary coal-vein in the precipit
ous side of the mountain on our right.

"Never mind finding any more coal," I observed:
" what I want you to do now is to take two of the crew
with you and go and stay by the boat until the tide rises,
then bring her up along the beach as the water deepens.
The rest of us will go back by the fire until then, and
meet you as you come up." So we saw him fairly started
for the boat, and then retraced our steps to the fire, where
we piled on more coal, gathered closely around it, and
tried to imagine ourselves in a very comfortable situation.

By-and-by, as we were thus seated around the blazing
pile, limbs began to feel less weary under the influence of
returning warmth, eyes began to grow heavy in about
the same proportion, heads began to bob spasmodically
from side to side, and even the breathing of some became

heavy and regular. ISTot a word had been spoken for

I can't say how long; for mine was one of those bob
bing heads, and time had assumed a most misty appear
ance in its drowsy chambers.

******

Suddenly we were aroused by shouts away down the
beach ; and, springing to our feet, we found that night was
fast closing around us, that the fire had burned quite low,
and that hurried feet were approaching us from the direc
tion of the boat. Excited voices, too, were borne to us
upon the damp night-air, telling of something wrong
that had occurred, and serving to awaken us most effec
tually. The next moment the breathless coxswain and
his two companions burst around a near point, running

366 VEL ! VEL ! VEL ! VOT ISH IT ? VOT ISH IT ?

at full speed and exclaiming, at the top of their voices,
"Come on, gentlemen! come quick, doctor! come on,
Mr. Habersham : the tide's a risin' fast, and we've come
to let you know!"

I don't think I ever felt more like knocking a man
down than at that moment. The doctor, too, was so
furious that he could only turn pale and get off a few
disjointed remarks in regard to the comparative size of
the world and the number of jackasses which it con
tained ; while Hartman actually foamed at the mouth in
his desperate attempts to command enough English to
convey his emotions.

"What made you leave the boat behind again?" I
asked, as they joined us.

" I wonder how many more jackasses there are among
us ?" asked the doctor : " it's lucky we're discovering new
islands: the old world will soon be too small to hold
you."

"Vel! vel! vel! Yotishit? Votishit? Ye don't see
te boat yet! Yere is te boat?" foamed Hartman, with
angry volubility.

To these rapid questions the coxswain and his friends
had nothing to answer. They had been left by the boat
with the previously-mentioned orders, and, instead of
obeying them, had become frightened at the noise of the
swelling tide, and wasted precious time by coming almost
a mile to tell us that it was rising. And now we were
left with but one alternative : we must either be content
to remain where we were, out of reach of the water,
and leave the boat to beat about in the surf and probably
be drifted out to sea ; or we must make a run for it and

WHAT MUST WE DO? 367

try to reach her before the tide should rise high enough
to cover the beach and drown all who should not be able
to swim back. We had travelled up and down that beach
both by day and night, and knew well enough that there
would be no use in trying to climb up those steeps
almost perpendicular walls when the water should wash
us from our feet : our only hope would then be in the
untiring arm of the practised swimmer.

It was something of more than ordinary importance
upon which we were now called upon to decide ; and I am
free to acknowledge, as I look back upon that darkening
night, that we might have acted with far more prudence
than we did. Still, when the doctor (?) cried out, "Let us
run for it ! there is yet time," I stopped to think no longer,
but, dropping my gun on the beach and telling one of
the men to come on with it as fast as possible, started off
on a full run and was followed by the entire party.

And such a run as it was ! I never engaged in any
thing approaching it before ; I hope never to be engaged
in any thing similar again. "It vos fear-/w," as Hart-
man subsequently expressed it.

The lingering twilight of the almost endless arctic day
was slowly giving place to the tardy night. The atmo
sphere was just cool enough to keep one from getting
heated even by running for life, and the unpleasant
"bootjack-mixture" that was constantly crossing our
path more than once threw us down at the imminent risk
of breaking some limb or even a neck. I could hear the
increasing surge of the flood-tide as it rolled toward us,
and the decreasing noise of my companions as they hur
ried after me : I was evidently distancing them slowly

368 A GHASTLY ATTEMPT AT A SMILE.

and Hearing the tide-rip rapidly. I was either the worst-
scared man of the party, or was enabled to outstrip them
from the fact of having no gun to retard me; and I
rememher this thought flashing through my mind and
causing me to smile as I looked ahead to the next break
fast-table and heard Hartman say, " Oh ! but you should
see H run : zat vos te best of it all."

I heard this speech in the future, I say, and smiled;
but it was doubtless a most ghastly attempt. At any
rate, it was of but short duration : it fled before the
increasing roar of the advancing tide, and left me with
a feeling of startled alarm that fortunately but added
to my speed. I think now that it was even more than
a " feeling of startled alarm ;" I think it was much more
like a very bad scare, the feeling which possessed me
as my left foot just then sunk into a streak of "the
mixture" and caused me to measure my length on what
fortunately proved to be good hard sand. A few bruises
were nothing; but it would have been decidedly un
pleasant to have found myself sticking up upon "all
fours," as had been the case with the fireman who
followed his shovel down the embankment.

The particular streak over which I now fell was
fortunately a narrow one, and my momentum was
sufficient to carry me over it. After picking myself
up, therefore, I took time to be thankful for this as
well as to rub my bruised elbows, after which I con
tinued the race with any thing but decreased speed.
There were two high points between our starting-point
and the boat, that ran down across the beach to about
half-tide mark, and I had now arrived at the first of

A TERRIBLE RACE. 369

these just as the advancing ripple commenced to wash
it. Doubling it at full speed, and with the water al
ready ankle-deep, I shouted to those behind, "Bear a
hand! bear a hand!" and dashed along the next stretch
of beach to gain the last point.

About this time I began to feel a little the worse
for exercise. My skin was hot and dry, my knees de
cidedly weaker than at first, while my throat and chest
actually burned under the constant friction of rapid and
heavy breathing. My sight, too, was dimmed by the
extreme exertion, and a dizzy feeling about the brain
advised me to slacken my pace or risk a probable fall.
Still, knowing that every thing now depended on some one
reaching the boat before she was washed away, and knowing
also that time was short and that I was the nearest one
to her, I was urged to push ahead at every risk. I felt
that, if I could but weather this last point, all would be
well; for the boat lay just beyond it, and I could easily
get into her ' and return for my companions. It was
this conviction which, combined with my "badly-scared"
condition, served to keep me up to speed, while I felt
every moment more and more like fainting.

At times I thought of giving out in spite of all this ;
but then I cast my eyes from the inclined, wedge-like
surface of the foaming waters to the dark outlines of
the point, which was now only a few hundred yards
ahead, and, reflecting that I had only to round the
latter and grasp the boat's gunwale, straightened up
nervously and threw myself bodily toward it, though
my knees did tremble, my feet come down rather wildly,

370 RAPID RISING OF THE TIDE.

and my sight grow dimmer and more dim under such
a combination of excitement, fear, and exertion.

Finally it was reached; and, as I waded heavily around
it through the knee-deep water that broke against its
rugged front, I saw the boat rolling from bilge to bilge
in the rising surf a few yards ahead, a sight which
BO enlivened me as to cause the expenditure of most
of my remaining breath in an encouraging shout to
those who followed. As it turned out, I had not arrived
a minute too soon : a few moments later and she would
have been afloat, probably drifting out into the bay, and
leaving us to swim, climb up the steep and crumbling
sides of the promontory, or sink.

I staggered up to her unsteady side, and, grasping
the gunwale with both hands, strove to keep her
steady ; but my strength was all gone. I felt at once
that I was powerless while alone, and so contented my
self with crawling over into the stern-sheets and being
rolled from side to side until the lapse of about twenty
or thirty seconds brought up the rest of the party, who
shoved her off into deep water. The oars were now got
out, and, while thus engaged, we drifted by the point
around which we had so lately waded.

"Put over a boat-hook and see how deep the water
is," said the doctor.

One of the crew complied, and found four feet where
but a minute before it had been only knee-deep. We
looked at the hopeless hill-side, shuddered, and felt I
hope thankful.

"It's a great pity there are so many jackasses in

I RUN ALSO MYSELF. 371

this world!" repeated the doctor, as soon as he had
sufficiently recovered his breath.

"Veil, yes! great pity!" added Hartman, spas
modically. "I don't vant to run ever so much again.
Bierchaum, you run like a great fel-low; you have a
great scare, I think, Bierchaum. I run also myself."
And so we pulled on board, the coxswain keeping an
unusual silence, and all hands feeling most miserable
and used up. That night we finished coaling, and the
next day was one of rest.

;r CHAPTER XIX.

WE ENTER THE GULF OP PENJINKS AND REACH OUR HIGHEST NORTHERN
LATITUDE, AFTER WHICH WE RETURN TO THE OKOTSK, AND CROSS OVER
TO THE COAST OF SIBERIA WE NARROWLY ESCAPE SHIPWRECK, AND
FINALLY ARRIVE AT A PLACE CALLED OLA, WHERE WE ARE REGALED BY
THE SIGHT OF BULLOCKS AND THE TASTE OF MILK.

THE day after our successful race against time and a
flood-tide, we once more hove up the anchor and con
tinued our survey. "We now, steering to the northward
along the west coast of Kamtschatka, entered the Gulf
of Penjinks, up which we ran as high as lat. 61 20' N.,
when, for want of time and favourable weather, we
turned again to the southward, and retraced our way as
far as the edge of the Okotsk Sea, when we stretched
across the mouth of the double gulf for the east coast
of "Siberia the frozen,'* and, upon sighting this latter
during the following day, recommenced the survey

"We found our newly-discovered coal burning very
badly. It was with the utmost difficulty that we could
keep up a moderate amount of steam ; and, upon round
ing a jutting point of land shortly after noon, we en
countered a current against which we could make no
headway : in fact, we lost ground for some hours. The
captain therefore determined to commence the next
morning and use our good coal as long as it lasted, hoping
that at any rate it would hold out until we should leave

372

HOW LONG WE HAVE TO SLEEP. 373

that region of rugged rocks and seven or eight knot
currents. It will be seen how providential this apparently-
natural decision proved before the lapse of twenty-four
hours.

After struggling against the current until sunset,
(9 P.M.,) it fortunately slackened up, and we were enabled
to gain shelter in the bight above the point abreast of
which we had been doing our best all day, after which
we piped down the hammocks and felt unusually com
fortable with the prospect of a quiet night's rest ahead.
******

It was about three hours after midnight, and yet the
arctic sun was already some degrees above the eastern
horizon, while the " old John," as if ashamed of having
overslept herself, was running under a full head of steam
from the spot where, only six short hours previously, we
had anchored for the night after one of our usual " day's
work" of eighteen hours.

Don't smile, reader; we often worked more than
eighteen hours out of the twenty-four, during those long
arctic days.

I would not have any one understand, from the fact
that the " old John" was under a full head of steam, that
she was rivalling a North River steamer or even a fair
sailing-scow in speed, such, indeed, being far from the
case, as six and a half knots the hour was the most that
she could be prevailed upon to accomplish under steam
only. The Government agents, in sending us to sea in
her, doubtless thought that she was "just the vessel for
the service;" but we, the interested parties, after some
months' experience, became impressed with the unplea-

874 MOST UNREASONABLE BEINGS.

sant conviction that she was destined to drown us all
some fine morning, either by foundering in a gale or
drifting helplessly on some lee shore.

This conviction, as may be supposed, was productive
of the most constant watchfulness on our part. I never
saw watches kept with more praiseworthy zeal when the
occasion demanded it. Even the crew, who were as con
scious as ourselves of the defects of the lame old craft,
worked with astonishing energy to keep her afloat until
our arrival in San Francisco, and as determinedly avowed
their intention of leaving her at that port, "whether or
no, Tom Collins." These unreasonable beings actually
looked forward to the crime of desertion, in preference
to again "launching out upon the sea" in a vessel whose
singular feats and annoying predilection for the shore
had already sprinkled more than one head with gray.

It was a tough cruise, this very " last one" at which I
am now looking back ; and, though more than a year has
passed since our crazy old craft returned us in safety to
the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave," the
mind still shrinks from the contemplation of past scenes,
whose very dangers but served at the time to arouse its
latent powers of resistance.

How many there are, who, looking back through the
dim and shadowy past at the more prominent adventures
of their lives, wonder in vain as to the source of those
unknown because previously-untaxed powers of the
mind, by which they were enabled, in times of pressing
need, to bear up against and finally overcome dangers
and obstacles which, in the quiet moments of after-
security, seem to have been burdened with certain death

THE COMMENCEMENT OF AN ADVENTURE. 375

and destruction. It is upon one of these " prominent
adventures" that I am now looking back and wondering
how myself and some seventy others passed through it
without the loss of that readiness of action and self-pos
session so essential in moments of unexpected peril to
the safety of lives or the success of an undertaking.

Our old tub, as I have already remarked, was running
away from her night's anchorage under a full head of
steam. The rugged and snow-patched coast of Siberia
was on our right, distant some mile or more; several
clustering islands dotted the smooth surface of the
Okotsk Sea on our left ; while ahead we could just see
what might be a ship or towering rock, so distorted were
all objects in that direction by the great refraction com
mon to high latitudes. We were not long in doubt,
however, as to the nature of this distorted object. It
seemed to be rising bodily out of the confused horizon,
and to be rushing upon us instead of our slowly approach
ing it. Could this be also refraction ? Hardly. Suddenly
we guessed the mystery : we had been anchored during
the night in the eddy formed by a projecting headland,
but had now steamed out into one of the fearful currents
against which we had been so often warned by old (but,
as we then thought, marvel-loving) whaling-captains. It
was the same current with which we had measured speed
during the previous day ; only it was now running in an
opposite direction and with evidently greater strength.

What was to be done now? To attempt to survey in
puch a mill-race would have been absurd. Nevertheless,
we kept well in with the mainland, intending to run be
tween it and the distorted object, which had at length

876 A DISAGREEABLE QUESTION.

resolved itself into three separate masses of towering
rock.

The passage looked smooth and beautiful from the

Jr o

masthead at first ; but, as we approached it with our mad
velocity, a suspicious-looking streak of foam and broken
water was gradually discovered to connect the extreme
right of the black-looking rocks with the mainland.

Should this prove to be a reef but bah! why hunt up

unpleasant subjects for thought?

Any one who has ever watched the flying landscape from
the window of a railroad-car can form a very fair idea of
the appearance which the receding objects here presented
to us. Trees, rocks, patches of snow, dark and gloomy-
looking caves, with here and there a huge boulder, snow-
fed torrent, or wandering bear, rushed by us in their con
stant flight, separate and distinct at first, but finally
melting into one conglomerate mass of unrecognisable
objects, over which the momentarily-withdrawn eye
ranged in vain for its former resting-place. This was the
velocity with which we were going over ground now for
the first time passed over to our knowledge, thirteen
miles to the hour probably, certainly not less than twelve :
where would we all be in one minute of time should the
"old John" suddenly find a reef or sunken rock under
her already leaky bow?

Some such question as this was drifting lazily through
my midwatch-worn mind, when I was startled by the
voice of the captain, who, from his look-out on the top
sail-yard, ordered our course changed so as to pass outside
of the rocks, as the streak of broken water before alluded
to was evidently a reef. This discovery was no sooner

DARK AND BITTER FEELING. 377

made than I knew that the "old John" was in another oi
her disagreeably-tight places; and, when I heard the rush
ing tide leaping up our sides in its mad fury, and reflected
that we had to steam against that tide before we could
round those black and towering piles of basaltic rock
which blocked our path with certain death, my heart for
a moment contracted with spasmodic horror; and, when it
again swelled almost to bursting, it was with curses deep
and bitter against those in authority, whose stupid igno
rance or criminal carelessness had risked the safety of so
many lives by detailing such a vessel for the hazardous
undertaking of a surveying voyage around the world.

" If there's any speed in her, it'll have to come out
now, or it's all day with us," said a voice at my elbow.

I turned with a look of gloomy inquiry to see the
speaker; for the voice, though a familiar one, was
so strangely modulated by emotion as to be scarcely
recognisable. It was the captain, who, having nothing
more to discover from aloft, had returned to the deck,
cool, calm, collected, and yet very pale ; and his voice,
though thus strangely modulated by emotion, was firm
and bell-like, and his eye bright, partially with moisture,
but more than partially with the light of that fire which
burns only in the brave man's eye when dangers crowd
around him, or in the eagle's glance when it meets the
rays of the mid-day sun.

"Yes," he continued, in a voice whose forced cheerful
ness grated harshly on the nervous ear; "the 'old John'
must indeed 'scratch gravel' now, or we are lost at last.
Tell Lawton to fire up : let us have all the steam he can.
If the boilers won't bear it they must burst. Even now we

378 WE LOOK UPON A THREATENING SCENE.

are losing ground, and there is not much of it between
us and those "

He pointed to the dark and towering masses of the
loosely-piled rock, up whose rugged sides the bruised and
foaming sea reared its rushing surface, and through
whose broken breast it urged its half-spent fury. No
gravity existed there of sufficent power to drag the
broken waters to a common level : they rolled, and
leaped, and surged in their mad course until obstructed
by those hoary upheavals of nature's past convulsions,
and then pressed up their precipitous sides, or through
dark and gloomy-looking archways, with a baffled power
that told of ruin, and destruction, and death, to the hap
less ship that should be swept with them in their mad
career.

The general view which met the eye was awful to
behold.

Imagine a ship drifting with the swift current of an
expansive river to be suddenly arrested by an unex
pected sandbank. The ship must now stand still : she is
stranded. The current can sweep her no farther; it there
fore rears itself against her slanting side, and, rushing
around both stem and stern, forms dozens of turbid
whirlpools under her lee. Now it presses up her side,
now sinks below the general level, now leaps in broken
masses up to her very gunwale, and all the while gurgling
and foaming in the unsteady eddy under her lee. Ima
gine such a scene as this, I say, and then multiply it a
hundredfold, and you will have a tolerable idea of the
one from which our old ship was now straining every
nerve to deliver us. Only in our case the "expansive

BEYOND THE REACH OF MAN'S BRAIN. 379

river'* was a moving ocean, the "stranded ship" a rough
and towering mass of loosely-piled rocks, and the " gurg
ling and foaming of the unsteady eddy" was the surging
of the tortured waters, which, as we slowly neared in
spite of rising steam, was fast increasing to a deafening
roar.

There are some throes of nature which God never in
tended man to describe. He reserves them in the wan
dering air, in the boiling centre of our common earth, in
the fathomless depths of the slumbering ocean, or in the
misty depths of the failing imagination, until such time
as he sees fit to bring them before us in the shape of
agents in his own vast and inappreciable schemes. What
pen ever yet did justice to the raging breath of the West
India hurricane, to the destroying action of the great vol
cano of Hawaii, or to the scenes of ruin and desolation
which follow in the trail of the mysterious "bore" of the
Hoogly and other Eastern rivers ? My pen also fails to do
justice to the scene which I have attempted to place be
fore the reader.

As I have already remarked, there were three of these
rocks, one immensely large, the others comparatively
small. They were separated by passages of probably fifty
or sixty feet in width, and were gaped and undermined
at the water's edge by several gloomy-looking caves,
through and down which the rushing sea seemed finding
a channel to the very bowels of the earth. It was opposite
the larger of these rocks, and distant from it only some
three or four hundred yards, that we found ourselves after
the steamer had rounded to and commenced to measure
her speed with that of this moving ocean. Immediately

380 BACKWARD WE GO, SLOWLY BACKWARD.

in our rear was the largest and most gloomy-looking of
those downward-leading caves. It was large enough, had
our masts been taken out, to receive the entire hull of
the steamer into its capacious jaws; and toward these
capacious jaws we were now being urged by a power
which the advancing land slowly-advancing, but still
advancing told us was greater than our means of resist
ance.

Send the best helmsman to the wheel. Crowd the
furnaces with coal and pitch. Jam down the safety-
valve. Any thing for steam! for steam and close steering
are now the only things that can save us.

Backward we go, slowly backward ! The old craft, as
if conscious of the shattered timbers and mangled forms
which but await her touching to spring into existence,
trembles in every joint as the tortured boilers bear their
increasing power against the whirling screw, seventy
revolutions to the minute, I think, we were then making,
and yet backward, slowly backward, toward the yawn
ing death. It was sickening to see a patch of sea-weed,
or a drifting log, pass us in their unconscious career and
in less than a minute of time disappear upon the breast
of the diving flood, down, down, how far?

Even the whales that had been rubbing their huge
sides against our barnacled copper for the last few days
gave one plunge deeper than the rest, and left man to
lean upon his whirling screw and die alone. The nu
merous varieties of the arctic duck, which had heretofore
spotted the calm and polished surface of the ocean in
every direction, were now no longer to be seen between
us and the nearing danger. There were thousands of

MAN LEANS UPON HIS BROKEN REED. 381

them still drifting past; but, warned by nature's sure
instinct, they, like the whale, avoided the risk of being
thrown upon those pointed rocks, or sucked into those
fathomless holes, by preserving a safe distance. They,
too, using with ease the means of escape furnished them
by an all-providing Being, left man to lean upon his
broken reed and die alone. Even the lost and wearied
land-birds, which for days past had found food and
shelter upon our decks, deserted us for a rocky perch
just over the dark and roaring cavern toward which we
were slowly drifting, as if selecting a commanding point
from which to witness the approaching work of dissolu
tion. The very dogs crouched at our feet in trembling
fear as the noise of the rushing waters startled them, and
howled piteously as they gazed into faces so changed by
deep and terrible emotion. Millions of bats and swal
lows left their thousand nests at those dismal and un
known sounds, startled by the unusual proximity of man
to their desolate haunts, and, circling through and around
our gear and decks, added their harsh, discordant screams
to the roaring of the waters, and interposed their black
and crowded masses between us and the morning sun.
They were like dense clouds casting their passing sha
dows over us, gloomy shadows, that might be shading a
more gloomy fate.

Backward, slowly backward !

God of heaven ! must we, in this quiet state of mo
tionless inactivity, drift inch by inch into that howling
cavern, or wilfully throw ourselves upon the sharp rocks
of the sunken reef as the only alternative ? Is man, and
man only, with the vast resources of his mighty intellect

382 THE DESPERATE ALTERNATIVE.

to aid him, to be strangled, suffocated, mangled, destroyed,
while the inferior animals around him swim majestically
away, or hover on fearless wings over the sullen and
hopeless struggle ? Is time to end now, as far as we are
concerned ? we who have still such strong frames, such
glowing blood, such vivid recollections of the past, such
yearnings of hope for the future, such nerve to struggle
against this hideous fate could we but grasp it in some
tangible form ?

Is that bright sun now shining upon us for the last
time ? us, whose path it was created to light? May not
some wandering breeze reach us in its wayward course,
to fill our idle sails and urge us forward while yet a few
short yards exist between us and that rocky pile ? Alas,
no ! The stern and lowering brow contracts in hopeless
despair over a broad expanse of calm and polished ocean,
while backward slowly backward we drop against the
struggling screw.

"We can no longer measure our yards by hundreds.
Time is drawing to a close, and space seems shrinking
into nothing as though they journeyed to a common
grave. A strong arm might have cast a stone into that
yawning gulf, when a single order, the first that had
been given for apparently an age, told us that the despe
rate choice had been made.

To be thrown upon the sharp rocks of the sunken
reef by the boiling ocean which swept over them, as
sured us of at least a sunlit grave ; while the dark depths
of the dismal-looking cavern, rendered doubly dark and
gloomy by the contrast with the snowy foam which
frothed around its mouth, resembled in their inky hue

GLOOM, HORROR, AND DESPAIR. 383

the commencement of the shadow of the valley of
death.

" Starboard !"

Reader, do you know what that single word meant?
"Would you see it drawn out into good old English ?

It meant that there no longer existed a hope of being
able to steam against the rushing tide with our powerless
propeller and leaking boilers. It meant that we were to
go to death upon the foaming reef in preference to being
swept into his embrace in those gloomy depths. It meant
that the throbbing brain of him whose slightest word was
law even in that moment of awful suspense had decided
to give up the unequal struggle and accept the hopeless
alternative. It meant that by our own act we were re
signing the few minutes during which the struggle might
be protracted, to rush headlong upon the less revolting
death. It meant that at the end of those "few minutes"
certain and instantaneous death awaited us, and that at
the end of those few seconds possible salvation for a few
hours was in store for him who should grasp a broken spar
or buoyant cask when the vessel's hull should be ground
from under us, and the confused mass of shattered tim
bers, tangled gear, and mangled forms be swept over the
boiling line into the fathomless water beyond. It meant
that the moment was at hand when the weak man was to
find a speedy end, and when the strong man was to feel his
sinewy arm slowly deaden from the protracted labour of
self-preservation : slowly, but surely, all flesh must sink.
And it meant that brave hearts were now to die, and
that fond hearts in another hemisphere were to weep
their unknown fate and languish in lonely sorrow until

384 UNLOOKED-FOR SALVATION.

time to them, also, should draw to a close. All this it
meant; and horror, and .despair, and approaching dissolu
tion, gathered around us.

"Starboard it is, sir!" said the ready helmsman ; and
as he spoke the wheel turned evenly under his nervous
grasp, and the old ship's head dropped slowly off. Bodily,
hopelessly, broadside on, she now drifted toward the last
struggle. How quickly those few seconds glide, small
seconds of time, but awful, awful taxes upon the mind's
future stability ! Men live through past ages in moments
like those. The strained and labouring brain burns with
a fire that whitens the locks of youth, or sows the seeds
of future disease, through sheer intensity of thought.

It is come ! Men cease to breathe, and, with half-closed
eyes and muscles of iron, grasp a swinging rope or near
belaying-pin with unconscious power !

What? The reef ! Where is it? A merciful Being
smiled upon his helpless creatures and strengthened their
broken reed in that moment of their dire extremity. Our
eyes had deceived us. Eyes whose business it had been
for years to discover the unknown reef, and to distinguish
between that and the deceptive tide-rip, had failed for
once. No reef existed. It was the peculiar formation of
the land, combined with the fearful velocity of the rush
ing ocean, which created a tide-rip that might well have
deceived a thousand eyes. And, as we drifted wildly over
the boiling space into the " fathomless waters beyond,"
man's failing eye, which had been dry and hard and burn
ing while death held out his fleshless arms, softened with
cooling moisture, until those shapeless piles of towering
rock grew dim and undefined in their uncertain vision.

BUNSBY GETS EXCITED. 385

It was with fearful speed that we had drifted around
the angular corner of the in-shore rock, and it was soon
left far, far astern. Men began again to look around
them and breathe freely : the danger was past ; we again
went on our careless way.

"Blast her miserable timbers !" said our friend Bunsby,
as he took the old ship in at a single indignant glance :
" if she'd only them chaps in Congress as her crew, them
in the Cabinet as her officers, and the old President for
cap'n, I'd as soon see her sink as float, shiver her !" And,
with this emphatic expression of " an opinion as was an
opinion," he wondered "how much longer we had to live
now," and threw from his mouth a piece of exhausted
tobacco which must have weighed something more than
an ounce.

Indignation at being sent to sea in such a ship was
evidently the paramount feeling in Bunsby's breast at
that moment. What a most unreasonable being he was,
truly, to indulge in such a wish as to the various heads
of the Government ! Who would not approve, as fair and
just, the arming of a good swordsman with a bending
lath and sending him to fight his battle ? It was, I sup
pose, upon this principle that we machines of flesh and
blood whose only duty it is to obey orders were armed
with a miserable old craft, neither sail-vessel or steamer,
and sent to battle the gales of every clime, to discover
and locate the very dangers which better ships do their
best to shun. Would that we were all Bunsbys, or that
common sense and humanity would combine to sweep

from the ocean all such man-traps as the ci-devant water-

386 THE SIBERIAN VILLAGE OF OLA.

tank, the present "United States screw-steamer-of-war
of the third class," John Hancock.

The day following this narrow escape, we found our
selves at anchor near a Siberian village, the name of
which proved to be Ola. We had heard much of this
settlement from whalers before reaching the coal-mine,
one of those explorers having enlivened us with the in
formation that the natives were pleasant and friendly,
and that they had quantities of beef, milk, and fish, be
sides a limited supply of vegetables. He further told us
that they were totally unacquainted with the value of
money, and that we could trade with them to great
advantage by drawing largely upon the purser's store
room for flannel, silk handkerchiefs, tobacco, sugar, rice,
molasses, &c. &c., all of which we found to be strictly
the case. I had often heard of such innocent people, but
never before saw human beings who had no idea of the
value of money. Even the Kuriles have Japanese coin,
and the Fejee Islanders buy and sell with the foreigners
on their cannibal shores. But I am again wandering
from my narrative.

As soon as the anchor was down, we called away three
boats and started to find the mouth of the river upon the
banks of which we had been told Ola was situated, and
in these boats went at least half of the entire personnel
of the "old John:" it was not every day that we had
either the time or the opportunity to indulge in similar
sprees, and when they thus presented themselves "hand
in hand" they always found us ready.

Our three boats left the ship at the same time, and, after
a longer pull than we had looked for, reached the mouth

THEIR FAMILIARITY WITH OUR LANGUAGE. 387

of the river. It proved to be a stream of some ten or
fifteen yards in width, with a bad bar across its mouth,
so bad, in fact, that we beached our boats near its outer
edge in preference to risking a ducking. We then
walked a mile or more over a flat, boggy piece of land,
through which ran our river, as well as several smaller
streams, and, finally, arrived opposite a scattered collec
tion of log houses, from which the people were running
to welcome us. Let us see what my journal says:

" The river being between us, they launched a couple
of ' dug-outs' to ferry us over ; which accomplished, we
were received by a crowd of from fifteen to twenty
natives in a most friendly manner; and they no sooner
saw our articles of barter than they became unpleasantly
so, insisting on shaking hands over and over again, and
motioning us to follow them to their houses, where they
had other articles which they would exchange for ours.

"We readily understood these signs, which were as
sisted by a few slang expressions picked up from whalers,
and, with our < peddler-packs' under our arms, followed
them up from the river-bank. As we went along we
gazed with longing eyes at the stunted but plump-looking
bullocks and the trim little milch-cows that dotted the
undulating country ahead of us, and intimated by signs
that what we principally wanted to trade for was meat to
eat and milk to drink. At this they laughed promisingly,
and got off the expression < bum-by' quite patly ; after
which they laughed heartily at their evident familiarity
with our language, and became more affectionate than
ever.

"What seemed to surprise and please them most was

388 CALICO DKESSES AND LOG HOUSES.

our being dressed in uniform, they having been pre
viously visited by none but whalers, whose universal habit
it is to consult only the respective states of their wardrobe,
and the temperature of the air, while putting on their
variegated apparel. Most of us on this occasion wore
blue flannel sack-coats with the usual abundant allowance
of naval buttons ; and these they were particularly struck
with, making signs that they would like nothing better
than to exchange their own fur ' over-alls' for them. In
return, we intimated that our clothes would be too cool
for them ; but they only laughed and pointed to several
women who now approached, some of whom were rigged
out (evidently in honour of the occasion) in fancy calico
dresses, while the others were, as usual, clothed in loose
garments made from the skin of the reindeer.

" We found several of those women quite pretty, in
spite of the ungraceful and masculine nature of their
attire ; and they joined the party in a very modest and
retiring manner, shaking hands laughingly with each of
us who noticed them, and accompanying us to the house
of the headman of the village, who proved to be one of
those who had received us so warmly at the landing.''

And now, before I go any further, I may as well give
the reader an idea of the houses of that village, and of
the people who lived in them. The former were of dif
ferent styles, though they were all built of logs with
their crevices filled in with a mixture of mud and grass.
The larger ones resembled our ordinary log cabins, with
the exception of the absence of windows and chimneys,
an extensive skylight in the middle of the roof serving
to admit light as well as to permit the escape of smoke.

BEDS AND BEDCLOTHES AT OLA. 389

Their flooring was the natural soil levelled off; and down,
the entire length of their centres ran a raised bed of earth
of some four or five feet in width, that was kept from
crumbling down by a framework of posts and rough
planks.

Around this earthen work ran a gangway of about the
same width, while around the sides of the building
itself were tier upon tier of sleeping-bunks, very much
like a ship's forecastle, the bottoms of which were filled
with skins of black bear, reindeer, and other animals :
these evidently answered the purpose of both bed and
bedclothes, and presented any thing but an inviting ap
pearance. In the centre of the earthen work there was
kept up a constant fire, the smoke of which, curling up
among the rafters, served to cure quantities of hanging
salmon before effecting its escape through the " extensive
skylight." From the smoke of the constant fires that
were thus kept up, their interiors had assumed a smoky
hue, which, assisted by the smell of fish, gave every thing
a look of greasy filthiness. We soon concluded that the
open air was best adapted to the business of trafficking,
and "backed out" accordingly.

The second style of house was, as I have already re
marked, similar to these as far as material was concerned,
but no further. They were, like the Malay houses of
Rangou, raised upon from four to eight posts to an eleva
tion of several feet, but, unlike them, were floored with
small saplings or rough plank. They were some ten feet
square as a general rule, boasted a single door and no
windows, and were without chimneys. Their floor was
about three feet from the ground, so that they could be

390 WE ATTACK THE HEADMAN'S DAIRY.

climbed into easily without the aid of steps. Of course
they had no fire in them, they being used mostly as
sleeping-quarters.

We did not enter any of them, but, upon looking in,
saw nothing but piles upon piles of skins, which, being
spread out very evenly, gave the whole apartment the
appearance of one vast "field-bed." Their doors shut
quite closely and worked upon wooden hinges, and they
were sometimes locked with padlocks, (obtained from the
whale-ships which visit them from time to time,) in which
cases we generally found that they acted the part of store
houses. As sleeping-apartments they were decidedly
preferable to the larger ones, as they were free from the
odour of fish, and the absence of fire left their sides
and contents of a reasonable colour.

When we came to buy our milk, the headman beckoned
us to follow him with our bottles, and led the way to his
particular "lock-up," where he opened the door with a
wire key, (having lost the original,) and disclosed to our
brightening eyes the long-untasted luxury ranged around
its sapling flooring in tin pans and cool-looking earthen
jars. We bought it by the jar each one a jar and began
on the spot to make up for lost time. Who can tell how
much our scurvy-threatened palates enjoyed these pro
tracted draughts ?

In addition to these houses, there were any number
of sheds scattered about for drying fish previous to the
smoking-process. These were rigged with light mova
ble roofs, so that the fish might be exposed to the sun
as well as protected from rain. They told us that, when
bad weather came on, they hauled over the roofs, and

A COMMON FAILING OF YOUNG LADIES. 391

built fires under them to lessen the effect of the
moisture.

Dogs, children, and fish seemed to prevail to a greater
extent than any thing else, though cattle and grown
people were far from scarce. These latter were rather
below the middle stature than otherwise, and we could
not distinguish between them and the natives near the
coal-mine. Their complexion was a sickly bronzed
olive, features irregular, and they were dressed mostly
in loose trousers, smockfrock, and hood, all being
made from the skin of the reindeer. Some of them
wore the fur inside ; others, out : . just as the fancy
seemed to strike them. The same garment could be
worn either way.

Describing complexions is not my forte ; and some one
may ask, "What is a sickly bronze?" They looked like
persons of a naturally-fair complexion who had been
chronically darkened from generation to generation ;
for even the infants partook of the general hue. Their
forms were remarkably light and sinewy, their eye
bright, and the springing step of their moccasin-clad
feet indicated muscles of unfailing elasticity. The
more youthful of the fair (?) sex were lively, cheerful,
and far from ugly, boasting hands and feet of rare
mould and dimensions. Like young ladies of almost
every latitude, they seemed to think that the fact of
their being young and pretty entitled them to an extra
amount of consideration ; and I am free to acknowledge
that they got as many skeins of silk, papers of needles,
&c. &c. for their well-expended smiles as did their more

392 ONLY A SUMMER RESORT.

elderly companions for their bullocks, fish, and other
articles of trade.

Having now given the reader an idea of the Siberian
settlement of Ola and of the people who lived in it,
I will proceed to show how it was that they came
there, and what they did after arriving ; for Ola was not
inhabited all the year round. But this subject is, I
think, worthy of being introduced at the head of another
chapter.

CHAPTER XX.

SOME OTHER THINGS ABOUT "OLA," SHOWING THE READER HOW AN OLD
WOMAN NEARLY LOST HER FAVOURITE MILCH-COW, AND HOW THEY CATCH
FISH IN THAT OUT-OF-THE-WAY PART OF THE WORLD, ETC. ETC. WE
ARRIVE AT FABIUS ISLAND, BAY OF TAOUSK, AND REGALE OURSELVES
UPON WHORTLEBERRIES.

FROM all that we could learn then and subsequently,
it seems that the country back of Ola is rather thinly
populated, and that what people there are come down
to the sea with the return of spring for the purpose of
catching and curing supplies of the salmon which visit
certain localities in countless shoals. They work at
this business during most of their short summers, and
then return before the approaching winter to their
more sheltered homes with their provender, in the shape
of smoked and dried fish.

"When they break out from the confinement of their
long winters, they emigrate, with their horses, cows,
dogs, and sleighs, to some such " summer resort" as
Ola, where they take possession of the houses that
have been vacant all winter, and commence to catch
their fish, and trade with any whaler that may visit
them. They also often plant turnips from seed origin
ally obtained from said whalers, which in the short

space of six weeks will grow to double the size of one's

393

394 THEIE ARTICLES OF TRAFFIC.

iist; but, unfortunately for us of the "old John," they
had neglected doing so the season we were there.

All that we found them ahle to trade with us for were,
firstly, fish without end; secondly, three small bullocks;
'thirdly, some three or four gallons of milk; fourthly,
several hundred Siberian squirrel-skins; fifthly and
lastly, the coarser skins of the black bear, the rein
deer, and another animal, whose name I forget. In
addition to these, there were various articles of dress
that they would gladly have exchanged; but, as most
of them had been worn, we did not do much in that
line. One very pretty girl I remember in particular,
who, having fallen in love with a red silk handkerchief
that I had purposely flaunted before her eyes, offered
me every thing about her house, even to a pair of richly-
worked buckskin moccasins, made long like a boot and
having embroidered strings with which to tie them
over the knee. She pointed to the large house of the
headman, and made signs, as she measured one of them
along her foot to show how it fitted, that she had only worn
them upon one occasion, and that was when a number
of whalers had landed with a fiddle and they had had a
feast and a dance under its hospitable roof, and that
they were not the least the worse for wear. There was
only one way for me to get over this species of argu
ment, and that was by putting my foot alongside of
hers, and asking, by signs, what manner of use they
could ever prove to me. And to this she replied by
flinging them into a corner and snatching at the hand
kerchief with a determined, " have-it- whether-or-no-Tom-
Collins" air that spoke her disappointment more strongly

1'HE PURSER IS CAUTIONED TO "LOOK SHARP." 395

than the best English could have done. I ended by
giving it to her for thirty squirrel-skins, a reindeer-robe,
and the contemned moccasins ; and the reader must not
accuse me of having weathered the unsophisticated
beauty in the trade until he or she reads further and
sees what little value they attached to their articles of
traffic and how great a value to ours.

We had been cautioned by various whalers as to the
nature of the things they most longed for, and had taken
the precaution, before leaving the ship, to load ourselves
down with such. They consisted of the following ar
ticles: fancy calicoes, cotton or silk handkerchiefs,
needles and thread, brilliantly-coloured sewing-silk, (of
which we had bought many pounds in China,) all kinds
of old clothes, molasses, rice, tobacco, spirits, flannel,
blankets ; in short, almost every thing except money.

It would have been amusing to have stood off and
watched the various groups as they carried on their
trading. In the foreground, first and foremost in re
sources, stood the purser, with the Government at his
back in the shape of endless supplies of flannel and
tobacco, and the captain at his elbow urging upon him
the necessity of securing bullocks and vegetables for the
ship's company before they were bought up by the dif
ferent messes. Now, as the bullocks were drifting about
over the hills with natives already following them upon
"fell murder intent," and as no vegetables had yet been
discovered, the purser very naturally could not see the
necessity for any further exertion on his part, and was
evidently disposed to " take it easy." The elbow-jogging,
therefore, only resulted in causing him to seat himself

396 TERRIBLE FRIGHT OF THE HEADMAN'S MOTHER.

upon his wares and wait for the headman to drive up hia
bullocks and fix his price. The purser was a philoso
pher, and, at the same time, a most immovable specimen
of the fraternity.

In another direction was to be seen a party of three or
four exchanging a half-plug of tobacco for a jar of milk,
and evincing unmistakable signs of a determination to
arrive at the bottom of their purchase before engaging
in any further speculation, while, at the same time, some
more fastidious companion rushed toward them with the
exclamation, "Don't drink it on shore ! wait until we get
on board and change it to a brandy-punch," or words to
that effect.

Here were to be seen some of the crew, already heavily
loaded with hundreds of smoked salmon, putting down
their bundles and bargaining for others simply because
they were cheap; while in another quarter was one who,
having bought all that he wanted, amused himself by
giving away the remnant of his trading-stock, thus draw
ing down upon his unsuspecting head the censure of
those who, having as yet bought nothing, could see no
prospect of bringing the natives to a trade as long as he
continued said amusement.

Then, again, there was our heavily-whiskered boat
swain's mate driving . a bargain with the mother of the
headman for her favourite milch-cow and calf, while she
was all the while under the impression that he spoke of
the calf only. Her surprise may be imagined when she
saw him driving off the two, for which he had only
given her two plugs of tobacco and a black silk neck-
handkerchief. Of course she returned to the charge,

COWS EAT PISH IN SIBERIA. 397

and, as is usual in most disputes between the sexes, con
vinced him of his mistake and rescued her favourite.

And, lastly, there was the writer himself, with his red
silk handkerchief and the unsophisticated arctic belle,
with her embroidered boots and petulant air, to fill up
the picture. It was a pleasant evening that we thus
passed among those truly simple and harmless North
erners. Finally, we got through with our trading and
began to walk around and indulge in a general survey
of every thing worth noting. "We looked upon the
horses and cattle that were sprinkled around us enjoy
ing the summer grass, and asked our hosts how they
managed to feed them during their long winters. They
pointed to the grass and made signs that they cut it
while the sun was hot and put it up in piles ; and that,
when that was exhausted, they had recourse to the
branches of the pine-trees, which were always plentiful,
but not so good.

They also said that they fed all of their animals on the
heads and backbones of fish, and, upon our laughing at
this as absurd, one of them reached overhead, (we were
in the headman's house at the time,) and, taking down
one of them, motioned us to follow him outside, where
he threw it to the old woman's favourite milch-cow, who
made short work of it, and then wiped out her tongue as
if asking for more.

I must say that the sight surprised me exceedingly.
The idea of a cow eating fish was not only ridiculous,
but almost disgusting, when one looked back upon the
milk-drinking spree that we had just indulged in ; but
we were destined to be still further surprised by one of

398 HOW WE PERSUADE A YOUNG BULLOCK.

the natives pointing to a scrubby-looking little pony and
intimating that he also was a great fish-eater.

We asked if the milk never tasted fishy, and they
pointed to the grass and to the sun, which we took to
mean that, during the summer and as long as their hay
lasted, they were not fed on fish. I could not help going
back a great many years and recalling a taste of wild
onions that had saved a whole dairy of milk from the
unlawful attentions of a party of wearied hunters, of
whom I was one, and wondering which of the two fish
or onions would be most calculated to afford protection
to the dairymen under similar circumstances.

We had now been on shore some time, and, as it was
a long walk to the boats and our purchases were far
from light, we began to make up our bundles and pre
pare for the return. We found considerable difficulty at
first in persuading a young bullock as to the propriety
of accompanying us; but, finally, through the instru
mentality of a strong line around his horns and three
or four tough switches about his rear, he was induced to
make very good time as far as the boat, where he was
tied securely, stowed under the thwarts and trans
ported on board of the "John."

On our way down we passed a small stream where
some of the natives were preparing to catch their usual
daily supply of salmon, and some of us lingered behind
the main party to see how they succeeded and to carry a
few fresh ones on board for supper.

I have seen fish caught in all parts of the world by
dozens of nations and in a dozen different ways, but

HOW THEY CATCH FISH AT OLA. 399

never did I see any thing like the scene that then came
off near the mouth of this small stream.

When we arrived, the natives were stretching across
this stream a heavy seine, made from the sinews of the
reindeer and other animals: we found it some thirty feet
wide, and only waist-deep at high water, and its current
by no means as rapid as is usual in those high latitudes.
We crossed to the other shore in a "dug-out," and, put
ting our bundles on the bank, seated ourselves upon them
to see how they fished at Ola.

On either bank they had strong posts driven near the
water's edge, to which the seine was to be secured; and,
as the flood-tide was now pretty well done running, we
were just in time to see the commencement of the sport.
As we were thus seated upon the bank, we could see
whole shoals of the unsuspecting salmon swimming
quietly up stream with the slackening tide ; and, as this
latter obtained its height, the seine was drawn tightly
from post to post and its foot secured to the bottom by
heavy stones. Thus all of the fish that had passed up,
and which would naturally return to the sea with the
ebbing tide, would be stopped by this seine and fall
an easy prey to their active enemies.

It was an exciting moment when the first returning
shoal brought up against the unexpected barrier, the
meshes of which were large enough to let the small fry
pass, but at the same time sufficiently small to arrest for
the time the larger ones, if not to stop them altogether.
Any one who has ever seen a well-filled seine hauled upon
a beach can well imagine the foaming state into which
the closely-packed fish soon lashed the water; and, when

400 HOW THEY MULTIPLY BY THREE.

a dozen or more men waded in among them with short,
heavy clubs, and commenced striking right and left at the
heads of the largest as they darted around, the excite
ment of the scene and the lashing of the waters in
creased tenfold. I had never before imagined that so
many fish could be taken in so short a time : we were
certainly not on the spot over ten minutes after they
began ; and yet, as we marched off with a fine salmon
added to our former loads, they must have already
thrown at least a ton-weight of noble fish upon the banks.

There they were received by the women and children,
who, with a sharp knife and piece of board each, soon
multiplied their original unity by the number three : that
is, they would seize a salmon, averaging from eighteen to
twenty-eight inches, by the gills with the left hand, lay
him out on the board, and before you could snap your
finger twice he would be divided into three pieces, of
which the head, tail, and backbone constituted one, and
the two sides the remaining. These latter were thrown
in a pile by themselves, with some regard to cleanliness ;
but the former were pitched about in the dirt in every
direction, not because they were not to be used, but sim
ply from the fact that they were to be cured as winter
provender for the dogs, horses, and cows. "We had
already seen vast quantities of them both hanging over
the fires in their houses, and had, as I have already re
marked, seen a cow crunch up a head, tail, and backbone y
with evident relish. And this I do not wish to be re
garded as a "fish-story," for it is true, though doubtless
curious, and it is as a curious truth that I introduce it.

I have said that we did not remain at this scene of

WHAT THEY DESIRE MOST. 4CI

wholesale slaughter more than ten minutes, and must
now acknowledge that, after the first excitement of seeing
so many fine fish caught had passed away, I was taken
with a fit of begrudging disgust if I may be allowed the
expression that rendered a further stay rather unpleasant
than otherwise. "We had been on salt provisions so long "
that it looked like sinful waste to destroy so many noble
fish in a few short minutes, while the pools of blood
about the boards and the peculiar fishy odour that per
vaded the atmosphere gave rise to disgust: hence the
combined feeling of "begrudging disgust."

Well, we left them, and, as we did so, pointed to the
piles of fish and then to the ship, giving them to under
stand that if they would bring some on board we would
give them tobacco in exchange. They were like the
Kamtchadales of the coal-mine village, more in favour
of trading for liquor than any other article ; but this we
did not encourage, simply from motives of humanity ; and it
is to be greatly regretted that all ships that break in thus
upon their innocent solitude should not pursue a similar
course of conduct. I cannot imagine a more weighty
moral responsibility than that which attaches itself to the
bearing of persons visiting, for the first time, these and
similarly-benighted branches of the great human family ;
and yet it seems to be an invariable fact that primitive
savages, in their first intercourse with the more cultivated
members of their genus, are offered every thing calcu
lated to increase their degradation, while all ennobling
actions and truths are further than ever removed from
their reach. But to return to Ola and the manner in

which the simple natives complied with our intimation

402 NEVER MIND ZE EXPENSE.

in regard to sending us off a part of the fruits of their
evening's labour. We had not been on board ship an
hour when the quartermaster reported three boat-loads of
fish as having arrived alongside, and wished to know if
they were to be passed on board.

" Oh yes," replied the first lieutenant; "let them come :
I suppose we can look out for them."

So we heard nothing more about it, until, happening to
go on deck, we saw piles upon piles of the most superb
salmon. I suppose there must have been three or four
tons of them, and how we were to use them was now the
question. I believe (to the best of my memory) that we
paid two plugs of tobacco (two pounds) for each boat
load, certainly not more than two or three dollars' worth
of articles for the entire quantity; and, as I have already
said, there were several tons' weight on our decks. I
could not help thinking how fine a business some enter
prising Yankee packer might drive for three or four
months in the year could he only visit Ola in a small
vessel filled with barrels, salt, and men who understand
the business of pickling salmon. He might readily fill
his ship and find a certain market along the coast of Cali
fornia, Mexico, and South America; or he might even
run over to the Coast of China, should he fail elsewhere.

Well, the question now was, what were we to do with
so many fish ? And, as no one could well answer it, the
word was passed throughout the ship for all the messes
to take what they wanted, "without any regard to expense;"
as Hartman once remarked to a "nonplussed" waiter
when calling for a glass of water: "A glass of water,
waiter, and never mind ze expense."

FINE LARGE SALMON BY THE TON. 403

This word was no sooner passed around the decks than
all the salt and old beef and pork barrels in the ship
made their appearance about the fish-piles, and before
the hammocks were piped down that night a dozen or
more of them were filled with brine and cleaned salmon ;
and there were still so many left that, when the time came
to wash the decks off next morning, the officer of the
deck had to throw quantities of them overboard. It was
more than a week before we could wash the ship clear
of the smell of fish ; and I doubt if any of the officers or
crew of the "old John" will ever again relish that article
of food with any thing like their former zest.

Even before thus getting our decks clear of the surplus
fish, the "old John's" restless anchor was again at the
cat-head, as with low steam and furled sails we continued
the survey of the coast along the shores of the Bay of
Taousk.

The weather was calm and clear at first, but the next
day it came on to blow fresh, and we were forced to an
chor again for shelter well in under the land. Finally,
the bad spell blew by, and we were once more under way
for Fabius Island, Bay of Taousk, where we hoped to find
a plentiful supply of wood and water. Arrived at our
destination, we fell in with a whaler, whose captain kindly
came on board and piloted us in to a good anchorage.
We found a good berth well in with the island, let go our
anchor, and sent the dingy in charge of an officer to exa
mine a spot where the whaler had told us that a stream
of water ran down from the mountain into the sea.
When the boat returned, her officer confirmed the state
ment of the whaler; and yet, as one looked at Fabius

404 A GREAT SPREE ON WHORTLEBERRIES.

Island, it was difficult to imagine how any amount of
water could flow from its breast. It was a double peak
rising bodily out of the sea and composed entirely of its
rocky beach, ravined sides, and double crest. There were
no signs of water as you looked upon its general appear
ance, and we long wondered where it could come from:
our wonder was subsequently solved by the captain, who
ascended to its summit and found there in the sheltered
ravine, between the two peaks, an immense bed of snow,
whose gradual melting supplied the valuable stream.
The whole island was not more than a mile in circum
ference, and its elevation was probably six hundred feet ;
it was distant about one-half or three-quarters of a mile
from the mainland, and its rocky shores were strewed with
the finest drift-wood. Its sides and summits also proved
to be plentifully covered with a species of whortleberry,
which we gathered in large quantities and enjoyed as
men only can enjoy such things who have been on the
salt sea for months. I shall always remember Fabius
Island as long as my appetite and taste for whortleberries
last.

We were anchored there three or four days, engaged in
the work of wooding, watering, &c., and during that time
we got up several bear-hunts through the ravines of the
island without success. There were but two indications
of animal life ever having existed along its rocky sides
and berry-covered heights, and these were the carcase of
a dead whale that had been washed upon the rocks, and
the whitening bones of some unfortunate bear, who had
probably died from old age or the effects of a distant shot
from some passing whale-boat. Our daily hunts, there-

WE FEAST ON WILD DUCKS. 405

fore, lesolved themselves into whortleberry-gatherings;
and I don't know but that we enjoyed these latter as
much or more than we should have done a bear-steak.

This island formed quite a fine harbour with the main
land, and we made a thorough survey of it before leaving.
There were no signs of habitations either on it or on the
shores of the adjacent main, the nearest settlement being
a place called Armen, located some seven miles to the
westward ; and of it I shall speak shortly.

On the second day after anchoring, and although it was
well known that we were to carry the ship to Armen as
soon as the wooding and watering was accomplished, the
entire mess, with the exception of myself and an engi
neer, took our lightest-pulling boat and started to visit it
without delay : we had heard from our friend the whaling-
captain, who had piloted us in to our anchorage, that
wild ducks were as plentiful there as fish had been at Ola;
and, having our appetites thus sharpened for game, the
majority of the mess became impatient and started as
above in the hope of obtaining a supply.

They had a hard time of it, much harder than any one
had supposed at all probable, and returned at midnight
pretty well fagged out. They had had to pull themselves
there and back, for the crew were employed fore and aft,
and the first lieutenant, who himself formed one of the
party, would not consent that the work should be retarded.
They brought back with them, however, ample payment
in the shape of sixty-three broad-billed ducks, four of
which we had for breakfast, and as many more for dinner
on the day following.

Our friend the whaler partook of the latter with us,

406 COLD-WEATHER YARNS.

and pfcid for his dinner by telling us many amusing
anecdotes of whaling and arctic life. Among other
things he told us of a friend of his, the captain of a isTew
Bedford whaler, who, having remained about this island
too late in the season, hoping to fill his ship with oil, had
got her frozen in, and been thus kept there until the
spring thaw came on. During the severe winter which
ensued, the whole ocean became one solid mass of ice,
and the island and mainland were covered to a great
depth by incessant falls of snow. "While thus frozen in,
his ship was often visited by bear, until they began to
recognise it as an object from which they were always
fired upon, after which they gave it a wide berth. He
had often, he said, seen these animals miles out to sea
ward on the ice, as long as it was firm and solid ; but as
soon as it began to thaw they seemed to know that it
was no longer a safe promenade, and confined themselves
to the scarcely-recognisable beach.

He also confirmed previous accounts, of which we
had both heard and read, as to the inordinate amount
of food that is required to maintain animal heat during
severe winters. Many bear had been killed from the
ships, he said, whose meat proved a most seasonable
auxiliary to their regular rations, which would have been
exhausted long before the return of temperate weather,
had it not been for that. He had heard of one man
eating fifteen pounds of bear-meat in a single day; and,
although Parry, Sir John Franklin, and other arctic
explorers, mention a still greater quantity as a matter
of every-day consumption, still, it was curious and inte
resting to have it confirmed in this way.

WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO OUR HAPPINESS. 407

I shall never forget the feeling of intense satisfaction
with which we sat down to the dinner at which we
heard all of these and various other pieces of informa
tion. All that we wanted to make us perfectly happy was
a few side-dishes of vegetables and a letter each from
home. We had been without these two luxuries eveo
longer than we had without fresh meat, and yearned
for the one nearly as much as the other. We had then
only a faint idea of the treat that awaited us at Armen
in the shape of an abundant supply of turnips; for,
though many whalers had spoken positively as to their
being grown there, still, we had been told the same
thing of Ola, and had been disappointed. Moreover,
our party, who had succeeded in getting the ducks,
had neither seen nor heard of them ; hence, we were
in a miserable state of doubtful anxiety. Nevertheless,
as soon as we had filled with wood and water, we con
tinued the coast-line with hopeful hearts : with intoxi
cating visions of huge turnips ahead and the boiling
water of the revolving screw astern.

CHAPTER XXI.

WE VISIT ABMEN AND BUY TURNIPS "BY THE PATCH," ENCOUNTER A
VITUPERATIVE GENTLEMAN AND SOME VERY PRETTY YOUNG LADIES,
AND RETURN ON BOARD AFTER WHICH WE STEAM PARTHER DOWN THE
COAST, PAY A NOCTURNAL VISIT TO ANOTHER SETTLEMENT, AND END
BY ATTEMPTING TO WADE A SIBERIAN FORD.

arrived off the mouth of the river on which Armen
is located, after a two-hours' run from Fabius Island, and,
after having let go our anchor in four fathoms of water,
called away three boats and prepared to go on shore.
It was a fine day, and we had the whole of it before us ;
for the captain had determined to let us have one day to
ourselves, if only to enable us to lay in a good supply
of ducks and turnips.

Two of these boats were cutters, while the third was
the tomtit, which four of us took, thinking we would be
able to sail on shore sooner than the heavier boats would
be able to pull. The breeze was blowing quite fresh
off the land, and had got up quite a little sea ; but then
it was not dead ahead, and we expected to get along
quite swimmingly by making long and short legs. We
therefore, having provided ourselves with an ample sup
ply of articles of traffic, such as tobacco, matches, gaudy
handkerchiefs, old clothes, &c., stepped over the side into
our little boat, and, making the boys get out, shoved
off in grand style, hoisted our sail, and stood down
the coast with the boldness of so many sheep.

408

WE MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD BARGAIN. 409

There were four of us in this party, the doctor, Law
ton, Hartman, and myself; and the other boats con
tained the captain and the rest of the mess, with the
exception of a watch-officer and one of the assistant
engineers, who were left to look out for the " old John."
Our first leg was a long one ; and, when we arrived -at
its end and put around on the other tack, the wind
provokingly hauled and knocked us off so much that
it was as much as we could do to return without losing
ground. We soon saw that sailing under the then
circumstances was any thing but the tomtit's forte;
and so, when we had sailed dead to leeward of the
mouth of the river, the sail was " doused," and two of
us took to the oars.

"We now looked with envious eye upon the cutters,
which were well in with the river, wished that we had
taken passage in them instead of trusting to our little
cockle-shell, and leaned back upon our oars with the
determination of making the best of a bad bargain.
This we soon found to be tough work, and Hartman
and myself, who had undertaken to pull for the first
half-hour, were glad to accept the relief of Lawton and
the doctor before half the time had expired. The sea,
too, was much rougher than it seemed to be while we
were under sail, and, instead of spray breaking over
the weather side and wetting us partially, we now took
in whole bucketfuls, that soon soaked us to the skin.
We began to wish with increased fervour that we had
taken a seat in one of the cutters, and would, I doubt
not, have returned to the ship had we not been afraid
of being laughed at.

410 IT VOS VEAR-FUL EXCELLENT.

In this way a couple of hours rolled by, when we finally
gained the mouth of the river, and were glad enough to
land on the bank and track our boat up against the
strong ebb-tide a la canal-boat; but even this was no
amusement, for the bank was alternately of mud and
round stones, which made the walking very bad, and we
could see no signs of a village. Still, we knew that it
must be on the river somewhere, and so continued our
pleasure-trip. Another hour passed in this mule-like
occupation, and then we rounded a point and were grati
fied by seeing the cutters and a strange whale-boat
moored to the bank a few hundred yards ahead, and the
scattering houses of a very respectable-looking village
looming up in their rear. "We felt tired enough as we'
reached the nearest boat and secured the tomtit to her
by the painter, and inwardly vowed never to enter upon
another pleasure-party of discovery, though, like Hart-
man and the rest, I expressed myself highly edified by
the pull when the more fortunate passengers by the
cutters asked us in regard to the "time we had had."

"Oh! it vos fine time!" said Hartman, in answer
to one of their questions. "It vos fear-/w? excellent; I
hope I always go in ze Thomas Tit;" and the rest of us
upheld him simply to avoid being joked.

We found the people of Armen the same exactly as
those at Ola, only they lived in the houses in which we
found them all the year round, instead of retreating
back into the country as the winter came on. v There was
also living with them an aged Eussian soldier, whom the
ofiicer of the strange whale-boat told us had been there
ever since he had first cruised in those waters, and whom

WE BUY TURNIPS BY THE PATCH. 411

rumour (rumour exists even on those out-of-the-way
shores) proclaimed to be a perpetual exile from his native
land. He was evidently looked up to with great respect
by the natives, had his own comfortable log-cabin, as
many bear-skins as would have kept a dozen men warm,
and a table that boasted cups and saucers, plates, knives
and forks, a broken-topped sugar-dish, &c.

As we left our boat and climbed the muddy bank of
the river, we were met by some half-dozen of the natives,
who made signs to us that our friends were scattered
about in the different houses, and that we could do no
better than follow their example. So we trudged along
with our "peddlers' packs" under our left arms, and a
large bag in our right hands that was destined to hold
"as many turnips as we could get." These latter, to our
great delight, proved quite plentiful : we just walked into
a patch of them, and, holding up a bottle of molasses,
motioned the owners to mark out as large a place on the
ground as they were willing to give for it, and then fell to
work to transfer them, tops and all, from the ground to our
bags in the shortest possible time. In this way we got a
good many, for our steward had brought on shore a whole
demijohn of molasses that we had never been able to use,
and which had more than once been on the point of being
thrown overboard, and it now sold at about the rate of a
quart to a bushel of turnips, which soon filled our bags.
They were very large, tender and juicy ; and the whaler
told us that they had been only planted about six weeks.
I am nothing of a gardener myself, but it seemed to me
that six weeks was a very short time for turnips to grow
as large as pint-pots.

112 HOW THEY KILL DUCKS.

"We found the houses at Armen of a single style, they
being built on the ground, like the larger ones at Ola, and
rigged out in the same style as far as the inner arrange
ments were concerned. Instead of fish, however, we
here found ducks in profusion hung up overhead and
undergoing the process of being smoked. The mate of
the whaler, who had been so fortunate as to witness one
of their ducking-scenes, thus described it.

"The ducks had collected in dense flocks on a low,
marshy piece of ground, and were feeding very quietly,
when suddenly dozens of natives rushed in among them,
and, striking right and left with their clubs, soon killed
a great number and put the rest to flight."

It seems that they were mostly only half fledged,
and thus rendered unable to fly when hotly pursued. I
did not witness one of these novel scenes myself; but I
saw hundreds of smoked ducks hanging up in their
houses, and the natives made signs that they knocked
them down in great numbers with their sticks. We
traded for a number of these smoked ducks, and found
that they made a delightful hash after the fresher ones
were all gone.

"We found neither cattle or milk here as at Ola, although
the settlement was evidently better off as far as worldly
goods were concerned ; but we got several baskets of very
fine whortleberries that would have filled a peck-measure
probably, for which we gave the almost-emptied demi
john of molasses and a half-pound of tobacco. They
made signs that they would like to sell us a great many
more at the same price; but, as they pointed to the

MOLASSES NOT BRANDY. 413

hills, and as we had little time to remain, we did not
encourage them to take a long walk for nothing.

These people seemed slightly more advanced than
those of Ola, as far as association with the world was con
cerned. They had a better idea of the value of money,
and had learned in a few cases to be impudent and
presuming. They had also picked up a few words of
broken English from the whalers, as well as the pre
viously-mentioned impudence, and were evidently in the
possession of more than one of our vices. One fellow I
remember in particular, who, having mistaken a bottle
of molasses, the neck of which protruded from my
pocket, for one of brandy, beckoned me into his house,
intimating, by words and signs, that he had a great many
squirrel-skins that he would like to exchange for it ; so I
followed him, and found a house very much like that of
the headman at Ola, only he had ducks instead of fish
smoking overhead.

We seated ourselves on a locker-like seat that went all
around the hut inside of the bunks, and he immediately
began ransacking an old chest, from which he shortly
produced thirty or forty very inferior-looking skins, that
were worth -judging from the price of others for which
we had traded probably a pint of molasses, or something
of that sort, and which he now held up and offered me
for the " bot branda," as he pronounced bottle of brandy.

I took the bottle out of my pocket, and, holding it up
before him, said, "Molasses, not brandy," at which his
countenance fell awfully, and he lost all relish for trading.
As skins were getting scarce, however, and I still wanted
some more, I took off my silk neck-handkerchief, which

114 YOU NO DOBRE!

had cost me at the rate of six dollars the half-dozen in New
York, and offered it to him ; but he shook his head and
put them back in the chest, muttering, " Branda ! branda !"

" This cost one dollar," I said, as I opened the hand
kerchief and showed him that it was not worn.

Imagine my surprise almost anger when he turned
sharply around and said, " You lie ! not cost dollar, only
shillin'. You no dobre," (you are not a good man.) I
immediately arrived at the conclusion that he was a
worthless fellow, unworthy of further association, and so
rearranged my pack and continued my stroll through the
village.

We fell in here, as at Ola, with several very pretty girls.
The men, and most of the women, as a general rule, were
tanned ; but these girls were of a comparatively fair com
plexion and possessed of as rosy cheeks as one would
wish to see. They were the most refreshing sight that we
fell in with along those dreary shores, and, what is more,
they stood as high as possible in the estimation of the
whalers for their modesty and general correctness of
behaviour. These people all wore little crosses around
their necks, and gave us to understand that they were
visited once a year by their priest, who, upon these occa
sions, generally remain a month, to baptize the children
and teach them how to be good. They, as well as all the
natives whom we fell in with in that sea, hold the faith
of the Greek Church.

At length the hour of departure arrived, and we took
leave of them by shaking hands all around before getting
into the boats. The fellow who had expressed such
decided doubts as to my veracity, however, I treated with

A PARTING SALUTE. 415

"silent contempt," and was retaliated upon, as we hoisted
the sail, by his singing out, at the top of his voice, " You
lie ! you no dobre!" whereupon I felt very small, though
it was I who had only told the truth, while he had been
rude and inhospitable. I am ashamed to say that I was
so weak as to experience a desire to give the rascal, a
good kicking with my heavy expedition-boots. The
breeze, which had caused us so much hard work in the
morning, was now in our favour, and soon wafted us once
more alongside of the " old John," when the anchor was
at once hove up, and we continued our survey toward
another settlement, called Tavisk or Taousk. This was
the fourth and last settlement that we fell in with from
the time of striking the west coast of Kamtschatka up to
our arrival at Ayan on the east coast of Siberia. There
were two others that we did not reach, a small town
at the head of the Gulf of Penjinks, and the larger one
of Okotsk, both of which we were forced to pass for
want of time. These two latter, and the four previously-
mentioned, are the only settlements that we could hear
of along that entire coast-line, commencing at Cape
Lapatka, the most southern point of Kamtschatka, and
ending at Ayan, which is within a few score miles of the
mouth of the Amoor Kiver.

The long northern day was pretty well ended as we let
go our anchor off the mouth of the river on the banks
of which we had been told that Taousk was located; and
night was so close at hand that we could only tell, from
the reflected rays of light that beamed from the river's
winding bosom, that we had struck the right place. It
was so late, in fact, that we hesitated as to the propriety

416 A ROMANTIC UNDERTAKING.

of attempting to land that night ; but a spirit of adven
ture seemed to grow among us with the darkening
shades, and, in less than a half-hour after the anchor
was down, two boats were in the water, and every officer
in the ship, save myself, the purser, and an engineer,
were seated in them, and pulling through the darkness
to find the mouth of a river that they knew nothing in the
world about, and to visit a town the very existence of
which we only knew from hearsay. .And now, as I did
not go myself, I shall have to give the account of the
trip as I myself heard it the next morning after their
return. I even forget now who was the narrator: but
these are the facts; and it is said that facts speak for
themselves. This is the sense of what we who remained
on board heard the next morning after the party had
returned in company with a number of natives, two of
whom (priests of the Greek Church) took passage in our
boats, while the others came off in their own half-bateau,
half-canoe-like "dug-outs."

Shortly after leaving the ship, the night had closed
around them so fast that they soon lost sight of both ship
and shore ; but, as they had a compass and lantern in
each boat, and had obtained their course before leaving
the ship, they continued pulling steadily in the direction
pointed out by the needle, and, taking care not to part
company, soon came within reach of the sound of
breakers, along which they then pulled until a dark spot
on the beach told them that they were abreast of the
river. They then closed in with it cautiously, and finally
found themselves entering a swiftly-running stream
whose mouth was whitened by the breaking surf, and

ANT THING BUT PLEASANT AMUSEMENT. 417

whose turbid waters came down to the sea with such
violence as to drift them out more than once after they
thought themselves securely entered. Upon one of these
occasions they were cast upon a sand-bank just outside
of the mouth and narrowly escaped being rolled over,
so furiously ran the current. This was harder work
than they had bargained for; and, after pulling a half-
hour or more and making very little progress, they were
forced to land upon the beach and resort to the process
of "tracking."

This amusement my narrator described as being any
thing but pleasant; for they found themselves sinking
over the ankle in the mud at every step, or stumbling
over loose piles of stones which the darkness hid from
view : still, it was better than pulling with the oars all
night against a current which they could hardly stem,
and so they hung to it with the determination of neces
sity, and were in the end rewarded by arriving at 'a
village on the left bank, which they rightly concluded
to be Taousk. There they were received by the barking
of dogs, the bellowing of cattle, and, finally, by a score
of natives, who, after they had been convinced that they
were not a detachment of the Allies bent upon burning
their town, received them very kindly, and conducted
them to the house of the priest, who, it seems, was the
"headman" in temporal as well as spiritual affairs.

By this personage they were received more kindly
than ever. He got them up a glorious supper of milk,
butter, brown bread, cold duck, solidified reindeer-milk,
&c., and, after that was over, drank a half-bottle of

French punch, which the doctor or Carnes had pre-
27

418 HOSPITALITY OF TAOUSK.

sented him with, arid, pointing to various piles of bear
skin? on which they were to pass the night, retired with
his half-empty bottle to seek his own repose. Our fel
lows found the skins any thing but uncomfortable quar
ters. They were, unlike those we had previously seen,
very clean and sweet-smelling; and they slept soundly
upon and under them until daylight, when they were
aroused by the furious barking of apparently hundreds
of dogs, who they subsequently learned had been alarmed
by the proximity of a bear or other wild animal.

Taousk was the largest and most important settlement
we had yet fallen in with. Its houses were strongly
built and very comfortable: they had board floorings,
tables, chairs, and windows, and a population of nearly
two hundred. Beef was far from scarce; but, unfor
tunately, we did not take the time to get any on board :
we expected soon to be at another place, called Ayan,
where it was said to be plentiful.

Our party had an early breakfast, during the discus
sion of which the priest congratulated them upon their
safe ascent of the river, giving them to understand that
more than one whale-boat had been swamped in a similar
attempt, and intimating that they had made a narrow
escape from the sand-bank. After breakfast they walked
among the scattering houses for some time, traded with
the natives for some milk and a few bear-skins, and
finally returned on board with the priest and his native
assistant.

They were accompanied by some of the natives in a
large canoe, in which the whole party returned after
having been shown around the ship and regaled upon

VARIOUS WAYS OF CROSSING A FORD. 410

salt beef and pork, sour wheat-bread, and an abundant
supply of fine strong coffee. This latter seemed more
grateful to them than any thing else ; and, as we still
had a fair amount on hand, we gave the priest several
pounds to remember us by. He was almost as delighted
as the headman of the coal-mine had been when promised
his cap full of powder. The people of Taousk were
similar to those of Armen and Ola, with probably a
little more of Ee-a-coute blood in their veins. The priest
himself was a Russian, and seemed to possess great
control over them.

We had no sooner seen our guests safely started for
the shore than the anchor was again weighed and the
survey continued. We were now gradually working
our way to the southward, stopping every few days to
fill up with drift-wood from the beach, and meeting
with adventures without number. I will relate two of
these by way of varying the narrative, but, before com
mencing, must indulge in a few remarks in regard to
several ways of fording a river.

There is more than one mode of crossing a ford. One
may accomplish the feat with great dignity on a sure
footed horse ; or he may wade quietly from one bank to
the other ; and then again he may, like the mountain-goat,
" leap from rock to rock, to the imminent terror of all
beholders." But there is yet another mode, an im
promptu one, if I may so express myself, which is
characterized by any thing but dignity, and which taxes
a man with unpleasant suddenness to the utmost extent
of his resources, both mental and physical. I allude to
the only mode which one finds at his disposal when,

420 WHICH IS THE MOST DESIRABLE?

having waded to about the centre of a boiling rapid,
he all at once feels his legs swept from under him and
himself floundering in the turbid stream, carried furi
ously upon its uneven breast between and over jagged
rocks, and possessed of a confused idea that he must
get to one bank or the other before he is thrown, bruised
and insensible, into the dark foaming pool which gene
rally terminates such affairs. He has but one convic
tion one point to strive for: he must either reach
the most attainable bank before he is cast against some
rock and disabled, or he must be cast against that rock
and subsequently drifted into the whirling pool with
broken ribs or limbs, and a disagreeably-slim chance
of being able to swim with those that are left sound.

I now found myself in a position such as this, and it
happened after this manner.

The "old John," being still afloat, had managed to
carry us into a half-sheltered bay, where she let go her
anchor, and despatched her boats and crew to the beach
to cut and bring on board a supply of drift-wood, to be
used instead of coal, as this latter article was running
quite short.

There being a certainty of the entire day being con
sumed in this way, several of us took our guns and struck
back into the country in search of a flock of broad-billed
ducks that the doctor had discovered near the beach, and
which he had driven to a distant lagoon by shooting off
the heads of two of their number with his small-bore
Kentucky rifle. Always on the alert when there was
game within reach, this indefatigable sportsman had
landed in the first boat, shot off two heads, and returned

OUR DUCKING-GROUND. 421

on board for a double-barrelled gun, before the rest of us
had made up our minds that we would hunt at all. His
unexpected return, however, with a brace of brilliantly-
feathered drakes, caused us to shoulder our fowling-
pieces, crowd some ham and bread into our pockets,
and accompany him in his search for their scattered
companions. Old bust-proof and his master were again
"in clover.'*

"We landed on a quiet beach of heavy shingle, climbed
up it through the piles of driftwood, and from its summit
looked over a vast marsh-like plain, spotted here and
there with elevations and scattering lagoons, and cut up
by a perfect network of winding streams, which, spring
ing from the melting snows of the back-mountains,
worked their numerous paths toward the bay, joining
each other in their progress until they finally got up
quite a respectable river, that emptied its turbid volume
through the rise of the beach into the clear waters of the
calm and motionless bay.

No sooner had we reached our elevation of some thirty
feet above the sea, than the doctor pointed out the direc
tion which the ducks had taken, and each one started by
a different path to hunt them up. The tide was ebbing
at the time, and we therefore penetrated the muddy ex
panse without fear; moreover, many of the hillocks were
high enough to afford a place of retreat should it return
upon us unawares, and so we waded the various streams
and lagoons, as we left the beach behind us, without a
thought. Hours were passed in this way without my
crossing the sign of a duck, and I had returned to within a
few hundred yards of the wooding-party, when, from the

422 A FOOLISH UNDERTAKING.

top of a more elevated mound, I caught sight of a flock
swimming lazily on the bosom of a lagoon, distant some
three hundred yards and apparently of quite easy approach.

True, the river was between us, but then it did not look
much larger than one I had just waded, and I did not
even stop to reflect that it might be too deep and rapid to
admit of fording. Moreover, I saw the captain's Ethi
opian steward "making a straight wake" for the lagoon;
and, as he was considerably in advance of me, I had to
cross at once or let him have the first shot. As I say, I
did not stop to think, but went down the slope at a trot
and boldly entered upon the trial. I struck the stream
at a point where a rocky ford, apparently knee-deep,
promised a safe crossing, while both above and below
the water was apparently quite deep. This ford was
about a hundred yards in length by twenty or thirty in
width, was an inclined plane of loose pebbles and firmly-
embedded and jagged rocks, and altogether a most un
pleasant-looking locality after I had advanced too far to re
treat. The rushing water boiled and foamed among the
jagged rocks with a force that made me feel quite un
steady over my five-pound expedition-boots, and caused
me, for the first time, to think of retracing my steps. I
came to a halt, concluded it was deeper ahead, if any
thing, and felt that, if I could only turn without being
tripped up, it would be the best course to go back.

I had a heavy ship's musket on my shoulder, and knew
that, if I braced it against the bottom to support me in
turning, I should lose just twelve pounds of my weight,
and thus render it much easier for the knee-deep water
to sweep my feet from under me ; still, I could not turn

I DELIGHT IN AN UPRIGHT ATTITUDE. 423

without support of some kind, and began to hunt up
a means of increasing my weight. A most ingenious
device soon crossed my mind, but unfortunately it was
purely theoretical : could I only fill my pockets and hat
with the loose pebbles that were working under my feet,
I might increase my weight suflicently to enable me to
dispense with that of the musket; but, upon stooping
carefully down to feel for these loose stones, I was con
vinced of its impracticability, narrowly escaping losing
my foothold, and was glad to regain an upright attitude.

I began to look anxiously around and wonder if I was
destined to have my ribs broken against those jagged
rocks, or if there was a possibility of rny being able to
steer clear of them should I cast myself with the rush
ing current and trust to swimming on shore after being
swept into the revolving waters of the lower pool. Then
again I thought it might be better to hold my ground as
long as possible, until I could attract the attention of
some one ; and to this end I strained my lungs to their
utmost, hoping that the previously-mentioned Ethiopian
would hear me and be induced to attempt a rescue. In
this I was fortunately successful; but the jar of the exer
tion nearly cost me another loss of footing, and the Ethi
opian, instead of advancing to my assistance, quietly
folded his hands over the muzzle of his gun and re
garded my position with great apparent complacency.
In the mean time the pebbly bottom was gradually work
ing from under my feet. I began to feel uncomfortably
light, and, finding that I should certainly be swept away
in a few more seconds, determined to exert myself in
some way while it remained optional. I therefore cau-

424 A CONTEMPLATIVE ETHIOPIAN.

tiously turned my musket muzzle down, planted it firmly
against the edge of a sunken rock just below me, and,
with that as a support, commenced to get myself pointed
in the opposite direction.

It was only a commencement. No sooner did I expose
the surface of both boot-tops to the furious current than
I came down face first, was drifted barrel-like over the
sunken rock, then over another, and, altogether, jerked
about in a most confusing manner. It seemed as if my
arms, legs, and head were being swept about in all direc
tions at once ; and I need scarcely remark that at this
period of the action I let the musket look out for itself.
How I ever reached the opposite shore is, and ever will be,
to me a mystery. I remember, as I fell, feeling nerved
by the conviction that I was in great danger, and that
presence of mind and powerful exertion were all that I
could depend upon ; and I remember also determining, as
I felt myself rolled with bruising violence over the first
rock, to strike out for the opposite shore at an angle of
forty-five degrees with the current, as the most apparent
means of safety. But this, combined with a vast amount
of floundering, sharp pains, and confusion of ideas, is all
that I do remember, until I found myself crawling with
painful exhaustion up the rocky beach some eighty yards
below the point from which I had started. I looked in
the direction of the contemplative Ethiopian, who no
sooner saw me lying exhausted upon the bank than he
seemed suddenly awakened to the conviction that some
thing had happened, and that he had better make it
known. So he hurriedly fired off his gun, shouted at the ,
top of his voice that Mr. Habersham was drowning, and

BRANDY AND A WARM BED FOR A BAD SCARE. 425

then actually ran away from me as fast as his legs could
carry him. Slowly I recovered my breath, more slowly
still my strength, until finally I felt able to examine for
injuries. Singular as the assertion may seem, I had
escaped with a few quite severe bruises, a sprained wrist,
and a good ducking; and, the captain soon arriving in a
boat, I was taken on board, dosed with brandy, and
covered up warmly in bed. For the next few days I was
quite contented to remain quietly on board ; but a week
later I was induced to join in a bear-hunt, which resulted
in great danger to three of the mess. I never tried the
depth of another Siberian ford, however. This "bear-
hunt" is the second adventure of which I spoke. As it
will be a rather lengthy account, I will put it at the head
of the twenty-second chapter.

CHAPTER TTKTT.

WE WAYLAY A SIBERIAN BEAR AND NARROWLY ESCAPE "CATCHING A TAB-
TAR;" AFTER WHICH WE ENGAGE IN A STAMPEDE, CLIMB A VERY STEEP
HILL, AND THEN DESCEND AGAIN TO OUR BOAT.

A WEEK had passed since the adventure recorded in
the last chapter, and we were again at anchor in a half-
sheltered bay. It was evening, and the past day had
been devoted to loading our decks with a fresh supply of
drift-wood and to filling our water- tanks ; and, now that
we had as much on board as we could stow, and it was
near sunset, we concluded to remain at anchor that night
and make an early start the next morning.

Immediately after dinner, and while the majority of
us were at work, the doctor, Lawton, and "Williams had
taken advantage of our being at anchor to embark in
the tomtit with their guns and the determination to
employ the remnant of the day in a stroll through the
woods after some wandering bear. They had often in
dulged in similar strolls without having the fortune to
meet with the object of their search, and now vowed
that they would not return this time without some well-
riddled bruin as their travelling-companion. And now,
as the day's work was over and the western sun dropped
slowly behind the uneven range of the surrounding
mountains, the tomtit was observed about half-way
between us and the southern shore of the bay, returning

426

WE ARE SHOWN AN IMMENSE BEAR. 427

at a rate whose extreme tardiness indicated any thing
hut a "glorious day's sport" as having been enjoyed
by her Nimrod rowers.

Several of us were leaning over the quarter-deck rail,
commenting upon their probable disappointment and
disgust, when the quartermaster of the watch directed
our attention to an immense bear, who, he said, had just
appeared upon the beach from the thick undergrowth
which almost hid the mouth of the river, our late water
ing-place. "We looked in the direction indicated and
saw a huge mass, of a black colour, whose well-defined
outlines moved slowly toward the water's edge. There
was no mistaking it for any thing but a bear as it picked
its lumbering way through the heavy sand and scattered
rocks along the rippling beach, toward the southern
point of the bay. He was at least a mile, probably more,
from us, and yet his huge dimensions and every motion
could be seen as plainly as if he had been within gun
shot. We thought how large he must be to show so
plainly at such a distance, and longed to cross his path
with our rifles and revolvers.

He was evidently taking his time to go wherever he
was bound, for he walked along quite slowly, stopping
every now and then with his head to the ground as if
smelling or eating something, and then continuing along
as before. We looked toward the bright path which had
been left by the setting sun and wondered if its refracted
rays would last us another half-hour, or if we would be
likely to reach the beach just as it got too dark to shoot,
and thus have a long pull for nothing. We wondered
all this with excited voices, and, while wondering, cast

428 "OH, THE MISCHIEF!"

our eyes in the direction of the tomtit, whose sharp-
sighted occupants had evidently been as wide awake as
the old quartermaster. We could see them lying on
their oars and apparently consulting as to the rationality
of returning to the beach and awaiting his arrival either
from the boat or ambush behind some log or rock ; and
in a few moments the boat's head was pulled quickly
around for the beach by Lawton and "Williams, while the
doctor, with a tiller-rope in each hand, leaned eagerly
forward with every stroke.

"By George! there they go back after him!" ex
claimed an excited voice.

"Let's call away the Falcon" (our fastest boat) "and
lend them a hand," cried a second.

" The crew have been worked hard to-day, gentlemen,"
remarked the first lieutenant; "and if you want the
Falcon you must pull her yourselves."

" Oh, the mischief!" exclaimed excited voice No. 1.

" I've been working hard too," chimed in "No. 2.

"Well, gentlemen," interrupted the captain, who was as
ready for the fun as any of us, " call away the gig and
get your rifles : she's handier than the Falcon. Come !
let's see if we can't get a bear at last !"

In less than two minutes we were all seated in the
crowded stern-sheets of the flying boat, with the eager
crew bending to their supple oars and urging her head
long course toward the unsuspecting monster. There
were five of us in the boat besides the crew, all armed
with Sharpe's rifles and revolvers, some even with
bowie-knives, while the crew themselves each had a
carbine, ship's pistol, and cutlass, eleven grown-up

A MOST DISAGREEABLE RESULT. 429

men, armed to the teeth, and in hot pursuit of a lazy old
bear, who continued his lounging way along the beach
without the least indication of consciousness or fear of
danger. It was exciting in the extreme to every one but
him.

Five minutes rolled by in this way, and then we saw
the tomtit reach the beach some half-mile below the
bear, when the three hunters hastily landed, hauled her
up well clear of the water and concealed themselves
behind a huge boulder of granite which was distant some
twenty feet from the water and about the same distance
from the edge of the hill-side bushes. It was, in fact,
situated exactly in the centre of the beach at low-water,
and the trunk of a fallen tree that had rolled down from
the hill-side connected it with said hill-side bushes. Had
they had both time and material at their command, it
would have been impossible to have constructed a more
admirable place of ambush.

This was all very favourable; but there was one con
sideration which acted as a powerful drawback to their
hopes : they had but one round of ammunition each,
(all this we learned subsequently,) and neither knife or
revolver in the party. What if it should come to a hand-
to-hand struggle ? Nevertheless, they shut their eyes to
such a disagreeable result and entered boldly upon the
desperate game of waylaying a ferocious animal whose
weight was certainly not less than sixteen hundred
pounds, and whose kind like the grizzly of our own
Western mountains liad often been known to hug a man
or horse to death after receiving a dozen wounds any
one of which would have disabled an ordinary animal.

480 DO NOT GET EXCITED.

It was, indeed, a risky game to be entered into under the
circumstances.

After thus stowing themselves in ambush, getting good
rests for their guns, and determining exactly how far they
were to let the bear come before firing, they began for
the first time to calculate the chances that were against
them, and to feel doubtful, even amidst their nervous ex
citement, as to the result. The doctor, who was renowned
for shooting off the heads of geese and ducks at marvel
lously-long distances, may be supposed to have felt perfect
confidence as to the effect of his "only ball;" but then he
had not now his long Kentucky rifle, and was far from
certain that he should shoot with his usual closeness
with the heavy ship's musket that had been kicking his
shoulder out of joint for the last few hours.

As he was, however, the most reliable shot, in spite of
the absence of his favourite gun, it was determined that
he should fire first, while Lawton, who was armed with a
rhinoceros rifle of immense bore, was to aim at his heart
and fire as soon after as possible. Lastly, Williams, who
was armed with a double-barrelled shot-gun loaded with
ball, was cautioned more than once to shoot right for
the centre of his fore-shoulder, a little abaft if any thing,
and to pay particular regard to the state of his own
nerves, Le. not to get excited and be led into the danger
ous error of shooting over his back.

"Now, mind what you are about," said the wary doctor:
"Jmay miss with this old musket, and if you two follow
my example we are certain to be hmgged to death. You
remember what the old priest at Taousk told us about
these fellows? Confound it!" he exclaimed, as he cast

"NO RUNNING IF HE CLOSES WITH US." 431

his eye in our direction and saw that we were pulling
hurriedly toward the hear, " confound it ! There's a hoat
pulling right up for the bear : they'll drive him hack into
the woods. Did you ever see any thing so provoking?"

"I wonder people haven't got more sense!" muttered
Lawton, in an angry whisper. " They must know that
we are here waiting for him, and yet they run that chance
of driving him to the bush. I wish she'd run aground.
Miserable foolishness!"

" Remember what we agreed about * standing by' each
other here," said Williams: "there's to be no running if
he closes with us ; /couldn't keep up." The doctor and
Lawton laughed, in spite of their chagrin at our approach ;
and then ensued an interval of silence, followed by dis
connected remarks as to the approaching crisis.

Bruin was now getting close enough to cause them to
lower their voices to a whisper. He was about two or
three hundred yards off, lumbering along about as fast as
a man would ordinarily walk, and apparently unconscious
of either ambush or boat. The doctor, therefore, with
his usual wariness, cautioned them to silence.

"Hush! hush!" he whispered. "He is close enough
now to hear. Fortunately the wind is coming from him
to us and his nose will be of no use to him. If we can
only keep out of his sight and hold our tongues, he will
come right upon us before he suspects any thing. We
will let him get as far as that bunch of grass before we
fire, and then we can make a sure thing of it." He
pointed with his pale but steady finger to a clump of
dried sea-weed which the ebbing tide had left just eleven
feet from the place of ambush, drew a long breath to

432 THRILLING MOMENTS TO THE NIMRODS.

relieve a nervous feeling of morbid hungriness that had
lately attacked him, and examined the musket's cap with
a doubting eye.

And now to return to our boat. There was no occa
sion now for the usual order of "Give way, boys!" the
long sweeping oars of mountain-ash worked with the
beautiful regularity of a steam-engine, under the bent
backs and swelling muscles of the long-tried and excited
oarsmen, and seemed to cast the boat at least her length
ahead with every stroke. "We were beginning to close in
with the beach pretty well; and, just as we had succeeded
in getting the bear between us and the shore-party, he
seemed to discover us for the first time. Our gliding
approach, however, did not apparently disturb him; he
only turned a lazy glance toward us, snuffed the tainted
air, and continued his lounging gait toward the very
clump of sea-weed which the sound judgment of the
Kentucky hunter had imagined he would approach in
search of some fated shell-fish or other object of food.
"We saw that the crisis was fast approaching, and we were
yet some three hundred yards from the beach: would
that he might find some unfortunate crab to arrest his
lazy progress until we could give a few more strokes and
reach the shore !

To the ambushed hunters these were moments of thrill
ing excitement. They could not remain positively out
of his sight without he being also out of their sight, and,
notwithstanding his immense bulk and weight, he moved
along the sandy beach with such a noiseless tread that
they could not judge, from the sound of his steps, whether
he continued his approach, or whether he had taken to

AN UNBEARABLE STATE OF SUSPENSE. 43o

the bushes from the noise of our oars. This state of sus
pense at length became so unbearable that the doctor
determined to steal a cautious glance at him over the top
of the boulder, and in the execution of this he was so
fortunate as to get a good view and recover his hiding-
place without being seen by Bruin. _ The feat was success
fully accomplished ; but he has often expressed regret at
having undertaken it, simply from the fact that the
unexpected size and ferocious look of the monster, com
bined with the startling accounts we had all heard of his
desperate mode of fighting, and their own total want of
defensive arms, so troubled his ordinarily-steady nerves
that he felt he should have fired with a truer eye and
more steady aim had he avoided looking at him until the
moment arrived to do so along the barrel of his musket.

His description of his savage appearance, as observed
while he was thus evidently unconscious of the presence
of danger, was vivid in the extreme.

"When I lifted my eye over the boulder," he said, "I
expected to see him at a distance of at least fifty yards
up the beach, and to find him of a reasonable size. Ima
gine my surprise, therefore, indeed, my alarm, to find
him almost under our noses and exceeding in size the
largest of oxen. I must confess that I longed at that
moment for one of two things, either to feel my knife
and revolver in my belt, or myself safely on shipboard.
In fact, I think the latter feeling was a little the strongest
if any thing. Of course my survey was a hurried one :
still, I saw more than enough to increase my fears as to
the result. See here what it was that I saw.

" His head, though quite large, was small when com-

434 WHAT THE DOCTOR SEES.

pared with his huge fore-shoulders, of a jet-black hue,
and covered with a growth of short, sleek hair that
shone as if he had just dipped it into a barrel of grease.
The rest of his body was covered with long and thick
ivool, rather brownish along the backbone, but as black
as his head everywhere else. His fore-legs were of an
awful size, his height from four to five feet, and his
length of body and limb absolutely horrifying. I calcu
lated at the time that he could not have weighed less
than fifteen hundred pounds, possibly more ; and, as I
imagined myself borne down by that weight, I shud
dered.

"As he still continued his approach he threw out his
fore-legs with a sweeping motion, and swung his appa
rently-unwieldy frame something after the fashion of an
over-handed swimmer ; and the tracks that he thus left
looked deep enough to contain a gallon-measure. A dense
swarm of gigantic mosquitos hovered around his head
and seemed to cause him no inconsiderable annoyance
in that particular locality ; and I could not help thinking
what good judgment they evinced in the selection of
their point of attack, as they might have worked a day
through the thick wool which -protected the rest of his
body without reaching his skin. As he moved along
with his slow and measured pace, his general appearance
was prominently indicative of two things unbounded
strength, and a latent ferocity of disposition which pro
mised an unyielding foe. I looked at him and trembled ;
and, as the above all flashed quickly through my brain, I
drew a long breath, and felt that a moment was drawing
near when courage and thought must combine with

IT SEEMS AS IF MINUTES ARE HOURS. 435

inferior muscle to equalize the pending struggle. By
a violent effort I retained my self-possession, sunk
quietly into my ambush, and, with firmly-set teeth and
pointed musket, awaited his appearance beyond the outer
edge of the rock.

" Lawton and "Williams had, in the mean time, gazed
anxiously in my face, there to read information which
could not now be imparted by words; and, as they ob
served its expression of almost alarmed excitement, they
became a shade paler, and grasped their guns with com
pressed lips and flashing eyes as they bent their steady
gaze toward the clump of sea-weed.

" It seemed as if minutes had become hours as we thus
awaited his appearance.

"We could hear the sounding beats of each others'
hearts, and the hurried dip of your boat's oars, whicb,
now that the end was at hand, we hailed as a promise of
rescue should the probable struggle result from a mis
directed ball or the bear's well-known tenacity of life.

" Slowly the moments dragged by : plainer became the
sound of your oars : we could even hear the noise of the
broken water under your rushing bow, when * * * *

" The deafening report of Lawton's heavy-bored rhino
ceros rifle at my very ear caused me to spring to my feet
and glance hurriedly around with a confused idea that
concealment was no longer our forte, and that the time
had at length come when muscle, coolness, and deter
mination were the only reserves for us to fall back upon.
The game was now evidently under way, and nothing
but steady nerves and desperate fighting was to save us.

" Lawton had taken me by surprise when he fired ; for

436 A DEADLY WOUND.

I was unfortunately so close to the rock that a small pro
jection of its right side completely concealed the bear
from my view, while his whole fore-shoulders and head
were exposed to the others. In fact, he saw the others
before I saw him; and it was a sudden demonstration of
flight on his part that had caused the unexpected dis
charge.

"I sprang to my feet with ringing ears, and looked
anxiously over the boulder, which was now between the
bear and myself. The sight which met my eyes was
thrilling to behold

" He was standing upright upon his hind-legs, hugging
the air at random with frantic rage and fright, throwing
his expanded jaws right and left with nervous jerks,
writhing with strange pain, and growling with the
strength of distant thunder. The heavy ball of the
rhinoceros rifle had passed clean through his body in
the region of the heart, and from the torn wounds thus
created the red blood spouted with every agonized con
tortion. Its crimson hue indicated a vital source, and, as I
gazed upon the spasmodic jets of the arterial stream, I
felt that the day was ours. Slowly, and with deliberate
movement, I pointed the musket between his very eyes
while he was not more than ten feet from the muzzle.
He was just about to close with us ; but the ounce-ball
stopped his spring. I imagined I could hear it as it
crushed its resistless path through the hardened skull;
but in this I was probably mistaken, as he could never
have acted as he did subsequently with such a weight of
lead in his brain. It doubtless glanced from the un
yielding bone after cracking it and bringing him down

WE GAZE THROUGH THE GATHERING GLOOM. 437

as you saw him fall. "Wasn't it done beautifully? Didn't
he howl awfully?"

And now let me remember what we saw from the
approaching boat. We saw the top of the medical head
through the gloom of approaching night, as its owner
took his cautious peep over the boulder, and expected to
see the flash of his musket as the immediate consequence;
but, to our joy, he as suddenly dipped out of sight again,
while Bruin still continued his lazy way. "We knew now
that they had determined to let him get under their very
noses before firing, and as the boat flew toward the scene
we watched with straining eyes for the expected flashes.

The shades of evening were now being darkened by the
near approach of night, but there was still a fair prospect
of sufficient light to see us through the affair. It was
just dark enough to let one see both the flash and smoke
of a discharged piece, and to enable the huntsman to take
a deadly aim without the drawback of a distracting ray.
"We gazed with straining eyes through this gathering
gloom, as the crew swung with unfailing muscle to the
bending oars.

Suddenly those straining eyes encountered two beautiful
sights, while, in the same instant almost, our ears were
saluted by the sharp report of a discharged rifle.

In the first place, we saw its sudden and lurid flash,
and in the second, the frightened action of the stricken
bear. Even before the report reached us, in fact, simul
taneously with the explosion of the lurid flame within
ten feet of his lowered head, he sprang frantically into
the smoky air, came heavily down upon his powerful
hind-legs, and in that upright position beat the air wildly

438 LOOKING SEVEN WAYS FOR SUNDAY.

with hia sweeping paws, while, with expanded jaws, he
shook his pointed head with mingled pain, rage, and
fright. At that moment he offered the most perfect idea
of the old expression "looking seven ways for Sunday"
that one could imagine, and its vivid application to his
painful contortions forced itself upon my mind even in
that moment of wild excitement.

"Give way, boys! Drive her ahead!" exclaimed the
eager voice of the captain, as with pale cheek and nervous
hand he steered the trembling boat clear of the pointed
rocks which began to cross our foaming path as we
neared the beach. "Give her headway ! A dozen more
strokes and we are there."

"Oh, horror!" exclaimed a tremulous voice from the
bow. " But this is frightful ! The bear will fight ! See
how he settles his gaze upon the doctor and gathers
himself for a spring! He will take them all with one
sweep of a single paw. And we we are too late I" The
speaker raised himself with a gesture as full of emotion
as his voice, and leaned eagerly forward over the boiling
water that curled under our stern.

The large veins swelled almost to bursting on the
dripping brows of the labouring crew, and the tough
oars bent like whalebone under their frightened strength.
The doctor had nursed kindly weak men who were strong
men now, and the power of long-cherished gratitude
combined with bone and sinew to drive the boat ahead
and rescue his threatened life. It was not in every oar
of ash to resist those hardened muscles that swelled thus
with gratitude and excitement : something must fail, for
the yielding oars can yield no more. Suddenly there

ANOTHER DEADLY WOUND. 439

came a crash : one of them has broken ; and, as its new
useless loom was swung heavily into the air by its baffled
owner, he gave vent to a deep and hasty imprecation and
ground his clenched teeth in bitter disappointment. Still,
on we go : there are four more left, and only a few more
yards to pass. The power of that failing oar seems to
have been absorbed by the remaining four, for our speed
is apparently unchanged.

Shortly we saw another lurid flame flash through the
deepening gloom, as the doctor's bent head bent still
lower upon the levelled barrel, and at the same instant
the full report of a heavily-loaded musket broke upon
our ear. It took no time to reach us now; we were
within thirty yards of the thrilling scene which was
apparently but just commencing, and frames that trem
bled with excited emotion stood upright in the boat,
ready to rush into the unequal struggle as soon as her
bow should touch the longed-for beach.

This last shot was a magnificent triumph of the sure
eye and steady arm which guided it. The bear, having
caught sight of his foe behind the boulder, had suddenly
settled upon his haunches, and, with expanded mouth
and open arms, commenced a spring which would, in all
probability, have landed him in their very midst. But a
merciful Power arrested him on its verge: the heavy
ounce-ball struck him full in the head, glanced from the
unyielding but cracking skull, and brought him down
like a felled ox. He came down head first into the soft
sand with a jar that seemed to shake the very beach,
clasped his wounded forehead with both paws, and rolled
his shining head to and fro with a rapid and agonized

440 PALE FACES AND CLUBBED GUNS.

motion. We could hear his deep-toned growl and
laboured breathing as he scattered the loose stones and
sand in all directions, seemingly intent on burrowing
a den in which to shelter himself from his relentless
enemies.

A round of loud and enthusiastic cheers broke from
our party as he thus came down with a shock that
in itself would have been enough to break the neck of
any ordinary animal, and more than one tremulous
arm pointed a Sharpe's rifle toward the fallen monster.

" Don't fire !" exclaimed a voice whose owner was
evidently more collected than the rest of us. "He is
done for, or Williams would draw on him with his
double-barrel. Another cheer for the victory."

*******

We cheered with even more spirit than at first, and
the ravined hills spread its notes far and wide upon the
motionless air.

It was a most unfortunate demonstration, and they
were miserable ravines to lend their aid to our more
miserable rejoicing. Bruin reared his bleeding front as
the strange and unknown sounds broke upon his dead
ened ear, and, glaring around with flaming and blood
stained eyes, seemed to regain from them a portion of his
paralyzed strength as he staggered toward the boulder,
behind which our three friends retreated before his
threatening approach. It was then an awful sight, as it
is now a thrilling recollection, the doctor and Law T ton,
with their pale faces, well-braced limbs, and clubbed
guns; Williams, with his flushed cheek, bent knee, and
levelled double-barrel.

A STATE OF WILD CONFUSION. 441

Now, Williams, a steady eye ! Life and death hang
upon those two last shots. Aim close ! Now or neizr!
We watched for the expected flash which was again to
arrest his progress, and heard the snap of a failing cap.

A cry of anguished despair arose from our midst as
the staggering monster shook his bleeding head and
reeled heavily onward with returning powers to close
with his foe. We leaned eagerly forward with a tumul
tuous feeling of excitement boiling in our breasts and
clouding the vision with a species of vertigo. Another
false cap ! another hope gone, their last !

Suddenly our attention is called to our own safety. A
sudden jar, a crash of splintering oak, a long grating
sound, and the boat's bow is high and dry out of the
water, her progress stopped.

*******

We saw no more for the next few seconds. A sunken
rock had crossed our path, and the boat, urged by her
tremendous velocity, had run upon it high and dry. We
were thrown in every possible direction, some over
board, others along the thwarts, others piled in a pro
miscuous heap in the forward part of the stern-sheets.
As for myself, I went overboard head first, but, by catch
ing the gunwale of the boat with my left hand, brought
up with only one leg in the water, and enough presence
of mind to feel with my foot for bottom, holding my
rifle well clear of the water at the same time.

I found it only knee-deep ; and, as we were now not
more than a boat's-length from the beach, a general rush
was made for it as soon as people had recovered their
legs and the depth of water became known.

142 AN OLD-FASHIONED STAMPEDE.

I never before engaged in such a scrambling race,
through the knee-deep water, into holes that were waist-
deep, tumbling over sunken rocks, and all the while the
utmost noise and confusion prevailing.

As we thus regained the use of our eyes, legs, and
voices, the bear seemed suddenly seized with fear. He
turned short in his advance upon the desperate group
that awaited his attack with uplifted guns, and urged his
confused and staggering flight toward the sheltering
brushwood of the precipitous hill-side.

Whether he shrank before the blazing eye of man's
angry intellect at bay, or fled from the confused and un
usual uproar which we created in his rear, it is hard to
say. Certain it is, however, that he did fly, and, as he
turned, we saw the no-longer-expected flash of Williams's
faithless gun and heard the whistle of its misdirected
ball. Another flash from his remaining barrel, another
whistle of its uncertain messenger, and all hope of stop
ping the bear's flight was gone. Their ammunition was
all expended, and we could not use ours from the asto
nishing fact that Lawton and Bruin were now exactly in
line. This excited huntsman no sooner saw that "Wil
liams's balls had passed the retreating bear without dis
turbing a hair than he threw down his gun and hat and
started in hot pursuit. Instead, therefore, of our party
being able to stop and fire a grand volley, we were forced
to join in the pursuit or let him and Bruin have it all to
themselves. A general stampede, therefore, ensued, and
such a stampede I never engaged in before. Bruin had
evidently given up all idea, of fighting, and was devoting
his waning strength to secure his safety by flight ; and,

THE TRIAL OF SPEED. 443

as he urged his laboured and painful retreat through the
heavy sand and between fallen trees and projecting rocks,
we pressed after him in the vain hope that he would out
strip his reckless pursuer sufficiently to let us fire with
out the risk of hitting the wrong object. But our ex
ertions were of no avail. Lawton ran well, and was
evidently gaining ground instead of losing. Nevertheless,
Bruin, having considerably the start, reached the edge of
the hill-side bushes, in which he disappeared for a moment,
and then again broke upon the view, as, with out-hanging
tongue, quick breathing, and laborious movement, he
dragged his wounded body up the steep and broken hill
side.

He was now considerably above Lawton, and a few
unsteady shots were fired over the latter's head, but with
no apparent effect : the stampede had evidently unsettled
our nerves. The flurried figure of the pursuer now in
turn disappeared in the brushwood, and a moment later
we saw him climbing with frantic strides in the very
wake of the struggling and disabled monster. He was
evidently gaining on him, too, and we expected every
moment to see him turn and hug him in his crushing
embrace.

At this stage of the proceedings I found myself and
several others bursting our difficult paths through the
tangled brushwood, and urging each other ahead with
our voices, but in reality keeping each other back in our
extreme eagerness. Suddenly we were at the foot of
the hill, and, already half broken down by the run,
commenced its toilsome ascent.

As we emerged from the thick brushwood and looked

444 A RECKLESS ACTION.

up toward the chase, the sight which flashed upon our
eyes was awful to behold.

Lawton was within a few feet of the hear, who still
urged his painful flight; but now it was with his gory
head and flaming, blood-injected eyes half turned with
threatening rage upon his reckless foe, while the uplifted
hand and general action of the latter indicated an in
tensity of mental excitement bordering upon insanity.
He evidently was preparing to seize the retreating mon
ster by his long and shaggy wool, and measure his
strength with the remnant of that which we had been
told could crush the bones of a horse as though they
were so many dried sticks.

"Lawton, you jackass!" shouted the doctor, in a
voice of frightened strength, " come back ! Stop ! Don't
touch that bear! If he turns, he'll mash every bone
in your body. Come back!"

But he was deaf to every thing like reason. His livid
face, dishevelled hair, and furious energy of manner
were terrible to behold as he threw every power of his
muscular frame into a last long stride upon the retreat
ing beast, and brought down his powerful grip into
the yielding wool.

A cry of mingled alarm and warning from our scat
tered ranks seemed to recall him to his senses.

As the bear came to a half-halt and turned his blood
shot eyes and bared teeth more fully upon him with a
threatening growl, a flash of reason seemed to illuminate
his turbid brain and light him to the path of safety.
He relinquished his dangerous hold upon the retreat
ing monster, who at once resumed his flight with ap-

"A GUN! A GUN! GIVE ME A LOADED GUN!" 445

parently a reviving strength that defied further pursuit.
He now seemed to pass up the hill with an easy and
sliding gait, while we were falling over hidden logs, or
sinking knee-deep into the light, leafy soil of decaying
vegetation at every step. Even at that thrilling moment,
I found time to wonder how it was that he could outstrip
us with his heart's blood spouting from two gaping
wounds at every leap, and his wounded head also bleed
ing with deadly freedom.

Lawton gazed after him with clenched and uplifted
hand, and a look of wild disappointment gleaming from
his unsettled eye. He was evidently now conscious of
the madness of his former pursuit, and contented himself
with devoting the remainder of his strength to calling
vehemently for a loaded gun.

"A gun ! a gun ! Give me a loaded gun ! "Why don't
some of you shoot ? The bear will get away ! Follow
him, some of you! I can go no farther." And he sank
upon the shelving hill-side in the weakness of overtaxed
muscles and lungs.

"There's no use following him any farther," exclaimed
the broken-winded master. "He's got away from us,
and it's too dark in these bushes to hunt for him. You
can't see now ten feet around you ; and he might turn the
tables by waylaying us behind some rock or clump of
bushes. My ribs are not over and above strong. I'm
going back." He spoke word after word with a rapid
and broken utterance, as he leaned his rifle against a
decayed log, wiped his dripping brow, and puffed and
blew like a grampus in shoal water.

"Yes; but he can't go far," gasped the exhausted

446 TRUTH, POETRY, AND DELICACY OF EXPRESSION.

pursuer. " He's got two ounce-balls through him, one
through his heart, the other through his brain. How
can he hold out long? Look here at the great clots of
blood that burst from him as he jumped this log! How
long can he live now?" He pointed to the large, water-
lily-like leaf of an arctic plant, whose polished and con
cave surface contained probably a gill of hardening
blood. "Look at that" he continued, "and tell me
that it's no use to follow him. I'm only waiting to get
my breath again."

"Oh, you jackass!" replied the breathless doctor, as
he gained our stopping-place. * Suppose that bear had
hugged you : where would you have been now ?"

" There's more truth than either poetry or delicacy of
expression in your salutation, doctor," said the now
rational and reviving ISTimrod. "I believe I was a jack
ass up to the last moment : it wouldn't have done to have
held on to him any longer, I don't think"

"Oh, by George! what a climb!" gasped exhausted
"Williams, as he staggered against a tree and threw down
his gun in the rank undergrowth at his feet. "Why
couldn't I hit him ? What miserable luck !"

"Yes, you may well ask that," said the disappointed
voice of the irritated pursuer. ""Why didn't you give
your gun to the doctor if you couldn't shoot yourself?
You talk about hunting bear !"

"Everybody can miss sometimes, I suppose," retorted
the chagrined hunter. "You fired from a rest, and
while he was standing still: anybody could have done
that."

Here the discussion was interrupted by the arrival of

THE RESULT OF A HURRIED CONSULTATION. 447

the less agile members of the chase,, and a hurried con
sultation resulted in a determination to follow the bear as
far as the crown of the hill at any rate. "We therefore
separated into seven parties of two each, spread ourselves
out to the right and left, and renewed the ascent with a
distance of ten or fifteen feet between each couple. - In
this way we finally reached the top of the hill; but,
though we had beat every bush with our guns and
peered behind every rock and log, we could see no fur
ther sign of him, not even the print of his heavy foot
upon the yielding soil, or a drop of his wasting blood
upon the hanging leaves. He had evidently given us the
slip; and, as we once more joined company upon the bare
and breezy height, we looked down the gloomy path we
had just ascended, and wondered if he might not still be
among some of those dense bushes or behind one of
those large boulders, ready, at a moment's warning, to
hug any one passing within his reach. It was now quite
dark enough to make our position unpleasant as we
looked and wondered in this way.

"What a pity we hav'n't an extra hour of daylight to
follow him up !" exclaimed one.

" Let's come ashore the first thing in the morning and
bring Jack and Brag (our two dogs) to track him to his
den," said another.

"Yes; they'd track him with a vengeance," remarked
a third. " They've got too much sense for that"

" Let's look around a little longer," said Lawton, who
had now possessed himself of one of the men's carbines
and felt more eager than ever; "he can't be far off."

"It's no use going any farther!" remarked the cap-

448 HOW WE RETURN ON BOARD.

tain, as he peered anxiously through the increasing gloom.
""We'd "better be getting down to the boat before it's too
dark to see our way. If it's a foggy day to-morrow and
we can't continue the survey, we'll come back and hunt
him up by daylight. Allons!"

And so we returned on board with our wearied limbs
and disabled boat, and left old Bruin to drag his bat
tered hull to some quiet corner, there to stuff his wounds
with leaves and growl through the long and feverish
night.

The next day was unfortunately beautifully clear, "just
the weather for surveying;" and so we continued our
work and left our wounded foe to whiten upon the moun
tain's side, or drag through heavy weeks and months of
slow recovery.

CHAPTER XXIH.

WE ARRIVE AT AYAN AND FALL IN WITH SOME OLD ACQUAINTANCES AFTER

WHICH WE NARROWLY ESCAPE BEING FEASTED TO DEATH BY THE RUSSIANS,
ARE TOLD SOME " STUNNING" YARNS, SEE A WHALE STRUCK, AND FINALLY
GET SAFELY TO SEA.

AT last we were "making the best of our way" for
Ayan, and it would be almost impossible to imagine
what a cheerful feeling pervaded the ship at the prospect
of spending a week in such a port as we supposed that to
be. "When it was first determinately known that we
were to pass the summer of 1855 along the inhospitable
and dreary shores of the Okotsk Sea, we were hanging to
a quiet anchor in the harbor of Hong-Kong, engaged in
the pleasures of recreation after a stormy cruise of six
months, as well as' in the labour of refitting again for
sea.

We immediately began to hunt up authorities on the
subject of that sea in general, and were surprised that we
could neither find individual or book possessed of the
desired information. There was a woeful falling-off, too,
in the charts of that frozen part of the world ; and the
consequence of all this was that when we left Hong-
Kong our only idea of the ground we were going to was
that it was the Okotsk Sea ; that we would be there likely
to fall in with hundreds of whale-ships; that millions of
wild geese and ducks, flying from the heat of tropical
summers, took refuge in its extensive lagoons and

29 449

450 WHAT WE KNEW OF THE OKOTSK.

marshes; that they were so tame while thus away from
the "haunts of man" that a good stick would do more
service among them than a double-barrelled shot-gun;
and that upon the eastern coast of Siberia (its western
boundary) there existed a large and nourishing city,
whose streets were lit by gas, whose stately mansions
were filled by hospitable Russians, and whose name was
Ayan. A report was also spread that a Russian count
there awaited the arrival of the "Ringgold Expedition,"
loaded with charts and instructions from the emperor at
St. Petersburg, the former being an imperial present of
all previous surveys of Russian officers in those waters,
(designed to assist us in our work,) while the latter made
it the especial duty of the said Russian nobleman to leave
no stone unturned to render the stay of the Americans
as pleasant as possible. I need scarcely say that much of
all this subsequently proved to be disagreeably tinctured
with romance ; but there was also in it a very fair amount
of truth. We certainly got the charts, 'and, if not treated
well by a nobleman, were at least nobly treated by two
men, in the persons of the accomplished governor and
his Falstaff-like second in command, "old Fry bark," as
Hartman soon came to pronounce his name. But more
of him anon.

It was toward the close of the evening of the 31st of
August, 1855, that we stood boldly in for the port of
Ayan, under all sail and steam; for, though coal was
scarce, we could well afford to burn it now, as we were
running for a city "whose streets were lit with gas" and
where coal at any rate must be abundant. Besides, we
had a four or five knot ebb-tide setting out against us,

HOW WE ARRIVE AT AYAN. 461

and the " old John" would scarcely have stemmed that
had we not had steam to help our sails.

It struck two bells (5 P.M.) in the first dog-watch as we
called "all hands bring ship to anchor;" and half an hour
later all our sails were furled snugly to the yards and the
"old John" herself (the tide having slackened as we got
in-shore) was steaming slowly, through quite a fleet of
American whalers, to a more inner anchorage. Five
minutes more, and she rounded to with her usual
grace (?), let go her anchor in a quiet part of the harbour,
entirely removed from the strong tide and surrounded
in part by the "snow-clad mountains of Siberia," and, as
usual, commenced rolling heavily to the swell which set
into the mouth of the harbour.

We found these " snow-clad mountains" without a ves
tige of snow or ice near them, covered by a luxuriant
undergrowth and supporting as healthy-looking forests
of spruce and birch as I ever saw. From a distance the
entire scene had much more of a tropical than of an
arctic aspect; and the unlooked-for attentions of several
wandering mosquitos served to help us to the conclusion
that the "snow-clad mountains" of Siberia were not
always the bleak and frozen heights of which we had
read in our school-boy days, and that, after all, " Siberia
the frozen" might be a very pleasant place. To test the
truth of this conclusion, several of us took a boat when
the work was over, and started for a point of the harbour
around which one of the whalers told us we should find
Ayan ; and as we rounded the point and shot into the
pond-like cove from the rippling beach of which a scat
tering and streetless town ran back a half-mile or more,

452 "MORE LIKE A WHALE!"

we could not avoid giving vent to our disappointment.
Instead of thanks to a merciful Providence who had con
ducted us thus far in our coffin-like craft with safety to
our bones and lives, we indulged in such ejaculations as
the following :

"Why, hillo !" said one : "this can't be the place we've
been looking forward to with such pleasure for such a
long time."

"I don't see any streets to be lit with gas!" put in a
second.

"I wonder if that's the population waiting for us on
the wharf?" asked a third.

"That big fellow looks very much like a Eussian
count," remarked a fourth.

" More like a whale !" put in a fifth.

"Hush! he'll hear us!" said another. "I'll tell you
what, he looks as if he lived well. I hope his larder is
solid."

Here the boat's keel grated sharply on the shelving
beach of slaty shingle, and as we got out we were warmly
received by four persons in European costume, while some
half-dozen others, in strange dress and with the strongly-
marked features of the Cossack, lingered in the rear.

The gentleman who looked like a Russian count, ac
cording to one of our party, and like a whale, according
to another, addressed us in perfectly good English, intro
ducing himself as the agent for the Russian Fur Com
pany, Mr. Freighburg, and one of his companions as

Dr. , of the same service. The remaining two, much

to our surprise, proved to be old acquaintances, members
of that numerous tribe of restless Americans who live in

THEY OFFER TO SELL US STORES. 453

all parts of the world, turning over their nimble sixpences
or attempting to establish new forms of government over
dilapidated states, the same, in short, who, when last
seen by us, were leaving the Japanese port of Ha-ko-
da-di in high dudgeon at the authorities for refusing to
let them land their cargo of "Yankee notions" and esta
blish a store at that port. They now pointed to an im
mense block-house, telling us that the Eussians had re
ceived them very kindly and given them the use of that
building as a storehouse, and that, having landed all of
their stores, &c., they had sent the Leveret on a whaling-
voyage, and were now prepared to meet any reasonable
calls upon their invoice. The Eussians, they said, had
bought every thing from them at a certain price, but left
them at liberty to sell to others provided said others
would pay higher. This we thought very liberal in the
Eussians, but indicative of higher prices than naval offi
cers on a thousand dollars a year would be likely to
relish. But to return to Ayan and "old Frybark."

"Any coal in Ayan, Mr. Freighburg?" asked Lawton,
as the jovial old fellow took two of us by the arm and
urged us toward his house.

"Any beef in Ayan, Mr. Freighburg?" asked the
purser: "we've been living on fish until we're getting
scaly."

"Beef, yes! coal, no! But we have plenty of liquor.
We will go to my house first and take ' twenty drops,' after
which we will talk about beef and coals. I suppose the
whale-ships may have plenty of coals."

He was a large and powerful man, the most perfect
ideal of a strong man, I think, that I ever saw, weighing

454 "OLD FRYBAEK."

about three hundred, perhaps more, looking as if he was
all flesh, hut feeling as if he was all iron, and carrying his
weight with a light, firm step, while the drops of exertion
rolled from his heated brow. As we walked along the
broken edge of a dry watercourse, he uncovered his head
and fanned himself with his broad-brimmed Panama hat,
until I buttoned my pea-jacket closer around me and
shivered before the disturbed air.

"Why, my good sir, you button your coat: you are
cold? We find it very warm to-day." And, sure enough,
when we reached his house we found the windows and
doors all open, though we had left the thermometer at
forty degrees on shipboard, and that, too, before the set
ting sun had left the air without his warming rays.

"Yes, Mr. Freighburg, it is quite cool for us," re
marked one of the party: "we find our coats quite com
fortable."

"Ah, yes! quite cool. Well, we want 4 twenty drops:*
they will warm us."

And, "suiting the action to the w T ord," he brought out
one of the largest gin-bottles I ever saw, filled a dozen or
more large wine-glasses, and, drinking off one, "to test
its quality," as he observed, took up another, and, mo
tioning us to do likewise, continued:

"Well, now then! we drink to Russia and America,
always friends !"

We drank the toast with as little of wry in our faces
as possible, and, with a choking sensation about the
throat, lit cigars and walked out to see " Ayan."

We found it composed of some fifty or sixty log-houses,
most compactly put together, to guard against the exces-

LOG PALACES. 455

sive cold of their long winters, and of various plans and
dimensions. The roofs were all painted red, without ?
single exception ; and, though they were log-houses, they
were such log-houses! Their walls were of huge pine
logs, smoothly planed, and made to fit one over the other
like the bowls of so many spoons ; and the cracks thus
left were tightly calked and then puttied. They were
mostly of one story; but then such "one stories" as they
were ! Some of them covered a vast extent of ground,
the governor's mansion in particular, in which, if I re
member rightly, I counted twenty-three apartments.
" Old Frybark's" domicil was the only one that boasted
a second floor, and he acknowledged that to be more for
summer use than any thing else.

We noticed that every room was provided with a huge
fireplace, and that the windows were all double, the
glasses being separated about six inches apart, and con
taining between them an ordinary brick, upon which was
raised a small pile of table-salt. The object of this salt,
they told us, was to absorb the moisture which penetrated
through the outer window before it could enter through
the second into the apartment.

" Oh !" exclaimed our jovial host, as we lounged through
the twenty-three rooms of the governor's vast mansion,
" oh ! it is such a pity that the fear of the Allies drove the
governor and his family into the country ! See here this
fine rosewood piano : you should hear his beautiful daugh
ters sing to its deep-toned sound, or see them dance with
the doctor and the aide-de-camp around this large room."

We could not avoid acknowledging our deep participa
tion in his regrets, as he thus showed us what we had

45t) ENGLISH VANDALISM VS. FRENCH BREEDING.

missed. "We had not heard the rustle of a lady's dress
for more than six months, and wanted something to
make us feel civilized again.

And thus we lounged from room to room, every thing
deserted and cheerless ; for the governor had retreated,
with the entire population, hundreds of miles into the
interior before the expected demonstration of the com
bined fleet, burying every thing that they could not
carry, and leaving Mr. Freighburg (who was a non-com
batant) to look out for things in general and the buried
articles in particular. We subsequently saw long trenches
which the Allies had dug in the (not always vain) search
for cannon, nominally, but, in reality, for any and all public
property worth taking away. (It must be remembered
that Ayan was a depot of the Russian Fur Company, and
not the property of the Czar, hence private property, at
any rate, should have been respected.) With rare polite
ness, the retreating governor had left orders with Mr.
Freighburg to put his house and billiard-table at the
disposal of the allied officers.

"I am sorry that I cannot extend to you the same
civility," remarked our host: "the English officers took
away all the balls and cues when they left. Voild the table ! ' '

" Unheard-of vandalism !" exclaimed the master. " And
how acted the Frenchmen ?"

" Oh ! the Frenchmen ? Always gentlemen. You see,
the governor valued this table very much; for after it
commences snowing we are confined to the house so
much that one must have something to make amuse
ment. After a shell freezes over the snow, then we dig
our way out, hitch up our dogs to the sleighs, and are

" TWENTY DROPS" AND CHERRY-STEMMED PIPES. 457

our own masters. Then we cut streets through the snow
from house to house, and begin to be sociable. But
come; let us walk a little more: then we shall want
4 twenty drops.' '

So we walked on, turning now up the valley toward
the small but neat-looking Greek church, whose' red
steeple and pendent bell looked more like home and
civilization than any thing we had seen for a long, long
time. We walked on and on, until the pale Northern
moon shone upon our evening path, and then turned and
(for want of another road) retraced our steps to the two-
story house, where " twenty drops" were poured out, as a
matter of course, cherry-stemmed pipes loaded with good
Turkish tobacco, and family-looking old rocking-chairs
filled by wearied limbs. One, two, three hours in these
sleepy old rockers, the yawning "good-night," a chilly
pull in an open boat, the hoarse hail of "boat ahoy!"
from the watchful old quartermaster, the flash of a side-
lantern in our eyes, a steep climb up the rolling side, and
we were again upon the deck of our wandering home.
I went to bed, and dreamed that the entire English nation
were condemned to an eternal game of billiards ; and I
hope sincerely that this book may reach England, if it be
only to let them see how some of the officers of H. B. M. (
frigate Sibyl requited the high-bred and considerate cour
tesy of the Russian Governor of Ayan during the summer
of 1855.

We were so much pleased with "old Frybark's"
Turkish pipes and tobacco, as well as with his " twenty
drops" and off-hand hospitality of the previous evening,
that, when he came on board -the next morning and told

458 PERIODICAL WATERCOURSES.

us that "lie expected all hands to dine with hita that
day," there was not a face that did not sparkle, or a
tongue that tried to excuse its owner. Probably the fact
of said tongues having tasted nothing but salt provisions
or insipid preserved meats (the fish and turnips of Taousk
Bay excepted) for several months, combined with our
host's promise that his table should groan under the
delicacies of the Ay an season, probably^, I say, this com
bination may have had something to do with our spark
ling faces and consenting voices. But let facts speak for
themselves.

As the appointed hour for dinner approached, we called
away two boats, and, leaving the " old John" in charge of
the best bower, a good scope of chain, the officer of the
deck, and engineer of the day, the remainder of us packed
ourselves into them and started for the quiet landing on
the slaty beach that bounds the smooth waters of the
inner harbour. We were received this time by the
yelping of hundreds of sleigh-dogs, who, being abso
lutely necessary during the winters for travelling-pur
poses, are well taken care of when the summers arrive,
in anticipation of future need of their services. We
looked in the direction whence these howls and yelps
proceeded, and saw a large log-house, around which hun
dreds of these dogs were lazily basking in the sun, and
thought it would be a good idea to pay them a visit on
our way up. We therefore crossed the dry and rocky
bed of a periodical watercourse, and approached their
commodious kennel. These watercourses are worth a
passing notice.

The immense quantity of snow and ice which covers

SIBERIAN SLEIGH-DOGS. 459

that whole country at the end of their long and severe
winters, melting sometimes with destructive rapidity
during the first spell of warm weather, rushes down to
the sea in swollen streams that uproot trees, dislodge
huge rocks, and most effectually put a stop to all travel
ling until the green patches once more appear upon the
hill-sides, and the turbid streams, gradually decreasing in
dimensions, finally disappear entirely, leaving their un
even beds spotted here and there with silent pools as the
only indication of their short-lived existence. It was
over one of those uneven and spotted beds that we now
picked our way, and, as we climbed the opposite bank
and came suddenly upon the various groups of dogs,
they raised their shaggy heads and howled most piteously.
And that was the extent of the notice that they deigned
us. There was no wagging of tails, no bristling of the
backs, not even any skulking behind corners, nothing
but the protracted howl, and a sleepy indifference to our
proximity ; and, as they turned their vacant eyes upon us,
we were convinced of the truth of the character ascribed
to their peculiar breed, i.e. that they are utterly worth
less in every point of view, except as regards their docility
and power of endurance before a sleigh. Their kennel,
as I have already observed, was a large log-house, and in
it they were locked up at night, while around it they were
fed and watched during the day. They had their regular
keepers, whose only duty consisted in attending to their
wants and keeping them from wandering away. They
gave us a parting howl as we left their unsavory locality,
and again crossed the dry bed of the vernal torrent on
our way to "old Frybark's" two-story domicil.

460 THE BEAUTY OF A VIVID IMAGINATION.

Arriving in good time at the door of that hospitable
mansion, we were actually received with open arms. The
old fellow looked as if he longed to embrace us all, but
contented himself with shaking hands crushinyly, calling
loudly for the doctor, and hurrying us up to his outer
chamber, where several bottles of various sizes, shapes,
and colours, gleamed before our affrighted eyes.

"Well, now, come on! A little too late for a Russian
dinner, but c better late than never.' "We will now take
1 twenty drops,' then go over to the governor's house and
eat our caviare, (V'Tis caviare to the general.' See Hamlet,)
after which we will drink some champagne and have
dinner. My house is so small that I have set the go
vernor's table, and after dinner we will have the horses at
the door and take a ride into the country. It will shake
down our dinner and get up a good appetite for supper."

"Supper!" exclaimed one of the party: "you don't
expect to keep us to supper, too ?" he continued, with a
look of dismay, for he had lunched heartily upon a tempt
ing beefsteak before leaving the ship, and shrank aghast
before the rapid enumeration of what was yet before him.

" Keep you to supper ? Yes ! and to a champagne-dance
after supper, too. We shall be in want of music and
ladies, but then we can whistle for ourselves and imagine
that some of us are the governor's beautiful daughters.
Allons! let us go and take o-ur caviare."

We went, and such a lunch as it was ! equal to an
ordinary meal. And then the dinner! Nothing to be
seen on the long, narrow table, save wines and vases of
flowers, plates, knives and forks, and piles of glasses.
But then just cast your eye into the kitchen, and see

OLD FRYBARK'S RUSSIAN DINNER. 461

there the dozens of huge dishes loaded with as "old
Fry bark" had promised the delicacies of the Ayan
season, and awaiting their turn to be introduced to the
already half-sated guests. Salt and fresh water fish
done up in every imaginable style ; beef looking more
unlike beef, in its numberless modes of preparation, than
I had ever before seen it; vegetables here and there, and
pastries without end. I never again wish to attend a
dinner at Ayan, with "old Frybark" as the host; at any
rate, not until some cure for apoplexy is discovered, or
the Kussians lose some of their relish for fraternizing
with Americans. I was so unfortunate as to find myself
alongside of a miserably-hospitable priest of the Greek
Church, who, finding himself unable to entertain me in
a conversational point of view, divided his attention be
tween keeping my plate and glasses full and his own
empty. In spite of his large appetite, he was a fine-look
ing, middle-aged man, rather below the ordinary stature,
dressed in a flowing robe of black silk, and wearing his
dark and curling hair divided down the middle and
hanging over his shoulders in flowing ringlets. His dark
and silky beard reached almost to his waist, and his hands
were as delicate as those of a lady. He had a smile of
great sweetness, and was treated by the Eussians with
good-natured respect and consideration. He was a mar
ried man, and had returned from the interior with his
family only the night before. On the whole, we had a
very pleasant time alongside of each other, seeing that
neither of us spoke a word of each other's or any com
mon language.

At last this abundant dinner was ended, and, singular as

462 CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT AILS HIS HORSE.

the assertion may seem, we did ride into the country imme
diately after it. "Old Frybark" was in the best imagin
able spirits ; we were all lively from the effects of good
champagne, and one of the restless Americans, before
alluded to, even beyond that point. It was amusing to
see our host mount his tough-looking little horse. I
think he must have weighed nearly three hundred before
dinner, and how much more as he got on horseback I
should be afraid to say. ' Taking wines at eight pounds
to the gallon, and viands at something less, I should say
that the horse must have capered under at least three
hundred and twenty or thirty as he touched him with his
spur and pointed him at the steep breast of one of the
towering hills by which the city is enclosed.

Our ride was both an exciting and pleasant one, ex
citing to the confused ideas of the restless American, who
"couldn't for the life of him tell what was the matter
with his horse" until he had been thrown twice, when
he arrived at the very tardy conclusion that "that
champagne must have been very strong," and pleasant
to us, who had been aware of, and guarded against, said
strength. Our road took us over mountains, along
patches of hard sea-beach, up valleys, across streams,
and, finally, brought us vis-ti-vis with his excellency the
Governor of Ay an and suite, who were coming in on a
hand-gallop from their country-retreat to do us the
honour of visiting the "old John" and assisting Mr.
Freighburg in the duties of hospitality. His excellency
received us with great warmth of manner, and told us,
through our now excited host, that he had been expecting
us for some time, and that if we had only arrived before

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR OF AYAN. 463

the Allies lie might have received us in a manner more
in keeping with his feelings ; hut, as things now stood,
we must excuse any apparent neglect, and take the ex
pressed will for the impossible deed.

"We replied, with equal suavity of manner, that we had
already "been almost feasted to death by his accomplished
(here " old Frybark" blushed scarlet, and looked in other
respects quite overpowered) representative, and that if
he did not mercifully interpose his authority there was no
telling what grave consequences might ensue. At this
point we all laughed, as a matter of course, and, giving
the reins to our fretful little horses, galloped back to
Ay an ; the governor and captain leading off, " old Fry-
bark" and our doctor next, then the Russian doctor and
Carnes, and, finally, "the crowd in general" bringing up
the confused rear, while the restless American darted
about in all directions upon his irritated horse, with the
evident desire of attracting the admiration of his excel
lency to his superior (?) horsemanship

And thus we re-entered Ay an, where a fresh edition
of Turkish pipes and tobacco, of "twenty drops," and
of pressing invitations to partake bountifully, occupied
the time that must yet elapse before the promised supper.

Fortunately, we were spared that promised supper for
the present, but with the express understanding that it
was to come off on the following night. " Distance lent
enchantment to the view," as we settled back into the
old arm-chairs, and talked about the war, the late van
dalisms of the English officers, the manners and customs
of the several tribes of Eastern Siberia, the price of furs,
and of statistics in general. The governor spoke quietly,

464 EXTRAVAGANT PRICE OF FURS.

but feelingly, of the great losses and hardships which he
had been forced to entail on the population by taking them
away from their homes into a comparative wilderness, and
gave us several interesting anecdotes of Siberian country-
life. There was nothing in this prolonged conversation
that surprised us more than a remark of Mr. Freigh-
burg's in regard to the high prices which the company
realized for many of their furs. He told us, among
other things, that their hunters were sometimes so for
tunate as to take a species of beaver never more than
two or three during the whole season, however whose
skins sold in St. Petersburg for the enormous sum of one
thousand rubles, (nearly eight hundred dollars,) and that
the silver fox often sold as high as three hundred.

"We expressed our surprise that a beaver's skin should
sell for so large a sum, remarking that in the northwest
ern sections of the United States they were quite plenti
ful, and the fur comparatively cheap.

"Ah! but, my dear sir," he replied, "you have not
this beaver of which I speak in your country. "We have
the inferior kind of beaver here, too, but it is a very-
different animal from the one I speak of. The skin of
this one is just large enough to make a fine high collar
for a winter cloak, and the Russian noblemen who want
such collars must pay their one thousand rubles or go
without:'

We had every reason to believe " old Frybark" to be
a man of strict veracity, and his assertion was, moreover,
sustained by the others present, who spoke of it as a
matter of course ; still, I hesitate to publish such an un
heard-of price for a beaver's skin, and must refer all

ANOTHER EVENING PARTY. 465

skeptics on the subject to "old Frybark" himself. I
myself believe that the price was as he stated.

And now, if the reader will imagine twenty-four hours
passed, (during which time the governor had returned to
the inner settlement, leaving his aide to assist " old Fry-
bark" in entertaining us,) and pretty much the same
party reassembled in our host's "second-floor sitting-
room," in company with Turkish pipes and tobacco, nu
merous bottles of " twenty drops," and the prospective
supper which was at length at hand, if he will imagine
us in that room, I say, and himself as a listener, he will
hear what we listened to upon that occasion, and doubt
less be as much surprised as we were.

"You talk about beef!" said "old Frybark," as he
refilled his huge pipe and drew a match across the bottom
of the box. " You say you had too much yesterday, and
yet you want whole bullocks now to take on board ship !
Well, the natives will drive three in for you this evening.
When the English came we had to drive them all back
into the country."

He lit his large pipe and puffed away complacently,
with his gaze riveted upon the bottle of " twenty drops"
as Dickens says old John Willett was wont to admire the
kitchen boiler.

" You talk about eating and drinking as if we ate and
drank a great, deal," he at length continued: "you
should see one of these Tongouse [Tongouse Indians]
drink butter if you want to see how much a man used
to cold weather can drink."

"Drink butter!" exclaimed one of the party. "Why

don't they eat it?"

466 A TONGOUSE DRINKS FORTY POUNDS OF BUTTER.

"Because they like to drink it better," was the reply.
"I have seen one of them drink forty pounds and then
go to sleep."

"Did he ever wake up again?" asked a surprised
voice.

"None of your marines' yarns here, old gentleman,"
remarked another.

"Oh, Mr. Freighburg!" exclaimed a fourth, in a depre
catory tone, "forty pounds?"

"Forty? Yes; any one of these Tongouse that you
see will drink twenty as an everyday affair ; but there is
one fellow in particular, who, as I say, once drank forty
and then went to sleep. I pledge you my honour."

"You didn't see him, Mr. Freighburg?" I asked, in a
hesitating voice; for, after commencing the question, I
suddenly remembered that he had already pledged his
honour to its truth.

"Yes I did, though," he replied; "and I'll tell you how
it was. A friend of mine was as skeptical as you are,
and so I just said to him, 'Mr. Henry, I see that you don't
believe what I tell you.'

"'Not a bit of it,' he said.

"'Well,' said I, 'you pay for forty pounds of butter
that is in the Company's warehouse, and give it to him,
and if he doesn't drink it all before noon (this was about
nine o'clock in the morning) I'll pay. you back the
money.'

"'Agreed!' he exclaimed, and commenced to feel at
once for his pocket-book; but I told him, 'Never mind the
money yet a while,' and sent my servant to hunt up the
Tongouse.

THOSE THREE FELLOWS HAD A NARROW ESCAPE. 467

"After a while he came; and when he heard what it
was all ahout, and saw the butter, his eyes sparkled, and
he rubbed himself, as if he already had it in him. He
just warmed it a little to make it run, and then set to
work. At noon he had drank it all and was asleep in
the sun, with the butter running from his pores in ,the
shape of greasy perspiration."

"Ugh ! horrible!" exclaimed a disgusted voice: "what
beasts they must be ! Are they fit for any thing but to
drink butter and sleep?"

"Yes; they drink whale-oil almost as well, and fight
bears much better than you or I could. You were speak
ing of your encounter with a bear up the coast the other
day: had one of these Tongouse been there instead ot
your three fellows with their clubbed guns, he would not
have got away as he did. Those three fellows had a nar
row escape : you don't know how narrow. Had not the
bear been frightened by the outlandish noises you made in
rushing to the rescue, he would have made short work of
them. You might as well expect to stun a whale by hit
ting him over the head with a boat-hook, as to stop a bear
with a clubbed musket. You should have had a Tongouse
there : they do not know what fear is. They attack the bear
single-handed, with a long knife as their only weapon, and
always win the battle unless he runs. They are generous
as well as brave. Their mode of warfare you will doubt
less look upon as foolishly liberal. They always hunt with
this knife, which, with the handle, is from three to four
feet long, and if they come upon a bear asleep, instead
of killing him at once, they catch him by his wool, give
him a shake to wake him up, and then step back out of his

468 HOW THE TONGOUSE FIGHT BEARS.

way and tell him to come on. If he moves off instead
of fighting, they throw stones at him to make him angry,
and then when he rushes up to hug they receive him on
one knee, with the butt of the knife braced against the
ground, and the point ready for his heart. I suppose that
sounds strange too, but it's true."

"You are quizzing us, Mr. Freighburg," remarked one
of the party, dryly.

He glanced quickly at the speaker, and said, earnestly,
" I assure you, upon my honour, that I am only telling
you facts. Voild M. the Governor's aide: ask him."

""Well, I beg pardon," replied the doubter, with a
smile that started the old fellow's tongue as loose as
ever. "Give us some more: it's quite edifying."

"Yes, but I take c twenty drops' first. Smoking is dry
work, and, when you come to talk too, it's parching."
He knocked the ashes from his pipe, laid it on the table,
and, as usual, filled all of the glasses. I, having already
burned my throat with his modest "twenty drops," got the
start of the party by complaining of a sick headache
which I really had and begged to be excused from join
ing. Some offered one excuse, some another, and others
manfully reached for their glasses, but with the air of
martyrs. He cast a most reproachful glance at us who
had declined, emptied his glass, refilled his pipe, and con
tinued.

But before I proceed any further I must add a word in
regard to the "butter-drinking feat" of the Tongouse. I
published it some time since in a Philadelphia weekly
paper, and shortly after met an old acquaintance, a

VEKIFICATION OF THE "FORTY-POUNDS" STORY. 469

purser in the navy, and who is at this very time stationed
at the Philadelphia Navy-yard.

"Look here !" he said to me, after we had indulged in
the usual remarks as to the state of the weather: " that was
quite interesting about the butter. But you don't expect
people to believe it, do you?"

"I can't say I do," was my reply. "Still, it is my own
belief that it is true."

" Oh, yes, I know," he returned. "And now I'll tell you
something singular. I had a nephew who once went in a
whale-ship for his health, and when he returned he told
me that same yarn as having happened to himself. He must
have been the ' Mr. Henry:' that wasn't the true name,
was it?"

I candidly acknowledged that, having forgotten the
name, I had taken that of Henry for want of a better;
and now, like "old Frybark" referring to the governor's
aide, I can only say to any skeptic of Philadelphia who
may read this book, " Voila M. the purser of your navy-
yard: 'ask him/ " And now let us return to the enlight
ening conversation of our Falstaff-like host.

"That affair of the butter was a good thing for all con
cerned," he continued. "I sold forty pounds for the
Company, the Tongouse got a fine dinner, and Mr. Henry
saw something that he would never have believed without
seeing. Now, don't some of you want to pay for twenty
pounds ? I'll show you two men at once who'll fight for
the liberty to drink it."

Before any one could accept or decline his offer, the
door opened, and in walked a most singular specimen of
the genus homo. He was below the ordinary height, and

470 URIAH HEEP IN EASTERN SIBERIA.

possessed of immoderately-thin long arms and legs. He
had a huge head resting upon a cornstalk-like neck, a
large and flabby-looking mouth, a most disagreeable
countenance, and a manner at once obsequious and pre
suming. His complexion was horribly sallow, and his
huge feet moved over the creaking floor without seeming
to leave it at all. His general appearance indicated a
long ride accomplished, as he advanced to Mr. Freigh-
burg and spoke a few words in Russian. When he had

ended he was presented to the party as Mr. , just

arrived from St. Petersburg.

"Just arrived from St. Petersburg !" exclaimed several

voices in a breath. " Why, Mr. , how long have you

been on the road?"

"Rather longer than usual," was the smiling such a
smiling ! reply. " To-morrow will be nine months since
I left, but my health has been bad, and I travelled by
short stages. I have only ridden forty miles to-day, but
that is much for me." He, too, spoke English quite well,
and, as he took a seat, crossed his pipestem-like legs, and
folded his long hands over his knee, I expected to hear
him add, "But I'm very 'umble," so much did he remind
me of an old acquaintance, one Uriah Heep, of David
Copperfield memory.

"Don't imagine that it's such a very terrible journey,
after all !" exclaimed " old Frybark." " The Government
Post does it in sixty days, and when the news of the war
came it was only fifty-eight on the road. You can easily
make the trip in eighty days at a cost of five hundred
dollars : in fact, it is only a pleasant travel. You go from
here to river on horseback, a distance of some

THE TONGOUSE AND THEIR REINDEER-BUCKS. Jb71

six hundred miles ; then take a boat for several hundred
more ; then leave the river and travel several hundred
farther in light wagons or on horseback : you cross many
rivers and mountains, follow the windings of numerous
valleys, and see a splendid country and many singular
people, during this part of the trip. Then you begin to
arrive at a more cultivated region and to see signs of
civilization, and in a week or so more you are at St. Pe
tersburg. You see this tobacco, that champagne, that
loaf-sugar, that tea, that caviare ? they all came over that
long road, sewed up in raw hide, and always arrive in
the good condition you see these in."

" What a fine trip it would be if we could only run the
4 old John' on a safe rock, step quietly on shore, and go
home by St. Petersburg !" exclaimed one of our party:
" she couldn't drown us then, confound her !"

Here our host was called out to see another arrival, and
the next moment we heard his large voice calling for all
who wanted to see how the Tongouse travelled on rein
deer to come down. A general rush was now made for
the door, where the new arrivals in the shape of two
Tongouse Indians were leaning against their clean
limbed reindeer-bucks, whose branching antlers seemed
in themselves heavy enough to bear down the elevated
heads and arched necks of their fleet-looking owners.
They had travelled seventy miles that day and yet looked
fresh and lively. The saddles were girthed well upon
the fore-shoulders, almost on the neck, and a single
thong of hide served as a bridle. One of our party tried
to mount, as any one would mount a horse; but the
animal bent to the ground and became restive under the

472 HOW THE CATTLE GET FOOD IN WINTER.

unusual proceeding. The Tongouse now mounted into
the saddle by climbing up over his neck, and he stood as
firm as if a feather only had been blown against him.
They seemed to be very strong in the fore-shoulders and
just the contrary in the back and quarters. For our edi
fication the second Tongouse now mounted, and a short
race ensued, in which they seemed to get along quite
well, but by no means as swiftly or gracefully as many
of our ordinary horses : probably they would have shown
to better advantage had they not already travelled seventy
miles.

"It's a mystery to me, Mr. Freighburg," I remarked,
"how you manage to feed your stock during such long
winters, these hundreds of horses and dogs which we
see, and the numberless reindeer which you say are
owned farther in the interior. I don't even see sheds
to shelter them under."

"Why, bless your heart!" answered the old fellow,
" we let our horses and reindeer go free as soon as the
cold weather commences, and they wander about in
droves of hundreds and thousands, finding plenty to
keep them from starving during the winter. They dig
down through the snow for dried grass, &c., and it is
only toward the spring, when the snow thaws and then
freezes again, thus covering the ground with a solid mass
of ice, it is only at that time that we have to feed them
until the weather gets warm and melts the ice away.
Now, one horse alone could not clear away the snow for
food, and thus you find them in large droves, as I say.
Their great number also adds to their security from the
attacks of wild beasts. Now, as to sheds for sheltering

TWO EXCITIXG EVENTS. 473

them from the cold, we have none at all ; and, though the
centigrade thermometer often sinks as low as twenty-five
degrees below zero, we seldom hear of any of them freez
ing to death. You see, when it is so very cold we really
do not feel it as much as if it were warmer; for the air is
always perfectly still and dry, and it is with the sharp,
damp winds that we suffer most."

And thus passed another evening; and the next day
they were to dine with us, and upon the following we

were to lunch with them, and then to sea once more

in our miserable old rattletrap.

The next day came and the dinner passed off finely;
and then the short night and supper on shore followed,
and the early sun ushered in "the last day." This last
day in port was remarkable for two things, the first of
which was fearfully important, as Hartman expressed it,
while the second was exciting in the extreme to all who
witnessed it. The first was the purchase of an air
tight hogshead of fine flour from a charitable whaler, that
was sufficient to insure us good bread until our arrival at
San Francisco ; and the second was the striking of a large
whale within gunshot of our ship. But let my journal
give us a few pages in regard to this latter :

" WQ had been at anchor three days. Our field-books
were full of data for the harbour-chart, and the next
morning's early sun was to see us under way for the
river Amoor. During these three days we had worked
hard in our boats with sextant and lead-line, and during
the three nights still harder at the Russian governor's
table with knife and fork. In fact, we had been almost
feasted to death by these fraternizing Northmen, and had

474 EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ON THE APPETITE.

determined to remain on board this day at least, to repair
damages and recover from the effects of their overdone
hospitality and roast beef, in spite of the promise they
had extracted from us to attend another lunch.

" They were a glorious set of fellows, those very Kus-
sians, strong-framed, large-hearted, and with astonish
ingly-capable heads and stomachs, if one might judge
from the quantity of wine and viands which they de
stroyed at most frequent and outlandish periods. They
would drink three or four wine-glasses of raw gin or
whiskey before each meal, calling it by the modest com
bination of "twenty drops," and raise their brows in
surprise at our remarkable abstinence, we only indulging
in one glassful. They would eat an ordinary meal just
before each regular repast, calling it by the simple ex
pression of "getting ready," and accuse us of not liking
some particular dish, simply from the fact of our slacken
ing up after having already eaten as much as two ordinary
men before it was brought on the table. In short, they
were men who could eat, drink, and keep late hours
without experiencing any of those annoying results
which too often present themselves in the shape of night
mare, unpleasant pains about half-way between one's
head and heels, &c. &c. ; and, such being their powers of
endurance, they had no idea of letting us recover quietly
in our rooms from the effects of the previous night's
supper, when, as they said, they were to lose our com
pany the next day. They therefore came off to the
ship in a body, and had pretty well persuaded some
of the more seasoned of the mess to return with them
according to promise, when the cry was raised on deck

WHALES IN THE HARBOUR. 475

that a school of whales was entering the harbour, and
that the whale-ships were all lowering their boats pre
paratory to commencing work. There were some seven
of these ships, all Americans, each one being manned
with not less than four boats ; hence the sport promised
to be amusing, and the cry of 'whales in harbour I 9 no
sooner reached us than all idea of leaving for the shore
at once took wing.

" The entire party now rushed up from below, up,
up, some into the rigging, some on the yards, others
into the tops, every one seeking an elevation from
which to look down upon the coming contest between
man and the giant of the deep, between mind and
instinct.

" It was curious in the extreme to watch the wary old
bulls and cows as they drove the young calves into shoal
water and there left them to feed, while they themselves,
from the fact of drawing too much water, were forced to
remain farther out, cruising back and forth, across and
about the entrance, diving under ships, lying on the sur
face as if sunning themselves, motionless, apparently
asleep, and yet sinking suddenly, like a lump of lead,
dropping perpendicularly away from the sneaking boats,
just as one of them would get close enough to make the
harpooner brace himself for the deadly heave. Of calves
I suppose there were a dozen or more, accompanied
by an infinite number of grampus, amusing themselves
in the shoal water; and there were probably as many as
fifteen or twenty of the bulls and cows 'backing and
filling' in different parts of the harbour, each of the former
having one sometimes, two boats dogging his wake

476 A SUBMARINE SOMERSET.

or cutting across his course with, silent, cat-like move
ment.

"The harbour being small, the water smooth and
polished, the day beautifully bright, and our, positions
quite elevated, we could follow most of their motions
while under water nearly as well as when they swam on
the surface ; and the manner in which they would turn
from danger was really astonishing. In their doublings
they put me in mind of the fox. One old gray-backed
fellow I remember in particular, who, while swimming
leisurely along from a pursuing boat, suddenly turned a
deep somerset without disturbing the surface of the
water at all, and a minute later breached some three or
four hundred yards directly astern. Two boats one of
which had been sneaking upon him from either bow
had evidently caused this retrograde movement.

" ~No sooner had this old fellow's huge body breached
again to view, than the three boats, who seemed to be
devoting their particular attention to him alone, crept
swiftly back toward him with their noiseless paddles;
but, while yet some distance off, his bo'dy, which had
since his reappearance floated lightly and motionless on
the surface, seeming suddenly deprived of every thing
that was buoyant, dropped perpendicularly out of sight,
leaving nothing to tell of his previous sunning process
save a few curling eddies. As a round-shot would have
sunk, so sank he from the eyes of his pursuers, and when
next seen was pretty well in with the calves and grampus,
more than half a mile from his former position. The
boats, however, judging with singular accuracy as to his
submarine course, had followed him with such effect as

HOW THEY SURPRISE "OLD GRAYBACK." 477

to be within less than half that distance of him, as he
blew his steam-like spout and again resumed his motion
less position on the surface.

" In the mean time, the other fifteen or twenty boats
were similarly engaged, and, an hour or more having now
passed without any change in the programme, we began
to think that our sport might not come off, after all, when
suddenly old Grayback, who had been cruising under
water for some time, lost his reckoning and rose under
the very bows of one of the motionless boats, and, before
aware of his dangerous locality, received the ready har
poon into his unsuspecting blubber.

" I think he must have sprung at least ten feet clear of
the water, and for more than a second his huge frame,
bent and doubled up by surprise or agony, was encircled
by air only. Then he came down, and "oh, what a
splash was there, my countrymen !" It reverberated over
the whole harbour, and raised a swell over which the
boat rose and fell as in a sea-way.

" ' Starn all !' It was the clear, nasal voice of the Down-
east boat-steerer, which came to us across the water
almost as soon as the weapon had left his powerful
grasp.

"And it was time to 'starn all;' for, though the light-
boat sprang like a thing of life more than her length
from the effects of the looked-for leap, yet she had no
thing to spare : the writhing monster struck the water
within a few feet of the bow, and then turned for deep
water with fearful velocity. At first they 'give him
line,' then slowly 'check him/ and, finally, boil along in
his foaming wake, as the powerful sweep of the trailing

478 A TIME FOR SHARP EYES AND READY ACTION.

steering-oar turns the boat as upon a pivot and guides
her after the tautened line.

" I do not think that her speed at the first jump could
have been less than thirty miles the hour ; and only think
of a boat being dragged at that rate through the water !
At times, I really believed that she was below the level
of the sea ; but so great was her speed, that the water,
instead of pouring into her, was thrown from her gun
wales in curling masses, that left a wake very much like
that of a young steamboat.

" No sooner was boat ISTo. 1 thus fastened to old Gray-
back, than Nos. 2, 3, and 4, all belonging to the same
ship, dropped the silent paddles and, with their long,
sweeping oars, took part in the exciting race ; while the
remaining whales, as if conscious of the mishap which
had overtaken their imprudent leader, rushed about in
wild disorder, and, before recovering from their fright,
another of their number had leaped bodily into the air,
descended with a splash, and rushed wildly out to sea,
with the barbed weapon in his side and the buoyant boat
thundering along in his rear.

" There were now two boats fastened to their flying
prizes, while some half-dozen others were pulling vigor
ously in various directions, intent upon cutting off one or
the other of the monsters should the opportunity present
itself in one of their many turnings and fastening a
second harpoon in case the first should draw out. Old
Grayback, however, seemed fully aware of the game that
was being played, and evinced a decided indisposition
to being ' caught foul' a second time. He was now
apparently cooled down by his < two-forty' pace, and

PLAYFULNESS OF "OLD GRAYBACK." 479

seemed determined to limit his exertions to keeping out
of harm's way, now and then indulging in unpleasantly-
sudden dives or dashes along the surface, as if merely to
let them know that he was still 'about.' After running
some miles to seaward, the old fellow had turned and
retraced his track to within half a mile of the spot where
he had been struck, and we thus had a fair view of his
motions most of the time; but the other whale had
dragged his boat with lightning speed around the north
point of the harbour and disappeared entirely.

" Upon old Grayback, therefore, we fixed our admiring
eyes, and some adventurous spirits even advocated the
idea of our joining in the fun with our own boats; but,
as the majority of us still had in distant contemplation a
mundane meeting with absent friends, the proposition to
' take a boat and pull ourselves' (the crew having been
worked hard the last few days) met with little encourage
ment. 'Every man to his own trade,' I thought to my
self, as old Grayback made one of his playful dashes,
turned suddenly at right angles to his former course, and
came toward us with frightful velocity. < Every man to
his own trade. What would become of that boat now
if I had the management of her? I think I'd much
rather be seated on this topsail-yard with my spy-glass to
amuse myself with/

"It was a fearful jerk a bold outlay of his husbanded
strength which the leviathan made in that sudden dash
and short turn ; but the quick eye of the boat-steerer had
caught the movement, and with one mighty sweep of his
trailing oar turned the boat as on a pivot, just as she felt
the tautening of the line. Onward she surged in his boil-

480 THE SALLY ANN IS DISAPPOINTED.

ing wake. Onward, onward. A breaking reef crossed
their mad career ; but old Grayback had evidently again
lost his reckoning, for he rushed steadily upon it. An
other second or two, and he must either turn at right
angles or butt out his brains. He chose the former, as
any sensible whale must have done, and seemed to fly
with renewed velocity. Skirting the reef with a con
siderable portion of his huge head exposed, he passed so
close to one of the ambushed boats as to furnish the long-
looked-for chance of fastening a second iron. But the
harpoon, though well directed, and urged by the power
of a strong arm nerved by the moment's excitement,
glanced harmlessly from his polished side, and was
slowly hauled in by the disappointed whaler. The un
expected attack, however, seemed to lash him to perfect
madness.. Bounding off violently from the reef, he tore
the first harpoon from its deep-seated hold, renewing
his furious flight, which bade defiance to further pursuit,
and leaving behind him a turbid wake of bloody foam.
Old Grayback had saved his blubber, and the Sally
Ann, of New Bedford, was minus her two hundred
barrels.

" ' Come on ! come on !' said the governor's aide, who
was by me on the topsail-yard. 'The whale has got
away ; he has doubtless gone for his lunch after so much
exercise : let us follow his example.'

" So we went down to the deck, and another half-hour
saw us entering the spacious mansion of the governor,
and four hours after that we were again seated in the
' second floor-parlour,' and two or three hours later we
were shaking hands for the last time."

ALL THAT CAN BE SAID OF AYAN. 481

How singularly mournful such partings often are !
such, abrupt terminations of unexpected but pleasant
associations of a few days ! Our jovial host lost his
laughing roughness as he emptied the ashes from his last
pipe, and his voice softened, and I thought his eye was
more brilliant than usual, as he bade us farewell, we who
had broken in upon their silent solitude and helped them
to pass so many pleasant hours.

" I'll tell you what it is," he said, slowly, as he passed
from one to the other with outstretched hands, " you fel
lows don't know what a serious thing you are about to do.
You are going to leave us here to our solitude just as
the long winter is coming over us. You are going to
return to your friends and homes in the civilized world,
while we are to be frozen in here with our useless bil
liard-table and the stores we bought from the Leveret.
Don't you think that furs ought to sell high when Chris
tian men have to live such a life to get them ? I wish
they were twice as dear: then my pay would be double,
and I should only have to stay here half as long."

And thus we parted, and the next morning's sun shone
upon the "old John" as she steamed slowly away from
those isolated but truly hospitable mansions toward the
scene of future work.

After all that has been said, it would be needless to
add that we did not find any coal at Ayan. And now for
a parting word in regard to that slightly-known place. I
forgot its exact position, but its latitude is about 56 IS.
and longitude 138 E., and it is about half-way between the
larger town of Okotsk and the mouth of the Amoor Eiver.
It contains some thirty or forty scattering houses, a Greek

482 THE LAST OF GLORIOUS "OLD FRYBARK."

church, and a rough specimen of a ship-yard, where a
small steamer, destined for the navigation of the Amoor
Eiver, was "being built previous to the visit of the Allies.
It is inhabited by three or four hundred persons, consist
ing of Russians, German-Russians, Cossacks,, and the
Tongouse Indians, and is the principal depot of the Rus
sian Fur Company in those regions. It is frequently
visited by whalers, annually by a ship of the Company to
carry the more ordinary furs to Europe, and seldom or
never by any other vessels. It may be well here to add
that the more costly furs are packed in water-proof bales
and sent across the country to St. Petersburg in the same
way in which "old Frybark's" white sugar and caviare
were obtained. And now I have done with Ayan and
glorious " old Fry bark."

CHAPTER XXIV.

WE VISIT THE TSCHANTAR ISLANDS, PARTAKE LARGELY OF WILD RHUBARB,
AND CAPTURE ONE OF THE INHABITANTS AFTER WHICH WE SAIL FOR
THE AMOOR RIVER, WHERE WE FALL IN WITH THE BOATS OF THE RUS
SIAN SQUADRON, FAIL TO PASS THROUGH INTO THE GULF OF TARTARY,
AND FINALLY RETURN INTO THE OKOTSK SEA.

THE day after leaving Ay an we sighted the Tschantar
Islands, and toward night let go our anchor in the prin
cipal harbour of that of Fekilzoff. This was the only
one of the group upon which we landed; but, upon
steaming around the others, we found them exhibiting
the same general appearances, from which we concluded
that "in seeing one we had seen all." Their central
latitude is 55 K, their longitude 138 30' E. : they are
covered with dense forests of spruce and birch, are rather
hilly than mountainous, are watered by clear and
numerous streams, and yet are not possessed of a single
human inhabitant, as far as we could learn from our own
observation and from conversing with whalers.

In fact, animal life of every description seemed scarce,
though the soil is remarkably rich and vegetation con
sequently luxuriant. In conversing with whaling-cap
tains in regard to these islands, they had held out most
startling and sport-promising pictures to us. One of
them said, for instance, that he had been anchored in
one of their bays in company with two hundred other
whale-ships, and that black bears were as abundant in

483

484 MARVELLOUS RISE AND FALL OF TIDES.

the forests as one could desire. A boat's crew of his, he
said, had once attacked and wounded one of them, when
he gave chase, and not only ran them into their boat
but swam out into the bay after them. They then turned
on him with their lances and harpoons, and made short
work of him.

Another captain told us the most marvellous yarns
about the rise and fall of the tides along these shores,
and of the shoals of whale which had frequented these
bays "last season." He said and others confirmed the
story that he had struck whales in six fathoms water,
and dug clams out of the sand directly under his boat
two hours later. And yet we passed three or four days
in those waters, and did not see a clam, a whale, a bear,
or any thing remarkable in the rise and fall of the tides.
The currents that ran through the passages that separate
the islands, however, were of astonishing rapidity, ren
dering the navigation full of peril even for a steamer.

When we let go our anchor in the Bay of Fekilzoff, we
found several whalers already there,- busily engaged in
the work of wooding and watering ship. They com
plained greatly of the scarcity of whales, and talked of
going to the northward in search of them. One by one
they left us until we were alone in the silent bay.

Upon the morning after our arrival, two boats had been
detailed to sound out the harbour, while the others were
employed in wooding and watering ship. This left our
indefatigable Nimrod, the doctor, at liberty, and he was
soon upon the hill-sides with his rifle ; but, after walking
all day and finding nothing but two squirrels, he returned
on board in great disgust and with a very poor idea of

THE DOCTOR "RUNS DOWN" A NATIVE. 485

the veracity of the whaler who told us that " black bears
were as abundant in the forests as one could desire." I
must not forget to add that both bust-proof and his mas
ter accompanied him upon this excursion, and shared in
his bitter disappointment. These squirrels were of totally-
different species, though they were both amply provided
with fur against the excessive cold of their winters. One
of them was about as large as an ordinary gray squirrel,
of a dark grayish colour, and with a jet-black and flowing
tail, while the other was much smaller, of claret hue,
with narrow brown stripes running down his back, and
possessed of very little tail at all. The former fell a vic
tim to bust-proof, and the latter was run down by the
doctor and caught alive. These animals seemed to live
on a little nut which we found in great quantities in the
burr of the shaft-like spruce pine, whose growth was the
densest I had ever witnessed in forest-trees. We subse
quently bought whole baskets of these nuts from the na
tives at the mouth of the Amoor, partly as food for the
doctor's pet, and partly because they were very fine for
us to nibble at ourselves. They were about the size of
a buckshot, of irregular formation, and tasted very much
like the meat of the hickory-nut. Their covering was more
of a skin than a shell, and might be swallowed without in
convenience. The trees on which this nut grows were, as
I have already remarked, very abundant and straight ; and,
as we expected soon to give out of coal and have to carry
sail quite heavy in consequence, we cut and rafted a num
ber of them to be worked into spars in case of necessity.
A hundred thousand ships might have loaded with simi
lar timber from that single island. The second evening

486 GENERAL FORMATION OF THE TSCHANTAR ISLANDS

after our arrival, the wooding-party returned on board,
bringing with them several bundles of a most refreshingly-
green-looking vegetable, which they said a whaler had
recommended to them as a grand substitute for spinach.
It proved to be wild rhubarb, and when cooked in the
form of greens was any thing but unacceptable. It had
a sharp, acrid taste, truly; but then the doctor spoke very
strongly in favour of that particular property as an anti
scorbutic, and one or two trials sufficed to reconcile us to
the taste. "We soon became very fond of it, and, before
leaving for the Amoor River, took care to cut a good
supply. It grew in great abundance along the sides of
the hills, and has for many years been known to scurvy-
threatened whalers.

The general formation of these islands is worthy of a
passing notice.

Unlike most elevated and solitary formations, they
present no indications of owing their origin to the action
of subterraneous convulsions. You find no bold water
around their shores, neither do you notice the cone-like
peaks which generally lift themselves over a volcanic
region. On the contrary, they are connected to the main
land by quite moderate and regular soundings, while
banks, and reefs, and isolated rocks, render the naviga
tion any thing but pleasant. The tide also washes their
shores with the rare velocity of from five to seven knots
the hour, and adds its perilous uncertainty to the lesser
dangers. Periodical gales of destructive violence also
devastate their lordly forests and drive the sea in foam
ing surf along their rocky shores. Then comes a long
and cheerless winter, which sinks the thermometei more

A u RARE CHANCE FOR AN ENTERPRISING MAN." 487

than one score of degrees below zero, and drives animal
life into its burrowed home for shelter against its bound
less intensity.

Wherever we landed, or while sailing along their silent
shores, the whole country presented the appearance of a
dense canebrake-like growth of spruce pine, extending
from the sea to the summit of the highest ranges, and
showing us at a single glance forest upon forest of the
most beautiful spars for shipping. Seldom was it that
we saw a crooked tree there : they were all as straight
and branchless as the most fastidious spar-maker could
desire, and will doubtless be duly appreciated when their
owner, the Czar, sees fit to call into requisition their vast
resources.

When we were on the coast of China, at Hong-Kong
and Shanghae, we had seen such spars as these selling at
the unheard-of price of from fifty to two and three hun
dred dollars ; and, as we now walked between their lofty
and shaft-like trunks, we could not help thinking how
easy a fortune might be made by some enterprising
Yankee, with an old timber-drover and a dozen or more
good wood-cutters at his command. All he would have
to do would be to cut and square some thousand or more
of them, fill up his ship at the cost of time and labour
only, and then run quietly to a ready market at either
Hong-Kong, Shanghae, Manilla, or one of a dozen other
ports. In the language of modern advertisements,
"here is a rare chance for an enterprising man to make
a fortune."

It took us four days to end our combined work of
wooding, watering, and surveying; when we again got

488 DON'T TRUST TOO MUCH TO THEIR ACCURACY.

up steam and anclior and continued on our way for the
mouth of the Amoor, through a storm of rain, wind, and
drifting fog-banks that soon rendered our navigation so
uncertain and dangerous that we were glad to gain an
anchorage under the sheltering heights of another of the
group until the return of clear weather. The next day
it had improved considerably, and we again got under
steam and ran along down the coast, hoping to be able
to pass through between the island of Sagalien and the
mainland into the Gulf of Tartary, and, following the
west coast of Sagalien, finally get out into the Pacific
through the Straits of La Perouse and then shape our
course for San Francisco. In this, however, we were
destined to fail, as the reader will see.

While at Ayan we had been presented by "old Fry-
bark" with a large number of Russian charts, several of
which related to the mouth of this river. These several
charts embodied the latest surveys of that region, but
were given to us by Mr. Freighbilrg with the warning
remark, "Don't trust too much to their accuracy, for the
channels there sounded out have long since been filled in
by shifting sand-banks, and even we have to trust entirely
to pilots." We therefore proceeded with our usual cau
tion, and, while thus feeling our way with lead and look
out over the unknown ground, we were forced to anchor
at night and continue with returning light the previous
day's work. It was a running survey that we were
making of this coast, and we had consequently to steam
well in along the land in order that Hartman might
sketch in the coast-line as we proceeded. We found the
water shoaling perceptibly as we neared the latitude of

THE LAST BOTTLE OF WINE. 489

the river, and were finally forced to run along in as little
as three fathoms, or keep so far out to sea that the inden
tations of the land, the existence of rivers, &c. would no
longer be discoverable. Of course we chose the former
course, which, though entailing considerable risk, still
guaranteed the accuracy of our future charts, which was,
after all, the grand object of the Expedition.

Running along in this way upon the morning after
leaving the Tschantar group, we sighted a sloop-rigged
vessel ahead, and, the wind being quite light, soon steamed
up to her, in spite of her evident exertions to get into
shoal water beyond our reach. A boat was lowered,
despatched to board her, and shortly returned with her
commanding officer, who came on board in high glee
upon the discovery that we were an American and not
an English steamer. She proved to be a Russian gun
boat that had run the gauntlet of the Allied fleet at Petro-
polowski, and reached in safety the port of Petropskio,
(off which we had anchored the previous night,) where
said commanding officer lived, and who as a Government
pilot had taken charge of her, and was now working her
around into the Amoor to turn her over to the Russian
admiral, there fortified with a squadron of five sail. This
old gentleman wore a tarnished and threadbare uniform,
looked as if he had seen much hard service, and spoke
English quite fairly. "We had no difficulty in compre
hending each other, as, with the table strewed with charts,
cigars, and the captain's last bottle of wine, he pointed
out the numerous errors of the former, and gave us a
vast amount of general information that it would have
taken us months of hard work to collect. For the benefit

490 SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOUTH OF THE AMOOR.

of persons interested in the present movement of the
Czar as regards colonizing the banks of that river, I may
as well introduce here a short synopsis of what we learned
from the Government pilot, as well as a few remarks
in regard to our own experience, which, while proving
some of his information to be correct, encourages us at
the same time to put confidence in other of his assertions
the truth of which we never found ourselves in a position
to test.

He told us, then, as he smacked his lips over the long-
untasted wine and puffed away at the equally-rare Ma
nilla cheroot, that charts would never be of much value
as far as the mouth of the Amoor was concerned. Even
he himself, he said, who had acted the part of a pilot in
those waters for several years, had to trust to his lead and
a good look-out, the sandbanks were so extensive and so
liable to constant changes. There were two passages, he
continued, but it was hard to choose between them, the
northern one (where we now were) being a bad lee shore
in case of a northeast gale, besides having very little
water, while the southern, though carrying twelve fa
thoms over what had long been regarded as an isthmus
connecting the island of Sagalien with the mainland,
soon led to patches of banks and shoals over and
through which only ten feet could be carried, and that
with the greatest difficulty. He gave us a full descrip
tion of the manner in which the Russian squadron had
escaped the Allies at Castrie's Bay and passed through
this passage; and it seems that upon arriving at these
banks and shoals they had to throw overboard their guns,
&c., put casks under their larger vessels, and were even

SLIM RATIONS. 491

then several weeks in working themselves into the river,
so often was their progress checked by shoal water.
They subsequently recovered their guns by means of
their boats, and were then well fortified in anticipation of
a visit from the enemy.

On the whole, he rather seemed to think that the
southern passage was the best; "for," said he, "even if
ships cannot enter the river they may anchor off its
mouth, and discharge and receive cargo by means of flat-
bottomed boats without such great exposure to northeast
gales. Then they pass down the Gulf of Tartary to the
Straits of La Perouse, and are soon in the Pacific." The
old fellow was evidently trying to set things in the best
light, doubtless thinking that the war would last for years,
and that, if we spoke lightly of the difficulties of landing
cargo when we arrived at San Francisco, ships would be
more likely to bring them stores. And this reception of
supplies from California was their only hope, he told us,
as long as the war lasted, as the resources of the country
around them consisted almost entirely of berries, fish, the
flesh of several wild animals, and a few roots. Though
the soil was fine, they had not had time to plant any
vegetables, he said, though they hoped to have some
California potatoes in the ground next spring, until
which time they must be content with roots instead.

After getting through with the charts and wine, we
went on deck, and the captain, pointing to a vessel appa
rently at anchor under the dimly-seen shore of Sagalien,
asked him if he knew what she was, &c. ; but he had been
at Petropskie so long, he said, that he could not tell any
thing about her. She had arrived since he left the settle-

492 THE AMERICAN BARK PALMETTO.

ment on the Amoor, and was probably an American
bark that had been long looked for with supplies from
San Francisco.

" How many fathoms can we carry in a straight line
from here to where she is anchored?" continued the cap
tain.

"You may steer straight for her and have three fa
thoms until within a mile of her, when you will find the
water shoaling ; and you must then keep to the southward

until she bears , when you may steer again for her.

You will find her anchored in about three fathoms water,
though you will have to pass over as little as <a half two.'
She has got the best berth for riding out a northeast gale ;
and you had better anchor near her, as there is a bank
to seaward that will break the sea and give you a com
paratively quiet time."

"We thanked the old fellow for his information, and
offered to tow him that far on his route; but he had
the modesty to decline, and we subsequently had cause
to admire his foresight, for the tide ran so strong as we
struck out into the stream that the "old John" had as
much as she could do to drag herself through it. We
were determined to make him some return for his kind
ness, however, and so stuffed his hat and pockets full of
cheroots and sardines as he went over the side.

It took us several hours' hard steaming to reach the
stranger, and there is no telling how much longer we
might have been had not the flood-tide set in and given
us a lift. The sun was just dropping behind the lowland
to the westward as we let go our anchor and lowered a
boat to board her. She proved to be the American

"YES! THAT'LL DO VERY WELL!" 493

bark Palmetto, of San Francisco, with provisions and
stores sent by the Russian consul to his countrymen in
the Amoor ; and she was surrounded by a perfect swarm
of boats from the Russian men-of-war in that river, who,
imagining us to be one of the Allied cruisers, took up a
hasty flight, with both sails and oars. As soon, however,
as they made out our flag, they seemed to gain courage,
and, calling a halt, despatched one of their lighter boats
to take a closer look at us.

This fellow pulled around us several times, gradually
lessening the diameter of his circle until he was within
hail, when the captain bellowed at him through a trum
pet to the effect that we were friends, Americans, and
that he had better come alongside.

"Yes ! That'll do very well !" sang out the officer, in a
doubting voice, at which there was a burst of laughter
fore and aft our decks, which, reaching his ears, seemed
to satisfy him of our friendly nature much better than
the captain's hail. At any rate, he now pulled up along
side of us and came on board, and, after carefully looking
round the decks for a moment, signalled his companions,
who at once followed his example. The party was com
manded by the captain of the frigate Aurora, and had
been sent out by the admiral with orders to get the Pal
metto into the river if possible ; but, as they had now
been at it some six weeks without making any headway,
it was difficult to see how they were to succeed. In the
mean time the northeast-gale season was rapidly ap
proaching, and the captain of the Palmetto was, naturally
enough, getting anxious either to get in or away. We
remained in company with him three or four days, during

494 WE RETURN INTO THE OKOTSK.

which time we sounded around for miles in search of a
channel; but, finding that the Russians were evidently
opposed to our proceedings on account of the existing
war, the captain finally ceased work, and the next day
we left them and were well clear of the dangerous
ground. Before leaving, however, the Eussians, appa
rently ashamed of the indisposition they had evinced to
our continuing the survey, offered to pilot us through
into the Gulf of Tartary and fill our bunkers with coal,
if we would take the Palmetto in tow; but, as they were
evidently unable to find water enough even for her, we
did not see much prospect of their taking our ship,
which drew a foot more, through in safety. Moreover,
we could not well have consented had there been oceans
of water, for the Allies would have had just cause to
complain of a violation of our neutrality. So we left
them to their fate and steamed back into the Okotsk.

WX COMMKNCK OUR HOMEWARD-BOUND VOYAGE AND ARE STOPPED BY A
NORTHEAST GALE, AFTER WHICH A WESTERLY HURRICANE COMES ^TO OUR
ASSISTANCE AND FRIGHTENS THE "OLD JOHN" INTO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY
WE ARE ATTACKED BY THE SCURVY, ARRIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO, AND
HEAR VARIOUS KINDS OF NEWS THE LAST OF THE "OLD JOHN," AND
AN IDEA OF THE RESULTS OF THE CRUISE.

IT was now the 15th of September, 1855 ; and, as we
steamed back into the Okotsk Sea, we rubbed our hands
and felt as only men can feel who have a hard cruise in
their rear and the sight of their native land and the joys
of home in their front. Our work was over, and we were at
length bound for the longed-for haven of San Francisco.
We had been a year without even letters from our rela
tives, wanderers along the shores of strange and
unfrequented lands.

We had accomplished a vast deal of work during this
time, particularly toward the latter part of it. Bad
charts had been corrected without number, the data for
new ones obtained, and our continuous line of deep-sea
and other soundings followed us from ocean to ocean
like the endless trail of the luminous circle whose broad
and starry breast meets the upward gaze from every
longitude. We did what I suppose no vessel ever did
before : we sounded around the world.

And now, as we were commencing our homeward-
bound voyage, with something over a month's provision
in the ship, with only enough wood and coal in the

495

496 ALL HANDS UP ANCHOR FOR HOME !

bunkers to last us some ten days, and with our worn-out
sails and crippled spars to take us the rest of that long
and weary way, we looked doubtingly ahead at the pros
pect of adverse gales, and trembled over the miserable
ship in which we felt no confidence. We had at least
four thousand miles to accomplish : we had to work our
way through the Okotsk Sea, and between the Kurile
Islands by the "fifty-passage," and finally to cross the
expansive breast of the North Pacific to San Francisco
during the stormiest of seasons. We allowed forty days
to do all of this in, and determined to steam until we
had entered the Pacific, and then to save our fuel until
within a few hundred miles of San Francisco. Thus we
had to depend upon our sails alone to accomplish the
intervening distance of over three thousand miles. Now,
as the reader already knows how the "old John" was
wont to acquit herself under sail alone, he will readily
see that we should have starved before reaching our port,
had she been opposed by headwinds. Fortunately, such
was not the case: our "broken reed" was again
strengthened by Him who counts the hairs of our heads
and notes the fall of the smallest sparrow.

******

We had rounded the north cape of the island of
Sagalien, and were stretching across that portion of the
Okotsk for the "fifty-passage," when we were met by a
northeast gale which caused us to fear for the safety of
the Palmetto and to congratulate ourselves upon our own
absence from her dangerous anchorage. This gale soon
blew by, and then we again commenced working for the
passage. This we reached in a few days, but were un-

ANOTHER GAME OF " BLINDMAN'S-BUFF." 497

fortunately encompassed by fogs after the breaking up
of the gale, so that one stormy evening found us in
pretty much the same dilemma as we had been in a year
back while running out of the Yellow Sea : we apparently
had another case of blindman's-buff ahead of us. We
could not well avoid running, however, for a westerly
gale was evidently brewing astern, and, were we to heave
to, we would certainly drift upon the Kuriles as a lee shore.
Our best chance, therefore, was to continue on our course
while we still had a fair idea of our position; so we
crowded on all sail and steam, hoping to enter the
passage before night. In this we failed ; but, fortunately
for our peace of mind during the hours of darkness, the
fog lifted just after sunset and showed us high land on
our starboard bow ; then it shut in again, night came on,
and we were more blindfolded than ever. Still, we had
seen enough. The passing glimpse of a well-marked
peak had told us that the open channel was ahead of us,
and beyond that the open ocean: so we kept steadily
on before the freshening gale, and the next morning at
daylight were well out on the Pacific : the fog was all
gone, the Kuriles had sunk below the western horizon,
and we were now to see no more land until that of Cali
fornia should rise over the opposite board.

During this first day in the Pacific, we were passed by
several deeply-loaded whalers steering for the Sandwich -
Islands; and, toward night, the fresh westerly breeze
before which we had been running for the last two days
had worked itself into quite a gale, so stormy, in fact,
that we were down to double-reefed topsails before mid
night, and the next morning we found it necessary to

498 HOW A DECK BECOMES A SIEVE.

reduce sail still further. The following night it had
increased to a storm, and the day after that found us
scudding before a fearful hurricane under a close-reefed
maintopsail and fore storm-staysail. This lasted a week
or more, and, as we got farther and farther from under
the lee of the Kurile Islands, it raised a heavy rolling
sea which threw us ahead at a most glorious rate. It
was the "old John's" forte, this thing of running away
from a gale, for she was so long that there was not the
most remote danger of her "broaching to;" and, upon
the old principle of accomplishing a thing through main
strength and stupidity, she was often known to travel at
the rate of twelve knots the hour while thus urged bodily
before a sea and gale.

This was all very fine for the first day or two ; but, as
the hurricane approached its climax, the seas, which had
hitherto only roared under our flying stern or occasion
ally boarded us over either waist, began to tumble in
over the taffrail and warn us of the necessity of batten
ing down the hatches. The old ship herself, too, began
to complain badly about that time. The furious rate at
which she was being driven ahead, combined with the
violent spells of rolling which she indulged in about
every five minutes, and the jarring power exerted by
the propeller on account of the unusual rate at which
the ship's speed caused it to revolve, made her decks
open so much that we might as well have had an ob
long sieve overhead. The water came through them
into our apartments in such quantities as to saturate our
beds, ruin our books, and keep the lower deck constantly
afloat.

"OLD BUST-PROOF" IN TROUBLE. 499

"Old bust-proof" was particularly unfortunate. His
master had given him a good oiling, stowed him away
securely overhead, and then left him to sleep quietly
through the passage. Alas for human forethought ! his
double muzzle was elevated higher than the breech:
water will run down hill, and the consequence may well
be imagined : upon our arrival at San Francisco he was
found half full, irreparably ruined. We looked at him
and sighed: we feared he would lose all right and title
to his redoubtable name at the very next discharge. His
ultimate fate is shrouded in impenetrable mystery.

I don't think any of the mess will ever forget that
long, wet, dreary week. I feel it now in the shape of a
passing rheumatic pain. It was "fear/w," as Hartman
expressed it, when we one morning ate our breakfast
(luke-warm tea, cold bread, and fried pork) with high
india-rubber boots on to keep our feet dry. At the end
of the third day, just as the hurricane was about at its
height, the captain started the idea of lying to and allow
ing it to "blow by." He entertained the very natural
fear that we should run into the centre of the storm if
we continued before it any longer, in which case we
should certainly have foundered with the sea that was
then running. He and the first lieutenant differed, how
ever, as to the nature of the tempest, and it was fortu
nately determined to continue scudding. I say " fortu
nately," for, in the end, it proved to be the safest as well
as most comfortable course, and we moreover continued
logging our two hundred and fifty miles daily toward
San Francisco, which was in itself a most important fea
ture, as the scurvy was by that time making great inroads

500 WE ARRIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO.

into our numbers and adding daily to the crowded sick-
list.

Finally, we ran into moderate weather, then through
an ordinary gale, and, in the end, awoke one " fear/^%
iine mor-r-ning," according to Hartman, to find our
selves within a few hundred miles of the land. We then
got up steam to help our sails, and were so fortunate as
to enter San Francisco during the night of the 19th of
October. We found the Yincennes and Cooper both in
ahead of us by a week or more, and some of their officers
boarded us that same night to offer their congratulations
upon our safety and tell us the news of the last ten
months. It seemed that very grave fears were beginning
to be entertained for the welfare of our miserable old tub.

"Who can tell how much we enjoyed those first few
days in a civilized port? There were our letters of the
past year to be read, the news of the world to be talked
over, and some of the finest beef, mutton, and vegetables
of the world to be attacked : the very recollection of it
all is glorious. Upon comparing notes as to the accom
plishments of the different vessels since our separation,
it appeared that we had each done more than the other
two had deemed probable. The Vincennes had touched at
Petropolowski, skirted the shore of Asia up to Behring's
Straits, and there left Lieutenant Brooke, Mr. Kern, and
a boat's crew, to make astronomical observations, while
she herself pushed on into the Arctic and obtained a
higher latitude in a northwesterly direction than any pre
vious navigator. Finally, she was arrested by vast masses
of ice, which, combined with the wide-spread existence
of scurvy among her crew, forced her to return to the

A PART OF THE VINCENNES'S WORK. 501

southward, after having found blue water where a pre
vious English explorer had located high land. She had
also made many other valuable discoveries, and collected
material for the construction of charts the want of which
had been severely felt by whalers for the last few years. '
Returning through Behring's Straits, she picked up the
astronomical party, and continued her line of deep-sea
soundings to San Francisco, where she arrived shortly
before us, with half of her crew disabled from scurvy. I
quote the following extract in regard to her cruise from
our late summary to Congress showing what work we
had accomplished, and asking that we be compensated
for the unusual service, as was the similar expedition
which sailed under Wilkes some eighteen years since :

" The Yincennes passed up along the coast of Asia,
(after leaving us at Ha-ko-da-di,) determining prominent
points and headlands. She then entered Behring's Straits,
where, on the peninsula of Yerguine on the Asiatic coast,
among the warlike and barbarous Tschuktchis, she left a
party of ten persons for the purpose of making astrono
mical, magnetic, and other observations, and to complete
the survey of the Straits of Seniavine, and to investigate
the flora and fauna of that country. On leaving that
place for the North, the Vincennes had on board but
three month's wood and provisions.

" To accomplish the survey in the limited period during
which the Arctic is open, it was necessary to carry all the
sail the ship would bear, through fog and mist, thus in
curring the danger of wreck on shoals, bergs, or rocks,
(for the Arctic is not deep.) She visited Herald Islarul,
and sailed over the position assigned land claimed to

502 HARDSHIPS AND EXPENSE.

have been discovered by H. M. ship Herald. She reached
a higher point of latitude (72 05') than was ever before
attained north of Eastern Asia, and disproved also the
existence of WrangeWs land in the position assigned it.

"All that portion of the Arctic available for whaling-
purposes was carefully explored and sounded. At this
time, in consequence of the want of provisions and of
exposure, the scurvy appeared, and the major portion of
crew and officers was attacked by it. Returning toward
the straits, an obstinate east wind was encountered, and
for many days it was doubtful whether the ship would
make good her escape from the Arctic before the rapidly-
gathering ice would imprison her, an event certain to
result in the destruction of all concerned.

" Embarking the shore-party, with the valuable results
of their labours, she sailed for San Francisco, where she
arrived after a tempestuous passage, and was joined by
the Hancock and Cooper, bringing the results of their
extensive surveys. Having communicated with the De
partment, the Hancock and Cooper were transferred to
the navy-yard, and the Yincennes sailed alone, continu
ing the work of survey on the route home, where she
arrived in July, 1856, from Otaheite, having made the
quickest passage on record.

" In the execution of these various works, the officers
and men have been separated from the civilized world
for periods of ten months at a time ; they have been ex
posed to great hardships and dangers not inferior to those
of war. Many of them have been permanently injured
by exposure, and all have been impoverished, for the
ports at which they were obliged to procure supplies for

A TOUCHING (?) APPEAL TO "THE POWERS THAT BE." 503

their long voyages were of the most expensive charac
ter, the Cape of Good Hope, Sydney, in Australia,
Hong-Kong, and San Francisco.

" With a reduced complement of officers, the labour of
surveying has been performed, in addition to all the duties
of actual service at sea, in regions of the most, tem
pestuous character."

Thus it will be seen that they had been less fortunate
even than we of the " old John," as far as fresh provi
sions and recreation were concerned ; for, while we had
met with beef, milk, berries, fish, and turnips in the Bay
of Taousk, with beef, recreation, and flour at Ayan, and
with spinach in the shape of wild rhubarb at the Tschan-
tar Islands, they had been forced to depend solely upon
the Government-ration of salt beef and pork, and bend
their constant energies to severe and dangerous labour,
&c. They were still rubbing their hands and talking of
the end of work and of the fine California potatoes when
we arrived.

And now, reader, if you are so unfortunate as to be
a member of Congress, I take the liberty of asking you
to think a moment over these last few pages, and see if
you cannot reconcile it with your ideas of equity to vote
for a bill which is now before "your honourable bodies"
for the relief of the officers and men of the North Pacific
Surveying and Exploring Expedition ; and, if you decide
against us, I can only hope that, if you ever find yourself
on the sea, it may be in just such an old coffin as the
everlasting "old John." And now for the little Cooper.

"With this vessel, things seemed to have gone some
what better: they found an abundarce of sweet po-

504 IMMINENT DANGER OF THE COOPEE.

tatoes at the Aleutian Islands, while surveying their
rugged coasts, and began to think they were going to
have quite a fine time, when one day they were en
countered by a severe gale which came very near casting
them on shore. They had anchored before its com
mencement, and now let go a second anchor; but she
dragged them both with their chains veered out to the
bitter ends, the sea was so very heavy that passed them
and broke upon the black-looking rocks not more than
twenty yards astern : they were dragging upon a lee shore.
The crew became very much alarmed, but were calmed
by the admirable firmness of their officers, (Lieutenant-
Commanding Gibson and Lieutenant Kennon,) and, just
as all hope was about leaving them, they were rejoiced to
find that the schooner had " brought up." One of the
anchors, while dragging along the bottom, had caught
under a rock and arrested them upon the very verge of
destruction. Their reed also had been strengthened.

There were three pieces of news which reached us
that first night, any one of which would have been suffi
cient to put any disease but scurvy to an ignominous
flight. In the first place, our friends, as a general thing,
were well. Secondly, a naval retiring board had been
ordered by Congress, had already acted, and we were
now " commissioned" instead of " warrant" officers. And,
lastly, the " old John," whose reputation had at length
worked its way through the walls of the Navy Depart
ment, "the old John' 1 was ordered to be turned over
to the navy-yard, and such of her officers as were not
wanted to fill vacancies on board the Yincennes and
Cooper were to be ordered home over the Isthmus. I

BOGUS PROMOTIONS AND BOGUS PAT. 505

gay all of this was great news ; but then it was all dark
ened by some unpleasant drawback. Our friends were
mostly well, but many had been confined to the bed of
sickness. We had all been promoted, but it was to bogus
elevations and to bogus pay. Our professional prospects,
as far as pay and subsistence were concerned, had actu
ally been changed for the worse. And this assertion I
am prepared to prove in the cases of at least two bogus
promotions out of three, though it is the prevailing
opinion that the entire " active list" of the navy has been
immeasurably benefited. And, lastly, the pleasure of our
cruise, being at an end, was chilled (to one at least) by
the very unpleasant reflection that he had to pay his own
expenses home.

A few days after our arrival, we all went up to the
navy-yard at Mare Island, when our crew were dis
charged or transferred to the Yincennes and Cooper,
the captain and first lieutenant ordered to the Yin
cennes, the rest of us ordered home, and the old tub
herself turned over to the yard, with the charitable
warning that "she would be more likely to sink than
swim if she ever went to sea again." Two of us came
home by way of Nicaragua, the others ma Panama, and
both parties arrived at New York within a few days of
each other. We now scattered to our widely-spread
homes, north, south, east, and west, and after the first
few days began to look in the papers for any stray notices
in regard to the movements of the Yincennes and Cooper.
One day I picked up a paper that was both amusing and
informing : the Cooper had also been turned over to the
yard, the Yincennes was ordered to New York ma Cape

506 THE LAST OF THE "OLD JOHN.'*

Horn, and the poor "old John" was again being fitted
for sea. She was to be sent up to Puget Sound to engage
in warlike deeds against the Indians, and men were
found to go in her: our warning had evidently been
forgotten. Two weeks later I took up another paper:
there was something more about the everlasting old
coffin : she had become restive under strange hands and
amused herself by blowing out the bottom of one of her
boilers. "Whether they succeeded in patching her up and
reaching their destination in safety I am unable to say ;
but it is to be hoped that the undertaking was abandoned,
and that she will be allowed to pass the remnant of her
days in peace and quiet. And now, as I am about to
leave her to that doubtful repose, I cannot but acknow
ledge a feeling of gratitude toward the shaky old bridge
which "carried us safely over," in spite of the many
anxious moments which she caused us during that rough
and stormy cruise. Farewell to thy miserable but faith
ful old timbers !

Several months later a rusty and weather-beaten sloop-
of-war anchored off the New York Navy-yard. It was
the summer of 1856, and the vessel was the Yincennes.
She brought home with her the remnant of our Expe
dition, and a vast amount of matter for the construction
of charts, the advancement of science, and the enlighten
ment of the inquiring mind: she was the grand store
house in which had been stowed, from time to time, the
dearly-bought work of the several vessels that had com
posed the squadron. The cruise was at an end, and men
returned to strange-looking homes, with bent frames that
had been straight, and with whitened locks that had been

I RENDER "FEAR-/m" THANKS, AND MAKE MY BOW. 507

dark. Who among those men will again volunteer for a
surveying and exploring voyage around the world? I
have but one more remark to add in regard to the
achievements of the Expedition, and that will give the
reader a fair idea of the extent of our collections. I was
informed by Mr. Stimpson, our Naturalist, some three
months since, that he had brought back with him nearly
Jive thousand varieties of animal life mostly marine
which were previously unknown to the scientific world.
"What a vast field is there opened for the naturalist and
his microscope ! .

And now I have but to dip once more into the ink
stand to return my thanks to Messrs. Edward Kern and
Geo. G. White, of Philadelphia, and to "fearful" A. E.
Hartman, of Dresden, Saxony, for the aid of their able
pencils in the way of illustrating my very imperfect MSS.,
and to express the hope that Congress may call upon
Commander John Eodgers, our ci-devant leader, to pre
pare an official account of the cruise which shall spread
the result of our work before the world, and do that
which it has not been in my power to accomplish in a
simple narrative of this nature: i.e. to do justice to an
undertaking which was originated by the necessities of
commerce, which has progressed in silence, accomplished
vast results of which little or no notice has been taken,
(from the fact that we returned during the violent excite
ment preceding the late presidential election,) and which
has not been blown into notoriety by the brazen trumpet
of an Antony Van Corlear.

THE END.

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS.

LIPPINCOTT'S

PRONOUNCING

GAZETTEER OF THE WORLD,

OE, GEOGKAPHICAL DICTIONAKY,

Comprising nearly 2200 Pages, including a greater amount of matter than any

other tingle volume in the English Language; giving a description of nearly

One Hundred Thousand Places, with the correct Pronunciation of

their Names, being above 20,000 more Geographical Notices

than are found in any other Gazetteer of the World.

EDITED BY J. THOMAS, M.D,, and T. BALDWIN,;

Assisted by several other Gentlemen.

TESTIMONIALS.

From the Hon. Edward Everett.

" This work has been evidently prepared with great labor, and as far as I can judge, frtm the
best materials and sources of information. . . . The principles adopted in ascertaining the
pronunciation of proper names (as stated in the Introduction) appear to me correct. This is a
matter attended with some difficulty and uncertainty, but it is treated with great ability, and in a
very satisfactory manner, in your Introduction. I have no doubt your Gazetteer wfll be found an
extremely useful work, well calculated to supply a want which must hare been severely felt bv
almost every class of readers."

From J. E. Worcester, LJ^.D., Author of Worcester's Critical Dictionary.

" Having made some examination of ' Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer,' more particularly in
relation to Pronunciation, 1 take pleasure in expressing a concurrence, generally, in what is said by
the Hon. Edward Everett, of the value and excellence of the work. The difficult subject of the
pronunciation of geographical names appears to me to have been attended to with great care, good
taste, and sound judgment; and this feature of the Gazetteer must add greatly to its value."

From the Hon. Robert C. Winihrop.

" 1 know of no Gazetteer so complete and comprehensive. ... 1 entirely concur with Mr
Everett in the opinion he has pronounced of the work, and sincerely hope that it may receive an
amount of public patronage in some degree commensurate with the magnitude and costliness of the
undertaking."

From Washington Irving.

" T fully concur with the opinions given by Mr. Everett and Mr. Winthrop of its merits, and with
their wishes for its wide circulation."
From J. Addison Alexander, D.D., Prof. Oriental Languages and Literature, Princeton Col.

" On the subject of Geographical Orthography and Orthoepy, this is not only the best, but the only
systematic work with which I am acquainted. In examining this work, I have received an indirect
and incidental, but very strong impression of its great superiority, in fulness and accuracy, to any
Dictionary of Geography with which I am acquainted."

From Dr. B. Sean, President of Brown University.

14 Your work must prove an invaluable guide to the stadentof geography, and if generally adopted-
could not fail to remove that discrepancy and confusion which now so generally prevail, in regard
to the pronunciation of geographical names."

From M. B. Anderson, L.L.D, President of the University of Rochester.

'I hesitate not to say that it is altogether superior to any book of its class accessible to the
American public."
From Prof. C. A. Goodrich, of Tale CbUege, Editor 'Revised Edition' of Webster's Dictionary.

" Your Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World appears, from the examination I have given it, to be
a work of immense labor, very wisely directed. I consider it as of great importance to Teachers."
From the Hon. George Bancroft.

" I have formed a very high opinion of the merits of your Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer ,
especially for its comprehensiveness, compactness, and general accuracy. I wish you the success
which you so richly deserve."

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. S PUBLICATIONS

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Contents.

WAVKRLET, or Tis Sixty Tears Since ............ THE FORTUNES OF NIGEL.

GUY MANNERING ....................................... PEVERIL OF THE PEAK.

THE ANTIQUARY ........................................ QUENTIN DURWARD.

THE BLACK DWARF .................................. ST. RONAN'S WELL.

OLD MORTALITY ......................................... REDGAUNTLET.

ROB ROY ..................................................... THE BETROTHED.

THE HEART OF MID-LOTHIAN ................... THE TALISMAN.

THE BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR. .................. WOODSTOCK.

A LEGEND OF MONTROSE ................ ......... THE HIGHLAND WIDOW, id.

IYANHOE .................................................... THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH.

THE MONASTERY ....................................... ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN.

THE ABBOT ................................................. COUNT ROBERT OF PARIS.

KENILWORTH ............................................ CASTLE DANGEROUS.

THE PIRATE ............................................... THE SURGEON'S DAUGHTER, Ac

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