The next Sunday was Easter, and as there had been no liberty at
San Pedro, it was our turn to go ashore and misspend another
Sunday. Soon after breakfast, a large boat, filled with men in
blue jackets, scarlet caps, and various-colored under-clothes,
bound ashore on liberty, left the Italian ship, and passed under
our stern, the men singing beautiful Italian boat-songs all the
way, in fine, full chorus. Among the songs I recognized the
favorite, ``O Pescator dell' onda.'' It brought back to my mind
piano-fortes, drawing-rooms, young ladies singing, and a thousand
other things which as little befitted me, in my situation, to be
thinking upon. Supposing that the whole day would be too long a
time to spend ashore, as there was no place to which we could take
a ride, we remained quietly on board until after dinner. We were
then pulled ashore in the stern of the boat,-- for it is a point
with liberty-men to be pulled off and back as passengers by their
shipmates,-- and, with orders to be on the beach at sundown, we
took our way for the town. There, everything wore the appearance
of a holiday. The people were dressed in their best; the men
riding about among the houses, and the women sitting on carpets
before the doors. Under the piazza of a pulpería two men were
seated, decked out with knots of ribbons and bouquets, and playing
the violin and the Spanish guitar. These are the only instruments,
with the exception of the drums and trumpets at Monterey, that I
ever heard in California; and I suspect they play upon no others,
for at a great fandango at which I was afterwards present, and
where they mustered all the music they could find, there were
three violins and two guitars, and no other instruments. As it was
now too near the middle of the day to see any dancing, and hearing
that a bull was expected down from the country, to be baited in
the presidio square, in the course of an hour or two, we took a
stroll among the houses. Inquiring for an American who, we had
been told, had married in the place, and kept a shop, we were
directed to a long, low building, at the end of which was a door,
with a sign over it, in Spanish. Entering the shop, we found no
one in it, and the whole had an empty, deserted air. In a few
minutes the man made his appearance, and apologized for having
nothing to entertain us with, saying that he had had a fandango at
his house the night before, and the people had eaten and drunk up
everything.
``O yes!'' said I, ``Easter holidays!''
``No!'' said he, with a singular expression on his face; ``I had a
little daughter die the other day, and that's the custom of the
country.''
At this I felt somewhat awkwardly, not knowing what to say, and
whether to offer consolation or not, and was beginning to retire,
when he opened a side-door and told us to walk in. Here I was no
less astonished; for I found a large room, filled with young
girls, from three or four years of age up to fifteen and sixteen,
dressed all in white, with wreaths of flowers on their heads, and
bouquets in their hands. Following our conductor among these
girls, who were playing about in high spirits, we came to a table,
at the end of the room, covered with a white cloth, on which lay a
coffin, about three feet long, with the body of his child. The
coffin was covered with white cloth, and lined with white satin,
and was strewn with flowers. Through an open door, we saw, in
another room, a few elderly people in common dresses; while the
benches and tables thrown up in a corner, and the stained walls,
gave evident signs of the last night's ``high go.'' Feeling, like
Garrick, between Tragedy and Comedy, an uncertainty of purpose, I
asked the man when the funeral would take place, and being told
that it would move toward the Mission in about an hour, took my
leave.
To pass away the time, we hired horses and rode to the beach, and
there saw three or four Italian sailors, mounted, and riding up
and down on the hard sand at a furious rate. We joined them, and
found it fine sport. The beach gave us a stretch of a mile or
more, and the horses flew over the smooth, hard sand, apparently
invigorated and excited by the salt sea-breeze, and by the
continual roar and dashing of the breakers. From the beach we
returned to the town, and, finding that the funeral procession had
moved, rode on and overtook it, about half-way to the Mission.
Here was as peculiar a sight as we had seen before in the house,
the one looking as much like a funeral procession as the other did
like a house of mourning. The little coffin was borne by eight
girls, who were continually relieved by others running forward
from the procession and taking their places. Behind it came a
straggling company of girls, dressed, as before, in white and
flowers, and including, I should suppose by their numbers, nearly
all the girls between five and fifteen in the place. They played
along on the way, frequently stopping and running all together to
talk to some one, or to pick up a flower, and then running on
again to overtake the coffin. There were a few elderly women in
common colors; and a herd of young men and boys, some on foot and
others mounted, followed them, or walked or rode by their side,
frequently interrupting them by jokes and questions. But the most
singular thing of all was, that two men walked, one on each side
of the coffin, carrying muskets in their hands, which they
continually loaded, and fired into the air. Whether this was to
keep off the evil spirits or not, I do not know. It was the only
interpretation that I could put upon it.
As we drew near the Mission, we saw the great gate thrown open,
and the padre standing on the steps, with a crucifix in his hand.
The Mission is a large and deserted-looking place, the
out-buildings going to ruin, and everything giving one the
impression of decayed grandeur. A large stone fountain threw out
pure water, from four mouths, into a basin, before the church
door; and we were on the point of riding up to let our horses
drink, when it occurred to us that it might be consecrated, and we
forebore. Just at this moment, the bells set up their harsh,
discordant clangor, and the procession moved into the court. I
wished to follow, and see the ceremony, but the horse of one of my
companions had become frightened, and was tearing off toward the
town; and, having thrown his rider, and got one of his hoofs
caught in the tackling of the saddle, which had slipped, was fast
dragging and ripping it to pieces. Knowing that my shipmate could
not speak a word of Spanish, and fearing that he would get into
difficulty, I was obliged to leave the ceremony and ride after
him. I soon overtook him, trudging along, swearing at the horse,
and carrying the remains of the saddle, which he had picked up on
the road. Going to the owner of the horse, we made a settlement
with him, and found him surprisingly liberal. All parts of the
saddle were brought back, and, being capable of repair, he was
satisfied with six reals. We thought it would have been a few
dollars. We pointed to the horse, which was now half-way up one of
the mountains; but he shook his head, saying, ``No importa!'' and
giving us to understand that he had plenty more.
Having returned to the town, we saw a crowd collected in the
square before the principal pulpería, and, riding up, found that
all these people-- men, women, and children-- had been drawn
together by a couple of bantam cocks. The cocks were in full tilt,
springing into one another, and the people were as eager, laughing
and shouting, as though the combatants had been men. There had
been a disappointment about the bull; he had broken his bail, and
taken himself off, and it was too late to get another, so the
people were obliged to put up with a cock-fight. One of the
bantams having been knocked in the head, and having an eye put
out, gave in, and two monstrous prize-cocks were brought on. These
were the object of the whole affair; the bantams having been
merely served up as a first course, to collect the people
together. Two fellows came into the ring holding the cocks in
their arms, and stroking them, and running about on all-fours,
encouraging and setting them on. Bets ran high, and, like most
other contests, it remained for some time undecided. Both cocks
showed great pluck, and fought probably better and longer than
their masters would have done. Whether, in the end, it was the
white or the red that beat, I do not recollect, but whichever it
was, he strutted off with the true veni-vidi-vici look, leaving
the other lying panting on his beam-ends.
This matter having been settled, we heard some talk about
``caballos'' and ``carrera,'' and seeing the people streaming off
in one direction, we followed, and came upon a level piece of
ground, just out of the town, which was used as a race-course.
Here the crowd soon became thick again, the ground was marked off,
the judges stationed, and the horses led up to one end. Two
fine-looking old gentlemen-- Don Carlos and Don Domingo, so called--
held the stakes, and all was now ready. We waited some time,
during which we could just see the horses twisting round and
turning, until, at length, there was a shout along the lines, and
on they came, heads stretched out and eyes starting,-- working all
over, both man and beast. The steeds came by us like a couple of
chain shot,-- neck and neck; and now we could see nothing but
their backs and their hind hoofs flying in the air. As fast as the
horses passed, the crowd broke up behind them, and ran to the
goal. When we got there, we found the horses returning on a slow
walk, having run far beyond the mark, and heard that the long,
bony one had come in head and shoulders before the other. The
riders were light-built men, had handkerchiefs tied round their
heads, and were bare-armed and bare-legged. The horses were
noble-looking beasts, not so sleek and combed as our Boston stable
horses, but with fine limbs and spirited eyes. After this had been
settled, and fully talked over, the crowd scattered again, and
flocked back to the town.
Returning to the large pulpería, we heard the violin and guitar
screaming and twanging away under the piazza, where they had been
all day. As it was now sundown, there began to be some dancing.
The Italian sailors danced, and one of our crew exhibited himself
in a sort of West India shuffle, much to the amusement of the
bystanders, who cried out, ``Bravo!'' ``Otra vez!'' and ``Vivan
los marineros!'' but the dancing did not become general, as the
women and the ``gente de razon'' had not yet made their
appearance. We wished very much to stay and see the style of
dancing; but, although we had had our own way during the day, yet
we were, after all, but 'fore-mast Jacks; and, having been ordered
to be on the beach by sunset, did not venture to be more than an
hour behind the time, so we took our way down. We found the boat
just pulling ashore through the breakers, which were running high,
there having been a heavy fog outside, which, from some cause or
other, always brings on, or precedes, a heavy sea. Liberty-men are
privileged from the time they leave the vessel until they step on
board again; so we took our places in the stern sheets, and were
congratulating ourselves upon getting off dry, when a great comber
broke fore and aft the boat, and wet us through and through,
filling the boat half full of water. Having lost her buoyancy by
the weight of the water, she dropped heavily into every sea that
struck her, and by the time we had pulled out of the surf into
deep water, she was but just afloat, and we were up to our knees.
By the help of a small bucket and our hats, we bailed her out, got
on board, hoisted the boats, eat our supper, changed our clothes,
gave (as is usual) the whole history of our day's adventures to
those who had stayed on board, and, having taken a night-smoke,
turned in. Thus ended our second day's liberty on shore.
On Monday morning, as an offset to our day's sport, we were all
set to work ``tarring down'' the rigging. Some got girt-lines up
for riding down the stays and back-stays, and others tarred the
shrouds, lifts, &c., laying out on the yards, and coming down the
rigging. We overhauled our bags, and took out our old tarry
trousers and frocks, which we had used when we tarred down before,
and were all at work in the rigging by sunrise. After breakfast,
we had the satisfaction of seeing the Italian ship's boat go
ashore, filled with men, gayly dressed, as on the day before, and
singing their barcarollas. The Easter holidays are kept up on
shore for three days; and, being a Catholic vessel, her crew had
the advantage of them. For two successive days, while perched up
in the rigging, covered with tar and engaged in our disagreeable
work, we saw these fellows going ashore in the morning, and coming
off again at night, in high spirits. So much for being
Protestants. There's no danger of Catholicism's spreading in New
England, unless the Church cuts down her holidays; Yankees can't
afford the time. American shipmasters get nearly three weeks' more
labor out of their crews, in the course of a year, than the
masters of vessels from Catholic countries. As Yankees don't
usually keep Christmas, and shipmasters at sea never know when
Thanksgiving comes, Jack has no festival at all.
About noon, a man aloft called out ``Sail ho!'' and, looking off,
we saw the head sails of a vessel coming round the point. As she
drew round, she showed the broadside of a full-rigged brig, with
the Yankee ensign at her peak. We ran up our stars and stripes,
and, knowing that there was no American brig on the coast but
ours, expected to have news from home. She rounded-to and let go
her anchor; but the dark faces on her yards, when they furled the
sails, and the Babel on deck, soon made known that she was from
the Islands. Immediately afterwards, a boat's crew came aboard,
bringing her skipper, and from them we learned that she was from
Oahu, and was engaged in the same trade with the Ayacucho and
Loriotte, between the coast, the Sandwich Islands, and the leeward
coast of Peru and Chili. Her captain and officers were Americans,
and also a part of her crew; the rest were Islanders. She was
called the Catalina, and, like the vessels in that trade, except
the Ayacucho, her papers and colors were from Uncle Sam. They, of
course, brought us no news, and we were doubly disappointed, for
we had thought, at first, it might be the ship which we were
expecting from Boston.
After lying here about a fortnight, and collecting all the hides
the place afforded, we set sail again for San Pedro. There we
found the brig which we had assisted in getting off lying at
anchor, with a mixed crew of Americans, English,
Sandwich-Islanders, Spaniards, and Spanish Indians; and though
much smaller than we, yet she had three times the number of men;
and she needed them, for her officers were Californians. No
vessels in the world go so sparingly manned as American and
English; and none do so well. A Yankee brig of that size would
have had a crew of four men, and would have worked round and round
her. The Italian ship had a crew of thirty men, nearly three times
as many as the Alert, which was afterwards on the coast, and was
of the same size; yet the Alert would get under way and come-to in
half the time, and get two anchors, while they were all talking at
once,-- jabbering like a parcel of ``Yahoos,'' and running about
decks to find their cat-block.
There was only one point in which they had the advantage over us,
and that was in lightening their labors in the boats by their
songs. The Americans are a time and money saving people, but have
not yet, as a nation, learned that music may be ``turned to
account.'' We pulled the long distances to and from the shore,
with our loaded boats, without a word spoken, and with
discontented looks, while they not only lightened the labor of
rowing, but actually made it pleasant and cheerful, by their
music. So true is it, that:--
``For the tired slave, song lifts the languid oar,
And bids it aptly fall, with chime
That beautifies the fairest shore,
And mitigates the harshest clime.''
After lying about a week in San Pedro, we got under way for San
Diego, intending to stop at San Juan, as the southeaster season
was nearly over, and there was little or no danger.
This being the spring season, San Pedro, as well as all the other
open ports upon the coast, was filled with whales, that had come
in to make their annual visit upon soundings. For the first few
days that we were here and at Santa Barbara, we watched them with
great interest, calling out ``There she blows!'' every time we saw
the spout of one breaking the surface of the water; but they soon
became so common that we took little notice of them. They often
``broke'' very near us, and one thick, foggy night, during a dead
calm, while I was standing anchor-watch, one of them rose so near
that he struck our cable, and made all surge again. He did not
seem to like the encounter much himself, for he sheered off, and
spouted at a good distance. We once came very near running one
down in the gig, and should probably have been knocked to pieces
or thrown sky-high. We had been on board the little Spanish brig,
and were returning, stretching out well at our oars, the little
boat going like a swallow; our faces were turned aft (as is always
the case in pulling), and the captain, who was steering, was not
looking out when, all at once, we heard the spout of a whale
directly ahead. ``Back water! back water, for your lives!''
shouted the captain; and we backed our blades in the water, and
brought the boat to in a smother of foam. Turning our heads, we
saw a great, rough, hump-backed whale slowly crossing our fore
foot, within three or four yards of the boat's stem. Had we not
backed water just as we did, we should inevitably have gone smash
upon him, striking him with our stem just about amidships. He took
no notice of us, but passed slowly on, and dived a few yards
beyond us, throwing his tail high in the air. He was so near that
we had a perfect view of him, and, as may be supposed, had no
desire to see him nearer. He was a disgusting creature, with a
skin rough, hairy, and of an iron-gray color. This kind differs
much from the sperm, in color and skin, and is said to be fiercer.
We saw a few sperm whales; but most of the whales that come upon
the coast are fin-backs and hump-backs, which are more difficult
to take, and are said not to give oil enough to pay for the
trouble. For this reason, whale-ships do not come upon the coast
after them. Our captain, together with Captain Nye of the
Loriotte, who had been in a whale-ship, thought of making an
attempt upon one of them with two boats' crews; but as we had only
two harpoons, and no proper lines, they gave it up.
During the months of March, April, and May, these whales appear in
great numbers in the open ports of Santa Barbara, San Pedro, &c.,
and hover off the coast, while a few find their way into the close
harbors of San Diego and Monterey. They are all off again before
midsummer, and make their appearance on the ``off-shore ground.''
We saw some fine ``schools'' of sperm whales, which are easily
distinguished by their spout, blowing away, a few miles to
windward, on our passage to San Juan.
Coasting along on the quiet shore of the Pacific, we came to
anchor in twenty fathoms' water, almost out at sea, as it were,
and directly abreast of a steep hill which overhung the water, and
was twice as high as our royal-mast-head. We had heard much of
this place from the Lagoda's crew, who said it was the worst place
in California. The shore is rocky, and directly exposed to the
southeast, so that vessels are obliged to slip and run for their
lives on the first sign of a gale; and late as it was in the
season, we got up our slip-rope and gear, though we meant to stay
only twenty-four hours. We pulled the agent ashore, and were
ordered to wait for him, while he took a circuitous way round the
hill to the Mission, which was hidden behind it. We were glad of
the opportunity to examine this singular place, and hauling the
boat up, and making her well fast, took different directions up
and down the beach, to explore it.
San Juan is the only romantic spot on the coast. The country here
for several miles is high table-land, running boldly to the shore,
and breaking off in a steep cliff, at the foot of which the waters
of the Pacific are constantly dashing. For several miles the water
washes the very base of the hill, or breaks upon ledges and
fragments of rocks which run out into the sea. Just where we
landed was a small cove, or bight, which gave us, at high tide, a
few square feet of sand-beach between the sea and the bottom of
the hill. This was the only landing-place. Directly before us rose
the perpendicular height of four or five hundred feet. How we were
to get hides down, or goods up, upon the table-land on which the
Mission was situated, was more than we could tell. The agent had
taken a long circuit, and yet had frequently to jump over breaks,
and climb steep places, in the ascent. No animal but a man or a
monkey could get up it. However, that was not our lookout; and,
knowing that the agent would be gone an hour or more, we strolled
about, picking up shells, and following the sea where it tumbled
in, roaring and spouting, among the crevices of the great rocks.
What a sight, thought I, must this be in a southeaster! The rocks
were as large as those of Nahant or Newport, but, to my eye, more
grand and broken. Beside, there was a grandeur in everything
around, which gave a solemnity to the scene, a silence and
solitariness which affected every part! Not a human being but
ourselves for miles, and no sound heard but the pulsations of the
great Pacific! and the great steep hill rising like a wall, and
cutting us off from all the world, but the ``world of waters'' !
I separated myself from the rest, and sat down on a rock, just
where the sea ran in and formed a fine spouting horn. Compared
with the plain, dull sand-beach of the rest of the coast, this
grandeur was as refreshing as a great rock in a weary land. It was
almost the first time that I had been positively alone-- free from
the sense that human beings were at my elbow, if not talking with
me-- since I had left home. My better nature returned strong upon
me. Everything was in accordance with my state of feeling, and I
experienced a glow of pleasure at finding that what of poetry and
romance I ever had in me had not been entirely deadened by the
laborious life, with its paltry, vulgar associations, which I had
been leading. Nearly an hour did I sit, almost lost in the luxury
of this entire new scene of the play in which I had been so long
acting, when I was aroused by the distant shouts of my companions,
and saw that they were collecting together, as the agent had made
his appearance, on his way back to our boat.
We pulled aboard, and found the long-boat hoisted out, and nearly
laden with goods; and, after dinner, we all went on shore in the
quarter-boat, with the long-boat in tow. As we drew in, we
descried an ox-cart and a couple of men standing directly on the
brow of the hill; and having landed, the captain took his way
round the hill, ordering me and one other to follow him. We
followed, picking our way out, and jumping and scrambling up,
walking over briers and prickly pears, until we came to the top.
Here the country stretched out for miles, as far as the eye could
reach, on a level, table surface, and the only habitation in sight
was the small white mission of San Juan Capistrano, with a few
Indian huts about it, standing in a small hollow, about a mile
from where we were. Reaching the brow of the hill, where the cart
stood, we found several piles of hides, and Indians sitting round
them. One or two other carts were coming slowly on from the
Mission, and the captain told us to begin and throw the hides
down. This, then, was the way they were to be got down,-- thrown
down, one at a time, a distance of four hundred feet! This was
doing the business on a great scale. Standing on the edge of the
hill, and looking down the perpendicular height, the sailors
``That walked upon the beach
Appeared like mice; and our tall anchoring bark
Diminished to her cock; her cock a buoy
Almost too small for sight.''
Down this height we pitched the hides, throwing them as far out
into the air as we could; and as they were all large, stiff, and
doubled, like the cover of a book, the wind took them, and they
swayed and eddied about, plunging and rising in the air, like a
kite when it has broken its string. As it was now low tide, there
was no danger of their falling into the water; and, as fast as
they came to ground, the men below picked them up, and, taking
them on their heads, walked off with them to the boat. It was
really a picturesque sight: the great height, the scaling of the
hides, and the continual walking to and fro of the men, who looked
like mites, on the beach. This was the romance of hide droghing!
Some of the hides lodged in cavities under the bank and out of our
sight, being directly under us; but by pitching other hides in the
same direction, we succeeded in dislodging them. Had they remained
there, the captain said he should have sent on board for a couple
of pairs of long halyards, and got some one to go down for them.
It was said that one of the crew of an English brig went down in
the same way, a few years before. We looked over, and thought it
would not be a welcome task, especially for a few paltry hides;
but no one knows what he will do until he is called upon; for, six
months afterwards, I descended the same place by a pair of
top-gallant studding-sail halyards, to save half a dozen hides
which had lodged there.
Having thrown them all over, we took our way back again, and found
the boat loaded and ready to start. We pulled off, took the hides
all aboard, hoisted in the boats, hove up our anchor, made sail,
and before sundown were on our way to San Diego.
Friday, May 8th, 1835. Arrived at San Diego. We found the little
harbor deserted. The Lagoda, Ayacucho, Loriotte, all had sailed
from the coast, and we were left alone. All the hide-houses on the
beach but ours were shut up, and the Sandwich-Islanders, a dozen
or twenty in number, who had worked for the other vessels, and
been paid off when they sailed, were living on the beach, keeping
up a grand carnival. There was a large oven on the beach, which,
it seems, had been built by a Russian discovery-ship, that had
been on the coast a few years ago, for baking her bread. This the
Sandwich-Islanders took possession of, and had kept ever since,
undisturbed. It was big enough to hold eight or ten men, and had a
door at the side, and a vent-hole at top. They covered the floor
with Oahu mats for a carpet, stopped up the vent-hole in bad
weather, and made it their head-quarters. It was now inhabited by
as many as a dozen or twenty men, crowded together, who lived
there in complete idleness,-- drinking, playing cards, and
carousing in every way. They bought a bullock once a week, which
kept them in meat, and one of them went up to the town every day
to get fruit, liquor, and provisions. Besides this, they had
bought a cask of ship-bread, and a barrel of flour from the
Lagoda, before she sailed. There they lived, having a grand time,
and caring for nobody. Captain Thompson wished to get three or
four of them to come on board the Pilgrim, as we were so much
diminished in numbers, and went up to the oven, and spent an hour
or two trying to negotiate with them. One of them,-- a finely
built, active, strong, and intelligent fellow,-- who was a sort of
king among them, acted as spokesman. He was called Mannini,-- or
rather, out of compliment to his known importance and influence,
Mr. Mannini,-- and was known all over California. Through him, the
captain offered them fifteen dollars a month, and one month's pay
in advance; but it was like throwing pearls before swine, or,
rather, carrying coals to Newcastle. So long as they had money,
they would not work for fifty dollars a month, and when their
money was gone, they would work for ten.
``What do you do here, Mr. Mannini?''[1] said the captain.
``Oh! we play cards, get drunk, smoke,-- do anything we're a mind
to.''
``Don't you want to come aboard and work?''
``Aole! aole make make makou i ka hana. Now, got plenty money; no
good, work. Mamule, money pau-- all gone. Ah! very good, work!--
maikai, hana hana nui!''
``But you'll spend all your money in this way,'' said the captain.
``Aye! me know that. By-'em-by money pau-- all gone; then Kanaka
work plenty.''
This was a hopeless case, and the captain left them, to wait
patiently until their money was gone.
We discharged our hides and tallow, and in about a week were ready
to set sail again for the windward. We unmoored, and got
everything ready, when the captain made another attempt upon the
oven. This time he had more regard to the ``mollia tempora
fandi,'' and succeeded very well. He won over Mr. Mannini to his
interest, and as the shot was getting low in the locker at the
oven, prevailed upon him and three others to come on board with
their chests and baggage, and sent a hasty summons to me and the
boy to come ashore with our things, and join the gang at the
hide-house. This was unexpected to me; but anything in the way of
variety I liked; so we made ready, and were pulled ashore. I stood
on the beach while the brig got under way, and watched her until
she rounded the point, and then went to the hide-house to take up
my quarters for a few months.
[1] The vowels in the Sandwich Island language have the sound of
those in the languages of Continental Europe.