I, And The Man With Me,
Staid Near The Boat, While John And Sam Walked Slowly Away, And Sat
Down On The Rocks.
They talked some time together, but at length
separated, each sitting alone.
I had some fears of John. He was
a foreigner, and violently tempered, and under suffering; and he
had his knife with him, and the captain was to come down alone
to the boat. But nothing happened; and we went quietly on board.
The captain was probably armed, and if either of them had lifted a
hand against him, they would have had nothing before them but flight,
and starvation in the woods of California, or capture by the soldiers
and Indian blood-hounds, whom the offer of twenty dollars would
have set upon them.
After the day's work was done, we went down into the forecastle,
and ate our plain supper; but not a word was spoken. It was
Saturday night; but there was no song - no "sweethearts and wives."
A gloom was over everything. The two men lay in their berths,
groaning with pain, and we all turned in, but for myself, not to
sleep. A sound coming now and then from the berths of the two
men showed that they were awake, as awake they must have been,
for they could hardly lie in one posture a moment; the dim,
swinging lamp of the forecastle shed its light over the dark hole
in which we lived; and many and various reflections and purposes
coursed through my mind.
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