His Wife
He Never Saw, Or Heard Of, From That Day To This, And Never Wished
To.
Then followed a sweeping assertion, not much to the credit of
the sex, if true, though he has Pope to back him.
"Come, Chips,
cheer up like a man, and take some hot grub! Don't be made a fool
of by anything in petticoats! As for your wife, you'll never see
her again; she was 'up keeleg and off' before you were outside of
Cape Cod. You hove your money away like a fool; but every man
must learn once, just as I did; so you'd better square the yards
with her, and make the best of it."
This was the best consolation "Sails" had to offer, but it did not
seem to be just the thing the carpenter wanted; for, during several
days, he was very much dejected, and bore with difficulty the jokes
of the sailors, and with still more difficulty their attempts at
advice and consolation, of most of which the sailmaker's was a
good specimen.
Thursday, Feb. 25th. Set sail for Santa Barbara, where we arrived
on Sunday, the 28th. We just missed of seeing the California, for she
had sailed three days before, bound to Monterey, to enter her cargo and
procure her license, and thence to San Francisco, etc. Captain Arthur
left files of Boston papers for Captain T - - -, which, after they had
been read and talked over in the cabin, I procured from my friend
the third mate. One file was of all the Boston Transcripts for
the month of August, 1835, and the rest were about a dozen Daily
Advertisers and Couriers, of different dates. After all, there is
nothing in a strange land like a newspaper from home. Even a letter,
in many respects, is nothing, in comparison with it. It carries you
back to the spot, better than anything else. It is almost equal to
clairvoyance. The names of the streets, with the things advertised,
are almost as good as seeing the signs; and while reading "Boy lost!"
one can almost hear the bell and well-known voice of "Old Wilson,"
crying the boy as "strayed, stolen, or mislaid!" Then there was
the Commencement at Cambridge, and the full account of the
exercises at the graduating of my own class. A list of all
those familiar names, (beginning as usual with Abbot, and ending
with W., ) which, as I read them over, one by one, brought up their
faces and characters as I had known them in the various scenes of
college life. Then I imagined them upon the stage, speaking their
orations, dissertations, colloquies, etc., with the gestures and
tones of each, and tried to fancy the manner in which each would
handle his subject, *****, handsome, showy, and superficial; *****,
with his strong head, clear brain, cool self-possession; *****,
modest, sensitive, and underrated; *****, the mouth-piece of the
debating clubs, noisy, vaporous, and democratic; and so following.
Then I could see them receiving their A. Bs. from the dignified,
feudal-looking President, with his "auctoritate mihi commissâ,"
and walking off the stage with their diplomas in their hands;
while upon the very same day, their classmate was walking up
and down California beach with a hide upon his head.
Every watch below, for a week, I pored over these papers, until I was
sure there could be nothing in them that had escaped my attention,
and was ashamed to keep them any longer.
Saturday, March 5th. This was an important day in our almanac,
for it was on this day that we were first assured that our voyage
was really drawing to a close. The captain gave orders to have
the ship ready for getting under weigh; and observed that there
was a good breeze to take us down to San Pedro. Then we were not
going up to windward. Thus much was certain, and was soon known,
fore and aft; and when we went in the gig to take him off, he shook
hands with the people on the beach, and said that he never expected
to see Santa Barbara again. This settled the matter, and sent a
thrill of pleasure through the heart of every one in the boat.
We pulled off with a will, saying to ourselves (I can speak for
myself at least) - "Good-by, Santa Barbara! - This is the last pull
here - No more duckings in your breakers, and slipping from your
cursed south-easters!" The news was soon known aboard, and put
life into everything when we were getting under weigh. Each one
was taking his last look at the mission, the town, the breakers
on the beach, and swearing that no money would make him ship to
see them again; and when all hands tallied on to the cat-fall,
the chorus of "Time for us to go!" was raised for the first time,
and joined in, with full swing, by everybody. One would have thought
we were on our voyage home, so near did it seem to us, though there
were yet three months for us on the coast.
We left here the young Englishman, George Marsh, of whom I have
before spoken, who was wrecked upon the Pelew Islands. He left us
to take the berth of second mate on board the Ayacucho, which was
lying in port. He was well qualified for this, and his education
would enable him to rise to any situation on board ship. I felt
really sorry to part from him. There was something about him which
excited my curiosity; for I could not, for a moment, doubt that he
was well born, and, in early life, well bred. There was the latent
gentleman about him, and the sense of honor, and no little of the
pride, of a young man of good family. The situation was offered
him only a few hours before we sailed; and though he must give up
returning to America, yet I have no doubt that the change from a
dog's berth to an officer's, was too agreeable to his feelings to
be declined.
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