He Had Been In The House Several Weeks,
Working Hard At His Trade, Upon Orders Which He Had Brought With Him,
And Talked Much Of His Resolution, And Opened His Heart To Us About
His Past Life.
After we had been here some time, he started off
one morning, in fine spirits, well dressed, to carry the clothes
which he had been making to the pueblo, and saying he would bring
back his money and some fresh orders the next day.
The next day
came, and a week passed, and nearly a fortnight, when, one day,
going ashore, we saw a tall man, who looked like our friend the
tailor, getting out of the back of an Indian's cart, which had
just come down from the pueblo. He stood for the house, but we bore
up after him; when finding that we were overhauling him, he hove-to
and spoke us. Such a sight I never saw before. Barefooted, with an
old pair of trowsers tied round his waist by a piece of green hide,
a soiled cotton shirt, and a torn Indian hat; "cleaned out," to the
last reál, and completely "used up." He confessed the whole matter;
acknowledged that he was on his back; and now he had a prospect of a
fit of the horrors for a week, and of being worse than useless for
months. This is a specimen of the life of half of the Americans
and English who are adrift over the whole of California. One of
the same stamp was Russell, who was master of the hide-house
at San Diego, while I was there, and afterwards turned away
for his misconduct. He spent his own money and nearly all
the stores among the half-bloods upon the beach, and being
turned away, went up to the Presidio, where he lived the life
of a desperate "loafer," until some rascally deed sent him off
"between two days," with men on horseback, dogs, and Indians in
full cry after him, among the hills. One night, he burst into our
room at the hide-house, breathless, pale as a ghost, covered with
mud, and torn by thorns and briers, nearly naked, and begged for
a crust of bread, saying he had neither eaten nor slept for three
days. Here was the great Mr. Russell, who a month before was "Don
Tomàs," "Capitán de la playa," "Maéstro de la casa," etc., etc.,
begging food and shelter of Kanakas and sailors. He staid with
us till he gave himself up, and was dragged off to the calabozo.
Another, and a more amusing specimen, was one whom we saw at San
Francisco. He had been a lad on board the ship California, in one
of her first voyages, and ran away and commenced Ranchéro, gambling,
stealing horses, etc. He worked along up to San Francisco, and was
living on a rancho near there, while we were in port. One morning,
when we went ashore in the boat, we found him at the landing-place,
dressed in California style, - a wide hat, faded velveteen trowsers,
and a blanket cloak thrown over his shoulders - and wishing to go off
in the boat, saying he was going to paseár with our captain a little.
We had many doubts of the reception he would meet with; but he
seemed to think himself company for any one. We took him aboard,
landed him at the gangway, and went about our work, keeping an eye
upon the quarter-deck, where the captain was walking. The lad
went up to him with the most complete assurance, and raising his
hat, wished him a good afternoon. Captain T - - - turned round,
looked at him from head to foot, and saying coolly, "Hallo! who
the h - - are you?" kept on his walk. This was a rebuff not to
be mistaken, and the joke passed about among the crew by winks
and signs, at different parts of the ship. Finding himself
disappointed at headquarters, he edged along forward to the mate,
who was overseeing some work on the forecastle, and tried to begin
a yarn; but it would not do. The mate had seen the reception he
had met with aft, and would have no cast-off company. The second
mate was aloft, and the third mate and myself were painting the
quarter-boat, which hung by the davits, so he betook himself to
us; but we looked at one another, and the officer was too busy
to say a word. From us, he went to one and another of the crew,
but the joke had got before him, and he found everybody busy and
silent. Looking over the rail a few moments afterward, we saw him
at the galley-door talking to the cook. This was a great comedown,
from the highest seat in the synagogue to a seat in the galley with
the black cook. At night, too, when supper was called, he stood in
the waist for some time, hoping to be asked down with the officers,
but they went below, one after another, and left him. His next
chance was with the carpenter and sail-maker, and he lounged round
the after hatchway until the last had gone down. We had now had
fun enough out of him, and taking pity on him, offered him a pot
of tea, and a cut at the kid, with the rest, in the forecastle.
He was hungry, and it was growing dark, and he began to see that
there was no use in playing the caballero any longer, and came
down into the forecastle, put into the "grub" in sailor's style,
threw off all his airs, and enjoyed the joke as much as any one;
for a man must take a joke among sailors. He gave us the whole
account of his adventures in the country, - roguery and all - and
was very entertaining. He was a smart, unprincipled fellow, was at
the bottom of most of the rascally doings of the country, and gave
us a great deal of interesting information in the ways of the world
we were in.
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